Jeena Joseph

Human prostate cancer metastases target the hematopoietic stem cell niche to establish footholds in mouse bone marrow

HSC homing, quiescence, and self-renewal depend on the bone marrow HSC niche. A large proportion of solid tumor metastases are bone metastases, known to usurp HSC homing pathways to establish footholds in the bone marrow. However, it is not clear whether tumors target the HSC niche during metastasis. Here we have shown in a mouse model of metastasis that human prostate cancer (PCa) cells directly compete with HSCs for occupancy of the mouse HSC niche. Importantly, increasing the niche size promoted metastasis, whereas decreasing the niche size compromised dissemination. Furthermore, disseminated PCa cells could be mobilized out of the niche and back into the circulation using HSC mobilization protocols. Finally, once in the niche, tumor cells reduced HSC numbers by driving their terminal differentiation. These data provide what we believe to be the first evidence that the HSC niche serves as a direct target for PCa during dissemination and plays a central role in bone metastases. Our work may lead to better understanding of the molecular events involved in bone metastases and new therapeutic avenues for an incurable disease.

Recruitment of mesenchymal stem cells into prostate tumours promotes metastasis

Tumors recruit mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to facilitate healing, which induces their conversion into cancer-associated fibroblasts that facilitate metastasis. However, this process is poorly understood on the molecular level. Here we show that the CXCR6 ligand CXCL16 facilitates MSC or Very Small Embryonic-Like (VSEL) cells recruitment into prostate tumors. CXCR6 signaling stimulates the conversion of MSCs into cancer-associated fibroblasts, which secrete stromal-derived factor-1, also known as CXCL12. CXCL12 expressed by cancer-associated fibroblasts then binds to CXCR4 on tumor cells and induces an epithelial to mesenchymal transition, which ultimately promotes metastasis to secondary tumor sites. Our results provide the molecular basis for MSC recruitment into tumors and how this process leads to tumor metastasis.

Erythropoietin mediated bone formation is regulated by mTOR signaling

The role of erythropoietin (Epo) and Epo/Epo receptor (EpoR) signaling pathways for production of red blood cells are well established. However, little is known about Epo/EpoR signaling in non‐hematopoietic cells. Recently, we demonstrated that Epo activates JAK/STAT signaling in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), leading to the production of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) and bone formation and that Epo also directly activates mesenchymal cells to form osteoblasts in vitro. In this study, we investigated the effects of mTOR signaling on Epo‐mediated osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis. We found that mTOR inhibition by rapamycin blocks Epo‐dependent and ‐independent osteoblastic phenotypes in human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) and ST2 cells, respectively. Furthermore, we found that rapamycin inhibits Epo‐dependent and ‐independent osteoclastogenesis in mouse bone marrow mononuclear cells and Raw264.7 cells. Finally, we demonstrated that Epo increases NFATc1 expression and decreases cathepsin K expression in an mTOR‐independent manner, resulting in an increase of osteoclast numbers and a decrease in resorption activity. Taken together, these results strongly indicate that mTOR signaling plays an important role in Epo‐mediated bone homeostasis. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 220–228, 2012.

Hypoxia stabilizes GAS6/AXl signaling in metastatic prostate cancer

The receptor tyrosine kinase Axl is overexpressed in a variety of cancers and is known to play a role in proliferation and invasion. Previous data from our laboratory indicate that Axl and its ligand growth arrest–specific 6 (GAS6) may play a role in establishing metastatic dormancy in the bone marrow microenvironment. In the current study, we found that Axl is highly expressed in metastatic prostate cancer cell lines PC3 and DU145 and has negligible levels of expression in a nonmetastatic cancer cell line LNCaP. Knockdown of Axl in PC3 and DU145 cells resulted in decreased expression of several mesenchymal markers including Snail, Slug, and N-cadherin, and enhanced expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin, suggesting that Axl is involved in the epithelial–mesenchymal transition in prostate cancer cells. The Axl-knockdown PC3 and DU145 cells also displayed decreased in vitro migration and invasion. Interestingly, when PC3 and DU145 cells were treated with GAS6, Axl protein levels were downregulated. Moreover, CoCl2, a hypoxia mimicking agent, prevented GAS6-mediated downregulation of Axl in these cell lines. Immunochemical staining of human prostate cancer tissue microarrays showed that Axl, GAS6, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (Hif-1α; indicator of hypoxia) were all coexpressed in prostate cancer and in bone metastases compared with normal tissues. Together, our studies indicate that Axl plays a crucial role in prostate cancer metastasis and that GAS6 regulates the expression of Axl. Importantly, in a hypoxic tumor microenvironment Axl expression is maintained leading to enhanced signaling. Mol Cancer Res; 10(6); 703–12. ©2012 AACR.

Annexin II interactions with the annexin II receptor enhance multiple myeloma cell adhesion and growth in the bone marrow microenvironment

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable B-cell malignancy in which the marrow microenvironment plays a critical role in our inability to cure MM. Marrow stromal cells in the microenvironment support homing, lodging, and growth of MM cells through activation of multiple signaling pathways in both MM and stromal cells. Recently, we identified annexin II (AXII) as a previously unknown factor produced by stromal cells and osteoclasts (OCL) that is involved in OCL formation, HSC and prostate cancer (PCa) homing to the BM as well as mobilization of HSC and PCa cells. AXII expressed on stromal cells supports PCa cell lodgment via the AXII receptor (AXIIR) on PCa cells, but the role of AXII and AXIIR in MM is unknown. In this study, we show that MM cells express AXIIR, that stromal/osteoblast-derived AXII facilitates adhesion of MM cells to stromal cells via AXIIR, and OCL-derived AXII enhances MM cell growth. Finally, we demonstrate that AXII activates the ERK1/2 and AKT pathways in MM cells to enhance MM cell growth. These results demonstrate that AXII and AXIIR play important roles in MM and that targeting the AXII/AXIIR axis may be a novel therapeutic approach for MM.

Disseminated prostate cancer cells can instruct hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells to regulate bone phenotype.

Prostate cancer metastases and hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) frequently home to the bone marrow, where they compete to occupy the same HSC niche. We have also shown that under conditions of hematopoietic stress, HSCs secrete the bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP)-2 and BMP-6 that drives osteoblastic differentiation from mesenchymal precursors. As it is not known, we examined whether metastatic prostate cancer cells can alter regulation of normal bone formation by HSCs and hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC). HSC/HPCs isolated from mice bearing nonmetastatic and metastatic tumor cells were isolated and their ability to influence osteoblastic and osteoclastic differentiation was evaluated. When the animals were inoculated with the LNCaP C4-2B cell line, which produces mixed osteoblastic and osteolytic lesions in bone, HPCs, but not HSCs, were able to induced stromal cells to differentiate down an osteoblastic phenotype. Part of the mechanism responsible for this activity was the production of BMP-2. On the other hand, when the animals were implanted with PC3 cells that exhibits predominantly osteolytic lesions in bone, HSCs derived from these animals were capable of directly differentiating into tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase–positive osteoclasts through an interleukin-6–mediated pathway. These studies for the first time identify HSC/HPCs as novel targets for future therapy involved in the bone abnormalities of prostate cancer. Mol Cancer Res; 10(3); 282–92. ©2012 AACR.

An HLA-DRB1–Coded Signal Transduction Ligand Facilitates Inflammatory Arthritis: A New Mechanism of Autoimmunity

Particular alleles of HLA contribute to disease susceptibility and severity in many autoimmune conditions, but the mechanisms underlying these associations are often unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that the shared epitope (SE), an HLA-DRB1–coded sequence motif that is the single most significant genetic risk factor for erosive rheumatoid arthritis, acts as a signal transduction ligand that potently activates osteoclastogenesis, both in vitro and in vivo. The SE enhanced the production of several pro-osteoclastogenic factors and facilitated osteoclast (OC) differentiation in mouse and human cells in vitro. Transgenic mice expressing a human HLA-DRB1 allele that code the SE motif demonstrated markedly higher propensity for osteoclastogenesis and enhanced bone degradation capacity ex vivo. In addition, the SE enhanced the differentiation of Th17 cells expressing the receptor activator for NF-κB ligand. When the two agents were combined, IL-17 and the SE enhanced OC differentiation synergistically. When administered in vivo to mice with collagen-induced arthritis, the SE ligand significantly increased arthritis severity, synovial tissue OC abundance, and bone erosion. Thus, the SE contributes to arthritis severity by activating an OC-mediated bone-destructive pathway. These findings suggest that besides determining the target specificity of autoimmune responses, HLA molecules may influence disease outcomes by shaping the pathogenic consequences of such responses.

Disease-Associated Extracellular Matrix Suppresses Osteoblastic Differentiation of Human Periodontal Ligament Cells Via MMP-1

Fibronectin (FN) fragments found in chronic inflammatory diseases, including periodontal disease and arthritis, may contribute to tissue destruction in part via induction of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). We previously showed that the 120-kDa FN fragment containing the central cell binding domain (120FN) dose dependently induces MMP-1 (collagenase-1) in human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells, whereas intact FN did not elicit this response. Recently, we found that an increase in MMP-1 expression is accompanied by a decreased osteoblastic phenotype in PDL cells. We hypothesized that 120FN inhibits osteoblastic differentiation of PDL cells by inducing MMP-1. Effects of increasing concentrations of 120FN on MMP-1 expression and on osteoblastic markers were assessed in cultured PDL cells using Western blotting, qRT-PCR, and collagen degradation and alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity assays. The 120FN dose dependently increased MMP-1 expression and activity, concomitant with a decrease in AP activity. The increase in collagenase activity was largely attributed to increased MMP-1 expression. Concurrent with the decrease in AP activity, the 120FN reduced baseline and dexamethasone-induced gene expression of specific osteoblastic markers, Runx2 and osteonectin, and diminished mineralized nodule formation. Finally, siRNA inhibition of 120FN-induced MMP-1 reduced collagenase expression and rescued the AP phenotype to baseline levels. These findings suggest that disease-associated 120FN, in addition to having direct effects on tissue destruction by upregulating MMPs, could contribute to disease progression by impeding osteoblastic differentiation of osteogenic PDL cells and, consequently, diminish bone regeneration.