A high-throughput screening identifies microRNA inhibitors that influence neuronal maintenance and/or response to oxidative stress

Oxidative stress; Small RNA sequencing; NeurodegenerationEstrés oxidativo; Secuenciación de ARN pequeño; NeurodegeneraciónEstrès oxidatiu; Seqüenciació d'ARN petit; NeurodegeneracióSmall non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs) are important post-transcriptional gene expression regulators relevant in physiological and pathological processes. Here, we combined a high-throughput functional screening (HTFS) platform with a library of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to systematically identify sncRNAs that affect neuronal cell survival in basal conditions and in response to oxidative stress (OS), a major hallmark in neurodegenerative diseases. We considered hits commonly detected by two statistical methods in three biological replicates. Forty-seven ASOs targeting miRNAs (miRNA-ASOs) consistently decreased cell viability under basal conditions. A total of 60 miRNA-ASOs worsened cell viability impairment mediated by OS, with 36.6% commonly affecting cell viability under basal conditions. In addition, 40 miRNA-ASOs significantly protected neuronal cells from OS. In agreement with cell viability impairment, damaging miRNA-ASOs specifically induced increased free radical biogenesis. miRNAs targeted by the detrimental ASOs are enriched in the fraction of miRNAs downregulated by OS, suggesting that the miRNA expression pattern after OS contributes to neuronal damage. The present HTFS highlighted potentially druggable sncRNAs. However, future studies are needed to define the pathways by which the identified ASOs regulate cell survival and OS response and to explore the potential of translating the current findings into clinical applications.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and FEDER funds (SAF2014-60551-R and SAF2017-88452-R). We acknowledge the support of the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MEIC) to the EMBL partnership and the Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2013-2017 (SEV-2012-0208). We acknowledge the support of the Spanish Ministry of Science Innovation and Universities, Maria Maeztu Unit of Excellence Programme. We thank the staff of the Genomics Unit for the preparation of sRNA libraries and sequencing and the staff of the Biomolecular Screening and Protein Technologies Unit for their help in the setting up the high-throughput screening

Multi-Smart and Scalable Bioligands-Free Nanomedical Platform for Intratumorally Targeted Tambjamine Delivery, a Difficult to Administrate Highly Cytotoxic Drug

Nanocàpsules anfòteres; Tractament del càncer de pulmó; Sistemes de lliurament de medicaments dirigitsNanocápsulas anfóteras; Tratamiento del cáncer de pulmón; Sistemas de administración de fármacos dirigidosAmphoteric nanocapsules; Lung cancer treatment; Targeted drug delivery systemsCancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide due, in part, to limited success of some current therapeutic approaches. The clinical potential of many promising drugs is restricted by their systemic toxicity and lack of selectivity towards cancer cells, leading to insufficient drug concentration at the tumor site. To overcome these hurdles, we developed a novel drug delivery system based on polyurea/polyurethane nanocapsules (NCs) showing pH-synchronized amphoteric properties that facilitate their accumulation and selectivity into acidic tissues, such as tumor microenvironment. We have demonstrated that the anticancer drug used in this study, a hydrophobic anionophore named T21, increases its cytotoxic activity in acidic conditions when nanoencapsulated, which correlates with a more efficient cellular internalization. A biodistribution assay performed in mice has shown that the NCs are able to reach the tumor and the observed systemic toxicity of the free drug is significantly reduced in vivo when nanoencapsulated. Additionally, T21 antitumor activity is preserved, accompanied by tumor mass reduction compared to control mice. Altogether, this work shows these NCs as a potential drug delivery system able to reach the tumor microenvironment, reducing the undesired systemic toxic effects. Moreover, these nanosystems are prepared under scalable methodologies and straightforward process, and provide tumor selectivity through a smart mechanism independent of targeting ligands.This research was funded by Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Castilla y León (BU092U16 and BU067P20), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (grants PI18/00441 and DTS20/00018), ACCIÓ (Agency for business competitiveness; Generalitat de Catalunya) (Nuclis d’R+D EMC/2755/2017); co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (LABAE18009SEGU), and supported by the “Pla de Doctorats Industrials de la Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Empresa i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya (grant number 2013 DI 028)

The European MAPPYACTS Trial: Precision Medicine Program in Pediatric and Adolescent Patients with Recurrent Malignancies

Precision Medicine; Pediatric and Adolescent Patients; Recurrent MalignanciesMedicina de Precisión; Pacientes pediátricos y adolescentes; Neoplasias malignas recurrentesMedicina de precisió; Pacients pediàtrics i adolescents; Neoplasmes malignes recurrentsMAPPYACTS (NCT02613962) is an international prospective precision medicine trial aiming to define tumor molecular profiles in pediatric patients with recurrent/ refractory malignancies in order to suggest the most adapted salvage treatment. From February 2016 to July 2020, 787 patients were included in France, Italy, Ireland, and Spain. At least one genetic alteration leading to a targeted treatment suggestion was identified in 436 patients (69%) with successful sequencing; 10% of these alterations were considered “ready for routine use.” Of 356 patients with follow-up beyond 12 months, 107 (30%) received one or more matched targeted therapies—56% of them within early clinical trials—mainly in the AcSé-ESMART platform trial (NCT02813135). Overall, matched treatment resulted in a 17% objective response rate, and of those patients with ready for routine use alterations, it was 38%. In patients with extracerebral tumors, 76% of actionable alterations detected in tumor tissue were also identified in circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA)

Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) regulates the miR-183~96~182 cluster under physiologic and pathologic conditions

Cèl·lules mare embrionàries; Melanoma; MicroARNCélulas madre embrionarias; Melanoma; MicroARNEmbryonic stem cells; Melanoma; MicroRNAMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous non-coding small RNAs that post-transcriptionally control the translation and stability of target mRNAs in a sequence-dependent manner. MiRNAs are essential for key cellular processes including proliferation, differentiation, cell death and metabolism, among others. Consequently, alterations of miRNA expression contribute to developmental defects and a myriad of diseases. The expression of miRNAs can be altered by several mechanisms including gene copy number alterations, aberrant DNA methylation, defects of the miRNA processing machinery or unscheduled expression of transcription factors. In this work, we sought to analyze the regulation of the miR-182 cluster, located at the 7q32 locus, which encodes three different miRNAs that are abundantly expressed in human embryonic stem cells and de-regulated in cancer. We have found that the Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) directly regulates miR-182 cluster expression in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and in melanoma tumors, in which the miR-182 cluster is highly expressed and has a pro-metastatic role. Furthermore, higher KLF4 expression was found to be associated with metastatic progression and poor patient outcome. Loss of function experiments revealed that KLF4 is required for melanoma cell maintenance. These findings provide new insights into the regulation of the miR-182 cluster expression and new opportunities for therapeutic intervention in tumors in which the KLF4-miR-182 cluster axis is deregulated.This work was supported by NCI/NIH Grant (5R01CA155234), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CP11/00052 and RD12/0036/0016) co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and European Commission’s Framework Programme 7 through the Marie Curie Career Integration Grants

Engineering pH-Sensitive Stable Nanovesicles for Delivery of MicroRNA Therapeutics

Nanovesicles; Neuroblastoma; Pediatric cancerNanovesículas; Neuroblastoma; Cáncer pediátricoNanovesícules; Neuroblastoma; Càncer pediàtricMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding endogenous RNAs, which are attracting a growing interest as therapeutic molecules due to their central role in major diseases. However, the transformation of these biomolecules into drugs is limited due to their unstability in the bloodstream, caused by nucleases abundantly present in the blood, and poor capacity to enter cells. The conjugation of miRNAs to nanoparticles (NPs) could be an effective strategy for their clinical delivery. Herein, the engineering of non-liposomal lipid nanovesicles, named quatsomes (QS), for the delivery of miRNAs and other small RNAs into the cytosol of tumor cells, triggering a tumor-suppressive response is reported. The engineered pH-sensitive nanovesicles have controlled structure (unilamellar), size (24 weeks), and are prepared by a green, GMP compliant, and scalable one-step procedure, which are all unavoidable requirements for the arrival to the clinical practice of NP based miRNA therapeutics. Furthermore, QS protect miRNAs from RNAses and when injected intravenously, deliver them into liver, lung, and neuroblastoma xenografts tumors. These stable nanovesicles with tunable pH sensitiveness constitute an attractive platform for the efficient delivery of miRNAs and other small RNAs with therapeutic activity and their exploitation in the clinics.The funding was received by Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (Grant no. FPU16/01099), Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competividad (Grants MAT2016-80820-R, MAT2016-80826-R and SAF2016-75241-R), the Ministry of Science and Innovation (MINECO) of Spain through grant PID2019-105622RB-I00, from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Grant no. CP16/00006, PI17/00564, PI20/00530, DTS20/00018) (Co-funded by European Regional Development Fund/European Social Fund) “Investing in your future”), from the EuroNanoMed II platform through the NanoVax project, from CIBER-BBN through grant TAG-SMARTLY, Joan Petit Foundation, Asociación Matem Lo Bitxo and Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (Grant no. LABAE18009SEGU), as well as, Generalitat de Catalunya through the Centres de Recerca de Catalunya (CERCA) programme and grant no. 2017-SGR-918, and from Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) (Grant no 2018LLAV0064 and SIFECAT IU68-010017). Furthermore, ICMAB-CSIC acknowledges support from the MINECO through the Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (SEV-2015-0496 and CEX2019-000917-S)

MicroRNA-200, associated with metastatic breast cancer, promotes traits of mammary luminal progenitor cells

MicroRNAs are critical regulators of gene networks in normal and abnormal biological processes. Focusing on invasive ductal breast cancer (IDC), we have found dysregulated expression in tumor samples of several microRNAs, including the miR-200 family, along progression from primary tumors to distant metastases, further reflected in higher blood levels of miR-200b and miR-7 in IDC patients with regional or distant metastases relative to patients with primary node-negative tumors. Forced expression of miR-200s in MCF10CA1h mammary cells induced an enhanced epithelial program, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity, mammosphere growth and ability to form branched tubuloalveolar structures while promoting orthotopic tumor growth and lung colonization in vivo. MiR-200s also induced the constitutive activation of the PI3K-Akt signaling through downregulation of PTEN, and the enhanced mammosphere growth and ALDH activity induced in MCF10CA1h cells by miR-200s required the activation of this signaling pathway. Interestingly, the morphology of tumors formed in vivo by cells expressing miR-200s was reminiscent of metaplastic breast cancer (MBC). Indeed, the epithelial components of MBC samples expressed significantly higher levels of miR-200s than their mesenchymal components and displayed a marker profile compatible with luminal progenitor cells. We propose that microRNAs of the miR-200 family promote traits of highly proliferative breast luminal progenitor cells, thereby exacerbating the growth and metastatic properties of transformed mammary epithelial cells

The oral KIF11 inhibitor 4SC-205 exhibits antitumor activity and potentiates standard and targeted therapies in primary and metastatic neuroblastoma models

Inhibidor de KIF11; Terapias dirigidas; MetástasisInhibidor de KIF11; Teràpies dirigides; MetàstasiKIF11 inhibitor; Targeted therapies; MetastasisIn summary, our study provides a rationale for the future therapeutic integration in clinical trials of 4SC-205, an structurally distinct oral KIF11 inhibitor that shows potent antitumor activity in multiple preclinical neuroblastoma models and sensitizes neuroblastoma cells to standard chemotherapy and specific neuroblastoma-targeted therapies.The financial support for this research was provided by Instituto de Salud Calos III (PI20/00530 to Miguel F. Segura; PI20/01107 to Rosa Noguera; PI17/02248 and CPII18/00027 to Anna Santamaria; PI19/01320 to Alberto Villanueva); Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (Grant no. FPU16/01099 to Marc Masanas). This work was also supported by the Asociación NEN (Nico contra el cancer infantil 2017–PVR00157)

Determinacions del perfil genètic del càncer pediàtric

Oncologia; Perfil genètic; Càncer pediàtric; PrecisióOncología; Perfil genético; Cáncer pediátrico; PrecisiónOncology; Genetic profile; Pediatric cancer; AccuracyL'àmbit d'aquest grup de treball és la implementació de panels NGS per a diagnòstic / pronòstic / tractament de càncer en pacients menors de 18 anys (oncologia i hematologia). Els casos de predisposició genètica en pacients pediàtrics es tractaran en el grup de predisposició genètica. El càncer infantil comprèn més de 40 entitats entre leucèmies, limfomes, tumors cerebrals i sòlids extracranials; per la qual cosa no és possible tècnicament o operativament fer panels específics per a cada un d'aquests càncers. Serà necessari utilitzar panels comercials o acadèmics dissenyats específicament per a càncer infantil

Determinacions del perfil genètic del càncer pediàtric

Oncologia; Perfil genètic; Càncer pediàtric; PrecisióOncología; Perfil genético; Cáncer pediátrico; PrecisiónOncology; Genetic profile; Pediatric cancer; AccuracyL'àmbit d'aquest grup de treball és la implementació de panels NGS per a diagnòstic / pronòstic / tractament de càncer en pacients menors de 18 anys (oncologia i hematologia). Els casos de predisposició genètica en pacients pediàtrics es tractaran en el grup de predisposició genètica. El càncer infantil comprèn més de 40 entitats entre leucèmies, limfomes, tumors cerebrals i sòlids extracranials; per la qual cosa no és possible tècnicament o operativament fer panels específics per a cada un d'aquests càncers. Serà necessari utilitzar panels comercials o acadèmics dissenyats específicament per a càncer infantil

MicroRNA-200, associated with metastatic breast cancer, promotes traits of mammary luminal progenitor cells

MicroRNAs are critical regulators of gene networks in normal and abnormal biological processes. Focusing on invasive ductal breast cancer (IDC), we have found dysregulated expression in tumor samples of several microRNAs, including the miR-200 family, along progression from primary tumors to distant metastases, further reflected in higher blood levels of miR-200b and miR-7 in IDC patients with regional or distant metastases relative to patients with primary node-negative tumors. Forced expression of miR-200s in MCF10CA1h mammary cells induced an enhanced epithelial program, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity, mammosphere growth and ability to form branched tubuloalveolar structures while promoting orthotopic tumor growth and lung colonization in vivo. MiR-200s also induced the constitutive activation of the PI3K-Akt signaling through downregulation of PTEN, and the enhanced mammosphere growth and ALDH activity induced in MCF10CA1h cells by miR-200s required the activation of this signaling pathway. Interestingly, the morphology of tumors formed in vivo by cells expressing miR-200s was reminiscent of metaplastic breast cancer (MBC). Indeed, the epithelial components of MBC samples expressed significantly higher levels of miR-200s than their mesenchymal components and displayed a marker profile compatible with luminal progenitor cells. We propose that microRNAs of the miR-200 family promote traits of highly proliferative breast luminal progenitor cells, thereby exacerbating the growth and metastatic properties of transformed mammary epithelial cells