Antibody-mediated blockade of JMJD6 interaction with collagen I exerts antifibrotic and antimetastatic activities.

JMJD6 is known to localize in the nucleus, exerting histone arginine demethylase and lysyl hydroxylase activities. A novel localization of JMJD6 in the extracellular matrix, resulting from its secretion as a soluble protein, was unveiled by a new anti-JMJD6 mAb called P4E11, which was developed to identify new targets in the stroma. Recombinant JMJD6 binds with collagen type I (Coll-I), and distinct JMJD6 peptides interfere with collagen fibrillogenesis, collagen-fibronectin interaction, and adhesion of human tumor cells to the collagen substrate. P4E11 and collagen binding to JMJD6 are mutually exclusive because the amino acid sequences of JMJD6 necessary for the interaction with Coll-I are part of the conformational epitope recognized by P4E11. In mice injected with mouse 4T1 breast carcinoma cells, treatment with P4E11 reduced fibrosis at the primary tumor and prevented lung metastases. Reduction of fibrosis has also been documented in human breast and ovarian tumors (MDA-MB-231 and IGROV1, respectively) xenotransplanted into immunodeficient mice treated with P4E11. In summary, this study uncovers a new localization and function for JMJD6 that is most likely independent from its canonical enzymatic activities, and demonstrates that JMJD6 can functionally interact with Coll-I. P4E11 mAb, inhibiting JMJD6/Coll-I interaction, represents a new opportunity to target fibrotic and tumor diseases.-Miotti, S., Gulino, A., Ferri, R., Parenza, M., Chronowska, A., Lecis, D., Sangaletti, S., Tagliabue, E., Tripodo, C., Colombo, M. P. Antibody-mediated blockade of JMJD6 interaction with collagen I exerts antifibrotic and antimetastatic activities.

Stromal SPARC contributes to the detrimental fibrotic changes associated with myeloproliferation whereas its deficiency favors myeloid cell expansion.

In myeloid malignancies, the neoplastic clone outgrows normal hematopoietic cells toward BM failure. This event is also sustained by detrimental stromal changes, such as BM fibrosis and osteosclerosis, whose occurrence is harbinger of a dismal prognosis. We show that the matricellular protein SPARC contributes to the BM stromal response to myeloproliferation. The degree of SPARC expression in BM stromal elements, including CD146(+) mesenchymal stromal cells, correlates with the degree of stromal changes, and the severity of BM failure characterizing the prototypical myeloproliferative neoplasm primary myelofibrosis. Using Sparc(-/-) mice and BM chimeras, we demonstrate that SPARC contributes to the development of significant stromal fibrosis in a model of thrombopoietin-induced myelofibrosis. We found that SPARC deficiency in the radioresistant BM stroma compartment impairs myelofibrosis but, at the same time, associates with an enhanced reactive myeloproliferative response to thrombopoietin. The link betwen SPARC stromal deficiency and enhanced myeloid cell expansion under a myeloproliferative spur is also supported by the myeloproliferative phenotype resulting from the transplantation of defective Apc(min) mutant hematopoietic cells into Sparc(-/-) but not WT recipient BM stroma. Our results highlight a complex influence of SPARC over the stromal and hematopoietic BM response in myeloproliferative conditions.

SPARC oppositely regulates inflammation and fibrosis in bleomycin-induced lung damage.

Fibrosis results from inflammatory tissue damage and impaired regeneration. In the context of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, we demonstrated that the matricellular protein termed secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) distinctly regulates inflammation and collagen deposition, depending on its cellular origin. Reciprocal Sparc(-/-) and wild-type (WT) bone marrow chimeras revealed that SPARC expression in host fibroblasts is required and sufficient to induce collagen fibrosis in a proper inflammatory environment. Accordingly, Sparc(-/-) >WT chimeras showed exacerbated inflammation and fibrosis due to the inability of Sparc(-/-) macrophages to down-regulate tumor necrosis factor production because of impaired responses to tumor growth factor-ß. Hence, the use of bone marrow cells expressing a dominant-negative form of tumor growth factor-ß receptor type II under the monocyte-specific CD68 promoter, as a decoy, phenocopied Sparc(-/-) donor chimeras. Our results point to an unexpected dual role of SPARC in oppositely influencing the outcome of fibrosis.

The variant hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 activates the P1 promoter of the human alpha-folate receptor gene in ovarian carcinoma.

The alpha folate receptor (alpha FR) is a membrane glycoprotein that binds folates, and mediates their uptake and that of antifolate drugs. alpha FR is absent on ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) but is detectable during early transforming events in this epithelium, with increasing expression levels in association with tumor progression. Analysis of transcriptional regulation of the alpha FR gene have revealed two promoter regions, P1 and P4, flanking exons 1 and 4, respectively, and a requirement for three SP1 sites and an INR element for optimal P4 activity. Here, we focused on the P1 transcription regulation in ovarian carcinoma cells. RNase protection assay indicated that the 5'-untranslated region is heterogeneous because of different start sites and alternative splicing of exon 3. A core region of the P1 promoter was sufficient for maximal promoter activity in ovarian carcinoma cell lines but not in OSE cells or in alpha FR-nonexpressing cell lines. Deletion and mutation analysis of this core promoter identified a cis-regulatory element at position +27 to +33 of the untranslated exon 1, which is responsible for maximum P1 activity. This element formed an abundant DNA-protein complex with nuclear proteins from ovarian cancer cells but not from other cell lines or OSE cells. Competition experiments and supershift assays demonstrated binding of the P1 cis-regulatory element by a transcription factor involved in embryonic development, the variant hepatocyte nuclear factor-1 (vHNF1). Analysis of RNA from various cell lines and surgical specimens confirmed that vHNF1 is expressed in ovarian carcinomas. Thus, vHNF1 regulates tissue-specific transcription in ovarian carcinoma.

Genetic deletion of osteopontin in TRAMP mice skews prostate carcinogenesis from adenocarcinoma to aggressive human-like neuroendocrine cancers.

Osteopontin (OPN) is a secreted glycoprotein, that belongs to the non-structural extracellular matrix (ECM), and its over expression in human prostate cancer has been associated with disease progression, androgen independence and metastatic ability. Nevertheless, the pathophysiology of OPN in prostate tumorigenesis has never been studied. We crossed TRansgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate (TRAMP) mice with OPN deficient (OPN-/-) mice and followed tumor onset and progression in these double mutants. Ultrasound examination detected the early onset of a rapidly growing, homogeneous and spherical tumor in about 60% of OPN-/- TRAMP mice. Such neoplasms seldom occurred in parental TRAMP mice otherwise prone to adenocarcinomas and were characterized for being androgen receptor negative, highly proliferative and endowed with neuroendocrine (NE) features. Gene expression profiling showed up-regulation of genes involved in tumor progression, cell cycle and neuronal differentiation in OPN-deficient versus wild type TRAMP tumors. Down-regulated genes included key genes of TGFa pathway, including SMAD3 and Filamin, which were confirmed at the protein level. Furthermore, NE genes and particularly those characterizing early prostatic lesions of OPN-deficient mice were found to correlate with those of human prostate NE tumours. These data underscore a novel role of OPN in the early stages of prostate cancer growth, protecting against the development of aggressive NE tumors.

Inhibition of Phosphatidylcholine-Specific Phospholipase C Interferes with Proliferation and Survival of Tumor Initiating Cells in Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: The role of phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C (PC-PLC), the enzyme involved in cell differentiation and proliferation, has not yet been explored in tumor initiating cells (TICs). We investigated PC-PLC expression and effects of PC-PLC inhibition in two adherent (AD) squamous carcinoma cell lines (A431 and CaSki), with different proliferative and stemness potential, and in TIC-enriched floating spheres (SPH) originated from them. RESULTS: Compared with immortalized non-tumoral keratinocytes (HaCaT) A431-AD cells showed 2.5-fold higher PC-PLC activity, nuclear localization of a 66-kDa PC-PLC isoform, but a similar distribution of the enzyme on plasma membrane and in cytoplasmic compartments. Compared with A431-AD, A431-SPH cells showed about 2.8-fold lower PC-PLC protein and activity levels, but similar nuclear content. Exposure of adherent cells to the PC-PLC inhibitor D609 (48h) induced a 50% reduction of cell proliferation at doses comprised between 33 and 50 µg/ml, without inducing any relevant cytotoxic effect (cell viability 95±5%). In A431-SPH and CaSki-SPH D609 induced both cytostatic and cytotoxic effects at about 20 to 30-fold lower doses (IC50 ranging between 1.2 and 1.6 µg/ml). Furthermore, D609 treatment of A431-AD and CaSki-AD cells affected the sphere-forming efficiency, which dropped in both cells, and induced down-modulation of stem-related markers mRNA levels (Oct4, Nestin, Nanog and ALDH1 in A431; Nestin and ALDH1 in CaSki cells). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the inhibition of PC-PLC activity may represent a new therapeutic approach to selectively target the most aggressive and tumor promoting sub-population of floating spheres originated from squamous cancer cells possessing different proliferative and stemness potential.

SOCS2 Controls Proliferation and Stemness of Hematopoietic Cells under Stress Conditions and Its Deregulation Marks Unfavorable Acute Leukemias.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) promptly adapt hematopoiesis to stress conditions, such as infection and cancer, replenishing bone marrow-derived circulating populations, while preserving the stem cell reservoir. SOCS2, a feedback inhibitor of JAK-STAT pathways, is expressed in most primitive HSC and is upregulated in response to STAT5-inducing cytokines. We demonstrate that Socs2 deficiency unleashes HSC proliferation in vitro, sustaining STAT5 phosphorylation in response to IL3, thrombopoietin, and GM-CSF. In vivo, SOCS2 deficiency leads to unrestricted myelopoietic response to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and, in turn, induces exhaustion of long-term HSC function along serial bone marrow transplantations. The emerging role of SOCS2 in HSC under stress conditions prompted the investigation of malignant hematopoiesis. High levels of SOCS2 characterize unfavorable subsets of acute myeloid and lymphoblastic leukemias, such as those with MLL and BCR/ABL abnormalities, and correlate with the enrichment of genes belonging to hematopoietic and leukemic stemness signatures. In this setting, SOCS2 and its correlated genes are part of regulatory networks fronted by IKZF1/Ikaros and MEF2C, two transcriptional regulators involved in normal and leukemic hematopoiesis that have never been linked to SOCS2. Accordingly, a comparison of murine wt and Socs2(-/-) HSC gene expression in response to 5-FU revealed a significant overlap with the molecular programs that correlate with SOCS2 expression in leukemias, particularly with the oncogenic pathways and with the IKZF1/Ikaros and MEF2C-predicted targets. Lentiviral gene transduction of murine hematopoietic precursors with Mef2c, but not with Ikzf1, induces Socs2 upregulation, unveiling a direct control exerted by Mef2c over Socs2 expression.

Defective stromal remodeling and neutrophil extracellular traps in lymphoid tissues favor the transition from autoimmunity to lymphoma.

Altered expression of matricellular proteins can become pathogenic in the presence of persistent perturbations in tissue homeostasis. Here, we show that autoimmunity associated with Fas mutation was exacerbated and transitioned to lymphomagenesis in the absence of SPARC (secreted protein acidic rich in cysteine). The absence of SPARC resulted in defective collagen assembly, with uneven compartmentalization of lymphoid and myeloid populations within secondary lymphoid organs (SLO), and faulty delivery of inhibitory signals from the extracellular matrix. These conditions promoted aberrant interactions between neutrophil extracellular traps and CD5(+) B cells, which underwent malignant transformation due to defective apoptosis under the pressure of neutrophil-derived trophic factors and NF-κB activation. Furthermore, this model of defective stromal remodeling during lymphomagenesis correlates with human lymphomas arising in a SPARC-defective environment, which is prototypical of CD5(+) B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Tumor initiating cells: development and critical characterization of a model derived from the A431 carcinoma cell line forming spheres in suspension.

To investigate the tumor fraction with cancer stem/tumor initiating cell (CSC/TIC) characteristics, we tested the human cervical carcinoma cell lines A431, Caski and SiHa, by growth as non-adherent spheres in specific media and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzymatic activity. A good correlation between the two parameters was observed and the highest levels were observed in A431 cell line that was selected for characterization of the CSC/TIC fraction. A431 parental cells already displayed characteristics common to CSC/TIC, such as sphere forming efficiency, adherent holoclone formation and high ALDH activity. Non-adherent spheres maintained or increased these properties, and, in particular, ALDH-positive fraction increased from 46 to 65% and a transient induction of stem cell markers such as Nanog, Nestin and Oct4 was observed. Furthermore, a significant increase of paraclone forming cells was observed, suggesting that differentiation took place inside sphere cell populations. As compared to parental cells, spheres were characterized by: (1) a ten-fold higher verapamil-sensitive side population fraction; (2) the appearance of a podoplanin-positive subpopulation characterized by a small cell size; (3) the ability to propagate tumors in nude mice at a lower cell dose. The global gene expression analysis demonstrated a strong and reversible modulation of 'sphere' phenotype in comparison to parental and sphere cells re-induced to adherent conditions. All together our results indicated that the growth of A431 cells as a non-adherent sphere was not sufficient by itself to define a stem-like population, but it was essential for the emergence of a small population of tumor cells with CSC properties.

Phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C activation in epithelial ovarian cancer cells.

Elucidation of the mechanisms responsible for aberrant phosphatidylcholine (PC) metabolism in cancer cells may allow identification of novel biomarkers of tumor progression and design of new targeted anticancer therapies. We recently reported up-regulation of PC-specific phospholipases in epithelial ovarian cancer cells (EOC) compared with nontumoral (normal or immortalized) counterparts (EONT). In the present study, we focused, in the same cell systems, on levels, subcellular localization, and activity of PC-specific phospholipase C (PC-PLC), for which a key role in cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis has been shown in several mammalian cells. A 66-kDa PC-PLC isoform, detected in nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments of both EOC and EONT cells, accumulated on the external plasma membrane of cancer cells only, where it colocalized with beta1 integrin, in nonraft membrane domains. PC-PLC activity was 3-fold higher in total cell lysates and 5-fold higher in membrane-enriched fractions of EOC compared with EONT cells. Serum deprivation induced in EOC, but not in EONT, cells a 3-fold decrease in PC-PLC activity, associated with a 40% drop in S-phase fraction. The recovery of both variables to their original levels in serum-restimulated (or lysophosphatidic acid-restimulated) EOC cells was strongly delayed, for at least 24 h, in the presence of the PC-PLC inhibitor tricyclodecan-9-yl-potassium xanthate (D609). The S-phase of serum-restimulated EONT cells was not sensitive to D609. These findings warrant further investigations on the role of PC-PLC and on the effects of its inhibition on the pathways responsible for constitutive EOC cell stimulation and cell proliferation.

Macrophage-derived SPARC bridges tumor cell-extracellular matrix interactions toward metastasis.

Other than genetic imprinting and epithelial to mesenchymal transition, cancer cells need interaction with the nearby stroma toward metastasis. Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is a matricellular protein known to regulate extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and cell-ECM interaction. Gene expression profiles associate SPARC to malignant progression. Using reciprocal bone marrow chimeras between SPARC knockout and wild-type mice, we show that SPARC produced by inflammatory cells is necessary for spontaneous, but not experimental, i.v. metastasis. Macrophage-derived SPARC induces cancer cell migration and enhances their migration to other ECM proteins at least through alpha(v)beta(5) integrin. Indeed, RNA interference knockdown of beta(5) integrin expression reduces cell migration in vitro and metastasis in vivo. Together these results show that macrophage-derived SPARC takes part in metastasis, acting at the step of integrin-mediated migration of invasive cells.

Variant HNF1 modulates epithelial plasticity of normal and transformed ovary cells.

Ovarian carcinoma arises from the ovarian surface epithelium, which undergoes phenotypic changes characteristic of müllerian epithelium during the first stages of tumorigenesis. The variant isoform of the hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 (vHNF1) is a transcription factor involved in the development of tissues derived from the müllerian duct. Here, we show that vHNF1 knockdown in two ovarian carcinoma cell lines, SKOV3 and IGROV1, leads to reduced E-cadherin (E-cadh) expression and decreased proliferation rate. Accordingly, SKOV3 cells ectopically expressing a dominant-negative (DN) vHNF1 mutant undergo an epithelial-mesenchymal-like transition, acquiring a spindle-like morphology, loss of E-cadh, and disrupted cell-cell contacts. Gene expression profiling of DNvHNF1 cells on the basis of a newly compiled list of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related genes revealed a correlation between vHNF1 loss-of-function and acquisition of the mesenchymal phenotype. Indeed, phenotypic changes were associated with increased Slug transcription and functionality. Accordingly, vHNF1-transfected immortalized ovarian surface epithelial cells showed down-regulation of Snail and Slug transcripts. In DNvHNF1-transfected SKOV3 cells, growth rate decreased, and in vHNF1-transfected immortalized ovarian surface epithelial cells, growth rate increased. By immunohistochemistry, we found a strong association of vHNF1 with E-cadh in clear cell and in a subset of serous carcinomas, data that could potentially contribute in distinguishing different types of ovarian tumors. Our results may help in understanding the biology of ovarian carcinoma, identifying early detection markers, and opening potential avenues for therapeutic intervention.

The side population of ovarian cancer cells is a primary target of IFN-alpha antitumor effects.

The side population (SP), recently identified in several normal tissues and in a variety of tumors based on its ability to extrude some fluorescent dyes, may comprise cells endowed with stem cell features. In this study, we investigated the presence of SP in epithelial ovarian cancer and found it in 9 of 27 primary tumor samples analyzed, as well as in 4 of 6 cultures from xenotransplants. SP cells from one xenograft bearing a large SP fraction were characterized in detail. SP cells had higher proliferation rates, were much less apoptotic compared with non-SP cells, and generated tumors more rapidly than non-SP cells. We also investigated the effects of IFN-alpha, a cytokine that has widely been used to treat solid tumors, on epithelial ovarian cancer cells and observed that IFN-alpha exerted marked antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects on primary cultures containing high numbers of SP cells. In vitro, IFN-alpha treatment invariably caused a dramatic reduction in SP size in tumor cell lines of different origins; moreover, IFN-alpha treatment of purified SP cells was associated with a distinctive change in their transcriptional profile. Gene therapy with human IFN-alpha resulted in regression of established tumors bearing a large SP fraction, which was not observed when tumors bearing low SP levels were treated. These findings could have relevant clinical implications because they imply that tumors bearing large SP numbers, albeit rare, could be sensitive to IFN-alpha treatment.

Binding of nuclear caveolin-1 to promoter elements of growth-associated genes in ovarian carcinoma cells.

Caveolin-1 (cav-1), a member of a protein family associated mainly with cell membrane microdomains in many cell types, acts as a tumor suppressor in ovarian carcinoma cells. Biochemical analyses demonstrated that cav-1 was also localized in the nuclei of ovarian carcinoma cells, endogenously (SKOV3) or ectopically (IGtC3) expressing cav-1. By confocal analyses, the same cell lines as well as IGROV1 and SKOV3 cells transiently transfected with green fluorescent protein-cav-1 fusion protein showed nuclear punctate speckled pattern. Subnuclear distribution analysis revealed cav-1 mainly associated with the nuclear matrix, but also slightly with chromatin. Cav-1 was found in nuclear high-molecular weight complexes and by confocal analysis was found to co-localized with the inner nuclear membrane protein emerin. Cyclin D1 and folate receptor promoters were modulated by cav-1 in SKOV3 cells as demonstrated by transient transfection with or silencing of cav-1. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and supershift assays indicated that nuclear cav-1 can bind in vitro and in vivo to promoter sequences of both cyclin D1 and folate receptor genes. These data suggest that in ovarian carcinoma cells cav-1, localized in transcriptionally inactive chromatin, exerts a functional activity mediated, at least in part, by directly binding to sequences of genes involved in proliferation.

Simultaneous expression of caveolin-1 and E-cadherin in ovarian carcinoma cells stabilizes adherens junctions through inhibition of src-related kinases.

Cadherin-mediated adhesion plays an important role in maintaining cell-cell contacts and reducing tumor metastasis. However, neo-expression of E-cadherin in ovarian carcinoma does not prevent the release and spread of cells from the primary tumor. Because caveolin-1 is down-regulated concomitantly with E-cad expression, we investigated whether the stability of adherens junctions in ovarian carcinoma was affected by caveolin-1 expression. We used IGROV1 cells transfected with caveolin-1 (IGtC3), mock-transfected control cells (IGtM87), and SKOV3 cells that endogenously express caveolin-1. Simultaneous expression of caveolin-1 and E-cadherin favored membrane distribution of E-cadherin and its associated catenin (p120ctn), even when caveolin-1 was only focally associated with adherens junctions. Silencing of caveolin-1 induced intracellular E-cadherin redistribution in IGtC3 and SKOV3 cells. Treatment with the specific src kinase inhibitor PP1 increased E-cadherin expression in IGtM87 and SKOV3 cells and enhanced membrane localization of both E-cadherin and p120ctn. However, PP1 could not completely reverse the detrimental effects on cell-cell adhesion induced by Ca2+ depletion in IGtM87 cells. Together, our data suggest that caveolin-1 expression indirectly promotes cell-cell adhesion in ovarian carcinoma cells by a mechanism involving inhibition of src-related kinases. Thus, down-regulation or loss of caveolin-1 might contribute significantly to the spread of tumor cells from the primary tumor.

Expression of interleukin-18 in human ovarian carcinoma and normal ovarian epithelium: evidence for defective processing in tumor cells.

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a proinflammatory monokine structurally related to IL-1beta that stimulates interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production. IL-18 is synthesized as an inactive precursor, pro-IL-18, which is cleaved by IL-1beta-converting enzyme (ICE)/caspase-1 in a mature protein. In view of the proposed use of IL-18 in cancer immuno/gene therapy, we have studied the expression of IL-18 in tumor cells. IL-18 mRNA was detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in all human ovarian carcinoma cell lines tested (9/9) and in one-half of tumor cell populations obtained from ovarian carcinoma patients (4/8). ICE mRNA was expressed in a smaller fraction of samples (3/9 cell lines and 3/8 samples from patients). IL-18 protein was also found in 7/13 ovarian carcinoma solid tumors by immunohistochemic analysis. In tumor cell lines we were able to detect abundant intracellular pro-IL-18 (24 kDa) by Western blotting, whereas the mature form of IL-18 was undetectable, irrespective of the presence of ICE mRNA and protein. Only pro-IL-18 was also found in the ovarian carcinoma cell supernatants, which did not display any IL-18 biologic activity in functional assays. Normal cultured ovarian epithelial cells revealed the presence of both IL-18 and ICE mRNA in all samples (5/5) and IL-18 protein was expressed by the thin epithelial cell layer surrounding normal ovary. More importantly, normal ovarian epithelial cells released low but detectable amounts of mature IL-18 in the culture supernatant, which displayed IL-18-like biologic activity in functional assays. These data suggest that mature biologically active IL-18 production is a feature of the normal ovarian surface epithelium lost during neoplastic transformation.