Project description:Among the myriad tumors analyzed to date, cutaneous malignant melanomas bear some of the highest mutational burdens. Thus, it is somewhat surprising that oncogene exclusion between is so pronounced in melanomas where there is only a single melanoma out of 366 sequenced specimens which harbors concurrent BRAF(V600E/M) and NRAS(G13R) mutations (TCGA-ES-A2NC Sample; WWW.bioportal.org), In this senario some NRAS and BRAF mutations co-expressing cells show slow growth phenotypes by under study mechanism. We used Affymetrix GeneChip Expression Arrays to detail the global programme of gene expression underlying oncogenic exclusion and identified distinct classes of up and down-regulated genes during this process.
Project description:Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a key form of cell-to-cell communication. Here we reveal a new mode of communication involving the large EVs, melanosomes. Unlike small EVsexosomes, which are dissolved in the receiver cell, melanosomes stay intact within them, gain a unique protein signature, and can then be further transferred to another cell, a state we term “second-hand EVs”. We found that melanoma-secreted melanosomes uptaken by and then released from epidermal keratinocytes or dermal fibroblasts can be further engulfed by resident macrophages. The respective consequence for macrophages is polarization into pro-tumor or pro-immune-cell-infiltration phenotypes. Fibroblasts load melanosomes with AKT1, which induces VEGF secretion from macrophages in an mTOR-dependent manner, promoting angiogenesis and metastasis in-vivo. In melanoma patients, macrophages co-localized with AKT1, were correlated with disease aggressiveness, and immunotherapy non-responders were enriched in macrophages containing melanosome markers. Thus, the network of interactions via second-hand EVs helps form the metastatic niche. Since macrophage heterogeneity is pivotal in advancement of cancer, our data suggest an opportunity to halt melanoma progression by blocking the melanosome cues of macrophage diversification.
Project description:Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a key form of cell-to-cell communication. Here we reveal a new mode of communication involving the large EVs, melanosomes. Unlike small EVs, which are dissolved in the receiver cell, melanosomes stay intact within them, gain a unique protein signature, and can then be further transferred to another cell, a state we term “second-hand EVs”. We found that melanoma-secreted melanosomes uptaken by and then released from epidermal keratinocytes or dermal fibroblasts can be further engulfed by resident macrophages. The respective consequence for macrophages is polarization into pro-tumor or pro-immune-cell-infiltration phenotypes. Fibroblasts load melanosomes with AKT1, which induces VEGF secretion from macrophages in an mTOR-dependent manner, promoting angiogenesis and metastasis in-vivo. In melanoma patients, macrophages co-localized with AKT1, were correlated with disease aggressiveness, and immunotherapy non-responders were enriched in macrophages containing melanosome markers. Thus, the network of interactions via second-hand EVs helps form the metastatic niche. Since macrophage heterogeneity is pivotal in advancement of cancer, our data suggest an opportunity to halt melanoma progression by blocking the melanosome cues of macrophage diversification.
Project description:Molecular function of BMPs in metastatic melanoma progression is undefined. The goal of this study is to identify BMP6-activated gene signaturs associated with metastatic progresses in human cutaneous melanoma. Transcriptome profiles (RNA-seq) of three melanoma cell lines (WM1341D, WM983B, and 1205Lu) stably expressing BMP6 and coressponding control cells were generated by deep sequencing using illumona HiSeq and mapped more than 30 million sequencing reads per sample to the human genome (build Hg19). Gene signatures down-regulated by BMP6 are mostly associated with extracellular matrix organization and growth factor binding, suggesting a metastasis-suppressive role of BMP6 in melanoma.
Project description:Aging is a known risk factor for melanoma, yet the mechanisms underlying melanoma progression and metastasis in the older population remain largely unexplored. Among remaining gaps is the role of changes in melanoma microenvironment in key phenotypes exacerbated by age. Here we demonstrate that age enriches immunosuppressor tumor microenvironment which can be linked with melanoma metastasis phenotype. Age-associated macrophages with a tolerogenic phenotype and dysfunctional CD8 positive cells with an exhausted phenotype were identified in melanomas of aged mice and human. Macrophages of the older population were enriched of the immunosuppressor subcluster expressing Trem2 while the profibrotic subcluster expressing Trem1 was reduced. Notably, inhibition of TREM1 decreased melanoma growth in young but not old mice, whereas inhibition of TREM2 prevented lung metastasis in aged mice. These data identify novel targets in melanoma metastasis which may guide aged-dependent immunotherapies.