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This "Best Practices in User Consultation" article is the result of a 2022 International Society for the Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC) membership survey that collected valuable insights from the shared research laboratory (SRL) community and of a group discussion at the CYTO 2022 workshop of the same name. One key takeaway is the importance of initiating a consultation at the outset of a flow cytometry project, particularly for trainees. This approach enables the improvement and standardization of every step, from planning experiments to interpreting data. This proactive approach effectively mitigates experimental bias and avoids superfluous trial and error, thereby conserving valuable time and resources. In addition to guidelines, the optimal approaches for user consultation specify communication channels, methods, and critical information, thereby establishing a structure for productive correspondence between SRL and users. This framework functions as an exemplar for establishing robust and autonomous collaborative relationships. User consultation adds value by providing researchers with the necessary information to conduct reproducible flow cytometry experiments that adhere to scientific rigor. By following the steps, instructions, and strategies outlined in these best practices, an SRL can readily tailor them to its own setting, establishing a personalized workflow and formalizing user consultation services. This article provides a pragmatic guide for improving the caliber and efficacy of flow cytometry research and aggregates the flow cytometry SRL community's collective knowledge regarding user consultation.
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Ovarian cancer ranks among the most severe forms of cancer affecting the female reproductive organs, posing a significant clinical challenge primarily due to the development of resistance to conventional therapies. This study investigated the effects of the chalcone derivative 1C on sensitive (A2780) and cisplatin-resistant (A2780cis) ovarian cancer cell lines. Our findings revealed that 1C suppressed cell viability, induced cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, and triggered apoptosis in both cell lines. These effects are closely associated with generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). Mechanistically, 1C induced DNA damage, modulated the activity of p21, PCNA, and phosphorylation of Rb and Bad proteins, as well as cleaved PARP. Moreover, it modulated Akt, Erk1/2, and NF-κB signaling pathways. Interestingly, we observed differential effects of 1C on Nrf2 levels between sensitive and resistant cells. While 1C increased Nrf2 levels in sensitive cells after 12 h and decreased them after 48 h, the opposite effect was observed in resistant cells. Notably, most of these effects were suppressed by the potent antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC), underscoring the crucial role of ROS in 1C-induced antiproliferative activity. Moreover, we suggest that modulation of Nrf2 levels can, at least partially, contribute to the antiproliferative effect of chalcone 1C.
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Apoptose , Chalconas , Resistencia a Medicamentos Antineoplásicos , Pontos de Checagem da Fase G2 do Ciclo Celular , Neoplasias Ovarianas , Espécies Reativas de Oxigênio , Humanos , Espécies Reativas de Oxigênio/metabolismo , Feminino , Apoptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Neoplasias Ovarianas/metabolismo , Neoplasias Ovarianas/patologia , Neoplasias Ovarianas/tratamento farmacológico , Resistencia a Medicamentos Antineoplásicos/efeitos dos fármacos , Pontos de Checagem da Fase G2 do Ciclo Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Chalconas/farmacologia , Antineoplásicos/farmacologia , Chalcona/farmacologia , Chalcona/análogos & derivados , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Sobrevivência Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , Dano ao DNA/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
A biosafety plan is essential to establish appropriate practices for biosafety in a shared resource laboratory (SRL). A biosafety plan will contain the essential information for the use of biological samples on specific instrumentation, their apparent risks, and the steps that should be taken to mitigate these risks. Establishment of a biosafety plan can be a daunting task as the variety of pathogens that come through the SRL is highly diverse and may change over time; however, having a plan that can adapt to this variety will provide a framework for addressing concerns and educating personnel and users on biosafety practices. Using resources available at your institution and developing a robust relationship with health and safety personnel at your institution is key to generating an effective biosafety plan. Here we provide a basic underlying structure for a biosafety plan to aid SRL personnel in generating or maintaining their biosafety procedures, and provide guidance for establishing a dynamic, living biosafety plan.
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Contenção de Riscos Biológicos , Pessoal de Laboratório , Citometria de Fluxo , Humanos , LaboratóriosRESUMO
Biosafety has always been an important aspect of daily work in any research institution, particularly for cytometry Shared Resources Laboratories (SRLs). SRLs are common-use spaces that facilitate the sharing of knowledge, expertise, and ideas. This sharing inescapably involves contact and interaction of all those within this working environment on a daily basis. The current pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has prompted the re-evaluation of many policies governing the operations of SRLs. Here we identify and review the unique challenges SRLs face in maintaining biosafety standards, highlighting the potential risks associated with not only cytometry instrumentation and samples, but also the people working with them. We propose possible solutions to safety issues raised by the COVID-19 pandemic and provide tools for facilities to adapt to evolving guidelines and future challenges.
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COVID-19/epidemiologia , Contenção de Riscos Biológicos/tendências , Laboratórios/tendências , COVID-19/prevenção & controle , COVID-19/transmissão , Contenção de Riscos Biológicos/normas , Citometria de Fluxo , Humanos , Laboratórios/normas , Medição de Risco/normas , Medição de Risco/tendênciasRESUMO
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on training and Shared Resource Laboratory (SRL) operations such as staffing, facility access, and social distancing, has affected facilities around the globe to different degrees based on restrictions set by various geographical and institutional settings. With these restrictions come unique challenges regarding user and staff training and education, for both theory and practice. Most notably, limitations in facility access, occupancy, staffing availability, network restrictions and trainee engagement call for innovative solutions for training when traditional in-person options are not feasible. Through the use of remote access tools and prerecorded educational and training materials, SRLs are able to overcome these obstacles. Here, we focus on readily available technologies and general guidelines that SRLs in different environments can use for remote cytometry training and education, while highlighting key obstacles that still remain. Although SRLs may face initial struggles in transitioning trainings to a virtual format, remote technologies provide unique opportunities to advance current training programs. © 2020 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.
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COVID-19/prevenção & controle , Laboratórios/tendências , Admissão e Escalonamento de Pessoal/tendências , Distanciamento Físico , Ensino/tendências , Teletrabalho/tendências , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Humanos , Pandemias/prevenção & controle , Fluxo de TrabalhoRESUMO
The NAD+-dependent deacetylase SIRT1 can be oncogenic or tumor suppressive depending on the tissue. Little is known about the role of SIRT1 in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), one of the deadliest cancers, that is frequently associated with mutated K-RAS Therefore, we investigated the effect of SIRT1 on K-RAS-driven lung carcinogenesis. We report that SIRT1 protein levels are downregulated by oncogenic K-RAS in a MEK and PI3K-dependent manner in mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs), and in human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. Furthermore, Sirt1 overexpression in mice delays the appearance of K-RasG12V-driven lung adenocarcinomas, reducing the number and size of carcinomas at the time of death and extending survival. Consistently, lower levels of SIRT1 are associated with worse prognosis in human NSCLCs. Mechanistically, analysis of mouse Sirt1-Tg pneumocytes, isolated shortly after K-RasG12V activation, reveals that Sirt1 overexpression alters pathways involved in tumor development: proliferation, apoptosis, or extracellular matrix organization. Our work demonstrates a tumor suppressive role of SIRT1 in the development of K-RAS-driven lung adenocarcinomas in mice and humans, suggesting that the SIRT1-K-RAS axis could be a therapeutic target for NSCLCs.
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Adenocarcinoma de Pulmão/metabolismo , Carcinogênese/metabolismo , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/metabolismo , Neoplasias Pulmonares/metabolismo , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas p21(ras)/metabolismo , Sirtuína 1/metabolismo , Adenocarcinoma de Pulmão/tratamento farmacológico , Adenocarcinoma de Pulmão/patologia , Células Epiteliais Alveolares , Animais , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/tratamento farmacológico , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/patologia , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Células Cultivadas , Regulação para Baixo , Fibroblastos/metabolismo , Humanos , Neoplasias Pulmonares/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias Pulmonares/patologia , Camundongos , Proteínas Quinases Ativadas por Mitógeno/metabolismo , Terapia de Alvo Molecular , Mutação , Fosfatidilinositol 3-Quinases/metabolismo , Intervalo Livre de Progressão , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas p21(ras)/genéticaRESUMO
Flow cytometry is a powerful multiparametric technology, widely used for the identification, quantification, and isolation of defined populations of cells based on the expression of target proteins. It also allows for the use of surrogate reporters, either enzymatic or fluorescent, to indirectly monitor the expression of these target proteins. In this work, we optimised the dissociation protocol for the detection of the enzymatic reporter LacZ using the FACS-Gal detection system with the fluorogenic substrate FDG to compare cis- versus trans-positioned reporters efficiency. Particularly, for the FACS-Gal optimization, we studied lung and haematopoietic tissues, focusing on cell recovery, viability, FDG loading conditions and distribution of cellular populations. Reporter genes such as LacZ can be placed together with the gene of interest in the same polycistronic mRNA (in cis), or in independent alleles (in trans), which can strongly affect the correlation with the reporter readout. To address this issue, we generated a mouse model containing both types of reporters for the same gene, and compared them. Our results clearly indicate that trans-positioned reporters can be misleading, and that using a reporter gene in cis rather than trans is a much more specific method to sort for cells undergoing Cre-mediated recombination. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.
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Citometria de Fluxo , Expressão Gênica/fisiologia , Genes Reporter/fisiologia , Animais , Citometria de Fluxo/métodos , Corantes Fluorescentes/metabolismo , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Transgênicos , Proteínas Supressoras da Sinalização de Citocina/análiseRESUMO
Sorting performance can be evaluated with regard to Purity, Yield and/or Recovery of the sorted fraction. Purity is a check on the quality of the sample and the sort decisions made by the instrument. Recovery and Yield definitions vary with some authors regarding both as how efficient the instrument is at sorting the target particles from the original sample, others distinguishing Recovery from Yield, where the former is used to describe the accuracy of the instrument's sort count. Yield and Recovery are often neglected, mostly due to difficulties in their measurement. Purity of the sort product is often cited alone but is not sufficient to evaluate sorting performance. All of these three performance metrics require re-sampling of the sorted fraction. But, unlike Purity, calculating Yield and/or Recovery calls for the absolute counting of particles in the sorted fraction, which may not be feasible, particularly when dealing with rare populations and precious samples. In addition, the counting process itself involves large errors. Here we describe a new metric for evaluating instrument sort Recovery, defined as the number of particles sorted relative to the number of original particles to be sorted. This calculation requires only measuring the ratios of target and non-target populations in the original pre-sort sample and in the waste stream or center stream catch (CSC), avoiding re-sampling the sorted fraction and absolute counting. We called this new metric Rmax, since it corresponds to the maximum expected Recovery for a particular set of instrument parameters. Rmax is ideal to evaluate and troubleshoot the optimum drop-charge delay of the sorter, or any instrument related failures that will affect sort performance. It can be used as a daily quality control check but can be particularly useful to assess instrument performance before single-cell sorting experiments. Because we do not perturb the sort fraction we can calculate Rmax during the sort process, being especially valuable to check instrument performance during rare population sorts.
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Separação Celular/normas , Citometria de Fluxo/normas , Separação Celular/estatística & dados numéricos , Citometria de Fluxo/estatística & dados numéricos , Controle de QualidadeRESUMO
Beauvericin (BEA), Enniatin B (ENN B), and Ochratoxin A (OTA) are mycotoxins produced by fungi species. Their main effect on several organs and systems is associated with chronic exposure going from immunotoxicity, estrogenic disorders, and renal failure to cancer (in animals and humans). OTA belongs to Group 1 according to the International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC) and it has legislated limited values; not happening for BEA nor ENN B. Exposure to mixtures of mycotoxins occurs through food intake in daily consumption. The aim of this study was to evaluate the implication of BEA, ENN B, and OTA individually and combined in producing cytotoxicity in cells for immunological studies and cancer cell lines (human leukemia cells (HL-60), fresh human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and human breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) cells). Cells were treated for 4 h and 24 h at different concentrations of BEA, ENN B, and OTA, respectively. Viability assays were carried out by flow cytometry using DAPI (4',6-diamindino-2-phenylindole, dihydrochloride) as a viability dye and the potential effects of synergism, addition, and antagonism were assessed through the Chou and Talalay method. Individual OTA treatment exerted the greatest cytotoxicity for PBMC cells (IC50 0.5 µM) while ENN B for HL-60 (IC50 0.25 µM) and MDA-MB-231 (IC50 0.15 µM). In binary combination [ENN B + OTA] resulted in exerting the greatest cytotoxicity for HL-60 and MDA-MB-231 cells; while [BEA + OTA] in PBMC cells. The triple combination resulted in being highly cytotoxic for PBMC cells compared to HL-60 and MDA-MB-231 cells. In summary, PBMC cells were the most sensible cells for all three mycotoxins and the presence of OTA in any of the combinations had the greatest toxicity causing synergism as the most common cytotoxic effect.
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Neoplasias da Mama , Sobrevivência Celular , Depsipeptídeos , Leucócitos Mononucleares , Ocratoxinas , Humanos , Depsipeptídeos/toxicidade , Ocratoxinas/toxicidade , Leucócitos Mononucleares/efeitos dos fármacos , Sobrevivência Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Neoplasias da Mama/tratamento farmacológico , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Feminino , Leucemia/tratamento farmacológicoRESUMO
Cell sorting performance can be evaluated in regard to the purity and recovery of the sorted fractions. The purity provides checks on sample quality, acquisition settings, gating strategy, and the sort decisions made by the instrument, but alone it is not sufficient to evaluate sorting performance. Recovery, defined here as the number of target particles sorted relative to the number of original target particles to be sorted, is a key metric of sort fitness and performance but is often neglected due to difficulties in its measurement. Both purity and recovery require re-sampling of the sorted fraction, but unlike determining purity, calculating recovery calls for the absolute counting of particles in the sorted fraction that comes with large errors, and may not be feasible for rare populations or precious samples. Here, we describe a recently developed metric and method for calculating sort recovery called Rmax, representing the maximum expected recovery for a particular set of instrument settings. Rmax calculation avoids re-sampling of the total sorted fraction and absolute counting, being instead based on the ratios of target and non-target populations in the original pre-sort sample and in the waste stream or center stream catch. The Rmax method is ideal to evaluate and troubleshoot the optimum drop-charge delay of the sorter or any instrument-related failures that will affect sort performance. It can be used as a daily quality control check but can be particularly useful to assess instrument fitness before single-cell or rare population sorts. Because the sorted fraction is not perturbed, we can calculate Rmax during the sort run. © 2024 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Evaluating sorter setup with Rmax Basic Protocol 2: Finding the maximum Rmax: scanning over the drop charge delay Alternate Protocol: Finding the maximum Rmax for cells: scanning over the drop charge delay Basic Protocol 3: Estimating sorted cell number with Rmax.
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Citometria de Fluxo , Citometria de Fluxo/métodos , Separação Celular/métodos , Movimento Celular , Contagem de Células , Controle de QualidadeRESUMO
KRASG12C inhibitors have revolutionized the clinical management of patients with KRASG12C-mutant lung adenocarcinoma. However, patient exposure to these inhibitors leads to the rapid onset of resistance. In this study, we have used genetically engineered mice to compare the therapeutic efficacy and the emergence of tumor resistance between genetic ablation of mutant Kras expression and pharmacological inhibition of oncogenic KRAS activity. Whereas Kras ablation induces massive tumor regression and prevents the appearance of resistant cells in vivo, treatment of KrasG12C/Trp53-driven lung adenocarcinomas with sotorasib, a selective KRASG12C inhibitor, caused a limited antitumor response similar to that observed in the clinic, including the rapid onset of resistance. Unlike in human tumors, we did not observe mutations in components of the RAS-signaling pathways. Instead, sotorasib-resistant tumors displayed amplification of the mutant Kras allele and activation of xenobiotic metabolism pathways, suggesting that reduction of the on-target activity of KRASG12C inhibitors is the main mechanism responsible for the onset of resistance. In sum, our results suggest that resistance to KRAS inhibitors could be prevented by achieving a more robust inhibition of KRAS signaling mimicking the results obtained upon Kras ablation.
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Adenocarcinoma de Pulmão , Neoplasias Pulmonares , Animais , Camundongos , Adenocarcinoma de Pulmão/patologia , Neoplasias Pulmonares/patologia , Mutação , Oncogenes , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas p21(ras)/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas p21(ras)/metabolismo , Transdução de SinaisRESUMO
Lung cancer is still the leading cause of death by cancer worldwide despite advances both in its detection and therapy. Multiple oncogenic driver alterations have been discovered, opening the prospective for new potential therapeutic targets. Among them, KRAS mutations represent the most frequent oncogene aberrations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with a negative prognostic impact, but effective therapies targeting KRAS are not well characterized yet. Here, we demonstrate that the microRNA miR-34c-3p is a positive prognostic factor in KRAS-mutated NSCLC patients. Firstly, looking at the TGCA dataset, we found that high miR-34c-3p expression correlated with longer survival of KRAS-mutated NSCLC patients. In vitro assays on immortalized and patient-derived primary NSCLC cells revealed that miR-34c-3p overexpression increased apoptosis and lowered proliferation rate in KRASmut cells. Computational analysis and in vitro assays identified CDK1, one of the most promising lethal targets for KRAS-mutant cancer, as a target of miR-34c-3p. Moreover, the combination of CDK1 inhibition (mediated by RO3306) and miR-34c-3p overexpression resulted in an additive effect on the viability of KRASmut-expressing cells. Altogether, our findings demonstrate that miR-34c-3p is a novel biomarker that may allow tailored treatment for KRAS-mutated NSCLC patients.
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Proteína Quinase CDC2/metabolismo , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/patologia , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , MicroRNAs/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas p21(ras)/genética , Mutações Sintéticas Letais , Adenocarcinoma de Pulmão/genética , Adenocarcinoma de Pulmão/metabolismo , Adenocarcinoma de Pulmão/patologia , Apoptose , Proteína Quinase CDC2/genética , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/genética , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/metabolismo , Movimento Celular , Proliferação de Células , Humanos , Neoplasias Pulmonares/genética , Neoplasias Pulmonares/metabolismo , Neoplasias Pulmonares/patologia , Prognóstico , Estudos Prospectivos , Taxa de Sobrevida , Células Tumorais CultivadasRESUMO
Secreted extracellular vesicles (EVs) influence the tumor microenvironment and promote distal metastasis. Here, we analyzed the involvement of melanoma-secreted EVs in lymph node pre-metastatic niche formation in murine models. We found that small EVs (sEVs) derived from metastatic melanoma cell lines were enriched in nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR, p75NTR), spread through the lymphatic system and were taken up by lymphatic endothelial cells, reinforcing lymph node metastasis. Remarkably, sEVs enhanced lymphangiogenesis and tumor cell adhesion by inducing ERK kinase, nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation and intracellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 expression in lymphatic endothelial cells. Importantly, ablation or inhibition of NGFR in sEVs reversed the lymphangiogenic phenotype, decreased lymph node metastasis and extended survival in pre-clinical models. Furthermore, NGFR expression was augmented in human lymph node metastases relative to that in matched primary tumors, and the frequency of NGFR+ metastatic melanoma cells in lymph nodes correlated with patient survival. In summary, we found that NGFR is secreted in melanoma-derived sEVs, reinforcing lymph node pre-metastatic niche formation and metastasis.
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Vesículas Extracelulares , Melanoma , Animais , Células Endoteliais/metabolismo , Vesículas Extracelulares/metabolismo , Humanos , Linfangiogênese/fisiologia , Metástase Linfática , Melanoma/metabolismo , Camundongos , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso , Receptores de Fator de Crescimento Neural/genética , Microambiente TumoralRESUMO
An open question in aggressive cancers such as melanoma is how malignant cells can shift the immune system to pro-tumorigenic functions. Here we identify midkine (MDK) as a melanoma-secreted driver of an inflamed, but immune evasive, microenvironment that defines poor patient prognosis and resistance to immune checkpoint blockade. Mechanistically, MDK was found to control the transcriptome of melanoma cells, allowing for coordinated activation of nuclear factor-κB and downregulation of interferon-associated pathways. The resulting MDK-modulated secretome educated macrophages towards tolerant phenotypes that promoted CD8+ T cell dysfunction. In contrast, genetic targeting of MDK sensitized melanoma cells to anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 treatment. Emphasizing the translational relevance of these findings, the expression profile of MDK-depleted tumors was enriched in key indicators of a good response to immune checkpoint blockers in independent patient cohorts. Together, these data reveal that MDK acts as an internal modulator of autocrine and paracrine signals that maintain immune suppression in aggressive melanomas.
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Carcinogênese/efeitos dos fármacos , Melanoma Experimental/terapia , Midkina/genética , Microambiente Tumoral/genética , Animais , Antígeno B7-H1/antagonistas & inibidores , Antígeno B7-H1/genética , Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos/efeitos dos fármacos , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica/genética , Terapia Genética , Humanos , Melanoma Experimental/genética , Melanoma Experimental/patologia , Camundongos , Midkina/farmacologia , NF-kappa B/genética , Receptor de Morte Celular Programada 1/antagonistas & inibidores , Receptor de Morte Celular Programada 1/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/farmacologia , Transcriptoma/genéticaRESUMO
MASTL, a Ser/Thr kinase that inhibits PP2A-B55 complexes during mitosis, is mutated in autosomal dominant thrombocytopenia. However, the connections between the cell-cycle machinery and this human disease remain unexplored. We report here that, whereas Mastl ablation in megakaryocytes prevented proper maturation of these cells, mice carrying the thrombocytopenia-associated mutation developed thrombocytopenia as a consequence of aberrant activation and survival of platelets. Activation of mutant platelets was characterized by hyperstabilized pseudopods mimicking the effect of PP2A inhibition and actin polymerization defects. These aberrations were accompanied by abnormal hyperphosphorylation of multiple components of the actin cytoskeleton and were rescued both in vitro and in vivo by inhibiting upstream kinases such as PKA, PKC, or AMPK. These data reveal an unexpected role of Mastl in actin cytoskeletal dynamics in postmitotic cells and suggest that the thrombocytopenia-associated mutation in MASTL is a pathogenic dominant mutation that mimics decreased PP2A activity resulting in altered phosphorylation of cytoskeletal regulatory pathways.
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Citoesqueleto de Actina , Plaquetas/enzimologia , Quebra Cromossômica , Transtornos Cromossômicos , Proteínas Associadas aos Microtúbulos , Mutação de Sentido Incorreto , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases , Transdução de Sinais/genética , Trombocitopenia/congênito , Citoesqueleto de Actina/enzimologia , Citoesqueleto de Actina/genética , Substituição de Aminoácidos , Animais , Plaquetas/patologia , Transtornos Cromossômicos/enzimologia , Transtornos Cromossômicos/genética , Transtornos Cromossômicos/patologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Transgênicos , Proteínas Associadas aos Microtúbulos/genética , Proteínas Associadas aos Microtúbulos/metabolismo , Fosforilação , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/genética , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/metabolismo , Trombocitopenia/enzimologia , Trombocitopenia/genética , Trombocitopenia/patologiaRESUMO
In the version of this article originally published, the names of three authors were incorrect. The authors were listed as "Coral Fustero-Torres", "Elena Pineiro" and "Melchor Sánchez-Martínez". Their respective names are "Coral Fustero-Torre", "Elena Piñeiro-Yáñez" and "Melchor Sanchez-Martinez". The errors have been corrected in the print, HTML and PDF versions of this article.
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The brain microenvironment imposes a particularly intense selective pressure on metastasis-initiating cells, but successful metastases bypass this control through mechanisms that are poorly understood. Reactive astrocytes are key components of this microenvironment that confine brain metastasis without infiltrating the lesion. Here, we describe that brain metastatic cells induce and maintain the co-option of a pro-metastatic program driven by signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in a subpopulation of reactive astrocytes surrounding metastatic lesions. These reactive astrocytes benefit metastatic cells by their modulatory effect on the innate and acquired immune system. In patients, active STAT3 in reactive astrocytes correlates with reduced survival from diagnosis of intracranial metastases. Blocking STAT3 signaling in reactive astrocytes reduces experimental brain metastasis from different primary tumor sources, even at advanced stages of colonization. We also show that a safe and orally bioavailable treatment that inhibits STAT3 exhibits significant antitumor effects in patients with advanced systemic disease that included brain metastasis. Responses to this therapy were notable in the central nervous system, where several complete responses were achieved. Given that brain metastasis causes substantial morbidity and mortality, our results identify a novel treatment for increasing survival in patients with secondary brain tumors.
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Astrócitos/patologia , Neoplasias Encefálicas/secundário , Fator de Transcrição STAT3/metabolismo , Animais , Encéfalo/patologia , Neoplasias Encefálicas/patologia , Sobrevivência Celular , Marcação de Genes , Proteína Glial Fibrilar Ácida/metabolismo , Humanos , Imunidade Inata , Camundongos , Fosforilação , Microambiente TumoralRESUMO
Human hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), which arise on a background of chronic liver damage and inflammation, express c-Fos, a component of the AP-1 transcription factor. Using mouse models, we show that hepatocyte-specific deletion of c-Fos protects against diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced HCCs, whereas liver-specific c-Fos expression leads to reversible premalignant hepatocyte transformation and enhanced DEN-carcinogenesis. c-Fos-expressing livers display necrotic foci, immune cell infiltration, and altered hepatocyte morphology. Furthermore, increased proliferation, dedifferentiation, activation of the DNA damage response, and gene signatures of aggressive HCCs are observed. Mechanistically, c-Fos decreases expression and activity of the nuclear receptor LXRα, leading to increased hepatic cholesterol and accumulation of toxic oxysterols and bile acids. The phenotypic consequences of c-Fos expression are partially ameliorated by the anti-inflammatory drug sulindac and largely prevented by statin treatment. An inverse correlation between c-FOS and the LXRα pathway was also observed in human HCC cell lines and datasets. These findings provide a novel link between chronic inflammation and metabolic pathways important in liver cancer.
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Carcinoma Hepatocelular/etiologia , Colesterol/fisiologia , Neoplasias Hepáticas/etiologia , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-fos/fisiologia , Animais , Transformação Celular Neoplásica/efeitos dos fármacos , Dietilnitrosamina/farmacologia , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Proteínas de Drosophila , Fígado/efeitos dos fármacos , Fígado/metabolismo , Camundongos , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-fos/metabolismo , Proteínas RepressorasRESUMO
Understanding the molecular pathogenesis of inflammatory liver disease is essential to design efficient therapeutic approaches. In hepatocytes, the dimeric transcription factor c-JUN/AP-1 is a major mediator of cell survival during hepatitis, although functions for other JUN proteins in liver disease are less defined. Here, we found that JUNB was specifically expressed in human and murine immune cells during acute liver injury. We analyzed the molecular function of JUNB in experimental models of hepatitis, including administration of concanavalin A (ConA) or α-galactosyl-ceramide, which induce liver inflammation and injury. Mice specifically lacking JUNB in hepatocytes displayed a mild increase in ConA-induced liver damage. However, targeted deletion of Junb in immune cells and hepatocytes protected against hepatitis in experimental models that involved NK/NKT cells. The absence of JUNB in immune cells decreased IFN-γ expression and secretion from NK and NKT cells, leading to reduced STAT1 pathway activation. Systemic IFN-γ treatment or adenovirus-based IRF1 delivery to Junb-deficient mice restored hepatotoxicity, and we demonstrate that Ifng is a direct transcriptional target of JUNB. These findings demonstrate that JUNB/AP-1 promotes cell death during acute hepatitis by regulating IFN-γ production in NK and NKT cells and thus functionally antagonizes the hepatoprotective function of c-JUN/AP-1 in hepatocytes.