Project description:HER3 (ErbB3) belongs to a family of receptor tyrosine kinases together with the known oncogenes EGFR and HER2. Recently, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting these receptors showed promising clinical activity in extracranial malignancies of breast and lung cancer. We aimed to investigate HER3 expression in breast and lung cancer brain metastases (BM) as the basis for future clinical trial design. Illumina MethylationEPIC 850k microarrays were used to analyze genome-wide DNA methylation patterns of HER3-positive (n=43) and HER3-negative (n=28) BM.
Project description:Background: Metastases to the brain from breast cancer have a high mortality. Basal-like and HER2 positive breast cancers appear to have a high propensity to spread to the brain. The mechanisms that allow cells to colonise the brain are unclear. Methods: We have analysed matched and unpaired samples of breast cancer and brain metastases using morphology, immunophenotype and expression profiling and validated the data using in vitro cell culturing models and in vivo mice model. Results: Most of the brain metastases were triple negative and had a basal-like phenotype. Metastatic cells to the brain over-expressed HER3 compared to primaries and showed evidence of higher activation of the MAPK pathways. Inhibition using anti-neuregulin antibody, Herceptin and Lapatinib reduced tumour growth in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions: The data demonstrate activation of neuregulin-HER3 pathway in brain metastases from breast cancer and suggest that even in absence of HER2 amplification (as with triple negative and basal cancers), anti-epidermal growth factor receptor family inhibitors may have a role in treating these patients.
Project description:Background: Metastases to the brain from breast cancer have a high mortality. Basal-like and HER2 positive breast cancers appear to have a high propensity to spread to the brain. The mechanisms that allow cells to colonise the brain are unclear. Methods: We have analysed matched and unpaired samples of breast cancer and brain metastases using morphology, immunophenotype and expression profiling and validated the data using in vitro cell culturing models and in vivo mice model. Results: Most of the brain metastases were triple negative and had a basal-like phenotype. Metastatic cells to the brain over-expressed HER3 compared to primaries and showed evidence of higher activation of the MAPK pathways. Inhibition using anti-neuregulin antibody, Herceptin and Lapatinib reduced tumour growth in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions: The data demonstrate activation of neuregulin-HER3 pathway in brain metastases from breast cancer and suggest that even in absence of HER2 amplification (as with triple negative and basal cancers), anti-epidermal growth factor receptor family inhibitors may have a role in treating these patients
Project description:Initial screening for potential metastases suppressors down regulated by methylation was performed using lung cancer cell line models specific for site-specific metastasation. Gene expression profiling and qRT-PCR validations were conducted on tumor tissues from primary lung cancer (LC) and brain metastasis. HERC5 was further characterized for the methylation pattern.
Project description:An improved understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of brain metastases, one of the most common and devastating complications of advanced melanoma, may identify and prioritize rational therapeutic approaches for this disease. In particular, the identification of molecular differences between brain and extracranial metastases would support the need for the development of organ-specific therapeutic approaches. Hotspot mutations, copy number variations (CNV), global mRNA expression patterns, and protein expression and activation, quantitatively analyzed by molecular inversion probe arrays, microarrays and reverse phase protein array (RPPA) were evaluated in pairs of melanoma brain metastases and extracranial metastases from patients who had undergone surgical resection for both types of tumors. Seventy-two samples from 52 brain (except for patient 01, who had a spinal cord metastasis) and extracranial metastases of melanoma were analyzed. Available biological replicates (different parts of the same tumor) were included.
Project description:An improved understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of brain metastases, one of the most common and devastating complications of advanced melanoma, may identify and prioritize rational therapeutic approaches for this disease. In particular, the identification of molecular differences between brain and extracranial metastases would support the need for the development of organ-specific therapeutic approaches. Hotspot mutations, copy number variations (CNV), global mRNA expression patterns, and protein expression and activation, quantitatively analyzed by molecular inversion probe arrays, microarrays and reverse phase protein array (RPPA) were evaluated in pairs of melanoma brain metastases and extracranial metastases from patients who had undergone surgical resection for both types of tumors.