AmpliSeq Transcriptome Analysis of Human Prostate Cancer Cells With or Without Overt SRRM4 Expression
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ABSTRACT: Prostate adenocarcinoma (AdPC) cells can undergo lineage switching to neuroendocrine cells and develop into therapy-resistant neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC). While genomic/epigenetic alterations are shown to induce neuroendocrine differentiation via an intermediate stem-like state, RNA splicing factor SRRM4 can transform AdPC cells into NEPC xenografts through a direct neuroendocrine transdifferentiation mechanism. Whether SRRM4 can also regulate a stem-cell gene network for NEPC development remains unclear. Here, we use the Ion AmpliSeqTM Transcriptome Human Gene Expression Kit (AmpliSeq) to analyze the transcriptome of human AdPC cell line DU145 overexpressing SRRM4 via lentiviral transduction compared to the control, empty vector-transduced DU145 cells. This study reveals that SRRM4 induces a pluripotency gene network consisting of the stem-cell differentiation gene, SOX2. In summary, we report a novel mechanism by which SRRM4 drives NEPC progression via a pluripotency gene network.
Project description:Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is the most virulent subtype. Currently, there is an urgent need to identify new biomarkers and therapeutic targets in NEPC. The splicing factor SRRM4 was previously demonstrated to be highly expressed in NEPC, to promote expression of genes linked to neuroendocrine differentiation and cancer progression, and to promote alternate splicing of genes, including REST. One of REST’s binding protein is lysine specific demethylase 1 (LSD1). Importantly, a transcript variant of LSD1 called LSD1+8a is expressed in neuronal tissues and promotes neuronal gene expression. However, there was no information about LSD1+8a’s importance in prostate cancer. Using adenocarcinoma and NEPC patient-derived xenografts and clinical specimens, we determined that LSD1+8a was expressed exclusively in NEPC. Furthermore, LSD1+8a expression was significantly correlated with elevated mRNA expression of SRRM4. Using SRRM4-overexpressing prostate cancer cell lines, we determined that alternative splicing of LSD1+8a is directly mediated by SRRM4 and that LSD1+8a and SRRM4 co-regulate a unique program of cancer-promoting genes that is not regulated by canonical LSD1. Our findings demonstrate that measurement of LSD1+8a expression is a promising NEPC biomarker and suggest that targeting LSD1+8a in NEPC may be a useful strategy to block expression of genes linked to cancer progression.
Project description:Treatment-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer (t-NEPC) is a lethal subtype of castration-resistant prostate cancer resistant to androgen receptor (AR) inhibitors. Our study unveils that AR suppresses neuronal development protein dihydropyrimidinase-related protein 5 (DPYSL5), providing a mechanism for neuroendocrine transformation under androgen deprivation therapy. Our unique CRPC-NEPC cohort with 157 patient samples, including 55 t-NEPC patient samples, shows a high expression of DPYSL5 in t-NEPC patients, and that DPYSL5 correlates with neuroendocrine markers and inversely with AR and PSA. DPYSL5 overexpression in prostate cancer cells induces neuron like phenotype, enhances invasion, proliferation, and upregulates stemness and neuroendocrine related markers. Mechanistically, DPYSL5 promotes prostate cancer cell plasticity via EZH2-mediated PRC2 activation. Depletion of DPYSL5 halts proliferation, induces G1 phase cell cycle arrest, reverses neuroendocrine phenotype and upregulates luminal genes. In conclusion, DPYSL5 plays a critical role in regulating prostate cancer cell plasticity, and we propose the AR/DPYSL5/EZH2/PRC2 axis as a novel driver of t-NEPC progression.
Project description:Increased treatment of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with second-generation anti-androgen therapies (ADT) has coincided with a greater incidence of lethal, aggressive variant prostate cancer (AVPC) tumors that have lost androgen receptor (AR) signaling. AVPC tumors may also express neuroendocrine markers, termed neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC). Recent evidence suggests kinase signaling may be an important driver of NEPC. To identify targetable kinases in NEPC, we performed global phosphoproteomics comparing AR-negative to AR-positive prostate cancer cell lines and identified multiple altered signaling pathways, including enrichment of RET kinase activity in the AR-negative cell lines. Clinical NEPC and NEPC patient derived xenografts displayed upregulated RET transcript and RET pathway activity. Pharmacologically inhibiting RET kinase in NEPC models dramatically reduced tumor growth and cell viability in mouse and human NEPC models. Our results suggest that targeting RET in NEPC tumors with high RET expression may be a novel treatment option.
Project description:Increased treatment of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with second-generation anti-androgen therapies (ADT) has coincided with a greater incidence of lethal, aggressive variant prostate cancer (AVPC) tumors that have lost androgen receptor (AR) signaling. AVPC tumors may also express neuroendocrine markers, termed neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC). Recent evidence suggests kinase signaling may be an important driver of NEPC. To identify targetable kinases in NEPC, we performed global phosphoproteomics comparing AR-negative to AR-positive prostate cancer cell lines and identified multiple altered signaling pathways, including enrichment of RET kinase activity in the AR-negative cell lines. Clinical NEPC and NEPC patient derived xenografts displayed upregulated RET transcript and RET pathway activity. Pharmacologically inhibiting RET kinase in NEPC models dramatically reduced tumor growth and cell viability in mouse and human NEPC models. Our results suggest that targeting RET in NEPC tumors with high RET expression may be a novel treatment option.
Project description:Background: Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), a lethal subset of prostate cancer, is characterized by loss of AR signaling and resulting resistance to AR-targeted therapy during neuroendocrine transdifferentiation, for which the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report that SRY-Box transcription factor 4 (SOX4) is upregulated in NEPC, which induces neuroendocrine markers, neuroendocrine cell morphology, and NEPC cell aggressive behavior. Methods: To understand the function of SOX4 in the development and progression of NEPC, we detected malignancy characterization after over-expression or knock-down of SOX4 in prostate cancer cells. Xenograft tumors representing NEPC subtypes were analyzed by pathologists. Protein expression profiles were validated in patient tumor tissue. Diagnoses were complemented by transcriptome sequencing and ATAC sequencing of specific cell lines and public clinical datasets. Results: SOX4 expression was significantly elevated in NEPC. Activating SOX4 in non-NEPC cells induced NE transdifferentiation, while silencing it in NEPC cells impeded NEPC progression. SOX4 promote neuroendocrine characteristics by inducing PCK2-mediated metabolism changing. Conclusions: Elevated SOX4 drives NE transdifferentiation in PCa via PCK2-mediated . Altogether, these findings highlight SOX4 as a novel molecule to drive NEPC progression and suggest that it might be a potential therapeutic target for NEPC.
Project description:MYCN amplification and overexpression are common in neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC). However, the impact of aberrant N-Myc expression in prostate tumorigenesis and the cellular origin of NEPC have not been established. We define N-Myc and activated AKT1 as oncogenic components sufficient to transform human prostate epithelial cells to prostate adenocarcinoma and NEPC including the small cell prostate carcinoma (SCPC) variant with phenotypic and molecular features of aggressive, late-stage human disease. We directly show that prostate adenocarcinoma and NEPC can both arise from a common epithelial clone. Further, N-Myc is required for tumor maintenance and destabilization of N-Myc through Aurora A kinase inhibition reduces tumor burden. Our findings establish N-Myc as a driver of NEPC and a target for therapeutic intervention. Expression profiling by high throughput sequencing of experimentally generated human tumors with mixed NEPC and prostate adenocarcinoma. Gene expression analysis of laser capture microdissected NEPC and adenocarcinoma from three independent engineered human tumors of mixed NEPC and prostate adenocarcinoma phenotype.
Project description:Introduction: Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is an aggressive subtype of prostate cancer, exhibiting rapid progression and is unresponsive to hormone therapy. Reliable prognostic assays and more effective treatments are critically required. However, the research of NEPC has been hampered by a lack of clinically relevant in vivo models. Recently, we successfully developed a first-in-field patient tissue-derived xenograft model of complete neuroendocrine transdifferentiation from prostate adenocarcinoma. By comparing gene expression profiles of the parental adenocarcinoma line (LTL331) and the NEPC subline (LTL331R), we identified DEK, a gene not previously reported in prostate cancer, as a potential biomarker and target for NEPC. Methods: DEK protein expression in patient tissue-derived xenograft models and clinical samples was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The function of DEK was determined by siRNA-induced reduction of DEK expression in PC-3 cells, a cell line with NEPC characteristics, followed by functional assays and gene expression profiling analysis. Results: Elevated DEK protein expression was observed in all clinical NEPC cases, which is distinct from their benign counterparts (0%), hormonal naïve prostate cancer (2.45%) and castration resistant prostate cancer (29.55%). Increased DEK expression is an independent clinical risk factor and is associated with shorter disease free survival in hormonal naïve prostate cancer patients. Reduction of DEK expression in PC-3 cells led to a marked reduction in cell proliferation, cell migration and invasion. Conclusions: The results suggest that DEK may play an important role in the progression of prostate cancer, especially NEPC and provide a potential biomarker to aid risk stratification of prostate cancer and a novel therapeutic target for treating NEPC. The function of DEK was determined by siRNA-induced reduction of DEK expression in PC-3 cells, a cell line with NEPC characteristics, followed by functional assays and gene expression profiling analysis.
Project description:Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is proliferative, invasive, and untreatable. Its molecular pathogenesis remains poorly understood but appears to require TP53 and RB1 aberration. In this study we modeled the development of NEPC from conventional prostatic adenocarcinoma using a unique patient-derived xenograft and identified up-regulation of the placental gene PEG10. We found that the androgen receptor and the E2F/RB pathway dynamically regulate distinct post-transcriptional and post-translational isoforms of PEG10 at different stages of NEPC development. In vitro, PEG10 promoted cell cycle progression from G0/G1 in the context of TP53 loss, and regulated Snail expression via TGF-β signaling to promote invasion. Finally we show in vivo proof of principal using antisense oligonucleotide that PEG10 is a novel therapeutic target for NEPC. Six patient-derived xenograft tumors from the LTL331 xenograft lineage (PMID: 24356420; http://www.livingtumorcentre.com/) after differing lengths of time post-host castration. No replicates.
Project description:In castration-resistant prostate cancer, lineage plasticity mediates resistance to androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs) and progression from adenocarcinoma to neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), a highly aggressive and poorly understood subtype. ASCL1 has emerged as a central regulator of the NEPC phenotype, driving neuroendocrine differentiation. However, ASCL1’s influence on neuronal lineage switching and maturation, as well as its partners in NEPC, remain largely unknown. Here, we provided insights into ASCL1’s cistrome reprogramming in ARPI-induced NEPC versus terminal NEPC and showed that ASCL1 binding pattern tailors the subsequent expression of transcription factor combinations that underlie discrete terminal NEPC identity. We identified FOXA2 as a major co-factor of ASCL1 in terminal NEPC that it is highly expressed in ASCL1-driven NEPC. FOXA2 and ASCL1 interact and work in concert to orchestrate terminal neuronal differentiation in prostate cancer, and regulate key neuroendocrine-associated genes including PROX1. Our findings provide insights into the molecular conduit underlying the interplay between different lineage determinant transcription factors to support the neuroendocrine identity in prostate cancer.
Project description:In castration-resistant prostate cancer, lineage plasticity mediates resistance to androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs) and progression from adenocarcinoma to neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), a highly aggressive and poorly understood subtype. ASCL1 has emerged as a central regulator of the NEPC phenotype, driving neuroendocrine differentiation. However, ASCL1’s influence on neuronal lineage switching and maturation, as well as its partners in NEPC, remain largely unknown. Here, we provided insights into ASCL1’s cistrome reprogramming in ARPI-induced NEPC versus terminal NEPC and showed that ASCL1 binding pattern tailors the subsequent expression of transcription factor combinations that underlie discrete terminal NEPC identity. We identified FOXA2 as a major co-factor of ASCL1 in terminal NEPC that it is highly expressed in ASCL1-driven NEPC. FOXA2 and ASCL1 interact and work in concert to orchestrate terminal neuronal differentiation in prostate cancer, and regulate key neuroendocrine-associated genes including PROX1. Our findings provide insights into the molecular conduit underlying the interplay between different lineage determinant transcription factors to support the neuroendocrine identity in prostate cancer.