Project description:Apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) is silenced by promoter methylation in many types of tumors, yet ASC’s role in most cancers remains unknown. Here, we show that ASC is highly expressed in a model of medulloblastoma, the most common malignant pediatric brain cancer. Importantly, while ASC deficiency did not affect normal cerebellar development, ASC knock-out mice in the Smoothened (ND2:SmoA1) transgenic model of medulloblastoma exhibited a profound reduction in medulloblastoma incidence and delayed tumor onset. Premalignant lesions in cerebella of ASC-/-;ND2:SmoA1 mice displayed a striking decrease in number of ectopic progenitors. While proliferation rates decreased with ASC deletion, apoptosis and differentiation markers remained unchanged. Interestingly, ASC deficiency disrupted expression of genes in the TGF-ß pathway and increased the level of nuclear Smad3 in this medulloblastoma model. Together, these results demonstrate an unexpected requirement for ASC in Sonic hedgehog-driven medulloblastoma tumorigenesis, thus identifying ASC as a promising novel target for anti-tumor therapy. reference x sample
Project description:Apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) is silenced by promoter methylation in many types of tumors, yet ASC's role in most cancers remains unknown. Here, we show that ASC is highly expressed in a model of medulloblastoma, the most common malignant pediatric brain cancer; ASC is also expressed in human medulloblastomas. Importantly, while ASC deficiency did not affect normal cerebellar development, ASC knockout mice on the Smoothened (ND2:SmoA1) transgenic model of medulloblastoma exhibited a profound reduction in medulloblastoma incidence and a delayed tumor onset. A similar decrease in tumorigenesis with ASC deficiency was also seen in the hGFAP-Cre:SmoM2 mouse model of medulloblastoma. Interestingly, hyperproliferation of the external granule layer (EGL) was comparable at P20 in both wild-type and ASC-deficient SmoA1 mice. However, while the apoptosis and differentiation markers remained unchanged at this age, proliferation makers were decreased, and the EGL was reduced in thickness and area by P60. This reduction in proliferation with ASC deficiency was also seen in isolated SmoA1 cerebellar granule precursor cells in vitro, indicating that the effect of ASC deletion on proliferation was cell autonomous. Interestingly, ASC-deficient SmoA1 cerebella exhibited disrupted expression of genes in the transforming growth factor-β pathway and increased level of nuclear Smad3. Taken together, these results demonstrate an unexpected role for ASC in Sonic hedgehog-driven medulloblastoma tumorigenesis, thus identifying ASC as a promising novel target for antitumor therapy.
Project description:The transcription factor OTX2 has been implicated as an oncogene in medulloblastoma, which is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. It is highly expressed in most medulloblastomas and amplified in a subset of them. The role of OTX2 in medulloblastoma and its downstream targets are unclear. Therefore, we generated D425 medulloblastoma cells in which we can silence endogenous OTX2 by inducible shRNA. Silencing of OTX2 strongly inhibited cell proliferation and resulted in a neuronal-like differentiation. Expression profiling of time courses after silencing showed a progressive change in gene expression for many cellular processes. Down regulated genes were highly enriched for cell cycle and visual perception genes, while up regulated genes were enriched for genes involved in development and differentiation. This shift in expression profiles is reminiscent to changes described to occur during normal cerebellum development. OTX2 is expressed in proliferating granular progenitor cells, but the expression diminishes when these cells exit the cell cycle and start differentiating. ChIP-on-chip analyses of OTX2 in D425 cells showed that cell cycle and perception genes were direct OTX2 targets, while regulation of most differentiation genes appears to be indirect. These analyses provide the first insight in the molecular network of OTX2, demonstrating that OTX2 is essential in medulloblastoma and directly drives proliferation by regulating the expression of cell cycle genes. Since many of these genes also correlate in expression with OTX2 in primary tumors, they might be potential targets for therapy in medulloblastoma patients. Keywords: OTX2, medulloblastoma, mRNA profiling *** This Series represents the gene expression component of the study. Three independent time course experiments of OTX2 silencing, and 1 control experiment in D425 medulloblastoma cells.
Project description:DDX3X is frequently mutated in the WNT and SHH subtypes of medulloblastoma Ð the commonest malignant childhood brain tumor. But whether DDX3X functions as a medulloblastoma oncogene or tumor suppressor gene is not known. Here we show that Ddx3x regulates hindbrain patterning and development by controlling Hox gene expression and cell stress signaling. In mice predisposed to Wnt or Shh-medulloblastoma Ddx3x sensed oncogenic stress and suppressed tumor formation. WNT and SHH-medulloblastomas normally arise only in the lower and upper rhombic lips respectively. Deletion of Ddx3x relived this lineage restriction enabling both medulloblastoma subtypes to arise in either germinal zone. Thus DDX3X is a medulloblastoma tumor suppressor that regulates hindbrain development and restricts the competence of cell lineages to form medulloblastoma subtypes.
Project description:The main cause of death in medulloblastoma is recurrence associated with leptomeningeal dissemination. Although the molecular basis of medulloblastoma has received considerable attention over the past decade, the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the acquisition of metastatic phenotype remains poorly understood. This study aimed to identify miRNA involved in leptomeningeal dissemination and to elucidate its target mechanisms. We analyzed miRNA expression profiles of 29 medulloblastomas according to the presence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) seeding. The differential expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) were validated on 29 medulloblastoma tissues and three medulloblastoma cells. The biological function of the selected miRNA was evaluated using in vitro studies. A total of 12 DEmiRNAs were identified including miRNA-192 in medulloblastoma with seeding. The reduced expression of miRNA-192 was confirmed in tumor seeding group and the medulloblastoma cells. Overexpression of miRNA-192 inhibited cellular proliferation targeting dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). MiRNA-192 decreased cellular anchoring via repression of integrin subunits (αV, β1, and β3) and CD47. Medulloblastoma with seeding showed specific DEmiRNAs compared with those without seeding. MicroRNA-192 suppresses leptomeningeal dissemination of medulloblastoma through modulating cell proliferation and anchoring ability. leptomeningeal dissemination in 29 pediatric medulloblastoma patients
Project description:The main cause of death in medulloblastoma is recurrence associated with leptomeningeal dissemination. Although the molecular basis of medulloblastoma has received considerable attention over the past decade, the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the acquisition of metastatic phenotype remains poorly understood. This study aimed to identify miRNA involved in leptomeningeal dissemination and to elucidate its target mechanisms. We analyzed miRNA expression profiles of 29 medulloblastomas according to the presence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) seeding. The differential expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) were validated on 29 medulloblastoma tissues and three medulloblastoma cells. The biological function of the selected miRNA was evaluated using in vitro studies. A total of 12 DEmiRNAs were identified including miRNA-192 in medulloblastoma with seeding. The reduced expression of miRNA-192 was confirmed in tumor seeding group and the medulloblastoma cells. Overexpression of miRNA-192 inhibited cellular proliferation targeting dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). MiRNA-192 decreased cellular anchoring via repression of integrin subunits (αV, β1, and β3) and CD47. Medulloblastoma with seeding showed specific DEmiRNAs compared with those without seeding. MicroRNA-192 suppresses leptomeningeal dissemination of medulloblastoma through modulating cell proliferation and anchoring ability.
Project description:Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling plays a critical role in regulating cerebellum development by maintaining the physiological proliferation of granule neuron precursors (GNPs), and its dysregulation leads to the oncogenesis of medulloblastoma. O-GlcNAcylation (O-GlcNAc) of proteins is an emerging regulator of brain function that maintains normal development and neuronal circuitry. Here, we demonstrate that O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) in GNPs mediate the cerebellum development, and the progression of the Shh-subgroup of medulloblastoma. Specifically, OGT regulates the proliferation of GNPs by activating the Shh signaling pathway via O-GlcNAcylation at S355 of GLI family zinc finger 2 (Gli2), which in turn promotes its deacetylation and transcriptional activity via dissociation from p300, a histone acetyltransferases (HATs). Inhibition of OGT via genetic ablation or chemical inhibition improves survival in a medulloblastoma mouse model. These data uncover a critical role for O-GlcNAc signaling in cerebellar development, and pinpoint a potential therapeutic target for Shh-associated medulloblastoma.
Project description:The transcription factor OTX2 has been implicated as an oncogene in medulloblastoma, which is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. It is highly expressed in most medulloblastomas and amplified in a subset of them. The role of OTX2 in medulloblastoma and its downstream targets are unclear. Therefore, we generated D425 medulloblastoma cells in which we can silence endogenous OTX2 by inducible shRNA. Silencing of OTX2 strongly inhibited cell proliferation and resulted in a neuronal-like differentiation. Expression profiling of time courses after silencing showed a progressive change in gene expression for many cellular processes. Down regulated genes were highly enriched for cell cycle and visual perception genes, while up regulated genes were enriched for genes involved in development and differentiation. This shift in expression profiles is reminiscent to changes described to occur during normal cerebellum development. OTX2 is expressed in proliferating granular progenitor cells, but the expression diminishes when these cells exit the cell cycle and start differentiating. ChIP-on-chip analyses of OTX2 in D425 cells showed that cell cycle and perception genes were direct OTX2 targets, while regulation of most differentiation genes appears to be indirect. These analyses provide the first insight in the molecular network of OTX2, demonstrating that OTX2 is essential in medulloblastoma and directly drives proliferation by regulating the expression of cell cycle genes. Since many of these genes also correlate in expression with OTX2 in primary tumors, they might be potential targets for therapy in medulloblastoma patients. Keywords: OTX2, medulloblastoma, mRNA profiling