Project description:In vitro and in vivo studies including single cell sequencing showed that LPAR6 and CAB39L play a major role in regulating basal to luminal urothelial differentiation. Their loss of function contributed to bladder carcinogenesis by dysregulating urothelial differentiation program and sensitizing the urothelium to N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN) induced cancers, which recapitulated luminal and basal subtypes of human bladder cancer.
Project description:We describe a strategy that combines histologic and molecular mapping that permits interrogation of the chronology of changes associated with cancer development on a whole-organ scale. Using this approach, we present the sequence of alterations around RB1 in the development of bladder cancer. We show that RB1 is not involved in initial expansion of the preneoplastic clone. Instead, we found a set of contiguous genes that we term "forerunner" genes whose silencing is associated with the development of plaque-like field effects initiating carcinogenesis. Specifically, we identified five candidate forerunner genes (ITM2B, LPAR6, MLNR, CAB39L, and ARL11) mapping near RB1. Two of these genes, LPAR6 and CAB39L, are preferentially downregulated in the luminal and basal subtypes of bladder cancer, respectively. Their loss of function dysregulates urothelial differentiation, sensitizing the urothelium to N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine-induced cancers, which recapitulate the luminal and basal subtypes of human bladder cancer.
Project description:We find that Pparg is a master regulator of cell specification during urothelial homeostasis, driving a luminal differentiation program via retinoid signaling. Interestingly, expression of activated Pparg in basal cells only drives tumor formation when they are in an activated state, that are in an activated state, induces formation of luminal tumors with papillary morphology, Expression of an activated form of Pparg induces basal cells at homeostasis, to differentiate directly into luminal cells. In a BBN mouse model which produces basal subtypes tumors in wild type animals, activated Pparg drives formation of luminal tumors, suggesting that this transcription factor is a master regulator of luminal differentiation, as has been suggested from in vitro studies.
Project description:Smoking is a major risk factor for Urothelial carcinoma (UC). However the complex mechanisms, how smoking promotes carcinogenesis and tumour progression, remain obscure. A microarray based approached was therefore performed to detect the smoking derived gene expression alteration in non-malignant and malignant urothelial tissues from patients with superficial or invasive UC. Smoking enhanced cell migration and response to tissue damages. In non-malignant tissues smoking induced immune response and altered the cytoskeleton. In urothelial carcinoma, smoking altered extracellular and chromosome structures. Smoking affected tissues from patients with invasive carcinomamore strongly, up-regulating particularly growth factors and oncogenes in non-malignant tissue of patients with invasive but not with superficial carcinoma. In former smokers, comparable changes were seen in tissues form patients with invasive disease while they were minor or reversed in tissue of patients with superficial disease. Best but not complete tissue repair was suggestedfor non-malignant tissue from patients with superficial tumours. we used microarray techniques to define gene expression profile which may explain the contribution of smoking to urothelial carcinoma. Gene expression profiling using GeneChip HG-U133A Plus 2.0 (Affymetrix) was performed on non-malignant and carcinogenic urothelium from six patients with superficial and six with invasive urothelial carcinoma, each group including two current, former, and non-smokers.
Project description:Smoking is a major risk factor for Urothelial carcinoma (UC). However the complex mechanisms, how smoking promotes carcinogenesis and tumour progression, remain obscure. A microarray based approached was therefore performed to detect the smoking derived gene expression alteration in non-malignant and malignant urothelial tissues from patients with superficial or invasive UC. Smoking enhanced cell migration and response to tissue damages. In non-malignant tissues smoking induced immune response and altered the cytoskeleton. In urothelial carcinoma, smoking altered extracellular and chromosome structures. Smoking affected tissues from patients with invasive carcinomamore strongly, up-regulating particularly growth factors and oncogenes in non-malignant tissue of patients with invasive but not with superficial carcinoma. In former smokers, comparable changes were seen in tissues form patients with invasive disease while they were minor or reversed in tissue of patients with superficial disease. Best but not complete tissue repair was suggestedfor non-malignant tissue from patients with superficial tumours. we used microarray techniques to define gene expression profile which may explain the contribution of smoking to urothelial carcinoma.
Project description:Molecular subtypes of breast cancer are characterized by patterns of gene expression, which can be used to predict response to therapy and overall clinical outcome. The luminal breast cancer subtypes are defined by the expression of ER-alpha (ERa) and a set of ERa-associated genes. The transcription factor activator protein 2C (TFAP2C, AP-2C, AP-2g) transcription factor plays a critical role in regulating cell growth and differentiation during ectodermal development and has been implicated in the regulation of ERa and other luminal-associated genes in breast cancer. While TFAP2C has been established as a prognostic factor in human breast cancer, the role of TFAP2C in development of the luminal epithelial cells in the normal mammary gland and in breast cancer have remained elusive. Herein, we demonstrate a critical role of TFAP2C in maintaining the luminal differentiation phenotype during normal mammary development and in luminal breast carcinoma cell lines. Total RNA from MCF7 cells with and without knockdown of TFAP2c. 3 biological replicates, with 2 technical replicates each, were performed for each sample type.
Project description:Molecular subtypes of breast cancer are characterized by patterns of gene expression, which can be used to predict response to therapy and overall clinical outcome. The luminal breast cancer subtypes are defined by the expression of ER-alpha (ERa) and a set of ERa-associated genes. The transcription factor activator protein 2C (TFAP2C, AP-2C, AP-2g) transcription factor plays a critical role in regulating cell growth and differentiation during ectodermal development and has been implicated in the regulation of ERa and other luminal-associated genes in breast cancer. While TFAP2C has been established as a prognostic factor in human breast cancer, the role of TFAP2C in development of the luminal epithelial cells in the normal mammary gland and in breast cancer have remained elusive. Herein, we demonstrate a critical role of TFAP2C in maintaining the luminal differentiation phenotype during normal mammary development and in luminal breast carcinoma cell lines.
Project description:For patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, there are no biomarkers in clinical use that can identify patients that are sensitive or resistant to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This study investigates how molecular subtypes impact pathological response and survival in 149 patients receiving preoperative cis-platin based chemotherapy by tumor classification using transcriptomic profiling and a 13-marker immunostaining panel. Furthermore, we explored to what extent gene expression signatures can predict chemotherapy response beyond molecular subtypes. We observed improved pathological response rates and survival outcomes for patients presenting with genomically unstable (GU) and urothelial-like (Uro) subtypes compared to the basal-squamous (BASQ) subtype following neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical cystectomy. Also, SPP1, coding for osteopontin, displayed a clear subtype-dependent effect on chemotherapy response, confirmed at the protein level. Based on our findings, we hypothesize that urothelial cancer of the luminal-like GU- and Uro-subtypes are more responsive to cisplatin-based chemotherapy which may influence patient selection pending further research.