Project description:Medulloblastoma encompasses a collection of clinically and molecularly diverse tumor subtypes that together comprise the most common malignant childhood brain tumor. These tumors are thought to arise within the cerebellum, with approximately 25% originating from granule neuron precursor cells (GNPCs) following aberrant activation of the Sonic Hedgehog pathway (hereafter, SHH-subtype). The pathological processes that drive heterogeneity among the other medulloblastoma subtypes are not known, hindering the development of much needed new therapies. Here, we provide evidence that a discrete subtype of medulloblastoma that contains activating mutations in the WNT pathway effector CTNNB1 (hereafter, WNT-subtype), arises outside the cerebellum from cells of the dorsal brainstem. We found that genes marking human WNT-subtype medulloblastomas are more frequently expressed in the lower rhombic lip (LRL) and embryonic dorsal brainstem than in the upper rhombic lip (URL) and developing cerebellum. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and intra-operative reports showed that human WNT-subtype tumors infiltrate the dorsal brainstem, while SHH-subtype tumors are located within the cerebellar hemispheres. Activating mutations in Ctnnb1 had little impact on progenitor cell populations in the cerebellum, but caused the abnormal accumulation of cells on the embryonic dorsal brainstem that included aberrantly proliferating Zic1+ precursor cells. These lesions persisted in all mutant adult mice and in 15% of cases in which Tp53 was concurrently deleted, progressed to form medulloblastomas that recapitulated the anatomy and gene expression profiles of human WNT-subtype medulloblastoma. We provide the first evidence that subtypes of medulloblastoma have distinct cellular origins. Our data provide an explanation for the marked molecular and clinical differences between SHH and WNT-subtype medulloblastomas and have profound implications for future research and treatment of this important childhood cancer. A total of 16 samples are analyzed, repsresenting 4 experimental groups: Ctnnb1 medulloblastoma (3 samples); Ptch1 medulloblastoma (6 samples); embryonic dorsal brainstem (4 samples); and postnatal granule neuron precursor cells (3 samples). Every sample was prepared from a different mouse.
Project description:We used single-cell transcriptomics to study cells from the developing human cerebellum, and show that different molecular subgroups of medulloblastoma resemble distinct glutamatergic progenitors.
Project description:Origins of the brain tumor, medulloblastoma, from stem cells or restricted pro-genitor cells are unclear. To investigate this, we activated oncogenic Hedgehog signaling in multipotent and lineage-restricted CNS progenitors. We observed that normal unipo-tent cerebellar granule neuron precursors (CGNP) derive from hGFAP+ and Olig2+ rhombic lip progenitors. Hedgehog activation in a spectrum of early and late stage CNS progenitors generated similar medulloblastomas, but not other brain cancers, indicating that acquisition of CGNP identity is essential for tumorigenesis. We show in human and mouse medulloblastoma that cells expressing the glia-associated markers Gfap and Olig2 are neoplastic and that they retain features of embryonic-type granule lineage progenitors. Thus, oncogenic Hedgehog signaling promotes medulloblastoma from lineage-restricted granule cell progenitors. Gene expression profiling of cerebellar tumors generated from various early and late stage CNS progenitor cells. Experiment Overall Design: Group comparisons with biological replicates
Project description:BACKGROUND & AIMS: C/EBPbeta is involved in numerous process as carcinogenesis but its role is still not clear due to the existence of an active form (LAP) and an inhibitory form (LIP) of this transcription factor. The main goals of the present research were (i) the identification of genes inversely regulated by LAP and LIP i-e the genuine C/EBPbeta molecular signature in the Hep3B human hepatoma cell line (ii) a better understanding of LAP and LIP respective role in hepatic cells survival and proliferation (iii) the search of the C/EBPbeta signature among hepatocellular carcinomas. METHODS: Using Tet-off expression system we engineered Hep3BLAP and Hep3BLIP cells, in which LAP and LIP were over-expressed respectively. Then, using both expression profiling (DNA arrays) and ChIP-on-chip analysis, we identified genes inversely and/or directly regulated by each of the C/EBPbeta isoforms. The expression levels of these genes regulated by LAP/LIP were compared in controls and HCCs patients. RESULTS: We identified 676 genes inversely regulated by LAP and LIP and among these, 45 are direct targets. Using functional studies, we displayed the opposite role of LAP and LIP in staurosporine-induced cell death and the implication of LAP in the repression of Hep3B cells proliferation. Finally we identified a subgroup of HCCs with a deregulation of 165 genes belonging to C/EBPbeta signature and coding for proteins involved in chemoresistance and metastasis formation. CONCLUSIONS: Our study increases knowledge on LAP and LIP functions and provides first evidence that their molecular signature in the HCCs could predict tumor evolution. Total genomic DNA were extracted from 3 Hep3BLAP expressing LAP and were labelled Cy3 fluorochrome. Genomic DNA were extracted from 3 Hep3BLAP expressing LAP, were immunoprecipited with anti-CEBPbeta antibody and were labelled with Cy5 fluorochrome. Each sample was hybridized on an Agilent two-color microarray G4489A (Human Promoter ChIP-on-Chip Set 244K).
Project description:BACKGROUND & AIMS: C/EBPbeta is involved in numerous process as carcinogenesis but its role is still not clear due to the existence of an active form (LAP) and an inhibitory form (LIP) of this transcription factor. The main goals of the present research were (i) the identification of genes inversely regulated by LAP and LIP i-e the genuine C/EBPbeta molecular signature in the Hep3B human hepatoma cell line (ii) a better understanding of LAP and LIP respective role in hepatic cells survival and proliferation (iii) the search of the C/EBPbeta signature among hepatocellular carcinomas. METHODS: Using Tet-off expression system we engineered Hep3BLAP and Hep3BLIP cells, in which LAP and LIP were over-expressed respectively. Then, using both expression profiling (DNA arrays) and ChIP-on-chip analysis, we identified genes inversely and/or directly regulated by each of the C/EBPbeta isoforms. The expression levels of these genes regulated by LAP/LIP were compared in controls and HCCs patients. RESULTS: We identified 676 genes inversely regulated by LAP and LIP and among these, 45 are direct targets. Using functional studies, we displayed the opposite role of LAP and LIP in staurosporine-induced cell death and the implication of LAP in the repression of Hep3B cells proliferation. Finally we identified a subgroup of HCCs with a deregulation of 165 genes belonging to C/EBPbeta signature and coding for proteins involved in chemoresistance and metastasis formation. CONCLUSIONS: Our study increases knowledge on LAP and LIP functions and provides first evidence that their molecular signature in the HCCs could predict tumor evolution.
Project description:Medulloblastoma encompasses a collection of clinically and molecularly diverse tumor subtypes that together comprise the most common malignant childhood brain tumor. These tumors are thought to arise within the cerebellum, with approximately 25% originating from granule neuron precursor cells (GNPCs) following aberrant activation of the Sonic Hedgehog pathway (hereafter, SHH-subtype). The pathological processes that drive heterogeneity among the other medulloblastoma subtypes are not known, hindering the development of much needed new therapies. Here, we provide evidence that a discrete subtype of medulloblastoma that contains activating mutations in the WNT pathway effector CTNNB1 (hereafter, WNT-subtype), arises outside the cerebellum from cells of the dorsal brainstem. We found that genes marking human WNT-subtype medulloblastomas are more frequently expressed in the lower rhombic lip (LRL) and embryonic dorsal brainstem than in the upper rhombic lip (URL) and developing cerebellum. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and intra-operative reports showed that human WNT-subtype tumors infiltrate the dorsal brainstem, while SHH-subtype tumors are located within the cerebellar hemispheres. Activating mutations in Ctnnb1 had little impact on progenitor cell populations in the cerebellum, but caused the abnormal accumulation of cells on the embryonic dorsal brainstem that included aberrantly proliferating Zic1+ precursor cells. These lesions persisted in all mutant adult mice and in 15% of cases in which Tp53 was concurrently deleted, progressed to form medulloblastomas that recapitulated the anatomy and gene expression profiles of human WNT-subtype medulloblastoma. We provide the first evidence that subtypes of medulloblastoma have distinct cellular origins. Our data provide an explanation for the marked molecular and clinical differences between SHH and WNT-subtype medulloblastomas and have profound implications for future research and treatment of this important childhood cancer.