Molecular OncologyPub Date : 2025-03-01Epub Date: 2024-10-30DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13740
Jieun Kim, Rokhyun Kim, Wonseok Lee, Gyu Hyun Kim, Seeun Jeon, Yun Jin Lee, Jong Seok Lee, Kyung Hyun Kim, Jae-Kyung Won, Woochan Lee, Kyunghyuk Park, Hyun Je Kim, Sun-Wha Im, Kea Joo Lee, Chul-Kee Park, Jong-Il Kim, Ji Yeoun Lee
{"title":"Assembly of glioblastoma tumoroids and cerebral organoids: a 3D in vitro model for tumor cell invasion.","authors":"Jieun Kim, Rokhyun Kim, Wonseok Lee, Gyu Hyun Kim, Seeun Jeon, Yun Jin Lee, Jong Seok Lee, Kyung Hyun Kim, Jae-Kyung Won, Woochan Lee, Kyunghyuk Park, Hyun Je Kim, Sun-Wha Im, Kea Joo Lee, Chul-Kee Park, Jong-Il Kim, Ji Yeoun Lee","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13740","DOIUrl":"10.1002/1878-0261.13740","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Glioblastoma (GBM) has a fatal prognosis because of its aggressive and invasive characteristics. Understanding the mechanism of invasion necessitates an elucidation of the relationship between tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment. However, there has been a scarcity of suitable models to investigate this. In this study, we established a glioblastoma-cerebral organoid assembloid (GCOA) model by co-culturing patient-derived GBM tumoroids and human cerebral organoids. Tumor cells from the tumoroids infiltrated the cerebral organoids, mimicking the invasive nature of the parental tumors. Using time-lapse imaging, various invasion patterns of cancer cells within cerebral organoids resembling a normal tissue milieu were monitored. Both single- and collective-cell invasion was captured in real-time. We also confirmed the formation of an intercellular tumor network and tumor-normal-cell interactions. Furthermore, the transcriptomic characterization of GCOAs revealed distinct features of invasive tumor cells. Overall, this study established the GCOA as a three-dimensional (3D) in vitro assembloid model to investigate invasion mechanisms and interactions between tumor cells and their microenvironment.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":"698-715"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11887666/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142546426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Molecular OncologyPub Date : 2025-03-01Epub Date: 2024-10-27DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13756
Emma Phillips, Sizèd van Enk, Sara Kildgaard, Silja Schlue, Mona Göttmann, Victoria Jennings, Frederic Bethke, Gabriele Müller, Christel Herold-Mende, Daniel Pastor-Flores, Martin Schneider, Dominic Helm, Thomas Ostenfeld Larsen, Violaine Goidts
{"title":"Malformin C preferentially kills glioblastoma stem-like cells via concerted induction of proteotoxic stress and autophagic flux blockade.","authors":"Emma Phillips, Sizèd van Enk, Sara Kildgaard, Silja Schlue, Mona Göttmann, Victoria Jennings, Frederic Bethke, Gabriele Müller, Christel Herold-Mende, Daniel Pastor-Flores, Martin Schneider, Dominic Helm, Thomas Ostenfeld Larsen, Violaine Goidts","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13756","DOIUrl":"10.1002/1878-0261.13756","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive brain tumor for which there is no cure. The dire prognosis of this disease is largely attributable to a high level of heterogeneity, including the presence of a subpopulation of tumor-initiating glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs), which are refractory to chemo- and radiotherapy. Here, in an unbiased marine-derived fungal extract screen, together with bioguided dereplication based on high-resolution mass spectrometry, we identified malformin C to preferentially induce cell death in patient-derived GSCs and explore the potential of this cyclic peptide as a therapeutic agent for glioblastoma. Malformin C significantly reduced tumor growth in an in vivo xenograft model of glioblastoma. Using transcriptomics and chemoproteomics, we found that malformin C binds to many proteins, leading to their aggregation, and rapidly induces the unfolded protein response, including autophagy, in GSCs. Crucially, chemical inhibition of translation using cycloheximide rescued malformin C-induced cell death in GSCs, demonstrating that the proteotoxic effect of the compound is necessary for its cytotoxicity. At the same time, malformin C appears to accumulate in lysosomes, disrupting autophagic flux, and driving cells to death. Supporting this, malformin C synergizes with chloroquine, an inhibitor of autophagy. Strikingly, we observed that autophagic flux is differentially regulated in GSCs compared with normal astrocytes. The sensitivity of GSCs to malformin C highlights the relevance of proteostasis and autophagy as a therapeutic vulnerability in glioblastoma.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":"785-807"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11887673/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142504363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Molecular OncologyPub Date : 2025-03-01Epub Date: 2024-11-07DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13733
Sofia Cotton, Dylan Ferreira, Marta Relvas-Santos, Andreia Brandão, Luís Pedro Afonso, Andreia Miranda, Eduardo Ferreira, Beatriz Santos, Martina Gonçalves, Paula Lopes, Lúcio Lara Santos, André M N Silva, José Alexandre Ferreira
{"title":"E-selectin affinity glycoproteomics reveals neuroendocrine proteins and the secretin receptor as a poor-prognosis signature in colorectal cancer.","authors":"Sofia Cotton, Dylan Ferreira, Marta Relvas-Santos, Andreia Brandão, Luís Pedro Afonso, Andreia Miranda, Eduardo Ferreira, Beatriz Santos, Martina Gonçalves, Paula Lopes, Lúcio Lara Santos, André M N Silva, José Alexandre Ferreira","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13733","DOIUrl":"10.1002/1878-0261.13733","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Colorectal cancer (CRC) cells express sialylated Lewis antigens (sLe), crucial for metastasis via E-selectin binding. However, these glycoepitopes lack cancer specificity, and E-selectin-targeted glycoproteins remain largely unknown. Here, we established a framework for identifying metastasis-linked glycoproteoforms. More than 70% of CRC tumors exhibited overexpression of sLeA/X, yet without discernible associations with metastasis or survival. However, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) analysis unveiled differing expression patterns of sLeA/X-related glycogenes correlating with disease severity, indicating context-dependent regulation by distinct glycosyltransferases. Deeper exploration of metastatic tumor sialoglycoproteome identified nearly 600 glycoproteins, greatly expanding our understanding of the metastasis-related glycoproteome. These glycoproteins were linked to cell adhesion, oncogenic pathways, and neuroendocrine functions. Using an in-house algorithm, the secretin receptor (SCTR) emerged as a top-ranked targetable glycoprotein. Tumor screening confirmed SCTR's association with poor prognosis and metastasis, with N-glycosylation adding cancer specificity to this glycoprotein. Prognostic links were reinforced by TCGA-based investigations. In summary, SCTR, a relatively unknown CRC glycoprotein, holds potential as a biomarker of poor prognosis and as an E-selectin ligand, suggesting an unforeseen role in disease dissemination. Future investigations should focus on this glycoprotein's biological implications for clinical applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":"635-658"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11887675/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142605516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Molecular OncologyPub Date : 2025-03-01Epub Date: 2024-08-11DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13704
Megan Stevens, Yuanli Wang, Stephanie J Bouley, Torrey R Mandigo, Aditi Sharma, Sonali Sengupta, Amy Housden, Norbert Perrimon, James A Walker, Benjamin E Housden
{"title":"Inhibition of autophagy as a novel treatment for neurofibromatosis type 1 tumors.","authors":"Megan Stevens, Yuanli Wang, Stephanie J Bouley, Torrey R Mandigo, Aditi Sharma, Sonali Sengupta, Amy Housden, Norbert Perrimon, James A Walker, Benjamin E Housden","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13704","DOIUrl":"10.1002/1878-0261.13704","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disorder caused by mutation of the NF1 gene that is associated with various symptoms, including the formation of benign tumors, called neurofibromas, within nerves. Drug treatments are currently limited. The mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor selumetinib is used for a subset of plexiform neurofibromas (PNs) but is not always effective and can cause side effects. Therefore, there is a clear need to discover new drugs to target NF1-deficient tumor cells. Using a Drosophila cell model of NF1, we performed synthetic lethal screens to identify novel drug targets. We identified 54 gene candidates, which were validated with variable dose analysis as a secondary screen. Pathways associated with five candidates could be targeted using existing drugs. Among these, chloroquine (CQ) and bafilomycin A1, known to target the autophagy pathway, showed the greatest potential for selectively killing NF1-deficient Drosophila cells. When further investigating autophagy-related genes, we found that 14 out of 30 genes tested had a synthetic lethal interaction with NF1. These 14 genes are involved in multiple aspects of the autophagy pathway and can be targeted with additional drugs that mediate the autophagy pathway, although CQ was the most effective. The lethal effect of autophagy inhibitors was conserved in a panel of human NF1-deficient Schwann cell lines, highlighting their translational potential. The effect of CQ was also conserved in a Drosophila NF1 in vivo model and in a xenografted NF1-deficient tumor cell line grown in mice, with CQ treatment resulting in a more significant reduction in tumor growth than selumetinib treatment. Furthermore, combined treatment with CQ and selumetinib resulted in a further reduction in NF1-deficient cell viability. In conclusion, NF1-deficient cells are vulnerable to disruption of the autophagy pathway. This pathway represents a promising target for the treatment of NF1-associated tumors, and we identified CQ as a candidate drug for the treatment of NF1 tumors.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":"825-851"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11887668/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141917127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Molecular OncologyPub Date : 2025-03-01Epub Date: 2024-09-25DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13735
Uswa Shahzad, Marina Nikolopoulos, Christopher Li, Michael Johnston, Jenny J Wang, Nesrin Sabha, Frederick S Varn, Alexandra Riemenschneider, Stacey Krumholtz, Pranathi Meda Krishnamurthy, Christian A Smith, Jason Karamchandani, Jonathan K Watts, Roel G W Verhaak, Marco Gallo, James T Rutka, Sunit Das
{"title":"CASCADES, a novel SOX2 super-enhancer-associated long noncoding RNA, regulates cancer stem cell specification and differentiation in glioblastoma.","authors":"Uswa Shahzad, Marina Nikolopoulos, Christopher Li, Michael Johnston, Jenny J Wang, Nesrin Sabha, Frederick S Varn, Alexandra Riemenschneider, Stacey Krumholtz, Pranathi Meda Krishnamurthy, Christian A Smith, Jason Karamchandani, Jonathan K Watts, Roel G W Verhaak, Marco Gallo, James T Rutka, Sunit Das","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13735","DOIUrl":"10.1002/1878-0261.13735","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Glioblastoma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults, with a median survival of just over 1 year. The failure of available treatments to achieve remission in patients with glioblastoma (GBM) has been attributed to the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are thought to play a central role in tumor development and progression and serve as a treatment-resistant cell repository capable of driving tumor recurrence. In fact, the property of \"stemness\" itself may be responsible for treatment resistance. In this study, we identify a novel long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), cancer stem cell-associated distal enhancer of SOX2 (CASCADES), that functions as an epigenetic regulator in glioma CSCs (GSCs). CASCADES is expressed in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-wild-type GBM and is significantly enriched in GSCs. Knockdown of CASCADES in GSCs results in differentiation towards a neuronal lineage in a cell- and cancer-specific manner. Bioinformatics analysis reveals that CASCADES functions as a super-enhancer-associated lncRNA epigenetic regulator of SOX2. Our findings identify CASCADES as a critical regulator of stemness in GSCs that represents a novel epigenetic and therapeutic target for disrupting the CSC compartment in glioblastoma.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":"764-784"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11887672/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142350332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Molecular OncologyPub Date : 2025-03-01Epub Date: 2024-07-17DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13702
Laurel Tabe Bate-Eya, Gulsah Albayrak, Simon Mark Carr, Amit Shrestha, Alexander Kanapin, Anastasia Samsonova, Nicholas Barrie La Thangue
{"title":"Sustained cancer-relevant alternative RNA splicing events driven by PRMT5 in high-risk neuroblastoma.","authors":"Laurel Tabe Bate-Eya, Gulsah Albayrak, Simon Mark Carr, Amit Shrestha, Alexander Kanapin, Anastasia Samsonova, Nicholas Barrie La Thangue","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13702","DOIUrl":"10.1002/1878-0261.13702","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) is over-expressed in a wide variety of cancers and is implicated as having a key oncogenic role, achieved in part through its control of the master transcription regulator E2F1. We investigated the relevance of PRMT5 and E2F1 in neuroblastoma (NB) and found that elevated expression of PRMT5 and E2F1 occurs in poor prognosis high-risk disease and correlates with an amplified Myelocytomatosis viral-related oncogene, neuroblastoma-derived (MYCN) gene. Our results show that MYCN drives the expression of splicing factor genes that, together with PRMT5 and E2F1, lead to a deregulated alternative RNA splicing programme that impedes apoptosis. Pharmacological inhibition of PRMT5 or inactivation of E2F1 restores normal splicing and renders NB cells sensitive to apoptosis. Our findings suggest that a sustained cancer-relevant alternative RNA splicing programme desensitises NB cells to apoptosis, and identify PRMT5 as a potential therapeutic target for high-risk disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":"741-763"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11887678/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141633953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Molecular OncologyPub Date : 2025-03-01Epub Date: 2024-08-01DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13694
Javier Villoch-Fernandez, Nicole Martínez-García, Marta Martín-López, Laura Maeso-Alonso, Lorena López-Ferreras, Alberto Vazquez-Jimenez, Lisandra Muñoz-Hidalgo, Noemí Garcia-Romero, Jose María Sanchez, Antonio Fernandez, Angel Ayuso-Sacido, Margarita M Marques, Maria C Marin
{"title":"A novel TAp73-inhibitory compound counteracts stemness features of glioblastoma stem cells.","authors":"Javier Villoch-Fernandez, Nicole Martínez-García, Marta Martín-López, Laura Maeso-Alonso, Lorena López-Ferreras, Alberto Vazquez-Jimenez, Lisandra Muñoz-Hidalgo, Noemí Garcia-Romero, Jose María Sanchez, Antonio Fernandez, Angel Ayuso-Sacido, Margarita M Marques, Maria C Marin","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13694","DOIUrl":"10.1002/1878-0261.13694","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Glioblastoma (GB) is the most common and fatal type of primary malignant brain tumor for which effective therapeutics are still lacking. GB stem cells, with tumor-initiating and self-renewal capacity, are mostly responsible for GB malignancy, representing a crucial target for therapies. The TP73 gene, which is highly expressed in GB, gives rise to the TAp73 isoform, a pleiotropic protein that regulates neural stem cell biology; however, its role in cancer has been highly controversial. We inactivated TP73 in human GB stem cells and revealed that TAp73 is required for their stemness potential, acting as a regulator of the transcriptional stemness signatures, highlighting TAp73 as a possible therapeutic target. As proof of concept, we identified a novel natural compound with TAp73-inhibitory capacity, which was highly effective against GB stem cells. The treatment reduced GB stem cell-invasion capacity and stem features, at least in part by TAp73 repression. Our data are consistent with a novel paradigm in which hijacking of p73-regulated neurodevelopmental programs, including neural stemness, might sustain tumor progression, pointing out TAp73 as a therapeutic strategy for GB.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":"852-877"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11887682/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141875291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tumor and α-SMA-expressing stromal cells in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors have a distinct RNA profile depending on tumor grade.","authors":"Helvijs Niedra, Raitis Peculis, Rihards Saksis, Ilona Mandrika, Sofija Vilisova, Jurijs Nazarovs, Austra Breiksa, Aija Gerina, Julie Earl, Ignacio Ruz-Caracuel, Marta Gabriela Rosas, Aldis Pukitis, Natalja Senterjakova, Vita Rovite","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13727","DOIUrl":"10.1002/1878-0261.13727","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression in the stroma is linked to the presence of cancer-associated fibroblasts and is known to correlate with worse outcomes in various tumors. In this study, using a GeoMx digital spatial profiling approach, we characterized the gene expression of the tumor and α-SMA-expressing stromal cell compartments in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs). The profiling was performed on tissues from eight retrospective cases (three grade 1, four grade 2, and one grade 3). Selected regions of interest were segmented geometrically based on tissue morphology and fluorescent signals from synaptophysin and α-SMA markers. The α-SMA-expressing stromal-cell-associated genes were involved in pathways of extracellular matrix modification, whereas, in tumor cells, the gene expression profiles were associated with pathways involved in cell proliferation. The comparison of gene expression profiles across all three PanNET grades revealed that the differences between grades are not only present at the level of the tumor but also in the α-SMA-expressing stromal cells. Furthermore, the tumor cells from regions with a rich presence of adjacent α-SMA-expressing stromal cells revealed an upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) expression in grade 3 tumors. This study provides an in-depth characterization of gene expression profiles in α-SMA-expressing stromal and tumor cells, and outlines potential crosstalk mechanisms.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":"659-681"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11887665/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142154596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Molecular OncologyPub Date : 2025-03-01Epub Date: 2025-02-21DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13789
Mujahid Azfar, Weiman Gao, Chris Van den Haute, Lin Xiao, Mawar Karsa, Ruby Pandher, Ayu Karsa, Dayna Spurling, Emma Ronca, Angelika Bongers, Xinyi Guo, Chelsea Mayoh, Youri Fayt, Arthur Schoofs, Mark R Burns, Steven H L Verhelst, Murray D Norris, Michelle Haber, Peter Vangheluwe, Klaartje Somers
{"title":"The polyamine transporter ATP13A3 mediates difluoromethylornithine-induced polyamine uptake in neuroblastoma.","authors":"Mujahid Azfar, Weiman Gao, Chris Van den Haute, Lin Xiao, Mawar Karsa, Ruby Pandher, Ayu Karsa, Dayna Spurling, Emma Ronca, Angelika Bongers, Xinyi Guo, Chelsea Mayoh, Youri Fayt, Arthur Schoofs, Mark R Burns, Steven H L Verhelst, Murray D Norris, Michelle Haber, Peter Vangheluwe, Klaartje Somers","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13789","DOIUrl":"10.1002/1878-0261.13789","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>High-risk neuroblastomas, often associated with MYCN protooncogene amplification, are addicted to polyamines, small polycations vital for cellular functioning. We have previously shown that neuroblastoma cells increase polyamine uptake when exposed to the polyamine biosynthesis inhibitor difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), and this mechanism is thought to limit the efficacy of the drug in clinical trials. This finding resulted in the clinical development of polyamine transport inhibitors, including AMXT 1501, which is presently under clinical investigation in combination with DFMO. However, the mechanisms and transporters involved in DFMO-induced polyamine uptake are unknown. Here, we report that knockdown of ATPase 13A3 (ATP13A3), a member of the P5B-ATPase polyamine transporter family, limited basal and DFMO-induced polyamine uptake, attenuated MYCN-amplified and non-MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cell growth, and potentiated the inhibitory effects of DFMO. Conversely, overexpression of ATP13A3 in neuroblastoma cells increased polyamine uptake, which was inhibited by AMXT 1501, highlighting ATP13A3 as a key target of the drug. An association between high ATP13A3 expression and poor survival in neuroblastoma further supports a role of this transporter in neuroblastoma progression. Thus, this study identified ATP13A3 as a critical regulator of basal and DFMO-induced polyamine uptake and a novel therapeutic target for neuroblastoma.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":"913-936"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11887671/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143468712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Molecular OncologyPub Date : 2025-03-01Epub Date: 2025-01-13DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13802
Konstantinos Evangelou, Vassilis G Gorgoulis
{"title":"Rejuvenating the immune system.","authors":"Konstantinos Evangelou, Vassilis G Gorgoulis","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13802","DOIUrl":"10.1002/1878-0261.13802","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rejuvenation of elementary immune system components has emerged as a promising strategy to deal with increased susceptibility to infections, cancers, autoimmune disorders, and low efficacy to vaccines, frequently accompanying aging. In this context, the thymus has gained significant attention. A recent study by Santamaria et al. reveals that the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANK)-RANK ligand (RANKL) axis is altered during age related thymic involution, compromising immune responses. Based on their findings, authors propose exogenous RANKL administration as a therapeutic strategy to reinvigorate thymic function and improve T-cell immunity during aging.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":"584-587"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11887663/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142979221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}