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Spatially- and temporally-controlled postnatal p53 knockdown cooperates with embryonic Schwann cell precursor Nf1 gene loss to promote malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor formation.

ABSTRACT: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are highly aggressive sarcomas that arise sporadically or in association with the Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) cancer predisposition syndrome. In individuals with NF1, MPNSTs are hypothesized to arise from Nf1-deficient Schwann cell precursor cells following the somatic acquisition of secondary cooperating genetic mutations (e.g., p53 loss). To model this sequential genetic cooperativity, we coupled somatic lentivirus-mediated p53 knockdown in the adult right sciatic nerve with embryonic Schwann cell precursor Nf1 gene inactivation in two different Nf1 conditional knockout mouse strains. Using this approach, ~60% of mice with Periostin-Cre-mediated Nf1 gene inactivation (Periostin-Cre; Nf1(flox/flox) mice) developed tumors classified as low-grade MPNSTs following p53 knockdown (mean, 6 months). Similarly, ~70% of Nf1+/- mice with GFAP-Cre-mediated Nf1 gene inactivation (GFAP-Cre; Nf1(flox/null) mice) developed low-grade MPNSTs following p53 knockdown (mean, 3 months). In addition, wild-type and Nf1+/- mice with GFAP-Cre-mediated Nf1 loss develop MPNSTs following somatic p53 knockout with different latencies, suggesting potential influences of Nf1+/- stromal cells in MPNST pathogenesis. Collectively, this new MPNST model system permits the analysis of somatically-acquired events as well as tumor microenvironment signals that potentially cooperate with Nf1 loss in the development and progression of this deadly malignancy.

SUBMITTER: Hirbe AC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4884927 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are aggressive, frequently metastatic sarcomas that are associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a prominent inherited genetic disease in humans. Although loss of the NF1 gene predisposes to MPNST induction, relatively long tumor latency in NF1 patients suggests that additional genetic or epigenetic abnormalities are needed for the development of these nerve sheath malignancies. To study the molecular pathways contributing to the formation of MPNSTs in NF1 patients, we used a zebrafish tumor model defined by nf1 loss in a p53-deficient background together with the overexpression of either wild-type or constitutively activated PDGFRA (platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α) under control of the sox10 neural crest-specific promoter. Here we demonstrate the accelerated onset and increased penetrance of MPNST formation in fish overexpressing both the wild-type and the mutant PDGFRA transgenes in cells of neural crest origin. Interestingly, overexpression of the wild-type PDGFRA was even more potent in promoting transformation than the mutant PDGFRA, which is important because ~78% of human MPNSTs have expression of wild-type PDGFRA, whereas only 5% harbor activating mutations of the gene encoding this receptor. Further analysis revealed the induction of cellular senescence in zebrafish embryos overexpressing mutant, but not wild-type, PDGFRA, suggesting a mechanism through which the oncogenic activity of the mutant receptor is tempered by the activation of premature cellular senescence in an NF1-deficient background. Taken together, our study suggests a model in which overexpression of wild-type PDGFRA associated with NF1 deficiency leads to aberrant activation of downstream RAS signaling and thus contributes importantly to MPNST development-a prediction supported by the ability of the kinase inhibitor sunitinib alone and in combination with the MEK inhibitor trametinib to retard MPNST progression in transgenic fish overexpressing the wild-type receptor.

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Spatially- and temporally-controlled postnatal p53 knockdown cooperates with embryonic Schwann cell precursor Nf1 gene loss to promote malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor formation.

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