Project description:Ewing sarcoma (ES) is a cancer that may originate from stem mesenchymal or neural crest cells and is highly prevalent in children and adolescents. In recent years, targeted therapies against immune-related genes have shown good efficacy in a variety of cancers. However, effective targets for immunotherapy in ES are yet to be developed. In our study, we first identified the immune-associated differential hub gene NPM1 by bioinformatics methods as a differentially expressed gene, and then validated it using real time-PCR and western blotting, and found that this gene is not only closely related to the immune infiltration in ES, but also can affect the proliferation and apoptosis of ES cells, and is closely related to the survival of patients. The results of our bioinformatic analysis showed that NPM1 can be a hub gene in ES and an immunotherapeutic target to reactivate immune infiltration in patients with ES. In addition, treatment with NPM1 promoted apoptosis and inhibited the proliferation of ES cells. The NPM1 inhibitor NSC348884 can induce apoptosis of ES cells in a dose-dependent manner and is expected to be a potential therapeutic agent for ES.
Project description:BackgroundEwing sarcoma (ES), the second most prevalent bone malignant tumor has no widely known prognostic biomarker. Earlier studies have suggested that chaperonin containing TCP1 complex 6A (CCT6A), which encodes a molecular protein chaperone, is involved in the pathogenesis of many cancers. However, there are no known reports providing clear evidence of its role in ES pathogenesis.MethodsWe performed a bioinformatic analysis of 32 ES specimens from the GSE17618 dataset concentrating on the differences in gene expression, OS, event-free survival (EFS) in the different subgroups. Immunohistochemical studies were also performed to identify the expression levels of selected genes in ES and immediate paracancerous tissues.ResultsAfter 3 screenings, CCT6A was identified to be highly correlated with ES prognosis. Our survival analysis revealed a low overall survival (OS) for high CCT6A expression (P-value?=?.024). Our Cox regression analysis identified CCT6A expression, lEFS, and age were strongly associated with prognosis of ES. Our multivariate Cox regression analysis shows that CCT6A (P-value?=?.015), age (P-value?=?.026), and EFS (P-value?=?.002) were independent poor prognostic biomarkers. Our immunohistochemical analysis showed that the expression levels of CCT6A were significantly higher in ES tissues compared to the paracancerous tissues.ConclusionFrom the results of our study, we identified the expression levels of CCT6A to be strongly associated with prognosis of ES. Thus, the expression levels of the CCT6A gene could serve as a biomarker for the prediction of ES prognosis.
Project description:Ewing sarcoma is the second most common pediatric bone tumor, with three cases per million worldwide. In clinical terms, Ewing sarcoma is an aggressive, rapidly fatal malignancy that mainly develops not only in osseous sites (85%) but also in extra-skeletal soft tissue. It spreads naturally to the lungs, bones, and bone marrow with poor prognosis in the two latter cases. Bone lesions from primary or secondary (metastases) tumors are characterized by extensive bone remodeling, more often due to osteolysis. Osteoclast activation and subsequent bone resorption are responsible for the clinical features of bone tumors, including pain, vertebral collapse, and spinal cord compression. Based on the "vicious cycle" concept of tumor cells and bone resorbing cells, drugs, which target osteoclasts, may be promising agents as adjuvant setting for treating bone tumors, including Ewing sarcoma. There is also increasing evidence that cellular and molecular protagonists present in the bone microenvironment play a part in establishing a favorable "niche" for tumor initiation and progression. The purpose of this review is to discuss the potential therapeutic value of drugs targeting the bone tumor microenvironment in Ewing sarcoma. The first part of the review will focus on targeting the bone resorbing function of osteoclasts by means of bisphosphonates or drugs blocking the pro-resorbing cytokine receptor activator of NF-kappa B ligand. Second, the role of this peculiar hypoxic microenvironment will be discussed in the context of resistance to chemotherapy, escape from the immune system, or neo-angiogenesis. Therapeutic interventions based on these specificities could be then proposed in the context of Ewing sarcoma.
Project description:The cell surface proteome of tumors mediates the interface between the transformed cells and the general microenvironment, including interactions with stromal cells in the tumor niche and immune cells such as T cells. In addition, the cell surface proteome of individual cancers defines biomarkers for that tumor type and potential proteins that can be the target of antibody-mediated therapy. We have used next-generation deep RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) coupled to an in-house database of genes encoding cell surface proteins (herein referred to as the surfaceome) as a tool to define a cell surface proteome of Ewing sarcoma compared with progenitor mesenchymal stem cells. This subtractive RNA-seq analysis revealed a specific surfaceome of Ewing and showed unexpectedly that the leucine-rich repeat and Ig domain protein 1 (LINGO1) is expressed in over 90% of Ewing sarcoma tumors, but not expressed in any other somatic tissue apart from the brain. We found that the LINGO1 protein acts as a gateway protein internalizing into the tumor cells when engaged by antibody and can carry antibody conjugated with drugs to kill Ewing sarcoma cells. Therefore, LINGO1 is a new, unique, and specific biomarker and drug target for the treatment of Ewing sarcoma.
Project description:Although multiple prognostic variables have been proposed for Ewing sarcoma (EWS), little work has been done to further categorize these variables into prognostic groups for risk classification.We derived initial prognostic groups from 2,124 patients with EWS in the SEER database. We constructed a multivariable recursive partitioning model of overall survival using the following covariates: age; stage; race/ethnicity; sex; axial primary; pelvic primary; and bone or soft tissue primary. Based on this model, we identified risk groups and estimated 5-year overall survival for each group using Kaplan-Meier methods. We then applied these groups to 1,680 patients enrolled on COG clinical trials.A multivariable model identified five prognostic groups with significantly different overall survival: (i) localized, age <18 years, non-pelvic primary; (ii) localized, age <18, pelvic primary or localized, age ?18, white, non-Hispanic; (iii) localized, age ?18, all races/ethnicities other than white, non-Hispanic; (iv) metastatic, age <18; and (v) metastatic, age ?18. These five groups were applied to the COG dataset and showed significantly different overall and event-free survival based upon this classification system (P?<?0.0001). A sub-analysis of COG patients treated with ifosfamide and etoposide as a component of therapy evaluated these findings in patients receiving contemporary therapy.Recursive partitioning analysis yields discrete prognostic groups in EWS that provide valuable information for patients and clinicians in determining an individual patient's risk of death. These groups may enable future clinical trials to adjust EWS treatment according to individualized risk.
Project description:There is a critical need in cancer therapeutics to identify targeted therapies that will improve outcomes and decrease toxicities compared to conventional, cytotoxic chemotherapy. Ewing sarcoma is a highly aggressive bone and soft tissue cancer that is caused by the EWS-FLI1 fusion protein. Although EWS-FLI1 is specific for cancer cells, and required for tumorigenesis, directly targeting this transcription factor has proven challenging. Consequently, targeting unique dependencies or key downstream mediators of EWS-FLI1 represent important alternative strategies. We used gene expression data derived from a genetically defined model of Ewing sarcoma to interrogate the Connectivity Map and identify a class of drugs, iron chelators, that downregulate a significant number of EWS-FLI1 target genes. We then identified ribonucleotide reductase M2 (RRM2), the iron-dependent subunit of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), as one mediator of iron chelator toxicity in Ewing sarcoma cells. Inhibition of RNR in Ewing sarcoma cells caused apoptosis in vitro and attenuated tumor growth in an in vivo, xenograft model. Additionally, we discovered that the sensitivity of Ewing sarcoma cells to inhibition or suppression of RNR is mediated, in part, by high levels of SLFN11, a protein that sensitizes cells to DNA damage. This work demonstrates a unique dependency of Ewing sarcoma cells on RNR and supports further investigation of RNR inhibitors, which are currently used in clinical practice, as a novel approach for treating Ewing sarcoma.
Project description:MicroRNA (miRNA)-based therapies are an emerging class of targeted therapeutics with many potential applications. Ewing Sarcoma patients could benefit dramatically from personalized miRNA therapy due to inter-patient heterogeneity and a lack of druggable (to this point) targets. However, because of the broad effects miRNAs may have on different cells and tissues, trials of miRNA therapies have struggled due to severe toxicity and unanticipated immune response. In order to overcome this hurdle, a network science-based approach is well-equipped to evaluate and identify miRNA candidates and combinations of candidates for the repression of key oncogenic targets while avoiding repression of essential housekeeping genes. We first characterized 6 Ewing sarcoma cell lines using mRNA sequencing. We then estimated a measure of tumor state, which we term network potential, based on both the mRNA gene expression and the underlying protein-protein interaction network in the tumor. Next, we ranked mRNA targets based on their contribution to network potential. We then identified miRNAs and combinations of miRNAs that preferentially act to repress mRNA targets with the greatest influence on network potential. Our analysis identified TRIM25, APP, ELAV1, RNF4, and HNRNPL as ideal mRNA targets for Ewing sarcoma therapy. Using predicted miRNA-mRNA target mappings, we identified miR-3613-3p, let-7a-3p, miR-300, miR-424-5p, and let-7b-3p as candidate optimal miRNAs for preferential repression of these targets. Ultimately, our work, as exemplified in the case of Ewing sarcoma, describes a novel pipeline by which personalized miRNA cocktails can be designed to maximally perturb gene networks contributing to cancer progression.
Project description:Glioma is one of the most common brain tumors, suggesting the importance of investigating the molecular mechanism of gliomas. We studied the roles of Ribonucleotide Reductase Regulatory Subunit M2 (RRM2) in glioma. Expressions of RRM2 are higher in glioma tissues evidenced by TCGA data, western blot and immunohistochemistry. RRM2 is negatively correlated with glioma patient's survival. RNA-seq showed that genes involved in apoptosis, proliferation, cell adhesion and negative regulation of signaling were up-regulated upon RNAi-mediated knock-down of RRM2. Cell phenotypes specific for stably knocking down RRM2 were determined using stable transfection in vitro. In an in vivo model, knock-down of RRM2 inhibited tumor growth and caused suppression of AKT and ERK1/2 signalings. Interfering RRM2 also down-regulated the expression of cyclin A, cyclin B1, cyclin D1, Vimentin, and N-cadherin, and elevated E-cadherin expression. Moreover, overexpression of RRM2 failed to increase the expression of cyclin B1, cyclin D1, and N-cadherin when phosphorylation of AKT and ERK1/2 was suppressed by LY294002 or PD98059. These findings indicated that RRM2 is a positive regulator of glioma progression which contributes to the migration and proliferation of glioma cells through ERK1/2 and AKT signalings and might be a novel prognostic indicator for glioma patients.
Project description:Oncogenesis of Ewing sarcoma (EwS), the second most common malignant bone tumor of childhood and adolescence, is dependent on the expression of chimeric EWSR1-ETS fusion oncogenes, most often EWSR1-FLI1 (E/F). E/F expression leads to dysregulation of focal adhesions (FAs) enhancing the migratory capacity of EwS cells. Here, we show that, in EwS cell lines and tissue samples, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is expressed and phosphorylated at Y397 in an E/F-dependent way involving Ezrin. Employing different EwS cell lines as in vitro models, we found that key malignant properties of E/F are mediated via substrate-independent autophosphorylation of FAK on Y397. This phosphorylation results in enhanced FA formation, Rho-dependent cell migration, and impaired caspase-3-mediated apoptosis in vitro. Conversely, treatment with the FAK inhibitor 15 (1,2,4,5-benzenetetraamine tetrahydrochloride (Y15) enhanced caspase-mediated apoptosis and EwS cell migration, independent from the respective EWSR1-ETS fusion type, mimicking an anoikis-like phenotype and paralleling the effects of FAK siRNA knockdown. Our findings were confirmed in vivo using an avian chorioallantoic membrane model and provide a first rationale for the therapeutic use of FAK inhibitors to impair metastatic dissemination of EwS.
Project description:BackgroundIncreasing evidence has demonstrated the critical roles of mRNA modification regulators on multiple types of cancers. However, it is still poorly known about the prognostic and therapeutic value of mRNA modification regulators in HNSCC.MethodsThe gene expression profile of 36 mRNA modification regulators and their corresponding clinical data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Stepwise regression in R with both directions was used to construct a model for the prognosis of HNSCC. Univariate Cox regression survival analysis was performed to identify the most significant risk gene. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was applied to determine the cancer-associated pathways with NAT10. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was performed to evaluate the expression of NAT10 in formalin fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples of HNSCC. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression survival analysis performed to identify the independent risk factors associated with the OS of patients with HNSCC. HNSCC cell lines (Cal-27, FaDu, and Detroit-562) were transfected with short interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting NAT10 or treated with Remodelin, a small-molecule inhibitor of NAT10. Knockdown efficiency of siRNA was assessed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blotting. In addition, CCK-8 assay, scratch assay and transwell assay were used to examine the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of the three HNSCC cell lines after NAT10 was inhibited genetically and pharmaceutically. Cell cycle and cell apoptosis assays were performed by flow cytometry. Finally, the therapeutic value of Remodelin in HNSCC was evaluated via a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model. The statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 23.0.ResultsA risk prediction model containing 10 mRNA modification regulators was constructed and showed prognostic value in HNSCC. NAT10 was further identified as a key risk gene and independent prognostic factor in TCGA HNSCC dataset. The GSEA analysis suggested that high NAT10 expression was associated with MYC, E2F, G2M checkpoint, mTORC1, DNA repair and oxidative phosphorylation pathways. NAT10 protein expression was significantly up-regulated in tumour cells compared to normal epithelial cells in FFPE samples and increased NAT10 protein expression was correlated with poor overall survival of 267 HNSCC patients. Genetic depletion of NAT10 using siRNA or chemical inhibition of NAT10 using Remodelin resulted in reduced cell proliferation, migration and invasion abilities in Cal-27, FaDu and Detroit-562 cells. Knockdown of NAT10 using siRNA significantly increased cell cycle arrest in S/G2-phase. Remodelin significantly inhibited tumour growth and tumour cell proliferation in the PDX model of HNSCC.ConclusionsNAT10 could be a potential prognostic marker and a therapeutic target for HNSCC.