Browsing by Author "Wei, Qingxia"

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    CD142 Identifies Neoplastic Desmoid Tumor Cells, Uncovering Interactions Between Neoplastic and Stromal Cells That Drive Proliferation.
    (Cancer research communications, 2023-04) Al-Jazrawe, Mushriq; Xu, Steven; Poon, Raymond; Wei, Qingxia; Przybyl, Joanna; Varma, Sushama; van de Rijn, Matt; Alman, Benjamin A
    The interaction between neoplastic and stromal cells within a tumor mass plays an important role in cancer biology. However, it is challenging to distinguish between tumor and stromal cells in mesenchymal tumors because lineage-specific cell surface markers typically used in other cancers do not distinguish between the different cell subpopulations. Desmoid tumors consist of mesenchymal fibroblast-like cells driven by mutations stabilizing beta-catenin. Here we aimed to identify surface markers that can distinguish mutant cells from stromal cells to study tumor-stroma interactions. We analyzed colonies derived from single cells from human desmoid tumors using a high-throughput surface antigen screen, to characterize the mutant and nonmutant cells. We found that CD142 is highly expressed by the mutant cell populations and correlates with beta-catenin activity. CD142-based cell sorting isolated the mutant population from heterogeneous samples, including one where no mutation was previously detected by traditional Sanger sequencing. We then studied the secretome of mutant and nonmutant fibroblastic cells. PTX3 is one stroma-derived secreted factor that increases mutant cell proliferation via STAT6 activation. These data demonstrate a sensitive method to quantify and distinguish neoplastic from stromal cells in mesenchymal tumors. It identifies proteins secreted by nonmutant cells that regulate mutant cell proliferation that could be therapeutically.

    Significance

    Distinguishing between neoplastic (tumor) and non-neoplastic (stromal) cells within mesenchymal tumors is particularly challenging, because lineage-specific cell surface markers typically used in other cancers do not differentiate between the different cell subpopulations. Here, we developed a strategy combining clonal expansion with surface proteome profiling to identify markers for quantifying and isolating mutant and nonmutant cell subpopulations in desmoid tumors, and to study their interactions via soluble factors.
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    Macrophage cells secrete factors including LRP1 that orchestrate the rejuvenation of bone repair in mice.
    (Nature communications, 2018-12-05) Vi, Linda; Baht, Gurpreet S; Soderblom, Erik J; Whetstone, Heather; Wei, Qingxia; Furman, Bridgette; Puviindran, Vijitha; Nadesan, Puviindran; Foster, Matthew; Poon, Raymond; White, James P; Yahara, Yasuhito; Ng, Adeline; Barrientos, Tomasa; Grynpas, Marc; Mosely, M Arthur; Alman, Benjamin A
    The pace of repair declines with age and, while exposure to a young circulation can rejuvenate fracture repair, the cell types and factors responsible for rejuvenation are unknown. Here we report that young macrophage cells produce factors that promote osteoblast differentiation of old bone marrow stromal cells. Heterochronic parabiosis exploiting young mice in which macrophages can be depleted and fractionated bone marrow transplantation experiments show that young macrophages rejuvenate fracture repair, and old macrophage cells slow healing in young mice. Proteomic analysis of the secretomes identify differential proteins secreted between old and young macrophages, such as low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (Lrp1). Lrp1 is produced by young cells, and depleting Lrp1 abrogates the ability to rejuvenate fracture repair, while treating old mice with recombinant Lrp1 improves fracture healing. Macrophages and proteins they secrete orchestrate the fracture repair process, and young cells produce proteins that rejuvenate fracture repair in mice.