Thinking (Metastasis) outside the (Primary Tumor) Box.

The metastasis of tumor cells into vital organs is a major cause of death from diverse types of malignancies [...].

Distinct shared and compartment-enriched oncogenic networks drive primary versus metastatic breast cancer.

Metastatic breast-cancer is a major cause of death in women worldwide, yet the relationship between oncogenic drivers that promote metastatic versus primary cancer is still contentious. To elucidate this relationship in treatment-naive animals, we hereby describe mammary-specific transposon-mutagenesis screens in female mice together with loss-of-function Rb, which is frequently inactivated in breast-cancer. We report gene-centric common insertion-sites (gCIS) that are enriched in primary-tumors, in metastases or shared by both compartments. Shared-gCIS comprise a major MET-RAS network, whereas metastasis-gCIS form three additional hubs: Rho-signaling, Ubiquitination and RNA-processing. Pathway analysis of four clinical cohorts with paired primary-tumors and metastases reveals similar organization in human breast-cancer with subtype-specific shared-drivers (e.g. RB1-loss, TP53-loss, high MET, RAS, ER), primary-enriched (EGFR, TGFß and STAT3) and metastasis-enriched (RHO, PI3K) oncogenic signaling. Inhibitors of RB1-deficiency or MET plus RHO-signaling cooperate to block cell migration and drive tumor cell-death. Thus, targeting shared- and metastasis- but not primary-enriched derivers offers a rational avenue to prevent metastatic breast-cancer.

CDK4/6 inhibitors and the pRB-E2F1 axis suppress PVR and PD-L1 expression in triple-negative breast cancer.

Immune-checkpoint (IC) modulators like the poliovirus receptor (PVR) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) attenuate innate and adaptive immune responses and are potential therapeutic targets for diverse malignancies, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor, pRB, controls cell growth through E2F1-3 transcription factors, and its inactivation drives metastatic cancer, yet its effect on IC modulators is contentious. Here, we show that RB-loss and high E2F1/E2F2 signatures correlate with expression of PVR, CD274 (PD-L1 gene) and other IC modulators and that pRB represses whereas RB depletion and E2F1 induce PVR and CD274 in TNBC cells. Accordingly, the CDK4/6 inhibitor, palbociclib, suppresses both PVR and PD-L1 expression. Palbociclib also counteracts the effect of CDK4 on SPOP, leading to its depletion, but the overall effect of palbociclib is a net reduction in PD-L1 level. Hydrochloric acid, commonly used to solubilize palbociclib, counteracts its effect and induces PD-L1 expression. Remarkably, lactic acid, a by-product of glycolysis, also induces PD-L1 as well as PVR. Our results suggest a model in which CDK4/6 regulates PD-L1 turnover by promoting its transcription via pRB-E2F1 and degradation via SPOP and that the CDK4/6-pRB-E2F pathway couples cell proliferation with the induction of multiple innate and adaptive immunomodulators, with direct implications for cancer progression, anti-CDK4/6- and IC-therapies.

Conjugation of the glutelin hydrolysates-glucosamine by transglutaminase and functional properties and antioxidant activity of the products.

A novel mixture of glycopeptides was prepared from corn glutelin and glucosamine (GlcN). The functional properties and antioxidative activities of this mixture were investigated. Corn glutelin was limited hydrolyzed by Alcalase, and then its hydrolysates were glycosylated with GlcN by transglutaminase (TGase) to modify its main and side chain, respectively. Under the optimized conditions, the content of GlcN conjugated to peptides was 81.98 ± 1.98 mg/g glutelin peptides. According to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis, there are two types of glycopeptides in the mixture, TGase and non-enzymatic glycated counterparts. Compared with original glutelin, the glycosylated glutelin hydrolysates exhibited better solubility in the pH range of 2-11 and other functional properties except foaming stability. Meanwhile, it is more easily digested by pepsin and trypsin, and possessed excellent antioxidative activities. It also exhibited cytoprotective effects and intracellular ROS scavenging activities in LO2 cells subjected to oxidative stress by oxidation with ethanol solution.

Palladium-Catalyzed gem-Difluoroallylation Reaction between Aryltributyltin and Bromodifluoromethylated Alkenes.

A robust Stille gem-difluoroallylation of arylstannanes with 3-bromo-3,3-difluoropropenes has been established. The catalyst was found to exert critical effect on the reaction chemoselectivity. By using Pd(OH)2/C as the catalyst, a series of 3-(hetero)aryl/vinyl-3,3-difluoropropenes were obtained in high efficiency with α-substitution regioselectivity. The reaction has a broad substrate scope, and various substitution patterns were well tolerated in both substrates. Notably, the reaction can be easily extended to late-stage gem-difluoroallylation of many bioactive molecules with good chemoselectivity.

Preparation of Sulfamates and Sulfamides Using a Selective Sulfamoylation Agent.

Sulfamates and sulfamides are prevalent in biological molecules, but their universal synthetic methods are limited. We herein report a sulfamoylation agent with high solubility and shelf stability. Various sulfamates and sulfamides can be synthesized directly from alcohols or amines by employing this agent with high selectivity and high yields. This protocol was also successfully used for late-stage sulfamoylation of pharmaceuticals containing a hydroxyl or amino group.

Modeling germline mutations in pineoblastoma uncovers lysosome disruption-based therapy.

Pineoblastoma is a rare pediatric cancer induced by germline mutations in the tumor suppressors RB1 or DICER1. Presence of leptomeningeal metastases is indicative of poor prognosis. Here we report that inactivation of Rb plus p53 via a WAP-Cre transgene, commonly used to target the mammary gland during pregnancy, induces metastatic pineoblastoma resembling the human disease with 100% penetrance. A stabilizing mutation rather than deletion of p53 accelerates metastatic dissemination. Deletion of Dicer1 plus p53 via WAP-Cre also predisposes to pineoblastoma, albeit with lower penetrance. In silico analysis predicts tricyclic antidepressants such as nortriptyline as potential therapeutics for both pineoblastoma models. Nortriptyline disrupts the lysosome, leading to accumulation of non-functional autophagosome, cathepsin B release and pineoblastoma cell death. Nortriptyline further synergizes with the antineoplastic drug gemcitabine to effectively suppress pineoblastoma in our preclinical models, offering new modality for this lethal childhood malignancy.

Visible Light-Promoted Phosphine-Catalyzed Difluoroalkylation of Arenes and Heterocycles.

A visible light-promoted difluoroalkylation reaction of arenes or heterocycles, using triaryl phosphine as the catalyst and difluoroalkyl iodide as the alkylating agent, is presented. The strategy is highlighted by photocatalyst-free, mild reaction conditions and a broad substrate scope. Mechanistic experiments indicate that this reaction involves a radical-chain process that is initiated by an electron donor-acceptor complex formed from difluoroalkyl iodide and phosphine.

Molecular stratification within triple-negative breast cancer subtypes.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has been subdivided into six distinct subgroups: basal-like 1 (BL1), basal-like 2 (BL2), mesenchymal (M), mesenchymal stem-like (MSL), immunomodulatory (IM), and luminal androgen receptor (LAR). We recently identified a subgroup of TNBC with loss of the tumor suppressor PTEN and five specific microRNAs that exhibits exceedingly poor clinical outcome and contains TP53 mutation, RB1 loss and high MYC and WNT signalling. Here, show that these PTEN-low/miRNA-low lesions cluster with BL1 TNBC. These tumors exhibited high RhoA signalling and were significantly stratified on the basis of PTEN-low/RhoA-signalling-high with hazard ratios (HRs) of 8.2 (P = 0.0009) and 4.87 (P = 0.033) in training and test cohorts, respectively. For BL2 TNBC, we identified AKT1 copy gain/high mRNA expression as surrogate for poor prognosis (HR = 3.9; P = 0.02 and HR = 6.1; P = 0.0032). In IM, programmed cell death 1 (PD1) was elevated and predictive of poor prognosis (HR = 5.3; P = 0.01 and HR = 3.5; P < 0.004). Additional alterations, albeit without prognostic power, characterized each subtype including high E2F2 and TGFß signalling and CXCL8 expression in BL2, high IFNα and IFNγ signalling and CTLA4 expression in IM, and high EGFR signalling in MSL, and may be targeted for therapy. This study identified PTEN-low/RhoA-signalling-high, and high AKT1 and PD1 expression as potent prognostications for BL1, BL2 and IM subtypes with survival differences of over 14, 2.75 and 10.5 years, respectively. This intrinsic heterogeneity could be exploited to prioritize patients for precision medicine.

Transition-Metal-Free Aryl-Heteroatom Bond Formation via C-S Bond Cleavage.

Aryl-heteroatom bonds (C-Het) are almost ubiquitously present in chemical molecules. However, methods for diverse C-Het bond formations from a simple substrate are limited. Herein, we report a convenient and efficient C-S bond transformation of aryl sulfoniums to various C-Het bonds (C-O, C-S, C-Sn, C-Si, C-Se) in the absence of any transition-metal catalyst. These reactions proceeded in mild conditions with a wide substrate scope.

Non-transition Metal-Mediated Diverse Aryl-Heteroatom Bond Formation of Arylammonium Salts.

Aryl-heteroatom (C-X) bonds ubiquitously exist in organic, medicinal, and material chemistry, but a universal method to construct diverse C-X bonds is lacking. Here we report our discovery of a convenient and efficient approach to construct various C-X bonds using arylammonium salts as the substrate via an SNAr process. This strategy features mild reaction condition, no request of transition metal catalyst, and easy formation of various C-X bonds (C-S, C-Si, C-Sn, C-Ge, C-Se, C-N). The method was successfully applied to a late-stage functionalization of an existing antibiotic drug, to a Clickable reaction of NBD-based ammonium salt as turn-on fluorescent probe to recognize L-cysteine and homocysteine, and to the synthesis of a DNA encoded library (DEL) bearing different C-X bonds.

A subgroup of microRNAs defines PTEN-deficient, triple-negative breast cancer patients with poorest prognosis and alterations in RB1, MYC, and Wnt signaling.

BACKGROUND: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents a heterogeneous group of ER- and HER2-negative tumors with poor clinical outcome. We recently reported that Pten-loss cooperates with low expression of microRNA-145 to induce aggressive TNBC-like lesions in mice. To systematically identify microRNAs that cooperate with PTEN-loss to induce aggressive human BC, we screened for miRNAs whose expression correlated with PTEN mRNA levels and determined the prognostic power of each PTEN-miRNA pair alone and in combination with other miRs. METHODS: Publically available data sets with mRNA, microRNA, genomics, and clinical outcome were interrogated to identify miRs that correlate with PTEN expression and predict poor clinical outcome. Alterations in genomic landscape and signaling pathways were identified in most aggressive TNBC subgroups. Connectivity mapping was used to predict response to therapy. RESULTS: In TNBC, PTEN loss cooperated with reduced expression of hsa-miR-4324, hsa-miR-125b, hsa-miR-381, hsa-miR-145, and has-miR136, all previously implicated in metastasis, to predict poor prognosis. A subgroup of TNBC patients with PTEN-low and reduced expression of four or five of these miRs exhibited the worst clinical outcome relative to other TNBCs (hazard ratio (HR) = 3.91; P < 0.0001), and this was validated on an independent cohort (HR = 4.42; P = 0.0003). The PTEN-low/miR-low subgroup showed distinct oncogenic alterations as well as TP53 mutation, high RB1-loss signature and high MYC, PI3K, and ß-catenin signaling. This lethal subgroup almost completely overlapped with TNBC patients selected on the basis of Pten-low and RB1 signature loss or ß-catenin signaling-high. Connectivity mapping predicted response to inhibitors of the PI3K pathway. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis identified microRNAs that define a subclass of highly lethal TNBCs that should be prioritized for aggressive therapy.

CDC25 as a common therapeutic target for triple-negative breast cancer - the challenges ahead.

The dual phosphatase CDC25 has recently been identified as a target for diverse triple-negative breast cancers including RB1/PTEN/P53-deficient tumors. Moreover, CDC25 inhibitors effectively synergize with PI3K inhibitors to suppress tumor growth. We discuss these findings and the challenges that lie ahead in bringing CDC25 inhibitors to the clinic.

Identification of CDC25 as a Common Therapeutic Target for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

CDK4/6 inhibitors are effective against cancer cells expressing the tumor suppressor RB1, but not RB1-deficient cells, posing the challenge of how to target RB1 loss. In triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), RB1 and PTEN are frequently inactivated together with TP53. We performed kinome/phosphatase inhibitor screens on primary mouse Rb/p53-, Pten/p53-, and human RB1/PTEN/TP53-deficient TNBC cell lines and identified CDC25 phosphatase as a common target. Pharmacological or genetic inhibition of CDC25 suppressed growth of RB1-deficient TNBC cells that are resistant to combined CDK4/6 plus CDK2 inhibition. Minimal cooperation was observed in vitro between CDC25 antagonists and CDK1, CDK2, or CDK4/6 inhibitors, but strong synergy with WEE1 inhibition was apparent. In accordance with increased PI3K signaling following long-term CDC25 inhibition, CDC25 and PI3K inhibitors effectively synergized to suppress TNBC growth both in vitro and in xenotransplantation models. These results provide a rationale for the development of CDC25-based therapies for diverse RB1/PTEN/TP53-deficient and -proficient TNBCs.

From Anilines to Aryl Ethers: A Facile, Efficient, and Versatile Synthetic Method Employing Mild Conditions.

We have developed a simple and direct method for the synthesis of aryl ethers by reacting alcohols/phenols (ROH) with aryl ammonium salts (ArNMe3+ ), which are readily prepared from anilines (ArNR'2 , R'=H or Me). This reaction proceeds smoothly and rapidly (within a few hours) at room temperature in the presence of a commercially available base, such as KOt Bu or KHMDS, and has a broad substrate scope with respect to both ROH and ArNR'2 . It is scalable and compatible with a wide range of functional groups.

Mapping genomic and transcriptomic alterations spatially in epithelial cells adjacent to human breast carcinoma.

Almost all genomic studies of breast cancer have focused on well-established tumours because it is technically challenging to study the earliest mutational events occurring in human breast epithelial cells. To address this we created a unique dataset of epithelial samples ductoscopically obtained from ducts leading to breast carcinomas and matched samples from ducts on the opposite side of the nipple. Here, we demonstrate that perturbations in mRNA abundance, with increasing proximity to tumour, cannot be explained by copy number aberrations. Rather, we find a possibility of field cancerization surrounding the primary tumour by constructing a classifier that evaluates where epithelial samples were obtained relative to a tumour (cross-validated micro-averaged AUC = 0.74). We implement a spectral co-clustering algorithm to define biclusters. Relating to over-represented bicluster pathways, we further validate two genes with tissue microarrays and in vitro experiments. We highlight evidence suggesting that bicluster perturbation occurs early in tumour development.

microRNA-143/145 loss induces Ras signaling to promote aggressive Pten-deficient basal-like breast cancer.

The tumor suppressor PTEN is frequently inactivated in breast and other cancers; yet, germ-line mutations in this gene induce nonmalignant hamartomas, indicating dependency on additional cooperating events. Here we show that most tumors derived from conditional deletion of mouse pten in mammary epithelium are highly differentiated and lack transplantable tumor-initiating cells (TICs) capable of seeding new tumors following orthotopic injection of FACS-sorted or tumorsphere cells. A rare group of poorly differentiated tumors did harbor transplantable TICs. These transplantable tumors exhibited distinct molecular classification, signaling pathways, chromosomal aberrations, and mutational landscape, as well as reduced expression of microRNA-143/145 (miR-143/145). Stable knockdown of miR-143/145 conferred tumorigenic potential upon poorly transplantable pten-deficient tumor cells through a mechanism involving induction of RAS signaling, leading to increased sensitivity to MEK inhibition. In humans, miR-145 deficiency significantly correlated with elevated RAS-pathway activity in basal-like breast cancer, and patients with combined PTEN/miR-145 loss or PTEN-loss/high RAS-pathway activity exhibited poor clinical outcome. These results underscore a selective pressure for combined PTEN loss together with RAS-pathway activation, either through miR-145 loss or other mechanisms, in basal-like breast cancer, and a need to identify and prioritize these tumors for aggressive therapy.

Organozinc-Mediated Direct C-C Bond Formation via C-N Bond Cleavage of Ammonium Salts.

We report a direct cross-coupling reaction between diarylzinc (Ar2 Zn) and aryltrimethylammonium salts (ArNMe3+ ⋅- OTf) in the presence of LiCl, via C-N bond cleavage. The reaction takes place smoothly upon heating in THF without any external catalyst, enabling an efficient and chemoselective formation of biaryl products. Mechanistic studies indicate that the reaction proceeds through a single electron transfer route.

Monomeric Octahedral Ruthenium(II) Complex Enabled meta-C-H Nitration of Arenes with Removable Auxiliaries.

A removable oxime-assisted meta-C-H nitration of arenes is reported. Mechanistic investigations and DFT calculations reveal a new monomeric octahedral ruthenium(II) complex is responsible for the meta-selective nitration. Dioxygen as a cooxidant is crucial for achieving high conversion and good yields. Moreover, the utility of the present reaction protocol is further showcased by the late-stage modification of the clinical CNS drugs Diazepam and Fluvoxamine.