Project description:Bone is a frequent target of lung cancer metastasis, which is associated with significant morbidity and a dismal prognosis. To identify and functionally characterize genes involved in the mechanisms of osseous metastasis we developed a murine lung cancer model. Comparative transcriptomic analysis identified genes encoding signaling molecules (such as TCF4 and PRKD3), and cell anchorage related proteins (MCAM, and SUSD5), some of which were basally modulated by TGFbeta in tumor cells and in conditions mimicking tumor-stroma interactions. Triple gene combinations induced not only high osteoclastogenic activity but also a marked enhancement of global metalloproteolytic activities in vitro. These effects were strongly associated with robust bone colonization in vivo, whereas this gene subset was ineffective in promoting local tumor growth and cell homing activity to bone. Interestingly, global inhibition of metalloproteolytic activities and simultaneous TGFbeta blockade in vivo led to increased survival and a remarkable attenuation of bone tumor burden and osteolytic metastasis. Thus, this metastatic gene signature mediates bone-matrix degradation by a dual mechanism of induction of TGFbeta-dependent osteoclastogenic bone resorption and enhancement of stroma-dependent metalloproteolytic activities. Our findings suggest the cooperative contribution of host-derived and cell-autonomous effects directed by a small subset of genes in mediating aggressive osseous colonization. Experiment Overall Design: Human highly metastatic cell lines derived from Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma (NSCLC) with specific bone tropism. Cell lines were selected by induction of prominent bone metastases lesions. The metastatic lines were systematically and accurately discriminate using 3 complementary parameters: survival curves of newly injected mice; computerized image analysis of bone metastatic areas; conspicuous SCCs derived from each animal (10 mice/group). Experiment Overall Design: Genome-wide expression analysis was done using 13 microarrays, corresponding to 4 samples of control non-metastatic cell lines and 9 samples of 3 different highly metastatic cell lines (M1, M4, M5) each with 3 biological replicates. Moreover, in each microarray pools of 3 groups of the corresponding cells were used.

Project description:The reciprocal interaction between cancer cells and the tissue-specific stroma is critical for primary and metastatic tumor growth progression. Prostate cancer cells colonize preferentially bone (osteotropism), where they alter the physiological balance between osteoblast-mediated bone formation and osteoclast-mediated bone resorption, and elicit prevalently an osteoblastic response (osteoinduction). The molecular cues provided by osteoblasts for the survival and growth of bone metastatic prostate cancer cells are largely unknown. We exploited the sufficient divergence between human and mouse RNA sequences together with redefinition of highly species-specific gene arrays by computer-aided and experimental exclusion of cross-hybridizing oligonucleotide probes. This strategy allowed the dissection of the stroma (mouse) from the cancer cell (human) transcriptome in bone metastasis xenograft models of human osteoinductive prostate cancer cells (VCaP and C4-2B). As a result, we generated the osteoblastic bone metastasis-associated stroma transcriptome (OB-BMST). Subtraction of genes shared by inflammation, wound healing and desmoplastic responses, and by the tissue type-independent stroma responses to a variety of non-osteotropic and osteotropic primary cancers generated a curated gene signature (“Core” OB-BMST) putatively representing the bone marrow/bone-specific stroma response to prostate cancer-induced, osteoblastic bone metastasis. The expression pattern of three representative Core OB-BMST genes (PTN, EPHA3 and FSCN1) seems to confirm the bone specificity of this response. A robust induction of genes involved in osteogenesis and angiogenesis dominates both the OB-BMST and Core OB-BMST. This translates in an amplification of hematopoietic and, remarkably, prostate epithelial stem cell niche components that may function as a self-reinforcing bone metastatic niche providing a growth support specific for osteoinductive prostate cancer cells. The induction of this combinatorial stem cell niche is a novel mechanism that may also explain cancer cell osteotropism and local interference with hematopoiesis (myelophthisis). Accordingly, these stem cell niche components may represent innovative therapeutic targets and/or serum biomarkers in osteoblastic bone metastasis. Keywords: cancer, transcription-profile, bone, metastasis, stroma

Project description:The reciprocal interaction between cancer cells and the tissue-specific stroma is critical for primary and metastatic tumor growth progression. Prostate cancer cells colonize preferentially bone (osteotropism), where they alter the physiological balance between osteoblast-mediated bone formation and osteoclast-mediated bone resorption, and elicit prevalently an osteoblastic response (osteoinduction). The molecular cues provided by osteoblasts for the survival and growth of bone metastatic prostate cancer cells are largely unknown. We exploited the sufficient divergence between human and mouse RNA sequences together with redefinition of highly species-specific gene arrays by computer-aided and experimental exclusion of cross-hybridizing oligonucleotide probes. This strategy allowed the dissection of the stroma (mouse) from the cancer cell (human) transcriptome in bone metastasis xenograft models of human osteoinductive prostate cancer cells (VCaP and C4-2B). As a result, we generated the osteoblastic bone metastasis-associated stroma transcriptome (OB-BMST). Subtraction of genes shared by inflammation, wound healing and desmoplastic responses, and by the tissue type-independent stroma responses to a variety of non-osteotropic and osteotropic primary cancers generated a curated gene signature (“Core” OB-BMST) putatively representing the bone marrow/bone-specific stroma response to prostate cancer-induced, osteoblastic bone metastasis. The expression pattern of three representative Core OB-BMST genes (PTN, EPHA3 and FSCN1) seems to confirm the bone specificity of this response. A robust induction of genes involved in osteogenesis and angiogenesis dominates both the OB-BMST and Core OB-BMST. This translates in an amplification of hematopoietic and, remarkably, prostate epithelial stem cell niche components that may function as a self-reinforcing bone metastatic niche providing a growth support specific for osteoinductive prostate cancer cells. The induction of this combinatorial stem cell niche is a novel mechanism that may also explain cancer cell osteotropism and local interference with hematopoiesis (myelophthisis). Accordingly, these stem cell niche components may represent innovative therapeutic targets and/or serum biomarkers in osteoblastic bone metastasis. Keywords: cancer, transcription-profile, bone, metastasis, stroma 3 samples of VCaP xenografted mouse bones (VCaP xenografts 1/2/3), 3 samples of C4-2B xenografted mouse bones (C4-2B xenografts 1/2/3), 2 samples of Ep156T xenografted mouse bones (Ep156T xenografts 1/2), 2 samples of sham-operated mouse bones (sham-operated bones 1/2) and 3 samples of intact mouse bones (intact bones 1/2/3) were profiled on Affymetrix Mouse Genome 430A 2.0 Arrays. Sample code: MVX stands for VCaP xenografts, MBM for Intact bone samples, MCX for C4-2B xenografts and MNX for Sham-operated bones samples

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A novel lung cancer gene signature mediates metastatic bone colonization by a dual mechanism

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