New Strategies to Identify Susceptibility to Cardiotoxicity by Anthracyclines and Proteasome Inhibitors

[ES]En la primera parte de este estudio propusimos que diferencias en la longitud telomérica, así como diferentes niveles de expresión de miRNAs y proteínas implicadas en diferentes rutas de señalización podrían participar en la susceptibilidad a la CDA y se asociarían al daño histopatológico que se produce en la misma. Por tanto, serían subfenotipos moleculares de la CDA. Aquí, hipotetizamos que los genes que determinan dichos subfenotipos moleculares podrían contribuir a la heredabilidad perdida de la CDA; y formas alélicas de esos genes podrían ayudar a identificar a los pacientes susceptibles a la misma149. Además, pensamos que esos subfenotipos moleculares determinados en plasma, podrían servir como biomarcadores de la CDA en pacientes. En una segunda parte de este trabajo de tesis doctoral, llevamos a cabo un estudio preliminar con el fin de predecir la susceptibilidad a la cardiotoxicidad in vitro de los inhibidores del proteasoma solos y en combinación con inmunomoduladores y glucocorticoides, por ser los fármacos con los que habitualmente se utilizan en la clínica. El estudio se llevó a cabo en cardiomiocitos humanos derivados de células pluripotenciales inducidas (hiPSCs-CMs). En cuanto a las combinaciones elegidas, las determinamos en base a las establecidas en la clínica o en los ensayos clínicos que se desarrollan actualmente123,125. En ambos estudios el objetivo fue ser capaces de identificar pacientes susceptible

Evolutionary origins of metabolic reprogramming in cancer

Metabolic changes that facilitate tumor growth are one of the hallmarks of cancer. These changes are not specific to tumors but also take place during the physiological growth of tissues. Indeed, the cellular and tissue mechanisms present in the tumor have their physiological counterpart in the repair of tissue lesions and wound healing. These molecular mechanisms have been acquired during metazoan evolution, first to eliminate the infection of the tissue injury, then to enter an effective regenerative phase. Cancer itself could be considered a phenomenon of antagonistic pleiotropy of the genes involved in effective tissue repair. Cancer and tissue repair are complex traits that share many intermediate phenotypes at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels, and all of these are integrated within a Systems Biology structure. Complex traits are influenced by a multitude of common genes, each with a weak effect. This polygenic component of complex traits is mainly unknown and so makes up part of the missing heritability. Here, we try to integrate these different perspectives from the point of view of the metabolic changes observed in cancer.This work was supported in JPL’s lab by Grant PID2020-118527RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011039; Grant PDC2021-121735-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011039 and by the “European Union Next Generation EU/PRTR.”, the Regional Government of Castile and León (CSI234P18 and CSI144P20). SCLl was the recipient of a Ramón y Cajal research contract from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and was supported by grant RTI2018-094130-B-100 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011039 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe.” RCC and AJN are funded by fellowships from the Spanish Regional Government of Castile and León. NGS is a recipient of an FPU fellowship (MINECO/FEDER). MJPB is funded by grant PID2020-118527RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011039. J.C. is partially supported by grant GRS2139/A/20 (Gerencia Regional de Salud de Castilla y León) and by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI18/00587 and PI21/01207), co-financed by FEDER funds, and by the “Programa de Intensificación” of the ISCIII, grant number INT20/00074. We thank Phil Mason for English language support

The biological age linked to oxidative stress modifies breast cancer aggressiveness

The incidence of breast cancer increases with age until menopause, and breast cancer is more aggressive in younger women. The existence of epidemiological links between breast cancer and aging indicates that both processes share some common mechanisms of development. Oxidative stress is associated with both cancer susceptibility and aging. Here we observed that ERBB2-positive breast cancer, which developed in genetically heterogeneous ERBB2-positive transgenic mice generated by a backcross, is more aggressive in chronologically younger than in older mice (differentiated by the median survival of the cohort that was 79 weeks), similar to what occurs in humans. In this cohort, we estimated the oxidative biological age using a mathematical model that integrated several subphenotypes directly or indirectly related to oxidative stress. The model selected the serum levels of HDL-cholesterol and magnesium and total AKT1 and glutathione concentrations in the liver. The grade of aging was calculated as the difference between the predicted biological age and the chronological age. This comparison permitted the identification of biologically younger and older mice compared with their chronological age. Interestingly, biologically older mice developed more aggressive breast cancer than the biologically younger mice. Genomic regions on chromosomes 2 and 15 linked to the grade of oxidative aging were identified. The levels of expression of Zbp1 located on chromosome 2, a gene related to necroptosis and inflammation, positively correlated with the grade of aging and tumour aggressiveness. Moreover, the pattern of gene expression of genes linked to the inflammation and the response to infection pathways was enriched in the livers of biologically old mice. This study shows part of the complex interactions between breast cancer and aging.JPL was partially supported by FEDER and the MICINN (SAF2014-56989-R and SAF2017-88854R), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PIE14/00066), >Proyectos Integrados IBSAL 2015> (IBY15/00003), the Sandra Ibarra Foundation >de Solidaridad Frente al Cáncer> Foundation and >We can be heroes> Foundation. JHM was supported by the National Institutes of Health, a National Cancer Institute grant (R01 CA116481), and the Low-Dose Scientific Focus Area, Office of Biological & Environmental Research, US Department of Energy (DE-AC02-05CH11231).Peer Reviewe

Pathophysiological Integration of Metabolic Reprogramming in Breast Cancer

Metabolic changes that facilitate tumor growth are one of the hallmarks of cancer. The triggers of these metabolic changes are located in the tumor parenchymal cells, where oncogenic mutations induce an imperative need to proliferate and cause tumor initiation and progression. Cancer cells undergo significant metabolic reorganization during disease progression that is tailored to their energy demands and fluctuating environmental conditions. Oxidative stress plays an essential role as a trigger under such conditions. These metabolic changes are the consequence of the interaction between tumor cells and stromal myofibroblasts. The metabolic changes in tumor cells include protein anabolism and the synthesis of cell membranes and nucleic acids, which all facilitate cell proliferation. They are linked to catabolism and autophagy in stromal myofibroblasts, causing the release of nutrients for the cells of the tumor parenchyma. Metabolic changes lead to an interstitium deficient in nutrients, such as glucose and amino acids, and acidification by lactic acid. Together with hypoxia, they produce functional changes in other cells of the tumor stroma, such as many immune subpopulations and endothelial cells, which lead to tumor growth. Thus, immune cells favor tissue growth through changes in immunosuppression. This review considers some of the metabolic changes described in breast cancer

Intermediate Molecular Phenotypes to Identify Genetic Markers of Anthracycline-Induced Cardiotoxicity Risk.

Cardiotoxicity due to anthracyclines (CDA) affects cancer patients, but we cannot predict who may suffer from this complication. CDA is a complex trait with a polygenic component that is mainly unidentified. We propose that levels of intermediate molecular phenotypes (IMPs) in the myocardium associated with histopathological damage could explain CDA susceptibility, so variants of genes encoding these IMPs could identify patients susceptible to this complication. Thus, a genetically heterogeneous cohort of mice (n = 165) generated by backcrossing were treated with doxorubicin and docetaxel. We quantified heart fibrosis using an Ariol slide scanner and intramyocardial levels of IMPs using multiplex bead arrays and QPCR. We identified quantitative trait loci linked to IMPs (ipQTLs) and cdaQTLs via linkage analysis. In three cancer patient cohorts, CDA was quantified using echocardiography or Cardiac Magnetic Resonance. CDA behaves as a complex trait in the mouse cohort. IMP levels in the myocardium were associated with CDA. ipQTLs integrated into genetic models with cdaQTLs account for more CDA phenotypic variation than that explained by cda-QTLs alone. Allelic forms of genes encoding IMPs associated with CDA in mice, including AKT1, MAPK14, MAPK8, STAT3, CAS3, and TP53, are genetic determinants of CDA in patients. Two genetic risk scores for pediatric patients (n = 71) and women with breast cancer (n = 420) were generated using machine-learning Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression. Thus, IMPs associated with heart damage identify genetic markers of CDA risk, thereby allowing more personalized patient management.J.P.L.’s lab is sponsored by Grant PID2020-118527RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/ 501100011039; Grant PDC2021-121735-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011039 and by the “European Union Next Generation EU/PRTR”, the Regional Government of Castile and León (CSI144P20). J.P.L. and P.L.S. are supported by the Carlos III Health Institute (PIE14/00066). AGN laboratory and human patients’ studies are supported by an ISCIII project grant (PI18/01242). The Human Genotyping unit is a member of CeGen, PRB3, and is supported by grant PT17/0019 of the PE I + D + i 2013–2016, funded by ISCIII and ERDF. SCLl is supported by MINECO/FEDER research grants (RTI2018-094130-B-100). CH was supported by the Department of Defense (DoD) BCRP, No. BC190820; and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), No. R01CA184476. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is a multi-program national laboratory operated by the University of California for the DOE under contract DE AC02-05CH11231. The Proteomics Unit belongs to ProteoRed, PRB3-ISCIII, supported by grant PT17/0019/0023 of the PE I + D +i, 2017–2020, funded by ISCIII and FEDER. RCC is funded by fellowships from the Spanish Regional Government of Castile and León. NGS is a recipient of an FPU fellowship (MINECO/FEDER). hiPSC-CM studies were funded in part by the “la Caixa” Banking Foundation under the project code HR18-00304 and a Severo Ochoa CNIC Intramural Project (Exp. 12-2016 IGP) to J.J.S

Study of genetic factors determining the heterogeneous activation of signaling pathways associated with cardiac pathophysiology and their contribution to the individual susceptibility to cardiotoxicity caused by chemotherapy

Resumen del póster presentado al XXXIX Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, celebrado en Salamanca del 5 al 8 de septiembre de 2016.The cardiotoxicity of anthracyclines is a complex trait. The degree of cardiac damage is in part mediated by an imbalance between different intracellular signaling pathways such as p38MAPK or PI3K / AKT which at the same time, have been described as being important in other processes of cardiac tissue. Working hypothesis: (i) Interindividual differences in cardiac levels of signaling pathways may contribute to the different susceptibility among patients to cardiac damage produced by anthracyclines (ii) Identification of genomic regions associated with different levels of these signaling proteins is a strategy to identify part of the genetic component of cardiotoxicity. [Material and methods]: We studied a cohort of mice with ERBB2 + breast cancer generated by a backcross between two syngeneic strains, C56BL/6 and FVB (carrier of the transgene MMTV-ErbB2 / Neu). The animals were treated with doxorubicin alone or in combination with docetaxel. Histopathological parameters of cardiac damage were quantified using the Ariol automated system. Levels of the following proteins were quantified by Luminex: pCREB (Ser133), pAKT (Ser473), pSTAT5A / B (Tyr694 / Tyr699), pSTAT3 (Ser707), p70S6K (Thr412), p38 MAPK (Thr180 / Tyr182), pJNK (Thr183 / Tyr185), NFKB (Ser536) and pERK1 / 2 (Thr185 / Tyr187). [Results]: (i) The genetic background influences the activation of heart intracellular signaling pathways. (ii) The levels of activation of these pathways are correlated with histopathological parameters of heart damage. (iii) There are specific and common genetic regions of susceptibility of complex trait (QTL) associated with both processes. [Conclusion]: We used the levels of different intramyocardial signaling pathways as intermediate phenotypes for the identification of part of the genetic component of susceptibility to heart damage caused by chemotherapy. These results will require further validation to be later transferred to the human population.Peer reviewe

Analysis of genetic and phenotypic interactions between DNA damage / genotoxicity pathways in heart tissue and heart damage caused by anthracyclines and taxanes

Resumen del póster presentado al XXXIX Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, celebrado en Salamanca del 5 al 8 de septiembre de 2016.[Introduction]: Anthracyclines are among the most widely used chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of a variety of tumors. The identification of genetic and molecular factors responsible for the increased risk of CDA (cardiotoxicity due to anthracyclines) will contribute to a better understanding of their pathophysiology, which could lead to new approaches to predict, prevent and treat this serious complication of chemotherapy. [Working hypothesis]: Based on two premises: (i) anthracyclines have a pro-genotoxicity effect. Differences in anti-genotoxicity pathways and genetic variants could contribute to different susceptibility to CDA. (ii) The usefulness of a simplified model system to identify genetic determinants involved in the quantitative inheritance of complex traits. [Materials and methods]: We treated a cohort of mice carrying ERBB2 breast cancer with doxorubicin alone (N = 85) or in combination with docetaxel (N = 77). The cohort was generated by a backcross between two genetically homogeneous strains, C57BL/6 and FVB, with the latter carrying the MMTV- ErbB2 / Neu transgene. Histopathologic heart damage was assessed by quantification of histologic parameters using Ariol automated system. Cardiac level of some key anti-genotoxicity proteins: ATR total, pp53 (Ser15), P21 Total, Total MDM2, pHistone H2AX (Ser139), pCHK1 (Ser345) and pCHK2 (Thr68) were quantified. [Results]: We identified: (i) differences dependent on the genetic background in both cardiotoxicity and the levels of proteins implicated in the pathways protecting against genotoxicity; (ii) activation of anti-genotoxicity pathways were associated with chemotherapy cardiotoxicity; (iii) quantitative trait loci (QTLs) specific and common to cardiotoxicity and the levels of the pathways studied. [Conclusion]: We identified genetic determinants associated with anthracycline cardiotoxicity using components of the anti-genotoxic pathways as subphenotypes. Crosses of syngeneic mouse strains are useful in these studies, but require further validation in the human population.Peer reviewe

Evolutionary Origins of Metabolic Reprogramming in Cancer

Metabolic changes that facilitate tumor growth are one of the hallmarks of cancer. These changes are not specific to tumors but also take place during the physiological growth of tissues. Indeed, the cellular and tissue mechanisms present in the tumor have their physiological counterpart in the repair of tissue lesions and wound healing. These molecular mechanisms have been acquired during metazoan evolution, first to eliminate the infection of the tissue injury, then to enter an effective regenerative phase. Cancer itself could be considered a phenomenon of antagonistic pleiotropy of the genes involved in effective tissue repair. Cancer and tissue repair are complex traits that share many intermediate phenotypes at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels, and all of these are integrated within a Systems Biology structure. Complex traits are influenced by a multitude of common genes, each with a weak effect. This polygenic component of complex traits is mainly unknown and so makes up part of the missing heritability. Here, we try to integrate these different perspectives from the point of view of the metabolic changes observed in cancer

Pathophysiological Integration of Metabolic Reprogramming in Breast Cancer.

Metabolic changes that facilitate tumor growth are one of the hallmarks of cancer. The triggers of these metabolic changes are located in the tumor parenchymal cells, where oncogenic mutations induce an imperative need to proliferate and cause tumor initiation and progression. Cancer cells undergo significant metabolic reorganization during disease progression that is tailored to their energy demands and fluctuating environmental conditions. Oxidative stress plays an essential role as a trigger under such conditions. These metabolic changes are the consequence of the interaction between tumor cells and stromal myofibroblasts. The metabolic changes in tumor cells include protein anabolism and the synthesis of cell membranes and nucleic acids, which all facilitate cell proliferation. They are linked to catabolism and autophagy in stromal myofibroblasts, causing the release of nutrients for the cells of the tumor parenchyma. Metabolic changes lead to an interstitium deficient in nutrients, such as glucose and amino acids, and acidification by lactic acid. Together with hypoxia, they produce functional changes in other cells of the tumor stroma, such as many immune subpopulations and endothelial cells, which lead to tumor growth. Thus, immune cells favor tissue growth through changes in immunosuppression. This review considers some of the metabolic changes described in breast cancer