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    Inhibiting the glycerophosphodiesterase EDI3 in ER-HER2+ breast cancer cells resistant to HER2-targeted therapy reduces viability and tumour growth
    (Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer, 2023) Keller, Magdalena; Rohlf, Katharina; Glotzbach, Annika; Leonhardt, Gregor; Lüke, Simon; Derksen, Katharina; Demirci, Özlem; Göçener, Defne; AlWahsh, Mohammad; Lambert, Jörg; Lindskog, Cecilia; Schmidt, Marcus; Brenner, Walburgis; Baumann, Matthias; Zent, Eldar; Zischinsky, Mia-Lisa; Hellwig, Birte; Madjar, Katrin; Rahnenführer, Jörg; Overbeck, Nina; Reinders, Jörg; Cadenas, Cristina; Hengstler, Jan G.; Edlund, Karolina; Marchan, Rosemarie
    Background: Intrinsic or acquired resistance to HER2-targeted therapy is often a problem when small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors or antibodies are used to treat patients with HER2 positive breast cancer. Therefore, the identification of new targets and therapies for this patient group is warranted. Activated choline metabolism, characterized by elevated levels of choline-containing compounds, has been previously reported in breast cancer. The glycerophosphodiesterase EDI3 (GPCPD1), which hydrolyses glycerophosphocholine to choline and glycerol-3-phosphate, directly influences choline and phospholipid metabolism, and has been linked to cancer-relevant phenotypes in vitro. While the importance of choline metabolism has been addressed in breast cancer, the role of EDI3 in this cancer type has not been explored. Methods: EDI3 mRNA and protein expression in human breast cancer tissue were investigated using publicly-available Affymetrix gene expression microarray datasets (n = 540) and with immunohistochemistry on a tissue microarray (n = 265), respectively. A panel of breast cancer cell lines of different molecular subtypes were used to investigate expression and activity of EDI3 in vitro. To determine whether EDI3 expression is regulated by HER2 signalling, the effect of pharmacological inhibition and siRNA silencing of HER2, as well as the influence of inhibiting key components of signalling cascades downstream of HER2 were studied. Finally, the influence of silencing and pharmacologically inhibiting EDI3 on viability was investigated in vitro and on tumour growth in vivo. Results: In the present study, we show that EDI3 expression is highest in ER-HER2 + human breast tumours, and both expression and activity were also highest in ER-HER2 + breast cancer cell lines. Silencing HER2 using siRNA, as well as inhibiting HER2 signalling with lapatinib decreased EDI3 expression. Pathways downstream of PI3K/Akt/mTOR and GSK3β, and transcription factors, including HIF1α, CREB and STAT3 were identified as relevant in regulating EDI3 expression. Silencing EDI3 preferentially decreased cell viability in the ER-HER2 + cells. Furthermore, silencing or pharmacologically inhibiting EDI3 using dipyridamole in ER-HER2 + cells resistant to HER2-targeted therapy decreased cell viability in vitro and tumour growth in vivo. Conclusions: Our results indicate that EDI3 may be a potential novel therapeutic target in patients with HER2-targeted therapy-resistant ER-HER2 + breast cancer that should be further explored.
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    Gene network activity in cultivated primary hepatocytes is highly similar to diseased mammalian liver tissue
    (Heidelberg : Springer, 2016) Godoy, Patricio; Widera, Agata; Schmidt-Heck, Wolfgang; Campos, Gisela; Meyer, Christoph; Cadenas, Cristina; Reif, Raymond; Stöber, Regina; Hammad, Seddik; Pütter, Larissa; Gianmoena, Kathrin; Marchan, Rosemarie; Ghallab, Ahmed; Edlund, Karolina; Nüssler, Andreas; Thasler, Wolfgang E.; Damm, Georg; Seehofer, Daniel; Weiss, Thomas S.; Dirsch, Olaf; Dahmen, Uta; Gebhardt, Rolf; Chaudhari, Umesh; Meganathan, Kesavan; Sachinidis , Agapios; Kelm, Jens; Hofmann, Ute; Zahedi, René P.; Guthke, Reinhard; Blüthgen, Nils; Dooley, Steven; Hengstler, Jan G.
    It is well known that isolation and cultivation of primary hepatocytes cause major gene expression alterations. In the present genome-wide, time-resolved study of cultivated human and mouse hepatocytes, we made the observation that expression changes in culture strongly resemble alterations in liver diseases. Hepatocytes of both species were cultivated in collagen sandwich and in monolayer conditions. Genome-wide data were also obtained from human NAFLD, cirrhosis, HCC and hepatitis B virus-infected tissue as well as mouse livers after partial hepatectomy, CCl4 intoxication, obesity, HCC and LPS. A strong similarity between cultivation and disease-induced expression alterations was observed. For example, expression changes in hepatocytes induced by 1-day cultivation and 1-day CCl4 exposure in vivo correlated with R = 0.615 (p < 0.001). Interspecies comparison identified predominantly similar responses in human and mouse hepatocytes but also a set of genes that responded differently. Unsupervised clustering of altered genes identified three main clusters: (1) downregulated genes corresponding to mature liver functions, (2) upregulation of an inflammation/RNA processing cluster and (3) upregulated migration/cell cycle-associated genes. Gene regulatory network analysis highlights overrepresented and deregulated HNF4 and CAR (Cluster 1), Krüppel-like factors MafF and ELK1 (Cluster 2) as well as ETF (Cluster 3) among the interspecies conserved key regulators of expression changes. Interventions ameliorating but not abrogating cultivation-induced responses include removal of non-parenchymal cells, generation of the hepatocytes’ own matrix in spheroids, supplementation with bile salts and siRNA-mediated suppression of key transcription factors. In conclusion, this study shows that gene regulatory network alterations of cultivated hepatocytes resemble those of inflammatory liver diseases and should therefore be considered and exploited as disease models.
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    Role of thioredoxin reductase 1 and thioredoxin interacting protein in prognosis of breast cancer
    (London : BioMed Central, 2010) Cadenas, Cristina; Franckenstein, Dennis; Schmidt, Marcus; Gehrmann, Mathias; Hermes, Matthias; Geppert, Bettina; Schormann, Wiebke; Maccoux, Lindsey J.; Schug, Markus; Schumann, Anika; Wilhelm, Christian; Freis, Evgenia; Ickstadt, Katja; Rahnenführer, Jörg; Baumbach, Jörg I.; Sickmann, Albert; Hengstler, Jan G.
    Introduction: The purpose of this work was to study the prognostic influence in breast cancer of thioredoxin reductase 1 (TXNRD1) and thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP), key players in oxidative stress control that are currently evaluated as possible therapeutic targets. Methods: Analysis of the association of TXNRD1 and TXNIP RNA expression with the metastasis-free interval (MFI) was performed in 788 patients with node-negative breast cancer, consisting of three individual cohorts (Mainz, Rotterdam and Transbig). Correlation with metagenes and conventional clinical parameters (age, pT stage, grading, hormone and ERBB2 status) was explored. MCF-7 cells with a doxycycline-inducible expression of an oncogenic ERBB2 were used to investigate the influence of ERBB2 on TXNRD1 and TXNIP transcription. Results: TXNRD1 was associated with worse MFI in the combined cohort (hazard ratio = 1.955; P < 0.001) as well as in all three individual cohorts. In contrast, TXNIP was associated with better prognosis (hazard ratio = 0.642; P < 0.001) and similar results were obtained in all three subcohorts. Interestingly, patients with ERBB2-status-positive tumors expressed higher levels of TXNRD1. Induction of ERBB2 in MCF-7 cells caused not only an immediate increase in TXNRD1 but also a strong decrease in TXNIP. A subsequent upregulation of TXNIP as cells undergo senescence was accompanied by a strong increase in levels of reactive oxygen species. Conclusions: TXNRD1 and TXNIP are associated with prognosis in breast cancer, and ERBB2 seems to be one of the factors shifting balances of both factors of the redox control system in a prognostic unfavorable manner.