Project description:The use of androgen receptor (AR) inhibitors in prostate cancer gives rise to increased cellular lineage plasticity resulting resistance to AR-targeted therapies. By examining the chromatin landscape of AR positive prostate cancer cells following exposure to the AR inhibitor enzalutamide, we have identified a novel regulator of cell plasticity, homeobox transcription factor SIX2, whose motif is enriched in accessible regions post-treatment. Our investigation demonstrates that depletion of SIX2 in androgen-independent PC-3 prostate cancer cells is sufficient to induce a switch from a stem-like to an epithelial state, leading to the reduction of key cancer-related properties such as proliferation, colony formation, and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. These effects are mediated through downregulation of Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway and subsequent reduced nuclear localization of β-catenin. Collectively, our findings provide compelling evidence that depletion of SIX2 may represent a promising strategy for overcoming cell plasticity mechanisms driving AR resistance in prostate cancer.
Project description:The use of androgen receptor (AR) inhibitors in prostate cancer gives rise to increased cellular lineage plasticity resulting resistance to AR-targeted therapies. By examining the chromatin landscape of AR positive prostate cancer cells following exposure to the AR inhibitor enzalutamide, we have identified a novel regulator of cell plasticity, homeobox transcription factor SIX2, whose motif is enriched in accessible regions post-treatment. Our investigation demonstrates that depletion of SIX2 in androgen-independent PC-3 prostate cancer cells is sufficient to induce a switch from a stem-like to an epithelial state, leading to the reduction of key cancer-related properties such as proliferation, colony formation, and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. These effects are mediated through downregulation of Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway and subsequent reduced nuclear localization of β-catenin. Collectively, our findings provide compelling evidence that depletion of SIX2 may represent a promising strategy for overcoming cell plasticity mechanisms driving AR resistance in prostate cancer.
Project description:The use of androgen receptor (AR) inhibitors in prostate cancer gives rise to increased cellular lineage plasticity resulting resistance to AR-targeted therapies. By examining the chromatin landscape of AR positive prostate cancer cells following exposure to the AR inhibitor enzalutamide, we have identified a novel regulator of cell plasticity, homeobox transcription factor SIX2, whose motif is enriched in accessible regions post-treatment. Our investigation demonstrates that depletion of SIX2 in androgen-independent PC-3 prostate cancer cells is sufficient to induce a switch from a stem-like to an epithelial state, leading to the reduction of key cancer-related properties such as proliferation, colony formation, and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. These effects are mediated through downregulation of Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway and subsequent reduced nuclear localization of β-catenin. Collectively, our findings provide compelling evidence that depletion of SIX2 may represent a promising strategy for overcoming cell plasticity mechanisms driving AR resistance in prostate cancer.
Project description:Self-renewing undifferentiated nephron progenitors express Six2, a transcription factor that is required for their maintenance as undifferentiated progenitors. Differentiation of nephron progenitors is triggered by Wnt/b-catenin signaling. In order to understand how Six2 and Wnt signaling counteract each other, we performed ChIP-seq of Six2 and b-catenin in mesenchymal nephron progenitor cells. Nephron progenitors were FACS-isolated from BAC transgenic Six2GFPcre-positive embryonic kidneys at E16.5. For Six2 ChIP, freshly FACS isolated Six2+ cells were used. For b-catenin ChIP, FACS isolated Six2+ cells were aggregated by centrifugation at 850g for 5min and incubated in 10%FBS/DMEM containing 4uM BIO for 24hrs.
Project description:Self-renewing undifferentiated nephron progenitors express Six2, a transcription factor that is required for their maintenance as undifferentiated progenitors. Differentiation of nephron progenitors is triggered by Wnt/b-catenin signaling. In order to understand how Six2 and Wnt signaling counteract each other, we performed ChIP-seq of Six2 and b-catenin in mesenchymal nephron progenitor cells.
Project description:The Wnt/ß-catenin pathway is orchestrating the development of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), but its downstream mediators have remained elusive. To identify potential effectors, we generated an endothelial cell specific Axin1 over-expressing mouse model, AOEiEC. We found that in AOEiE mice Wnt/ß-catenin signalling was down regulated leading to premature regression and remodelling without directly compromising BBB integrity. Interestingly, by comparing transcriptomes of endothelial cells from control and AOEiEC mice, we identified Adamtsl2 as a novel Wnt/ß-catenin-induced, secreted factor, important for stabilizing the cerebral vasculature during development. Importantly, loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiments revealed that Adamtsl2 alone was sufficient to rescue CNS vascular defects seen upon Wnt-signalling inhibition. Furthermore, using various cell and animal models we demonstrate that Adamtsl2 exerts its function by fine-tuning the TGFβ signalling pathway in CNS vessels. In conclusion, this study implicates Adamtsl2 as a mediator of Wnt/ß-catenin signalling during BBB development by linking it to TGFβ signalling.