Project description:RNA analysis of 770 genes (Pan Cancer IO 360) related to the tumor microenvironment on NF1-MUT and matched NF1-WT samples for reference.
Project description:The NF1 tumor suppressor encodes a RAS GTPase-Activating Protein (RasGAP). Accordingly, deregulated RAS signaling underlies the pathogenesis of NF1-mutant cancers. However, while various RAS effector pathways have been shown to function in these tumors, it is currently unclear which specific proteins within these broad signaling pathways represent optimal therapeutic targets. Here we identify mTORC1 as the key PI3K pathway component in NF1-mutant nervous system malignancies and conversely show that mTORC2 and AKT are dispensable. We also report that combined mTORC1/MEK inhibition is required to promote tumor regression in animal models, but only when the inhibition of both pathways is sustained. Transcriptional profiling studies were also used to establish a predictive signature of effective mTORC1/MEK inhibition in vivo. Within this signature, we unexpectedly found that the glucose transporter gene, GLUT1, was potently suppressed but only when both pathways were effectively inhibited. Moreover, unlike VHL and LKB1 mutant cancers, reduction of 18F-FDG uptake measured by FDG-PET required the effective suppression of both mTORC1 and MEK. Together these studies identify optimal and sub-optimal therapeutic targets in NF1-mutant malignancies and define a non-invasive means of measuring combined mTORC1/MEK inhibition in vivo, which can be readily incorporated into clinical trials. 8 samples, in duplicate, 2X vehicle, 2X Rapamycin, 2X PD-0325901, 2X Rapamycin/PD-0325901
Project description:The NF1 tumor suppressor encodes a RAS GTPase-Activating Protein (RasGAP). Accordingly, deregulated RAS signaling underlies the pathogenesis of NF1-mutant cancers. However, while various RAS effector pathways have been shown to function in these tumors, it is currently unclear which specific proteins within these broad signaling pathways represent optimal therapeutic targets. Here we identify mTORC1 as the key PI3K pathway component in NF1-mutant nervous system malignancies and conversely show that mTORC2 and AKT are dispensable. We also report that combined mTORC1/MEK inhibition is required to promote tumor regression in animal models, but only when the inhibition of both pathways is sustained. Transcriptional profiling studies were also used to establish a predictive signature of effective mTORC1/MEK inhibition in vivo. Within this signature, we unexpectedly found that the glucose transporter gene, GLUT1, was potently suppressed but only when both pathways were effectively inhibited. Moreover, unlike VHL and LKB1 mutant cancers, reduction of 18F-FDG uptake measured by FDG-PET required the effective suppression of both mTORC1 and MEK. Together these studies identify optimal and sub-optimal therapeutic targets in NF1-mutant malignancies and define a non-invasive means of measuring combined mTORC1/MEK inhibition in vivo, which can be readily incorporated into clinical trials.
Project description:One of the major primary features of the neurocutaneous genetic disorder Neurofibromatosis type 1 are the hyperpigmentary café-au-lait macules where dysregulation of melanocyte development, proliferation and differentiation is considered to play a key etiopathogenic role. To gain better insight in the possible role of the tumor suppressor gene NF1, a transcriptomic microarray analysis was performed on human NF1 heterozygous (NF1+/-) melanocytes of a Neurofibromatosis type 1 patient and NF1 wild type (NF1+/+) melanocytes of a healthy control patient, both cultured from normally pigmented and hyperpigmented lesional café-au-lait skin. Out of 13,850 unique genes, a total of 137 had a significant twofold or more up- (72) or down-regulated (65) expression in NF1+/- melanocytes compared to NF1+/+ melanocytes (genotype effect). Considering possible intrinsic genetic variation in lesional skin, melanocytes showed a total of 51 genes having a significant twofold or more up- (37) or down-regulated (14) expression when they were cultured from hyperpigmentary café-au-lait skin compared to normally pigmented skin (lesional skin type effect). NF1+/- café-au-lait skin melanocytes showed 468 genes with a significant two-fold or more up- (183) or down-regulated (285) expression going beyond the sum of the separate main effects (interaction). Detailed analysis enabled the identification of several modulated genes in NF1+/- (café-au-lait skin) melanocytes, mainly involved in controlling cell proliferation and cell maintenance, in cell adhesion and, surprisingly, in the immune response. An interesting finding was that a high number of transcription factor genes were differentially modulated, among which a specific subset - important in melanocyte-lineage development - showed downregulation in a transcriptional cis-regulatory network governing the activation of the melanocyte-specific dopachrome tautomerase (DCT) gene.
Project description:In this study, we identified a multi-kinase inhibitor MTX-216 to be efficacious in blocking NF1 loss-of-function melanoma cells. To identify the mechansisms of action of MTX-216, we treated NF1 loss-of-function melanoma cell lines with MTX-216, MTX-211 (the structural analogue of MTX-216 that has no effect on melanoma cells) as well as commericial kinase inhibitors, trametinib and pictilisib, and compared their gene expression profiles.
Project description:Analysis of the effect of NF1 second hit mutation to the reading of the whole human genome by comparing the gene expression profiles of neurofibroma derived Schwann cell cultures representing two different NF1 genotypes (NF1+/- and NF1-/-).