| 1. |
- Almstedt, Elin, et al.
(författare)
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Real-time evaluation of glioblastoma growth in patient-specific zebrafish xenografts
- 2021
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Ingår i: Neuro-Oncology. - : Oxford University Press. - 1522-8517 .- 1523-5866. ; 24:5, s. 726-738
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of glioblastoma (GBM) are a central tool for neuro-oncology research and drug development, enabling the detection of patient-specific differences in growth, and in vivo drug response. However, existing PDX models are not well suited for large-scale or automated studies. Thus, here, we investigate if a fast zebrafish-based PDX model, supported by longitudinal, AI-driven image analysis, can recapitulate key aspects of glioblastoma growth and enable case-comparative drug testing.Methods: We engrafted 11 GFP-tagged patient-derived GBM IDH wild-type cell cultures (PDCs) into 1-day-old zebrafish embryos, and monitored fish with 96-well live microscopy and convolutional neural network analysis. Using light-sheet imaging of whole embryos, we analyzed further the invasive growth of tumor cells.Results: Our pipeline enables automatic and robust longitudinal observation of tumor growth and survival of individual fish. The 11 PDCs expressed growth, invasion and survival heterogeneity, and tumor initiation correlated strongly with matched mouse PDX counterparts (Spearman R = 0.89, p < 0.001). Three PDCs showed a high degree of association between grafted tumor cells and host blood vessels, suggesting a perivascular invasion phenotype. In vivo evaluation of the drug marizomib, currently in clinical trials for GBM, showed an effect on fish survival corresponding to PDC in vitro and in vivo marizomib sensitivity.Conclusions: Zebrafish xenografts of GBM, monitored by AI methods in an automated process, present a scalable alternative to mouse xenograft models for the study of glioblastoma tumor initiation, growth, and invasion, applicable to patient-specific drug evaluation.
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| 2. |
- Kerzeli, Iliana Kyriaki, et al.
(författare)
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Single-cell RNAseq and longitudinal proteomic analysis of a novel semi-spontaneous urothelial cancer model reveals tumor cell heterogeneity and pretumoral urine protein alterations
- 2021
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 16:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bladder cancer, one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide, remains hard to classify due to a staggering molecular complexity. Despite a plethora of diagnostic tools and therapies, it is hard to outline the key steps leading up to the transition from high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) to muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Carcinogen-induced murine models can recapitulate urothelial carcinogenesis and natural anti-tumor immunity. Herein, we have developed and profiled a novel model of progressive NMIBC based on 10 weeks of OH-BBN exposure in hepatocyte growth factor/cyclin dependent kinase 4 (R24C) (Hgf-Cdk4(R24C)) mice. The profiling of the model was performed by histology grading, single cell transcriptomic and proteomic analysis, while the derivation of a tumorigenic cell line was validated and used to assess in vivo anti-tumor effects in response to immunotherapy. Established NMIBC was present in females at 10 weeks post OH-BBN exposure while neoplasia was not as advanced in male mice, however all mice progressed to MIBC. Single cell RNA sequencing analysis revealed an intratumoral heterogeneity also described in the human disease trajectory. Moreover, although immune activation biomarkers were elevated in urine during carcinogen exposure, anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD1) monotherapy did not prevent tumor progression. Furthermore, anti-PD1 immunotherapy did not control the growth of subcutaneous tumors formed by the newly derived urothelial cancer cell line. However, treatment with CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) significantly decreased tumor volume, but only in females. In conclusion, the molecular map of this novel preclinical model of bladder cancer provides an opportunity to further investigate pharmacological therapies ahead with regards to both targeted drugs and immunotherapies to improve the strategies of how we should tackle the heterogeneous tumor microenvironment in urothelial bladder cancer to improve responses rates in the clinic.
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| 3. |
- Larsson, Ida, et al.
(författare)
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Modeling glioblastoma heterogeneity as a dynamic network of cell states
- 2021
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Ingår i: Molecular Systems Biology. - : EMBO. - 1744-4292. ; 17:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tumor cell heterogeneity is a crucial characteristic of malignant brain tumors and underpins phenomena such as therapy resistance and tumor recurrence. Advances in single-cell analysis have enabled the delineation of distinct cellular states of brain tumor cells, but the time-dependent changes in such states remain poorly understood. Here, we construct quantitative models of the time-dependent transcriptional variation of patient-derived glioblastoma (GBM) cells. We build the models by sampling and profiling barcoded GBM cells and their progeny over the course of 3 weeks and by fitting a mathematical model to estimate changes in GBM cell states and their growth rates. Our model suggests a hierarchical yet plastic organization of GBM, where the rates and patterns of cell state switching are partly patient-specific. Therapeutic interventions produce complex dynamic effects, including inhibition of specific states and altered differentiation. Our method provides a general strategy to uncover time-dependent changes in cancer cells and offers a way to evaluate and predict how therapy affects cell state composition.
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| 4. |
- Lundsten, Sara, et al.
(författare)
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p53-Mediated Radiosensitization of 177Lu-DOTATATE in Neuroblastoma Tumor Spheroids
- 2021
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Ingår i: Biomolecules. - : MDPI. - 2218-273X. ; 11:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- p53 is involved in DNA damage response and is an exciting target for radiosensitization in cancer. Targeted radionuclide therapy against somatostatin receptors with 177Lu-DOTATATE is currently being explored as a treatment for neuroblastoma. The aim of this study was to investigate the novel p53-stabilizing peptide VIP116 in neuroblastoma, both as monotherapy and together with 177Lu-DOTATATE. Five neuroblastoma cell lines, including two patient-derived xenograft (PDX) lines, were characterized in monolayer cultures. Four out of five were positive for 177Lu-DOTATATE uptake. IC50 values after VIP116 treatments correlated with p53 status, ranging between 2.8–238.2 μM. IMR-32 and PDX lines LU-NB-1 and LU-NB-2 were then cultured as multicellular tumor spheroids and treated with 177Lu-DOTATATE and/or VIP116. Spheroid growth was inhibited in all spheroid models for all treatment modalities. The most pronounced effects were observed for combination treatments, mediating synergistic effects in the IMR-32 model. VIP116 and combination treatment increased p53 levels with subsequent induction of p21, Bax and cleaved caspase 3. Combination treatment resulted in a 14-fold and 1.6-fold induction of MDM2 in LU-NB-2 and IMR-32 spheroids, respectively. This, together with differential MYCN signaling, may explain the varying degree of synergy. In conclusion, VIP116 inhibited neuroblastoma cell growth, potentiated 177Lu-DOTATATE treatment and could, therefore, be a feasible treatment option for neuroblastoma.
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| 5. |
- Marques, Carolina, et al.
(författare)
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NF1 regulates mesenchymal gliblastoma plasticity and aggressiveness through the AP-1 transcription factor FOSL1
- 2021
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Ingår i: eLIFE. - : eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. - 2050-084X. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The molecular basis underlying glioblastoma (GBM) heterogeneity and plasticity is not fully understood. Using transcriptomic data of human patient-derived brain tumor stem cell lines (BTSCs), classified based on GBM-intrinsic signatures, we identify the AP-1 transcription factor FOSL1 as a key regulator of the mesenchymal (MES) subtype. We provide a mechanistic basis to the role of the neurofibromatosis type 1 gene (NF1), a negative regulator of the RAS/MAPK pathway, in GBM mesenchymal transformation through the modulation of FOSL1 expression. Depletion of FOSL1 in NF1-mutant human BTSCs and Kras-mutant mouse neural stem cells results in loss of the mesenchymal gene signature and reduction in stem cell properties and in vivo tumorigenic potential. Our data demonstrate that FOSL1 controls GBM plasticity and aggressiveness in response to NF1 alterations.
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| 6. |
- Rosén, Emil
(författare)
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Modeling glioblastoma growth patterns and their mechanistic origins
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary brain cancer. GBM cells migrate away from the primary lesion and invade healthy brain tissue. The invading cells escape surgical resection, radiotherapy and develop resistance to chemotherapy. Consequently, despite treatment, recurrence is inevitable, and survival is only 14 months. For this purpose, we conducted four studies where we integrated experimental data from extensive patient material with image analysis and mathematical modeling.In study 1, we developed a tool, TargetTranslator, integrating different data modalities to identify new treatments. We implemented an image analysis pipeline to validate our results using a deep artificial neural network to quantify neuroblastoma cell differentiation.In study 2, we integrated the zebrafish and image analysis from study 1 to develop a high-throughput in vivo assay. Zebrafish were orthotopically injected with GBM cells, and each fish's tumor growth and vital status were automatically measured. We characterized the in vivo proliferation rate, survival, and treatment response to the drug marizomib for several patient-derived cell cultures. Light-sheet imaging also revealed two distinct growth types. The first set of cell cultures grew as bulk tumors, whereas the second set invaded vasculature as single cells.In study 3, we used the image analysis from study 1, coupled with an agent-based model to estimate in vitro cell migration and proliferation from single end-point images. The method was validated by a time series data set and applied to a large high-content drug screen of GBM cells. We identified three promising candidates for reducing GBM cell migration. The method can estimate migration on any end-point images of adherent cells without any additional experimental cost.Study 4 characterized the growth and invasive patterns of 45 patient-derived GBM cell cultures in orthogonal mouse xenografts. We found that up to four independent axes of variation could describe the phenotypes and were associated with distinct transcriptomic pathways. The transcriptomic pathways were in part associated with common genomic alterations and subtypes in GBM. We further identified a particularly aggressive GBM phenotype.In conclusion, this thesis was interdisciplinary and aimed to measure survival, invasion, and morphology from extensive patient material. The work had given us new insight into GBM invasion and growth and developed several scalable models suitable for evaluating new therapies.
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| 7. |
- Seçilmiş, Deniz, et al.
(författare)
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Inferring the experimental design for accurate gene regulatory network inference
- 2021
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Ingår i: Bioinformatics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1367-4803 .- 1367-4811 .- 1460-2059. ; 37:20, s. 3553-3559
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Motivation: Accurate inference of gene regulatory interactions is of importance for understanding the mechanismsof underlying biological processes. For gene expression data gathered from targeted perturbations, gene regulatorynetwork (GRN) inference methods that use the perturbation design are the top performing methods. However, the connection between the perturbation design and gene expression can be obfuscated due to problems, such as experimental noise or off-target effects, limiting the methods’ ability to reconstruct the true GRN.Results: In this study, we propose an algorithm, IDEMAX, to infer the effective perturbation design from gene expression data in order to eliminate the potential risk of fitting a disconnected perturbation design to gene expression. We applied IDEMAX to synthetic data from two different data generation tools, GeneNetWeaver and GeneSPIDER, and assessed its effect on the experiment design matrix as well as the accuracy of the GRN inference, followed by application to a real dataset. The results show that our approach consistently improves the accuracy of GRN inference compared to using the intended perturbation design when much of the signal is hidden by noise, which is often the case for real data.
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| 8. |
- Vinel, Claire, et al.
(författare)
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Comparative epigenetic analysis of tumour initiating cells and syngeneic EPSC-derived neural stem cells in glioblastoma
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 12:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Epigenetic mechanisms which play an essential role in normal developmental processes, such as self-renewal and fate specification of neural stem cells (NSC) are also responsible for some of the changes in the glioblastoma (GBM) genome. Here we develop a strategy to compare the epigenetic and transcriptional make-up of primary GBM cells (GIC) with patient-matched expanded potential stem cell (EPSC)-derived NSC (iNSC). Using a comparative analysis of the transcriptome of syngeneic GIC/iNSC pairs, we identify a glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-mediated mechanism of recruitment of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in GBM. Integrated analysis of the transcriptome and DNA methylome of GBM cells identifies druggable target genes and patient-specific prediction of drug response in primary GIC cultures, which is validated in 3D and in vivo models. Taken together, we provide a proof of principle that this experimental pipeline has the potential to identify patient-specific disease mechanisms and druggable targets in GBM. The identification of patient-specific disease mechanisms and druggable targets is crucial for precision medicine in glioblastoma. Here, the authors show that comparing patients-matched glioma-initiating cells with neural stem cells enables the discovery of patient-specific mechanisms of disease and the identification of effective drugs
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