Project description:PurposeTo establish a highly sensitive and specific approach for the detection of circulating PIK3CA H1047R mutation in breast cancer (BC) patients and to investigate the association between the prevalence of PIK3CA H1047R mutation and clinical presentations.MethodsA proper blocker was designed in an allele-specific manner and optimized for PCR-based identification of the PIK3CA H1047R mutation. The established technique was validated in cell-free DNA samples from 196 recruited BC patients.ResultsThe allele-specific PCR assay with a properly designed blocker was able to detect the H1047R mutant variant with 0.01%. By applying the newly established assay, 62 cases (31.6% of the total recruited cases) were found to carry a blood-circulating H1047R mutant. Wherein, the detected mutant rates increased with disease stages from 2/18 (11.1%) of stage I to 17/71 (23.9%) of stage II, 20/53 (37.7%) of stage III, and 23/31 (42.6%) of stage IV (p = 0.025), respectively. Higher frequencies of H1047R mutation were associated with late-stage (p = 0.033) or recurrence (p = 0.045) or metastatic patients (p = 0.049) as well as radiation-treated human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive BC (p = 0.004). PIK3CA mutant carriers were frequently observed in patients under the age of 50 who had liver-metastasized or brain metastases or lymph node-invaded (p < 0.05).ConclusionA novel allele-specific PCR assay with high sensitivity was established successfully for the detection of the PIK3CA H1047R mutation in clinical practice.

| S-EPMC11356436 | biostudies-literature

A Novel Tree Shrew Model of Diabetic Retinopathy.

Project description:Existing animal models with rod-dominant retinas have shown that hyperglycemia injures neurons, but it is not yet clearly understood how blue cone photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) deteriorate in patients because of compromised insulin tolerance. In contrast, northern tree shrews (Tupaia Belangeri), one of the closest living relatives of primates, have a cone-dominant retina with short wave sensitivity (SWS) and long wave sensitivity (LWS) cones. Therefore, we injected animals with a single streptozotocin dose (175 mg/kg i.p.) to investigate whether sustained hyperglycemia models the features of human diabetic retinopathy (DR). We used the photopic electroretinogram (ERG) to measure the amplitudes of A and B waves and the photopic negative responses (PhNR) to evaluate cone and RGC function. Retinal flat mounts were prepared for immunohistochemical analysis to count the numbers of neurons with antibodies against cone opsins and RGC specific BRN3a proteins. The levels of the proteins TRIB3, ISR-1, and p-AKT/p-mTOR were measured with western blot. The results demonstrated that tree shrews manifested sustained hyperglycemia leading to a slight but significant loss of SWS cones (12%) and RGCs (20%) 16 weeks after streptozotocin injection. The loss of BRN3a-positive RGCs was also reflected by a 30% decline in BRN3a protein expression. These were accompanied by reduced ERG amplitudes and PhNRs. Importantly, the diabetic retinas demonstrated increased expression of TRIB3 and level of p-AKT/p-mTOR axis but reduced level of IRS-1 protein. Therefore, a new non-primate model of DR with SWS cone and RGC dysfunction lays the foundation to better understand retinal pathophysiology at the molecular level and opens an avenue for improving the research on the treatment of human eye diseases.

| S-EPMC8762304 | biostudies-literature

A tree shrew model for steroid-associated osteonecrosis.

Project description:Osteonecrosis is a common human disease in orthopedics. It is difficult to treat, and half of patients may need artificial joint replacement, resulting in a considerable economic burden and a reduction in quality of life. Hormones are one of the major causes of osteonecrosis and high doses of corticosteroids are considered the most dangerous factor. Because of the complexity of treatment, we still need a better animal model that can be widely used in drug development and testing. Tree shrews are more closely related to primates than rodents. As such, we constructed a successful tree shrew model to establish and evaluate steroid-associated osteonecrosis (SAON). We found that low-dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS) combined with high-dose methylprednisolone (MPS) over 12 weeks could be used to establish a tree shrew model with femoral head necrosis. Serum biochemical and histological analyses showed that an ideal model was obtained. Thus, this work provides a useful animal model for the study of SAON and for the optimization of treatment methods.

| S-EPMC7475020 | biostudies-literature

High-depth RNA sequencing of isogenic wild-type, PIK3CA-WT/H1047R and PIK3CA-H1047R/H1047R human iPSCs

Project description:We used CRISPR/Cas9 to knock in the cancer "hotspot" mutation PIK3CA-H1047R into one or both alleles of a wild-type induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line (WTC11; Coriell # GM25256; P37-P38). Four cultures from each genotype (3 wild-type clones, 3 heterozygous clones, 2 homozygous clones) were subjected to paired-end mRNA sequencing (mean read length = 150 bp). The aim of this experiment was to confirm and expand upon previous transcriptomic results suggesting a near-binary transcriptional effect in homozygous versus heterozygous PIK3CA-H1047R iPSCs (publication doi: 10.1073/pnas.1821093116). According to the high-depth transcriptomic dataset, PIK3CA-H1047R/H1047R iPSCs exhibited altered expression of 5644 genes, whereas heterozygous hPSCs showed 492 differentially-expressed genes, supporting a nearly deterministic phenotypic effect of homozygosity for PIK3CA-H1047R. The differential gene expression analyses were performed based on the limma/voom/eBayes framework (doi: 10.1093/nar/gkv007), using customised scripts with FDR < 0.05 and absolute log2(fold-change) cut-off >= 1.3.

2019-10-01 | GSE134076 | GEO

Knock-in of PIK3CA-H1047R into MCF-10A

Project description:We have compared the proteome, transcriptome and metabolome of two isogenic cell lines: MCF-10A, derived from human breast epithelium, and the mutant MCF-10A-H1047R. These cell lines differ by a single amino acid substitution (H1047R) caused by single nucleotide change in one allele of the PIK3CA gene which encodes the catalytic subunit p110α of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). The H1047R mutation of PIK3CA is one of the most frequently encountered somatic cancer-specific mutations. In MCF-10A, this mutation induces an extensive cellular reorganization that far exceeds the known signaling activities of PI3K. The changes are highly diverse; with examples in structural protein levels, the DNA repair machinery and sterol synthesis. Gene set enrichment analysis reveals a highly significant concordance of the genes differentially expressed in MCF-10A-H1047R cells and the established protein and RNA signatures of basal breast cancer. No such concordance was found with the specific gene signatures of other histological types of breast cancer. Our data document the power of a single base mutation, inducing an extensive remodeling of the cell toward the phenotype of a specific cancer. 2 cell lines (H1047R and WT), 4 time points (0, 6, 12, 24 hours), 3 replicates

| S-ECPF-GEOD-63452 | biostudies-other

Gene expression profiling of HUVEC-s expressing PIK3CA with H1047R point mutation

Project description:Sporadic venous malformations (VM) and angiomatosis of soft tissue (AST) are benign, congenital slow-flow vascular anomalies that have no available targeted therapies. Depending on the size and location of the lesion, symptoms vary from motility disturbances to pain and disfigurement. By analyzing tissue samples from 36 patients with VM or AST, we uncover that the majority of the samples carry a somatic mutation in either TEK or PIK3CA gene. In the current data set, we study the role of PIK3CA point mutation p.H1047R on the transcriptional profile of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC-s).

2023-06-10 | GSE196311 | GEO

PIK3CA(H1047R) Accelerates and Enhances KRAS(G12D)-Driven Lung Tumorigenesis.

Project description:KRAS-activating mutations drive human non-small cell lung cancer and initiate lung tumorigenesis in genetically engineered mouse (GEM) models. However, in a GEM model of KRAS(G12D)-induced lung cancer, tumors arise stochastically following a latency period, suggesting that additional events are required to promote early-stage tumorigenic expansion of KRAS(G12D)-mutated cells. PI3Kα (PIK3CA) is a direct effector of KRAS, but additional activation of PI3'-lipid signaling may be required to potentiate KRAS-driven lung tumorigenesis. Using GEM models, we tested whether PI3'-lipid signaling was limiting for the promotion of KRAS(G12D)-driven lung tumors by inducing the expression of KRAS(G12D) in the absence and presence of the activating PIK3CA(H1047R) mutation. PIK3CA(H1047R) expression alone failed to promote tumor formation, but dramatically enhanced tumorigenesis initiated by KRAS(G12D). We further observed that oncogenic cooperation between KRAS(G12D) and PIK3CA(H1047R) was accompanied by PI3Kα-mediated regulation of c-MYC, GSK3β, p27(KIP1), survivin, and components of the RB pathway, resulting in accelerated cell division of human or mouse lung cancer-derived cell lines. These data suggest that, although KRAS(G12D) may activate PI3Kα by direct biochemical mechanisms, PI3'-lipid signaling remains rate-limiting for the cell-cycle progression and expansion of early-stage KRAS(G12D)-initiated lung cells. Therefore, we provide a potential mechanistic rationale for the selection of KRAS and PIK3CA coactivating mutations in a number of human malignancies, with implications for the clinical deployment of PI3' kinase-targeted therapies.

| S-EPMC4681648 | biostudies-literature

Identification of effective natural PIK3CA H1047R inhibitors by computational study.

Project description:Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive subtype of breast cancer with a poor prognosis and a high recurrence rate. PIK3CA gene is frequently mutated in breast cancer, with PIK3CA H1047R as the hotspot mutation reported in TNBC. We used the ZINC database to screen natural compounds that could be structurally modified to develop drugs targeting the PIK3CA H1047R mutant protein in the PI3K pathway. The LibDock module showed that 2,749 compounds could strongly bind to the PIK3CA H1047R protein. Ultimately, the top 20 natural ligands with high LibDock scores were used for further analyses including assessment of ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion), toxicity, stability, and binding affinity. ZINC000004098448 and ZINC000014715656 were selected as the safest drug candidates with strong binding affinity to PIK3CA H1047R, no hepatotoxicity, less carcinogenicity, better plasma protein binding (PPB) properties, and enhanced intestinal permeability and absorption than the two reference drugs, PKI-402 and wortmannin. Moreover, their lower potential energies than those of PIK3CA H1047R confirmed the stability of the ligand-receptor complex under physiological conditions. ZINC000004098448 and ZINC000014715656 are thus safe and stable leads for designing drugs against PIK3CA H1047R as part of a targeted therapeutic approach for patients with TNBC.

| S-EPMC8436935 | biostudies-literature