Discovery and Characterization of SY-1365, a Selective, Covalent Inhibitor of CDK7.

Recent studies suggest that targeting transcriptional machinery can lead to potent and selective anticancer effects in cancers dependent on high and constant expression of certain transcription factors for growth and survival. Cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) is the catalytic subunit of the CDK-activating kinase complex. Its function is required for both cell-cycle regulation and transcriptional control of gene expression. CDK7 has recently emerged as an attractive cancer target because its inhibition leads to decreased transcript levels of oncogenic transcription factors, especially those associated with super-enhancers. Here, we describe a selective CDK7 inhibitor SY-1365, which is currently in clinical trials in populations of patients with ovarian and breast cancer (NCT03134638). In vitro, SY-1365 inhibited cell growth of many different cancer types at nanomolar concentrations. SY-1365 treatment decreased MCL1 protein levels, and cancer cells with low BCL2L1 (BCL-XL) expression were found to be more sensitive to SY-1365. Transcriptional changes in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines were distinct from those following treatment with other transcriptional inhibitors. SY-1365 demonstrated substantial antitumor effects in multiple AML xenograft models as a single agent; SY-1365-induced growth inhibition was enhanced in combination with the BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax. Antitumor activity was also observed in xenograft models of ovarian cancer, suggesting the potential for exploring SY-1365 in the clinic in both hematologic and solid tumors. Our findings support targeting CDK7 as a new approach for treating transcriptionally addicted cancers. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings demonstrate the molecular mechanism of action and potent antitumor activity of SY-1365, the first selective CDK7 inhibitor to enter clinical investigation.

Single-Molecule Sequencing Reveals Patterns of Preexisting Drug Resistance That Suggest Treatment Strategies in Philadelphia-Positive Leukemias.

Purpose: Sequential treatment with targeted therapies can result in complex combinations of resistance mutations in drug targets. This mutational complexity has spurred the development of pan-target inhibitors, i.e., therapies for which no single target mutation can cause resistance. Because the propensity for on- versus off-target resistance varies across cancer types, a deeper understanding of the mutational burden in drug targets could rationalize treatment outcomes and prioritize pan-target inhibitors for indications where on-target mutations are most likely.Experimental Design: To measure and model the mutational landscape of a drug target at high resolution, we integrated single-molecule Duplex Sequencing of the ABL1 gene in Philadelphia-positive (Ph+) leukemias with computational simulations.Results: A combination of drug target mutational burden and tumor-initiating cell fraction is sufficient to predict that most patients with chronic myeloid leukemia are unlikely to harbor ABL1 resistance mutations at the time of diagnosis, rationalizing the exceptional success of targeted therapy in this setting. In contrast, our analysis predicts that many patients with Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) harbor multiple preexisting resistant cells with single mutants. The emergence of compound mutations can be traced to initial use of an ABL1 inhibitor that is susceptible to resistance from single point mutations.Conclusions: These results argue that early use of therapies that achieve pan-inhibition of ABL1 resistance mutants might improve outcomes in Ph+ ALL. Our findings show how a deep understanding of the mutational burden in drug targets can be quantitatively coupled to phenotypic heterogeneity to rationalize clinical phenomena. Clin Cancer Res; 24(21); 5321-34. ©2018 AACR.

The impact of multiple low-level BCR-ABL1 mutations on response to ponatinib.

The third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) ponatinib shows activity against all common BCR-ABL1 single mutants, including the highly resistant BCR-ABL1-T315I mutant, improving outcome for patients with refractory chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, responses are variable, and causal baseline factors have not been well-studied. The type and number of low-level BCR-ABL1 mutations present after imatinib resistance has prognostic significance for subsequent treatment with nilotinib or dasatinib as second-line therapy. We therefore investigated the impact of low-level mutations detected by sensitive mass-spectrometry before ponatinib initiation (baseline) on treatment response in 363 TKI-resistant patients enrolled in the PONATINIB for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Evaluation and Ph(+)Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia trial, including 231 patients in chronic phase (CP-CML). Low-level mutations were detected in 53 patients (15%, including low-level T315I in 14 patients); most, however, did not undergo clonal expansion during ponatinib treatment and, moreover, no specific individual mutations were associated with inferior outcome. We demonstrate however, that the number of mutations detectable by mass spectrometry after TKI resistance is associated with response to ponatinib treatment and could be used to refine the therapeutic approach. Although CP-CML patients with T315I (63/231, 27%) had superior responses overall, those with multiple mutations detectable by mass spectrometry (20, 32%) had substantially inferior responses compared with those with T315I as the sole mutation detected (43, 68%). In contrast, for CP-CML patients without T315I, the inferior responses previously observed with nilotinib/dasatinib therapy for imatinib-resistant patients with multiple mutations were not seen with ponatinib treatment, suggesting that ponatinib may prove to be particularly advantageous for patients with multiple mutations detectable by mass spectrometry after TKI resistance.

Compound mutations in BCR-ABL1 are not major drivers of primary or secondary resistance to ponatinib in CP-CML patients.

BCR-ABL1 kinase domain mutations can confer resistance to first- and second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). In preclinical studies, clinically achievable concentrations of the third-generation BCR-ABL1 TKI ponatinib inhibit T315I and all other single BCR-ABL1 mutants except T315M, which generates a single amino acid exchange, but requires 2 sequential nucleotide exchanges. In addition, certain compound mutants (containing ≥2 mutations in cis) confer resistance. Initial analyses based largely on conventional Sanger sequencing (SS) have suggested that the preclinical relationship between BCR-ABL1 mutation status and ponatinib efficacy is generally recapitulated in patients receiving therapy. Thus far, however, such analyses have been limited by the inability of SS to definitively identify compound mutations or mutations representing less than ~20% of total alleles (referred to as "low-level mutations"), as well as limited patient follow-up. Here we used next-generation sequencing (NGS) to define the baseline BCR-ABL1 mutation status of 267 heavily pretreated chronic phase (CP)-CML patients from the PACE trial, and used SS to identify clonally dominant mutants that may have developed on ponatinib therapy (30.1 months median follow-up). Durable cytogenetic and molecular responses were observed irrespective of baseline mutation status and included patients with compound mutations. No single or compound mutation was identified that consistently conferred primary and/or secondary resistance to ponatinib in CP-CML patients. Ponatinib is effective in CP-CML irrespective of baseline mutation status.

Expression of miR-124 inhibits growth of medulloblastoma cells.

Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children, and a substantial number of patients die as a result of tumor progression. Overexpression of CDK6 is present in approximately one-third of medulloblastomas and is an independent poor prognostic marker for this disease. MicroRNA (miR)-124 inhibits expression of CDK6 and prevents proliferation of glioblastoma and medulloblastoma cells in vitro. We examined the effects of miR-124 overexpression on medulloblastoma cells both in vitro and in vivo and compared cell lines that have low and high CDK6 expression. MiR-124 overexpression inhibits the proliferation of medulloblastoma cells, and this effect is mediated mostly through the action of miR-124 upon CDK6. We further show that induced expression of miR-124 potently inhibits growth of medulloblastoma xenograft tumors in rodents. Further testing of miR-124 will help define the ultimate therapeutic potential of preclinical models of medulloblastoma in conjunction with various delivery strategies for treatment.

Increased microglia/macrophage gene expression in a subset of adult and pediatric astrocytomas.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly malignant brain tumor with a dismal prognosis. Gene expression profiling of GBM has revealed clinically relevant tumor subtypes, and this provides exciting opportunities to better understand disease pathogenesis. Results from an increasing number of studies demonstrate a role for the immune response in cancer progression, yet it is unclear how the immune response differs across tumor subtypes and how it affects outcome. Utilizing gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas Project and the Gene Expression Omnibus database, we demonstrate an enrichment of immune response-related gene expression in the mesenchymal subtype of adult GBM (n = 173) and pediatric high-grade gliomas (n = 53). In an independent cohort of pediatric astrocytomas (n = 24) from UCSF, we stratified tumors into subtypes and confirmed these findings. Using novel immune cell-specific gene signatures we demonstrate selective enrichment of microglia/macrophage-related genes in adult and pediatric GBM tumors of the mesenchymal subtype. Furthermore, immunostaining of adult GBM tumors showed significantly higher cell numbers of microglia/macrophages in mesenchymal versus non-mesenchymal tumors (p = 0.04). Interestingly, adult GBM tumors with the shortest survival had significant enrichment of microglia/macrophage-related genes but this was not true for pediatric GBMs. Consistent with an association with poor outcome, immune response-related genes were highly represented in an adult poor prognosis gene signature, with the expression of genes related to macrophage recruitment and activation being most strongly associated with survival (p<0.05) using CoxBoost multivariate modeling. Using a microglia/macrophage high gene signature derived from quantification of tumor-infiltrating cells in adult GBM, we identified enrichment of genes characteristic of CD4 T cells, granulocytes, and microglia/macrophages (n = 573). These studies support a role for the immune response, particularly the microglia/macrophage response, in the biology of an important subset of GBM. Identification of this subset may be important for future therapeutic stratification.

A comprehensive characterization of genome-wide copy number aberrations in colorectal cancer reveals novel oncogenes and patterns of alterations.

To develop a comprehensive overview of copy number aberrations (CNAs) in stage-II/III colorectal cancer (CRC), we characterized 302 tumors from the PETACC-3 clinical trial. Microsatellite-stable (MSS) samples (n = 269) had 66 minimal common CNA regions, with frequent gains on 20 q (72.5%), 7 (41.8%), 8 q (33.1%) and 13 q (51.0%) and losses on 18 (58.6%), 4 q (26%) and 21 q (21.6%). MSS tumors have significantly more CNAs than microsatellite-instable (MSI) tumors: within the MSI tumors a novel deletion of the tumor suppressor WWOX at 16 q23.1 was identified (p<0.01). Focal aberrations identified by the GISTIC method confirmed amplifications of oncogenes including EGFR, ERBB2, CCND1, MET, and MYC, and deletions of tumor suppressors including TP53, APC, and SMAD4, and gene expression was highly concordant with copy number aberration for these genes. Novel amplicons included putative oncogenes such as WNK1 and HNF4A, which also showed high concordance between copy number and expression. Survival analysis associated a specific patient segment featured by chromosome 20 q gains to an improved overall survival, which might be due to higher expression of genes such as EEF1B2 and PTK6. The CNA clustering also grouped tumors characterized by a poor prognosis BRAF-mutant-like signature derived from mRNA data from this cohort. We further revealed non-random correlation between CNAs among unlinked loci, including positive correlation between 20 q gain and 8 q gain, and 20 q gain and chromosome 18 loss, consistent with co-selection of these CNAs. These results reinforce the non-random nature of somatic CNAs in stage-II/III CRC and highlight loci and genes that may play an important role in driving the development and outcome of this disease.

Targeted therapy for BRAFV600E malignant astrocytoma.

PURPOSE: Malignant astrocytomas (MA) are aggressive central nervous system tumors with poor prognosis. Activating mutation of BRAF (BRAF(V600E)) has been reported in a subset of these tumors, especially in children. We have investigated the incidence of BRAF(V600E) in additional pediatric patient cohorts and examined the effects of BRAF blockade in preclinical models of BRAF(V600E) and wild-type BRAF MA. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: BRAF(V600E) mutation status was examined in two pediatric MA patient cohorts. For functional studies, BRAF(V600E) MA cell lines were used to investigate the effects of BRAF shRNA knockdown in vitro, and to investigate BRAF pharmacologic inhibition in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: BRAF(V600E) mutations were identified in 11 and 10% of MAs from two distinct series of tumors (six of 58 cases total). BRAF was expressed in all MA cell lines examined, among which BRAF(V600E) was identified in four instances. Using the BRAF(V600E)-specific inhibitor PLX4720, pharmacologic blockade of BRAF revealed preferential antiproliferative activity against BRAF(V600E) mutant cells in vitro, in contrast to the use of shRNA-mediated knockdown of BRAF, which inhibited cell growth of glioma cell lines regardless of BRAF mutation status. Using orthotopic MA xenografts, we show that PLX4720 treatment decreases tumor growth and increases overall survival in mice-bearing BRAF(V600E) mutant xenografts, while being ineffective, and possibly tumor promoting, against xenografts with wild-type BRAF. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate a 10% incidence of activating BRAF(V600E) among pediatric MAs. With regard to implications for therapy, our results support evaluation of BRAF(V600E)-specific inhibitors for treating BRAF(V600E) MA patients.

Integrated genomic analysis identifies clinically relevant subtypes of glioblastoma characterized by abnormalities in PDGFRA, IDH1, EGFR, and NF1.

The Cancer Genome Atlas Network recently cataloged recurrent genomic abnormalities in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). We describe a robust gene expression-based molecular classification of GBM into Proneural, Neural, Classical, and Mesenchymal subtypes and integrate multidimensional genomic data to establish patterns of somatic mutations and DNA copy number. Aberrations and gene expression of EGFR, NF1, and PDGFRA/IDH1 each define the Classical, Mesenchymal, and Proneural subtypes, respectively. Gene signatures of normal brain cell types show a strong relationship between subtypes and different neural lineages. Additionally, response to aggressive therapy differs by subtype, with the greatest benefit in the Classical subtype and no benefit in the Proneural subtype. We provide a framework that unifies transcriptomic and genomic dimensions for GBM molecular stratification with important implications for future studies.

A human-like senescence-associated secretory phenotype is conserved in mouse cells dependent on physiological oxygen.

Cellular senescence irreversibly arrests cell proliferation in response to oncogenic stimuli. Human cells develop a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which increases the secretion of cytokines and other factors that alter the behavior of neighboring cells. We show here that "senescent" mouse fibroblasts, which arrested growth after repeated passage under standard culture conditions (20% oxygen), do not express a human-like SASP, and differ from similarly cultured human cells in other respects. However, when cultured in physiological (3%) oxygen and induced to senesce by radiation, mouse cells more closely resemble human cells, including expression of a robust SASP. We describe two new aspects of the human and mouse SASPs. First, cells from both species upregulated the expression and secretion of several matrix metalloproteinases, which comprise a conserved genomic cluster. Second, for both species, the ability to promote the growth of premalignant epithelial cells was due primarily to the conserved SASP factor CXCL-1/KC/GRO-alpha. Further, mouse fibroblasts made senescent in 3%, but not 20%, oxygen promoted epithelial tumorigenesis in mouse xenographs. Our findings underscore critical mouse-human differences in oxygen sensitivity, identify conditions to use mouse cells to model human cellular senescence, and reveal novel conserved features of the SASP.

Oncogenic BRAF mutation with CDKN2A inactivation is characteristic of a subset of pediatric malignant astrocytomas.

Malignant astrocytomas are a deadly solid tumor in children. Limited understanding of their underlying genetic basis has contributed to modest progress in developing more effective therapies. In an effort to identify such alterations, we performed a genome-wide search for DNA copy number aberrations (CNA) in a panel of 33 tumors encompassing grade 1 through grade 4 tumors. Genomic amplifications of 10-fold or greater were restricted to grade 3 and 4 astrocytomas and included the MDM4 (1q32), PDGFRA (4q12), MET (7q21), CMYC (8q24), PVT1 (8q24), WNT5B (12p13), and IGF1R (15q26) genes. Homozygous deletions of CDKN2A (9p21), PTEN (10q26), and TP53 (17p3.1) were evident among grade 2 to 4 tumors. BRAF gene rearrangements that were indicated in three tumors prompted the discovery of KIAA1549-BRAF fusion transcripts expressed in 10 of 10 grade 1 astrocytomas and in none of the grade 2 to 4 tumors. In contrast, an oncogenic missense BRAF mutation (BRAF(V600E)) was detected in 7 of 31 grade 2 to 4 tumors but in none of the grade 1 tumors. BRAF(V600E) mutation seems to define a subset of malignant astrocytomas in children, in which there is frequent concomitant homozygous deletion of CDKN2A (five of seven cases). Taken together, these findings highlight BRAF as a frequent mutation target in pediatric astrocytomas, with distinct types of BRAF alteration occurring in grade 1 versus grade 2 to 4 tumors.

Glioblastoma multiforme regional genetic and cellular expression patterns: influence on anatomic and physiologic MR imaging.

PURPOSE: To determine whether magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is influenced by genetic and cellular features of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) aggressiveness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this HIPAA-compliant institutional review board-approved study, multiple enhancing and peritumoral nonenhancing stereotactic neurosurgical biopsy samples from treatment-naïve GBMs were collected prospectively, with guidance from cerebral blood volume (CBV) MR imaging measurements. By using monoclonal antibodies, tissue specimens were examined for microvascular expression, hypoxia, tumor and overall cellular density, and histopathologic features of GBM aggressiveness. Genetic expression patterns were investigated with RNA microarrays. Imaging and histopathologic variables were compared with the Welch t test and Pearson correlations. Microarray analysis was performed by using false discovery rate (FDR) statistics. RESULTS: Tumor biopsy of 13 adult patients yielded 16 enhancing and 14 peritumoral nonenhancing specimens. Enhancing regions had elevated relative CBV and reduced relative apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements compared with peritumoral nonenhancing biopsy regions (P < .01). A positive correlation was found between relative CBV and all histopathologic features of aggressiveness (P < .04). An inverse correlation was found between relative ADC and all histopathologic features of aggressiveness (P < .05). RNA expression patterns between tumor regions were found to be significantly different (FDR < 0.05), with hierarchical clustering by biopsy region only. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest MR imaging is significantly influenced by GBM genetic and cellular biologic features of aggressiveness and imply physiologic MR imaging may be useful in pinpointing regions of highest malignancy within heterogeneous tissues, thus facilitating histologic grading of primary glial brain tumors.

Whole-body sleeping beauty mutagenesis can cause penetrant leukemia/lymphoma and rare high-grade glioma without associated embryonic lethality.

The Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon system has been used as a somatic mutagen to identify candidate cancer genes. In previous studies, efficient leukemia/lymphoma formation on an otherwise wild-type genetic background occurred in mice undergoing whole-body mobilization of transposons, but was accompanied by high levels of embryonic lethality. To explore the utility of SB for large-scale cancer gene discovery projects, we have generated mice that carry combinations of different transposon and transposase transgenes. We have identified a transposon/transposase combination that promotes highly penetrant leukemia/lymphoma formation on an otherwise wild-type genetic background, yet does not cause embryonic lethality. Infiltrating gliomas also occurred at lower penetrance in these mice. SB-induced or accelerated tumors do not harbor large numbers of chromosomal amplifications or deletions, indicating that transposon mobilization likely promotes tumor formation by insertional mutagenesis of cancer genes, and not by promoting wide-scale genomic instability. Cloning of transposon insertions from lymphomas/leukemias identified common insertion sites at known and candidate novel cancer genes. These data indicate that a high mutagenesis rate can be achieved using SB without high levels of embryonic lethality or genomic instability. Furthermore, the SB system could be used to identify new genes involved in lymphomagenesis/leukemogenesis.

microRNAs in gliomas: small regulators of a big problem.

Gliomas are the most common form of primary brain tumors and are associated with a poor clinical outcome. The molecular mechanisms that contribute to gliomagenesis have become increasingly clear in recent years, yet much remains to be learned. This is particularly true for the role of microRNAs in gliomagenesis, as an appreciation for the significance of aberrant miRNA expression in human cancer has only emerged in the last 5 years. It is now evident that microRNAs regulate a wide variety of tumorigenic processes including cellular proliferation, differentiation, angiogenesis, invasion, and apoptosis. Here we review the current state of knowledge related to the role of microRNAs in glial tumor development. This is a rapidly evolving field and it is likely that we have only begun to appreciate the involvement of microRNAs in relation to glioma formation, and the therapeutic potential of microRNAs to improve outcome for glioma patients.

Comparative analyses of gene copy number and mRNA expression in glioblastoma multiforme tumors and xenografts.

Development of model systems that recapitulate the molecular heterogeneity observed among glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumors will expedite the testing of targeted molecular therapeutic strategies for GBM treatment. In this study, we profiled DNA copy number and mRNA expression in 21 independent GBM tumor lines maintained as subcutaneous xenografts (GBMX), and compared GBMX molecular signatures to those observed in GBM clinical specimens derived from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The predominant copy number signature in both tumor groups was defined by chromosome-7 gain/chromosome-10 loss, a poor-prognosis genetic signature. We also observed, at frequencies similar to that detected in TCGA GBM tumors, genomic amplification and overexpression of known GBM oncogenes, such as EGFR, MDM2, CDK6, and MYCN, and novel genes, including NUP107, SLC35E3, MMP1, MMP13, and DDX1. The transcriptional signature of GBMX tumors, which was stable over multiple subcutaneous passages, was defined by overexpression of genes involved in M phase, DNA replication, and chromosome organization (MRC) and was highly similar to the poor-prognosis mitosis and cell-cycle module (MCM) in GBM. Assessment of gene expression in TCGA-derived GBMs revealed overexpression of MRC cancer genes AURKB, BIRC5, CCNB1, CCNB2, CDC2, CDK2, and FOXM1, which form a transcriptional network important for G2/M progression and/or checkpoint activation. Our study supports propagation of GBM tumors as subcutaneous xenografts as a useful approach for sustaining key molecular characteristics of patient tumors, and highlights therapeutic opportunities conferred by this GBMX tumor panel for testing targeted therapeutic strategies for GBM treatment.

Mammary carcinoma behavior is programmed in the precancer stem cell.

INTRODUCTION: The 'MINO' (mammary intraepithelial neoplasia outgrowth) mouse model of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) consists of six lines with distinct morphologic phenotypes and behavior, each meeting experimentally defined criteria for 'precancer'. Specifically, these lines grow orthotopically in cleared mammary fat pads and consistently progress to an invasive phenotype that is capable of ectopic growth. Transition to carcinoma has a consistent latency for each line, and three of the lines also exhibit pulmonary metastatic potential. METHODS: Gland cleared orthotopic transplanted precancer MINO tissues were analyzed by bacterial artifical chromosome and oligo array comparative genomic hybridization, microsatellite PCR, and telomerase repeat amplification assay. MINO cells were dissociated and cultured in three dimensional culture and transplanted in syngeneic gland cleared mammary fat pads. RESULTS: Comparative genomic hybridization shows that the precancer and invasive tumors are genetically stable, with low level changes including whole chromosome gains in some lines. No changes are associated with progression, although spontaneous focal amplifications and deletions were detected occasionally. Microsatellite analysis shows a low frequency of alterations that are predominantly permanent within a MINO line. Telomerase activity is increased in both the MINO and the derived tumors when compared with normal mouse mammary gland. Dissociation of the precancer lesion cells and three dimensional 'spheroid' culture of single cells reveals a bipotential for myoepithelial and luminal differentiation and the formation of unique three-dimensional 'MINOspheres'. These MINOspheres exhibit features that are intermediate between spheroids that are derived from normal and carcinoma cells. Transplantation of a single cell derived MINOsphere recapitulates the outgrowth of the precancer morphology and progression to carcinoma. CONCLUSION: These data establish a precancer 'stem' cell that is capable of self-renewal and multilineage differentiation as the origin of invasive cancer. Within the context of this model, these cells have programmed potential for latency and metastasis that does not appear to require sequential genetic 'hits' for transformation.

miR-124 and miR-137 inhibit proliferation of glioblastoma multiforme cells and induce differentiation of brain tumor stem cells.

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an invariably fatal central nervous system tumor despite treatment with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Further insights into the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive GBM formation are required to improve patient outcome. MicroRNAs are emerging as important regulators of cellular differentiation and proliferation, and have been implicated in the etiology of a variety of cancers, yet the role of microRNAs in GBM remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the role of microRNAs in regulating the differentiation and proliferation of neural stem cells and glioblastoma-multiforme tumor cells. METHODS: We used quantitative RT-PCR to assess microRNA expression in high-grade astrocytomas and adult mouse neural stem cells. To assess the function of candidate microRNAs in high-grade astrocytomas, we transfected miR mimics to cultured-mouse neural stem cells, -mouse oligodendroglioma-derived stem cells, -human glioblastoma multiforme-derived stem cells and -glioblastoma multiforme cell lines. Cellular differentiation was assessed by immunostaining, and cellular proliferation was determined using fluorescence-activated cell sorting. RESULTS: Our studies revealed that expression levels of microRNA-124 and microRNA-137 were significantly decreased in anaplastic astrocytomas (World Health Organization grade III) and glioblastoma multiforme (World Health Organization grade IV) relative to non-neoplastic brain tissue (P < 0.01), and were increased 8- to 20-fold during differentiation of cultured mouse neural stem cells following growth factor withdrawal. Expression of microRNA-137 was increased 3- to 12-fold in glioblastoma multiforme cell lines U87 and U251 following inhibition of DNA methylation with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC). Transfection of microRNA-124 or microRNA-137 induced morphological changes and marker expressions consistent with neuronal differentiation in mouse neural stem cells, mouse oligodendroglioma-derived stem cells derived from S100 beta-v-erbB tumors and cluster of differentiation 133+ human glioblastoma multiforme-derived stem cells (SF6969). Transfection of microRNA-124 or microRNA-137 also induced G1 cell cycle arrest in U251 and SF6969 glioblastoma multiforme cells, which was associated with decreased expression of cyclin-dependent kinase 6 and phosphorylated retinoblastoma (pSer 807/811) proteins. CONCLUSION: microRNA-124 and microRNA-137 induce differentiation of adult mouse neural stem cells, mouse oligodendroglioma-derived stem cells and human glioblastoma multiforme-derived stem cells and induce glioblastoma multiforme cell cycle arrest. These results suggest that targeted delivery of microRNA-124 and/or microRNA-137 to glioblastoma multiforme tumor cells may be therapeutically efficacious for the treatment of this disease.

Copy number aberrations in mouse breast tumors reveal loci and genes important in tumorigenic receptor tyrosine kinase signaling.

Receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling plays a key role in the development of breast cancer. Defining the genes and pathways in the RTK signaling network that are important regulators of tumorigenesis in vivo will unveil potential candidates for targeted therapeutics. To this end, we used microarray comparative genomic hybridization to identify and compare copy number aberrations in five mouse models of breast cancer induced by wild-type and mutated forms of oncogenic ErbB2 or the polyomavirus middle T antigen (PyMT). We observed distinct genomic alterations among the various models, including recurrent chromosome 11 amplifications and chromosome 4 deletions, syntenic with human 17q21-25 and 1p35-36, respectively. Expression of oncogenic Erbb2 (NeuNT) under control of the endogenous Erbb2 promoter results in frequent (85%) amplification at the Erbb2 locus with striking structural similarity to the human amplicon, resulting in overexpression of at least two of the genes, Erbb2 and Grb7. Chromosome 11 amplicons distal to Erbb2 arise in a model (DB) overexpressing a mutant variant of PyMT (Y315/322F) unable to activate phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. These amplicons are not observed in DB hyperplasias or in tumors overexpressing wild-type PyMT and result in overexpression of Grb2 and Itgb4. Distal chromosome 4 deletions occur in a significantly higher proportion of Erbb2 than PyMT tumors and encompass 14-3-3sigma (Stratifin), which is expressed at low or undetectable levels in the majority of NeuNT tumors. Our studies highlight loci and genes important in the regulation of tumorigenic RTK signaling in mammary epithelial cells in vivo.

Syngeneic mouse mammary carcinoma cell lines: two closely related cell lines with divergent metastatic behavior.

Two cell lines, Met-1(fvb2) and DB-7(fvb2), with different metastatic potential, were derived from mammary carcinomas in FVB/N-Tg(MMTV-PyVmT) and FVB/N-Tg(MMTV-PyVmT ( Y315F/Y322F )) mice, transplanted into syngeneic FVB/N hosts and characterized. The lines maintain a stable morphological and biological phenotype after multiple rounds of in vitro culture and in vivo transplantation. The Met-1(fvb2) line derived from a FVB/N-Tg(MMTV-PyVmT) tumor exhibits invasive growth and 100% metastases when transplanted into the females FVB/N mammary fat pad. The DB-7(fvb2) line derived from the FVB/N-Tg(MMTV-PyVmT ( Y315F/Y322F )) with a "double base" modification at Y315F/Y322F exhibits more rapid growth when transplanted into the mammary fat pad, but a lower rate of metastasis (17%). The Met1(fvb2) cells show high activation of AKT, while DB-7(fvb2) cells show very low levels of AKT activation. The DNA content and gene expression levels of both cell lines are stable over multiple generations. Therefore, these two cell lines provide a stable, reproducible resource for the study of metastasis modulators, AKT molecular pathway interactions, and gene target and marker discovery.

Shared epigenetic mechanisms in human and mouse gliomas inactivate expression of the growth suppressor SLC5A8.

Tumors arise in part from the deleterious effects of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms on gene expression. In several mouse models of human tumors, the tumorigenic phenotype is reversible, suggesting that epigenetic mechanisms also contribute significantly to tumorigenesis in mice. It is not known whether these are the same epigenetic mechanisms in human and mouse tumors or whether they affect homologous genes. Using an integrated approach for genome-wide methylation and copy number analyses, we identified SLC5A8 on chromosome 12q23.1 that was affected frequently by aberrant methylation in human astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas. SLC5A8 encodes a sodium monocarboxylate cotransporter that was highly expressed in normal brain but was significant down-regulated in primary gliomas. Bisulfite sequencing analysis showed that the CpG island was unmethylated in normal brain but frequently localized methylated in brain tumors, consistent with the tumor-specific loss of gene expression. In glioma cell lines, SLC5A8 expression was also suppressed but could be reactivated with a methylation inhibitor. Expression of exogenous SLC5A8 in LN229 and LN443 glioma cells inhibited colony formation, suggesting that it may function as a growth suppressor in normal brain cells. Remarkably, 9 of 10 murine oligodendroglial tumors (from p53+/- or ink4a/arf+/- animals transgenic for S100beta-v-erbB) showed a similar tumor-specific down-regulation of mSLC5A8, the highly conserved mouse homologue. Taken together, these data suggest that SLC5A8 functions as a growth suppressor gene in vitro and that it is silenced frequently by epigenetic mechanisms in primary gliomas. The shared epigenetic inactivation of mSLC5A8 in mouse gliomas indicates an additional degree of commonality in the origin and/or pathway to tumorigenesis between primary human tumors and these mouse models of gliomas.