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Combined deletion of Bap1, Nf2, and Cdkn2ab causes rapid onset of malignant mesothelioma in mice.

ABSTRACT: We have generated mouse models of malignant mesothelioma (MM) based upon disruption of the Bap1, Nf2, and Cdkn2ab tumor suppressor loci in various combinations as also frequently observed in human MM. Inactivation of all three loci in the mesothelial lining of the thoracic cavity leads to a highly aggressive MM that recapitulates the histological features and gene expression profile observed in human patients. The tumors also show a similar inflammatory phenotype. Bap1 deletion alone does not cause MM but dramatically accelerates MM development when combined with Nf2 and Cdkn2ab (hereafter BNC) disruption. The accelerated tumor development is accompanied by increased Polycomb repression and EZH2-mediated redistribution of H3K27me3 toward promoter sites with concomitant activation of PI3K and MAPK pathways. Treatment of BNC tumor-bearing mice with cisplatin and pemetrexed, the current frontline treatment, prolongs survival. This makes the autochthonous mouse model described here very well suited to explore the pathogenesis of MM and validate new treatment regimens for MM, including immunotherapy.

SUBMITTER: Badhai J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7971132 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Pleural malignant mesothelioma is a therapy-resistant cancer affecting the serosal lining of the thoracic cavity. Mutations/deletions of BAP1, CDKN2A, and NF2 are the most frequent genetic lesions in human malignant mesothelioma. We introduced various combinations of these deletions in the pleura of conditional knockout (CKO) mice, focusing on the contribution of Bap1 loss. While homozygous CKO of Bap1, Cdkn2a, or Nf2 alone gave rise to few or no malignant mesotheliomas, inactivation of Bap1 cooperated with loss of either Nf2 or Cdkn2a to drive development of malignant mesothelioma in approximately 20% of double-CKO mice, and a high incidence (22/26, 85%) of malignant mesotheliomas was observed in Bap1;Nf2;Cdkn2a (triple)-CKO mice. Malignant mesothelioma onset was rapid in triple-CKO mice, with a median survival of only 12 weeks, and malignant mesotheliomas from these mice were consistently high-grade and invasive. Adenoviral-Cre treatment of normal mesothelial cells from Bap1;Nf2;Cdkn2a CKO mice, but not from mice with knockout of one or any two of these genes, resulted in robust spheroid formation in vitro, suggesting that mesothelial cells from Bap1;Nf2;Cdkn2a mice have stem cell-like potential. RNA-seq analysis of malignant mesotheliomas from triple-CKO mice revealed enrichment of genes transcriptionally regulated by the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) and others previously implicated in known Bap1-related cellular processes. These data demonstrate that somatic inactivation of Bap1, Nf2, and Cdkn2a results in rapid, aggressive malignant mesotheliomas, and that deletion of Bap1 contributes to tumor development, in part, by loss of PRC2-mediated repression of tumorigenic target genes and by acquisition of stem cell potential, suggesting a potential avenue for therapeutic intervention. SIGNIFICANCE: Combinatorial deletions of Bap1, Nf2, and Cdkn2a result in aggressive mesotheliomas, with Bap1 loss contributing to tumorigenesis by circumventing PRC2-mediated repression of oncogenic target genes.

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Combined deletion of Bap1, Nf2, and Cdkn2ab causes rapid onset of malignant mesothelioma in mice.

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