| 1. |
- Vuong, Lynda, et al.
(författare)
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An orally active galectin-3 antagonist inhibits lung adenocarcinoma growth and augments response to PD-L1 blockade
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cancer Research. - 0008-5472. ; 79:7, s. 1480-1492
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A combination therapy approach is required to improve tumor immune infiltration and patient response to immune checkpoint inhibitors that target negative regulatory receptors. Galectin-3 is a β-galactoside-binding lectin that is highly expressed within the tumor microenvironment of aggressive cancers and whose expression correlates with poor survival particularly in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To examine the role of galectin-3 inhibition in NSCLC, we tested the effects of galectin-3 depletion using genetic and pharmacologic approaches on syngeneic mouse lung adenocarcinoma and human lung adenocarcinoma xenografts. Galectin-3-/- mice developed significantly smaller and fewer tumors and metastases than syngeneic C57/ Bl6 wild-type mice. Macrophage ablation retarded tumor growth, whereas reconstitution with galectin-3-positive bone marrow restored tumor growth in galectin-3-/- mice, indicating that macrophages were a major driver of the antitumor response. Oral administration of a novel small molecule galectin-3 inhibitor GB1107 reduced human and mouse lung adenocarcinoma growth and blocked metastasis in the syngeneic model. Treatment with GB1107 increased tumor M1 macrophage polarization and CD8 + T-cell infiltration. Moreover, GB1107 potentiated the effects of a PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor to increase expression of cytotoxic (IFNγ, granzyme B, perforin-1, Fas ligand) and apoptotic (cleaved caspase-3) effector molecules. In summary, galectin-3 is an important regulator of lung adenocarcinoma progression. The novel galectin-3 inhibitor presented could provide an effective, nontoxic monotherapy or be used in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors to boost immune infiltration and responses in lung adenocarcinoma and potentially other aggressive cancers. Significance: A novel and orally active galectin-3 antagonist inhibits lung adenocarcinoma growth and metastasis and augments response to PD-L1 blockade.
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| 2. |
- Yang, Yaohua, et al.
(författare)
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Genetic Data from Nearly 63,000 Women of European Descent Predicts DNA Methylation Biomarkers and Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Risk
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cancer Research. - : AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH. - 0008-5472 .- 1538-7445. ; 79:3, s. 505-517
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- DNA methylation is instrumental for gene regulation. Global changes in the epigenetic landscape have been recognized as a hallmark of cancer. However, the role of DNA methylation in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) remains unclear. In this study, high-density genetic and DNA methylation data in white blood cells from the Framingham Heart Study (N = 1,595) were used to build genetic models to predict DNA methylation levels. These prediction models were then applied to the summary statistics of a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of ovarian cancer including 22,406 EOC cases and 40,941 controls to investigate genetically predicted DNA methylation levels in association with EOC risk. Among 62,938 CpG sites investigated, genetically predicted methylation levels at 89 CpG were significantly associated with EOC risk at a Bonferroni-corrected threshold of P < 7.94 x 10(-7). Of them, 87 were located at GWAS-identified EOC susceptibility regions and two resided in a genomic region not previously reported to be associated with EOC risk. Integrative analyses of genetic, methylation, and gene expression data identified consistent directions of associations across 12 CpG, five genes, and EOC risk, suggesting that methylation at these 12 CpG may influence EOC risk by regulating expression of these five genes, namely MAPT, HOXB3, ABHD8, ARHGAP27, and SKAP1. We identified novel DNA methylation markers associated with EOC risk and propose that methylation at multiple CpG may affect EOC risk via regulation of gene expression. Significance: Identification of novel DNA methylation markers associated with EOC risk suggests that methylation at multiple CpG may affect EOC risk through regulation of gene expression.
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| 3. |
- Atkins, Isabelle, et al.
(författare)
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Transcriptome-Wide Association Study Identifies New Candidate Susceptibility Genes for Glioma
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cancer Research. - : American Association for Cancer Research. - 0008-5472 .- 1538-7445. ; 79:8, s. 2065-2071
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have so far identified 25 loci associated with glioma risk, with most showing specificity for either glioblastoma (GBM) or non-GBM tumors. The majority of these GWAS susceptibility variants reside in noncoding regions and the causal genes underlying the associations are largely unknown. Here we performed a transcriptome-wide association study to search for novel risk loci and candidate causal genes at known GWAS loci using Genotype-Tissue Expression Project (GTEx) data to predict cis-predicted gene expression in relation to GBM and non-GBM risk in conjunction with GWAS summary statistics on 12,488 glioma cases (6,183 GBM and 5,820 non-GBM) and 18,169 controls. Imposing a Bonferroni-corrected significance level of P < 5.69 x 10(-6), candidate novel risk locus for GBM (mean Z = 4.43; P = 5.68 x 10(-6)). GALNT6 resides at least 55 Mb away from any previously identified glioma risk variant, while all other 30 significantly associated genes were located within 1 Mb of known GWAS-identified loci and were not significant after conditioning on the known GWAS-identified variants. These data identify a novel locus (GALNT6 at 12q13.33) and 30 genes at 12 known glioma risk loci associated with glioma risk, providing further insights into glioma tumorigenesis.Significance: This study identifies new genes associated with glioma risk, increasing understanding of how these tumors develop.
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| 4. |
- Credendino, S. C., et al.
(författare)
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A ceRNA Circuitry Involving the Long Noncoding RNA Klhl14-AS, Pax8, and Bcl2 Drives Thyroid Carcinogenesis
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cancer Research. - 0008-5472. ; 79:22, s. 5746-5757
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Klhl14-AS is a long noncoding RNA expressed since early specification of thyroid bud and is the most enriched gene in the mouse thyroid primordium at E10.5. Here, we studied its involvement in thyroid carcinogenesis by analyzing its expression in cancer tissues and different models of neoplastic transformation. Compared with normal thyroid tissue and cells, Klhl14-AS was significantly downregulated in human thyroid carcinoma tissue specimens, particularly the anaplastic histotype, thyroid cancer cell lines, and rodent models of thyroid cancer. Downregulating the expression of Klhl14-AS in normal thyroid cells decreased the expression of thyroid differentiation markers and cell death and increased cell viability. These effects were mediated by the binding of Klhl14-AS to two miRNAs, Mir182-5p and Mir20a-5p, which silenced Pax8 and Bcl2, both essential players of thyroid differentiation. MIR182-5p and MIR20a-5p were upregulated in human thyroid cancer and thyroid cancer experimental models and their effects on Pax8 and Bcl2 were rescued by Klhl14-AS overexpression, confirming Klhl14-AS as a ceRNA for both Pax8 and Bcl2. This work connects deregulation of differentiation with increased proliferation and survival in thyroid neoplastic cells and highlights a novel ceRNA circuitry involving key regulators of thyroid physiology. Significance: This study describes a new ceRNA with potential tumor suppression activity and helps us better understand the regulatory mechanisms during thyroid differentiation and carcinogenesis.
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| 5. |
- Forsberg, Elin, et al.
(författare)
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HER2 CAR-T Cells Eradicate Uveal Melanoma and T-cell Therapy-Resistant Human Melanoma in IL2 Transgenic NOD/SCID IL2 Receptor Knockout Mice
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cancer Research. - 0008-5472. ; 79:5, s. 899-904
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) can transmit signals akin to those from activated T-cell receptors when bound to a cell surface target. CAR-expressing T cells against CD19 can cause curative effects in leukemia and lymphoma and is approved for clinical use. However, no CAR-T therapy is currently approved for use in solid tumors. We hypothesize that the resistance of solid tumors to CAR-T can be overcome by similar means as those used to reactivate tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes (TIL), for example, by cytokines or immune checkpoint blockade. Here we demonstrate that CAR-T cells directed against HER2 can kill uveal and cutaneous melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Curative effects in vivo were only observed in xenografts grown in a NOD/SCID IL2 receptor gamma (NOG) knockout mouse strain transgenic for human IL2. The effect was target-specific, as CRISPR/Cas9-mediated disruption of HER2 in the melanoma cells abrogated the killing effect of the CAR-T cells. The CAR-T cells were also able to kill melanoma cells from patients resistant to adoptive T-cell transfer (ACT) of autologous TILs. Thus, CAR-T therapy represents an option for patients that do not respond to immunotherapy with ACT of TIL or immune checkpoint blockade. In addition, our data highlight the use of IL2 transgenic NOG mice as models to prove efficacy of CAR-T-cell products, possibly even in a personalized manner. Significance: These findings demonstrate that a novel humanized mouse model can help clinical translation of CAR-T cells against uveal and cutaneous melanoma that do not respond to TIL therapy or immune checkpoint blockade.
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| 6. |
- Hermano, Esther, et al.
(författare)
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Heparanase Accelerates Obesity-Associated Breast Cancer Progression
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cancer Research. - 0008-5472 .- 1538-7445. ; 79:20, s. 5342-5354
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Obese women have higher risk of bearing breast tumors that are highly aggressive and resistant to therapies. Tumor-promoting effects of obesity occur locally via adipose inflammation and related alterations to the extracellular matrix (ECM) as well as systemically via circulating metabolic mediators (e.g., free fatty acids, FFA) associated with excess adiposity and implicated in toll-like receptor-mediated activation of macrophages-key cellular players in obesity-related cancer progression. Although the contribution of macrophages to proneoplastic effects of obesity is well documented, the role of ECM components and their enzymatic degradation is less appreciated. We show that heparanase, the sole mammalian endoglucuronidase that cleaves heparan sulfate in ECM, is preferentially expressed in clinical/experimental obesity-associated breast tumors. Heparanase deficiency abolished obesity-accelerated tumor progression in vivo. Heparanase orchestrated a complex molecular program that occurred concurrently in adipose and tumor tissue and sustained the cancer-promoting action of obesity. Heparanase was required for adipose tissue macrophages to produce inflammatory mediators responsible for local induction of aromatase, a rate-limiting enzyme in estrogen biosynthesis. Estrogen upregulated heparanase in hormone-responsive breast tumors. In subsequent stages, elevated levels of heparanase induced acquisition of procancerous phenotype by tumor-associated macrophages, resulting in activation of tumor-promoting signaling and acceleration of breast tumor growth under obese conditions. As techniques to screen for heparanase expression in tumors become available, these findings provide rational and a mechanistic basis for designing antiheparanase approaches to uncouple obesity and breast cancer in a rapidly growing population of obese patients. Significance: This study reveals the role of heparanase in promoting obesity-associated breast cancer and provides a mechanistically informed approach to uncouple obesity and breast cancer in a rapidly growing population of obese patients.
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| 7. |
- Jackson, Sarah S., et al.
(författare)
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Anthropometric Risk Factors for Cancers of the Biliary Tract in the Biliary Tract Cancers Pooling Project
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cancer Research. - : AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH. - 0008-5472 .- 1538-7445. ; 79:15, s. 3973-3982
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biliary tract cancers are rare but highly fatal with poorly understood etiology. Identifying potentially modifiable risk factors for these cancers is essential for prevention. Here we estimated the relationship between adiposity and cancer across the biliary tract, including cancers of the gallbladder (GBC), intrahepatic bile ducts (IHBDC), extrahepatic bile ducts (EHBDC), and the ampulla of Vater (AVC). We pooled data from 27 prospective cohorts with over 2.7 million adults. Adiposity was measured using baseline body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-to-hip, and waist-to-height ratios. HRs and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for sex, education, race, smoking, and alcohol consumption with age as the time metric and the baseline hazard stratified by study. During 37,883,648 person-years of follow-up, 1,343 GBC cases, 1,194 EHBDC cases, 784 IHBDC cases, and 623 AVC cases occurred. For each 5 kg/m(2) increase in BMI, there were risk increases for GBC (HR = 1.27; 95% CI, 1.19-1.36), IHBDC (HR = 1.32; 95% CI, 1.21-1.45), and EHBDC (HR = 1.13; 95% CI, 1.03-1.23), but not AVC (HR = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.88-1.11). Increasing waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and waist-to-height ratio were associated with GBC and IHBDC but not EHBDC or AVC. These results indicate that adult adiposity is associated with an increased risk of biliary tract cancer, particularly GBC and IHBDC. Moreover, they provide evidence for recommending weight maintenance programs to reduce the risk of developing these cancers. Significance: These findings identify a correlation between adiposity and biliary tract cancers, indicating that weight management programs may help minimize the risk of these diseases.
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| 8. |
- Lu, Donghao, et al.
(författare)
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Psychologic Distress Is Associated with Cancer-Specific Mortality among Patients with Cervical Cancer
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cancer Research. - : American Association for Cancer Research Inc.. - 0008-5472 .- 1538-7445. ; 79:15, s. 3965-3972
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Emerging evidence suggests a role of psychologic factors in the progression of different cancer types. However, it is unclear whether psychologic distress around the time of diagnosis of invasive cervical cancer places patients at a higher risk of cancer-specific mortality, independently of tumor characteristics and treatment modalities. We conducted a nationwide cohort study, including 4,245 patients with newly diagnosed cervical cancer during 2002-2011 in Sweden. Psychologic distress was indicated by a clinical diagnosis of depression, anxiety, or stress reaction and adjustment disorders, or the experience of a stressful life event, including death or severe illness of a family member, divorce, or between jobs, from one year before cancer diagnosis and onwards. We calculated the HRs of cancer-specific mortality among the patients exposed to psychologic distress, compared with unexposed patients, controlling for socioeconomic characteristics and other known prognostic indicators such as tumor and treatment characteristics. We found that patients exposed to psychologic distress had an increased risk of cancer-specific mortality (HR 1.33; 95% CI, 1.14-1.54). The association was primarily driven by distress experienced within one year before or after diagnosis (HR 1.30; 95% CI, 1.11-1.52), but not thereafter (HR 1.12; 95% CI, 0.84-1.49). In summary, our study shows that psychiatric disorders and stressful life events around cancer diagnosis are associated with increased cancer-specific mortality among patients with cervical cancer, independent of tumor characteristics and treatment modality.Significance: These findings support the integration of psychologic screening and intervention in the clinical management of patients with cervical cancer, particularly around the time of cancer diagnosis.
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| 9. |
- Nilchian, Azadeh, et al.
(författare)
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CXADR-Mediated Formation of an AKT Inhibitory Signalosome at Tight Junctions Controls Epithelial-Mesenchymal Plasticity in Breast Cancer.
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cancer Research. - : American Association for Cancer Research. - 0008-5472 .- 1538-7445. ; 79:1, s. 47-60
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tight junctions (TJ) act as hubs for intracellular signaling pathways controlling epithelial cell fate and function. Deregulation of TJ is a hallmark of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which contributes to carcinoma progression and metastasis. However, the signaling mechanisms linking TJ to the induction of EMT are not understood. Here we identify a TJ-based signalosome, which controls AKT signaling and EMT in breast cancer. The coxsackie- and adenovirus receptor (CXADR), a TJ protein with an essential yet uncharacterized role in organogenesis and tissue homeostasis, was identified as a key component of the signalosome. CXADR regulated the stability and function of the phosphatases and AKT inhibitors PTEN and PHLPP2. Loss of CXADR led to hyper-activation of AKT and sensitized cells to TGF-β1-induced EMT. Conversely, restoration of CXADR stabilized PHLPP2 and PTEN, inhibited AKT, and promoted epithelial differentiation. Loss of CXADR in luminal A breast cancer correlated with loss of PHLPP2 and PTEN and poor prognosis. These results show that CXADR promotes the formation of an AKT-inhibitory signalosome at TJ and regulates epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity in breast cancer cells. Moreover, loss of CXADR might be used as a prognostic marker in luminal breast cancer.
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| 10. |
- Peres, Lauren C, et al.
(författare)
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High Levels of C-Reactive Protein Are Associated with an Increased Risk of Ovarian Cancer : Results from the Ovarian Cancer Cohort Consortium
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cancer Research. - : American Association for Cancer Research. - 0008-5472 .- 1538-7445. ; 79:20, s. 5442-5451
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Growing epidemiologic evidence supports chronic inflammation as a mechanism of ovarian carcinogenesis. An association between a circulating marker of inflammation, C-reactive protein (CRP), and ovarian cancer risk has been consistently observed, yet, potential heterogeneity of this association by tumor and patient characteristics has not been adequately explored. In this study, we pooled data from case-control studies nested within six cohorts in the Ovarian Cancer Cohort Consortium (OC3) to examine the association between CRP and epithelial ovarian cancer risk overall, by histologic subtype and by participant characteristics. CRP concentrations were measured from prediagnosis serum or plasma in 1,091 cases and 1,951 controls. Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used to estimate ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI). When CRP was evaluated using tertiles, no associations with ovarian cancer risk were observed. A 67% increased ovarian cancer risk was found for women with CRP concentrations >10 mg/L compared with <1 mg/L (OR = 1.67; 95% CI = 1.12-2.48). A CRP concentration >10 mg/L was positively associated with risk of mucinous (OR = 9.67; 95% CI = 1.10-84.80) and endometrioid carcinoma (OR = 3.41; 95% CI = 1.07-10.92), and suggestively positive, although not statistically significant, for serous (OR = 1.43; 95% CI = 0.82-2.49) and clear cell carcinoma (OR = 2.05; 95% CI = 0.36-11.57; P heterogeneity = 0.20). Heterogeneity was observed with oral contraceptive use (P interaction = 0.03), where the increased risk was present only among ever users (OR = 3.24; 95% CI = 1.62-6.47). This study adds to the existing evidence that CRP plays a role in ovarian carcinogenesis and suggests that inflammation may be particularly implicated in the etiology of endometrioid and mucinous carcinoma. SIGNIFICANCE: C-reactive protein is involved in ovarian carcinogenesis, and chronic inflammation may be particularly implicated in the etiology of mucinous and endometrioid carcinomas.
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