The transcription factor FOXM1 regulates the balance between proliferation and aberrant differentiation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Sustained expression of FOXM1 is a hallmark of nearly all human cancers including squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (HNSCC). HNSCCs partially preserve the epithelial differentiation program, which recapitulates fetal and adult traits of the tissue of tumor origin but is deregulated by genetic alterations and tumor-supporting pathways. Using shRNA-mediated knockdown, we demonstrate a minimal impact of FOXM1 on proliferation and migration of HNSCC cell lines under standard cell culture conditions. However, FOXM1 knockdown in three-dimensional (3D) culture and xenograft tumor models resulted in reduced proliferation, decreased invasion, and a more differentiated-like phenotype, indicating a context-dependent modulation of FOXM1 activity in HNSCC cells. By ectopic overexpression of FOXM1 in HNSCC cell lines, we demonstrate a reduced expression of cutaneous-type keratin K1 and involucrin as a marker of squamous differentiation, supporting the role of FOXM1 in modulation of aberrant differentiation in HNSCC. Thus, our data provide a strong rationale for targeting FOXM1 in HNSCC. © 2019 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Coordinate-based co-localization-mediated analysis of arrestin clustering upon stimulation of the C-C chemokine receptor 5 with RANTES/CCL5 analogues.

G protein-coupled receptor activation and desensitization leads to recruitment of arrestin proteins from cytosolic pools to the cell membrane where they form clusters difficult to characterize due to their small size and further mediate receptor internalization. We quantitatively investigated clustering of arrestin 3 induced by potent anti-HIV analogues of the chemokine RANTES after stimulation of the C-C chemokine receptor 5 using single-molecule localization-based super-resolution microscopy. We determined arrestin 3 cluster sizes and relative fractions of arrestin 3 molecules in each cluster through image-based analysis of the localization data by adapting a method originally developed for co-localization analysis from molecular coordinates. We found that only classical agonists in the set of tested ligands were able to efficiently recruit arrestin 3 to clusters mostly larger than 150 nm in size and compare our results with existing data on arrestin 2 clustering induced by the same chemokine analogues.

Quantitative morphological analysis of arrestin2 clustering upon G protein-coupled receptor stimulation by super-resolution microscopy.

Clustering of arrestins upon G protein-coupled receptor stimulation is a phenomenon that is well-known but difficult to describe quantitatively due to the size of the clusters close to the diffraction limit of visible light. We introduce a general method to quantitatively investigate the clustering of arrestin following stimulation of the C-C chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) using single-molecule super-resolution imaging and coordinate and image-based cluster analysis. We investigated the effect of potent anti-HIV ligands of CCR5 with different pharmacological profiles on arrestin2 cluster formation and found that only the ligands capable of inducing CCR5 internalization induced arrestin2 recruitment and clustering. We further demonstrate that the fraction of arrestin2 molecules found in clusters larger than 100nm correlates with the magnitude of ligand-induced CCR5 internalization, but not with G protein activation, indicating that recruitment of arrestin2 to CCR5 is independent of G protein activation. Pre-treatment of the cells with the drug cytochalasin D, which blocks actin polymerization, led to the formation of larger clusters, whereas the inhibitor of microtubule polymerization nocodazole had little effect on arrestin2 recruitment, suggesting an active role of actin in the organization and dynamics of these aggregates.

Dualism of FGF and TGF-ß Signaling in Heterogeneous Cancer-Associated Fibroblast Activation with ETV1 as a Critical Determinant.

Heterogeneity of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) can result from activation of distinct signaling pathways. We show that in primary human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) signaling oppositely modulate multiple CAF effector genes. Genetic abrogation or pharmacological inhibition of either pathway results in induction of genes responsive to the other, with the ETV1 transcription factor mediating the FGF effects. Duality of FGF/TGF-ß signaling and differential ETV1 expression occur in multiple CAF strains and fibroblasts of desmoplastic versus non-desmoplastic skin squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). Functionally, HDFs with opposite TGF-ß versus FGF modulation converge on promoting cancer cell proliferation. However, HDFs with increased TGF-ß signaling enhance invasive properties and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of SCC cells, whereas HDFs with increased FGF signaling promote macrophage infiltration. The findings point to a duality of FGF versus TGF-ß signaling in distinct CAF populations that promote cancer development through modulation of different processes.

Cellular Barcoding Identifies Clonal Substitution as a Hallmark of Local Recurrence in a Surgical Model of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Local recurrence after surgery for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains a common event associated with a dismal prognosis. Improving this outcome requires a better understanding of cancer cell populations that expand from postsurgical minimal residual disease (MRD). Therefore, we assessed clonal dynamics in a surgical model of barcoded HNSCC growing in the submental region of immunodeficient mice. Clonal substitution and massive reduction of clonal heterogeneity emerged as hallmarks of local recurrence, as the clones dominating in less heterogeneous recurrences were scarce in their matched primary tumors. These lineages were selected by their ability to persist after surgery and competitively expand from MRD. Clones enriched in recurrences exhibited both private and shared genetic features and likely originated from ancestors shared with clones dominating in primary tumors. They demonstrated high invasiveness and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, eventually providing an attractive target for obtaining better local control for these tumors.