Chondrosarcoma is a malignant cartilage-forming bone tumour in which mutations in IDH1 and IDH2 frequently occur. Previous studies suggest an increased dependency on glutaminolysis in IDH1/2 mutant ...cells, which resulted in clinical trials with the drugs CB-839, metformin and chloroquine. In this study, the preclinical rationale for using these drugs as a treatment for chondrosarcoma was evaluated.
Expression of glutaminase was determined in 120 cartilage tumours by immunohistochemistry. Ten chondrosarcoma cell lines were treated with the metabolic compounds CB-849, metformin, phenformin (lipophilic analogue of metformin) and chloroquine.
A difference in glutaminase expression levels between the different tumour grades (p = 0.001, one-way ANOVA) was identified, with the highest expression observed in high-grade chondrosarcomas. Treatment with CB-839, metformin, phenformin or chloroquine revealed that chondrosarcoma cell lines are sensitive to glutaminolysis inhibition. Metformin and phenformin decreased mTOR activity in chondrosarcoma cells, and metformin decreased LC3B-II levels, which is counteracted by chloroquine.
Targeting glutaminolysis with CB-839, metformin, phenformin or chloroquine is a potential therapeutic strategy for a subset of high-grade chondrosarcomas, irrespective of the presence or absence of an IDH1/2 mutation.
High-grade osteosarcoma is an aggressive tumor most often developing in the long bones of adolescents, with a second peak in the 5th decade of life. Better knowledge on cellular signaling in this ...tumor may identify new possibilities for targeted treatment.
We performed gene set analysis on previously published genome-wide gene expression data of osteosarcoma cell lines (n=19) and pretreatment biopsies (n=84). We characterized overexpression of the insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF1R) signaling pathways in human osteosarcoma as compared with osteoblasts and with the hypothesized progenitor cells of osteosarcoma - mesenchymal stem cells. This pathway plays a key role in the growth and development of bone. Since most profound differences in mRNA expression were found at and upstream of the receptor of this pathway, we set out to inhibit IR/IGF1R using OSI-906, a dual inhibitor for IR/IGF1R, on four osteosarcoma cell lines. Inhibitory effects of this drug were measured by Western blotting and cell proliferation assays.
OSI-906 had a strong inhibitory effect on proliferation of 3 of 4 osteosarcoma cell lines, with IC₅₀s below 100 nM at 72 hrs of treatment. Phosphorylation of IRS-1, a direct downstream target of IGF1R signaling, was inhibited in the responsive osteosarcoma cell lines.
This study provides an in vitro rationale for using IR/IGF1R inhibitors in preclinical studies of osteosarcoma.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Chondrosarcomas are well known for their resistance to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment regimens, which is particularly detrimental in patients who have unresectable tumors. ...Recently, inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) by talazoparib was shown to sensitize chondrosarcoma cell lines to chemotherapy (temozolomide) or radiotherapy, irrespective of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation status. Because two-dimensionally grown cell lines have limitations and may not accurately represent the clinical response to drug treatment, we aimed to use a more representative three-dimensional alginate spheroid chondrosarcoma model. It is important to test therapeutic agents in vitro before testing them in animals or humans; therefore, we aimed to determine the effectiveness of a PARP inhibitor in reducing the viability of chondrosarcoma spheroids. Using a more stringent, complex in vitro model refines future therapeutic options for further investigation in animal models, increasing efficiency, reducing unnecessary animal use, and saving time and cost.
(1) Does talazoparib treatment slow or inhibit the growth of chondrosarcoma spheroids, and does an increased treatment duration change the drug's effect? (2) Does talazoparib work in synergy with temozolomide treatment to reduce the viability of chondrosarcoma spheroids? (3) Does talazoparib work in synergy with radiotherapy treatment to reduce the viability of chondrosarcoma spheroids?
Three representative conventional chondrosarcoma cell lines (CH2879 IDH wildtype, JJ012 IDH1 mutant, and SW1353 IDH2 mutant) were cultured as alginate spheroids and treated with talazoparib (0.001 to 10 µM), temozolomide (0.01 to 100 µM), or combinations of these drugs for 3, 7, and 14 days, representing different stages of spheroid growth. The cell lines were selected to represent a variety of IDH mutation statuses and were previously validated in spheroid culturing. Temozolomide was chosen because of its previous success when combined with PARP inhibitors, dissimilar to other commonly used chemotherapies. The effect on spheroid viability was assessed using three cell viability assays. Additionally, spheroid count, morphology, proliferation, and apoptosis were assessed. The effect of talazoparib (5 to 10 nM) combined with ƴ-radiation applied using a 137 C source (0 to 6 Gy) was assessed as surviving fractions by counting the number of spheroids (three). The therapeutic synergy of low-concentration talazoparib (5 to 10 nM) with temozolomide or radiotherapy was determined by calculating Excess over Bliss scores.
Talazoparib treatment reduced the spheroid viability of all three cell lines after 14 days (IC 50 ± SD of CH2879: 0.1 ± 0.03 µM, fold change: 220; JJ012: 12 ± 1.4 µM, fold change: 4.8; and SW1353: 1.0 ± 0.2 µM, fold change: 154), compared with 3-day treatments of mature spheroids. After 14 days of treatment, the Excess over Bliss scores for 100 µM temozolomide and talazoparib indicated synergistic efficacy (Excess over Bliss scores: CH2879 59% lower 95% CI 52%, JJ012 18% lower 95% CI 8%, and SW1353 55% lower 95% CI 25%) of this combination treatment. A stable synergistic effect of talazoparib and radiotherapy was present only in JJ012 spheroids at a 4Gƴ radiation dose (Excess over Bliss score: 22% lower 95% CI 6%).
In our study, long-term PARP inhibition was more effective than short-term treatment, and only one of the three chondrosarcoma spheroid lines was sensitive to combined PARP inhibition and radiotherapy. These findings suggest subsequent animal studies should focus on long-term PARP inhibition, and temozolomide combined with talazoparib has a higher chance of success than combination with radiotherapy.
Combination treatment of talazoparib and temozolomide was effective in reducing the viability of chondrosarcoma spheroids and spheroid growth, regardless of IDH mutation status, providing rationale to replicate this treatment combination in an animal chondrosarcoma model.
Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) and nicotinic acid phosphoribosyltransferase (NAPRT) are rate-limiting enzymes in the NAD
synthesis pathway. Chondrosarcoma is a malignant cartilage ...forming bone tumor, in which mutations altering isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 and -2 (IDH1 and IDH2) activity have been identified as potential driver mutations. Vulnerability for NAD
depletion has been reported for
-mutant cells. Here, the potency of NAMPT inhibitors as a treatment of chondrosarcoma was explored. Eleven chondrosarcoma cell lines were treated with NAMPT inhibitors, in which the effect on cell viability, colony formation, and 3D collagen invasion was assessed. The expression level of NAMPT and NAPRT transcripts in chondrosarcoma cells was determined by qRT-PCR. Methylation of the NAPRT promoter was evaluated using a previously published dataset of genome-wide methylation. In addition, a methylation dataset was used to determine methylation of the NAPRT promoter in 20
-mutated cartilage tumors. Chondrosarcoma cells showed a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability, 3D collagen invasion, and colony formation upon treatment with NAMPT inhibitors, in which nearly half of the cell lines demonstrated absolute IC
s in the low nanomolar range. Increasing IC
s correlated to increasing NAPRT expression levels and decreasing NAPRT promoter methylation. No correlation between
mutation status and sensitivity for NAMPT inhibitors was observed. Strikingly, higher methylation of the NAPRT promoter was observed in high-grade versus low-grade chondrosarcomas. In conclusion, this study identified NAMPT as a potential target for treatment of chondrosarcoma.
Chondrosarcoma patients, especially those of high histologic grade with lower expression and hypermethylation of NAPRT, may benefit from inhibition of the NAD synthesis pathway.
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Background & Aims Most colorectal cancer (CRC) cells with high levels of microsatellite instability (MSI-H) accumulate mutations at a microsatellite sequence in the gene encoding transforming growth ...factor β receptor II ( TGFBR2 ). TGFβ signaling therefore is believed to be defective in these tumors, although CRC cells with TGFBR2 mutations have been reported to remain sensitive to TGFβ. We investigated how TGFβ signaling might continue in MSI-H CRC cells. Methods We sequenced the 10-adenines microsatellite sequence in the TGFBR2 gene of 32 MSI-H colon cancer tissues and 6 cell lines (HCT116, LS180, LS411N, RKO, SW48, and SW837). Activation of TGFβ signaling was detected by SMAD2 phosphorylation and through use of a TGFβ–responsive reporter construct in all CRC cell lines. Transcripts of TGFBR2 were knocked-down in CRC cells using short hairpin RNA. Full-length and mutant forms of TGFBR2 were expressed in LS411N cells, which do not respond to TGFβ, and their activities were measured. Results SMAD2 was phosphorylated in most MSI-H CRC tissues (strong detection in 44% and weak detection in 34% of MSI-H tumors). Phosphorylation of SMAD2 in MSI-H cells required TGFBR2 —even the form encoding a frameshift mutation. Transcription and translation of TGFBR2 with a 1-nucleotide deletion at its microsatellite sequence still produced a full-length TGFBR2 protein. However, protein expression required preservation of the TGFBR2 microsatellite sequence; cells in which this sequence was replaced with a synonymous nonmicrosatellite sequence did not produce functional TGFBR2 protein. Conclusion TGFβ signaling remains active in some MSI-H CRC cells despite the presence of frameshift mutations in the TGFBR2 gene because the mutated gene still expresses a functional protein. Strategies to reactivate TGFβ signaling in colorectal tumors might not be warranted, and the functional effects of mutations at other regions of microsatellite instability should be evaluated.
High-grade osteosarcoma is a primary malignant bone tumor mostly occurring in adolescents and young adults, with a second peak at middle age. Overall survival is approximately 60%, and has not ...significantly increased since the introduction of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the 1970s. The genomic profile of high-grade osteosarcoma is complex and heterogeneous. Integration of different types of genome-wide data may be advantageous in extracting relevant information from the large number of aberrations detected in this tumor.
We analyzed genome-wide gene expression data of osteosarcoma cell lines and integrated these data with a kinome screen. Data were analyzed in statistical language R, using LIMMA for detection of differential expression/phosphorylation. We subsequently used Ingenuity Pathways Analysis to determine deregulated pathways in both data types.
Gene set enrichment indicated that pathways important in genomic stability are highly deregulated in these tumors, with many genes showing upregulation, which could be used as a prognostic marker, and with kinases phosphorylating peptides in these pathways. Akt and AMPK signaling were identified as active and inactive, respectively. As these pathways have an opposite role on mTORC1 signaling, we set out to inhibit Akt kinases with the allosteric Akt inhibitor MK-2206. This resulted in inhibition of proliferation of osteosarcoma cell lines U-2 OS and HOS, but not of 143B, which harbors a KRAS oncogenic transformation.
We identified both overexpression and hyperphosphorylation in pathways playing a role in genomic stability. Kinome profiling identified active Akt signaling, which could inhibit proliferation in 2/3 osteosarcoma cell lines. Inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTORC1 signaling may be effective in osteosarcoma, but further studies are required to determine whether this pathway is active in a substantial subgroup of this heterogeneous tumor.
A simple bone cyst (SBC) is a cystic bone lesion predominantly affecting young males. The cyst is lined by a fibrous membrane and filled with serosanguinous fluid.
EWSR1/FUS-NFATC2
rearrangements ...were recently identified in SBC. We here report exactly the same rearrangement in 3 lesions diagnosed as vascular malformations of 2 elderly patients. In total, through Archer FusionPlex, fluorescence in situ hybridization and/or reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction the
EWSR1-NFATC2
rearrangement was identified in 6 of 9 SBC, 3 of 12 benign vascular tumors, and none of 5 aneurysmal bone cyst lacking
USP6
fusion. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization, it was apparent that amplification of the fusion, as seen in
EWSR1-NFATC2
round cell sarcomas, was absent, and that in the vascular tumors the fusion was present both in the lining cells as well as in the surrounding spindle cells. Of note, not all of the spaces in the vascular malformations were lined by endothelial cells. Aggrecan was positive in all cases but was not specific. NKX2-2 and NKX3-1 staining were negative in all cases. Thus, even though the overlap between the 2 entities is limited to the presence of few thick-walled cysts lacking endothelial lining in the benign vascular malformations, the spectrum of benign tumors containing
NFATC2
fusions should be expanded and contains not only SBC in the young, but also vascular malformation/hemangioma in elderly patients.
Background Human mesenchymal cells are culprit factors in vascular (patho)physiology and are hallmarked by phenotypic and functional heterogeneity. At present, they are subdivided by classic umbrella ...terms, such as "fibroblasts," "myofibroblasts," "smooth muscle cells," "fibrocytes," "mesangial cells," and "pericytes." However, a discriminative marker-based subclassification has to date not been established. Methods and Results As a first effort toward a classification scheme, a systematic literature search was performed to identify the most commonly used phenotypical and functional protein markers for characterizing and classifying vascular mesenchymal cell subpopulation(s). We next applied immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence to inventory the expression pattern of identified markers on human aorta specimens representing early, intermediate, and end stages of human atherosclerotic disease. Included markers comprise markers for mesenchymal lineage (vimentin, FSP-1 fibroblast-specific protein-1/S100A4, cluster of differentiation (CD) 90/thymocyte differentiation antigen 1, and FAP fibroblast activation protein), contractile/non-contractile phenotype (α-smooth muscle actin, smooth muscle myosin heavy chain, and nonmuscle myosin heavy chain), and auxiliary contractile markers (h1-Calponin, h-Caldesmon, Desmin, SM22α smooth muscle protein 22α, non-muscle myosin heavy chain, smooth muscle myosin heavy chain, Smoothelin-B, α-Tropomyosin, and Telokin) or adhesion proteins (Paxillin and Vinculin). Vimentin classified as the most inclusive lineage marker. Subset markers did not separate along classic lines of smooth muscle cell, myofibroblast, or fibroblast, but showed clear temporal and spatial diversity. Strong indications were found for presence of stem cells/Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal cell Transition and fibrocytes in specific aspects of the human atherosclerotic process. Conclusions This systematic evaluation shows a highly diverse and dynamic landscape for the human vascular mesenchymal cell population that is not captured by the classic nomenclature. Our observations stress the need for a consensus multiparameter subclass designation along the lines of the cluster of differentiation classification for leucocytes.
Abstract We investigated the presence and patterns of mosaicism in the APC gene in patients with colon neoplasms not associated with any other genetic variants; we performed deep sequence analysis of ...APC in at least 2 adenomas or carcinomas per patient. We identified mosaic variants in APC in adenomas from 9 of the 18 patients with 21 to approximately 100 adenomas. Mosaic variants of APC were variably detected in leukocyte DNA and/or non-neoplastic intestinal mucosa of these patients. In a comprehensive sequence analysis of 1 patient, we found no evidence for mosaicism in APC in non-neoplastic intestinal mucosa. One patient was found to carry a mosaic c.4666dupA APC variant in only 10 of 16 adenomas, indicating the importance of screening 2 or more adenomas for genetic variants.