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Functional and genomic analyses reveal therapeutic potential of targeting β-catenin/CBP activity in head and neck cancer.
- Source :
-
Genome medicine [Genome Med] 2018 Jul 20; Vol. 10 (1), pp. 54. Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 Jul 20. - Publication Year :
- 2018
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Abstract
- Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an aggressive malignancy characterized by tumor heterogeneity, locoregional metastases, and resistance to existing treatments. Although a number of genomic and molecular alterations associated with HNSCC have been identified, they have had limited impact on the clinical management of this disease. To date, few targeted therapies are available for HNSCC, and only a small fraction of patients have benefited from these treatments. A frequent feature of HNSCC is the inappropriate activation of β-catenin that has been implicated in cell survival and in the maintenance and expansion of stem cell-like populations, thought to be the underlying cause of tumor recurrence and resistance to treatment. However, the therapeutic value of targeting β-catenin activity in HNSCC has not been explored.<br />Methods: We utilized a combination of computational and experimental profiling approaches to examine the effects of blocking the interaction between β-catenin and cAMP-responsive element binding (CREB)-binding protein (CBP) using the small molecule inhibitor ICG-001. We generated and annotated in vitro treatment gene expression signatures of HNSCC cells, derived from human oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs), using microarrays. We validated the anti-tumorigenic activity of ICG-001 in vivo using SCC-derived tumor xenografts in murine models, as well as embryonic zebrafish-based screens of sorted stem cell-like subpopulations. Additionally, ICG-001-inhibition signatures were overlaid with RNA-sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) for human OSCCs to evaluate its association with tumor progression and prognosis.<br />Results: ICG-001 inhibited HNSCC cell proliferation and tumor growth in cellular and murine models, respectively, while promoting intercellular adhesion and loss of invasive phenotypes. Furthermore, ICG-001 preferentially targeted the ability of subpopulations of stem-like cells to establish metastatic tumors in zebrafish. Significantly, interrogation of the ICG-001 inhibition-associated gene expression signature in the TCGA OSCC human cohort indicated that the targeted β-catenin/CBP transcriptional activity tracked with tumor status, advanced tumor grade, and poor overall patient survival.<br />Conclusions: Collectively, our results identify β-catenin/CBP interaction as a novel target for anti-HNSCC therapy and provide evidence that derivatives of ICG-001 with enhanced inhibitory activity may serve as an effective strategy to interfere with aggressive features of HNSCC.
- Subjects :
- Animals
Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic pharmacology
Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic therapeutic use
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell drug therapy
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell genetics
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell pathology
Cell Adhesion genetics
Cell Line, Tumor
Cell Proliferation drug effects
Cell Survival genetics
Disease Progression
Epithelial Cells drug effects
Epithelial Cells pathology
Gene Expression Profiling
Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic drug effects
Head and Neck Neoplasms pathology
Humans
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Mice, Nude
Mouth Neoplasms drug therapy
Mouth Neoplasms genetics
Mouth Neoplasms pathology
Neoplasm Invasiveness
Neoplasm Metastasis
Neoplastic Stem Cells metabolism
Neoplastic Stem Cells pathology
Phenotype
Pyrimidinones pharmacology
Pyrimidinones therapeutic use
Survival Analysis
Wnt Signaling Pathway genetics
Zebrafish embryology
Genomics
Head and Neck Neoplasms drug therapy
Head and Neck Neoplasms genetics
Molecular Targeted Therapy
Peptide Fragments metabolism
Sialoglycoproteins metabolism
beta Catenin metabolism
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1756-994X
- Volume :
- 10
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Genome medicine
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 30029671
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s13073-018-0569-7