A Single Intramuscular Injection of AAV-8 Vector Expressing MDA7/IL-24 Efficiently Suppresses Tumor Growth Mediated by Multiple Anti-Cancer Mechanisms In Lymphoma Model Mice.

Abstract Abstract 1474 Melanoma differentiation-associated gene-7/interleukin-24 (MDA7/IL-24) selectively induces apoptosis in cancer cells without harming normal cells. It also exerts immunomodulatory and anti-angiogenic effects, as well as potent antitumor bystander effects, making it an ideal candidate for use in a new anticancer gene therapy. To examine the feasibility of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors expressing MDA7/IL-24 in systemic cancer gene therapy for lymphoma, we generated an AAV type 8 vector expressing MDA7/IL-24 (AAV-IL24). In vitro studies showed that medium conditioned by AAV-IL24-transduced C2C12 cells induces tumor cell-specific apoptosis against murine lymphoma cell line (A20 cell). To assess the in vivo effects of muscle targeted AAV-mediated systemic delivery of MDA7/IL-24 we established a lymphoma murine model in which the A20 cells expressing luciferase gene was inoculated into the caudal vein of BALB/C. Using this lymphoma murine model, we can detect the tumor growth and metastases by a real-time in vivo imaging analyze system (IVIS). After single injection of AAV-IL24 (1.5×1011 vg/body) into the right quadriceps muscle of the lymphoma model mice, tumor cell growth was monitored by IVIS. ELISA analysis showed high level of IL-24 was detected in plasma of treated mice (263±16 ng/ml). Suppression of tumor growth was observed in AAV-IL24 injected mice compared to control GFP expressing AAV injected mice (1.3×108vs.2.6×108 photon/sec; p<0.05). Survival effect was also detected in AAV-IL24 mice (66±6 vs. 47±5 days; p<0.03). In addition, TUNEL analyses showed significant induction of tumor cell-specific apoptosis within the tumors and suppression of angiogenesis was also detected in AAV-IL24 treated mice. Finally, immune modulating activity of induction of Th1 cytokines (IL-6, TNFα, IFNγ) secretion was observed after AAV-IL24 injection. These results clearly demonstrate that continuous systemic delivery of MDA7/IL-24 can serve as an effective treatment for lymphoma. Thus, AAV type 8 vector-mediated systemic deliverY of MDA7/IL-24 represents a potentially promising new approach to treat lymphoma. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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Tumor quiescence: elevating SOX2 in diverse tumor cell types downregulates a broad spectrum of the cell cycle machinery and inhibits tumor growth

BMC Cancer ◽

10.1186/s12885-020-07370-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ethan P. Metz ◽

Erin L. Wuebben ◽

Phillip J. Wilder ◽

Jesse L. Cox ◽

Kaustubh Datta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Tumor Growth ◽

Tumor Cell ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Cell Types ◽

Cell Cycle Machinery

Abstract Background Quiescent tumor cells pose a major clinical challenge due to their ability to resist conventional chemotherapies and to drive tumor recurrence. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that promote quiescence of tumor cells could help identify therapies to eliminate these cells. Significantly, recent studies have determined that the function of SOX2 in cancer cells is highly dose dependent. Specifically, SOX2 levels in tumor cells are optimized to promote tumor growth: knocking down or elevating SOX2 inhibits proliferation. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that quiescent tumor cells express higher levels of SOX2 compared to adjacent proliferating cells. Currently, the mechanisms through which elevated levels of SOX2 restrict tumor cell proliferation have not been characterized. Methods To understand how elevated levels of SOX2 restrict the proliferation of tumor cells, we engineered diverse types of tumor cells for inducible overexpression of SOX2. Using these cells, we examined the effects of elevating SOX2 on their proliferation, both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, we examined how elevating SOX2 influences their expression of cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), and p27Kip1. Results Elevating SOX2 in diverse tumor cell types led to growth inhibition in vitro. Significantly, elevating SOX2 in vivo in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, medulloblastoma, and prostate cancer cells induced a reversible state of tumor growth arrest. In all three tumor types, elevation of SOX2 in vivo quickly halted tumor growth. Remarkably, tumor growth resumed rapidly when SOX2 returned to endogenous levels. We also determined that elevation of SOX2 in six tumor cell lines decreased the levels of cyclins and CDKs that control each phase of the cell cycle, while upregulating p27Kip1. Conclusions Our findings indicate that elevating SOX2 above endogenous levels in a diverse set of tumor cell types leads to growth inhibition both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, our findings indicate that SOX2 can function as a master regulator by controlling the expression of a broad spectrum of cell cycle machinery. Importantly, our SOX2-inducible tumor studies provide a novel model system for investigating the molecular mechanisms by which elevated levels of SOX2 restrict cell proliferation and tumor growth.

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Thrombin Enhances Spontaneous Tumor Growth and Cell Cycle Activation by Downregulation of p27Kip1 and Upregulation of Skp2 and MiR-222

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v112.11.396.396 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 112 (11) ◽

pp. 396-396

Author(s):

Liang Hu ◽

Sherif Ibrahim ◽

Cynthia Liu ◽

Jeffrey Skaar ◽

Michelle Pagano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Growth Factors ◽

Cell Growth ◽

Tumor Growth ◽

Tumor Cell ◽

Tumor Volume ◽

S Phase ◽

Down Regulation

Abstract Although it has been generally accepted that hypercoagulability contributes to enhancing tumor growth via generation of thrombin (Cancer Cell10:355, 2006), it has not been rigorously proven, nor has the mechanism been established at the cell cycle level. Previous studies have employed thrombin-treated tumor cell lines in vitro and in vivo. In vitro studies were performed in the presence of serum which contains a panoply of growth factors. In vivo studies have used huge non-pathologic concentrations of tumor cells injected into the flank, organ or blood of a mouse. In these situations, tumor growth could be a result of thrombin-induced angiogenesis. We therefore employed a transgenic mouse prostate cancer model (TRAMP) programmed to develop prostate CA over a period of 140–175 days. We treated these animals with thrombin to induce hypercoagulability or hirudin to inhibit endogenous thrombin production, to determine whether thrombin regulates this process independent of angiogenesis. Repetitive thrombin injection enhanced prostate tumor volume 6–8 fold (p<0.04). Repetitive hirudin decreased tumor volume 13–24 fold (p<0.04) via its effect on generated endogenous thrombin, n=6. Thrombin enhanced the production of several vascular growth factors and receptors 2.5 – 3 fold in the liver (VEGF, KDR, ANG-2, Tie2, GRO-1, CD31) and enhanced angiogenesis in the liver, n=3–4. Thrombin had no effect on tumor angiogenesis. Thus, the thrombin-induced spontaneous tumor growth was independent of angiogenesis. We next turned our attention to cell cycle regulators in serum-starved (72 hr) Go-synchronized LNcap prostate CA cells, employing Brdu and Propidium iodide staining. Addition of thrombin (0.5 u/ml) or its PAR-1 receptor agonist, TFLLRN (100 uM) had the same effect as androgen containing serum, inducing cells to leave Go, enter G1 and progress to S-phase. At 8 hrs the number of S-phase cells increased dramatically for both the serum (29 fold) as well as thrombin-treated cells (48 fold), n=3. Similar observations were noted in a Glioblastoma cell line, T98G. We further analyzed the effect of thrombin by performing immunoblots on cell cycle components mediated during cell growth and proliferation. In synchronized Go cells, levels of p27Kip1, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor are high, while levels of cyclins D1 and A, the activation subunits for cyclin-dependent kinases are low. Both thrombin or serum addition led to down-regulation of p27Kip1 with concomitant induction of Skp2, the E3 ubiquitin ligase for p27Kip1. Cyclins D1 and A are induced by similar kinetics, indicating entry into S-phase by 8 hrs. Since p27Kip1 appears to be a rate-limiting down-regulator of the cell cycle (absent with high tumor grade and predicts poor prognosis), we confirmed its role by testing the effect of thrombin or TFLLRN by transfecting p27Kip1 in LNcap cells. This transfection completely prevented the cell cycle stimulation induced by these agonists. A similar approach was used with Skp2 knock down (KD), a negative down-regulator of p27Kip1. KD of Skp2 (over expressed in numerous cancers) completely prevented cell cycle progression induced by thrombin/TFLLRN. MiRNA 222 (upregulated in many cancers) is another down-regulator of p27Kip1. Further analysis following thrombin treatment revealed a robust upregulation at 4 and 8 hrs, providing further proof for the role of thrombin in down-regulating p27Kip1 and stimulating tumor cell entrance into S-phase. Thus, 1) Thrombin enhances spontaneous prostate cell growth in vivo in the absence of enhanced angiogenesis; 2) Thrombin activates the tumor cell cycle by stimulating the down-regulation of p27Kip1 through the upregulation of Skp2 and MiRNA 222.

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IL-12 Enhances Tumor Immunity Via Differential Effects On Regulatory T Cells and Cytotoxic Lymphocytes.

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v114.22.1656.1656 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 114 (22) ◽

pp. 1656-1656

Author(s):

Xuefang Cao ◽

Karen Leonard

Keyword(s):

Tumor Growth ◽

Tumor Immunity ◽

Conflicts Of Interest ◽

Treg Cells ◽

Cell Contact ◽

Cytotoxic Lymphocytes ◽

Differential Effects ◽

Killing Activity

Abstract Abstract 1656 Poster Board I-682 To study the roles of IL-12 and Interferon-gamma (IFNg) in tumor immunity, we used RMAS lymphoma cells to challenge IL-12 receptor beta 2-deficient (IL-12Rb2-/-) and IFNg receptor 1-deficient (IFNgR1-/-) mice that are in the syngeneic C57BL/6J background. We intravenously injected mice with a dose of 1 × 104 RMAS cells that caused death in about 50% of wild-type (WT) mice. As shown in the Figure below, all of the WT mice treated with exogenous IL-12 were rescued from death caused by tumor growth; endogenous IL-12 was not sufficient to impact tumor growth since IL-12Rb2-/- mice showed a survival rate similar to that of WT mice. However, all of the IFNgR1-/- mice succumbed to tumor growth, indicating that endogenous IFNg is required for tumor immunity in this system. Furthermore, IL-12 treatment did not improve the survival of the IFNgR1-/- mice, suggesting that IFNg signaling is required for IL-12's anti-tumor effect. We previously showed that an IL-12/IFNg axis can inhibit tumor-induced regulatory T cell (Treg) proliferation in vitro (Cao et al, 2008 ASH Annual Meeting). We have subsequently examined their effects on Treg cells in vivo. Compared to naive mice, significant Treg expansion (4.9 ± 2.1 fold, n=5, p=0.025) was observed in the peritoneal cavity of WT mice within 2 weeks after an intraperitoneal injection of 1 × 104 RMAS cells. This expansion was completely blocked by treatment with exogenous IL-12. Treg cells in the IL-12Rb2-/- mice expanded to levels comparable to that in WT animals, suggesting that endogenous IL-12 was not sufficient to control Treg expansion. In contrast, significantly higher Treg expansion was observed in IFNgR1-/- mice (36.8 ± 11.8 fold, n=5, p=0.002), which was partially inhibited by IL-12 treatment (13.2 ± 3.5 fold, n=5, p=0.002), suggesting that an IFNg-independent mechanism may also account for IL-12's anti-Treg effect. To further study the effects of IL-12 and IFNg on cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) function, we performed mixed lymphocyte reactions (MLR) and used flow-based killing assays (FloKA) to measure cell contact-dependent killing of allogeneic P815 tumor cells. MLR-activated CTLs were found to kill tumor targets via perforin/granzyme-mediated cytotoxicity. At a 10:1 (effector:target) ratio, granzyme AxB-deficient CTLs and perforin-deficient CTLs displayed significantly reduced killing (8.6 ± 1.2% and 4.5 ± 0.9%, respectively) compared to WT CTLs (36.1 ± 3.5%). IL-12 supplement (2ng/ml) to the MLR significantly increased the killing activity of WT CTLs (65.3 ± 4.2%), but had no significant effect on granzyme AxB-deficient CTLs or perforin-deficient CTLs. In contrast, IFNg supplement (10ng/ml) to the MLR had no significant effect on the killing activity of CTLs. Conversely, MLR-activated IFNgR1-/- CTLs killed P815 cells as efficiently as WT CTLs and responded to IL-12 treatment as efficiently as WT CTLs. Taken together, these data suggest that IL-12 treatment inhibits tumor-induced Treg expansion and stimulates IFNg-dependent anti-tumor immune responses. In addition, IL-12 also activates perforin/granzyme-dependent function of cytotoxic T lymphocytes. These differential effects on diverse immune components may collectively result in enhanced tumor immunity. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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TUSC1, a Putative Tumor Suppressor Gene, Reduces Tumor Cell Growth In Vitro and Tumor Growth In Vivo

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0066114 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. e66114 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Zhihong Shan ◽

Abbas Shakoori ◽

Sohrab Bodaghi ◽

Paul Goldsmith ◽

Jen Jin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Growth ◽

Tumor Suppressor ◽

Tumor Growth ◽

Tumor Cell ◽

Suppressor Gene ◽

Tumor Cell Growth ◽

Putative Tumor Suppressor Gene ◽

Putative Tumor Suppressor

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RhoA knockout fibroblasts lose tumor-inhibitory capacity in vitro and promote tumor growth in vivo

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1621161114 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 114 (8) ◽

pp. E1413-E1421 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Twana Alkasalias ◽

Andrey Alexeyenko ◽

Katharina Hennig ◽

Frida Danielsson ◽

Robert Jan Lebbink ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tumor Growth ◽

Tumor Cell ◽

Rho Gtpase ◽

Focal Adhesions ◽

Cancer Associated Fibroblasts ◽

Inhibitory Capacity ◽

Promote Tumor Growth ◽

Pc3 Cells

Fibroblasts are a main player in the tumor-inhibitory microenvironment. Upon tumor initiation and progression, fibroblasts can lose their tumor-inhibitory capacity and promote tumor growth. The molecular mechanisms that underlie this switch have not been defined completely. Previously, we identified four proteins overexpressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts and linked to Rho GTPase signaling. Here, we show that knocking out the Ras homolog family member A (RhoA) gene in normal fibroblasts decreased their tumor-inhibitory capacity, as judged by neighbor suppression in vitro and accompanied by promotion of tumor growth in vivo. This also induced PC3 cancer cell motility and increased colony size in 2D cultures. RhoA knockout in fibroblasts induced vimentin intermediate filament reorganization, accompanied by reduced contractile force and increased stiffness of cells. There was also loss of wide F-actin stress fibers and large focal adhesions. In addition, we observed a significant loss of α-smooth muscle actin, which indicates a difference between RhoA knockout fibroblasts and classic cancer-associated fibroblasts. In 3D collagen matrix, RhoA knockout reduced fibroblast branching and meshwork formation and resulted in more compactly clustered tumor-cell colonies in coculture with PC3 cells, which might boost tumor stem-like properties. Coculturing RhoA knockout fibroblasts and PC3 cells induced expression of proinflammatory genes in both. Inflammatory mediators may induce tumor cell stemness. Network enrichment analysis of transcriptomic changes, however, revealed that the Rho signaling pathway per se was significantly triggered only after coculturing with tumor cells. Taken together, our findings in vivo and in vitro indicate that Rho signaling governs the inhibitory effects by fibroblasts on tumor-cell growth.

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Systemic circulation of poly(l-lysine)/DNA vectors is influenced by polycation molecular weight and type of DNA: differential circulation in mice and rats and the implications for human gene therapy

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v97.8.2221 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 97 (8) ◽

pp. 2221-2229 ◽

Cited By ~ 125

Author(s):

Christopher M. Ward ◽

Martin L. Read ◽

Leonard W. Seymour

Keyword(s):

Gene Therapy ◽

Molecular Weight ◽

Kupffer Cells ◽

Physiological Saline ◽

Systemic Circulation ◽

Complement C3 ◽

Systemic Delivery ◽

Dna Complexes

Abstract Effective gene therapy for diseases of the circulation requires vectors capable of systemic delivery. The molecular weight of poly(l-lysine) (pLL) has a significant effect on the circulation of pLL/DNA complexes in mice, with pLL211/DNA complexes displaying up to 20 times greater levels in the blood after 30 minutes compared with pLL20/DNA. It is shown that pLL20/DNA complexes fix mouse complement C3 in vitro, independent of immunoglobulin binding; are less soluble in the blood in vivo; bind erythrocytes; are rapidly removed by the liver, where they associate predominantly with Kupffer cells; and result in a rapid increase in hepatic leukocytes expressing high levels of complement receptor 3 (CR3). The circulation properties of these complexes are also dependent on the type of DNA used, with circular plasmid DNA complexes exhibiting increased circulation compared with linear DNA. PLL211/DNA complexes bind erythrocytes and associate with Kupffer cells but, in contrast, do not fix mouse complement in vitro and are unaffected by the type of DNA used. In rats, both types of complexes produce hematuria and are rapidly removed from the circulation. Correlation of in vivo and in vitro results suggests that the solubility of complexes in physiological saline and species-matched complement fixation and erythrocyte lysis may correlate with systemic circulation. Analysis using human blood in vitro shows no hemolysis, but both types of complexes fix complement and bind IgG, suggesting that pLL/DNA complexes may be rapidly cleared from the human circulation.

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Targeting CD146 using folic acid–conjugated nanoparticles and suppression of tumor growth in a mouse glioma model

Journal of Neurosurgery ◽

10.3171/2020.4.jns193078 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Naoki Fukui ◽

Toshio Yawata ◽

Takahito Nakajo ◽

Yu Kawanishi ◽

Youichirou Higashi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Therapy ◽

Folic Acid ◽

Tumor Growth ◽

In Vivo Imaging ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Therapeutic Effects ◽

Glioma Model ◽

Mouse Glioma

OBJECTIVEGlioma stem cells (GSCs) are responsible for tumor initiation, therapeutic resistance, and recurrence. CD146 is mainly expressed in dividing GSCs and regulates cell cycle progression. However, the evaluation of the efficacy of targeted therapy against CD146 in vivo remains to be investigated. In this study, the authors aimed to develop gene therapy targeting GSCs using chitosan oligosaccharide lactate (COL) nanoparticles (NPs) conjugated with folic acid–polyethylene glycol (FA-PEG-COL NPs) for in vitro and in vivo delivery of CD146 small-interfering RNA (siCD146) and to determine the effect of CD146 knockdown on tumor growth.METHODSTo examine the uptake of NPs by tumor cells, immunofluorescence staining, flow cytometry, and in vivo imaging were performed. The knockdown effect of siCD146 was measured by western blot and water-soluble tetrazolium salt–8 assay in mouse glioma cells. The efficacy of siRNA therapy–targeted GSCs was evaluated by monitoring tumor growth through in vivo imaging and histological analysis.RESULTSIn vivo accumulation of the FA-PEG-COL NPs in subcutaneous and intracranial gliomas following NP administration via a mouse tail vein was observed. Additionally, in vitro delivery of siCD146 ionically cross-linked NPs, reduced CD146 levels, and suppressed growth in the glioma tumor sphere. Evaluation of the in vivo therapeutic effects of siCD146–cross-linked NPs in a mouse glioma model revealed significant suppression of intracranial tumor growth, with complete removal of the tumor observed in some mice on histological examination. Furthermore, delivery of siCD146 significantly reduced the Ki-67 index in residual tumor tissues relative to that in control mice.CONCLUSIONSCD146 is a potential therapeutic target, and folic acid–conjugated NPs delivering siRNA may facilitate gene therapy in malignant gliomas.

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Increasing Wnt3a Signaling in Myeloma Cells Inhibits the Osteolytic Phenotype and Tumor Growth In Vivo through Regulation of the RANKL/OPG Axis in Osteoblasts and Indirectly Regulates Osteoclastogenesis.

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v110.11.3506.3506 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 110 (11) ◽

pp. 3506-3506

Author(s):

Ya-Wei Qiang ◽

Nathan Brown ◽

Yu Chen ◽

Shmuel Yaccoby ◽

Bart Barlogie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tumor Growth ◽

Wnt Signaling ◽

Cell Line ◽

Osteoclast Formation ◽

C2c12 Cells ◽

Myeloma Cells ◽

Protein Levels ◽

Canonical Wnt

Abstract We have demonstrated that canonical and non-canonical Wnt signaling occurs in myeloma cells (Qiang et al., 2005) and overexpression of Wnt3a in myeloma cells inhibits the osteolytic phenotype and also tumor growth in vivo (Qiang et al Blood, Abstract #3420, 2006). To further investigate the mechanisms that contribute to this process we have expanded our in vivo data by showing that while H929 cells stably expressing Wnt3a (H929/W3a) leads to reduced tumor growth in the in-vivo SCID-hu bone graft model compared with H929 vector alone transfected control cells (H929/EV), there was no significant difference in the subcutaneous growth of the two cell lines in SCID mice. Taken together these data suggests that alteration of the human bone marrow microenvironment is central to Wnt-mediated reduction in tumor growth in bone. We next employed an in-vitro co-culture model in which the mouse osteoprogenitor cell line, C2C12, and human osteoblast cell line, Saos-2 were co-cultured with either H929/Wnt3 or H929/EV cells. QPCR analysis demonstrated that osteoprotegerin (OPG) mRNA expression (relative OPG mRNA to GAPDH) in C2C12 cells co-cultured with H929/W3a was significantly elevated compared with H929/EV (mean±SD: 14.34±0.97 vs 8.43±0.16; P<0.001). ELISA analysis showed that OPG protein levels in the cell culture supernatant were also significantly higher (71.02 ± 6.178 vs 0 pg/ml; P<0.001). Similar results in OPG mRNA and protein levels were observed in Saos-2 cells co-cultured with H929/W3a relative to H929/EV. Furthermore, treatment of C2C12 cells with recombinant Wnt3a protein induced both OPG mRNA (48.1 ±1.2 vs 1.0±0.5; P<0.001) and protein levels (1767.03 ± 44.8 vs 1.11 ± 0.03 p< 0.0001) compared with vehicle alone. These results suggest that forced expression of a canonical Wnt ligand by MM cells might promote OPG transcription in osteoblast progenitors in-vivo. To further confirm the role of Wnt signaling in regulation of OPG and RANKL transcription, we produced C2C12 cells that stably express Dkk1. These clones showed a significant inhibition of Wnt3a induced OPG mRNA (22.2± 2.3 vs 1.7±0.35; p<0.001) and protein (73.3 ± 18.0 vs. 0 pg/ml; p<0.01) compared with vector control. In contrast, RANKL mRNA (5.1±0.9 vs 1.0± 0.5, p<0.01) and protein (9.3±3.8 vs. 0 pg/ml; p<0.01) were increased in Dkk1 expressing clones compared with control. Moreover, supernatant from C2C12 clones stably expressing a DN-beta-catenin (DNBC/C2C12) contained a significantly higher level of RANKL (17.3± 3.5 pg/ml vs. 0±0; P<0.001) and a dramatically lower level of OPG protein (0±0 vs. 431.186 pg/ml; P<0.001) compared with control. Finally, the numbers of multinuclear TRAP-positive osteoclasts were significantly more abundant in culture containing supernatant from DNBC/C2C12 than that from vector control, while Wnt3a exposure had no effect on osteoclast formation in-vitro. Taken together, these data suggest that Wnt ligand-mediated inhibition of myeloma cell growth, and inhibition of osteolytic lesions, in-vivo may result from upregulation of OPG and loss of RANKL in osteoblast progenitors, which subsequently diminishes osteoclast formation. Results of these studies provide new insights into mechanism by which Wnts may serve as an important indirect regulator of myeloma growth and osteoclast formation, and as such, targeting Wnt signaling may be an new therapeutic strategy for controlling myeloma growth and associated bone disease.

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Platelets, Tumor Cell Invasiveness, and Metastasis

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v122.21.sci-31.sci-31 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 122 (21) ◽

pp. SCI-31-SCI-31

Author(s):

Richard O. Hynes ◽

Shahinoor Begum ◽

Myriam Labelle

Keyword(s):

Tumor Cell ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

Conflicts Of Interest ◽

Cell Types ◽

Therapeutic Interventions ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Cell Contact ◽

Cell Arrest

Abstract Platelets have long been known to promote metastasis, and multiple mechanisms have been proposed to explain this phenomenon, including adhesion, coagulation, and protection against natural killer (NK) cells or turbulence. One mechanism that has been little explored is the possibility that platelets might secrete growth factors or provide other stimuli that could enhance the malignant properties of tumor cells. We have shown that pretreatment of carcinoma cells with platelets induces an EMT-like transformation in their properties in vitro and renders them much more metastatic after introduction into mice. TGF-β, produced by platelets and released on their activation is essential for both the in vitro and the in vivo effects. However, TGF-β alone is insufficient; platelet-tumor cell contact is also required and this contact activates NFkB signaling, which synergizes with the TGF-β signaling. Both signals are required for the enhancement of metastasis. In addition to enhancing migration and invasion in vitro, platelets enhance extravasation in vivo. Earlier work has shown that both P-selectin (expressed on platelets) and L-selectin (expressed on leukocytes) are essential for efficient metastasis, and aggregates of tumor cells, platelets, and leukocytes can be observed at sites of tumor cell arrest and extravasation. It has also been demonstrated by others that leukocytes can enhance extravasation and metastatic seeding. Therefore, we have been interested in the question of the relative roles of platelets and leukocytes in these processes. Which cell types are recruited at the sites of metastatic seeding? Does one cell type depend on another? Which cell types enhance metastasis? What roles do the platelets play in recruiting the other cell types? The involvement of platelets in enhancing metastasis also raises questions about the effects of platelets on circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Could platelets enhance the metastatic capacity of CTCs? Could it be the case that only those CTCs that are associated with platelets and/or leukocytes are functionally involved in seeding metastases? Such aggregates are not scored in most current assays for CTCs and will require new investigative approaches. Platelet participation in metastasis also raises the possibility of therapeutic interventions targeting platelet-specific targets and the paracrine interactions between them and other cells. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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