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Multiple myeloma is incurable once osteolytic lesions have seeded at skeletal sites, but factors mediating this deadly pathogenic advance remain poorly understood. Here, we report evidence of a major role for the cell adhesion molecule CD166, which we discovered to be highly expressed in multiple myeloma cell lines and primary bone marrow cells from patients. CD166+ multiple myeloma cells homed more efficiently than CD166− cells to the bone marrow of engrafted immunodeficient NSG mice. CD166 silencing in multiple myeloma cells enabled longer survival, a smaller tumor burden, and less osteolytic lesions, as compared with mice bearing control cells. CD166 deficiency in multiple myeloma cell lines or CD138+ bone marrow cells from multiple myeloma patients compromised their ability to induce bone resorption in an ex vivo organ culture system. Furthermore, CD166 deficiency in multiple myeloma cells also reduced the formation of osteolytic disease in vivo after intratibial engraftment. Mechanistic investigation revealed that CD166 expression in multiple myeloma cells inhibited osteoblastogenesis of bone marrow–derived osteoblast progenitors by suppressing Runx2 gene expression. Conversely, CD166 expression in multiple myeloma cells promoted osteoclastogenesis by activating TRAF6-dependent signaling pathways in osteoclast progenitors. Overall, our results define CD166 as a pivotal director in multiple myeloma cell homing to the bone marrow and multiple myeloma progression, rationalizing its further study as a candidate therapeutic target for multiple myeloma treatment. Cancer Res; 76(23); 6901–10. ©2016 AACR.

TGF-β derived from bone fuels melanoma bone metastases by inducing tumor secretion of prometastatic factors that act on bone cells to change the skeletal microenvironment. Halofuginone is a plant alkaloid derivative that blocks TGF-β signaling with antiangiogenic and antiproliferative properties. Here, we show for the first time that halofuginone therapy decreases development and progression of bone metastasis caused by melanoma cells through the inhibition of TGF-β signaling. Halofuginone treatment of human melanoma cells inhibited cell proliferation, phosphorylation of SMAD proteins in response to TGF-β, and TGF-β–induced SMAD-driven transcription. In addition, halofuginone reduced expression of TGF-β target genes that enhance bone metastases, including PTHrP, CTGF, CXCR4, and IL11. Also, cell apoptosis was increased in response to halofuginone. In nude mice inoculated with 1205Lu melanoma cells, a preventive protocol with halofuginone inhibited bone metastasis. The beneficial effects of halofuginone treatment were comparable with those observed with other anti–TGF-β strategies, including systemic administration of SD208, a small-molecule inhibitor of TGF-β receptor I kinase, or forced overexpression of Smad7, a negative regulator of TGF-β signaling. Furthermore, mice with established bone metastases treated with halofuginone had significantly less osteolysis than mice receiving placebo assessed by radiography. Thus, halofuginone is also effective in reducing the progression of melanoma bone metastases. Moreover, halofuginone treatment reduced melanoma metastasis to the brain, showing the potential of this novel treatment against cancer metastasis. Cancer Res; 72(23); 6247–56. ©2012 AACR.

Prostate cancer (PCa), the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men, will have an estimated 26,730 deaths in the US during 2017. Predominantly, these deaths will be caused due to metastatic disease. PCa preferentially metastasizes to the bone undermining its structural integrity. PCa cells rely on androgens for survival and proliferation. Consequently, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the first line of defense against advanced-stage PCa. However, ADT contributes to significant decreases in bone mass, predisposing the patient to an increased risk of fractures. Hence, there is a critical need for therapies that protect against bone metastatic disease as well as reverse ADT-induced bone loss in PCa patients. Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (CaMKK2) is a direct target of the androgen receptor (AR) and is highly over-expressed in androgen-dependent and independent forms of PCa. In vitro studies have shown that its inhibition suppresses the growth and migration of PCa cells. We observed that CaMKK2 inhibition suppresses 3-D spheroid formation by the androgen-independent PCa cell line C4-2 but not by the androgen-dependent PC3 cells. However, the exact downstream mechanism by which CaMKK2 regulates PCa growth remains unknown. More recently, CaMKK2 was shown to play a role in both the anabolic and catabolic pathways of bone remodeling. Genetic ablation and pharmacological inhibition of CaMKK2 via STO-609 stimulates osteoblasts and suppresses osteoclasts and confers protection from age- and ovariectomy-induced bone loss in mice. Based on these preliminary data, we hypothesize that inhibition of a single target, CaMKK2, will result in the therapeutic alleviation of two chief complications in advanced-stage PCa, i.e., bone metastatic tumor burden and ADT-induced bone loss. We performed sham or bilateral orchiectomy (ORX) on pretreated (saline/STO-609) 5-week-old male athymic mice (n=15 per cohort). Tri-weekly intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections were continued for 12 weeks. Additionally, two weeks after surgery, sham and ORX mice were intra-tibially injected with C4-2B cells. Micro-computed tomography analyses indicated a prevention of ORX-induced bone loss in STO-609 treated mice compared to saline treated controls (3-fold, p Citation Format: Ushashi Dadwal, Justin Williams, Austin Pucylowski, Eric Chang, Khalid Mohammad, Theresa Guise, Uma Sankar. CaMKK2 inhibition as a "dual-hit" strategy against ADT-induced osteoporosis and bone-metastatic prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3987.

Endoxifen, the predominant CYP2D6 metabolite of the selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) tamoxifen, is currently being developed as a novel anti-estrogen therapy for the treatment of estrogen receptor (ER)+ breast cancer. Genetic polymorphism of CYP2D6 is a predictor of response to tamoxifen in patients, implicating endoxifen as one of the most active and relevant tamoxifen metabolites. Breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant endocrine therapies including aromatase inhibitors (AIs) and SERMs often report unmanageable musculoskeletal toxicities that can result in treatment discontinuation. While ER binding affinity and anti-tumor effects have been established in preclinical models, the effects of endoxifen on the musculoskeletal system are not fully known. Twenty-week female C57BL/6 mice underwent sham surgery or ovariectomy (OVX) and were treated daily with vehicle, the AI letrozole, or the SERM endoxifen. Body composition was assessed prospectively by DXA. Bone indices and marrow adipose tissue volume were measured by μCT and muscle contractility of the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) was measured ex vivo. After eight weeks, trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV) decreased by 50% in OVX-vehicle and OVX-letrozole mice, whereas BV/TV increased threefold in endoxifen mice relative to sham-vehicle. Despite the presence of significantly more trabecular bone following endoxifen treatment, cortical bone analyses revealed impaired periosteal and endosteal expansion of bone, resulting in reduced polar moment of inertia, which is a measure of resistance to fracture. Uterine weight increased significantly in endoxifen-treated mice relative to all OVX groups, similar to what is observed with tamoxifen treatment. Peripheral body fat, bone marrow adipose tissue, and circulating leptin were reduced by endoxifen, suggesting that the drug may elicit positive systemic metabolic effects. At the termination of the study, muscle-specific force was reduced in OVX-endoxifen mice relative to sham-vehicle, OVX-vehicle, and OVX-AI mice, despite no change in muscle mass. While endoxifen shows promise as a potent anti-estrogen therapy for the treatment of ER+ breast cancer, it may be important to monitor patients for endometrial proliferation, morphological changes in bone that increase fracture risk, and for musculoskeletal side effects that could reduce drug compliance. Citation Format: Laura Wright, Khalid Mohammad, Theresa Guise. The anti-estrogen endoxifen altered bone morphology and reduced muscle function in mice [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1808.

Bone is a common site of cancer metastasis. Breast, prostate, and lung cancers show a predilection to metastasize to bone. Recently, we reported that the chemokine interleukin 8 (IL-8) stimulates both human osteoclast formation and bone resorption. IL-8 mRNA expression was surveyed in a panel of human breast cancer lines MDA-MET, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-435, MCF-7, T47D, and ZR-75, and the human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549. IL-8 mRNA expression was higher in cell lines with higher osteolytic potential in vivo. Human osteoclast formation was increased by MDA-MET or A549 cell-conditioned medium, but not by MDA-MB-231. Pharmacologic doses of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANK)-Fc or osteoprotogerin had no effect on the pro-osteoclastogenic activity of the conditioned medium; however, osteoclast formation stimulated by conditioned medium was inhibited 60% by an IL-8-specific neutralizing antibody. The data support a model in which tumor cells cause osteolytic bone destruction independently of the RANK ligand (RANKL) pathway. Tumor-produced IL-8 is a major contributor to this process. The role of secreted IL-8 isoforms was examined by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, which detected distinct IL-8 isoforms secreted by MDA-MET and MDA-231 cells, suggesting different pro-osteoclastogenic activities of the two IL-8-derived peptides. These data indicate that (a) osteoclast formation induced by MDA-MET breast cancer cells and A549 adenocarcinoma cells is primarily mediated by IL-8, (b) cell-specific isoforms of IL-8 with distinct osteoclastogenic activities are produced by tumor cells, and (c) tumor cells that support osteoclast formation independent of RANKL secrete other pro-osteoclastogenic factors in addition to IL-8.

Melanoma has a propensity to metastasize to bone, where it is exposed to high concentrations of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). Because TGF-β promotes bone metastases from other solid tumors, such as breast cancer, we tested the role of TGF-β in melanoma metastases to bone. 1205Lu melanoma cells, stably transfected to overexpress the natural TGF-β/Smad signaling inhibitor Smad7, were studied in an experimental model of bone metastasis whereby tumor cells are inoculated into the left cardiac ventricle of nude mice. All mice bearing parental and mock-transfected 1205Lu cells developed osteolytic bone metastases 5 weeks post-tumor inoculation. Mice bearing 1205Lu-Smad7 tumors had significantly less osteolysis on radiographs and longer survival compared with parental and mock-transfected 1205Lu mice. To determine if the reduced bone metastases observed in mice bearing 1205Lu-Smad7 clones was due to reduced expression of TGF-β target genes known to enhance metastases to bone from breast cancer cells, we analyzed gene expression of osteolytic factors, parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and interleukin-11 (IL-11), the chemotactic receptor CXCR4, and osteopontin in 1205Lu cells. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR analysis indicated that PTHrP, IL-11, CXCR4, and osteopontin mRNA steady-state levels were robustly increased in response to TGF-β and that Smad7 and the TβRI small-molecule inhibitor, SB431542, prevented such induction. In addition, 1205Lu-Smad7 bone metastases expressed significantly lower levels of IL-11, connective tissue growth factor, and PTHrP. These data suggest that TGF-β promotes osteolytic bone metastases due to melanoma by stimulating the expression of prometastatic factors via the Smad pathway. Blockade of TGF-β signaling may be an effective treatment for melanoma metastasis to bone. [Cancer Res 2007;67(5):2317–24]

Rapid tumor growth results in tumor hypoxia and the induction of key mediators of angiogenesis including VEGF and MET. Cells in the bone microenvironment, including osteoblasts and osteoclasts, express MET and VEGFRs and respond to HGF and VEGF. Cabozantinib (cabo) is an inhibitor of tyrosine kinases including MET, VEGFR2, and RET. Cabo treatment in preclinical models results in tumor regression and blockade of tumor invasiveness and metastasis, and has shown clinical activity in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer and breast cancer tumors with bone metastases. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying some of these clinical observations, the effects of cabo were studied in a human breast cancer bone xenograft and in a non-tumor bearing model. Female nude mice were inoculated with MDA-MB-231 cells into the left cardiac ventricle and treated with cabo (10 or 60 mg/kg/day). Treatment was initiated 13 days after tumor inoculation when osteolytic lesions were detectable on x-ray, and continued for 11 days. In a non-tumor model, female nude mice (∼5 weeks old) were treated with similar doses for 28 days. Tumor-bearing mice treated with cabo 60 mg/kg showed a reduction in osteolytic lesion area as measured by x-ray (p Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Khalid S. Mohammad, Ahmed Harhash, Sutha K. John, Xianghong Peng, Maria Niewolna, Sreemala Murthy, A. Douglas Laird, Dana T. Aftab, Theresa A. Guise. Effects of cabozantinib on breast cancer bone metastases, overall survival, and bone mass in a mouse model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 733. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-733

Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) is a key regulator of several steps in cancer metastasis, including the establishment of bone metastatic lesions. TGF-β is released from bone during osteoclastic bone resorption and it stimulates breast cancer cells to produce osteolytic factors such as interleukin 11 (IL-11). We conducted a cell-based siRNA screen and identified heparan sulfate 6-O-sulfotransferase 2 (HS6ST2) as a critical gene for TGF-β-induced IL-11 production in highly bone metastatic MDA-MB-231(SA) breast cancer cells. HS6ST2 attaches sulfate groups to glucosamine residues in heparin sulfate which is a member of the glycosaminoglycan family of carbohydrates. Our subsequent studies with highly sulfated heparin-like glycosaminoglycans (HLGAGs) with low anti-coagulant activity indicated that a high-molecular-weight E. coli K5-derived heparin-like polysaccharide (K5-NSOS) inhibited TGF-β-induced IL-11 production in MDA-MB-231(SA) cells. We then evaluated the therapeutic potential of K5-NSOS and a low-molecular-weight synthetic heparin (fragmin) in a mouse model of breast cancer bone metastasis. MDA-MB-231(SA) cells were inoculated into the left cardiac ventricle of athymic nude mice which were then administered with K5-NSOS, fragmin, or vehicle once daily for 4 weeks. Both HLGAGs increased body weight, decreased osteolytic lesion area, and reduced tumor burden in bone. Our in vitro studies showed that both K5-NSOS and fragmin inhibited adhesion of breast cancer cells to ICAM-1, and K5-NSOS also inhibited adhesion to E- and P-selectin. Furthermore, K5-NSOS inhibited bone resorption activity of human osteoclasts in vitro. Our data support and further clarify the critical role of heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans in breast cancer metastasis and indicate that K5-NSOS is a potential antimetastatic and antiresorptive agent with low anticoagulant activity that could be further optimized as an anti-tumor agent. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 845. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-845