Non-coding RNAs Activated by the Wnt/Beta-catenin Signaling Pathway in Hepatoblastoma
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ABSTRACT:
PROVIDER: PRJNA399022 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
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Project description:<p>Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common pediatric liver tumor, affecting mostly children under 3 years of age. This rare tumor represents 1% of all pediatric cancers. Genetic studies have shown that HB is characterized by high frequency mutations of the CTNNB1 gene encoding beta-catenin (around 75%) and relative genomic stability. Here we have analyzed the transcriptional profile of 21 HBs compared to matched non-tumor livers by Cap Analysis of Gene Expression (CAGE), which provides accurate and quantitative profiling of all transcripts. CAGE analysis revealed strong upregulation of known Wnt target coding genes in most tumors analyzed, consistent with previous transcriptomic studies. To better define the Wnt-dependent transcriptional landscape of HB, we integrated CAGE data with TCF4 ChIP-seq data from a CTNNB1-mutated cancer cell line and with the FANTOM5 genomic coordinates of TCF/LEF binding motifs. Both TCF/LEF binding motifs and ChIP-seq peaks were strongly enriched in the immediate upstream region, not only for protein-coding genes, but also for non-coding transcripts. Among the selected 112 top Wnt target genes at FDR<1.0E-6 and fold change>8, we found clear over-representation (66%) of distant transcription start sites (TSSs) representing lncRNAs and enhancer RNAs, which raises the question of their role in HB pathogenesis. Analysis of the 112 promoters using CAGEd-oPOSSUM confirmed the predominant involvement of Tcf/Lef transcription factors, together with HNF4G, GATA2, Sox3 and Ets-related genes. Finally, the 112 Wnt target signature defined 3 tumor subclasses, T1, T2 and T3, characterized by progressive alteration of the non-coding part of the transcriptome and significant differences in clinical behavior.</p>
| phs001433 | dbGaP
Project description:The β-catenin mutation is frequently observed in hepatoblastoma (HB), but the underlying mechanism by which Wnt/β-catenin signaling induces HB tumor formation is unknown. We found that expression of growth regulation by estrogen in breast cancer 1 (GREB1) depends on Wnt/β-catenin signaling in HB patients. GREB1 was localized to the nucleus where it bound Smad2/3 in a competitive manner with p300 and inhibited TGFβ signaling, thereby promoting HepG2 HB cell proliferation. Forced expression of β-catenin, YAP, and c-Met induced HB-like mouse liver tumor (BYM mice), with an increase in GREB1 expression and HB markers. Depletion of GREB1 strongly suppressed marker gene expression and HB-like liver tumorigenesis, and instead enhanced TGFβ signaling in BYM mice. Furthermore, antisense oligonucleotides for GREB1 suppressed the formation of HepG2 cell-induced tumors and HB-like tumors in vivo. We propose that GREB1 is a novel target molecule of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and required for HB progression.
2019-07-18 | GSE133976 | GEO
Project description:Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common pediatric primary liver tumor. About 20% of children have pulmonary metastasis at presentation. Survival rates for these children are dismal, not exceeding 25%. To study this subset of the HB population, we sequenced a metastatic HB cell line, HLM_2, and identified a downregulation in the liver X receptor (LXR)/rexinoid X receptor (RXR) pathway. LXR/RXRs are transcriptional regulators of genes involved in HB carcinogenesis including the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. We assessed the effects of a novel LXR/RXR agonist, UAB116, on metastatic HB, hypothesizing that this compound would affect genes governing the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, leading to decreased metastatic phenotype in HLM_2 metastatic HB cells. We evaluated the effects on viability, proliferation, stemness, clonogenicity, and motility, and performed RNA sequencing to study differential gene regulation. Treatment with UAB116 (0-50 µM) for 72 hours decreased HLM_2 proliferation, stemness, clonogenicity, and invasion. RNA sequencing identified an 8-fold increase in TRIM29, a gene known to inhibit β-catenin, in cells treated with UAB116. These results show that treatment with an LXR/RXR agonist, UAB116, decreases metastatic HB cell proliferation, stemness, and invasion, likely through upregulation of TRIM29, a known regulator of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, providing support for further exploration of LXR/RXR agonism as a therapeutic strategy for metastatic HB.
2025-05-22 | GSE290638 | GEO
Project description:Hepatoblastoma (HB), the most common type of pediatric liver cancer, is associated with aberrant wnt/β-catenin activation and Myc amplification/overexpression. Mice expressing both alleles developed HBs and HCCs with incomplete penetrance by 5-6 weeks of age with fetal and mixed fetal/embryonal HBs, the most prevalent histologic HB subtypes seen in children being the predominant tumor types. To address the roles of mutant wnt/β-catenin activation and Myc over-expression in the pathogenesis of HB, c-Myc and mutant dominant-stable β-catenin were co-targeted to immature cells of the developing mouse liver.
2017-08-23 | GSE79084 | GEO
Project description:Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common pediatric liver cancer. While long-term survival is generally favorable, it is dependent upon clinical stage, tumor histology and a variety of biochemical and molecular features. HB appears almost exclusively before the age of three years, is represented by seven histologic subtypes and is usually associated with highly heterogeneous somatic mutations in the CTNNB1 gene, which encodes b-catenin, a Wnt ligand-responsive transcriptional co-factor. Numerous recurrent b-catenin mutations, not previously documented in HB, have also been identified in various other pediatric and adult cancer types. Little is known regarding the underlying factors that determine the above HB features and behaviors or whether non-HB-associated b-catenin mutations are tumorigenic when expressed in hepatocytes. Here, we investigated the oncogenic properties of 14 different HB- and non-HB-associated b-catenin mutants encoded by Sleeping Beauty vectors following their delivery into the liver by hydrodynamic tail vein injection. We show that all b-catenin mutations, as well as wild-type b-catenin are tumorigenic when co-expressed with a mutant form of yes-associated protein. However, tumor growth rates, histologies, nuclear:cytoplasmic partitioning and metabolic and transcriptional landscapes were strongly influenced by the identities of the b-catenin mutations. These findings provide a context for understanding at the molecular level the notable biological diversity of this important pediatric cancer.
2019-10-09 | GSE130178 | GEO
Project description:Hepatoblastoma, the most common pediatric liver cancer, is tightly linked to excessive Wnt/�-catenin signaling. Microarray analysis identified two tumor subclasses resembling distinct phases of liver development, and a 16-gene signature discriminated invasive and metastatic hepatoblastomas, and predicted prognosis with high accuracy. <br>
2009-07-01 | E-MEXP-1851 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Background & Aims: Hepatoblastoma is the most common pediatric cancer of the liver and the majority of cases display activating mutations in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Understanding the complex milieu of the tumor microenvironment has resulted in promising new therapies for adult cancers, but similar approaches in pediatric cancers are still lacking. We aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the tumor microenvironment of hepatoblastoma unveiling its spatial architecture and key signaling mechanisms. Methods: Single-cell/-nucleus RNA-seq (n=15), spatial transcriptomics (n=22), and multiplex immunofluorescence stainings (n=7) of treated, untreated, and metastasized pediatric hepatoblastomas were performed. An RNA-seq validation cohort (n=110) including hepatoblastoma, non-tumor and fetal liver samples and single-cell RNA-seq data of healthy immune cells were used for further analysis. Western blotting and RNA-seq of hepatoblastoma and macrophage cell lines were conducted for experimental validation. Results: Of four identified transcriptional tumor programs, “Developmental” and “Metabolic” reflected different hepatic differentiation stages, while “Cycling” was enriched in undifferentiated cells and relapsed samples, and “Intermediate” displayed high activity in samples from patients with poor outcomes. We discovered an increased ratio of anti- to pro-inflammatory immune cells and evidence of immune exclusion from tumor areas. Wnt-responsive upregulation of the immunomodulator midkine in hepatoblastoma cells was associated with a change in macrophage phenotype, which could be partially reversed through midkine inhibition. Conclusions: Hepatoblastoma cells exist along a continuous spectrum of hepatic differentiation and inhabit an altered immune environment. Wnt signaling augments midkine expression, which appears to be involved in shaping the immune environment by modifying macrophages to enable immune evasion, thereby providing a potential therapeutic target.
2025-02-07 | GSE261958 | GEO
Project description:Background & Aims: Hepatoblastoma is the most common pediatric cancer of the liver and the majority of cases display activating mutations in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Understanding the complex milieu of the tumor microenvironment has resulted in promising new therapies for adult cancers, but similar approaches in pediatric cancers are still lacking. We aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the tumor microenvironment of hepatoblastoma unveiling its spatial architecture and key signaling mechanisms. Methods: Single-cell/-nucleus RNA-seq (n=15), spatial transcriptomics (n=22), and multiplex immunofluorescence stainings (n=7) of treated, untreated, and metastasized pediatric hepatoblastomas were performed. An RNA-seq validation cohort (n=110) including hepatoblastoma, non-tumor and fetal liver samples and single-cell RNA-seq data of healthy immune cells were used for further analysis. Western blotting and RNA-seq of hepatoblastoma and macrophage cell lines were conducted for experimental validation. Results: Of four identified transcriptional tumor programs, “Developmental” and “Metabolic” reflected different hepatic differentiation stages, while “Cycling” was enriched in undifferentiated cells and relapsed samples, and “Intermediate” displayed high activity in samples from patients with poor outcomes. We discovered an increased ratio of anti- to pro-inflammatory immune cells and evidence of immune exclusion from tumor areas. Wnt-responsive upregulation of the immunomodulator midkine in hepatoblastoma cells was associated with a change in macrophage phenotype, which could be partially reversed through midkine inhibition. Conclusions: Hepatoblastoma cells exist along a continuous spectrum of hepatic differentiation and inhabit an altered immune environment. Wnt signaling augments midkine expression, which appears to be involved in shaping the immune environment by modifying macrophages to enable immune evasion, thereby providing a potential therapeutic target.
2025-02-07 | GSE261957 | GEO
Project description:Background & Aims: Hepatoblastoma is the most common pediatric cancer of the liver and the majority of cases display activating mutations in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Understanding the complex milieu of the tumor microenvironment has resulted in promising new therapies for adult cancers, but similar approaches in pediatric cancers are still lacking. We aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the tumor microenvironment of hepatoblastoma unveiling its spatial architecture and key signaling mechanisms. Methods: Single-cell/-nucleus RNA-seq (n=15), spatial transcriptomics (n=22), and multiplex immunofluorescence stainings (n=7) of treated, untreated, and metastasized pediatric hepatoblastomas were performed. An RNA-seq validation cohort (n=110) including hepatoblastoma, non-tumor and fetal liver samples and single-cell RNA-seq data of healthy immune cells were used for further analysis. Western blotting and RNA-seq of hepatoblastoma and macrophage cell lines were conducted for experimental validation. Results: Of four identified transcriptional tumor programs, “Developmental” and “Metabolic” reflected different hepatic differentiation stages, while “Cycling” was enriched in undifferentiated cells and relapsed samples, and “Intermediate” displayed high activity in samples from patients with poor outcomes. We discovered an increased ratio of anti- to pro-inflammatory immune cells and evidence of immune exclusion from tumor areas. Wnt-responsive upregulation of the immunomodulator midkine in hepatoblastoma cells was associated with a change in macrophage phenotype, which could be partially reversed through midkine inhibition. Conclusions: Hepatoblastoma cells exist along a continuous spectrum of hepatic differentiation and inhabit an altered immune environment. Wnt signaling augments midkine expression, which appears to be involved in shaping the immune environment by modifying macrophages to enable immune evasion, thereby providing a potential therapeutic target.
2025-02-07 | GSE261956 | GEO
Project description:Background & Aims: Hepatoblastoma is the most common pediatric cancer of the liver and the majority of cases display activating mutations in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Understanding the complex milieu of the tumor microenvironment has resulted in promising new therapies for adult cancers, but similar approaches in pediatric cancers are still lacking. We aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the tumor microenvironment of hepatoblastoma unveiling its spatial architecture and key signaling mechanisms. Methods: Single-cell/-nucleus RNA-seq (n=15), spatial transcriptomics (n=22), and multiplex immunofluorescence stainings (n=7) of treated, untreated, and metastasized pediatric hepatoblastomas were performed. An RNA-seq validation cohort (n=110) including hepatoblastoma, non-tumor and fetal liver samples and single-cell RNA-seq data of healthy immune cells were used for further analysis. Western blotting and RNA-seq of hepatoblastoma and macrophage cell lines were conducted for experimental validation. Results: Of four identified transcriptional tumor programs, “Developmental” and “Metabolic” reflected different hepatic differentiation stages, while “Cycling” was enriched in undifferentiated cells and relapsed samples, and “Intermediate” displayed high activity in samples from patients with poor outcomes. We discovered an increased ratio of anti- to pro-inflammatory immune cells and evidence of immune exclusion from tumor areas. Wnt-responsive upregulation of the immunomodulator midkine in hepatoblastoma cells was associated with a change in macrophage phenotype, which could be partially reversed through midkine inhibition. Conclusions: Hepatoblastoma cells exist along a continuous spectrum of hepatic differentiation and inhabit an altered immune environment. Wnt signaling augments midkine expression, which appears to be involved in shaping the immune environment by modifying macrophages to enable immune evasion, thereby providing a potential therapeutic target.
2025-02-07 | GSE283205 | GEO