Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase is related to MELF pattern invasion in endometrioid carcinoma [RNA-seq_pico input]
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: In endometrioid carcinoma (EC), grade 1 (G1) EC is generally associated with a good prognosis. However, in a minority of G1, we often find a more aggressive histological pattern: MELF (microcystic, elongated, and fragmented) pattern. We previously revealed that EC with high expression of S100A4 and serum deprivation-response protein (SDPR) was related to MELF pattern invasion. However, the molecular feature of the invasive front area of MELF pattern has not been investigated. In the current study, we searched for genes preferentially expressed in the invasive front area of EC with MELF pattern by using laser microdissection and RNA sequencing, and revealed that Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) is related to invasiveness of MELF pattern. We confirmed that NNMT expression was high in the invasive front area of MELF pattern in immunohistochemical analysis. Moreover, using endometrioid carcinoma cell lines, we showed that NNMT promotes migration, invasion, colony formation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and chemoresistance. We speculated that depletion of NNMT promotes histone methylation and leads to tumor suppression because NNMT consumes S-adenosyl methionine (SAM), which is an essential methylation cofactor. We showed that NNMT-knockout cells the expression of H3K9me2 was enhanced. We speculate that methylation of H3K9 lead to repress the transcription of various oncogenic genes by performing RNA sequencing using NNMT-knockout cell lines. Our findings showed the possibility that NNMT inhibitors, which are expected to be used for the treatment of metabolic disorders, is effective for the treatment of an aggressive EC. This is the first report of the gene analysis focused on the morphological changes of MELF pattern invasion of EC.
Project description:In endometrioid carcinoma (EC), grade 1 (G1) EC is generally associated with a good prognosis. However, in a minority of G1, we often find a more aggressive histological pattern: MELF (microcystic, elongated, and fragmented) pattern. We previously revealed that EC with high expression of S100A4 and serum deprivation-response protein (SDPR) was related to MELF pattern invasion. However, the molecular feature of the invasive front area of MELF pattern has not been investigated. In the current study, we searched for genes preferentially expressed in the invasive front area of EC with MELF pattern by using laser microdissection and RNA sequencing, and revealed that Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) is related to invasiveness of MELF pattern. We confirmed that NNMT expression was high in the invasive front area of MELF pattern in immunohistochemical analysis. Moreover, using endometrioid carcinoma cell lines, we showed that NNMT promotes migration, invasion, colony formation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and chemoresistance. We speculated that depletion of NNMT promotes histone methylation and leads to tumor suppression because NNMT consumes S-adenosyl methionine (SAM), which is an essential methylation cofactor. We showed that NNMT-knockout cells the expression of H3K9me2 was enhanced. We speculate that methylation of H3K9 lead to repress the transcription of various oncogenic genes by performing RNA sequencing using NNMT-knockout cell lines. Our findings showed the possibility that NNMT inhibitors, which are expected to be used for the treatment of metabolic disorders, is effective for the treatment of an aggressive EC. This is the first report of the gene analysis focused on the morphological changes of MELF pattern invasion of EC.
Project description:Bone metastasis occurs frequently in cancer patients. Conventional therapies have limited therapeutic outcomes, and thus, exploring the mechanisms of cancer progression in the bone metastasis is important to develop new effective therapies. In the bone microenvironment, adipocytes are the major stromal cells that interact with cancer cells during the bone metastasis. However, the comprehensive functions of bone marrow adipocytes in cancer progression are not yet fully understood. To address this, we investigated the role of bone marrow adipocytes on cancer cells, by focusing on an invasive front which reflects the direct effects of stromal cells on caner. In comprehensive histopathological and genetic analysis using bone metastasis specimens, we examined invasive fronts in bone metastasis and compared invasive fronts with adipocyte-rich bone marrow (adipo-BM) to those with hematopoietic cell-rich bone marrow (hemato-BM) as a normal counterpart of adipocytes. We found morphological complexity of invasive front with adipo-BM was significantly higher than that with hemato-BM. Based on immunohistochemistry, the invasive front with adipo-BM comparatively had significantly increased cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) marker-positive area and lower density of CD8 positive lymphocytes compared to that with hemato-BM. RNA-seq analysis of primary and bone metastasis cancer reveals that bone metastasized cancer cells acquired drug resistance related gene expression phenotypes. Clearly, these findings indicate that bone marrow adipocytes provide favorable tumor microenvironment for cancer invasion and therapeutic resistance of bone metastasized cancers via CAF induction and immune evasion, providing a potential target for the treatment of bone metastasis.
Project description:The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a crucial component of solid tumours. Using digital pathology in human and mouse tissues, we define 3 matrix regions: the tumour body (TB), the proximal invasive front (PIF)- and a further distal invasive front (DIF) Increased matrix density coupled to larger fibre thickness, length and alignment are all features of both invasive areas. Importantly, radial fibre orientation is a characteristic of the distal invasive front. Using several in vivo and in vitro 3-dimensional (3D) models, we show that matrix density and alignment induces RhoA/C-ROCK-Myosin activity in cancer cells, while maximal amoeboid directed migration correlates with areas of radial fibre orientation. Importantly, matrix topographical features are enough to prime cancer cells for successful local invasion and metastatic colonisation. Using several spatial OMICs, we describe a mechano-inflammatory transcriptional program linked to matrix topographical features in the invasive fronts of primary tumours that is preserved in metastatic lesions and strongly linked to worse prognosis in patients.
Project description:Endometrial cancers (EC) are the most common gynecologic malignancy in the US. Most ECs harbor limited targetable somatic alterations, and are often grouped by histology (endometrioid, serous, or clear cell), mismatch repair, or TP53 status, none of which perfectly predict therapeutic response. A better mechanistic understanding of the key functional defects in ECs and more therapies with which to engage those targets in advanced stage EC are needed. Here we utilize functional, transcriptomic and genomic assays on a panel of EC cell lines and patient-derived organoids across EC histologic and genomic subtypes to characterize the TP53 and RB1 cell cycle regulatory proficiency and therapeutic vulnerabilities in this disease. We were surprised to find that TP53 genomic and functional status has little predictive capacity for EC therapeutic response. Rather, RB regulatory status correlated better with response to G1/S targeted therapies.
Project description:Endometrial cancers (EC) are the most common gynecologic malignancy in the US. Most ECs harbor limited targetable somatic alterations, and are often grouped by histology (endometrioid, serous, or clear cell), mismatch repair, or TP53 status, none of which perfectly predict therapeutic response. A better mechanistic understanding of the key functional defects in ECs and more therapies with which to engage those targets in advanced stage EC are needed. Here we utilize functional, transcriptomic and genomic assays on a panel of EC cell lines and patient-derived organoids across EC histologic and genomic subtypes to characterize the TP53 and RB1 cell cycle regulatory proficiency and therapeutic vulnerabilities in this disease. We were surprised to find that TP53 genomic and functional status has little predictive capacity for EC therapeutic response. Rather, RB regulatory status correlated better with response to G1/S targeted therapies.
Project description:Invasive tumor front (the tumor-host interface) is vitally important in malignant cell progression and metastasis. Tumor cell interactions with resident and infiltrating host cells and with the surrounding extracellular matrix and secreted factors ultimately determine the fate of the tumor. In this study we focus on the invasive tumor front, making an in-depth characterization of reticular fiber scaffolding, infiltrating immune cells, gene expression and methylation profiles of classified aggressive primary uterine adenocarcinomas and leiomyosarcomas.
Project description:Genome-wide expression array measurements for 9 head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) stratified by worst pattern of invasion (WPOI) Jayakar et al. (2016). Apolipoprotein E promotes invasion in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Li et al. (2013). Validation of the risk model: high-risk classification and tumor pattern of invasion predict outcome for patients with low-stage oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. Comparison of transcription profiles between OSCC tumors with a more invasive (WPOI 5) versus a less invasive (WPOI 3) pattern of invasion using two independent Illumina platforms.
Project description:The invasion front of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) harbors the most aggressive cells of the tumor and is critical for cancer invasion and metastasis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in regulating OSCC invasion. In this study, we modeled the OSCC invasion front on a microfluidic chip and investigated differences in miRNA profiles between cells in the invasion front and those in the tumor mass by small RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analysis. We found that miR-218-5p was downregulated in invasion front cells; a luciferase reporter assay confirmed that cluster of differentiation (CD)44 was a direct target of miR-218-5p. Inhibiting miR-218-5p in invasion front cells activated CD44- Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) signaling and promoted cell invasion by inducing cytoskeletal reorganization. These findings indicate that miR-218-5p negatively regulates OSCC invasiveness by targeting the CD44–ROCK pathway and may be a useful therapeutic target for OSCC. Moreover, our method of modeling and isolating invasion front cells using a microfluidic chip is a time-saving alternative to in vivo models.
Project description:Clinical outcome for patients suffering from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains poor. This is mostly due to highly invasive tumors that cause loco-regional relapses after initial therapeutic intervention. The molecular pathways governing the detrimental invasive growth modes in HNSCC remain however understudied. Here, we have established HNSCC patient derived organoid (PDO) models that recapitulate 3-dimensional invasion in vitro. Single cell mRNA sequencing was applied to study the differences between non-invasive and invasive conditions, and in a collective versus single cell invading PDO model. Differential expression analysis under invasive conditions in Collagen gels reveals an overall upregulation of a YAP-centered transcriptional program, irrespective of the invasion mode. However, we find that collectively invading HNSCC PDO cells show elevated levels of YAP transcription targets when compared to single cell invasion. Also, collectively invading cells are characterized by increased nuclear translocation of YAP within the invasive strands, which coincides with Collagen-I matrix alignment at the invasive front. Using gene set enrichment analysis, we identify immune cell-like migratory pathways in the single cell invading HNSCC PDO, while collective invasion is characterized by overt upregulation of adhesion and migratory pathways. Lastly, based on a clinical head and neck cancer cohort, we demonstrate that the identified collective invasion signature provides a candidate prognostic platform for survival in HNSCC. By uncoupling collective and single cell invasive programs, we have established invasion signatures that may guide new therapeutic options.