Project description:Standard cancer therapy targets tumor cells without considering the possible collateral damage on the tumor microenvironment that could impair therapy response. Employing patient-derived tumor organoids and primary stroma cells or a novel murine rectal cancer model, we show that interleukin-1 (IL-1 dependent inflammatory cancer-associated fibroblast (iCAF) polarization triggers oxidative DNA damage in iCAFs leading to p53-mediated therapy-induced senescence associated with changes in matrisome composition, chemoradiotherapy resistance and disease progression. IL-1 inhibition, prevention of iCAF senescence or senolytic therapy sensitizes mice to irradiation. In rectal cancer patients a dominant iCAF gene signature as well as lower IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) serum levels correlate with poor prognosis. Moreover, conditioned supernatant from patient tumor organoids renders fibroblasts susceptible to radiation-induced senescence in an IL-1-dependent manner. Collectively, we unravel a critical role for iCAFs in therapy resistance and identify IL-1 signaling as an attractive target for stroma-repolarization and prevention of CAF senescence.
Project description:Standard cancer therapy targets tumor cells without considering the possible collateral damage on the tumor microenvironment that could impair therapy response. Employing patient-derived tumor organoids and primary stroma cells or a novel murine rectal cancer model, we show that interleukin-1a (IL-1a) dependent inflammatory cancer-associated fibroblast (iCAF) polarization triggers oxidative DNA damage in iCAFs leading to p53-mediated therapy-induced senescence associated with changes in matrisome composition, chemoradiotherapy resistance and disease progression. IL-1 inhibition, prevention of iCAF senescence or senolytic therapy sensitizes mice to irradiation. In rectal cancer patients a dominant iCAF gene signature as well as lower IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) serum levels correlate with poor prognosis. Moreover, conditioned supernatant from patient tumor organoids renders fibroblasts susceptible to radiation-induced senescence in an IL-1-dependent manner. Collectively, we unravel a critical role for iCAFs in therapy resistance and identify IL-1 signaling as an attractive target for stroma-repolarization and prevention of CAF senescence.
Project description:Cellular senescence is a state of permanent growth arrest that plays an important role in wound healing, tissue fibrosis, and tumor suppression. Despite their pathological role and therapeutic interest, senescent cells’ (SnCs) phenotype in vivo remains unclear. Here, we developed an in vivo-derived senescence signature using a foreign body response (FBR) fibrosis model in a SnC reporter mouse. We identified stromal cells as the primary SnC in the FBR and produced a SnC transcriptomic signature. Transfer learning identified SnCs in diverse murine and human data single cell RNAseq (scRNAseq) sets. Further, we found both conserved and tissue-specific SnC and secretory phenotypes. Signaling analysis uncovered crosstalk between SnCs and myeloid cells via an IL34-CSF1R-TGFbR signaling axis, contributing to angiogenic and fibrotic responses. Overall, our study identifies a conserved transcriptional profile of SnCs and transfer learning approach that may be broadly applied to identify and understand senescence in vivo.
Project description:Senescence is a permanent cell cycle arrest that occurs in response to cellular stress. Because senescent cells promote age-related disease, there has been considerable interest in defining the proteomic alterations in senescent cells. Because senescence differs greatly depending on cell type and senescence inducer, continued progress in the characterization of senescent cells is needed. Here, we analyzed primary human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs), a model system for aging, using mass spectrometry-based proteomics. By integrating data from replicative senescence, immortalization by telomerase reactivation, and drug-induced senescence, we identified a robust proteomic signature of HMEC senescence consisting of 77 upregulated and 36 downregulated proteins. This approach identified known biomarkers, such as downregulation of the nuclear lamina protein lamin-B1 (LMNB1), and novel upregulated proteins including the β-galactoside-binding protein galectin-7 (LGALS7). Gene ontology enrichment analysis demonstrated that senescent HMECs upregulated lysosomal proteins and downregulated RNA metabolic processes. We additionally integrated our proteomic signature of senescence with transcriptomic data from senescent HMECs to demonstrate that our proteomic signature can discriminate proliferating and senescent HMECs even at the transcriptional level. Taken together, our results demonstrate the power of proteomics to identify cell type-specific signatures of senescence and advance the understanding of senescence in primary HMECs.
Project description:Cancer cell radioresistance is the primary cause of the decreased curability of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) observed in patients receiving definitive radiotherapy (RT). Following RT, a set of microenvironmental stress responses is triggered, including cell senescence. However, cell senescence is often ignored in designing effective strategies to resolve cancer cell radioresistance. Herein, we identified the senescence-like characteristics of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) post RT and clarified the formidable ability of senescence-like CAFs in promoting NSCLC cells proliferation and radioresistance through the JAK/STAT pathway. Specific induction of senescence-like CAFs apoptosis using FOXO4-DRI, a FOXO4-p53 interfering peptide, resulted in remarkable effects on radiosensitizing NSCLC cells in vitro and in vivo. In addition, our study also discovered the obvious therapeutic effect of FOXO4-DRI on alleviating radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis (RIPF) by targeting senescence-like fibroblasts in vivo. In conclusion, by targeting senescence, we offer a new strategy which simultaneously decreases radioresistance of NSCLC and the incidence of RIPF.
Project description:Objective:Biomarkers of radiation injury are needed in planning therapeutic measures for cancer patients receiving radiation therapy and civilians exposed to nuclear events. Previous research has highlighted the impact of radiation damage, with cancer patients developing acute disorders including radiation induced pneumonitis or chronic disorders including pulmonary fibrosis months after radiation therapy ends. Discovery of biomarkers that predict these injuries will offer the potential to treat people proactively to mitigate this damage and improve quality of life. Recent research has highlighted the potential for messenger RNA (mRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) to be used as radiation biomarkers. Our study focused on the changes in these RNAs at 48h after radiation exposure of mouse lung tissue to define biological pathway changes and determine potential biomarkers. Result: We observed sustained dysregulation of specific mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs across all doses. We observed gene dysregulation which can be used to develop both markers to identify no-exposure vs radiation exposure including Hba and Hbb mRNA which were dysregulated even at 1 Gy. We also observed genes which can indicate high dose exposure including Cpt1c and Pdk4. Gdf15, and Eda2r, mRNA markers of senescence and fibrosis, were the most significantly upregulated. Only three miRNAs were significantly dysregulated across all radiation doses, with miRNA-142-3p and miRNA-142-5p downregulated and miRNA-34a-5p upregulated. IPA analysis indicated that numerous pathways relevant to immune function, cell proliferation and survival decreased with increasing doses of radiation. This data highlighted early pathways of dysregulation depending on dose of exposure. This data will help with development of treatments and in medical decision-making. Further experiments are planned to develop medical countermeasures based on this early dysregulation.
Project description:Ionizing radiation is a common treatment option for cancer but its use is limited by the unpredictable and highly heterogeneous onset of late side effects, especially radiation-induced fibrosis. Clinically applicable biomarkers and effective treatments for radiation fibrosis are currently unavailable. In order to identify novel markers we ran a genome-wide DNA methylation screen in primary dermal fibroblasts obtained from breast cancer patients before intraoperative radiotherapy. Cells from patients developing fibrosis within a three-year follow up were compared to those without fibrosis (12 individuals per group). Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip Technology was used.
Project description:Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive brain tumor and resistant to current available therapeutics, such as radiation. To improve the clinical efficacy, it is important to understand the cellular mechanisms underlying tumor responses to radiation. Here, we investigated long-term cellular responses of human GBM cells to ionizing radiation. Comparing to the initial response within 12 hours, gene expression modulation at 7 days after radiation is markedly different. While genes related to cell cycle arrest and DNA damage responses are mostly modulated at the initial stage; immune-related genes are specifically affected as the long-term effect. This later response is associated with increased cellular senescence and inhibition of transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ). Mechanistically, TAZ inhibition does not depend on the canonical Hippo pathway, but relies on enhanced degradation mediated by the β-catenin destruction complex in the Wnt pathway. We further showed that depletion of TAZ by RNAi promotes radiation-induced senescence and growth arrest. Pharmacological activation of the β-catenin destruction complex is able to promote radiation-induced TAZ inhibition and growth arrest in these tumor cells. The correlation between senescence and reduced expression of YAP as well as β-catenin also occurs in human gliomas treated by radiation. Collectively, these findings suggested that inhibition of TAZ is involved in radiation-induced senescence and might benefit GBM radiotherapy.