Study of Strawberry Notch homolog 1 and 2 expression in human glioblastoma.

PURPOSE: In this work, we aimed to comprehensively document the expression of Strawberry Notch homolog (SBNO) 1 and 2 in glioblastoma (GBM) tissue and patient-derived GBM stem-like cell (GSC) cultures. METHODS: We investigated SBNO1 and SBNO2 expression at the RNA and protein levels in glioma patient tissue and GSCs, respectively by performing immunostainings and qPCR analyses. We also used publicly-available datasets for assessing SBNO1 and SBNO2 gene expression and related copy number alterations. We used lentiviral transduction of SBNO2 to analyze the effect of its expression in patient-derived GSCs. RESULTS: We observed that SBNO2 expression is increased in GBM tissue samples compared to non tumoral brain, or lower-grade gliomas, whereas SBNO1 expression remains unchanged. We hypothesized that such SBNO2 high expression might be linked to copy-number alterations at the level of the 19p13 chromosome section. We located SBNO1 and SBNO2 in different subcellular compartments. Finally, we observed that SBNO2 overexpression induces different phenotypes in different patient-derived GSCs. CONCLUSION: These results provide the first characterization of SBNO1 and SBNO2 expression in glioma tissue, and indicate SBNO2 as highly expressed in GBM.

Patient-derived organoids and orthotopic xenografts of primary and recurrent gliomas represent relevant patient avatars for precision oncology.

Patient-based cancer models are essential tools for studying tumor biology and for the assessment of drug responses in a translational context. We report the establishment a large cohort of unique organoids and patient-derived orthotopic xenografts (PDOX) of various glioma subtypes, including gliomas with mutations in IDH1, and paired longitudinal PDOX from primary and recurrent tumors of the same patient. We show that glioma PDOXs enable long-term propagation of patient tumors and represent clinically relevant patient avatars that retain histopathological, genetic, epigenetic, and transcriptomic features of parental tumors. We find no evidence of mouse-specific clonal evolution in glioma PDOXs. Our cohort captures individual molecular genotypes for precision medicine including mutations in IDH1, ATRX, TP53, MDM2/4, amplification of EGFR, PDGFRA, MET, CDK4/6, MDM2/4, and deletion of CDKN2A/B, PTCH, and PTEN. Matched longitudinal PDOX recapitulate the limited genetic evolution of gliomas observed in patients following treatment. At the histological level, we observe increased vascularization in the rat host as compared to mice. PDOX-derived standardized glioma organoids are amenable to high-throughput drug screens that can be validated in mice. We show clinically relevant responses to temozolomide (TMZ) and to targeted treatments, such as EGFR and CDK4/6 inhibitors in (epi)genetically defined subgroups, according to MGMT promoter and EGFR/CDK status, respectively. Dianhydrogalactitol (VAL-083), a promising bifunctional alkylating agent in the current clinical trial, displayed high therapeutic efficacy, and was able to overcome TMZ resistance in glioblastoma. Our work underscores the clinical relevance of glioma organoids and PDOX models for translational research and personalized treatment studies and represents a unique publicly available resource for precision oncology.

Harnessing LRIG1-mediated inhibition of receptor tyrosine kinases for cancer therapy.

Leucine-rich repeats and immunoglobulin-like domains containing protein 1 (LRIG1) is an endogenous feedback regulator of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and was recently shown to inhibit growth of different types of malignancies. Additionally, this multifaceted RTK inhibitor was reported to be a tumor suppressor, a stem cell regulator, and a modulator of different cellular phenotypes. This mini-review provides a concise and up-to-date summary about the known functions of LRIG1 and its related family members, with a special emphasis on underlying molecular mechanisms and the opportunities for harnessing its therapeutic potential against cancer.

Concise review: Spinal cord injuries: how could adult mesenchymal and neural crest stem cells take up the challenge?

Since several years, adult/perinatal mesenchymal and neural crest stem cells have been widely used to help experimental animal to recover from spinal cord injury. More interestingly, recent clinical trials confirmed the beneficial effect of those stem cells, which improve functional score of patients suffering from such lesions. However, a complete understanding of the mechanisms of stem cell-induced recovery is seriously lacking. Indeed, spinal cord injuries gathered a wide range of biochemical and physiopathological events (such as inflammation, oxidative stress, axonal damage, demyelination, etc.) and the genuine healing process after cell transplantation is not sufficiently defined. This review aims to sum up recent data about cell therapy in spinal cord lesions using mesenchymal or recently identified neural crest stem cells, by describing precisely which physiopathological parameter is affected and the exact processes underlying the observed changes. Overall, although significant advances are acknowledged, it seems that further deep mechanistic investigation is needed for the development of optimized and efficient cell-based therapy protocols.

Neutrophil contribution to spinal cord injury and repair.

Spinal cord injuries remain a critical issue in experimental and clinical research nowadays, and it is now well accepted that the immune response and subsequent inflammatory reactions are of significant importance in regulating the damage/repair balance after injury. The role of macrophages in such nervous system lesions now becomes clearer and their contribution in the wound healing process has been largely described in the last few years. Conversely, the contribution of neutrophils has traditionally been considered as detrimental and unfavorable to proper tissue regeneration, even if there are very few studies available on their precise impact in spinal cord lesions. Indeed, recent data show that neutrophils are required for promoting functional recovery after spinal cord trauma. In this review, we gathered recent evidence concerning the role of neutrophils in spinal cord injuries but also in some other neurological diseases, highlighting the need for further understanding the different mechanisms involved in spinal cord injury and repair.

Preclinical evaluation of CXCR4 peptides for targeted radionuclide therapy in glioblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma (GBM), is the most fatal form of brain cancer, with a high tendency for recurrence despite combined treatments including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy with temozolomide. The C-X-C chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) plays an important role in tumour radioresistance and recurrence, and is considered as an interesting GBM target. TRT holds untapped potential for GBM treatment, with CXCR4-TRT being a promising strategy for recurrent GBM treatment. Our study focuses on the preclinical assessment of different 177Lu-labelled CXCR4-targeting peptides, CTCE-9908, DV1-K-DV3, and POL3026 for GBM treatment and exploring some of the radiobiological mechanisms underlying these therapies. RESULTS: All three DOTA-conjugated peptides could be radiolabelled with 177Lu with > 95% radiochemical yield. Binding studies show high specific binding of [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-POL3026 to U87-CXCR4 + cells, with 42% of the added activity binding to the membrane at 1 nM, and 6.5% internalised into the cells. In the presence of the heterologous CXCR4 blocking agent, AMD11070, membrane binding was reduced by 95%, a result confirmed by quantitative in vitro autoradiography of orthotopic GBM xenograft sections. An activity-dependent decrease in cell viability was observed for [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-DV1-K-DV3 and [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-POL3026, along with a slight increase in the induction of apoptotic markers. Additionally, the expression of γH2AX increased in a time-and activity-dependent manner. Ex vivo biodistribution studies with [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-POL3026 show uptake in the tumour reaching a SUV of 1.9 at 24 h post-injection, with higher uptake in the kidneys, lungs, spleen, and liver. Dosimetry estimations show an absorbed dose of 0.93 Gy/MBq in the tumour. A blocking study with AMD11070 showed a 38% reduction in tumour uptake, with no significant reduction observed in µSPECT imaging. Although no brain uptake was observed in the ex vivo biodistribution study, autoradiography on U87-CXCR4 + tumour inoculated mouse brain slices shows non-specific binding in the brain, next to high specific binding to the tumour. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, we compared different 177Lu-radiolabelled CXCR4-targeting peptides for their binding potential in GBM, and demonstrated their varied cytotoxic action against GBM cells in vitro, with POL3026 being the most promising, causing considerable DNA damage. Though the peptide's systemic biodistribution remains to be improved, our data demonstrate the potential of [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-POL3026 for CXCR4-TRT in the context of GBM.

Mesenchymal stem cells and neural crest stem cells from adult bone marrow: characterization of their surprising similarities and differences.

The generation of neuronal cells from stem cells obtained from adult bone marrow is of significant clinical interest in order to design new cell therapy protocols for several neurological disorders. The recent identification in adult bone marrow of stem cells derived from the neural crest stem cells (NCSC) might explain the neuronal phenotypic plasticity shown by bone marrow cells. However, little information is available about the nature of these cells compared to mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), including their similarities and differences. In this paper, using transcriptomic as well as proteomic technologies, we compared NCSC to MSC and stromal nestin-positive cells, all of them isolated from adult bone marrow. We demonstrated that the nestin-positive cell population, which was the first to be described as able to differentiate into functional neurons, was a mixed population of NCSC and MSC. More interestingly, we demonstrated that MSC shared with NCSC the same ability to truly differentiate into Tuj1-positive cells when co-cultivated with paraformaldehyde-fixed cerebellar granule neurons. Altogether, those results suggest that both NCSC and MSC can be considered as important tools for cellular therapies in order to replace neurons in various neurological diseases.

Comprehensive profiling of stem-like features in pediatric glioma cell cultures and their relation to the subventricular zone.

Pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGG) are brain tumors occurring in children and adolescents associated with a dismal prognosis despite existing treatments. Therapeutic failure in both adult and pHGG has been partially imputed to glioma stem cells (GSC), a subset of cancer cells endowed with stem-like cell potential and malignant, invasive, adaptative, and treatment-resistant capabilities. Whereas GSC have largely been portrayed in adult tumors, less information has been provided in pHGG. The aim of our study was to comprehensively document the stem-like capacities of seven in-use pediatric glioma cell cultures (Res259, UW479, SF188, KNS42, SF8628, HJSD-DIPG-007 and HJSD-DIPG-012) using parallel in vitro assays assessing stem cell-related protein expression, multipotency, self-renewal and proliferation/quiescence, and in vivo investigation of their tumorigenicity and invasiveness. Data obtained from in vitro experiments revealed glioma subtype-dependent expression of stem cell-related markers and varying abilities for differentiation, self-renewal, and proliferation/quiescence. Among tested cultures, DMG H3-K27 altered cultures displayed a particular pattern of stem-like markers expression and a higher fraction of cells with self-renewal potential. Four cultures displaying distinctive stem-like profiles were further tested for their ability to initiate tumors and invade the brain tissue in mouse orthotopic xenografts. The selected cell cultures all showed a great tumor formation capacity, but only DMG H3-K27 altered cells demonstrated a highly infiltrative phenotype. Interestingly, we detected DMG H3-K27 altered cells relocated in the subventricular zone (SVZ), which has been previously described as a neurogenic area, but also a potential niche for brain tumor cells. Finally, we observed an SVZ-induced phenotypic modulation of the glioma cells, as evidenced by their increased proliferation rate. In conclusion, this study recapitulated a systematic stem-like profiling of various pediatric glioma cell cultures and call to a deeper characterization of DMG H3-K27 altered cells nested in the SVZ.

Nanoluciferase-based complementation assays to monitor activation, modulation and signaling of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs).

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are transmembrane receptors activated by a wide diversity of growth factors, cytokines or hormones. They ensure multiple roles in cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation and survival. They are also crucial drivers of development and progression of multiple cancer types, and represent important drug targets. Generally, ligand binding induces dimerization of RTK monomers, which induces auto-/transphosphorylation of tyrosine residues on the intracellular tails leading to the recruitment of adaptor proteins and modifying enzymes to promote and modulate various downstream signaling pathways. This chapter details easy, rapid, sensitive and versatile methods based on split Nanoluciferase complementation technology (NanoBiT) to monitor activation and modulation of two models of RTKs (EGFR and AXL) through the measurement of their dimerization and the recruitment of the adaptor protein Grb2 (SH2 domain-containing growth factor receptor-bound protein 2) and the receptor-modifying enzyme, the ubiquitin ligase Cbl.

Adult bone marrow: which stem cells for cellular therapy protocols in neurodegenerative disorders?

The generation of neuronal cells from stem cells obtained from adult bone marrow is of significant clinical interest in order to design new cell therapy protocols for several neurological disorders. The recent identification in adult bone marrow of stem cells derived from the neural crests (NCSCs) might explain the neuronal phenotypic plasticity shown by bone marrow cells. However, little information is available about the nature of these cells compared to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In this paper, we will review all information available concerning NCSC from adult tissues and their possible use in regenerative medicine. Moreover, as multiple recent studies showed the beneficial effect of bone marrow stromal cells in neurodegenerative diseases, we will discuss which stem cells isolated from adult bone marrow should be more suitable for cell replacement therapy.

Glioma Stem Cells in Pediatric High-Grade Gliomas: From Current Knowledge to Future Perspectives.

In children, high-grade gliomas (HGG) and diffuse midline gliomas (DMG) account for a high proportion of death due to cancer. Glioma stem cells (GSCs) are tumor cells in a specific state defined by a tumor-initiating capacity following serial transplantation, self-renewal, and an ability to recapitulate tumor heterogeneity. Their presence was demonstrated several decades ago in adult glioblastoma (GBM), and more recently in pediatric HGG and DMG. In adults, we and others have previously suggested that GSCs nest into the subventricular zone (SVZ), a neurogenic niche, where, among others, they find shelter from therapy. Both bench and bedside evidence strongly indicate a role for the GSCs and the SVZ in GBM progression, fostering the development of innovative targeting treatments. Such new therapeutic approaches are of particular interest in infants, in whom standard therapies are often limited due to the risk of late effects. The aim of this review is to describe current knowledge about GSCs in pediatric HGG and DMG, i.e., their characterization, the models that apply to their development and maintenance, the specific signaling pathways that may underlie their activity, and their specific interactions with neurogenic niches. Finally, we will discuss the clinical relevance of these observations and the therapeutic advantages of targeting the SVZ and/or the GSCs in infants.

Nanobody-based retargeting of an oncolytic herpesvirus for eliminating CXCR4+ GBM cells: A proof of principle.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain tumor in adults, which remains difficult to cure. The very high recurrence rate has been partly attributed to the presence of GBM stem-like cells (GSCs) within the tumors, which have been associated with elevated chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) expression. CXCR4 is frequently overexpressed in cancer tissues, including GBM, and usually correlates with a poor prognosis. We have created a CXCR4-retargeted oncolytic herpesvirus (oHSV) by insertion of an anti-human CXCR4 nanobody in glycoprotein D of an attenuated HSV-1 (ΔICP34.5, ΔICP6, and ΔICP47), thereby describing a proof of principle for the use of nanobodies to target oHSVs toward specific cellular entities. Moreover, this virus has been armed with a transgene expressing a soluble form of TRAIL to trigger apoptosis. In vitro, this oHSV infects U87MG CXCR4+ and patient-derived GSCs in a CXCR4-dependent manner and, when armed, triggers apoptosis. In a U87MG CXCR4+ orthotopic xenograft mouse model, this oHSV slows down tumor growth and significantly improves mice survival. Customizing oHSVs with diverse nanobodies for targeting multiple proteins appears as an interesting approach for tackling the heterogeneity of GBM, especially GSCs. Altogether, our study must be considered as a proof of principle and a first step toward personalized GBM virotherapies to complement current treatments.

Correction: In Vivo Tumorigenesis Was Observed after Injection of In Vitro Expanded Neural Crest Stem Cells Isolated from Adult Bone Marrow.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0046425.].

Correction: Human bone marrow harbors cells with neural crest-associated characteristics like human adipose and dermis tissues.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177962.].

Patient-Oriented Perspective on Chemokine Receptor Expression and Function in Glioma.

Gliomas are severe brain malignancies, with glioblastoma (GBM) being the most aggressive one. Despite continuous efforts for improvement of existing therapies, overall survival remains poor. Over the last years, the implication of chemokines and their receptors in GBM development and progression has become more evident. Recently, large amounts of clinical data have been made available, prompting us to investigate chemokine receptors in GBM from a still-unexplored patient-oriented perspective. This study aims to highlight and discuss the involvement of chemokine receptors-CCR1, CCR5, CCR6, CCR10, CX3CR1, CXCR2, CXCR4, ACKR1, ACKR2, and ACKR3-most abundantly expressed in glioma patients based on the analysis of publicly available clinical datasets. Given the strong intratumoral heterogeneity characterizing gliomas and especially GBM, receptor expression was investigated by glioma molecular groups, by brain region distribution, emphasizing tissue-specific receptor functions, and by cell type enrichment. Our study constitutes a clinically relevant and patient-oriented guide that recapitulates the expression profile and the complex roles of chemokine receptors within the highly diversified glioma landscape. Additionally, it strengthens the importance of patient-derived material for development and precise amelioration of chemokine receptor-targeting therapies.

A Composite Sketch of Fast-Spiking Parvalbumin-Positive Neurons.

Parvalbumin-positive neurons are inhibitory neurons that release GABA and are mostly represented by fast-spiking basket or chandelier cells. They constitute a minor neuronal population, yet their peculiar profiles allow them to react quickly to any event in the brain under normal or pathological conditions. In this review, we will summarize the current knowledge about the fundamentals of fast-spiking parvalbumin-positive neurons, focusing on their morphology and specific channel/protein content. Next, we will explore their development, maturation, and migration in the brain. Finally, we will unravel their potential contribution to the physiopathology of epilepsy.

AN1-type zinc finger protein 3 (ZFAND3) is a transcriptional regulator that drives Glioblastoma invasion.

The infiltrative nature of Glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive primary brain tumor, critically prevents complete surgical resection and masks tumor cells behind the blood brain barrier reducing the efficacy of systemic treatment. Here, we use a genome-wide interference screen to determine invasion-essential genes and identify the AN1/A20 zinc finger domain containing protein 3 (ZFAND3) as a crucial driver of GBM invasion. Using patient-derived cellular models, we show that loss of ZFAND3 hampers the invasive capacity of GBM, whereas ZFAND3 overexpression increases motility in cells that were initially not invasive. At the mechanistic level, we find that ZFAND3 activity requires nuclear localization and integral zinc-finger domains. Our findings indicate that ZFAND3 acts within a nuclear protein complex to activate gene transcription and regulates the promoter of invasion-related genes such as COL6A2, FN1, and NRCAM. Further investigation in ZFAND3 function in GBM and other invasive cancers is warranted.

The soluble form of pan-RTK inhibitor and tumor suppressor LRIG1 mediates downregulation of AXL through direct protein-protein interaction in glioblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Targeted approaches for inhibiting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and other receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) in glioblastoma (GBM) have led to therapeutic resistance and little clinical benefit, raising the need for the development of alternative strategies. Endogenous LRIG1 (Leucine-rich Repeats and ImmunoGlobulin-like domains protein 1) is an RTK inhibitory protein required for stem cell maintenance, and we previously demonstrated the soluble ectodomain of LRIG1 (sLRIG1) to potently inhibit GBM growth in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: Here, we generated a recombinant protein of the ectodomain of LRIG1 (sLRIG1) and determined its activity in various cellular GBM models including patient-derived stem-like cells and patient organoids. We used proliferation, adhesion, and invasion assays, and performed gene and protein expression studies. Proximity ligation assay and NanoBiT complementation technology were applied to assess protein-protein interactions. RESULTS: We show that recombinant sLRIG1 downregulates EGFRvIII but not EGFR, and reduces proliferation in GBM cells, irrespective of their EGFR expression status. We find that sLRIG1 targets and downregulates a wide range of RTKs, including AXL, and alters GBM cell adhesion. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that LRIG1 interferes with AXL but not with EGFR dimerization. CONCLUSIONS: These results identify AXL as a novel sLRIG1 target and show that LRIG1-mediated RTK downregulation depends on direct protein interaction. The pan-RTK inhibitory activity of sLRIG1 warrants further investigation for new GBM treatment approaches.

Human bone marrow harbors cells with neural crest-associated characteristics like human adipose and dermis tissues.

Adult neural crest stem-derived cells (NCSC) are of extraordinary high plasticity and promising candidates for use in regenerative medicine. Several locations such as skin, adipose tissue, dental pulp or bone marrow have been described in rodent, as sources of NCSC. However, very little information is available concerning their correspondence in human tissues, and more precisely for human bone marrow. The main objective of this study was therefore to characterize NCSC from adult human bone marrow. In this purpose, we compared human bone marrow stromal cells to human adipose tissue and dermis, already described for containing NCSC. We performed comparative analyses in terms of gene and protein expression as well as functional characterizations. It appeared that human bone marrow, similarly to adipose tissue and dermis, contains NESTIN+ / SOX9+ / TWIST+ / SLUG+ / P75NTR+ / BRN3A+/ MSI1+/ SNAIL1+ cells and were able to differentiate into melanocytes, Schwann cells and neurons. Moreover, when injected into chicken embryos, all those cells were able to migrate and follow endogenous neural crest migration pathways. Altogether, the phenotypic characterization and migration abilities strongly suggest the presence of neural crest-derived cells in human adult bone marrow.