Project description:Analysis of coagulation factor FVII-induced breast cancer cell transformation at gene expression level. The hypothesis tested in the present study was that expression of FVII upregulates genes involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and transformation. Results provide important information on the cellular response to tumor FVII expression with respect to pro-oncogenic programs .
Project description:Background: Excess fibrotic remodeling leads to cardiac dysfunction in ischemic heart disease and is driven by MAP kinase-dependent transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) activation by coagulation signaling of myeloid cells. How coagulation-inflammatory circuits can be specifically targeted to achieve beneficial macrophage reprogramming after myocardial infarction (MI) is incompletely understood. Methods: Mice with permanent ligation of the proximal left anterior descending artery (LAD) were used to model ischemic heart disease and analyzed by single cell RNA sequencing, protein expression changes, confocal microscopy, and longitudinal monitoring of recovery. We probed the role of the tissue factor (TF)-factor 7 (F7)-integrin ß1-protease activated receptor (PAR) 2 signaling complex by utilizing genetic mouse models and pharmacological intervention. Results: Cleavage-insensitive PAR2R38E and myeloid cell integrin ß1-deficient mice had improved cardiac function after MI compared to controls. Proximity ligation assays of monocytic cells in the infarcted myocardium demonstrated that colocalization of F7 with integrin ß1 was diminished in monocyte/macrophage F7-deficient mice. F7fl/fl CX3CR1Cre relative to littermate control mice showed reduced TGF-ß1 and MAP kinase activation, as well as cardiac dysfunction after MI, despite unaltered overall recruitment of myeloid cells into the infarct zone. Single cell mRNA sequencing of CD45+ cells 3 and 7 days after MI uncovered a trajectory from ischemic myocardium-recruited monocytes to inflammatory TF+/F7+/TREM1+ macrophages. As early as 7 days after MI, macrophage F7-deletion led to an expansion of Olfml3+ macrophages with a reparative phenotype and, conversely, to a reduction of TF+/F7+/TREM1+ macrophages, which were also attenuated in activation-resistant PAR2R38E mice. To demonstrate the therapeutic potential of inhibiting the TF-F7-PAR2 signaling complex,, we injected a specific monoclonal anti-TF antibody that lacks anticoagulant activity, but interferes with macrophage migration in vitro. Short-term treatment from day 1-5 after non-reperfused MI improved cardiac dysfunction, decreased excess fibrosis, attenuated vascular endothelial dysfunction, and increased survival 28 days after MI. Conclusions: Extravascular TF-F7-PAR2 complex signaling drives inflammatory macrophage polarization in ischemic heart disease. Targeting this signaling complex for specific therapeutic macrophage reprogramming following MI attenuates cardiac fibrosis and improves cardiovascular function.
Project description:Cancer patients often develop hemostasis disorders whose pathogenesis is poorly understood. Previous work in mouse models has shown that these disorders can be sustained by the MET oncogene by transcriptional upregulation of hemostasis genes. Here we investigated the correlation between the procoagulant state of colorectal cancer patients, and overexpression of MET and hemostasis genes in the tumor. We found that, in a patient subset, blood levels of D-dimer and coagulation factor XII (F12) were frequently elevated, and reverted towards normality after surgery. Global expression profiling of tumor tissues and adjacent mucosae revealed a significant correlation between high D-dimer levels in the blood, and overexpression of MET in the tumor. An “hemostasis gene signature”, including F12, cyclo-oxygenase 2, thromboxane synthase-1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, urokinase-type plasminogen activator and protein C receptor was associated with MET overexpression. This association was confirmed in an independent 173-sample CRC dataset. The mechanistic link between MET signaling and F12 expression was established experimentally in cell lines. These data indicate that MET contributes to the pathogenesis of coagulation disorders in CRC by upregulation of hemostasis genes including F12, and provide a candidate biomarker for the CRC-associated procoagulant state.
Project description:MYC is an oncoprotein transcription factor that is overexpressed in the majority cancers. Although MYC itself is considered undruggable, it may be possible to inhibit MYC by targeting the co-factors it uses to drive oncogenic gene expression patterns. Here, we use loss- and gain- of function approaches to interrogate how one MYC co-factor—Host Cell Factor (HCF)-1—contributes to MYC activity in a Burkitt lymphoma setting. We identify high-confidence direct targets of the MYC–HCF-1 interaction that are regulated through a recruitment-independent mechanism, including genes that control mitochondrial function and rate-limiting steps for ribosome biogenesis and translation. We describe how these gene expression events impact cell growth and metabolism, and demonstrate that the MYC–HCF-1 interaction is essential for tumor maintenance in vivo. This work highlights the MYC–HCF-1 interaction as a focal point for development of novel anti-cancer therapies.
Project description:Analysis of TF isoform-induced breast cancer cell transformation at gene expression level. The hypothesis tested in the present study was that expression of TF isoforms upregulate genes involved in proliferation and transformation, while downregulating genes involved in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Results provide important information on the cellular response to TF expression with respect to pro-oncogenic programs . Total RNA obtained from an MCF-7-based cell model (2A3-3) expressing full length tissue factor (2A3-3-flTF) or alternatvively spliced tissue factor (2A3-3-asTF) compared to cells expressing an empty vector control (2A3-3-pcDNA).