Molecular Oncology最新文献

{"title":"A method to quantitatively characterize the formation and dissociation of tumor cell clusters using light transmission aggregometry.","authors":"Regina Komal Kottana, Brian Schnoor, Anne-Laure Papa","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13723","DOIUrl":"10.1002/1878-0261.13723","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this paper, we have modified the workflow of the traditional light transmission aggregometry (LTA) protocol to characterize tumor cell clusters in vitro in a quantifiable and multifaceted manner. Circulating tumor cell (CTC) clusters have high metastatic potential compared to single tumor cells traveling in the bloodstream. Thus, engineering new therapeutic strategies that specifically target this CTC population is essential. To accomplish this, quantifiable methods to characterize their therapeutic effect on tumor cell clusters is a prerequisite. The method presented here enables the user to precisely quantify the dissociation of cancer cell clusters in the presence of clinically relevant fibrinolytic agents, such as alteplase and tenecteplase. The efficacy of the fibrinolytic agents can be quantified using this in vitro assay, prior to conducting preclinical studies. Here, we have obtained the fibrinolytic activity data in terms of lag time to the initiation of tumor cell dissociation, time to 25% dissociation, and trend of dissociation over time. To validate the assay, cell counts and phase-contrast microscopy images were recorded over time. Further, we explored an LTA-assisted preparation of platelet-tumor-cell clusters of calibrated size for potential downstream testing/applications. To assess whether the assay is applicable to characterize the dissociation of cancer cell clusters in the presence of platelets, we added low (50 000 platelets·μL^-1), normal (200 000 platelets·μL^-1) and high (450 000 platelets·μL^-1) concentrations of platelets to the tumor cell clusters. In addition to dissociation parameters, microcopy images were recorded over time to validate the assay and enabled the enumeration of clusters and single cells. The correlative light electron microscopy (CLEM) technique was utilized to visualize the morphology and composition of platelet-tumor cell clusters.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":"37-55"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11705735/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142133214","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":"Recent trends and therapeutic potential of phytoceutical-based nanoparticle delivery systems in mitigating non-small cell lung cancer.","authors":"Adam Haysom-McDowell, Keshav Raj Paudel, Stewart Yeung, Sofia Kokkinis, Tammam El Sherkawi, Dinesh Kumar Chellappan, Jon Adams, Kamal Dua, Gabriele De Rubis","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13764","DOIUrl":"10.1002/1878-0261.13764","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death globally, with non-small cell lung cancer accounting for the majority (85%) of cases. Standard treatments including chemotherapy and radiotherapy present multiple adverse effects. Medicinal plants, used for centuries, are traditionally processed by methods such as boiling and oral ingestion, However, water solubility, absorption, and hepatic metabolism reduce phytoceutical bioavailability. More recently, isolated molecular compounds from these plants can be extracted with these phytoceuticals administered either individually or as an adjunct with standard therapy. Phytoceuticals have been shown to alleviate symptoms, may reduce dosage of chemotherapy and, in some cases, enhance pharmaceutical mechanisms. Research has identified many phytoceuticals' actions on cancer-associated pathways, such as oncogenesis, the tumour microenvironment, tumour cell proliferation, metastasis, and apoptosis. The development of novel nanoparticle delivery systems such as solid lipid nanoparticles, liquid crystalline nanoparticles, and liposomes has enhanced the bioavailability and targeted delivery of pharmaceuticals and phytoceuticals. This review explores the biological pathways associated with non-small cell lung cancer, a diverse range of phytoceuticals, the cancer pathways they act upon, and the pros and cons of several nanoparticle delivery systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":"15-36"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11705733/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142730730","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":"The mevalonate pathway contributes to breast primary tumorigenesis and lung metastasis.","authors":"Javier Conde, Isabel Fernández-Pisonero, L Francisco Lorenzo-Martín, Rocío García-Gómez, Berta Casar, Piero Crespo, Xosé R Bustelo","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13716","DOIUrl":"10.1002/1878-0261.13716","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The mevalonate pathway plays an important role in breast cancer and other tumor types. However, many issues remain obscure as yet regarding its mechanism of regulation and action. In the present study, we report that the expression of mevalonate pathway enzymes is mediated by the RHO guanosine nucleotide exchange factors VAV2 and VAV3 in a RAC1- and sterol regulatory element-binding factor (SREBF)-dependent manner in breast cancer cells. Furthermore, in vivo tumorigenesis experiments indicated that the two most upstream steps of this metabolic pathway [3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A synthase 1 (HMGCS1) and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR)] are important for primary tumorigenesis, angiogenesis, and cell survival in breast cancer cells. HMGCR, but not HMGCS1, is also important for the extravasation and subsequent fitness of breast cancer cells in the lung parenchyma. Genome-wide expression analyses revealed that HMGCR influences the expression of gene signatures linked to proliferation, metabolism, and immune responses. The HMGCR-regulated gene signature predicts long-term tumor recurrence but not metastasis in cohorts of nonsegregated and chemotherapy-resistant breast cancer patients. These results reveal a hitherto unknown, VAV-catalysis-dependent mechanism involved in the regulation of the mevalonate pathway in breast cancer cells. They also identify specific mevalonate-pathway-dependent processes that contribute to the malignant features of breast cancer cells.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":"56-80"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11705731/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141907065","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":"A two-phase epigenome-wide four-way gene-smoking interaction study of overall survival for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.","authors":"Leyi Chen, Xiang Wang, Ning Xie, Zhongwen Zhang, Xiaowen Xu, Maojie Xue, Yuqing Yang, Liya Liu, Li Su, Maria Bjaanæs, Anna Karlsson, Maria Planck, Johan Staaf, Åslaug Helland, Manel Esteller, David C Christiani, Feng Chen, Ruyang Zhang","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13766","DOIUrl":"10.1002/1878-0261.13766","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>High-order interactions associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) survival may elucidate underlying molecular mechanisms and identify potential therapeutic targets. Our previous work has identified a three-way interaction among pack-year of smoking (the number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day multiplied by the number of years the person has smoked) and two DNA methylation probes (cg05293407_TRIM27 and cg00060500_KIAA0226). However, whether a four-way interaction exists remains unclear. Therefore, we adopted a two-phase design to identify the four-way gene-smoking interactions by a hill-climbing strategy on the basis of the previously detected three-way interaction. One CpG probe, cg16658473_SHISA9, was identified with FDR-q ≤ 0.05 in the discovery phase and P ≤ 0.05 in the validation phase. Meanwhile, the four-way interaction improved the discrimination ability for the prognostic prediction model, as indicated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for both 3- and 5-year survival. In summary, we identified a four-way interaction associated with NSCLC survival among pack-year of smoking, cg05293407_TRIM27, cg00060500_KIAA0226 and g16658473_SHISA9, providing novel insights into the complex mechanisms underlying NSCLC progression.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":"173-187"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11705728/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142780600","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":"RETRACTION: Mutual Regulation of MDM4 and TOP2A in Cancer Cell Proliferation.","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13776","DOIUrl":"10.1002/1878-0261.13776","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Retraction: </strong>T. Liu, H. Zhang, S. Yi, L. Gu, and M. Zhou, \"Mutual Regulation of MDM4 and TOP2A in Cancer Cell Proliferation,\" Molecular Oncology 13, no. 5 (2019): 1047-1058, https://doi.org/10.1002/1878-0261.12457. The above article, published online on 04 February 2019 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Kevin Ryan; FEBS Press; and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed upon following an investigation into concerns raised by a third party, which revealed inappropriate image panel duplications between this (Figures 3B, 4C, and 5C) and other articles published previously by an overlapping group of authors in a different scientific context. The authors were unable to provide a satisfactory explanation and the original raw data, which has led the editors to lose confidence in the data presented. Therefore, the editors consider the conclusions substantially compromised and are retracting the paper.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":"262"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11705724/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142770572","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":"Integrative systems-level analysis reveals a contextual crosstalk between hypoxia and global metabolism in human breast tumors.","authors":"Raefa Abou Khouzam, Salem Chouaib, Mohammad Askandar Iqbal","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13762","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/1878-0261.13762","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hypoxia is known to induce reprogramming of glucose metabolism in cancer. However, the impact of hypoxia on global metabolism remains poorly understood. Here, using the systems approach, we evaluated the potential crosstalk between hypoxia and global metabolism using data from > 2000 breast tumors. Tumor samples were scored for hypoxia and 90 metabolic pathways, and these metrics were subjected to an analysis pipeline. Hypoxia showed a very strong association with metabolic aggression and an overall contextual relationship with metabolism. Out of three (M1, M2, and M3) metabolic types in breast cancer, M3 exhibited the strongest relationship with hypoxia; that is, high hypoxic tumors were also metabolically deregulated. Further, the overall correlation pattern between hypoxia and metabolic pathway scores was specific to each type, with M1 showing maximal sensitivity to hypoxia, followed by M2 and then M3. Experimental validation using metabolic inhibitors on cell lines with high or low hypoxia scores further confirmed the metabolic type-dependence of hypoxia. In addition, evaluation of the impact of hypoxia on cancer pathways other than metabolic ones revealed a potential role of hypoxia in immune evasive characteristic of M3 tumors. Overall, the results suggest a complex interplay between hypoxia and metabolism in the context of human breast tumors, with potential implications for both basic cancer biology and breast cancer therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142894910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"NanoCMSer: a consensus molecular subtype stratification tool for fresh-frozen and paraffin-embedded colorectal cancer samples.","authors":"Arezo Torang, Simone van de Weerd, Veerle Lammers, Sander van Hooff, Inge van den Berg, Saskia van den Bergh, Miriam Koopman, Jan N IJzermans, Jeanine M L Roodhart, Jan Koster, Jan Paul Medema","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13781","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/1878-0261.13781","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a significant contributor to cancer-related mortality, emphasizing the need for advanced biomarkers to guide treatment. As part of an international consortium, we previously categorized CRCs into four consensus molecular subtypes (CMS1-CMS4), showing promise for outcome prediction. To facilitate clinical integration of CMS classification in settings where formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples are routinely used, we developed NanoCMSer, a NanoString-based CMS classifier using 55 genes. NanoCMSer achieved high accuracy rates, with 95% for fresh-frozen samples from the MATCH cohort and 92% for FFPE samples from the CODE cohort, marking the highest reported accuracy for FFPE tissues to date. Additionally, it demonstrated 96% accuracy across a comprehensive collection of 23 RNAseq-based datasets, compiled in this study, surpassing the performance of existing models. Classifying with only 55 genes, the CMS predictions were still biologically relevant, recognizing CMS-specific biology upon enrichment analysis. Additionally, we observed substantial differences in recurrence-free survival curves when comparing CMS2/3 patients in stage III versus II. Probability of recurrence after 5 years increased by 21% in CMS2 and 31% in CMS3 for patients in stage III, whereas this difference was less pronounced for CMS1 and CMS4, with 11% and 10%, respectively. We posit NanoCMSer as a robust tool for subtyping CRCs for both tumor biology and clinical practice, accessible via nanocmser r package (https://github.com/LEXORlab/NanoCMSer) and Shinyapp (https://atorang.shinyapps.io/NanoCMSer).</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2024-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142886113","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unraveling epigenetic heterogeneity across gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas through a standardized analytical framework.","authors":"Rita Pinto, Hege Marie Vedeld, Guro Elisabeth Lind, Marine Jeanmougin","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13772","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/1878-0261.13772","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this study, we propose an alternative approach for stratifying genome-scale DNA methylation profiles of gastrointestinal (GI) adenocarcinomas based on a robust analytical framework. A set of 978 GI adenocarcinomas and 120 adjacent normal tissues from public repositories was quality controlled and analyzed. Hierarchical consensus clustering of the tumors, based on differential epigenetic variability between malignant and normal samples, identified six distinct subtypes defined either by a pan-GI or a lower GI-specific phenotype. In addition to methylation levels, aberrant methylation frequencies and the degree of DNA methylation instability contributed to the characterization of each subtype. We found significant differences in the outcome of patients, with the poorest overall survival seen for those belonging to a pan-GI subtype with infrequent aberrant methylation. In conclusion, our standardized approach contributes to a refined characterization of the epigenetic heterogeneity in GI adenocarcinomas, offering insights into subtype-specific methylation with the potential to support prognostication.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142854792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tonabersat enhances temozolomide-mediated cytotoxicity in glioblastoma by disrupting intercellular connectivity through connexin 43 inhibition.","authors":"Elena N C Schmidt, Bernd O Evert, Barbara E F Pregler, Ahmad Melhem, Meng-Chun Hsieh, Markus Raspe, Hannah Strobel, Julian Roos, Torsten Pietsch, Patrick Schuss, Pamela Fischer-Posovszky, Mike-Andrew Westhoff, Michael Hölzel, Ulrich Herrlinger, Hartmut Vatter, Andreas Waha, Matthias Schneider, Anna-Laura Potthoff","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13786","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/1878-0261.13786","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Glioblastoma cells rely on connexin 43 (Cx43)-based gap junctions (GJs) for intercellular communication, enabling them to integrate into a widely branched malignant network. Although there are promising prospects for new targeted therapies, the lack of clinically feasible GJ inhibitors has impeded their adoption in clinical practice. In the present study, we investigated tonabersat (TO), a blood-brain-barrier-penetrating drug with GJ-inhibitory properties, in regard to its potential to disassemble intercellular connectivity in glioblastoma networks. Fluorescence-guided measurements of calcein cell-to-cell transfer were used to study functional intercellular connectivity. Specific DNA fragmentation rates of propidium iodide-stained nuclei were measured as a surrogate readout for cell death using flow cytometry. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing of Cx43 served as a validation tool of cellular effects related to Cx43 GJ inhibition. 3' mRNA sequencing was performed for molecular downstream analysis. We found that TO reduced intercellular GJ-mediated cytosolic traffic and yielded a significant reduction of tumor microtube (TM) length. TO-mediated inhibition of cellular tumor networks was accompanied by a synergistic effect for temozolomide-induced cell death. CRISPR/Cas9 Cx43-knockout revealed similar results, indicating that TO-mediated inhibitory effects rely on the inhibition of Cx43-based GJs. Gene set enrichment analyses found that GJ-mediated synergistic cytotoxic effects were linked to a significant upregulation of cell death signaling pathways. In conclusion, TO disrupts TM-based network connectivity via GJ inhibition and renders glioblastoma cells more susceptible to cytotoxic therapy. Given its previous use in clinical trials for migraine therapy, TO might harbor the potential of bridging the idea of a GJ-targeted therapeutic approach from bench to bedside.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142837732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"MicroRNAs in seminal plasma are able to discern infertile men at increased risk of developing testicular cancer.","authors":"Carmen Ferrara, Rosalia Battaglia, Angela Caponnetto, Anna Fazzio, Michele Stella, Cristina Barbagallo, Nicolò Musso, Federica Lunelio, Maria Elena Vento, Placido Borzì, Paolo Scollo, Davide Barbagallo, Marco Ragusa, Salvatore Pernagallo, Cinzia Di Pietro","doi":"10.1002/1878-0261.13784","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/1878-0261.13784","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Male infertility is a risk factor for the development of testicular germ cell tumors. In this study, we investigated microRNA profiles in seminal plasma to identify potential noninvasive biomarkers able to discriminate the men at highest risk of developing cancer among the infertile population. We compared the microRNA profiles of individuals affected by testicular germ cell tumors and healthy individuals with normal or impaired spermiograms using high-throughput technology and confirmed the results by single-assay digital PCR. We found that miR-221-3p and miR-222-3p were downregulated and miR-126-3p was upregulated in cancer patients compared to both infertile and fertile men. ROC curve analysis confirmed that miR-126 upregulation is able to identify cancer patients among the infertile male population. In addition, in-depth bioinformatics analysis based on weighted gene co-expression networks showed that the identified miRNAs regulate cellular pathways involved in cancer.</p>","PeriodicalId":18764,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Oncology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142837728","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}