Similar Datasets
Project description:Liver dysfunction is associated with diseases ranging from metabolic disorders to hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). Here we employed single-cell RNA-sequencing to extensively characterise the cellular landscape of human liver, from development to disease. We analysed ~212,000 cells representing human fetal liver, HCC and mouse liver. Our analysis revealed a remarkable fetal-like reprogramming of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Specifically, the HCC ecosystem displayed features reminiscent of fetal development, including the re-emergence of fetal-associated endothelial cells (PLVAP+/VEGFR2+), and fetal-like (FOLR2+) tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). In a cross-species comparative analysis, we discovered remarkable similarity of gene expression and regulatory networks between mouse embryonically-seeded, fetal-liver and FOLR2+ tumor macrophages. Spatial transcriptomics further corroborated a shared onco-fetal ecosystem between fetal-liver and HCC. Furthermore, gene regulatory analysis, spatial transcriptomics, and in vitro functional assays implicated VEGF and NOTCH signaling in maintaining onco-fetal ecosystem. Taken together, we report a shared immunosuppressive onco-fetal ecosystem between the human fetal-liver and HCC. Our results unravel a previously unexplored onco-fetal reprogramming of tumor ecosystem, provides a novel target for therapeutic interventions in HCC and also opens up avenues for identifying similar paradigms in other cancers and disease states.
2020-09-24 | GSE156626 | GEO
Project description:Liver dysfunction is associated with diseases ranging from metabolic disorders to hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). Here we employed single-cell RNA-sequencing to extensively characterise the cellular landscape of human liver, from development to disease. We analysed ~212,000 cells representing human fetal liver, HCC and mouse liver. Our analysis revealed a remarkable fetal-like reprogramming of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Specifically, the HCC ecosystem displayed features reminiscent of fetal development, including the re-emergence of fetal-associated endothelial cells (PLVAP+/VEGFR2+), and fetal-like (FOLR2+) tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). In a cross-species comparative analysis, we discovered remarkable similarity of gene expression and regulatory networks between mouse embryonically-seeded, fetal-liver and FOLR2+ tumor macrophages. Spatial transcriptomics further corroborated a shared onco-fetal ecosystem between fetal-liver and HCC. Furthermore, gene regulatory analysis, spatial transcriptomics, and in vitro functional assays implicated VEGF and NOTCH signaling in maintaining onco-fetal ecosystem. Taken together, we report a shared immunosuppressive onco-fetal ecosystem between the human fetal-liver and HCC. Our results unravel a previously unexplored onco-fetal reprogramming of tumor ecosystem, provides a novel target for therapeutic interventions in HCC and also opens up avenues for identifying similar paradigms in other cancers and disease states.
2020-09-24 | GSE156625 | GEO
Project description:Onco-fetal reprogramming of endothelial cells drives immunosuppressive macrophages in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
| PRJNA658535 | ENA
Project description:Onco-fetal reprogramming of endothelial cells drives immunosuppressive macrophages in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Nanostring)
| PRJNA658540 | ENA
Project description:Onco-fetal reprogramming of endothelial cells drives immunosuppressive macrophages in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (scRNA-seq)
| PRJNA658541 | ENA
Project description:Obesity increases the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) especially in men, but the molecular mechanism remains obscure. Here, we show that an androgen receptor (AR)-driven oncogene, cell cycle-related kinase (CCRK), collaborates with obesity-induced pro-inflammatory signaling to promote non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)-related hepatocarcinogenesis. Lentivirus-mediated Ccrk ablation in liver of male mice fed with high-fat high-carbohydrate diet abrogates not only obesity-associated lipid accumulation, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, but also HCC development. Mechanistically, CCRK fuels a feedforward loop by inducing STAT3-AR promoter co-occupancy and transcriptional up-regulation, which in turn activates mTORC1/4E-BP1/S6K/SREBP1 cascades via GSK3β phosphorylation. Moreover, hepatic CCRK induction in transgenic mice stimulates mTORC1-dependent G-csf expression to enhance polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cell recruitment and tumorigenicity. Finally, the STAT3-AR-CCRK-mTORC1 pathway components are concordantly over-expressed in human NASH-associated HCCs. These findings unveil the dual roles of an inflammatory-CCRK circuitry in driving metabolic and immunosuppressive reprogramming through mTORC1 activation, thereby establishing a pro-tumorigenic microenvironment for HCC development.
| S-EPMC6283830 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background and aimsPyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) is an essential regulator of the Warburg effect, but its biological function promoting immune escape of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear.MethodsGEPIA web tool and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis were employed to evaluate the clinical relevance of PKM2 in HCC patients. Both in vitro CCK-8, colony formation, and transwell assays, and in vivo xenografts were performed to evaluate the malignancy of HCC cells. PKM2 and PD-L1 levels were examined by Western blot, qRT-PCR, and IHC. The role of PKM2 on in vivo immune response was also investigated.ResultsPKM2 was significantly upregulated in HCC and associated with a poor prognosis of HCC patients. Knockdown of PKM2 inhibited in vitro proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells, as well as in vivo tumor growth. Strikingly, PKM2 showed a strong correlation with the expression of immune inhibitory cytokines and lymphocyte infiltration in HCC. The overexpression of PKM2 sensitized HCC to immune checkpoint blockade, which enhanced IFN-γ positive CD8 T cells in HCC mice models.ConclusionPKM2 might be a predictor and a potential therapeutic target for immune checkpoint inhibitors in HCC.
| S-EPMC7606949 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are responsible for tumor progression and recurrence. However, the mechanisms regulating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) stemness remain unclear. Applying a genome-scale CRISPR knockout screen, we identified that the H3K4 methyltransferase SETD1A and other members of Trithorax group proteins drive cancer stemness in HCC. SET domain containing 1A (SETD1A) was positively correlated with poor clinical outcome in patients with HCC. Combination of SETD1A and serum alpha fetoprotein substantially improved the accuracy of predicting HCC relapse. Mechanistically, SETD1A mediates transcriptional activation of various histone-modifying enzymes, facilitates deposition of trimethylated H3K4 (H3K4me3) and H3K27me3, and activates oncogenic enhancers and super-enhancers, leading to activation of oncogenes and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes simultaneously in liver CSCs. In addition, SETD1A cooperates with polyadenylate-binding protein cytoplasmic 1 to regulate H3K4me3 modification on oncogenes. Our data pinpoint SETD1A as a key epigenetic regulator driving HCC stemness and progression, highlighting the potential of SETD1A as a candidate target for HCC intervention and therapy.
| S-EPMC10561725 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) from M2 to M1 phenotype demonstrates great potential for remodeling the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). d-lactate (DL; a gut microbiome metabolite) acts as an endogenous immunomodulatory agent that enhances Kupffer cells for clearance of pathogens. In this study, the potential of DL for transformation of M2 TAMs to M1 was confirmed, and the mechanisms underlying such polarization were mainly due to the modulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B pathway. A poly(lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticle (NP) was used to load DL, and the DL-loaded NP was modified with HCC membrane and M2 macrophage-binding peptide (M2pep), forming a nanoformulation (DL@NP-M-M2pep). DL@NP-M-M2pep transformed M2 TAMs to M1 and remodeled the immunosuppressive TME in HCC mice, promoting the efficacy of anti-CD47 antibody for long-term animal survival. These findings reveal a potential TAM modulatory function of DL and provide a combinatorial strategy for HCC immunotherapy.
| S-EPMC10355835 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundMitochondrial dynamics plays an important role in tumour progression. However, how these dynamics integrate tumour metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis is still unclear.MethodsThe mitochondrial fusion protein mitofusin-1 (MFN1) expression and its prognostic value are detected in HCC. The effects and underlying mechanisms of MFN1 on HCC metastasis and metabolic reprogramming are analysed both in vitro and in vivo.ResultsMitochondrial dynamics, represented by constant fission and fusion, are found to be associated with HCC metastasis. High metastatic HCC displays excessive mitochondrial fission. Among genes involved in mitochondrial dynamics, MFN1 is identified as a leading downregulated candidate that is closely associated with HCC metastasis and poor prognosis. While promoting mitochondrial fusion, MFN1 inhibits cell proliferation, invasion and migration capacity both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, disruption of mitochondrial dynamics by depletion of MFN1 triggers the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of HCC. Moreover, MFN1 modulates HCC metastasis by metabolic shift from aerobic glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation. Treatment with glycolytic inhibitor 2-Deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) significantly suppresses the effects induced by depletion of MFN1.ConclusionsOur results reveal a critical involvement of mitochondrial dynamics in HCC metastasis via modulating glucose metabolic reprogramming. MFN1 may serve as a novel potential therapeutic target for HCC.
| S-EPMC7052272 | biostudies-literature