Pharmacological levels of withaferin A (Withania somnifera) trigger clinically relevant anticancer effects specific to triple negative breast cancer cells

Withaferin A (WA) isolated from Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) has recently become an attractive phytochemical under investigation in various preclinical studies for treatment of different cancer types. In the present study, a comparative pathway-based transcriptome analysis was applied in epithelial-like MCF-7 and triple negative mesenchymal MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells exposed to different concentrations of WA which can be detected systemically in in vivo experiments. Whereas WA treatment demonstrated attenuation of multiple cancer hallmarks, the withanolide analogue Withanone (WN) did not exert any of the described effects at comparable concentrations. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that WA targets specific cancer processes related to cell death, cell cycle and proliferation, which could be functionally validated by flow cytometry and real-time cell proliferation assays. WA also strongly decreased MDA-MB-231 invasion as determined by single-cell collagen invasion assay. This was further supported by decreased gene expression of extracellular matrix-degrading proteases (uPA, PLAT, ADAM8), cell adhesion molecules (integrins, laminins), pro-inflammatory mediators of the metastasis-promoting tumor microenvironment (TNFSF12, IL6, ANGPTL2, CSF1R) and concomitant increased expression of the validated breast cancer metastasis suppressor gene (BRMS1). In line with the transcriptional changes, nanomolar concentrations of WA significantly decreased protein levels and corresponding activity of uPA in MDA-MB-231 cell supernatant, further supporting its anti-metastatic properties. Finally, hierarchical clustering analysis of 84 chromatin writer-reader-eraser enzymes revealed that WA treatment of invasive mesenchymal MDA-MB-231 cells reprogrammed their transcription levels more similarly towards the pattern observed in non-invasive MCF-7 cells. In conclusion, taking into account that sub-cytotoxic concentrations of WA target multiple metastatic effectors in therapy-resistant triple negative breast cancer, WA-based therapeutic strategies targeting the uPA pathway hold promise for further (pre)clinical development to defeat aggressive metastatic breast cancer

A bovine lymphosarcoma cell line infected with theileria annulata exhibits an irreversible reconfiguration of host cell gene expression

Theileria annulata, an intracellular parasite of bovine lymphoid cells, induces substantial phenotypic alterations to its host cell including continuous proliferation, cytoskeletal changes and resistance to apoptosis. While parasite induced modulation of host cell signal transduction pathways and NFκB activation are established, there remains considerable speculation on the complexities of the parasite directed control mechanisms that govern these radical changes to the host cell. Our objectives in this study were to provide a comprehensive analysis of the global changes to host cell gene expression with emphasis on those that result from direct intervention by the parasite. By using comparative microarray analysis of an uninfected bovine cell line and its Theileria infected counterpart, in conjunction with use of the specific parasitacidal agent, buparvaquone, we have identified a large number of host cell gene expression changes that result from parasite infection. Our results indicate that the viable parasite can irreversibly modify the transformed phenotype of a bovine cell line. Fifty percent of genes with altered expression failed to show a reversible response to parasite death, a possible contributing factor to initiation of host cell apoptosis. The genes that did show an early predicted response to loss of parasite viability highlighted a sub-group of genes that are likely to be under direct control by parasite infection. Network and pathway analysis demonstrated that this sub-group is significantly enriched for genes involved in regulation of chromatin modification and gene expression. The results provide evidence that the Theileria parasite has the regulatory capacity to generate widespread change to host cell gene expression in a complex and largely irreversible manner

Landscape of germline BRCA1/BRCA2 variants in breast and ovarian cancer in Peru

BackgroundThere is an increasing amount of data from Latin America on the characterization of BRCA variants; however, there is limited information from Peru. We conducted a retrospective study to describe germline pathogenic/likely pathogenic(P/LP) variants and variants of uncertain/unknown significance (VUS) in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in Peru, in patients with breast and ovarian cancer, candidates for treatment with poly (adenosine diphosphate–ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors.MethodsThe patients were evaluated during the period 2019-2021. Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood samples and targeted sequencing was performed using the Ampliseq BRCA panel. Genetic variant interpretation was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the American College of Medical Genetics and ClinVar. During this period, 525 patients (143 with breast cancer and 382 with ovarian cancer) were studied. ResultsWe found that 14.7% (21/143) of breast cancer patients and 20.7% (79/382) of ovarian cancer patients were carriers of P/LP variants in BRCA1/2. The most frequent pathogenic variants detected in BRCA1 were c.2105dupT (BIC: 2224insT, n=12, 18.75%), c.68_69delAG (BIC: 185delAG, n=6, 9.38%), c.140G>T and c.815_824dupAGCCATGTGG (n=5, 7.81%), while in BRCA2 were c.8023A>G (n=6, 16.67%), c.6024dupG (BIC: 6252insG, n=4, 11.11%), and c.9235delG (BIC: 9463delG, n=3, 8.33%). Regarding VUS, we found that 6.99% (10/143) of breast cancer patients and 7.33% (28/382) of ovarian cancer patients were carriers of a VUS in BRCA1/2. For BRCA1, the most frequent VUS was c.93C>G (n=2), and for BRCA2, c.5465A>T (n=4), c.3101T>C (n=3), c.205C>A and c.437T>C (n=2). ConclusionWe found a frequency of 14.7% germline mutations in breast cancer patients and 20.7% in ovarian cancer patients. The most recurrent mutations were BRCA1 c.2105dupT and BRCA2 c.8023A>G. We found that BRCA2 c.8023A>G, c.6024dupG, and c.9235delG were not previously reported in Peruvian patients. BRCA1 c.2344dupA is a novel mutation that has not been previously reported in any database. The frequency of VUS in our cohort was 7.2%

Abstract P3-12-24: Landscape of germline BRCA<i>1</i> and BRCA<i>2</i> mutations in breast cancer in Peru

Abstract BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Mutations in tumor suppressor genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 are the most common cause of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Additionally, carriers of germline BRCA1/2 mutations also have an elevated risk of other malignancies. Identification of mutations within these genes is essential for determining early cancer detection and risk-reducing strategies in carriers and establishing a therapeutic approach in breast cancer patients. The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence and spectrumof germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants in peruvian breast cancer patients. METHODS: Patients with HER2Neu negative BC referred to ONCOGENOMICS laboratory from 2019 to2021 to assessed poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor treatment were included in the study. Blood samples were collected to assess the status of germline BRCA1 and BRCA2. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) was performed using the Ampliseq for Illumina BRCA panel and run on the Illumina MiSeq. The Human Genome Variation Society (HGVS) nomenclature guidelines (http://varnomen.hgvs.org/) were used to annotate identified variants and the ClinVar database (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/clinvar/) was used to determine the clinical significance of all reported variants. Current American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) guidelines were also used for further classification. RESULTS: A total of 155 HER2Neu negative BC cases were evaluated. Median age at BRCA1/2 evaluation was 51 (23-82) years, 78.1% (121) were negative HR status (triple-negative BC, TNBC); 21.9% (34) were positive HR status; 33.5% (52) were clinical stage III and 66.5% (103) were clinical stage IV. Most patients were from Lima-Callao (65.8%) followed by patients from the coast (23.9%), highlands (9%) and rainforest(1.3%). Only 18.7% of patients were from public health centers. The prevalence of pathogenic (P) and likely pathogenic (LP) variants in BRCA1/2 was 13.5% (21) (13 in BRCA1 and 8 in BRCA2). The pathogenic variant in BRCA1 c.2105dupT (p.Leu702Phefs*10) was found in 3 cases (2 Lima-Callao and 1 coast). All variants identified in BRCA1 were in TNBC. In BRCA2, half of pathogenic variants were found in TNBC. The prevalence of variants of uncertain significance (VUS) was 6.4% (10). In BRCA2, we identified 7 VUS and the variant c.5465A&amp;gt;T (p.Asn1822Ile) was found in 3 cases with positive HR status. Only one VUS was found in BRCA1. CONCLUSION: BRCA1 and BRCA2 germline mutations were identified in 13.5% of peruvian HER2Neu negative BC patients. A higher rate of P/LP variants was found in BRCA1. TNBC patients demostrated a higher prevalence in BRCA1 variants. Citation Format: Joseph A Pinto, Yomali Ferreyra, Alicia M Cock-Rada, Franco Doimi, Jhoysi Casas, Jhajaira Araujo, Gina Rosas, Leny Bravo, Carolina Belmar-López. Landscape of germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in breast cancer in Peru [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-12-24.</jats:p

Abstract PR007: Tumoral infiltrating lymphocytes as a prognostic factor in triple negative breast cancer patients from Colombia

Abstract Introduction: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), occurs in 10%-20% of all breast cancer and presents a higher frequency in Latinas compared to non-Hispanic white women. It is highly immunogenic and high levels of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have been associated with a better overall survival and higher probability to achieve pathological complete response (pCR). Objective: This is the first study in Colombian women aimed to explore stromal TILs (sTILs) level and composition as a prognostic and predictive biomarker in TNBC. Methods: A total of 195 TNBC tumor biospecimens from patients diagnosed between 2008-2016 in 3 Colombian health institutions were included. Stromal TILs (sTILs) was evaluated following the recommendations of the International TILs Working Group 2014 in hematoxylin &amp; eosin slides from pre-treatment samples. The number of positive cells for CD4 and CD8 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and digital image capture. Parametric and non-parametric tests were used to evaluate differences in clinic-pathological characteristics according to sTILs levels and composition. Differences in overall survival were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and the log-rank test. Cox regression analysis was used to analyze sTILs as a prognostic marker for overall survival. A logistic regression model was applied to evaluate the association of sTILs with pCR. Results: Tumors with high sTILs levels were more likely to be early stage (64.4% stage I/II) compared to tumors with low sTILs levels (35.5%). Additionally, when compared patients with high sTILs vs. low sTILs, a higher percentage of patients with high sTILs didn’t receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) (high:50% vs. low:32.7%, p=0.025) and received more conservative surgeries (high:60% vs. low:37.9%, p&amp;lt;0.05). Similar results were observed for patients with high CD4/8 infiltration. Longer overall survival times were observed in patients with high sTILs (84.9 mo vs. 41.4 mo, p&amp;lt;0.05), as well as in patients with high CD4+ infiltration (p&amp;lt;0.05) and CD8+ (p&amp;lt;0.015). In the multivariate analysis, low levels of sTILs was found to be independent prognostic factor associated with a higher risk of death (HR: 1.59, 95% CI 1.01-2.48). Regarding sTILs as a predictive biomarker, a higher number of patients with high sTILs and high CD4+ cells achieved clinical complete response to NAC (sTILs: 28.6% vs. 9.3%, p=0.022; CD4: 29% vs 9.4%, p=0.032) and pCR (sTILs: 42.9% vs. 15.8%, p=0.023; for CD4: 43.3% vs 16.3%, p=0.006) compared to patients with low infiltration. Likewise, a statistically significant association between sTILs and pCR was observed (OR: High sTILs 1.486, 95% CI 1.14 - 2.013). Similar results were observed for high CD4 and CD8 infiltration (OR: 1.262, 95% CI 1.061 - 1.536, OR: 1.337, 1.085 - 1.694, respectively). Conclusions: Our results suggest that sTILs levels are a prognostic marker for overall survival and a predictive marker for pCR in TNBC patients from Colombia as has been reported in previous studies including biospecimens from mostly European ancestry patients. Citation Format: Carlos A. Huertas-Caro, Mayra A. Ramirez, Diego Felipe Ballen, Juan Carlos Mejía, Luz Fernanda Sua-Villegas, Alicia Cock-Rada, Jovanny Zabaleta, Laura Fejerman, María Carolina Sanabria-Salas, Silvia J. Serrano-Gomez. Tumoral infiltrating lymphocytes as a prognostic factor in triple negative breast cancer patients from Colombia [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PR007.</jats:p

Table_1_Landscape of germline BRCA1/BRCA2 variants in breast and ovarian cancer in Peru.xlsx

BackgroundThere is an increasing amount of data from Latin America on the characterization of BRCA variants; however, there is limited information from Peru. We conducted a retrospective study to describe germline pathogenic/likely pathogenic(P/LP) variants and variants of uncertain/unknown significance (VUS) in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in Peru, in patients with breast and ovarian cancer, candidates for treatment with poly (adenosine diphosphate–ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors.MethodsThe patients were evaluated during the period 2019-2021. Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood samples and targeted sequencing was performed using the Ampliseq BRCA panel. Genetic variant interpretation was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the American College of Medical Genetics and ClinVar. During this period, 525 patients (143 with breast cancer and 382 with ovarian cancer) were studied. ResultsWe found that 14.7% (21/143) of breast cancer patients and 20.7% (79/382) of ovarian cancer patients were carriers of P/LP variants in BRCA1/2. The most frequent pathogenic variants detected in BRCA1 were c.2105dupT (BIC: 2224insT, n=12, 18.75%), c.68_69delAG (BIC: 185delAG, n=6, 9.38%), c.140G>T and c.815_824dupAGCCATGTGG (n=5, 7.81%), while in BRCA2 were c.8023A>G (n=6, 16.67%), c.6024dupG (BIC: 6252insG, n=4, 11.11%), and c.9235delG (BIC: 9463delG, n=3, 8.33%). Regarding VUS, we found that 6.99% (10/143) of breast cancer patients and 7.33% (28/382) of ovarian cancer patients were carriers of a VUS in BRCA1/2. For BRCA1, the most frequent VUS was c.93C>G (n=2), and for BRCA2, c.5465A>T (n=4), c.3101T>C (n=3), c.205C>A and c.437T>C (n=2). ConclusionWe found a frequency of 14.7% germline mutations in breast cancer patients and 20.7% in ovarian cancer patients. The most recurrent mutations were BRCA1 c.2105dupT and BRCA2 c.8023A>G. We found that BRCA2 c.8023A>G, c.6024dupG, and c.9235delG were not previously reported in Peruvian patients. BRCA1 c.2344dupA is a novel mutation that has not been previously reported in any database. The frequency of VUS in our cohort was 7.2%.</p

Table_2_Landscape of germline BRCA1/BRCA2 variants in breast and ovarian cancer in Peru.xlsx

BackgroundThere is an increasing amount of data from Latin America on the characterization of BRCA variants; however, there is limited information from Peru. We conducted a retrospective study to describe germline pathogenic/likely pathogenic(P/LP) variants and variants of uncertain/unknown significance (VUS) in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in Peru, in patients with breast and ovarian cancer, candidates for treatment with poly (adenosine diphosphate–ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors.MethodsThe patients were evaluated during the period 2019-2021. Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood samples and targeted sequencing was performed using the Ampliseq BRCA panel. Genetic variant interpretation was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the American College of Medical Genetics and ClinVar. During this period, 525 patients (143 with breast cancer and 382 with ovarian cancer) were studied. ResultsWe found that 14.7% (21/143) of breast cancer patients and 20.7% (79/382) of ovarian cancer patients were carriers of P/LP variants in BRCA1/2. The most frequent pathogenic variants detected in BRCA1 were c.2105dupT (BIC: 2224insT, n=12, 18.75%), c.68_69delAG (BIC: 185delAG, n=6, 9.38%), c.140G>T and c.815_824dupAGCCATGTGG (n=5, 7.81%), while in BRCA2 were c.8023A>G (n=6, 16.67%), c.6024dupG (BIC: 6252insG, n=4, 11.11%), and c.9235delG (BIC: 9463delG, n=3, 8.33%). Regarding VUS, we found that 6.99% (10/143) of breast cancer patients and 7.33% (28/382) of ovarian cancer patients were carriers of a VUS in BRCA1/2. For BRCA1, the most frequent VUS was c.93C>G (n=2), and for BRCA2, c.5465A>T (n=4), c.3101T>C (n=3), c.205C>A and c.437T>C (n=2). ConclusionWe found a frequency of 14.7% germline mutations in breast cancer patients and 20.7% in ovarian cancer patients. The most recurrent mutations were BRCA1 c.2105dupT and BRCA2 c.8023A>G. We found that BRCA2 c.8023A>G, c.6024dupG, and c.9235delG were not previously reported in Peruvian patients. BRCA1 c.2344dupA is a novel mutation that has not been previously reported in any database. The frequency of VUS in our cohort was 7.2%.</p