Dataset Information

MicroRNA-431 as a Chemosensitizer and Potentiator of Drug Activity in Adrenocortical Carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare endocrine cancer with treatments limited in efficacy for metastatic disease. New molecular targeted therapies have yet to improve patient outcomes. In contrast, established treatment regimens of adrenolytics and chemotherapy have demonstrated treatment benefit, although admittedly in a minority of patients. Identification of microRNAs (miRNAs) in patients responsive to adjuvant therapy may offer a means to sensitize patients with progressive disease to existing adjuvant regimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Samples from primary ACC tumors of 10 Stage IV patients were examined for differentially expressed miRNAs between a "sensitive" and "resistant" cohort. Candidate microRNAs were restored via transfection in two functional ACC cell lines. Gain of function and effects on apoptosis and cell cycle were assessed. RESULTS:microRNA-431 (miR-431) was underexpressed in patients with ACC with progressive disease undergoing adjuvant therapy. Restoration of miR-431 in vitro decreased the half maximal inhibitory concentrations of doxorubicin and mitotane, with markedly increased apoptosis. We found that a reversal of epithelial-mesenchymal transition underlies the action of miR-431 with doxorubicin treatment, with Zinc Finger E-Box Binding Homeobox 1 implicated as the molecular target of miR-431 in ACC. CONCLUSION:This is the first report of the potential of miRNA therapy to sensitize ACC to current established adjuvant therapy regimens, which may mitigate the resistance underlying treatment failure in patients with advanced ACC. Effective and well-studied methods of targeted miRNA delivery in existence hints at the imminent translatability of these findings. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE:Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare endocrine cancer with outcomes not improving despite extensive research and new targeted therapies. Mitotane and etoposide/doxorubicin/cisplatin chemotherapy is trial validated for improved recurrence-free survival. However, a minority of patients experience sustained benefit. Significant side effects exist for this regimen, with patients often unable to attain target drug doses shown to give survival benefit. This preclinical study examines the role of microRNAs in sensitizing ACC to doxorubicin or mitotane. This study offers an important bridge between new and existing cancer treatments, offering an imminently translatable approach to the treatment of adrenocortical carcinoma.

SUBMITTER: Kwok GTY

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6656493 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

microRNA-431 as a Chemosensitizer and Potentiator of Drug Activity in Adrenocortical Carcinoma.

Kwok Grace T Y GTY Zhao Jing Ting JT Glover Anthony R AR Gill Anthony J AJ Clifton-Bligh Roderick R Robinson Bruce G BG Ip Julian C Y JCY Sidhu Stan B SB

The oncologist 20190327 6

<h4>Background</h4>Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare endocrine cancer with treatments limited in efficacy for metastatic disease. New molecular targeted therapies have yet to improve patient outcomes. In contrast, established treatment regimens of adrenolytics and chemotherapy have demonstrated treatment benefit, although admittedly in a minority of patients. Identification of microRNAs (miRNAs) in patients responsive to adjuvant therapy may offer a means to sensitize patients with progre ...[more]

PMID: 30918109

Similar Datasets

Project description:Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) has a poor prognosis, and no new drugs have been identified in decades. The absence of drug development can partly be attributed to a lack of preclinical models. Both animal models and 2D cell cultures of ACC fail to accurately mimic the disease, as animal physiology is inherently different than humans, and 2D cultures fail to represent the crucial 3D architecture. Organoids and other small 3D in vitro models of tissues or tumors can model certain complexities of human in vivo biology; however, this technology has largely yet to be applied to ACC. In this study, we describe the generation of 3D tumor constructs from an established ACC cell line, NCI-H295R. NCI-H295R cells were encapsulated to generate 3D ACC constructs. Tumor constructs were assessed for biomarker expression, viability, proliferation, and cortisol production. In addition, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) functionality was assessed directly using fluorogenic MMP-sensitive biosensors and through infusion of NCI-H295R cells into a metastasis-on-a-chip microfluidic device platform. ACC tumor constructs showed expression of biomarkers associated with ACC, including SF-1, Melan A, and inhibin α. Treatment of ACC tumor constructs with chemotherapeutics demonstrated decreased drug sensitivity compared to 2D cell culture. Since most tumor cells migrate through tissue using MMPs to break down extracellular matrix, we validated the utility of ACC tumor constructs by integrating fluorogenic MMP-sensitive peptide biosensors within the tumor constructs. Lastly, in our metastasis-on-a-chip device, NCI-H295R cells successfully engrafted in a downstream lung cell line-based construct, but invasion distance into the lung construct was decreased by MMP inhibition. These studies, which would not be possible using 2D cell cultures, demonstrated that NCI-H295R cells secreted active MMPs that are used for invasion in 3D. This work represents the first evidence of a 3D tumor constructs platform for ACC that can be deployed for future mechanistic studies as well as development of new targets for intervention and therapies.

Project description:Background: Adrenal myelolipoma (AML) is a relatively common and invariably benign tumor composed of adipose tissue and hematopoietic elements. Due to the variable proportion of fat and hematopoietic elements, it is sometimes challenging to differentiate AML from adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). MicroRNAs have been identified as promising biomarkers in many tumors, including adrenocortical neoplasms, but the microRNA expression of adrenal myelolipoma has not been investigated, yet. Aims: To perform a large scale microRNA expression profiling in adrenal myelolipoma, benign and malignant adrenocortical tumors to identify potential microRNA biomarkers. Methods: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) on 30 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded archived tissue samples (discovery cohort: 10 adrenocortical adenoma (ACA), 10 ACC and 10 myelolipoma) was performed by Illumina MiSeq. Significantly differentially expressed microRNAs were validated by real-time RT-qPCR in an independent validation cohort comprised of 10 ACA, 10 myelolipoma and 9 ACC samples. Results: We have found relative overexpression of miR- 451a, miR-486-5p, miR-363-3p and miR-150-5p in myelolipoma compared to the other two tumor groups by NGS. For ACC, we have found up-regulation of miR-184, miR-483-5p, miR-431-5p and miR-183-5p compared to myelolipoma and ACA. Validation by RT-qPCR, confirmed significant overexpression of miR-451a, miR-486-5p and miR-150-5p in myelolipomas relative to ACA and ACC, whereas significant overexpression of miR-184 and miR-183-5p was confirmed in ACC relative to the other 2 groups. The overexpression of miR-483-5p has not turned out to be significant in ACC relative to myelolipomas in the validation cohort. Conclusions: Overexpressed miR-451a, miR-486-5p and miR-150-5p might be potential tissue markers of adrenal myelolipoma. The lack of significance in the expression of miR-483-5p between ACC and myelolipoma is remarkable, as miR-483-5p has been considered to be the best marker of adrenal malignancy to date.

Dataset Information

MicroRNA-431 as a Chemosensitizer and Potentiator of Drug Activity in Adrenocortical Carcinoma.

Publications

microRNA-431 as a Chemosensitizer and Potentiator of Drug Activity in Adrenocortical Carcinoma.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets