Project description:The Ras/MEK/ERK pathway has been the primary focus of targeted therapies in melanoma, given that it is aberrantly activated in almost 80% of human cutaneous melanomas (~50% BRAFV600 mutations and ~30% NRAS mutations). While targeted therapies have yielded success in BRAFV600 mutant melanoma patients, such therapies have been ineffective in NRAS mutant melanomas in part due to their cytostatic effects and primary resistance in this patient population. Here, we demonstrate that increased Rho/MRTF-pathway activation correlates with high intrinsic resistance to trametinib, a MEK inhibitor, in a panel of NRAS mutant melanoma cell lines. Combination of trametinib with the Rho/MRTF-pathway inhibitor, CCG-222740, synergistically reduced cell viability in NRAS mutant melanoma cell lines in vitro. Furthermore, the combination of CCG-222740 with trametinib induced apoptosis and reduced clonogenicity in the highly trametinib-resistant SK-Mel-147 cells. These findings suggest a role of the Rho/MRTF-pathway in high intrinsic trametinib resistance to a subset of NRAS mutant melanoma cell lines and highlights the potential of concurrently targeting the Rho/MRTF-pathway and MEK in NRAS mutant melanomas.
Project description:The Ras/MEK/ERK pathway has been the primary focus of targeted therapies in melanoma, given that it is aberrantly activated in almost 80% of human cutaneous melanomas (~50% BRAFV600 mutations and ~30% NRAS mutations). While targeted therapies have yielded success in BRAFV600 mutant melanoma patients, such therapies have been ineffective in NRAS mutant melanomas in part due to their cytostatic effects and primary resistance in this patient population. Here, we demonstrate that increased Rho/MRTF-pathway activation correlates with high intrinsic resistance to trametinib, a MEK inhibitor, in a panel of NRAS mutant melanoma cell lines. Combination of trametinib with the Rho/MRTF-pathway inhibitor, CCG-222740, synergistically reduced cell viability in NRAS mutant melanoma cell lines in vitro. Furthermore, the combination of CCG-222740 with trametinib induced apoptosis and reduced clonogenicity in the highly trametinib-resistant SK-Mel-147 cells. These findings suggest a role of the Rho/MRTF-pathway in high intrinsic trametinib resistance to a subset of NRAS mutant melanoma cell lines and highlights the potential of concurrently targeting the Rho/MRTF-pathway and MEK in NRAS mutant melanomas.
Project description:Differential gene expression analysis of parental and resistant sub-lines of melanoma cell lines treated or untreated with PLX4032 Using microarray we sought to obtain a genome-wide profile of differentially expressed genes in parental melanoma cell lines and resistant sub-lines in response to PLX4032 vs DMSO control treatment.
Project description:Nucleotide excision repair (NER) orchestrates the repair of helix distorting DNA damage, induced by both ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and cisplatin. There is evidence that the global genome repair (GGR) arm of NER is dysfunctional in melanoma and it is known to have limited induction in melanoma cell lines after cisplatin treatment. The aims of this study were to examine mRNA transcript levels of regulators of GGR and to investigate the downstream effect on global transcript expression in melanoma cell lines after cisplatin treatment and in melanoma tumours.
Project description:Differential gene expression analysis of parental and resistant sub-lines of melanoma cell lines treated or untreated with PLX4032 Using microarray we sought to obtain a genome-wide profile of differentially expressed genes in parental melanoma cell lines and resistant sub-lines in response to PLX4032 vs DMSO control treatment. Representative parental melanoma cell lines and resistant sub-lines were treated with PLX4032 at 1 uM or DMSO control for 6h. Total RNA was extracted and cDNAs were generated and hybridized onto GeneChip Human Gene 1.0 ST Arrays (Affymetrix).
Project description:To analyse whether the activation of TGF-ß signalling (recombinant hTGF-ß, 5 ng/mL; PeproTech) is able to invoke a full phenotype- switch, we performed RNA sequencing of melanoma cultures from two independent melanoma cell lines at two different time point after TGF-β1 (5 ng/ml, preprotech).
Project description:Treatment of advanced V600BRAF mutant melanoma using a BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi) or its combination with a MEKi typically elicits partial responses. We compared the transcriptomes of patient-derived tumors regressing on MAPKi therapy against MAPKi-induced temporal transcriptomic states in human melanoma cell lines or murine melanoma in immune-competent mice. Despite heterogeneous dynamics of clinical tumor regression, residual tumors displayed highly recurrent transcriptomic alterations and enriched processes, which were also observed in MAPKi-selected cell lines (implying tumor cell-intrinsic reprogramming) or in bulk mouse tumors (and the CD45-negative or -positive fractions,, implying tumor cell-intrinsic or stromal/immune alterations, respectively). Tumor cell-intrinsic reprogramming attenuated MAPK-dependency, while enhancing mesenchymal, angiogenic and IFN-inflammatory features and growth/survival dependence on multi-RTKs and PD-L2. In the immune compartment, PD-L2 upregulation in CD11c+ immunocytes drove the loss of T-cell inflammation and promoted BRAFi resistance. Thus, residual melanoma early on MAPKi therapy already displays potentially exploitable adaptive transcriptomic, epigenomic, immune-regulomic alterations.
Project description:Treatment of advanced V600BRAF mutant melanoma using a BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi) or its combination with a MEKi typically elicits partial responses. We compared the transcriptomes of patient-derived tumors regressing on MAPKi therapy against MAPKi-induced temporal transcriptomic states in human melanoma cell lines or murine melanoma in immune-competent mice. Despite heterogeneous dynamics of clinical tumor regression, residual tumors displayed highly recurrent transcriptomic alterations and enriched processes, which were also observed in MAPKi-selected cell lines (implying tumor cell-intrinsic reprogramming) or in bulk mouse tumors (and the CD45-negative or -positive fractions,, implying tumor cell-intrinsic or stromal/immune alterations, respectively). Tumor cell-intrinsic reprogramming attenuated MAPK-dependency, while enhancing mesenchymal, angiogenic and IFN-inflammatory features and growth/survival dependence on multi-RTKs and PD-L2. In the immune compartment, PD-L2 upregulation in CD11c+ immunocytes drove the loss of T-cell inflammation and promoted BRAFi resistance. Thus, residual melanoma early on MAPKi therapy already displays potentially exploitable adaptive transcriptomic, epigenomic, immune-regulomic alterations.