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Distinct cancer-promoting stromal gene expression depending on lung function

ABSTRACT: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an independent risk factor for lung cancer, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. We hypothesized that lung stromal cells activate pathological gene expression programs supporting oncogenesis. To identify molecular mechanisms operating in the lung stroma that support development of lung cancer. Study subjects included patients with- or without- lung cancer across a spectrum of lung function. We conducted multi-omics analysis of non-malignant lung tissue to quantify the transcriptome, translatome and proteome. Cancer-associated gene expression changes predominantly manifested as alterations in the efficiency of mRNA translation modulating protein levels in the absence of corresponding changes in mRNA levels. The molecular mechanisms driving these cancer-associated translation programs differed based on lung function. In subjects with normal to mildly impaired lung-function, the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway served as an upstream driver; whereas in severe airflow obstruction, pathways downstream of pathological extracellular matrix (ECM) emerged. Consistent with a role during cancer initiation, both the mTOR and ECM gene expression programs paralleled activation of previously identified pro-cancer secretomes. Furthermore, in situ examination of lung tissue documented that stromal fibroblasts express cancer-associated proteins from the two pro-cancer secretomes including IL6 in mild or no airflow obstruction and BMP1 in severe airflow obstruction. Two distinct stromal gene expression programs promoting cancer initiation are activated in lung cancer patients depending on lung function. Our work has implications both for screening strategies and personalized approaches to cancer treatment.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE103404 | GEO | 2019/03/05

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Rationale: MicroRNAs have emerged as crucial post-transcriptional and network regulators in inflammatory diseases, including asthma. We hypothesized that peripheral blood miRNA would be associated with airflow obstruction in children with asthma, and that some of these effects would also be observable in adults with COPD. Methods: We analyzed small RNA-Seq data from 365 peripheral blood samples from the Genetics of Asthma in Costa Rica Study (GACRS). GACRS comprised children from the Central Valley of Costa Rica age 6-14 years with physician-diagnosed asthma and ≥2 respiratory symptoms or asthma attacks in the prior year. FEV1/FVC percent-predicted was dichotomized at 100%, splitting the cohort into those with and without evidence of airflow obstruction and used as our primary outcome. Differentially expressed (DE) miRs were identified using the DESeq2 package in R with a 10% FDR and adjustment for age, gender, and inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) use. We attempted to replicate the top airflow obstruction-associated microRNAs from the GACRS study in the COPDGene study, in which blood microRNA data were available in 439 current and former smoking adults with and without airflow obstruction (defined as raw FEV1/FVC < 0.7). Results: After QC, we had 361 samples and 649 miRs for DE analysis. Of the 361 samples, 220 and 141 were from subjects without and with airflow obstruction, respectively. We found 1 upregulated (let-7e-5p p=0.0004) and 2 downregulated (miR-342-3p p=0.0002; miR-671-5p p=0.0001) miRs in subjects with airflow obstruction compared to those without airflow obstruction. These three miRNAs were then tested for association with airflow obstruction in the COPDGene study, in which let-7e-5p was upregulated (p = 0.064) and miR-342-3p (p =0.085) was downregulated in participants with FEV1/FVC < 0.7 (n=196) compared to those with FEV1/FVC > 0.7 (n=243). Differentially expressed miR’s target genes were enriched for PI3K-Akt, Hippo, WNT, MAPK, and focal adhesion signaling pathways. We also separately considered the targets of only the two miRNAs that were also associated with FEV1/FVC in the adult current and former smokers, where PI3K-Akt, MAPK and Hippo signaling pathways were among the top five most enriched pathways. Conclusion: Three DE miRs were linked to airflow obstruction in children with asthma. Two miRs were associated with FEV1/FVC in current and former smoking adults. These miRs were involved in asthma and COPD-related pathways: PI3K-Akt, Hippo, MAPK, and focal adhesion signaling pathways. Together these findings provide important evidence that these two disorders may share genetic regulatory systems that contribute to airflow obstruction.

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Distinct cancer-promoting stromal gene expression depending on lung function

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