Browsing by Subject "Neoplasms, Experimental"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7

Open Access
Boosting high-intensity focused ultrasound-induced anti-tumor immunity using a sparse-scan strategy that can more effectively promote dendritic cell maturation.
(J Transl Med, 2010-01-27) Liu, Fang; Hu, Zhenlin; Qiu, Lei; Hui, Chun; Li, Chao; Zhong, Pei; Zhang, Junping
BACKGROUND: The conventional treatment protocol in high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) therapy utilizes a dense-scan strategy to produce closely packed thermal lesions aiming at eradicating as much tumor mass as possible. However, this strategy is not most effective in terms of inducing a systemic anti-tumor immunity so that it cannot provide efficient micro-metastatic control and long-term tumor resistance. We have previously provided evidence that HIFU may enhance systemic anti-tumor immunity by in situ activation of dendritic cells (DCs) inside HIFU-treated tumor tissue. The present study was conducted to test the feasibility of a sparse-scan strategy to boost HIFU-induced anti-tumor immune response by more effectively promoting DC maturation. METHODS: An experimental HIFU system was set up to perform tumor ablation experiments in subcutaneous implanted MC-38 and B16 tumor with dense- or sparse-scan strategy to produce closely-packed or separated thermal lesions. DCs infiltration into HIFU-treated tumor tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. DCs maturation was evaluated by IL-12/IL-10 production and CD80/CD86 expression after co-culture with tumor cells treated with different HIFU. HIFU-induced anti-tumor immune response was evaluated by detecting growth-retarding effects on distant re-challenged tumor and tumor-specific IFN-gamma-secreting cells in HIFU-treated mice. RESULTS: HIFU exposure raised temperature up to 80 degrees centigrade at beam focus within 4 s in experimental tumors and led to formation of a well-defined thermal lesion. The infiltrated DCs were recruited to the periphery of lesion, where the peak temperature was only 55 degrees centigrade during HIFU exposure. Tumor cells heated to 55 degrees centigrade in 4-s HIFU exposure were more effective to stimulate co-cultured DCs to mature. Sparse-scan HIFU, which can reserve 55 degrees-heated tumor cells surrounding the separated lesions, elicited an enhanced anti-tumor immune response than dense-scan HIFU, while their suppressive effects on the treated primary tumor were maintained at the same level. Flow cytometry analysis showed that sparse-scan HIFU was more effective than dense-scan HIFU in enhancing DC infiltration into tumor tissues and promoting their maturation in situ. CONCLUSION: Optimizing scan strategy is a feasible way to boost HIFU-induced anti-tumor immunity by more effectively promoting DC maturation.
Open Access
Inhibition of Pten deficient Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer by Targeting of the SET - PP2A Signaling axis.
(Sci Rep, 2015-11-13) Hu, Xiaoyong; Garcia, Consuelo; Fazli, Ladan; Gleave, Martin; Vitek, Michael P; Jansen, Marilyn; Christensen, Dale; Mulholland, David J
The PP2A signaling axis regulates multiple oncogenic drivers of castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). We show that targeting the endogenous PP2A regulator, SET (I2PP2A), is a viable strategy to inhibit prostate cancers that are resistant to androgen deprivation therapy. Our data is corroborated by analysis of prostate cancer patient cohorts showing significant elevation of SET transcripts. Tissue microarray analysis reveals that elevated SET expression correlates with clinical cancer grading, duration of neoadjuvant hormone therapy (NHT) and time to biochemical recurrence. Using prostate regeneration assays, we show that in vivo SET overexpression is sufficient to induce hyperplasia and prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia. Knockdown of SET induced significant reductions in tumorgenesis both in murine and human xenograft models. To further validate SET as a therapeutic target, we conducted in vitro and in vivo treatments using OP449 - a recently characterized PP2A-activating drug (PAD). OP449 elicits robust anti-cancer effects inhibiting growth in a panel of enzalutamide resistant prostate cancer cell lines. Using the Pten conditional deletion mouse model of prostate cancer, OP449 potently inhibited PI3K-Akt signaling and impeded CRPC progression. Collectively, our data supports a critical role for the SET-PP2A signaling axis in CRPC progression and hormone resistant disease.
Open Access
Localisation of [131I]MIBG in nude mice bearing SK-N-SH human neuroblastoma xenografts: effect of specific activity.
(Br J Cancer, 1996-05) Vaidyanathan, G; Friedman, HS; Keir, ST; Zalutsky, MR
The biodistribution of no-carrier-added (n.c.a.) meta-[131I]iodobenzylguanidine ([131I]MIBG) and that prepared by the standard isotopic exchange method were compared in athymic mice bearing SK-N-SH human neuroblastoma xenografts. No advantage in tumour uptake was observed for the n.c.a. preparation. BALB/c nu/nu mice exhibited lower uptake in highly innervated normal tissues (heart and adrenals) than normal BALB/c mice. In another experiment, the distribution of n.c.a. [131I]MIBG in the absence or presence (3-9 micrograms) of MIBG carrier was determined. At both 4 h and 24 h, the heart uptake was reduced by a factor of 1.5 even at a dose of 3 micrograms MIBG. Tumour uptake was not significantly altered by various amounts of unlabelled MIBG at either time point.
Open Access
Microglia are effector cells of CD47-SIRPα antiphagocytic axis disruption against glioblastoma.
(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2019-01) Hutter, Gregor; Theruvath, Johanna; Graef, Claus Moritz; Zhang, Michael; Schoen, Matthew Kenneth; Manz, Eva Maria; Bennett, Mariko L; Olson, Andrew; Azad, Tej D; Sinha, Rahul; Chan, Carmel; Assad Kahn, Suzana; Gholamin, Sharareh; Wilson, Christy; Grant, Gerald; He, Joy; Weissman, Irving L; Mitra, Siddhartha S; Cheshier, Samuel H
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive malignant brain tumor with fatal outcome. Tumor-associated macrophages and microglia (TAMs) have been found to be major tumor-promoting immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Hence, modulation and reeducation of tumor-associated macrophages and microglia in GBM is considered a promising antitumor strategy. Resident microglia and invading macrophages have been shown to have distinct origin and function. Whereas yolk sac-derived microglia reside in the brain, blood-derived monocytes invade the central nervous system only under pathological conditions like tumor formation. We recently showed that disruption of the SIRPα-CD47 signaling axis is efficacious against various brain tumors including GBM primarily by inducing tumor phagocytosis. However, most effects are attributed to macrophages recruited from the periphery but the role of the brain resident microglia is unknown. Here, we sought to utilize a model to distinguish resident microglia and peripheral macrophages within the GBM-TAM pool, using orthotopically xenografted, immunodeficient, and syngeneic mouse models with genetically color-coded macrophages (Ccr2 ^RFP) and microglia (Cx3cr1 ^GFP). We show that even in the absence of phagocytizing macrophages (Ccr2 ^RFP/RFP), microglia are effector cells of tumor cell phagocytosis in response to anti-CD47 blockade. Additionally, macrophages and microglia show distinct morphological and transcriptional changes. Importantly, the transcriptional profile of microglia shows less of an inflammatory response which makes them a promising target for clinical applications.
Open Access
Pax3 expression enhances PDGF-B-induced brainstem gliomagenesis and characterizes a subset of brainstem glioma.
(Acta Neuropathol Commun, 2014-10-21) Misuraca, Katherine L; Barton, Kelly L; Chung, Alexander; Diaz, Alexander K; Conway, Simon J; Corcoran, David L; Baker, Suzanne J; Becher, Oren J
High-grade Brainstem Glioma (BSG), also known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), is an incurable pediatric brain cancer. Increasing evidence supports the existence of regional differences in gliomagenesis such that BSG is considered a distinct disease from glioma of the cerebral cortex (CG). In an effort to elucidate unique characteristics of BSG, we conducted expression analysis of mouse PDGF-B-driven BSG and CG initiated in Nestin progenitor cells and identified a short list of expression changes specific to the brainstem gliomagenesis process, including abnormal upregulation of paired box 3 (Pax3). In the neonatal mouse brain, Pax3 expression marks a subset of brainstem progenitor cells, while it is absent from the cerebral cortex, mirroring its regional expression in glioma. Ectopic expression of Pax3 in normal brainstem progenitors in vitro shows that Pax3 inhibits apoptosis. Pax3-induced inhibition of apoptosis is p53-dependent, however, and in the absence of p53, Pax3 promotes proliferation of brainstem progenitors. In vivo, Pax3 enhances PDGF-B-driven gliomagenesis by shortening tumor latency and increasing tumor penetrance and grade, in a region-specific manner, while loss of Pax3 function extends survival of PDGF-B-driven;p53-deficient BSG-bearing mice by 33%. Importantly, Pax3 is regionally expressed in human glioma as well, with high PAX3 mRNA characterizing 40% of human BSG, revealing a subset of tumors that significantly associates with PDGFRA alterations, amplifications of cell cycle regulatory genes, and is exclusive of ACVR1 mutations. Collectively, these data suggest that regional Pax3 expression not only marks a novel subset of BSG but also contributes to PDGF-B-induced brainstem gliomagenesis.
Open Access
Sickle erythrocytes target cytotoxics to hypoxic tumor microvessels and potentiate a tumoricidal response.
(PLoS One, 2013) Terman, David S; Viglianti, Benjamin L; Zennadi, Rahima; Fels, Diane; Boruta, Richard J; Yuan, Hong; Dreher, Mathew R; Grant, Gerald; Rabbani, Zahid N; Moon, Ejung; Lan, Lan; Eble, Joseph; Cao, Yiting; Sorg, Brian; Ashcraft, Kathleen; Palmer, Greg; Telen, Marilyn J; Dewhirst, Mark W
Resistance of hypoxic solid tumor niches to chemotherapy and radiotherapy remains a major scientific challenge that calls for conceptually new approaches. Here we exploit a hitherto unrecognized ability of sickled erythrocytes (SSRBCs) but not normal RBCs (NLRBCs) to selectively target hypoxic tumor vascular microenviroment and induce diffuse vaso-occlusion. Within minutes after injection SSRBCs, but not NLRBCs, home and adhere to hypoxic 4T1 tumor vasculature with hemoglobin saturation levels at or below 10% that are distributed over 70% of the tumor space. The bound SSRBCs thereupon form microaggregates that obstruct/occlude up to 88% of tumor microvessels. Importantly, SSRBCs, but not normal RBCs, combined with exogenous prooxidant zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) induce a potent tumoricidal response via a mutual potentiating mechanism. In a clonogenic tumor cell survival assay, SSRBC surrogate hemin, along with H(2)O(2) and ZnPP demonstrate a similar mutual potentiation and tumoricidal effect. In contrast to existing treatments directed only to the hypoxic tumor cell, the present approach targets the hypoxic tumor vascular environment and induces injury to both tumor microvessels and tumor cells using intrinsic SSRBC-derived oxidants and locally generated ROS. Thus, the SSRBC appears to be a potent new tool for treatment of hypoxic solid tumors, which are notable for their resistance to existing cancer treatments.
Open Access
Vulnerabilities in mIDH2 AML confer sensitivity to APL-like targeted combination therapy.
(Cell research, 2019-06) Mugoni, Vera; Panella, Riccardo; Cheloni, Giulia; Chen, Ming; Pozdnyakova, Olga; Stroopinsky, Dina; Guarnerio, Jlenia; Monteleone, Emanuele; Lee, Jonathan David; Mendez, Lourdes; Menon, Archita Venugopal; Aster, Jon Christopher; Lane, Andrew A; Stone, Richard Maury; Galinsky, Ilene; Zamora, José Cervera; Lo-Coco, Francesco; Bhasin, Manoj Kumar; Avigan, David; Longo, Letizia; Clohessy, John Gerard; Pandolfi, Pier Paolo
Although targeted therapies have proven effective and even curative in human leukaemia, resistance often ensues. IDH enzymes are mutated in ~20% of human AML, with targeted therapies under clinical evaluation. We here characterize leukaemia evolution from mutant IDH2 (mIDH2)-dependence to independence identifying key targetable vulnerabilities of mIDH2 leukaemia that are retained during evolution and progression from early to late stages. Mechanistically, we find that mIDH2 leukaemia are metastable and vulnerable at two distinct levels. On the one hand, they are characterized by oxidative and genotoxic stress, in spite of increased 1-carbon metabolism and glutathione levels. On the other hand, mIDH2 leukaemia display inhibition of LSD1 and a resulting transcriptional signature of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) sensitization, in spite of a state of suppressed ATRA signalling due to increased levels of PIN1. We further identify GSH/ROS and PIN1/LSD1 as critical nodes for leukaemia maintenance and the combination of ATRA and arsenic trioxide (ATO) as a key therapeutic modality to target these vulnerabilities. Strikingly, we demonstrate that the combination of ATRA and ATO proves to be a powerfully synergistic and effective therapy in a number of mouse and human mIDH1/2 leukemic models. Thus, our findings pave the way towards the treatment of a sizable fraction of human AMLs through targeted APL-like combinatorial therapies.