Project description:For further validation that the circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) patients were indeed cancer cells rather than non-specific contaminated cells such as white blood cells (WBCs), we examined the copy number alterations (CNAs) of the captured CTCs by aCGH (array comparative genomic hybridization).
Project description:transcription profiling of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) samples vs. normal tonsil samples using a two-color reference design experimental setting. Used to identify differentially expressed genes in tumor/normal samples, and compare the result to that of the same samples using the self-self hybridization experimental setting. Keywords: tumor/normal comparison
Project description:Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are precursors of metastasis in several cancer types, and are occasionally found within the bloodstream in association with non-malignant cells such as white blood cells (WBCs). The identity and function of these CTC-associated WBCs, as well as the molecular features that define the interaction between WBCs and CTCs are unknown. Here, we achieve the isolation and interrogation of individual CTC-associated WBCs, alongside with corresponding cancer cells within each CTC-WBC-cluster, from multiple breast cancer patients and mouse models.
Project description:About 230 clinical trials currently explore the role of circulating tumor cell (CTC) analysis for therapy decisions, but no assays enable comprehensive molecular characterization of CTCs with diagnostic precision. We therefore combined a workflow for CTC enrichment and isolation with 100% purity with a non-random whole genome amplifiation method for single cells and applied it to 510 single CTCs and 189 leukocytes of 66 breast cancer patients. We defined a genome integrity index (GII) to identify cells suited for molecular chracterization by different molecular assay in more than 90% of single cells, such as diagnostic profiling for point mutations, gene amplifications and whole genomes of single cells. The high reliability on clinical samples enabled assessing the molecular heterogeneity of single CTCs of metastatic breast cancer patients. We readily identified therapeutically relevant genomic disparity between primary tumors and CTCs. Microheterogeneity analysis among individual CTCs uncovered preexisting cells reistsant to ERBB2 targeted therapies suggesting ongoing microevolution at late stage disease whose exploration may provide essential information for personalized treatment decisions. The analysis aimed to indentify profiles of copy number changes in genomic DNA of single circulating tumor cells (CTCs). For this, CTCs were enrched using the FDA approved CellSearch System and single-cell were isolated using the DEPArray System. Subsequently, single-cell DNA was amplified using the Ampli1 WGA Kits and subjected to single-cell aCGH analysis according to previously published protocol (Czyz ZT et al., PLoS One. 2014 Jan 21;9(1):e85907). The analysis included 38 single CTCs and 10 white blood cells (WBCs) obtained from 16 breast cancer patient. WBCs were used as controls for the analysis. In addition, four CTC cell pools were included in the analysis. This was done to show the discrepancies between the profiles of individual cells and corresponing average genomic profile of CTCs in a patient material (cell pools), thereby demonstrating the importance of the analysis on the cell-by-cell basis. The reference sample used for all aCGH experiments consisted of a pool of four single-cell WGA products generated from WBCs of a healthy female donor.
Project description:Prostate cancer is initially responsive to androgen deprivation, but the effectiveness of androgen receptor (AR) inhibitors in recurrent disease is variable. Biopsy of bone metastases is challenging, hence sampling circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may reveal drug resistance mechanisms. We established single cell RNA-sequencing profiles of 77 intact CTCs isolated from 13 patients (mean 6 CTCs/patient) using microfluidic enrichment. Single CTCs from each individual display considerable heterogeneity, including expression of AR gene mutations and splicing variants. Retrospective analysis of CTCs from patients progressing on AR inhibitor, compared with untreated cases indicates activation of noncanonical Wnt signaling (P=0.0064). Ectopic expression of Wnt5a in prostate cancer cells attenuates the antiproliferative effect of AR inhibition, while its suppression in drug-resistant cells restores partial sensitivity, a correlation also evident in an established mouse model. Thus, single cell analysis of prostate CTCs reveals heterogeneity in signaling pathways that could contribute to treatment failure. A total of 221 single candidate prostate CTCs were isolated from 18 patients with metastatic prostate cancer and 4 patients with localized prostate cancer. Of these, 133 cells (60%) had RNA of sufficient quality for amplification and next generation RNA sequencing, and 122 (55%) had >100,000 uniquely aligned sequencing reads. In addition to candidate CTCs, we also obtained comprehensive transcriptomes for 12 bulk primary prostate cancers (macrodissected for >70% tumor content), 30 single cells derived from four different prostate cancer cell lines, and 5 patient-derived leukocyte controls. The leukocytes were readily distinguished by their expression of hematopoietic lineage markers and served to exclude any CTCs with potentially contaminating signals. Strict expression thresholds were used to define lineage-confirmed CTCs, scored by prostate lineage-specific genes (PSA, PSMA, AMACR, AR) and standard epithelial markers (KRT7, KRT8, KRT18, KRT19, EpCAM). 28 cells were excluded given the presence of leukocyte transcripts suggestive of cellular contamination or misidentification during selection, and 17 cells were excluded given low expression of both prostate lineage-specific genes and 5 standard epithelial markers. The remaining 77 cells, defined as lineage-confirmed CTCs, displayed expression of either prostate lineage-specific or epithelial genes, and low expression of leukocyte-specific genes, consistent with their tumor of origin.
Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE13397: HNSCC samples vs. normal tonsil samples: self-self hybridization design GSE13398: HNSCC samples vs. normal tonsil samples: reference design Refer to individual Series
Project description:transcription profiling of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) samples vs. normal tonsil samples using a two-color reference design experimental setting. Used to identify differentially expressed genes in tumor/normal samples, and compare the result to that of the same samples using the self-self hybridization experimental setting. Keywords: tumor/normal comparison 8 HNSCC tumor samples and 8 normal tonsil samples. One sample per array. Two-color reference design with a common reference sample (a modified version of the Stratagene Human Universal Reference) on each array.
Project description:Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) are shed from primary tumors into the bloodstream, mediating the hematogenous spread of cancer to distant organs. To determine the relevance of ECM protein expression to human disease, CTCs were isolated from the blood of metastatic PDAC patients and subjected to single cell RNA-sequencing. Analysis of 7 pancreatic CTCs from 3 patients revealed that the majority expressed keratins defining their epithelial origin. A total of 13 of 60 extracellular protein genes enriched in mouse CTCs (see GEO GSE51372) were expressed at high levels (>100 rpm) in at least one human pancreatic CTC. Human SPARC was the only gene found at high levels in all human pancreatic CTCs. To achieve a deep RNA sequencing profile of CTCs at the single cell level, we applied a novel inertial focusing-enhanced device, the CTC-iChip, which allows high efficiency negative depletion of normal blood cells, leaving unattached CTCs in solution where they can be selected and analyzed as single cells (Pubmed ID 23552373). CTCs were then subjected to single cell RNA-sequencing (Pubmed ID 20203668).
Project description:transcription profiling of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) samples vs. normal tonsil samples using a self-self hybridization experimental design on two-color arrays. Used to identify differentially expressed genes in tumor/normal samples, and compare the result to that of the same samples using the reference design experimental setting. Keywords: tumor/normal comparison
Project description:Despite widespread knowledge that bone marrow-resident breast cancer cells (BMRCs) affect tumor progression, signaling mechanisms of BMRCs implicated in maintaining long-term dormancy have not been characterized. To overcome these hurdles, we developed a novel experimental model of tumor dormancy employing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) derived from metastatic breast cancer patients (de novo CTCs), transplanted them in immunocompromised mice, and re-isolated these cells from xenografted mice bone marrow (ex vivo BMRCs) and blood (ex vivo CTCs) to perform downstream transcriptomic analyses. Here we report that the balance between mTORC1 vs mTORC2 signaling regulates BMRC mitotic and/or dormancy characteristics.