Bacchiega Maira, D'Agostino Stefania, Grigoletto Antonella, Poli Elena, Bonvini Paolo, Bisogno Gianni, Pasut Gianfranco, Pozzobon Michela
Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, via Giustiniani 3, Padova, 35129, Italy.
Institute of Pediatric Research Città della Speranza, Corso Stati Uniti 4, Padova, 35127, Italy.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 1;15(1):20913. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-03466-x.
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a pediatric soft tissue sarcoma of mesenchymal origin with two main variants, the embryonal, less aggressive, and the alveolar RMS, more metastatic. The role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in the growth and migration of RMS, as in other cancers, is becoming increasingly important. This work aims to study the RMS after the silencing of the proteoglycan Glypican 3, overexpressed in RMS. Using classical 2D cell culture with RMS cell lines and 3D hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel, the involvement of Glypican 3 in adhesion, proliferation, matrix degradation, and consequent cell motility was demonstrated. Functional assays were performed with the antineoplastic drug doxurubicin and the WNT3a inhibitor, ipafricept. Both in 2D and in 3D model, cell motility and proliferation were significantly impaired after Glypican 3 silencing and inhibition of the proteoglycan releasing the sulfatase enzyme SULF2. When the in vivo cell-ECM interactions were mimicked in the hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel, Doxorubicin and ipraficept were particularly effective against the GPC3-silenced RMS cells. This study lay the fundation for a different therapeutic approach against pediatric RMS that aim to dysregulate the protein microenvironment not only beat the cancer cells.
横纹肌肉瘤(RMS)是一种间充质起源的儿童软组织肉瘤,主要有两种变体,即侵袭性较小的胚胎型和转移性更强的肺泡型RMS。与其他癌症一样,细胞外基质(ECM)在RMS生长和迁移中的作用变得越来越重要。这项工作旨在研究在RMS中过度表达的蛋白聚糖磷脂酰肌醇蛋白聚糖3(Glypican 3)沉默后的RMS。使用RMS细胞系的经典二维细胞培养和基于透明质酸的三维水凝胶,证明了Glypican 3在黏附、增殖、基质降解以及随之而来的细胞运动中的作用。使用抗肿瘤药物阿霉素和WNT3a抑制剂艾帕西普进行了功能测定。在二维和三维模型中,Glypican 3沉默以及抑制释放硫酸酯酶SULF2的蛋白聚糖后,细胞运动和增殖均受到显著损害。当在基于透明质酸的水凝胶中模拟体内细胞与ECM的相互作用时,阿霉素和艾帕西普对GPC3沉默的RMS细胞特别有效。这项研究为针对儿童RMS的不同治疗方法奠定了基础,该方法旨在不仅通过杀死癌细胞,还通过调节蛋白质微环境失调来治疗。