Project description:Standard RNA analyses using microarrays and low-coverage polyadenylation enriched RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) cannot fully characterize the complexity of the cancer transcriptome. To fully elucidate the transcriptome of prostate tumours, we performed ultra-deep total RNA-Seq on 144 localized prostate tumours with long-term clinical follow up. Analysis of linear RNAs identified a transcriptomic subtype associated with the aggressive intraductal carcinoma subhistology, and a fusion gene profile that differentiates localized from metastatic prostate cancers. Analysis of back-splicing events identified widespread RNA circularization, with the average tumour expressing 7,140 distinct circular RNAs. The degree of aberrant circRNA production is correlated to disease progression in multiple clinical cohorts. Loss of function screens identified 11.3% of the screened circRNAs as essential to prostate cancer proliferation, and for 93.6% of these, their parental linear genes are not required for proliferation. Follow-up studies on circCSNK1G3 revealed its role in regulating cell cycle progression. Ultra-deep transcriptome sequencing thus provides a more comprehensive view of the linear and circular transcriptional and functional landscapes of localized prostate cancer.
Project description:Background: Breast (BCa) and prostate (PCa) cancers are hormone receptor (HR)-driven cancers. Estrogen receptor alpha (ERa) is overexpressed in 70% of diagnosed BCa patients and androgen receptor (AR) is overexpressed in 80-90% of diagnosed PCa patients. Thus, BCa and PCa patients are given therapy that reduces hormone levels or directly blocks HR activity; but most patients eventually develop treatment resistance. 15-30% of BCa patients and ≥ 30% of PCa patients that acquire treatment resistance develop tumors enriched in cancer cells with low or no HR accumulation. Furthermore, 15-20% of BCa patients and 10-20% of PCa patients are intrinsically HR-negative (HR-), and thus, have intrinsic resistance to therapy. We have previously reported that interleukin-1 (IL-1) inflammatory cytokine downregulates ERa and AR mRNA in HR-positive (HR+) BCa and PCa cell lines. Additionally, we had identified pro-survival proteins and processes upregulated by IL-1 in HR+ BCa and PCa cells, that are basally high in HR- BCa and PCa cells. Therefore, we hypothesize that IL-1 confers a conserved gene expression pattern in HR+ BCa and PCa cells that mimics conserved basal gene expression patterns in HR- BCa and PCa cells, to promote HR-independent survival and tumorigenicity. Methods: To identify changes in global gene expression we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) for HR+ BCa and PCa cell lines exposed to IL-1 and for untreated HR- BCa and PCa cell lines. We confirmed expression patterns of select genes by RT-qPCR and used siRNA and/or drug inhibition to silence select genes in BCa and PCa cell lines. We also compared our gene expression data with publicly available data sets from hormone receptor-independent sublines. Finally, we performed Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to identify signaling pathways encode by our RNA-seq data set. Results: We identified 350 genes in common between BCa and PCa cells that are induced or repressed by IL-1 in HR+ cells that are, respectively, basally high or low in HR- cells. Among these genes, we identified Sequestome-1 (SQSTM1/p62) and SRY (Sex-Determining Region Y)-Box 9 (SOX9) to be essential for survival of HR- BCa and PCa cell lines. Analysis of publicly available data indicates that p62 and SOX9 expression are elevated in hormone receptor-independent BCa and PCa sublines generated in vitro, suggesting that p62 and SOX9 have a role in acquired treatment resistance. We also assessed HR- cell line viability in response verteporfin, an FDA approved therapy for macular degeneration known to target p62, and we found that verteporfin is cytotoxic for HR- cells lines. Conclusions: Taken together, our 350 gene set can be used to identify novel therapeutic targets and/or biomarkers conserved among acquired (e.g. due to inflammation) or intrinsic hormone receptor-independent BCa and PCa.
Project description:To explore the role of HIC1 silencing in regulating PCa EMT development, Human Gene Expression Microarrays were searched for altered genes upon silencing HIC1 expression in C4-2B and DU145 cells. According to fold-change screening betweenHIC1-silenced and its respective control cells, both up-regulated and down-regulated genes were shown. Human PCa cell lines C4-2B and DU145 were transfected with lenti-virus (shRNA targeting HIC1 and respective control). HIC1-silenced cells were respectively noted as C4-2B-shHIC1 and DU145-shHIC1. Their respective control cells were respectively noted as C4-2B-shctrl and DU145-shctrl.
Project description:Defining acute stress response mechanisms that mediate prostate cancer (PCa) treatment resistance will help improve therapeutic outcomes of patients treated with androgen receptor pathway inhibition (ARPI). ARPI causes abrupt environmental changes, subjecting PCa cells to acute metabolic stress. We identified the up-regulation of chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) in response to acute ARPI stress, which persisted in castration-resistant PCa (CRPC). CMA is a selective protein degradation pathway and a key stress response mechanism up-regulated under several stress stimuli, including metabolic stress. As mediator of selective protein degradation, CMA orchestrates cellular pathway changes mediating the cellular stress response. Broad-spectrum proteomic analysis identified CMA induced proteome remodeling acutely after ARPI stress. CMA sustained PCa growth and survival during ARPI, promoting metabolic reprogramming through the upregulation mTORC1 signaling and pathways associated with PCa biosynthesis and energetics. The upregulation of CMA promotes PCa cell proliferation after ARPI, and emergence of CRPC in-vivo. CMA inhibition compromised PCa metabolism, leading to ATP depletion and profound anti-proliferative effects on PCa cells, enhanced when combined with ARPI. CMA inhibition prevented in-vivo tumour formation, while also re-sensitizing enzalutamide-resistant cell lines in-vitro. The profound anti-proliferative effect of CMA inhibition was attributed to cell cycle arrest mediated through p53 transcriptional repression of E2F target genes. This study established CMA as an acute ARPI stress response mechanism, essential in alleviating ARPI induced metabolic stress to promote PCa growth and survival. CMA plays a critical role in the development of ARPI resistance in PCa.
Project description:Isolated human CD3+ T-cells were stimulated with the a recombinant mutant of the antimicrobial peptide RNase 7 without ribonuclease activity (RNase 7M) and screened for possible effects by mRNA microarray analysis.
Project description:Prostate cancer (PCa) development and progression are associated with chronic inflammation. The cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 can influence progression, differentiation, survival, and angiogenesis of PCa. To identify novel pathways that are triggered by IL-6, we performed a gene expression profiling of two PCa cell lines, LNCaP and MDA PCa 2b, under treatment with 5 ng/ml IL-6. Interferon regulatory factor (IRF)9 was identified as one of the most prevalent IL-6 regulated genes in both cell lines. IRF9 is a mediator of type I interferon signaling and acts together with signal transduction and activator of transcription (STAT)1 and 2 to activate transcription of interferon responsive genes. The IL-6 regulation of IRF9 was confirmed at mRNA and protein levels by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively, in both cell lines and could be blocked by the anti-IL-6 antibody Siltuximab. Three PCa cell lines with an autocrine IL-6 loop, PC3, DU145, and LNCaP-IL-6+, showed a high expression of IRF9. A tissue microarray with 36 malignant and adjacent 36 benign areas from prostate cancer specimens showed that IRF9 protein expression is moderately elevated in malignant areas and positively correlates with the tissue expression of IL-6. Downregulation and overexpression of IRF9 provided evidence for an interferon-independent role of IRF9 on cellular proliferation of different PCa cell lines. Furthermore, expression of IRF9 was essential to mediate the antiproliferative effects of IFN-M-NM-12. We concluded that IL-6 is an inducer of IRF9 expression in prostate cancer and a sensitizer for the antiproliferative effects of IFNM-NM-12. LNCaP and MDA PCa 2b cells were seeded in 12 wells each. The cells were starved for 24 h and half were treated with 5 ng/ml IL-6 for 18 h. Two biological replicates were performed, each in three replicates, resulting in 12 samples per cell line.
Project description:Prostate cancer (PCa) development and progression are associated with chronic inflammation. The cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 can influence progression, differentiation, survival, and angiogenesis of PCa. To identify novel pathways that are triggered by IL-6, we performed a gene expression profiling of two PCa cell lines, LNCaP and MDA PCa 2b, under treatment with 5 ng/ml IL-6. Interferon regulatory factor (IRF)9 was identified as one of the most prevalent IL-6 regulated genes in both cell lines. IRF9 is a mediator of type I interferon signaling and acts together with signal transduction and activator of transcription (STAT)1 and 2 to activate transcription of interferon responsive genes. The IL-6 regulation of IRF9 was confirmed at mRNA and protein levels by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively, in both cell lines and could be blocked by the anti-IL-6 antibody Siltuximab. Three PCa cell lines with an autocrine IL-6 loop, PC3, DU145, and LNCaP-IL-6+, showed a high expression of IRF9. A tissue microarray with 36 malignant and adjacent 36 benign areas from prostate cancer specimens showed that IRF9 protein expression is moderately elevated in malignant areas and positively correlates with the tissue expression of IL-6. Downregulation and overexpression of IRF9 provided evidence for an interferon-independent role of IRF9 on cellular proliferation of different PCa cell lines. Furthermore, expression of IRF9 was essential to mediate the antiproliferative effects of IFN-α2. We concluded that IL-6 is an inducer of IRF9 expression in prostate cancer and a sensitizer for the antiproliferative effects of IFNα2.
Project description:Two types of RNA:DNA associations can lead to genome instability: the formation of R-loops during transcription and the incorporation of ribonucleotide monophosphates (rNMPs) into DNA during replication. Both ribonuclease (RNase) H1 and RNase H2 degrade the RNA component of R-loops, whereas only RNase H2 can remove one or a few rNMPs from DNA. We performed high-resolution mapping of mitotic recombination events throughout the yeast genome in diploid strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae lacking RNase H1 (rnh1Δ), RNase H2 (rnh201Δ), or both RNase H1 and RNase H2 (rnh1Δ rnh201Δ). We found little effect on recombination in the rnh1Δ strain, but elevated recombination in both the rnh201Δ and the double-mutant strains; levels of recombination in the double mutant were about 50% higher than in the rnh201 single-mutant strain. An rnh201Δ mutant that additionally contained a mutation that reduces rNMP incorporation by DNA polymerase ε (pol2-M644L) had a level of instability similar to that observed in the presence of wild-type Polε. This result suggests that the elevated recombination observed in the absence of only RNase H2 is primarily a consequence of R loops rather than misincorporated rNMPs.