MicroRNAs in the Tumor Biology of Soft Tissue Sarcomas

__Abstract__ Soft tissue sarcomas represent a rare, heterogeneous group of mesenchymal tumors. In sarcomas, histological classification, prediction of clinical behaviour and prognosis, and targeted treatment is often a challenge. A better understanding of the biology of soft tissue sarcomas is necessary to find reliable diagnostic markers, elucidate prognostic and predictive factors, and improve treatment by finding new targets for therapy. Not much is known about the involvement of microRNAs in soft tissue sarcoma biology. These evolutionarily conserved, small, non proteincoding RNA molecules can target (near-)complementary sequences in the 3’UTR of mRNA molecules, thereby inhibiting their translation into functional proteins. This thesis addresses the role of microRNAs in the tumor biology of soft tissue sarcoma. We showed that microRNAs can discriminate diverse liposarcoma subtype, lipomas and normal fat. We identified that miR-145 and miR-451 have a tumor suppressor-like function, which makes them candidates for future liposarcoma therapies. Myxoid/round cell liposarcomas showed a very distinct microRNA expression profile. Overexpression of miR-497 and miR-30a, which are regulated by the myxoid/round cell specific FUS-CHOP fusion protein, inhibited IGF1R-pathway members and sensitized myxoid liposarcoma cells to doxorubicin therapy. In gastrointestinal stromal tumors miR-17/20a/222 inhibited cell proliferation, affected the cell cycle, induced apoptosis, and inhibited the expression of KIT and ETV1, two essential oncogenes in GIST oncogenesis. This could have great implications for the treatment of (imatinib-resistant) GIST. Furthermore we demonstrated that hypoxia inducible microRNAs, miR-210 and miR-485-5p, fine-tune the expression of HIF3α in hypoxic tumor cells. In summary, we identified microRNAs that can potentially be used as diagnostic, prognostic, or predictive biomarkers in soft tissue sarcomas, or could serve as a target for therapy. These results show that microRNAs hold great potential for future management of soft tissue sarcomas

G-CSF receptor truncations found in SCN/AML relieve SOCS3-controlled inhibition of STAT5 but leave suppression of STAT3 intact

Truncated granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptors (G-CSF-Rs) are implicated in severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) and the consecutive development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Mice expressing G-CSF-R truncation mutants (gcsfr-d715) show defective receptor internalization, an increased signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5)/STAT3 activation ratio, and hyperproliferative responses to G-CSF treatment. We determined whether a lack of negative feedback by suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins contributes to the signaling abnormalities of G-CSF-R-d715. Expression of SOCS3 transcripts in bone marrow cells from G-CSF-treated gcsfr-d715 mice was approximately 60% lower than in wild-type (WT) littermates. SOCS3 efficiently suppressed STAT3 and STAT5 activation by WT G-CSF-R in luciferase reporter assays. In contrast, while SOCS3 still inhibited STAT3 activation by G-CSF-R-d715, STAT5 activation was no longer affected. This was due mainly to loss of the SOCS3 recruitment site Tyr729, with an additional contribution of the internalization defects of G-CSF-R-d715. Because Tyr729 is also a docking site for the Src homology 2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase-2 (SHP-2), which binds to and inactivates STAT5, we suggest a model in which reduced SOCS3 expression, combined with the loss of recruitment of both SOCS3 and SHP-2 to the activated receptor complex, determine the increased STAT5/STAT3 activation ratio and the resulting signaling abnormalities projected by truncated G-CSF-R mutants

Novel point mutation in the extracellular domain of the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) receptor in a case of severe congenital neutropenia hyporesponsive to G-CSF treatment

Severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) is a heterogeneous condition characterized by a drastic reduction in circulating neutrophils and a maturation arrest of myeloid progenitor cells in the bone marrow. Usually this condition can be successfully treated with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). Here we describe the identification of a novel point mutation in the extracellular domain of the G-CSF receptor (G-CSF-R) in an SCN patient who failed to respond to G-CSF treatment. When this mutant G-CSF-R was expressed in myeloid cells, it was defective in both proliferation and survival signaling. This correlated with diminished activation of the receptor complex as determined by signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) activation, although activation of STAT5 was more affected than STAT3. Interestingly, the mutant receptor showed normal affinity for ligand, but a reduced number of ligand binding sites compared with the wild-type receptor. This suggests that the mutation in the extracellular domain affects ligand-receptor complex formation with severe consequences for intracellular signal transduction. Together these data add to our understanding of the mechanisms of cytokine receptor signaling, emphasize the role of GCSFR mutations in the etiology of SCN, and implicate such mutations in G-CSF hyporesponsiveness

MicroRNA response to hypoxic stress in soft tissue sarcoma cells: MicroRNA mediated regulation of HIF3α

Background: Hypoxia is often encountered in solid tumors and known to contribute to aggressive tumor behavior, radiation- and chemotherapy resistance resulting in a poor prognosis for the cancer patient. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a role in the regulation of the tumor cell response to hypoxia, however, not much is known about the involvement of miRNAs in hypoxic signalling pathways in soft tissue sarcomas (STS).Method: A panel of twelve STS cell lines was exposed to atmospheric oxygen concentrations (normoxia) or 1% oxygen (hypoxia) for up to 48 h. Hypoxic conditions were verified and miRNA expression profiles were assessed by LNA™ oligonucleotide microarrays and RT-PCR after 24 h. The expression of target genes regulated by hypoxia responsive miRNAs is examined by end-point PCR and validated by luciferase reporter constructs.Results: Exposure of STS cell lines to hypoxic conditions gave rise to upregulation of Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF) 1α protein levels and increased mRNA expression of HIF1 target genes CA9 and VEGFA. Deregulation of miRNA expression after 24 h of hypoxia was observed. The most differentially expressed miRNAs (p < 0.001) in response to hypoxia were miR-185-3p, miR-485-5p, miR-216a-5p (upregulated) and miR-625-5p (downregulated). The well-known hypoxia responsive miR-210-3p could not be reliably detected by the microarray platform most likely for technical reasons, however, its upregulation upon hypoxic stress was apparent by qPCR. Target prediction algorithms identified 11 potential binding sites for miR-485-5p and a single putative miR-210-3p binding site in the 3'UTR of HIF3α, the least studied member of the HIF family. We showed that HIF3α transcripts, expressing a 3'UTR containing the miR-485-5p and miR-210-3p target sites, are expressed in all sarcoma cell lines and upregulated upon hypoxia. Additionally, luciferase reporter constructs containing the 3'UTR of HIF3α were used to demonstrate regulation of HIF3α by miR-210-3p and miR-485-5p.Conclusion: Here we provide evidence for the miRNA mediated regulation of HIF3α by hypoxia responsive miRNAs in STS, which may help to tightly regulate and fine-tune the hypoxic response. This provides a better insight into the mechanisms underlying the hypoxic response in STS and may ultimately yield information on novel prognostic and predictive markers or targets for treatment

Librarians Opening Up Open Education: A University, Community College, and Public Library Partnership to Increase OER Usage in Texas

Full book available for free download at https://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/publications/booksanddigitalresources/digital/9780838936566_OA.pdfUT Librarie