Deleting the ß-catenin degradation domain in mouse hepatocytes drives hepatocellular carcinoma or hepatoblastoma-like tumor growth.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: One-third of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) harbor mutations activating the ß-catenin pathway, predominantly via mutations in the CTNNB1 gene itself. Mouse models of Apc loss-of-function are widely used to mimic ß-catenin-dependent tumorigenesis. Given the low prevalence of APC mutations in human HCCs, we aimed to generate liver tumors through CTNNB1 exon 3 deletion (ßcatΔex3). We then compared ßcatΔex3 liver tumors with liver tumors generated via frameshift in exon 15 of Apc (Apcfs-ex15). METHODS: We used hepatocyte-specific and inducible mouse models generated through either a Cre-Lox or a CRISPR/Cas9 approach using adeno-associated virus vectors. Tumors generated by the Cre-Lox models were phenotypically analyzed using immunohistochemistry and were selected for transcriptomic analysis by RNA-sequencing (RNAseq). Mouse RNAseq data were compared to human RNAseq data (8 normal tissues, 48 HCCs, 9 hepatoblastomas) in an integrative analysis. Tumors generated via CRISPR were analyzed using DNA sequencing and immuno-histochemistry. RESULTS: Mice with CTNNB1 exon 3 deletion in hepatocytes developed liver tumors indistinguishable from Apcfs-ex15 liver tumors. Both Apcfs-ex15 and ßcatΔex3 mouse models induced growth of phenotypically distinct tumors (differentiated or undifferentiated). Integrative analysis of human and mouse tumors showed that differentiated mouse tumors cluster with well-differentiated human CTNNB1-mutated tumors. Conversely, undifferentiated mouse tumors cluster with human mesenchymal hepatoblastomas and harbor activated YAP signaling. CONCLUSION: Apcfs-ex15 and ßcatΔex3 mouse models both induce growth of tumors that are transcriptionally similar to either well-differentiated and ß-catenin-activated human HCCs or mesenchymal hepatoblastomas. LAY SUMMARY: New and easy-to-use transgenic mouse models of primary liver cancers have been generated, with mutations in the gene encoding beta-catenin, which are frequent in both adult and pediatric primary liver cancers. The mice develop both types of cancer, constituting a strong preclinical model.

Expression of NKG2D ligands is downregulated by ß-catenin signalling and associates with HCC aggressiveness.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The NKG2D system is a potent immunosurveillance mechanism in cancer, wherein the activating NK cell receptor (NKG2D) on immune cells recognises its cognate ligands on tumour cells. Herein, we evaluated the expression of NKG2D ligands in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), in both humans and mice, taking the genomic features of HCC tumours into account. METHODS: The expression of NKG2D ligands (MICA, MICB, ULBP1 and ULBP2) was analysed in large human HCC datasets by Fluidigm TaqMan and RNA-seq methods, and in 2 mouse models (mRNA and protein levels) reproducing the features of both major groups of human tumours. RESULTS: We provide compelling evidence that expression of the MICA and MICB ligands in human HCC is associated with tumour aggressiveness and poor patient outcome. We also found that the expression of ULBP1 and ULBP2 was associated with poor patient outcome, and was downregulated in CTNNB1-mutated HCCs displaying low levels of inflammation and associated with a better prognosis. We also found an inverse correlation between ULBP1/2 expression levels and the expression of ß-catenin target genes in patients with HCC, suggesting a role for ß-catenin signalling in inhibiting expression. We showed in HCC mouse models that ß-catenin signalling downregulated the expression of Rae-1 NKG2D ligands, orthologs of ULBPs, through TCF4 binding. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that the expression of NKG2D ligands is associated with aggressive liver tumorigenesis and that the downregulation of these ligands by ß-catenin signalling may account for the less aggressive phenotype of CTNNB1-mutated HCC tumours. LAY SUMMARY: The NKG2D system is a potent immunosurveillance mechanism in cancer. However, its role in hepatocellular carcinoma development has not been widely investigated. Herein, we should that the expression of NKG2D ligands by tumour cells is associated with a more aggressive tumour subtype.

The aminoglycoside geneticin permits translational readthrough of the CTNS W138X nonsense mutation in fibroblasts from patients with nephropathic cystinosis.

BACKGROUND: Cystinosis is an ultrarare disorder caused by mutations of the cystinosin (CTNS) gene, encoding a cystine-selective efflux channel in the lysosomes of all cells of the body. Oral therapy with cysteamine reduces intralysosomal cystine accumulation and slows organ deterioration but cannot reverse renal Fanconi syndrome nor prevent the eventual need for renal transplantation. A definitive therapeutic remains elusive. About 15% of cystinosis patients worldwide carry one or more nonsense mutations that halt translation of the CTNS protein. Aminoglycosides such as geneticin (G418) can bind to the mammalian ribosome, relax translational fidelity, and permit readthrough of premature termination codons to produce full-length protein. METHODS: To ascertain whether aminoglycosides permit readthrough of the most common CTNS nonsense mutation, W138X, we studied the effect of G418 on patient fibroblasts. RESULTS: G418 treatment induced translational readthrough of CTNSW138X constructs transfected into HEK293 cells and expression of full-length endogenous CTNS protein in homozygous W138X fibroblasts. CONCLUSIONS: Reduction in intracellular cystine indicates that the CTNS protein produced is functional as a cystine transporter. Interestingly, similar effects were seen even in W138X compound heterozygotes. These studies establish proof-of-principle for the potential of aminoglycosides to treat cystinosis and possibly other monogenic diseases caused by nonsense mutations.

ZBTB18 restricts chromatin accessibility and prevents transcriptional adaptations that drive metastasis.

Metastases arise from rare cancer cells that successfully adapt to the diverse microenvironments encountered during dissemination through the bloodstream and colonization of distant tissues. How cancer cells acquire the ability to appropriately respond to microenvironmental stimuli remains largely unexplored. Here, we report an epigenetic pliancy mechanism that allows cancer cells to successfully metastasize. We find that a decline in the activity of the transcriptional repressor ZBTB18 defines metastasis-competent cancer cells in mouse models. Restoration of ZBTB18 activity reduces chromatin accessibility at the promoters of genes that drive metastasis, such as Tgfbr2, and this prevents TGFß1 pathway activation and consequently reduces cell migration and invasion. Besides repressing the expression of metastatic genes, ZBTB18 also induces widespread chromatin closing, a global epigenetic adaptation previously linked to reduced phenotypic flexibility. Thus, ZBTB18 is a potent chromatin regulator, and the loss of its activity enhances chromatin accessibility and transcriptional adaptations that promote the phenotypic changes required for metastasis.

Antagonism between wild-type and mutant ß-catenin controls hepatoblastoma differentiation via fascin-1.

Background & Aims: ß-catenin is a well-known effector of the Wnt pathway, and a key player in cadherin-mediated cell adhesion. Oncogenic mutations of ß-catenin are very frequent in paediatric liver primary tumours. Those mutations are mostly heterozygous, which allows the co-expression of wild-type (WT) and mutated ß-catenins in tumour cells. We investigated the interplay between WT and mutated ß-catenins in liver tumour cells, and searched for new actors of the ß-catenin pathway. Methods: Using an RNAi strategy in ß-catenin-mutated hepatoblastoma (HB) cells, we dissociated the structural and transcriptional activities of ß-catenin, which are carried mainly by WT and mutated proteins, respectively. Their impact was characterised using transcriptomic and functional analyses. We studied mice that develop liver tumours upon activation of ß-catenin in hepatocytes (APCKO and ß-cateninΔexon3 mice). We used transcriptomic data from mouse and human HB specimens, and used immunohistochemistry to analyse samples. Results: We highlighted an antagonistic role of WT and mutated ß-catenins with regard to hepatocyte differentiation, as attested by alterations in the expression of hepatocyte markers and the formation of bile canaliculi. We characterised fascin-1 as a transcriptional target of mutated ß-catenin involved in tumour cell differentiation. Using mouse models, we found that fascin-1 is highly expressed in undifferentiated tumours. Finally, we found that fascin-1 is a specific marker of primitive cells including embryonal and blastemal cells in human HBs. Conclusions: Fascin-1 expression is linked to a loss of differentiation and polarity of hepatocytes. We present fascin-1 as a previously unrecognised factor in the modulation of hepatocyte differentiation associated with ß-catenin pathway alteration in the liver, and as a new potential target in HB. Impact and implications: The FSCN1 gene, encoding fascin-1, was reported to be a metastasis-related gene in various cancers. Herein, we uncover its expression in poor-prognosis hepatoblastomas, a paediatric liver cancer. We show that fascin-1 expression is driven by the mutated beta-catenin in liver tumour cells. We provide new insights on the impact of fascin-1 expression on tumour cell differentiation. We highlight fascin-1 as a marker of immature cells in mouse and human hepatoblastomas.

ARID2 Chromatin Remodeler in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Chromatin remodelers are found highly mutated in cancer including hepatocellular carcinoma. These mutations frequently occur in ARID (AT-rich Interactive Domain) genes, encoding subunits of the ATP-dependent SWI/SNF remodelers. The increasingly prevalent complexity that surrounds the functions and specificities of the highly modular BAF (BG1/BRM-associated factors) and PBAF (polybromo-associated BAF) complexes, including ARID1A/B or ARID2, is baffling. The involvement of the SWI/SNF complexes in diverse tissues and processes, and especially in the regulation of gene expression, multiplies the specific outcomes of specific gene alterations. A better understanding of the molecular consequences of specific mutations impairing chromatin remodelers is needed. In this review, we summarize what we know about the tumor-modulating properties of ARID2 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

ARID1A loss in adult hepatocytes activates ß-catenin-mediated erythropoietin transcription.

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a key regulator of erythropoiesis. The embryonic liver is the main site of erythropoietin synthesis, after which the kidney takes over. The adult liver retains the ability to express EPO, and we discovered here new players of this transcription, distinct from the classical hypoxia-inducible factor pathway. In mice, genetically invalidated in hepatocytes for the chromatin remodeler Arid1a, and for Apc, the major silencer of Wnt pathway, chromatin was more accessible and histone marks turned into active ones at the Epo downstream enhancer. Activating ß-catenin signaling increased binding of Tcf4/ß-catenin complex and upregulated its enhancer function. The loss of Arid1a together with ß-catenin signaling, resulted in cell-autonomous EPO transcription in mouse and human hepatocytes. In mice with Apc-Arid1a gene invalidations in single hepatocytes, Epo de novo synthesis led to its secretion, to splenic erythropoiesis and to dramatic erythrocytosis. Thus, we identified new hepatic EPO regulation mechanism stimulating erythropoiesis.

Potentials of CRISPR in liver research and therapy.

The CRISPR technology is rapidly transforming the field of liver research by its versatility and easy use. In vivo gene editing of hepatocytes in adult mice can be achieved using a broad toolbox for both fundamental research and development of therapeutic strategies for future clinical applications. Recent studies showed that CRISPR has a real potential to treat hereditary liver diseases as well as virally induced pathologies. This short review recapitulates very recent advancements regarding the use of CRISPR in liver research and therapy.