bims-tucedo 2022-01-23 papers

bims-tucedo

Biomed News

on Tumor cell dormancy

Issue of 2022–01–23
twenty-six papers selected by
Isabel Puig Borreil, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology

Multiple Mechanisms Underlie the Acquired Resistance to KRAS G12C Inhibition.
Targeting glutamine metabolism network for the treatment of therapy-resistant prostate cancer.
Differential kinase activity across prostate tumor compartments defines sensitivity to target inhibition.
Cellular architecture of human brain metastases.
CircNFIB inhibits tumor growth and metastasis through suppressing MEK1/ERK signaling in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.
CircRPN2 inhibits aerobic glycolysis and metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma.
circFARP1 enables cancer-associated fibroblasts to promote gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer via the LIF/STAT3 axis.
Pre-existing Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer-like Cells in Primary Prostate Cancer Promote Resistance to Hormonal Therapy.
Chemotherapy Triggers T Cells to Remodel the Extracellular Matrix and Promote Metastasis.
BRAF Inhibitors Reprogram Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts to Drive Matrix Remodeling and Therapeutic Escape in Melanoma.
ROS-regulated phosphorylation of ITPKB by CAMK2G drives cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer.
Highly-metastatic colorectal cancer cell released miR-181a-5p-rich extracellular vesicles promote liver metastasis by activating hepatic stellate cells and remodelling the tumour microenvironment.
Overcoming immunotherapy resistance in NSCLC.
Metastasis enhancer PGRMC1 boosts store-operated Ca2+ entry by uncoiling Ca2+ sensor STIM1 for focal adhesion turnover and actomyosin formation.
GDF15 promotes prostate cancer bone metastasis and colonization through osteoblastic CCL2 and RANKL activation.
Genomic alterations drive metastases formation in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cancer: deciphering the role of CDKN2A and CDKN2B in mediating liver tropism.
Targeted disruption of mitochondria potently reverses multidrug resistance in cancer therapy.
ESMO Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets driving targeted treatment in patients with cholangiocarcinoma.
A functional module states framework reveals transcriptional states for drug and target prediction.
A plasma SNORD33 signature predicts platinum benefit in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer patients.
Loss of circadian gene Timeless induces EMT and tumor progression in colorectal cancer via Zeb1-dependent mechanism.
Circulating extracellular vesicles expressing PD1 and PD-L1 predict response and mediate resistance to checkpoint inhibitors immunotherapy in metastatic melanoma.
Normal and tumor-derived organoids as a drug screening platform for tumor-specific drug vulnerabilities.
Immunotherapeutic HCW9218 augments anti-tumor activity of chemotherapy via NK cell mediated reduction of therapy induced senescent cells.
MEK inhibition overcomes chemoimmunotherapy resistance by inducing CXCL10 in cancer cells.
RNA m6A methylation regulates the dissemination of cancer cells via modulating expression and membrane localization of β-catenin.

Cancer Discov. 2022 Jan 21.

Multiple Mechanisms Underlie the Acquired Resistance to KRAS G12C Inhibition.

Numerous mechanisms of resistance to direct KRAS G12C inhibition were revealed.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-RW2022-010
Oncogene. 2022 Jan 20.

Targeting glutamine metabolism network for the treatment of therapy-resistant prostate cancer.

Lingfan Xu, Bing Zhao, William Butler, Huan Xu, Nan Song, Xufeng Chen, J Spencer Hauck, Xia Gao, Hong Zhang, Jeff Groth, Qing Yang, Yue Zhao, David Moon, Daniel George, Yinglu Zhou, Yiping He, Jiaoti Huang.

Advanced and aggressive prostate cancer (PCa) depends on glutamine for survival and proliferation. We have previously shown that inhibition of glutaminase 1, which catalyzes the rate-limiting step of glutamine catabolism, achieves significant therapeutic effect; however, therapy resistance is inevitable. Here we report that while the glutamine carbon is critical to PCa survival, a parallel pathway of glutamine nitrogen catabolism that actively contributes to pyrimidine assembly is equally important for PCa cells. Importantly, we demonstrate a reciprocal feedback mechanism between glutamine carbon and nitrogen pathways which leads to therapy resistance when one of the two pathways is inhibited. Combination treatment to inhibit both pathways simultaneously yields better clinical outcome for advanced PCa patients.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-021-02155-z
Cancer Res. 2022 Jan 19. pii: canres.2609.2021. [Epub ahead of print]

Differential kinase activity across prostate tumor compartments defines sensitivity to target inhibition.

Nezihi Murat Karabacak, Yu Zheng, Taronish D Dubash, Risa Burr, Douglas S Micalizzi, Ben S Wittner, Maoxuan Lin, Devon F Wiley, Valentine Comaills, Erin Emmons, Kira L Niederhoffer, Uyen Ho, Jacob Ukleja, Dante Che, Hannah Stowe, Linda T Nieman, Wilhelm Haas, Shannon L Stott, Michael S Lawrence, David T Ting, David T Miyamoto, Daniel A Haber, Mehmet Toner, Shyamala Maheswaran.

Cancer therapy often results in heterogeneous responses in different metastatic lesions in the same patient. Inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity in signaling within various tumor compartments and its impact on therapy are not well characterized due to the limited sensitivity of single cell proteomic approaches. To overcome this barrier, we applied single cell mass cytometry with a customized 26-antibody panel to PTEN-deleted orthotopic prostate cancer xenograft models to measure the evolution of kinase activities in different tumor compartments during metastasis or drug treatment. Compared with primary tumors and circulating tumor cells (CTC), bone metastases but not lung and liver metastases exhibited elevated PI3K/mTOR signaling and overexpressed receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) including c-Met protein. Suppression of c-MET impaired tumor growth in the bone. Intra-tumoral heterogeneity within tumor compartments also arose from highly proliferative EpCAM-high epithelial cells with increased PI3K and mTOR kinase activities co-existing with poorly proliferating EpCAM-low mesenchymal populations with reduced kinase activities; these findings were recapitulated in epithelial and mesenchymal CTC populations in metastatic prostate and breast cancer patients. Increased kinase activity in EpCAM-high cells rendered them more sensitive to PI3K/mTOR inhibition, and drug-resistant EpCAM-low populations with reduced kinase activity emerged over time. Taken together, single cell proteomics indicate that microenvironment- and cell state-dependent activation of kinase networks create heterogeneity and differential drug sensitivity among and within tumor populations across different sites, defining a new paradigm of drug responses to kinase inhibitors.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-2609
Cell. 2022 Jan 12. pii: S0092-8674(21)01565-8. [Epub ahead of print]

Cellular architecture of human brain metastases.

Hugo Gonzalez, Wenbin Mei, Isabella Robles, Catharina Hagerling, Breanna M Allen, Trine Line Hauge Okholm, Ankitha Nanjaraj, Tamara Verbeek, Sandhya Kalavacherla, Merel van Gogh, Stephen Georgiou, Mariza Daras, Joanna J Phillips, Matthew H Spitzer, Jeroen P Roose, Zena Werb.

  Brain metastasis (BrM) is the most common form of brain cancer, characterized by neurologic disability and an abysmal prognosis. Unfortunately, our understanding of the biology underlying human BrMs remains rudimentary. Here, we present an integrative analysis of >100,000 malignant and non-malignant cells from 15 human parenchymal BrMs, generated by single-cell transcriptomics, mass cytometry, and complemented with mouse model- and in silico approaches. We interrogated the composition of BrM niches, molecularly defined the blood-tumor interface, and revealed stromal immunosuppressive states enriched with infiltrated T cells and macrophages. Specific single-cell interrogation of metastatic tumor cells provides a framework of 8 functional cell programs that coexist or anticorrelate. Collectively, these programs delineate two functional BrM archetypes, one proliferative and the other inflammatory, that are evidently shaped through tumor-immune interactions. Our resource provides a foundation to understand the molecular basis of BrM in patients with tumor cell-intrinsic and host environmental traits.

Keywords:  CyTOF; blood tumor barrier; human metastasis; metastasis-associated macrophages; metastasis-infiltrated T cells; metastatic niche; metastatic program; metastatic tumor cells; metastatic tumors; single cell

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.12.043
Mol Cancer. 2022 Jan 17. 21(1): 18

CircNFIB inhibits tumor growth and metastasis through suppressing MEK1/ERK signaling in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Jinpeng Du, Tian Lan, Haotian Liao, Xuping Feng, Xing Chen, Wenwei Liao, Guimin Hou, Lin Xu, Qingbo Feng, Kunlin Xie, Mingheng Liao, Xiangzheng Chen, Jiwei Huang, Kefei Yuan, Yong Zeng.

   BACKGROUND: Considerable evidence shows that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play an important role in tumor development. However, their function in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) metastasis and the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood.
METHODS: circNFIB (hsa_circ_0086376, termed as cNFIB hereafter) was identified in human ICC tissues through circRNAs sequencing. The biological role of cNFIB was determined in vitro and in vivo by gain or loss of functional experiments. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and RNA pull-down assays were conducted to analyze the interaction of cNFIB with dual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase1 (MEK1). Duolink in situ proximity ligation assay (PLA) and coimmunoprecipitation (co-IP) assay were used to investigate the effects of cNFIB on the interaction between MEK1 and mitogen-activated protein kinase 2 (ERK2). Finally, a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to explore the influences of cNFIB on the anti-tumor activity of trametinib (a MEK inhibitor).
RESULTS: cNFIB was significantly down-regulated in human ICC tissues with postoperative metastases. The loss of cNFIB was highly associated with aggressive characteristics and predicted unfavorable prognosis in ICC patients. Functional studies revealed that cNFIB inhibited the proliferation and metastasis of ICC cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, cNFIB competitively interacted with MEK1, which induced the dissociation between MEK1 and ERK2, thereby resulting in the suppression of ERK signaling and tumor metastasis. Moreover, we found that ICC cells with high levels of cNFIB held the potential to delay the trametinib resistance. Consistently, in vivo and in vitro studies demonstrated that cotreatment with trametinib and lentivirus vector encoding cNFIB showed greater inhibitory effect than isolated trametinib treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings identified that cNFIB played a key role in ICC growth and metastasis by regulating MEK1/ERK signaling. Given the efficacy of cNFIB modulation on ICC suppression and trametinib sensitivity, cNFIB appears to be a potential therapeutic molecule for ICC treatment.

Keywords:  Circular RNA; Dual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MEK1); Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC); Metastasis; Trametinib

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12943-021-01482-9
Cancer Res. 2022 Jan 19. pii: canres.1259.2021. [Epub ahead of print]

CircRPN2 inhibits aerobic glycolysis and metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Jia Li, Zhi-Qiang Hu, Songyang Yu, Li Mao, Zhengjun Zhou, Pengcheng Wang, Yu Gong, Sheng Su, Jian Zhou, Jia Fan, Shao-Lai Zhou, Xiaowu Huang.

Although circular RNAs (circRNA) are known to modulate tumor initiation and progression, their role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis remains poorly understood. Here, three metastasis-associated circRNAs identified in a previous circRNA-sequencing study were screened and validated in two HCC cohorts. CircRPN2 was downregulated in highly metastatic HCC cell lines and HCC tissues with metastasis. HCC patients with lower circRPN2 levels displayed shorter overall survival and higher rates of cumulative recurrence. Mechanistic studies in vitro and in vivo revealed that circRPN2 binds to enolase 1 (ENO1) and accelerates its degradation to promote glycolytic reprogramming through the AKT/mTOR pathway, thereby inhibiting HCC metastasis. CircRPN2 also acted as a competing endogenous RNA for miR-183-5p, which increases forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) expression to suppress glucose metabolism and tumor progression. In clinical samples, circRPN2 expression negatively correlated with ENO1 and positively correlated with FOXO1, and expression of circRPN2, either alone or in combination with ENO1 and FOXO1, was a novel indicator of HCC prognosis. These data support a model wherein circRPN2 inhibits HCC aerobic glycolysis and metastasis via acceleration of ENO1 degradation and regulation of the miR-183-5p/FOXO1 axis, suggesting that circRPN2 represents a possible therapeutic target in HCC.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-1259
Mol Cancer. 2022 Jan 19. 21(1): 24

circFARP1 enables cancer-associated fibroblasts to promote gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer via the LIF/STAT3 axis.

Chonghui Hu, Renpeng Xia, Xiang Zhang, Tingting Li, Yuancheng Ye, Guolin Li, Rihua He, Zhihua Li, Qing Lin, Shangyou Zheng, Rufu Chen.

   BACKGROUND: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are critically involved in gemcitabine (GEM) resistance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, the underlying mechanism by which CAFs promote chemotherapy resistance remains unexplored. Here, we explored the role of circRNAs in CAF-induced GEM resistance in PDAC.
METHODS: circRNA sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) were utilized to screen CAF-specific circRNAs. The effects of CAF circFARP1 expression on GEM resistance in tumor cells were assessed in vitro and in vivo. RNA-seq, RNA pulldown, RNA immunoprecipitation, and luciferase reporter assays were used to screen the downstream target and underlying mechanism of circFARP1.
RESULTS: circFARP1 (hsa_circ_0002557), a CAF-specific circRNA, was positively correlated with GEM chemoresistance and poor survival in an advanced PDAC cohort. Silencing or overexpressing circFARP1 in CAFs altered the ability of CAFs to induce tumor cell stemness and GEM resistance via leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). Mechanistically, we found that circFARP1 directly binds with caveolin 1 (CAV1) and blocks the interaction of CAV1 and the E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase zinc and ring finger 1 (ZNRF1) to inhibit CAV1 degradation, which enhances LIF secretion. In addition, circFARP1 upregulated LIF expression by sponging miR-660-3p. Moreover, high circFARP1 levels were positively correlated with elevated serum LIF levels in PDAC and poor patient survival. Decreasing circFARP1 levels and neutralizing LIF significantly suppressed PDAC growth and GEM resistance in patient-derived xenograft models.
CONCLUSIONS: The circFARP1/CAV1/miR-660-3p/LIF axis is critical for CAF-induced GEM resistance in PDAC. Hence, circFARP1 may be a potential therapeutic target for PDAC.

Keywords:  CAFs; Chemoresistance; LIF; PDAC; circRNAs

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12943-022-01501-3
Eur Urol. 2022 Jan 17. pii: S0302-2838(22)00001-X. [Epub ahead of print]

Pre-existing Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer-like Cells in Primary Prostate Cancer Promote Resistance to Hormonal Therapy.

Qing Cheng, William Butler, Yinglu Zhou, Hong Zhang, Lu Tang, Kathryn Perkinson, Xufeng Chen, Xiaoyin Sara Jiang, Shannon J McCall, Brant A Inman, Jiaoti Huang.

   BACKGROUND: Hormonal therapy targeting the androgen receptor inhibits prostate cancer (PCa), but the tumor eventually recurs as castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).
OBJECTIVE: To understand the mechanisms by which subclones within early PCa develop into CRPC.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We isolated epithelial cells from fresh human PCa cases, including primary adenocarcinoma, locally recurrent CRPC, and metastatic CRPC, and utilized single-cell RNA sequencing to identify subpopulations destined to become either CRPC-adeno or small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SCNC).
OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: We revealed dynamic transcriptional reprogramming that promotes disease progression among 23226 epithelial cells using single-cell RNA sequencing, and validated subset-specific progression using immunohistochemistry and large cohorts of publically available genomic data.
RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: We identified a small fraction of highly plastic CRPC-like cells in hormone-naïve early PCa and demonstrated its correlation with biochemical recurrence and distant metastasis, independent of clinical characteristics. We show that progression toward castration resistance was initiated from subtype-specific lineage plasticity and clonal expansion of pre-existing neuroendocrine and CRPC-like cells in early PCa.
CONCLUSIONS: CRPC-like cells are present early in the development of PCa and are not exclusively the result of acquired evolutionary selection during androgen deprivation therapy. The lethal CRPC and SCNC phenotypes should be targeted earlier in the disease course of patients with PCa.
PATIENT SUMMARY: Here, we report the presence of pre-existing castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC)-like cells in primary prostate cancer, which represents a novel castration-resistant mechanism different from the adaptation mechanism after androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Patients whose tumors harbor increased pre-existing neuroendocrine and CRPC-like cells may become rapidly resistant to ADT and may require aggressive early intervention.

Keywords:  Castration-resistant prostate cancer; Castration-resistant prostate cancer–like cells; Critical transcription regulator; Evolutionary trajectory; Intratumor heterogeneity; Large population validation; Neuroendocrine differentiation; Primary prostate cancer; Single-cell transcriptomes

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2021.12.039
Cancer Res. 2022 Jan 15. 82(2): 197-198

Chemotherapy Triggers T Cells to Remodel the Extracellular Matrix and Promote Metastasis.

Mikhail G Kolonin, Wendy A Woodward.

Chemotherapy can impede cancer progression and is a well-demonstrated component of curative care for some patients with nonmetastatic cancer. However, cancer often relapses in high-risk patients due to acquired chemoresistance and progression to an incurable metastatic stage. There is building evidence from mouse models suggesting a possible stimulatory effect of chemotherapy on metastasis. While clinical trial data from patients with cancer supports the benefits of chemotherapy, the potential adverse effects of chemotherapeutics in a yet unidentified subset of patients are important to consider. In a study by Haj-Shomaly and colleagues, the interaction between the immune system and extracellular matrix remodeling is investigated for its role in the process. The study sheds light on the role of lysyl oxidase secreted by CD8+ T cells in priming the lung microenvironment for metastatic cell seeding, which may represent a targetable axis to further enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy agents.See related article by Haj-Shomaly et al., p. 278.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-3795
Cancer Res. 2022 Jan 21.

BRAF Inhibitors Reprogram Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts to Drive Matrix Remodeling and Therapeutic Escape in Melanoma.

Tianyi Liu, Linli Zhou, Yao Xiao, Thomas Andl, Yuhang Zhang.

The tumor stroma and its cellular components are known to play an important role in tumor response to treatment. Here, we report a novel resistance mechanism in melanoma that is elicited by BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi)-induced noncanonical activation of nuclear β-catenin signaling in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF). Treatment with BRAFi leads to an expanded CAF population with increased β-catenin nuclear accumulation and enhanced biological properties. This CAF subpopulation is essential for melanoma cells to proliferate and acquire resistance to BRAFi/MEK inhibitors (MEKi). Mechanistically, BRAFi induces BRAF-CRAF heterodimerization and subsequent activation of ERK signaling in CAFs, leading to inactivation of the β-catenin destruction complex. RNA-seq identified periostin (POSTN) as a major downstream effector of β-catenin in CAFs. POSTN compensates for the loss of β-catenin in CAFs and mediates melanoma cell BRAFi/MEKi resistance. In melanoma cells, POSTN activates phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling and subsequently reactivates the ERK pathway that was inhibited by BRAFi/MEKi. Collectively, these data underscore the role of BRAFi-induced CAF reprogramming in matrix remodeling and therapeutic escape of melanoma cells. SIGNIFICANCE: β-Catenin activation in cancer-associated fibroblasts in response to BRAF inhibitors stimulates POSTN secretion to promote resistance in cancer cells, revealing POSTN as a potential matrix target in cancer therapy.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-0614
Oncogene. 2022 Jan 18.

ROS-regulated phosphorylation of ITPKB by CAMK2G drives cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer.

Jie Li, Cuimiao Zheng, Mingshuo Wang, Anna D Umano, Qingyuan Dai, Chunyu Zhang, Hua Huang, Qing Yang, Xianzhi Yang, Jingyi Lu, Wenfeng Pan, Bo Li, Shuzhong Yao, Chaoyun Pan.

Platinum resistance accounts for much of the high mortality and morbidity associated with ovarian cancer. Identification of targets with significant clinical translational potential remains an unmet challenge. Through a high-throughput synthetical lethal screening for clinically relevant targets using 290 kinase inhibitors, we identify calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II gamma (CAMK2G) as a critical vulnerability in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells. Pharmacologic inhibition of CAMK2G significantly sensitizes ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin treatment in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, CAMK2G directly senses ROS, both basal and cisplatin-induced, to control the phosphorylation of ITPKB at serine 174, which directly regulates ITPKB activity to modulate cisplatin-induced ROS stress. Thereby, CAMK2G facilitates the adaptive redox homeostasis upon cisplatin treatment and drives cisplatin resistance. Clinically, upregulation of CAMK2G activity and ITPKB pS174 correlates with cisplatin resistance in human ovarian cancers. This study reveals a key kinase network consisting of CAMK2G and ITPKB for ROS sense and scavenging in ovarian cancer cells to maintain redox homeostasis, offering a potential strategy for cisplatin resistance treatment.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-021-02149-x
J Extracell Vesicles. 2022 Jan;11(1): e12186

Highly-metastatic colorectal cancer cell released miR-181a-5p-rich extracellular vesicles promote liver metastasis by activating hepatic stellate cells and remodelling the tumour microenvironment.

Senlin Zhao, Yushuai Mi, Binbin Zheng, Ping Wei, Yanzi Gu, Zhengxiang Zhang, Ye Xu, Sanjun Cai, Xinxiang Li, Dawei Li.

  Liver metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRLM) is the most common cause of CRC-related mortality, and is typically caused by interactions between CRC cells and the tumour microenvironment (TME) in the liver. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the crosstalk between tumour-derived extracellular vesicle (EV) miRNAs and the TME in CRLM have yet to be fully elucidated. The present study demonstrated that highly metastatic CRC cells released more miR-181a-5p-rich EVs than cells which exhibit a low metastatic potential, in-turn promoting CRLM. Additionally, we verified that FUS mediated packaging of miR-181a-5p into CRC EVs, which in-turn persistently activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) by targeting SOCS3 and activating the IL6/STAT3 signalling pathway. Activated HSCs could secrete the chemokine CCL20 and further activate a CCL20/CCR6/ERK1/2/Elk-1/miR-181a-5p positive feedback loop, resulting in reprogramming of the TME and the formation of pre-metastatic niches in CRLM. Clinically, high levels of serum EV containing miR-181a-5p was positively correlated with liver metastasis in CRC patients. Taken together, highly metastatic CRC cells-derived EVs rich in miR-181a-5p could activate HSCs and remodel the TME, thereby facilitating liver metastasis in CRC patients. These results provide novel insight into the mechanism underlying liver metastasis in CRC.

Keywords:  CCL20/CCR6/ERK1/2/Elk-1/miR-181a-5p feedback loop; colorectal liver metastasis; extracellular vesicle; hepatic stellate cell; miR-181a-5p; tumour microenvironment

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/jev2.12186
Lancet Oncol. 2022 Jan 13. pii: S1470-2045(21)00711-7. [Epub ahead of print]

Overcoming immunotherapy resistance in NSCLC.

Michael MacManus, Fiona Hegi-Johnson.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00711-7
Cell Rep. 2022 Jan 18. pii: S2211-1247(21)01796-4. [Epub ahead of print]38(3): 110281

Metastasis enhancer PGRMC1 boosts store-operated Ca2+ entry by uncoiling Ca2+ sensor STIM1 for focal adhesion turnover and actomyosin formation.

Sang Kwon Lee, Yeong Cheon Kweon, Ah Reum Lee, Yoon Young Lee, Chan Young Park.

  Progesterone receptor membrane component 1 (PGRMC1), the overexpression of which reduces survivability of cancer patients, is essential for cell migration and metastasis. However, the intracellular signaling pathways involved are largely unknown. Here, we report that PGRMC1 promotes store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) as a functional interactor of stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1). PGRMC1 was repeatedly detected as an interactor of STIM1-Orai1 complex via complementation-dependent in situ labeling. Genetic depletion of PGRMC1 decreased SOCE and impaired activation of the nuclear factor of the activated T cell (NFAT) pathway. Mechanistically, PGRMC1 directly bound to the coiled-coil domain of STIM1, promoting STIM1 conformational switch. In breast cancer cells, PGRMC1 depletion reduced epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced SOCE and disrupted focal adhesion turnover and actomyosin formation. These findings identify PGRMC1 as an essential regulator of Ca2+ signaling in breast cancer cells, providing a target for treating cancer metastasis and an insight for dissecting various PGRMC1/SOCE-induced biological processes.

Keywords:  Ca(2+) signaling; ER-PM junctions; Orai1; PGRMC1; SOCE; STIM1; actomyosin; breast cancer; cell migration; focal adhesion

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110281
Bone Res. 2022 Jan 20. 10(1): 6

GDF15 promotes prostate cancer bone metastasis and colonization through osteoblastic CCL2 and RANKL activation.

Jawed Akhtar Siddiqui, Parthasarathy Seshacharyulu, Sakthivel Muniyan, Ramesh Pothuraju, Parvez Khan, Raghupathy Vengoji, Sanjib Chaudhary, Shailendra Kumar Maurya, Subodh Mukund Lele, Maneesh Jain, Kaustubh Datta, Mohd Wasim Nasser, Surinder Kumar Batra.

Bone metastases occur in patients with advanced-stage prostate cancer (PCa). The cell-cell interaction between PCa and the bone microenvironment forms a vicious cycle that modulates the bone microenvironment, increases bone deformities, and drives tumor growth in the bone. However, the molecular mechanisms of PCa-mediated modulation of the bone microenvironment are complex and remain poorly defined. Here, we evaluated growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF15) function using in vivo preclinical PCa-bone metastasis mouse models and an in vitro bone cell coculture system. Our results suggest that PCa-secreted GDF15 promotes bone metastases and induces bone microarchitectural alterations in a preclinical xenograft model. Mechanistic studies revealed that GDF15 increases osteoblast function and facilitates the growth of PCa in bone by activating osteoclastogenesis through osteoblastic production of CCL2 and RANKL and recruitment of osteomacs. Altogether, our findings demonstrate the critical role of GDF15 in the modulation of the bone microenvironment and subsequent development of PCa bone metastasis.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41413-021-00178-6
Oncogene. 2022 Jan 22.

Genomic alterations drive metastases formation in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cancer: deciphering the role of CDKN2A and CDKN2B in mediating liver tropism.

Shani Journo, Anat Klein Goldberg, Ethan S Sokol, Lotem Zinger, Metsada Pasmanik-Chor, Boris Sarvin, Dor Simkin, Sivan Fuchs, Tomer Shlomi, Ido Wolf, Tami Rubinek.

Metastases are often the direct cause of death from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The role of genomic alterations (GA) in mediating tropism and metastasis formation by PDAC cells is currently unknown. We aimed to identify GAs predisposing colonization of PDAC cells to the liver and decipher mechanisms enabling this process. In order to reveal specific genes, we studied the frequency of GA in 8,880 local and 7,983 metastatic PDAC samples. We observed differential pattern of GA in the local tumor and specific metastatic sites, with liver metastases characterized by deletion of CDKN2A/B (encoding p16/p15, respectively). The role of CDKN2A/B in promoting liver metastasis was evidenced by enhanced tumorigenic phenotype of p15/p16-deleted PDAC cells when exposed to hepatocytes conditioned media. The liver is characterized by high-ammonia low-glutamine environment and transcriptomic assays indicated unique adaptation of PDAC cells to these conditions, including regulation of genes leading to reduced glutaminolysis, like overexpression of GLUL and reduction in GLS2. Furthermore, metabolic assays indicated an increase in glutamate derived from [U-13C]-glucose in p15/p16-deleted cells. Importantly, these cells thrived under high ammonia condition. These data suggest a unique role for genomic alterations in mediating tropism of PDAC. Among these alterations, p15/16 deletion was identified as a promoter of liver metastases. Further studies indicated a unique role for p15/16 in regulating glutaminolysis. These findings reveal vulnerabilities in PDAC cells, which may pave the way for the development of novel therapeutic strategies aiming at the prevention of liver metastases formation.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-022-02184-2
Br J Pharmacol. 2022 Jan 18.

Targeted disruption of mitochondria potently reverses multidrug resistance in cancer therapy.

Dingkang Liu, Haibo Rong, Ye Chen, Qun Wang, Sijia Qian, Yue Ji, Wenbing Yao, Jun Yin, Xiangdong Gao.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the main obstacle to cancer therapy. Ample evidence shows that ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters and high-energy state substantially relate to cancer drug resistance. Our previous work reported an engineered therapeutic protein named PAK, which selectively inhibited tumor progression by targeting mitochondria.
EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Here, we studied the effects of PAK on reversing drug resistance in MDR phenotypic cells and xenograft mice models. The effects of PAK on the process of mitochondrial energy production, ABC transporters expression, and the drugs enrichment in cancer cells were further investigated. RNA-seq and co-immunoprecipitation were employed to analyze the mechanism of PAK on the redistribution of ABC transporters.
KEY RESULTS: PAK promoted the enrichment of drugs in MDR cancer cells, thus enhancing the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy. Furthermore, PAK was colocalized in the mitochondria and initiated mitochondrial injury by selectively inhibiting the mitochondrial complex V. Besides, ABCB1 and ABCC1 were found to be redistributed from the plasma membrane to the cytoplasm through the disruption of lipid rafts, which was attributed to the low energy state and the decrease of cholesterol levels.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our results revealed a previously unrecognized drug resistance reversal pattern and suggested mitochondria as a clinically relevant target for the treatment of MDR malignant tumors.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.15801
Clin Cancer Res. 2022 Jan 18. pii: clincanres.2384.2021. [Epub ahead of print]

ESMO Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets driving targeted treatment in patients with cholangiocarcinoma.

Helena Verdaguer, Tamara Saurí, Daniel Alejandro Acosta, Magdalena Guardiola, Alexandre Sierra, Jorge Hernando, Paolo Nuciforo, Josep M Miquel, Cristina Molero, Sandra Peiró, Queralt Serra-Camprubí, Guillermo Villacampa, Susana Aguilar, Ana Vivancos, Josep Tabernero, Rodrigo Dienstmann, Teresa Macarulla.

Purpose: Treatment options for advanced cholangiocarcinoma are limited and prognosis is poor. Cholangiocarcinomas are highly heterogeneous at the molecular level, with divergent patterns between intrahepatic and extrahepatic forms, intrahepatic being particularly rich in actionable alterations. We compared survival in patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma harboring alterations matched to targeted drugs, with patients harboring non-actionable alterations. Experimental design: Patients with cholangiocarcinoma treated between 2011 and 2020 at one institution, with available molecular analyses, were retrospectively reviewed. Genomic alteration actionability was classified according to the ESMO Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets (ESCAT) and correlated with efficacy endpoints. Results: Of 327 patients included, 78.9% had intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, 97.9% had received chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Actionable molecular alterations per ESCAT were identified in 184 patients (56.3%), including IDH1 mutations and FGFR2 fusions (23.1% and 8.0% of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients, respectively). Median overall survival in 50 patients with ESCAT I-IV alterations who received matched therapy (48 with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma) was 22.6 months (95%CI:20.1-32.8), compared to 14.3 months (95%CI:11.9-18.1) in 130 patients without actionable ESCAT alterations (HR=0.58, 95%CI:0.40-0.85; P=0.005). Among patients receiving matched targeted therapy, median progression-free survival was longer for patients with alterations classified as ESCAT I-II compared to ESCAT III-IV (5.0 versus 1.9 months; HR=0.36, 95%CI:0.15-0.87; P=0.02). Conclusions: ESCAT represents a tool to guide clinicians in fine-tuning use of molecular profiling data to choose matched targeted therapies. Our data demonstrate that targeted treatment administered per alteration actionability according to ESCAT is associated with improved survival in cholangiocarcinoma, particularly in ESCAT I-II intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-2384
Cell Rep. 2022 Jan 18. pii: S2211-1247(21)01781-2. [Epub ahead of print]38(3): 110269

A functional module states framework reveals transcriptional states for drug and target prediction.

Guangrong Qin, Theo A Knijnenburg, David L Gibbs, Russell Moser, Raymond J Monnat, Christopher J Kemp, Ilya Shmulevich.

  Cells are complex systems in which many functions are performed by different genetically defined and encoded functional modules. To systematically understand how these modules respond to drug or genetic perturbations, we develop a functional module states framework. Using this framework, we (1) define the drug-induced transcriptional state space for breast cancer cell lines using large public gene expression datasets and reveal that the transcriptional states are associated with drug concentration and drug targets, (2) identify potential targetable vulnerabilities through integrative analysis of transcriptional states after drug treatment and gene knockdown-associated cancer dependency, and (3) use functional module states to predict transcriptional state-dependent drug sensitivity and build prediction models for drug response. This approach demonstrates a similar prediction performance as approaches using high-dimensional gene expression values, with the added advantage of more clearly revealing biologically relevant transcriptional states and key regulators.

Keywords:  cell states; drug response prediction; functional states; machine learning; target prediction

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110269
Mol Cancer. 2022 Jan 18. 21(1): 22

A plasma SNORD33 signature predicts platinum benefit in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer patients.

Biyun Wang, Yannan Zhao, Yi Li, Yingying Xu, Yun Chen, Qiuyu Jiang, Dingjin Yao, Li Zhang, Xichun Hu, Chaowei Fu, Si Zhang, She Chen.



Keywords:  Breast cancer; Chemoresistance; MeCP2; Platinum; Prognostic biomarker; SNORD33

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12943-022-01504-0
Cell Death Differ. 2022 Jan 15.

Loss of circadian gene Timeless induces EMT and tumor progression in colorectal cancer via Zeb1-dependent mechanism.

Tommaso Colangelo, Annalucia Carbone, Francesco Mazzarelli, Roberto Cuttano, Elisa Dama, Teresa Nittoli, Jacopo Albanesi, Giovannina Barisciano, Nicola Forte, Orazio Palumbo, Paolo Graziano, Alessandra di Masi, Vittorio Colantuoni, Lina Sabatino, Fabrizio Bianchi, Gianluigi Mazzoccoli.

The circadian gene Timeless (TIM) provides a molecular bridge between circadian and cell cycle/DNA replication regulatory systems and has been recently involved in human cancer development and progression. However, its functional role in colorectal cancer (CRC), the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, has not been fully clarified yet. Here, the analysis of two independent CRC patient cohorts (total 1159 samples) reveals that loss of TIM expression is an unfavorable prognostic factor significantly correlated with advanced tumor stage, metastatic spreading, and microsatellite stability status. Genome-wide expression profiling, in vitro and in vivo experiments, revealed that TIM knockdown induces the activation of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program. Accordingly, the analysis of a large set of human samples showed that TIM expression inversely correlated with a previously established gene signature of canonical EMT markers (EMT score), and its ectopic silencing promotes migration, invasion, and acquisition of stem-like phenotype in CRC cells. Mechanistically, we found that loss of TIM expression unleashes ZEB1 expression that in turn drives the EMT program and enhances the aggressive behavior of CRC cells. Besides, the deranged TIM-ZEB1 axis sets off the accumulation of DNA damage and delays DNA damage recovery. Furthermore, we show that the aggressive and genetically unstable 'CMS4 colorectal cancer molecular subtype' is characterized by a lower expression of TIM and that patients with the combination of low-TIM/high-ZEB1 expression have a poorer outcome. In conclusion, our results as a whole suggest the engagement of an unedited TIM-ZEB1 axis in key pathological processes driving malignant phenotype acquisition in colorectal carcinogenesis. Thus, TIM-ZEB1 expression profiling could provide a robust prognostic biomarker in CRC patients, supporting targeted therapeutic strategies with better treatment selection and patients' outcomes.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41418-022-00935-y
Mol Cancer. 2022 Jan 18. 21(1): 20

Circulating extracellular vesicles expressing PD1 and PD-L1 predict response and mediate resistance to checkpoint inhibitors immunotherapy in metastatic melanoma.

Simona Serratì, Michele Guida, Roberta Di Fonte, Simona De Summa, Sabino Strippoli, Rosa Maria Iacobazzi, Alessandra Quarta, Ivana De Risi, Gabriella Guida, Angelo Paradiso, Letizia Porcelli, Amalia Azzariti.

   BACKGROUND: The immunotherapy with immune checkpoints inhibitors (ICI) has changed the life expectancy in metastatic melanoma (MM) patients. Nevertheless, several patients do not respond hence, the identification and validation of novel biomarkers of response to ICI is of crucial importance. Circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) such as PD-L1+ EV mediate resistance to anti-PD1, instead the role of PD1+ EV is not fully understood.
METHODS: We isolated the circulating EVs from the plasma of an observational cohort study of 71 metastatic melanoma patients and correlated the amount of PD-L1+ EVs and PD1+ EVs with the response to ICI. The analysis was performed according to the origin of EVs from the tumor and the immune cells. Subsequently, we analysed the data in a validation cohort of 22 MM patients to assess the reliability of identified EV-based biomarkers. Additionally we assessed the involvement of PD1+ EVs in the seizure of nivolumab and in the perturbation of immune cells-mediated killing of melanoma spheroids.
RESULTS: The level of PD-L1+ EVs released from melanoma and CD8+ T cells and that of PD1+ EVs irrespective of the cellular origin were higher in non-responders. The Kaplan-Meier curves indicated that higher levels of PD1+ EVs were significantly correlated with poorer progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Significant correlations were found for PD-L1+ EVs only when released from melanoma and T cells. The multivariate analysis showed that high level of PD1+ EVs, from T cells and B cells, and high level of PD-L1+ EVs from melanoma cells, are independent biomarkers of response. The reliability of PD-L1+ EVs from melanoma and PD1+ EVs from T cells in predicting PFS was confirmed in the validation cohort through the univariate Cox-hazard regression analysis. Moreover we discovered that the circulating EVs captured nivolumab and reduced the T cells trafficking and tumor spheroids killing.
CONCLUSION: Our study identified circulating PD1+ EVs as driver of resistance to anti-PD1, and highlighted that the analysis of single EV population by liquid biopsy is a promising tool to stratify MM patients for immunotherapy.

Keywords:  Anti-PD1 treatment; Drug resistance; Extracellular vesicles; Metastatic melanoma; PD-L1; PD1

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12943-021-01490-9
STAR Protoc. 2022 Mar 18. 3(1): 101079

Normal and tumor-derived organoids as a drug screening platform for tumor-specific drug vulnerabilities.

Camilla Calandrini, Jarno Drost.

  Patient-derived tumor organoids can be predictive of patient's treatment responses, and normal tissue-derived organoids allow for drug toxicity testing. Combining both types of organoids therefore enables screening for tumor-specific drug vulnerabilities. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for organoid drug screening using, as proof-of-principle, patient-derived malignant rhabdoid tumor organoids. The protocol can be adapted for drug testing on any tumor and/or normal tissue-derived organoid culture. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Calandrini et al. (2021).

Keywords:  Cancer; Cell Biology; Health Sciences; High Throughput Screening; Organoids; Stem Cells

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2021.101079
Mol Ther. 2022 Jan 17. pii: S1525-0016(22)00025-9. [Epub ahead of print]

Immunotherapeutic HCW9218 augments anti-tumor activity of chemotherapy via NK cell mediated reduction of therapy induced senescent cells.

Pallavi Chaturvedi, Varghese George, Niraj Shrestha, Meng Wang, Michael J Dee, Xiaoyun Zhu, Bai Liu, Jack Egan, Francesca D'Eramo, Catherine Spanoudis, Victor Gallo, Christian Echeverri, Lijing You, Lin Kong, Byron Fang, Emily K Jeng, Peter R Rhode, Hing C Wong.

  Therapy induced senescence (TIS) in tumors and TIS cancer cells secrete proinflammatory senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) factors. SASP factors promote TIS cancer cells to re-enter the growth cycle with stemness characteristics, resulting in chemo-resistance and disease relapse. Herein, we showed that the immunotherapeutic HCW9218, comprising TGF-β receptor II and IL-15/IL-15 receptor α domains, enhanced metabolic and cytotoxic activities of immune cells and reduced TIS tumor cells in vivo to improve the efficacy of docetaxel and gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel against B16F10 melanoma and SW1990 pancreatic tumors, respectively. Mechanistically, HCW9218 treatment reduced the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and enhanced immune-cell infiltration and cytotoxicity in the tumors to eliminate TIS cancer cells. Immuno-depletion analysis suggested that HCW9218-activated natural killer cells played a pivotal role in TIS cancer cell removal. HCW9218 treatment following docetaxel chemotherapy further enhanced efficacy of tumor antigen-specific and anti-PDL-1 antibodies in B16F10 tumor-bearing mice. We also show that HCW9218 treatment decreased TIS cells and lowered SASP factors in off-target tissues caused by chemotherapy of tumor-bearing mice. Collectively, HCW9218 has the potential to significantly enhance anti-tumor efficacy of chemotherapy, therapeutic antibodies, and checkpoint blockade by eliminating TIS cancer cells while reducing TIS-mediated proinflammatory side effects in normal tissues.

Keywords:  CD8(+) T cells; IL-15; Immunotherapy; NK cells; TGF-β antagonist; checkpoint blockade; chemotherapy; therapeutic antibody; therapy-induced senescence

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.01.025
Cancer Cell. 2022 Jan 17. pii: S1535-6108(21)00662-0. [Epub ahead of print]

MEK inhibition overcomes chemoimmunotherapy resistance by inducing CXCL10 in cancer cells.

Emeric Limagne, Lisa Nuttin, Marion Thibaudin, Elise Jacquin, Romain Aucagne, Marjorie Bon, Solène Revy, Robby Barnestein, Elise Ballot, Caroline Truntzer, Valentin Derangère, Jean-David Fumet, Charlène Latour, Cédric Rébé, Pierre-Simon Bellaye, Coureche-Guillaume Kaderbhaï, Aodrenn Spill, Bertrand Collin, Mary B Callanan, Aurélie Lagrange, Laure Favier, Bruno Coudert, Laurent Arnould, Sylvain Ladoire, Bertrand Routy, Philippe Joubert, François Ghiringhelli.

  Chemotherapy with anti PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies has become the standard of care for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC). Using lung tumor models, where pemetrexed and cisplatin (PEM/CDDP) chemotherapy remains unable to synergize with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), we linked the failure of this treatment with its inability to induce CXCL10 expression and CD8+ T cell recruitment. Using drug screening, we showed that combining a MEK inhibitor (MEKi) with PEM/CDDP triggers CXCL10 secretion by cancer cells and CD8+ T cell recruitment, sensitizing it to ICIs. PEM/CDDP plus a MEKi promotes optineurin (OPTN)-dependent mitophagy, resulting in CXCL10 production in a mitochondrial DNA- and TLR9-dependent manner. TLR9 or autophagy/mitophagy inhibition abolishes the anti-tumor efficacy of PEM/CDDP plus MEKi/anti-PD-L1 therapy. In human NSCLCs, high OPTN, TLR9, and CXCL10 expression is associated with a better response to ICIs. Our results underline the role of TLR9- and OPTN-dependent mitophagy in enhancing chemoimmunotherapy efficacy.

Keywords:  CXCL10; MEK inhibitor; TLR9; chemotherapy; immunogenic cell death; immunotherapy; lung cancer; mitophagy

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2021.12.009
Mol Ther. 2022 Jan 13. pii: S1525-0016(22)00019-3. [Epub ahead of print]

RNA m6A methylation regulates the dissemination of cancer cells via modulating expression and membrane localization of β-catenin.

Jiexin Li, Guoyou Xie, Yifan Tian, Wanglin Li, Yingmin Wu, Feng Chen, Yu Lin, Xinyao Lin, Shannon Wing-Ngor Au, Jie Cao, Weiling He, Hongsheng Wang.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation, which is modified by METTL3/METTL14 complex, is a dominant internal modification in mammalian RNA and tightly links to cancer progression. Here, we reveal that METTL3-promoted cell migration, invasion and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) are associated with the expression and membrane localization of β-catenin (encoded by CTNNB1), as opposed to Wnt signaling activation in various types of cancer cells, including cervical, lung, and liver cancers. Specifically, METTL3 regulates the transcription, mRNA decay, translation and sub-cellular localization of β-catenin. For CTNNB1 expression, METTL3 indirectly suppresses CTNNB1 transcription via stabilizing its transcription suppressor E2F1 mRNA; deposition of 5'UTR m6A in CTNNB1 promotes its decay in a content-dependent manner via YTHDF2 recognition; 5'UTR m6A in CTNNB1 suppresses its translation efficiency, while global METTL3 level controls the canonical and non-canonical translation of CTNNB1, which is probably associated with the interaction between YTHDF1 and eIF4E1/eIF4E3. For β-catenin translocation, METTL3 represses membrane localization of β-catenin and its interaction with E-Cadherin by downregulating c-Met kinase, leading to the inhibition of cell motility. In vitro, in vivo and clinical analysis confirm the essential roles of β-catenin and its expression regulators in cancer cell dissemination. The findings not only expand our understanding of m6A modification and its roles in gene expression and subcellular localization of targets, but also suggest that METTL3/β-catenin axis might be a potential target to inhibit cancer metastasis.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.01.019