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Exosomes isolated from cancer patients' sera transfer malignant traits and confer the same phenotype of primary tumors to oncosuppressor-mutated cells.

ABSTRACT: Horizontal transfer of malignant traits from the primary tumor to distant organs, through blood circulating factors, has recently become a thoroughly studied metastatic pathway to explain cancer dissemination. Recently, we reported that oncosuppressor gene-mutated human cells undergo malignant transformation when exposed to cancer patients' sera. We also observed that oncosuppressor mutated cells would show an increased uptake of cancer-derived exosomes and we suggested that oncosuppressor genes might protect the integrity of the cell genome by blocking integration of cancer-derived exosomes. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that cancer patients' sera-derived exosomes might be responsible for the malignant transformation of target cells and that oncosuppressor mutation would promote their increased uptake. We also sought to unveil the mechanisms behind the hypothesized phenomena.We used human BRCA1 knockout (BRCA1-KO) fibroblasts as target cells. Cells were treated in vitro with cancer patients' sera or cancer patients' sera-derived exosomes. Treated cells were injected into NOD-SCID mice. Immunohistochemical analyses were performed to determine the differentiation state of the xenotransplants. Mass spectrometry analyses of proteins from cancer exosomes and the BRCA1-KO fibroblasts' membrane were performed to investigate possible de novo expression of molecules involved in vesicles uptake. Blocking of the identified molecules in vitro was performed and in vivo experiments were conducted to confirm the role of these molecules in the malignant transformation carried out by cancer-derived exosomes.Cells treated with exosomes isolated from cancer patients' sera underwent malignant transformation and formed tumors when transplanted into immunodeficient mice. Histological analyses showed that the tumors were carcinomas that differentiated into the same lineage of the primary tumors of blood donors. Oncosuppressor mutation promoted the de novo expression, on the plasma membrane of target cells, of receptors, responsible for the increased uptake of cancer-derived exosomes. The selective blocking of these receptors inhibited the horizontal transfer of malignant traits.These findings strengthen the hypothesis that oncogenic factors transferred via circulating cancer exosomes, induce malignant transformation of target cells even at distance. Oncosuppressor genes might protect the integrity of the cell genome by inhibiting the uptake of cancer-derived exosomes.

SUBMITTER: Abdouh M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5577828 | biostudies-other | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Exosomes isolated from cancer patients' sera transfer malignant traits and confer the same phenotype of primary tumors to oncosuppressor-mutated cells.

Abdouh Mohamed M Hamam Dana D Gao Zu-Hua ZH Arena Vincenzo V Arena Manuel M Arena Goffredo Orazio GO

Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR 20170830 1

<h4>Background</h4>Horizontal transfer of malignant traits from the primary tumor to distant organs, through blood circulating factors, has recently become a thoroughly studied metastatic pathway to explain cancer dissemination. Recently, we reported that oncosuppressor gene-mutated human cells undergo malignant transformation when exposed to cancer patients' sera. We also observed that oncosuppressor mutated cells would show an increased uptake of cancer-derived exosomes and we suggested that o ...[more]

PMID: 28854931

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Project description:Background and purposeIndividualized therapy in endometrial cancer, the most common gynaecologic cancer in the developed world, focuses on identifying specific molecular subtypes. Mutations in the exonuclease domain of the DNA polymerase epsilon (POLE) gene define one such subtype, which causes an ultra-mutated tumour phenotype. These tumours may have an improved progression-free survival and may be receptive to specific therapies. However, the clinical phenotype of these tumours is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical and genetic features of POLE-mutated tumours from a large cohort of women whose cases are characterized by: (1) the availability of detailed clinical and lifestyle data; (2) mutation analysis; and (3) long-term follow-up.MethodsA total of 604 patients with endometrial cancer were included in the study. Data from a detailed questionnaire, including lifestyle and family history information, provided extensive pertinent information on the patients. Sequencing of exons 9-14 of the POLE gene was performed. Follow-up data were gathered and analysed.ResultsHotspot pathogenic POLE mutations were identified in N = 38/599 patients (6.3%). Patients with a POLE-mutated tumour were significantly younger, were more often nulliparous, and had a history of smoking. POLE-mutated tumours were more frequently aneuploid. Prognosis for patients with hotspot POLE-mutated tumours was significantly better in comparison with patients with non-mutated tumours; however careful selection of pathogenic mutations is essential to the definition of this prognostically favourable group.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that POLE-mutated endometrial cancer is significantly associated with previously unknown clinicopathologic characteristics. Outcome in POLE-mutated tumours was excellent in cases with hotspot mutations. Our results suggest that prediction of excellent outcome in cases of POLE-mutated EMCA should be restricted to cases of EMCA with hotspot mutations until further data are available on the rising number of mutations with unknown significance.

Project description:Background: Breast cancer is a complex disease, encompassed by different clinically and molecularly stratified entities. In 2000, Perou and colleagues demonstrated that tumor phenotypic diversity correlates with differences in global gene expression patterns, which in turn reflect aspects of the biological behavior of the tumors. Gene expression profiling has distinguished sporadic breast tumor sub-classes with genetic, histopathological and clinical differences, however, little is known about the molecular classification of hereditary breast tumors. It has been recently suggested that most tumors arising in BRCA1 mutation carriers display a basal-like phenotype, with the percentages reported in different studies ranging from 44 to almost 100%. In the present study we used expression profiling to produce a molecular classification of BRCA1-associated breast tumors and applied an integrative approach to examine biological dependencies or differences. Methods and Findings: We used frozen tumor tissue from fourteen patients all of which harbored germline pathological mutations in BRCA1. Total RNA extraction, amplification and labeling with Cy5 were performed using standard protocols. Universal Human Reference RNA (Stratagene) was used as a reference and labeled with Cy3. Each pair of Cy3/Cy5 samples was hybridized onto the CNIO human OncoChip V2, which consists of a spotted microarray with 11,675 cDNA clones from the I.M.A.G.E. Consortium. Two channel ratios (Cy5/Cy3) for each spot were generated and quantified using GenePix Pro 5.1 (Axon Instruments, Inc., Union City, CA, USA). Data were normalized and filtered and multiple statistical analyses were performed. The data are deposited in the GEO database under the accession number GSE12350. A tissue microarray (TMA) containing an independent series of 15 BRCA1 tumors was used to validate some of the results obtained. We have described molecular signatures that define BRCA1 subclasses depending on the expression of the gene encoding for Estrogen Receptor, ESR1. Signatures were found to be molecularly associated with different biological processes and transcriptional regulatory programs. The signature of ESR1-positive tumors was mainly linked to cell proliferation-related processes and, therefore, regulated by the estrogen receptor, while the signature of ESR1-negative tumors was mainly linked to the immune response and possibly regulated by transcription factors of the REL/NFκB family. These signatures were then verified in an independent series of hereditary and sporadic breast tumors, which revealed a possible prognostic value for each subclass. Over-expression of immune response genes appears to be a common feature of ER-negative sporadic and hereditary breast cancer and is associated with good prognosis. Interestingly, the ESR1-negative tumors were sub-stratified into two groups presenting light differences in the magnitude of the expression of immune response transcripts and REL/NFκB transcription factors, and this could be dependent on the type of germline alteration. In addition, analysis of the human protein-protein interaction network provides the wiring diagram of critical molecular associations in BRCA1 tumorigenesis and identifies close relationships between the different signatures. Conclusions: In summary, in the present study we have established the gene expression profiling of a series of BRCA1 tumors and found that there is a further degree of heterogeneity beyond the main classification by the expression of ESR1 and the presence or absence of a basal-like phenotype. We have identified specific signatures for ESR1-positive and ESR1-negative BRCA1 tumors, the latter characterized by the enrichment of immune response and cell cycle genes, and have found that slight differences in the level of expression of the immune response stratify the ESR1-negative BRCA1 tumors into two additional sub-groups (A and B) with possible prognostic differences. NFkB could be a major driver responsible for the levels of both immune response and apoptotic genes in this group of tumors, which could in turn be related to the type of germline mutation in BRCA1. This study reveals the molecular complexity of BRCA1 breast tumors, which are found to display similarities to sporadic tumors, and suggests possible prognostic implications. 14 samples (primary breast tumors containing a BRCA1 mutation) were hybridized to a cDNA microarray in order to investigate the possible heterogeneity within the BRCA1 group.

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Exosomes isolated from cancer patients' sera transfer malignant traits and confer the same phenotype of primary tumors to oncosuppressor-mutated cells.

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Exosomes isolated from cancer patients' sera transfer malignant traits and confer the same phenotype of primary tumors to oncosuppressor-mutated cells.

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