Xiaoning Zhe

Shedding of RANKL by Tumor-Associated MT1-MMP Activates Src-Dependent Prostate Cancer Cell Migration

Membrane type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) plays an essential role in protease-mediated extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, but it also functions as a sheddase releasing non-ECM substrates such as receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL), an osteoclastogenic factor typically confined to the surface of osteoblasts. We previously found high expression of MT1-MMP in skeletal metastasis of prostate cancer patients, in a pattern similar to RANKL expression. We also showed that overexpression of MT1-MMP in prostate cancer cells increases tumor growth and osteolysis in an intratibial mouse model of bone metastasis, and that soluble factor(s) shed by tumor-derived MT1-MMP enhance osteoclast differentiation in a RANKL-dependent manner. Recent evidence indicates that the cognate receptor for RANKL, RANK, is expressed in prostate cancer cells, suggesting the presence of an autocrine pathway. In this study, we show that MT1-MMP-expressing LNCaP prostate cancer cells display enhanced migration. Moreover, conditioned medium from LNCaP cells expressing both RANKL and MT1-MMP stimulates the migration of MT1-MMP-deficient C42b prostate cancer cells. This enhanced chemotaxis can be abrogated by osteoprotegerin (soluble decoy receptor of RANKL), MIK-G2 (a selective inhibitor for MT1-MMP), and PP2 (a Src inhibitor). These findings indicate that tumor-derived MT1-MMP enhances tumor cell migration through initiation of an autocrine loop requiring ectodomain shedding of membrane-bound RANKL in prostate cancer cells, and that Src is a key downstream mediator of RANKL-induced migration of prostate cancer cells.

P311 induces a TGF-β1–independent, nonfibrogenic myofibroblast phenotype

P311, also called PTZ17, was identified by suppressive subtraction hybridization as potentially involved in smooth muscle (SM) myogenesis. P311 is an 8-kDa protein with several PEST-like motifs found in neurons and muscle. P311 transfection into two fibroblast cell lines, NIH 3T3 and C3H10 T1/2, induced phenotypic changes consistent with myofibroblast transformation, including upregulation of SM alpha-actin and SM22, induction of FGF-2, VEGF, PDGF, and PDGF receptors, upregulation of integrins alpha3 and alpha5, and increased proliferation rate. The P311-mediated changes differed, however, from the well-characterized myofibroblast in that P311 inhibited TGF-beta1, TGF-beta receptor 2, and TGF-beta1-activating MMP-2 and MMP-9, with the resultant decrease in collagen 1 and 3 expression. The effect of P311 on collagen was overcome by exogenous TGF-beta1, indicating that the cells were responsive to TGF-beta1 paracrine stimulus. In support of a role for P311 in vivo, immunohistochemical examination of human wounds showed P311 only in myofibroblasts and their activated precursors. To our knowledge, these studies are the first to implicate P311 in myofibroblast transformation, to demonstrate that transformation may occur independently of TGF-beta1, and to suggest that P311 may prevent fibrosis.

Combined Smooth Muscle and Melanocytic Differentiation in Lymphangioleiomyomatosis

Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is characterized by abnormal proliferation of immature-looking smooth muscle (SM)-like cells (LAM cells), leading to lung destruction and cyst formation. In addition to expressing some SM markers, scattered LAM cells express the melanocytic maker gp100, which is recognized by antibody HMB45, suggesting that at least a few LAM cells may have melanocytic differentiation. Here we immunostained 26 LAM samples for several melanocyte-related proteins. These studies showed that all LAM cells express tetraspanin CD63, a melanoma-associated protein that belongs to the transmembrane 4 superfamily. The majority of LAM cells also immunoreacted with PNL2, an antibody against a yet uncharacterized melanocytic antigen. Furthermore, we examined the co-expression of PNL2 and Ki-67, an indicator of cell proliferation, and found that PNL2-positive LAM cells showed a significantly lower proliferation rate compared with their negative counterparts. Our findings shed new light on the nature of the LAM cells by demonstrating their combined SM and melanocytic differentiation and the existence of subpopulations with different proliferative potential. Furthermore, these studies provided two new antibodies useful in the diagnosis of LAM.

Bone-induced c-kit expression in prostate cancer: A driver of intraosseous tumor growth

Loss of BRCA2 function stimulates prostate cancer (PCa) cell invasion and is associated with more aggressive and metastatic tumors in PCa patients. Concurrently, the receptor tyrosine kinase c‐kit is highly expressed in skeletal metastases of PCa patients and induced in PCa cells placed into the bone microenvironment in experimental models. However, the precise requirement of c‐kit for intraosseous growth of PCa and its relation to BRCA2 expression remain unexplored. Here, we show that c‐kit expression promotes migration and invasion of PCa cells. Alongside, we found that c‐kit expression in PCa cells parallels BRCA2 downregulation. Gene rescue experiments with human BRCA2 transgene in c‐kit‐transfected PCa cells resulted in reduction of c‐kit protein expression and migration and invasion, suggesting a functional significance of BRCA2 downregulation by c‐kit. The inverse association between c‐kit and BRCA2 gene expressions in PCa cells was confirmed using laser capture microdissection in experimental intraosseous tumors and bone metastases of PCa patients. Inhibition of bone‐induced c‐kit expression in PCa cells transduced with lentiviral short hairpin RNA reduced intraosseous tumor incidence and growth. Overall, our results provide evidence of a novel pathway that links bone‐induced c‐kit expression in PCa cells to BRCA2 downregulation and supports bone metastasis.

Abstract 4273: C-kit expression promotes prostate cancer cell migration and invasion through Brca2 downregulation

In many human cancers, expression or activity of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) c-kit is often associated with increased malignancy. In prostate cancer (PCa), we reported an association between expression of c-kit and clinical progression, with the highest expression seen in castrate-resistant metastatic bone specimens. We also found de novo c-kit expression in experimental intraosseous tumors formed by otherwise c-kit negative PCa cells. However, the biological consequences of c-kit expression and activation in PCa cells remain unknown. Here, we show that c-kit overexpression in PC3 and C4-2B PCa cells significantly enhances their migratory and invasive ability in vitro. Consistent with this result, we found that expression and activation of c-kit in PCa cells decreased the expression of E-cadherin and increased the expression of vimentin, suggesting an epithelial mesenchymal transition-like phenomenon. Furthermore, activation by c-kit ligand in PC3 and C4-2B cells transfected with c-kit lead to phosphorylation of Akt. This contributes to the enhanced invasiveness of c-kit-expressing PCa cells, as demonstrated by an inhibitory effect by PI3K/Akt inhibitors LY294002 and Wortmannin. In an attempt to identify genes differentially expressed in c-kit-expressing and -non-expressing PCa cells, we used a microarray containing 84 genes, representing growth factor receptors, transcription factors, cell cycle, and DNA repair genes. The analysis of the array demonstrated a consistent down-regulation of Brca2 in both c-kit-expressing PC3 and C4-2B cells, further validated by qRT-PCR and immunoblotting. Re-introduction of Brca2 into c-kit-expressing PCa cells suppressed c-kit-enhanced invasiveness to levels similar to those shown by c-kit-non-expressing cells, and led to reduced phosphorylation of Akt. Our results provide evidence that c-kit expression in PCa cells, an event which is induced upon interaction with the bone microenvironment, promotes tumor migration and invasion through an Akt-dependent mechanism regulated by Brca2 down-regulation. The identification of this novel signaling axis and its importance in PCa migration and invasion reveal potential therapeutic targets for regulating the expansion of PCa metastatic lesions in bone. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4273. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4273

Abstract 1439: De novo expression of c-kit in prostate cancer cells interacting with the bone microenvironment

Specific cellular and molecular interactions between prostate cancer (PC) cells and the bone microenvironment lead to expansion of the metastatic deposit, disease progression, and ultimately significant morbidity and mortality. We recently reported an association between expression of the tyrosine kinase receptor c-kit and clinical PC progression, with the highest expression seen in clinical metastatic bone specimens. Moreover, we found that intraosseous tumors formed by otherwise c-kit negative PC3 cells injected into human bone xenografts in SCID mice (SCID-hu model) expressed c-kit. To determine the relevance of these findings, we examined additional human PC cell lines, namely LNCaP, C42b, and DU145, for the expression of c-kit in vitro and in vivo. While none of the cultured PC cells expressed c-kit at the message or protein level, immunostaining for c-kit in intraosseous tumors produced by these cells in the SCID-hu model revealed a distinctive and specific reactivity in the cancer cell compartment. The induction of c-kit expression in PC cells growing within the bone microenvironment was emulated by co-culture of PC3 cells and bone-derived cells embedded in Matrigel, as demonstrated by RT-PCR analysis. In an attempt to mimic the de novo c-kit expression observed in the SCID-hu model and to identify potential signaling pathways triggered by c-kit activation by its ligand stem cell factor (SCF), normally expressed by the bone microenvironment, we transiently transfected PC3 cells with wild-type c-kit. Activation of c-kit was confirmed by immunoblotting for phosphorylated c-kit. Using the whole human genome Agilent microarray, we found that 220 genes were differentially expressed when SCF-treated and non-treated c-kit-transfected PC3 cells were compared, resulting in discrete functional sub-networks that were coordinately up or down-regulated. Most notably, pathway and genetic network analysis revealed that c-kit activation resulted in an up-regulated fibroblast growth factor-2-mediated sub-network. Taken together, these results suggest that c-kit induction in PC cells in the bone microenvironment modulates cell-cell interaction pathways and growth factor signaling systems that ultimately lead to expansion of bone metastasis. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1439.