Project description:Chromatin and transcriptome comparisons of matched NSCs and derivative GSCs reveal activation of WNT5A and an EC signature WNT5A-mediated GdEC differentiation and EC recruitment support the invasive growth of glioma cells in the brain parenchyma.
Project description:We have previously shown that Wnt5A drives invasion in melanoma. We have also shown that Wnt5A promotes resistance to therapy designed to target the BRAF(V600E) mutation in melanoma. Here, we show that melanomas characterized by high levels of Wnt5A respond to therapeutic stress by increasing p21 and expressing classical markers of senescence, including positivity for senescence-associated ?-galactosidase (SA-?-gal), senescence-associated heterochromatic foci (SAHF), H3K9Me chromatin marks, and PML bodies. We find that despite this, these cells retain their ability to migrate and invade. Further, despite the expression of classic markers of senescence such as SA-?-gal and SAHF, these Wnt5A-high cells are able to colonize the lungs in in vivo tail vein colony-forming assays. This clearly underscores the fact that these markers do not indicate true senescence in these cells, but instead an adaptive stress response that allows the cells to evade therapy and invade. Notably, silencing Wnt5A reduces expression of these markers and decreases invasiveness. The combined data point to Wnt5A as a master regulator of an adaptive stress response in melanoma, which may contribute to therapy resistance. To better understand the molecular mechanisms governing the response of highly invasive cells to IR as compared to that of poorly invasive cells, we performed microarray analysis of both poorly and highly invasive cells at early and late timepoints after irradiation. Cells were treated with y-irradiation, and RNA was taken at 1 hour, 24 hours and 5 days after irradiation. Microarray analysis was performed using Illumina Human HT-12 ver3 expression arrays, and each time point was compared to RNA from untreated cells.
Project description:Glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) exhibit remarkable metabolic and epigenetic adaptability, contributing to therapeutic resistance and tumor recurrence. However, the mechanisms underlying this plasticity remain incompletely understood. Here, we identify a novel metabolic-epigenetic axis centered on the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) that governs GSC fate and tumor initiation. MCU is preferentially expressed in GSCs, and its knockdown significantly impairs GSC self-renewal and viability. Mechanistically, MCU enhances mitochondrial calcium uptake, promoting acetyl-CoA production via pyruvate dehydrogenase activation, which drives histone H3K27 acetylation at the TRIB3 locus to sustain stemness programs. In glioblastoma patients, higher MCU expression is correlated with increased acetyl-CoA levels, elevated H3K27 acetylation, enhanced TRIB3 expression, higher tumor grade, and poorer survival. Pharmacological inhibition of MCU with Berberine suppresses GSC growth and extends survival in mice. These findings establish MCU as a critical link between mitochondrial metabolism and epigenetic regulation, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for glioblastoma.
Project description:Glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) exhibit remarkable metabolic and epigenetic adaptability, contributing to therapeutic resistance and tumor recurrence. However, the mechanisms underlying this plasticity remain incompletely understood. Here, we identify a novel metabolic-epigenetic axis centered on the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) that governs GSC fate and tumor initiation. MCU is preferentially expressed in GSCs, and its knockdown significantly impairs GSC self-renewal and viability. Mechanistically, MCU enhances mitochondrial calcium uptake, promoting acetyl-CoA production via pyruvate dehydrogenase activation, which drives histone H3K27 acetylation at the TRIB3 locus to sustain stemness programs. In glioblastoma patients, higher MCU expression is correlated with increased acetyl-CoA levels, elevated H3K27 acetylation, enhanced TRIB3 expression, higher tumor grade, and poorer survival. Pharmacological inhibition of MCU with Berberine suppresses GSC growth and extends survival in mice. These findings establish MCU as a critical link between mitochondrial metabolism and epigenetic regulation, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for glioblastoma.
Project description:Glioblastoma (GBM), classified as a grade 4 glioma, is the most prevalent intrinsic malignancy of the central nervous system. Glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) are small populations of GBM cells with self-renewal and multilineage differentiation capabilities and are considered responsible for the tumorigenesis and development of GBM. GSCs also exhibit radiation resistance, chemoresistance, and angiogenic and invasive properties, which are correlated with poor outcomes in GBM patients. Therefore, targeting GSCs constitutes a promising approach for treating GBM patients. Our findings revealed that POSTN secreted from GSCs promotes GSC self-renewal and tumor growth via activation of the αVβ3/PI3K/AKT/β-catenin/FOSL1 pathway.
Project description:Glioblastoma (GBM), classified as a grade 4 glioma, is the most prevalent intrinsic malignancy of the central nervous system. Glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) are small populations of GBM cells with self-renewal and multilineage differentiation capabilities and are considered responsible for the tumorigenesis and development of GBM. GSCs also exhibit radiation resistance, chemoresistance, and angiogenic and invasive properties, which are correlated with poor outcomes in GBM patients. Therefore, targeting GSCs constitutes a promising approach for treating GBM patients. Our findings revealed that POSTN secreted from GSCs promotes GSC self-renewal and tumor growth via activation of the αVβ3/PI3K/AKT/β-catenin/FOSL1 pathway.
Project description:<p>Glioblastoma (GBM) is a common and deadly form of brain tumor in adults. Dysregulated metabolism in GBM offers an opportunity to deploy metabolic interventions as precise therapeutic strategies. To identify the molecular drivers and the modalities by which different molecular subgroups of GBM exploit metabolic rewiring to sustain tumor progression, we interrogated the transcriptome, the metabolome, and the glycoproteome of human subgroup-specific GBM sphere-forming cells (GSC). L-fucose abundance and core fucosylation activation were elevated in mesenchymal (MES) compared with proneural GSCs; this pattern was retained in subgroup-specific xenografts and in subgroup-affiliated human patient samples. Genetic and pharmacological inhibition of core fucosylation significantly reduced tumor growth in MES GBM preclinical models. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based glycoproteomic screening indicated that most MES-restricted core-fucosylated proteins are involved in therapeutically relevant GBM pathological processes, such as extracellular matrix interaction, cell adhesion, and integrin-mediated signaling. Selective L-fucose accumulation in MES GBMs was observed using preclinical minimally invasive PET, implicating this metabolite as a potential subgroup-restricted biomarker.Overall, these findings indicate that L-fucose pathway activation in MES GBM is a subgroup-specific dependency that could provide diagnostic markers and actionable therapeutic targets.</p><h4><strong>SIGNIFICANCE: </strong>Metabolic characterization of subgroup-specific glioblastoma (GBM) sphere-forming cells identifies the L-fucose pathway as a vulnerability restricted to mesenchymal GBM, disclosing a potential precision medicine strategy for targeting cancer metabolism.</h4><p><br></p><p><strong>Xenograft assays</strong> are reported in the current study <strong>MTBLS730</strong>.</p><p><strong>Stem cell and cell line assays</strong> are reported in <a href='https://www.ebi.ac.uk/metabolights/MTBLS4708' rel='noopener noreferrer' target='_blank'><strong>MTBLS4708</strong></a>.</p>
Project description:<p>Glioblastoma (GBM) is a common and deadly form of brain tumor in adults. Dysregulated metabolism in GBM offers an opportunity to deploy metabolic interventions as precise therapeutic strategies. To identify the molecular drivers and the modalities by which different molecular subgroups of GBM exploit metabolic rewiring to sustain tumor progression, we interrogated the transcriptome, the metabolome, and the glycoproteome of human subgroup-specific GBM sphere-forming cells (GSC). L-fucose abundance and core fucosylation activation were elevated in mesenchymal (MES) compared with proneural GSCs; this pattern was retained in subgroup-specific xenografts and in subgroup-affiliated human patient samples. Genetic and pharmacological inhibition of core fucosylation significantly reduced tumor growth in MES GBM preclinical models. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based glycoproteomic screening indicated that most MES-restricted core-fucosylated proteins are involved in therapeutically relevant GBM pathological processes, such as extracellular matrix interaction, cell adhesion, and integrin-mediated signaling. Selective L-fucose accumulation in MES GBMs was observed using preclinical minimally invasive PET, implicating this metabolite as a potential subgroup-restricted biomarker.Overall, these findings indicate that L-fucose pathway activation in MES GBM is a subgroup-specific dependency that could provide diagnostic markers and actionable therapeutic targets.</p><h4><strong>SIGNIFICANCE: </strong>Metabolic characterization of subgroup-specific glioblastoma (GBM) sphere-forming cells identifies the L-fucose pathway as a vulnerability restricted to mesenchymal GBM, disclosing a potential precision medicine strategy for targeting cancer metabolism.</h4><p><br></p><p><strong>Stem cell and cell line assays</strong> are reported in the current study <a href='https://www.ebi.ac.uk/metabolights/MTBLS4708' rel='noopener noreferrer' target='_blank'><strong>MTBLS4708</strong></a>.</p><p><strong>Xenograft assays</strong> are reported in <a href='https://www.ebi.ac.uk/metabolights/MTBLS730' rel='noopener noreferrer' target='_blank'><strong>MTBLS730</strong></a>.</p>