Project description:Gene-expression profiles of liver tissue of cabon tetrachloride (CCl4)-treated mouse and the effect of erlotinib Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common solid tumor worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer-related death. Given the lack of successful treatment options, chemoprevention in high-risk patients has been proposed as an alternative strategy. Mounting evidence supports a role for epidermal growth factor (EGF) during chronic liver disease and hepatocellular transformation. We address the hypothesis that blocking the EGF-EGF receptor (EGFR) pathway may be an effective strategy for inhibiting fibrogenesis and hepatocarcinogenesis. A rat model of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced cirrhosis was used to examine the effects of erlotinib on underlying chronic liver disease and HCC formation. The DEN-induced rat model closely resembles disease progression in humans both pathologically and molecularly. Erlotinib significantly prevented the development of HCC tumor nodules in a dose-dependent fashion. Further, erlotinib inhibited the activation of hepatic stellate cells and prevented fibrogenesis. Erlotinib also reduced hepatotoxicity and improved liver function. Finally, a gene expression signature predictive of poor survival in human cirrhosis patients was reversed in response to erlotinib. Our data demonstrate for the first time that EGFR inhibition prevents liver fibrogenesis. Further, our results suggest that erlotinib is a potentially effective HCC chemoprevention strategy through inhibition of cirrhosis progression which can be monitored at the molecular level.
Project description:The non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line HCC827 harbors an activating EGFR mutation (exon 19 deletion) that confers sensitivity to the FDA-approved EGFR inhibitor erlotinib. By applying the ClonTracer barcoding system, we were able to show the presence of pre-existing sub-populations in HCC827 that contribute to erlotinib resistance. Prior studies implicated that MET amplification confers resistance to erlotinib in this cell line. Therefore we examined the effects of the c-Met inhibitor crizotinib on the barcoded HCC827 population when treated either sequentially or simultaneously with both inhibitors. Despite the significant reduction in barcode complexity, the erlotinib/crizotinib combination treatment failed to eradicate all of the resistant clones implying the presence of an erlotinib/crizotinib dual resistant subpopulation. We performed transcriptome profiling (RNA-seq) to elucidate the potential resistance mechanisms of the dual resistant subpopulation in comparison to vehicle-treated or single agent erlotinib-resistant HCC827 cell populations as controls. mRNA profiling of the subpopulations of human NSCLC cell line HCC827 that contribute to EGFR inhibitor erlotinib and MET inhibitor crizotinib resistance
Project description:The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of malignant hepatocytes is a crucial event in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression and recurrence. We aimed to establish a human model of EMT to examine drug efficacy and specificity in HCC progression. Human HCC cell populations were characterized by immunofluorescence analysis, migration and invasion assays, array comparative genomic hybridization, whole-genome expression profiling and promoter methylation. Therapeutic agents clinically used against HCC were examined for efficacy by determination of IC50 values. Liver cancer cell lines showed either an epithelial or mesenchymal phenotype of which latter showed strong migratory and invasive abilities in vitro. The common cellular origin of both cell types indicated that mesenchymal HCC cells have been derived from epithelial hepatocytes through EMT in the HCC patient. Drug exposure of mesenchymal HCC cells showed higher resistance to the targeted therapeutic agents sorafenib and erlotinib as compared to epithelial HCC cells, which were slightly more resistant to cytostatic drugs. Most remarkably, combined treatment with doxorubicin and sorafenib caused increased susceptibility of both HCC cell types resulting in enhanced drug efficacy. Taken together, this novel model of human HCC allows to monitor the differential effect of liver cancer progression on drug efficacy in pre-clinical studies. hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines HCC-1.2 and HCC-1.1 cells, referred to as 3p and 3sp cells, respectively, were isolated from one HCC patient as described ( Sagmeister S, Eisenbauer M, Pirker C, et al. New cellular tools reveal complex epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in hepatocarcinogenesis. Br J Cancer 2008;99(1):151-9.). 3p cells of passages 10 to 12 and 3sp cells of passages 7 to 13 are termed 3p early and 3sp early, respectively. 3p cells between passage 71 and 76 and 3sp from passage 72 to 87 were termed 3p late and 3sp late, respectively
Project description:Gene-expression profiles of rat hepatocellular carcinoma induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and the effect of erlotinib Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common solid tumor worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer-related death. Given the lack of successful treatment options, chemoprevention in high-risk patients has been proposed as an alternative strategy. Mounting evidence supports a role for epidermal growth factor (EGF) during chronic liver disease and hepatocellular transformation. We address the hypothesis that blocking the EGF-EGF receptor (EGFR) pathway may be an effective strategy for inhibiting fibrogenesis and hepatocarcinogenesis. A rat model of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced cirrhosis was used to examine the effects of erlotinib on underlying chronic liver disease and HCC formation. The DEN-induced rat model closely resembles disease progression in humans both pathologically and molecularly. Erlotinib significantly prevented the development of HCC tumor nodules in a dose-dependent fashion. Further, erlotinib inhibited the activation of hepatic stellate cells and prevented fibrogenesis. Erlotinib also reduced hepatotoxicity and improved liver function. Finally, a gene expression signature predictive of poor survival in human cirrhosis patients was reversed in response to erlotinib. Our data demonstrate for the first time that EGFR inhibition prevents liver fibrogenesis. Further, our results suggest that erlotinib is a potentially effective HCC chemoprevention strategy through inhibition of cirrhosis progression which can be monitored at the molecular level.
Project description:Gene-expression profiles of liver tissue of cabon tetrachloride (CCl4)-treated mouse and the effect of erlotinib Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common solid tumor worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer-related death. Given the lack of successful treatment options, chemoprevention in high-risk patients has been proposed as an alternative strategy. Mounting evidence supports a role for epidermal growth factor (EGF) during chronic liver disease and hepatocellular transformation. We address the hypothesis that blocking the EGF-EGF receptor (EGFR) pathway may be an effective strategy for inhibiting fibrogenesis and hepatocarcinogenesis. A rat model of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced cirrhosis was used to examine the effects of erlotinib on underlying chronic liver disease and HCC formation. The DEN-induced rat model closely resembles disease progression in humans both pathologically and molecularly. Erlotinib significantly prevented the development of HCC tumor nodules in a dose-dependent fashion. Further, erlotinib inhibited the activation of hepatic stellate cells and prevented fibrogenesis. Erlotinib also reduced hepatotoxicity and improved liver function. Finally, a gene expression signature predictive of poor survival in human cirrhosis patients was reversed in response to erlotinib. Our data demonstrate for the first time that EGFR inhibition prevents liver fibrogenesis. Further, our results suggest that erlotinib is a potentially effective HCC chemoprevention strategy through inhibition of cirrhosis progression which can be monitored at the molecular level. Animals received humane care according to the criteria outlined in the M-bM-^@M-^\Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory AnimalsM-bM-^@M-^] of the National Academy of Sciences. All animals were maintained in accordance with the institutional guidelines of the Massachusetts General Hospital Subcommittee on Research Animal Care. Strain A/J male mice (Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME) were treated three times a week for 18 weeks with either 0.1cc of a 40 percent solution of CCl4 (Sigma) in olive oil or with vehicle control by oral gavage. Mice were sacrificed at 19 weeks after a one-week washout to eliminate acute effects of CCl4. The liver was sectioned and fixed in phosphate-buffered 10% formaldehyde for histological analysis. The remaining portions of the liver were collected in RNase-free tubes and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen. Frozen tissues were stored at -80M-BM-0C until use.
Project description:The non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line HCC827 harbors an activating EGFR mutation (exon 19 deletion) that confers sensitivity to the FDA-approved EGFR inhibitor erlotinib. By applying the ClonTracer barcoding system, we were able to show the presence of pre-existing sub-populations in HCC827 that contribute to erlotinib resistance. Prior studies implicated that MET amplification confers resistance to erlotinib in this cell line. Therefore we examined the effects of the c-Met inhibitor crizotinib on the barcoded HCC827 population when treated either sequentially or simultaneously with both inhibitors. Despite the significant reduction in barcode complexity, the erlotinib/crizotinib combination treatment failed to eradicate all of the resistant clones implying the presence of an erlotinib/crizotinib dual resistant subpopulation. We performed transcriptome profiling (RNA-seq) to elucidate the potential resistance mechanisms of the dual resistant subpopulation in comparison to vehicle-treated or single agent erlotinib-resistant HCC827 cell populations as controls.
Project description:Gene-expression profiles of rat liver cirrhosis induced by diethylnitrosamine and the effect of erlotinib on liver fibrogenesis and liver cancer development Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common solid tumor worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer-related death. Given the lack of successful treatment options, chemoprevention in high-risk patients has been proposed as an alternative strategy. Mounting evidence supports a role for epidermal growth factor (EGF) during chronic liver disease and hepatocellular transformation. We address the hypothesis that blocking the EGF-EGF receptor (EGFR) pathway may be an effective strategy for inhibiting fibrogenesis and hepatocarcinogenesis. A rat model of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced cirrhosis was used to examine the effects of erlotinib on underlying chronic liver disease and HCC formation. The DEN-induced rat model closely resembles disease progression in humans both pathologically and molecularly. Erlotinib significantly prevented the development of HCC tumor nodules in a dose-dependent fashion. Further, erlotinib inhibited the activation of hepatic stellate cells and prevented fibrogenesis. Erlotinib also reduced hepatotoxicity and improved liver function. Finally, a gene expression signature predictive of poor survival in human cirrhosis patients was reversed in response to erlotinib. Our data demonstrate for the first time that EGFR inhibition prevents liver fibrogenesis. Further, our results suggest that erlotinib is a potentially effective HCC chemoprevention strategy through inhibition of cirrhosis progression which can be monitored at the molecular level. Keywords: Cirrhotic liver, Expression array, Illumina, Signatures, Outcome prediction
Project description:Erlotinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that is approved as a second-line monotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In these patients, erlotinib prolongs survival but its benefit remains modest since overtime, many tumors develop resistance. To analyse the changes in the gene expression profile, that accompany resistance development, we treated the erlotinib sensitive non-small cell lung cancer cell line H358 with increasing concentrations of erlotinib (1-5µM) for several weeks (H358res). In parallel, we kept H358 with the same concentrations of the vehicle DMSO (H358co). After ten weeks of treatment, when the H358res stably grew under 5µM erlotinib, total RNA of both cell lines was harvested and hybridized.