Dataset Information

Mechanisms of embryonal tumor initiation: distinct roles for MycN expression and MYCN amplification.

ABSTRACT: The mechanisms causing persistence of embryonal cells that later give rise to tumors is unknown. One tumorigenic factor in the embryonal childhood tumor neuroblastoma is the MYCN protooncogene. Here we show that normal mice developed neuroblast hyperplasia in paravertebral ganglia at birth that completely regressed by 2 weeks of age. In contrast, ganglia from MYCN transgenic (TH-MYCN) mice demonstrated a marked increase in neuroblast hyperplasia and MycN expression during week 1. Regression of neuroblast hyperplasia was then delayed and incomplete before neuroblastoma tumor formation at 6 and 13 weeks in homo- and hemizygote mice, respectively. Paravertebral neuronal cells cultured from perinatal TH-MYCN mice exhibited 3- to 10-fold resistance to nerve growth factor (NGF) withdrawal, compared with normal mice. Both low- and high-affinity NGF receptors were expressed in perinatal neuroblast hyperplasia but not in neuroblastoma tumor tissue. MYCN transgene amplification was present at low levels in perinatal neuroblast hyperplasia from both homo- and hemizygote TH-MYCN mice. However, only in hemizygous mice did tumor formation correlate with a stepwise increase in the frequency of MYCN amplification. These data suggest that inappropriate perinatal MycN expression in paravertebral ganglia cells from TH-MYCN mice initiated tumorigenesis by altering the physiologic process of neural crest cell deletion. Persisting embryonal neural crest cells underwent further changes, such as MYCN amplification and repression of NGF receptor expression, during tumor progression. Our studies provide a model for studying perinatal factors influencing embryonal tumor initiation.

SUBMITTER: Hansford LM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC515113 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Mechanisms of embryonal tumor initiation: distinct roles for MycN expression and MYCN amplification.

Hansford Loen M LM Thomas Wayne D WD Keating Joanna M JM Burkhart Catherine A CA Peaston Anne E AE Norris Murray D MD Haber Michelle M Armati Patricia J PJ Weiss William A WA Marshall Glenn M GM

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20040816 34

The mechanisms causing persistence of embryonal cells that later give rise to tumors is unknown. One tumorigenic factor in the embryonal childhood tumor neuroblastoma is the MYCN protooncogene. Here we show that normal mice developed neuroblast hyperplasia in paravertebral ganglia at birth that completely regressed by 2 weeks of age. In contrast, ganglia from MYCN transgenic (TH-MYCN) mice demonstrated a marked increase in neuroblast hyperplasia and MycN expression during week 1. Regression of n ...[more]

PMID: 15314226

Similar Datasets

Project description:Neuroblastoma derived from primitive sympathetic neural precursors is a common type of solid tumor in infants. MYCN proto?oncogene bHLH transcription factor (MYCN) amplification and 1p36 deletion are important factors associated with the poor prognosis of neuroblastoma. Expression levels of MYCN and c?MYB proto?oncogene transcription factor (c?myb) decline during the differentiation of neuroblastoma cells; E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1) activates the MYCN promoter. However, the underlying mechanism of MYCN overexpression and amplification requires further investigation. In the present study, potential c?Myb target genes, and the effect of c?myb RNA interference (RNAi) on MYCN expression and amplification were investigated in MYCN?amplified neuroblastoma cell lines. The mRNA expression levels and MYCN gene copy number in five neuroblastoma cell lines were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In addition, variations in potential target gene expression and MYCN gene copy number between pre? and post?c?myb RNAi treatment groups in MYCN?amplified Kelly, IMR32, SIMA and MHH?NB?11 cell lines, normalized to those of non?MYCN?amplified SH?SY5Y, were examined. To determine the associations between gene expression levels and chromosomal aberrations, MYCN amplification and 1p36 alterations in interphases/metaphases were analyzed using fluorescence in situ hybridization. Statistical analyses revealed correlations between 1p36 alterations and the expression of c?myb, MYB proto?oncogene like 2 (B?myb) and cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (p21). Additionally, the results of the present study also demonstrated that c?myb may be associated with E2F1 and L3MBTL1 histone methyl?lysine binding protein (L3MBTL1) expression, and that E2F1 may contribute to MYCN, B?myb, p21 and chromatin licensing and DNA replication factor 1 (hCdt1) expression, but to the repression of geminin (GMNN). On c?myb RNAi treatment, L3MBTL1 expression was silenced, while GMNN was upregulated, indicating G2/M arrest. In addition, MYCN gene copy number increased following treatment with c?myb RNAi. Notably, the present study also reported a 43.545% sequence identity between upstream of MYCN and Drosophila melanogaster amplification control element 3, suggesting that expression and/or amplification mechanisms of developmentally?regulated genes may be evolutionarily conserved. In conclusion, c?myb may be associated with regulating MYCN expression and amplification. c?myb, B?myb and p21 may also serve a role against chromosome 1p aberrations. Together, it was concluded that MYCN gene is amplified during S phase, potentially via a replication?based mechanism.

Project description:BACKGROUND Focal high-level amplifications of MYC define a subset of high-risk medulloblastoma patients. However, the prognostic role of MYCN oncogene amplification remains less clear. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of this alteration alone and in combination with biological modifiers in a large cohort of 67 pediatric medulloblastomas with MYCN amplification (MYCN-MB). METHODS Twenty-one MYCN-MB with MYCN amplication and 56 MYCN-MB were respectively examined using either gene expression profiling and array-CGH, or immunohistochemical analysis and FISH. All 67 tumors were further subject to mutational analyses. Semi non-negative matrix factorization–based and unsupervised hierarchical clustering methods were used to identify biological groups. We compared molecular, clinical, and prognostic characteristics both within biological MYCN-MB groups and with non-amplified tumors. RESULTS Transcriptomic analysis of this large cohort of MYCN-MBs demonstrated a significant enrichment of MYCN-MB in the SHH and group D variants. Further substantiating this biological dichotomy of MYCN-MB, respective group affiliations were also accompanied by variant-specific cytogenetic aberrations including deletion of 9q in the SHH variant, and gain of 7q and isochromosome 17q/17q gain in MYCN-MBs clustering with group D tumors. Among clinically relevant variables, SHH subtype and 10q loss for Non-SHH tumors comprised the most powerful markers of favorable prognosis in MYCN-MB. CONCLUSION We demonstrate considerable heterogeneity within MYCN-MB in terms of genetics, tumor biology, and clinical outcome. Thus, assessment of disease group and 10q copy-number status may improve risk stratification of this group and may delineate MYCN-MB with the same dismal prognosis as MYC amplified tumors. Furthermore, based on the enrichment of MYCN and GLI2 amplifications in SHH-driven medulloblastoma, amplification of these downstream signaling intermediates should be excluded before a patient is enrolled into a clinical trial using a Smoothened inhibitor.

Project description:Pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumors represent the most common cause of cancer-related death in children aged 0-14 years. They differ from their adult counterparts, showing extensive clinical and molecular heterogeneity as well as a challenging histopathological spectrum that often impairs accurate diagnosis. Here, we use DNA methylation-based CNS tumor classification in combination with copy number, RNA-seq, and ChIP-seq analysis to characterize a newly identified CNS tumor type. In addition, we report histology, patient characteristics, and survival data in this tumor type. We describe a biologically distinct pediatric CNS tumor type (n = 31 cases) that is characterized by focal high-level amplification and resultant overexpression of either PLAGL1 or PLAGL2, and an absence of recurrent genetic alterations characteristic of other pediatric CNS tumor types. Both genes act as transcription factors for a regulatory subset of imprinted genes (IGs), components of the Wnt/β-Catenin pathway, and the potential drug targets RET and CYP2W1, which are also specifically overexpressed in this tumor type. A derived PLAGL-specific gene expression signature indicates dysregulation of imprinting control and differentiation/development. These tumors occurred throughout the neuroaxis including the cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum, and brainstem, and were predominantly composed of primitive embryonal-like cells lacking robust expression of markers of glial or neuronal differentiation (e.g., GFAP, OLIG2, and synaptophysin). Tumors with PLAGL1 amplification were typically diagnosed during adolescence (median age 10.5 years), whereas those with PLAGL2 amplification were diagnosed during early childhood (median age 2 years). The 10-year overall survival was 66% for PLAGL1-amplified tumors, 25% for PLAGL2-amplified tumors, 18% for male patients, and 82% for female patients. In summary, we describe a new type of biologically distinct CNS tumor characterized by PLAGL1/2 amplification that occurs predominantly in infants and toddlers (PLAGL2) or adolescents (PLAGL1) which we consider best classified as a CNS embryonal tumor and which is associated with intermediate survival. The cell of origin and optimal treatment strategies remain to be defined.

Project description:Neuroblastoma (NB) tumors are well known for their pronounced clinical and molecular heterogeneity. The global gene expression and DNA copy number alterations have been shown to have profound differences in tumors of low or high stage and those with or without MYCN amplification. RNA splicing is an important regulatory mechanism of gene expression, and differential RNA splicing may be associated with the clinical behavior of a tumor.In this study, we used exon array profiling to investigate global alternative splicing pattern of 47 neuroblastoma samples in stage 1 and stage 4 with normal or amplified MYCN copy number (stage 1-, 4- and 4+). The ratio of exon-level expression to gene-level expression was used to detect alternative splicing events, while the gene-level expression was applied to characterize whole gene expression change.Principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrated distinct splicing pattern in three groups of samples. Pairwise comparison identified genes with splicing changes and/or whole gene expression changes in high stage tumors. In stage 4- compared with stage 1- tumors, alternatively spliced candidate genes had little overlap with genes showing whole gene expression changes, and most of them were involved in different biological processes. In contrast, a larger number of genes exhibited either exon-level splicing, gene-level expression or both changes in stage 4+ versus stage 1- tumors. Those biological processes involved in stage 4- tumors were disrupted to a greater extent by both splicing and transcription regulations in stage 4+ tumors.Our results demonstrated a significant role of alternative splicing in high stage neuroblastoma, and suggested a MYCN-associated splicing regulation pathway in stage 4+ tumors. The identification of differentially spliced genes and pathways in neuroblastoma tumors of different stages and molecular subtypes may be important to the understanding of cancer biology and the discovery of diagnostic markers or therapeutic targets in neuroblastoma.

Dataset Information

Mechanisms of embryonal tumor initiation: distinct roles for MycN expression and MYCN amplification.

Publications

Mechanisms of embryonal tumor initiation: distinct roles for MycN expression and MYCN amplification.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets