Department of Pathology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Elisabeth-TweeSteden Ziekenhuis (ETZ), Tilburg, The Netherlands.
Cell Death Differ. 2024 Mar;31(3):360-377. doi: 10.1038/s41418-024-01267-9. Epub 2024 Feb 16.
Phenotypic plasticity, defined as the ability of individual cells with stable genotypes to exert different phenotypes upon exposure to specific environmental cues, represent the quintessential hallmark of the cancer cell en route from the primary lesion to distant organ sites where metastatic colonization will occur. Phenotypic plasticity is driven by a broad spectrum of epigenetic mechanisms that allow for the reversibility of epithelial-to-mesenchymal and mesenchymal-to-epithelial transitions (EMT/MET). By taking advantage of the co-existence of epithelial and quasi-mesenchymal cells within immortalized cancer cell lines, we have analyzed the role of EMT-related gene isoforms in the regulation of epithelial mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) in high grade serous ovarian cancer. When compared with colon cancer, a distinct spectrum of downstream targets characterizes quasi-mesenchymal ovarian cancer cells, likely to reflect the different modalities of metastasis formation between these two types of malignancy, i.e. hematogenous in colon and transcoelomic in ovarian cancer. Moreover, upstream RNA-binding proteins differentially expressed between epithelial and quasi-mesenchymal subpopulations of ovarian cancer cells were identified that underlie differential regulation of EMT-related isoforms. In particular, the up- and down-regulation of RBM24 and ESRP1, respectively, represent a main regulator of EMT in ovarian cancer cells. To validate the functional and clinical relevance of our approach, we selected and functionally analyzed the Tropomyosin 1 gene (TPM1), encoding for a protein that specifies the functional characteristics of individual actin filaments in contractile cells, among the ovarian-specific downstream AS targets. The low-molecular weight Tpm1.8/9 isoforms are specifically expressed in patient-derived ascites and promote invasion through activation of EMT and Wnt signaling, together with a broad spectrum of inflammation-related pathways. Moreover, Tpm1.8/9 expression confers resistance to taxane- and platinum-based chemotherapy. Small molecule inhibitors that target the Tpm1 isoforms support targeting Tpm1.8/9 as therapeutic targets for the development of future tailor-made clinical interventions.
表型可塑性是指具有稳定基因型的个体细胞在暴露于特定环境线索时表现出不同表型的能力,它是癌细胞从原发性病变向远处器官转移定植过程中典型的标志。表型可塑性是由广泛的表观遗传机制驱动的,这些机制允许上皮到间充质和间充质到上皮的转变(EMT/MET)的可逆性。通过利用永生癌细胞系中上皮和准间充质细胞的共存,我们分析了 EMT 相关基因异构体在高级别浆液性卵巢癌中调节上皮间质可塑性(EMP)的作用。与结肠癌相比,准间充质卵巢癌细胞具有明显不同的下游靶标特征,这可能反映了这两种类型恶性肿瘤之间转移形成的不同方式,即结肠癌中的血源性转移和卵巢癌中的跨腔转移。此外,还鉴定了在卵巢癌细胞的上皮和准间充质亚群之间差异表达的上游 RNA 结合蛋白,这些蛋白是 EMT 相关异构体差异调节的基础。特别是,RBM24 和 ESRP1 的上调和下调分别代表了卵巢癌细胞 EMT 的主要调节剂。为了验证我们方法的功能和临床相关性,我们选择并功能分析了 Tropomyosin 1 基因(TPM1),该基因编码一种蛋白,该蛋白在收缩细胞中指定单个肌动蛋白丝的功能特征,它是卵巢特异性下游 AS 靶标之一。低分子量 Tpm1.8/9 异构体特异性地在患者来源的腹水中表达,并通过 EMT 和 Wnt 信号的激活以及广泛的炎症相关途径促进侵袭。此外,Tpm1.8/9 的表达赋予对紫杉烷和铂类化疗的耐药性。靶向 Tpm1 异构体的小分子抑制剂支持将 Tpm1.8/9 作为治疗靶点,为未来定制临床干预措施的发展提供支持。