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Molecular changes induced in melanoma cells by stromal cells and anti-BRAF therapy.

ABSTRACT: Tumor-associated stromal cells can enable cancer cells to become insensitive to therapy. They can promote aggressive phenotype in cancer cells, which become less responsive to drugs such as BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) used to treat melanomas. To clarify potential mechanism behind stromal influence on melanoma, we analyzed gene expression in Melmet 5 melanoma cells grown as mono-cultures or co-cultures with lung fibroblasts with/without BRAFi. We have shown that Melmet 5 growing as co-cultures gained a de-differentiated, invasive transcriptional state, which is known to be linked to BRAFi-resistance. The transcriptional changes induced by BRAFi were much larger in Melmet 5 mono-cultures compared to co-cultures, indicating a much dampened transcriptional response to BRAFi in melanoma under the influence of fibroblasts. We conclude that interaction with the stromal cells stimulate melanoma cell transition to the invasive de-differentiated phenotype, leading to a worse response to BRAF inhibitors.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE67637 | GEO | 2015/08/01

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA280524

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:BRAF oncogene is mutated in ~50% of human cutaneous melanomas. The BRAF V600E mutation leads to constitutive activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway fuelling cancer growth. The inhibitors of BRAF V600E (BRAFi), lead to massive and high response rate. However, BRAFi-resistant cells that operate as a cellular reservoir for relapses severely limits the duration of the clinical response. The recent depiction of these resistant cells did not identify druggable targets to ensure long-term survival under BRAFi. Here, we identify the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) as a target to eradicate resistant cells. We show that BRAFi bind to AhR on a new site, named beta-pocket, and reprogram gene expression independently of its partner ARNT. beta-pocket activation induces a pigmentation signature, which is associated to BRAFi-induced cell death of sensitive BRAF V600E melanoma cells and tumour shrinkage. Intriguingly, in resistant cells, BRAFi does not induced a pigmentation signature since these cells display another AhR program; AhR-ARNT dependant. By this way, AhR directs several key BRAFi-resistant genes. At single cell level, this constitutive activation of AhR-ARNT is identified in rare cells before BRAFi-treatment of melanoma tumours and an enrichment of these alpha-cells is observed under BRAFi. Our data strongly suggest that an endogenous AhR ligand activates AhR-ARNT via the canonical AhR pocket (alpha-pocket), thus favouring BRAFi-resistant gene expression. Importantly, we identify the clinically compatible AhR antagonist, the resveratrol (RSV), able to abrogate the deleterious constitutive activation of AhR and to reduce the cellular reservoir for the relapse. Taken together, this work reveals that constitutive AhR signalling drives BRAFi resistance and constitutes a therapeutic target to achieve long-term patient survival under BRAFi. More broadly, the constitutive activation of AhR by endogenous ligands is in line with the ability of UV radiations to generate potent AhR ligands and to favour melanoma onset.

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Molecular changes induced in melanoma cells by stromal cells and anti-BRAF therapy.

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