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Abstract 3313: Pharmacologic targeting of Aurora-A kinase restores ERα expression and endocrine sensitivity through impairment of breast cancer stemness
D’Assoro, Antonino B. , Haddad, Tufia C. , Kuffel, Mary J., Hawse, John R. , Salisbury, Jeffrey L., Goetz, Matthew P. , Suman, Vera J. , Ingle, James N. , Galanis, Evanthia

Mayo Clinic

Cancer Research | July 26, 2016 | Volume: 76 | Issue: 14_Supplement | Pages: 3313-3313

10.1158/1538-7445.am2016-3313 Get It

Abstract Background: Intrinsic resistance has been linked to ER down-regulation and poor clinical outcome in breast tumors. Aurora-A kinase (AURKA) promotes distant metastases through activation of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) programming and expansion of breast tumor initiating cells (BTICs) harboring a CD44high/CD24low phenotype. Moreover, AURKA induces down-regulation of ERα expression and resistance to endocrine therapy that is mediated by SMAD5 transcription factor (D’Assoro et al., Oncogene 2014: 33:599-610). The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of AURKA in endocrine resistance induced by breast cancer stemness and ER down-regulation. Materials and Methods: We employed parental MCF-7 and variant MCF-7 cells ex-vivo (vMCF- 7/LCC9, vMCF-7/FR) that have high endogenous levels of AURKA, are ERlow, and exhibit in vivo resistance to fulvestrant. Real-Time Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis assays were performed to assess response to endocrine and/or AURKA-targeted therapy using the innovative IncuCyte ZOOM System. Stemness activity was assessed by culturing breast cancer cells under non-adherent conditions to generate mammospheres. Expression of ER, CD44 and CD24 markers was characterized by FACS analysis and immunofluorescence. Results: Pharmacologic inhibition of AURKA activity with the small molecule, alisertib, significantly restored sensitivity to fulvestrant in vMCF-7/LCC9 and vMCF-7/FR cells. To establish whether fulvestrant resistance was linked to enrichment of BTICs, breast cancer cells were cultured under non-adherent conditions to generate mammospheres. vMCF-7/FR cells generated mammospheres at higher efficiency compared to parental cells suggesting that vMCF-7/FR cells exhibited high self-renewal activity. vMCF-7/FR-derived mammospheres displayed a stem cell-like CD44high/CD24low phenotype that was further characterized by low levels of ER expression and resistance to fulvestrant. When vMCF-7 FR-derived mammospheres were treated with alisertib alone or combined with fulvestrant, the combination was more effective in mediating restoration of endocrine sensitivity. The phenotype of the alisertib-treated mammospheres was functionally linked to loss of CD44 expression, restoration of CD24 and ER expression, and sensitivity to fulvestrant. Conclusions: These findings provide further evidence that AURKA activity plays a central role in breast cancer progression through the genesis and clonal expansion of BTICs that are characterized by ER down-regulation and resistance to endocrine therapy. These results are important for the treatment of endocrine resistant breast tumors because they provide the rationale for the development of an innovative therapeutic approach to combine endocrine therapy with a targeted inhibitor of AURKA activity. Citation Format: Antonino B. D’Assoro, Tufia Haddad, Matthew Goetz, Mary Kuffel, John Hawse, Vera Suman, Jeffrey Salisbury, James Ingle, Evanthia Galanis. Pharmacologic targeting of Aurora-A kinase restores ERα expression and endocrine sensitivity through impairment of breast cancer stemness. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3313.
Abstract 3298: Distinct microbiome populations within breast cancer microenvironments
Thompson, Kevin J. , Sinnwell, Jason P. , Tang, Xiaojia , Ingle, James N. , Goetz, Matthew P. , Kalari, Krishna R.

Mayo Clinic

Cancer Research | July 26, 2016 | Volume: 76 | Issue: 14_Supplement | Pages: 3298-3298

10.1158/1538-7445.am2016-3298 Get It

Abstract INTRODUCTION: The tumor microenvironment consists of a complicated interplay between a heterogeneous mixture of tumor cells and the surrounding tissue and there is a burgeoning interest in the role of the tissue microbiota within this microenvironment. Our group has investigated the breast tumor microbiome using the unaligned (non-human) reads from 796 RNASequencing data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) repository of Breast Cancer. METHODS: Unmapped sequences for 720 TCGA tumor samples and 76 paired normal samples were analyzed with Kraken v0.10.5 using the RefSeq 16S and standard genomes. To minimize false discoveries Kraken results were filtered to species that have bacterial genomic and 16S read support. Cluster analysis of the T-distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (tsne) was performed and consensus voting of 26 maximum scoring metrics identified 3 distinct clusters. Differential abundance analysis was performed with the edgeR package. Covariate association analysis was performed for tumor clinical characteristics, as well as sample heterogeneity characteristics. RESULTS: There were three microbiome clusters we identified using TCGA breast samples. The average silhouette width of the third cluster was deemed statistically insignificant (0.071), suggesting further stratification of this cluster is necessary. The remaining two TCGA clusters (467) shared an average silhouette width of 0.39, using Bray's dissimilarity index. Differential abundance analysis of the two clusters after Bonferroni correction identified 450 significant species. The biomes were represented by 63 triple negative, 93 HER2+, 258 Luminal, and 50 tumor adjacent normals. Concordant cluster assignment was observed in 93.7 +/- 7.3% of the normal-tumor pairings, averaged across clinical subtypes. We observed clear delineation of biome populations at the order taxonomic level, which was not associated with the clinical subtype or the tumor/tumor adjacent pairings. We found enrichment of Burkholderiales in the first biome and enrichment of Bacillales and Lactobacillales within the second biome. The second biome appears to be deplete of representatives from the Asian population (p value 0.005) and survival associations were observed to be significantly reduced for HER2 patients associated with Biome 1 (p value 0.025). Geneset enrichment analysis of the expression signatures indicated drug metabolism and chemical carcinogenesis pathways to be associated with biome 2. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, we observed two significantly different microbiomes among TCGA breast cancer samples that were not associated with the clinical subtypes. Current efforts include validating these biomes, using 16S sequencing on matching fresh frozen paraffin embedded samples. Additionally, we are evaluating the influence of the biomes in independent adjuvant and neo-adjuvant studies with next generation sequencing data. Citation Format: Kevin J. Thompson, Jason Sinnwell, Xiaojia Tang, James N. Ingle, Matthew P. Goetz, Krishna R. Kalari. Distinct microbiome populations within breast cancer microenvironments. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3298.
Abstract 3292: Manipulating osteoblast differentiation in order to inhibit protection of AML cells within the bone marrow
Sterner, Rosalie M. , Dudakovic, Amel , Kaufmann, Scott H. , Wijnen, André J. van , Kremer, Kimberly N. , Westendorf, Jennifer J. , Hedin, Karen E. , van Wijnen, Andre J , Kaufmann, Scott H

Mayo Clinic

Cancer Research | July 26, 2016 | Volume: 76 | Issue: 14_Supplement | Pages: 3292-3292

10.1158/1538-7445.am2016-3292 Get It

Abstract While standard chemotherapeutics can initially induce remission in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), patients often relapse in part due to the protective bone marrow microenvironment, which promotes the survival of AML cells. Using an in vitro cell culture model of the bone marrow, our lab recently showed that differentiating osteoblasts potently protect AML cells from apoptosis. In addition, we found that differentiating osteoblasts treated with histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) fail to protect AML cells in this model. Since HDACi decreased the expression of genes required for osteoblast differentiation, we hypothesize that blocking specific stage(s) of osteoblast differentiation may make AML cells within the bone marrow more susceptible to chemotherapy. We are currently disrupting specific osteoblast differentiation stages via molecular or therapeutic drug manipulation and exploring the impact on AML cell survival both in cell culture models of the bone marrow microenvironment and in a mouse model of AML. The results of our studies will characterize novel bone marrow molecular and cellular interactions that promote the survival of AML cells. Targeting these interactions in combination therapies may more completely eradicate the AML cell reservoir and better prevent relapse. Citation Format: Rosalie Sterner, Kimberly Kremer, Amel Dudakovic, Scott Kaufmann, Jennifer Westendorf, Andre van Wijnen, Karen Hedin. Manipulating osteoblast differentiation in order to inhibit protection of AML cells within the bone marrow. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3292.
Abstract 3287: Expression of CD14 and SIRP-α defines distinct populations of intratumoral monocytes/macrophages in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas
Price-Troska, Tammy, Novak, Anne J. , Ansell, Stephen M. , Chen, Yaping , Yang, Zhi-Zhang , Villasboas, José C. , Price-Troska, Tammy

Mayo Clinic

Cancer Research | July 26, 2016 | Volume: 76 | Issue: 14_Supplement | Pages: 3287-3287

10.1158/1538-7445.am2016-3287 Get It

Abstract BACKGROUND Monocytes and macrophages (mo/mΦ) are part of composition of tumor microenvironment in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). CD14+HLA-DRlow monocytes are immunosuppressive and this phenotype is promoted by increased expression of IL-10 in lymphoma. Despite their association with poor outcome, monocytes retain phagocytic function particularly in the presence of monoclonal antibodies and can be associated with an improved outcome in patients treated with rituximab. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of CD14+HLA-DRlow mo/mΦ in B-NHL tissue compared to normal tissue, and to determine whether their phenotype suggests that they are capable of phagocytic function. METHODS Tissue mo/mΦ were isolated by negative selection from 13 diagnostic B-NHL biopsy specimens and 6 normal tissues using a monocyte enrichment kit. Morphological and immunophenotypic characteristics of isolated mo/mΦ were determined by flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry and cytometry by time-of-flight (CyTOF). The purity of isolated tissue mo/mΦ was more than 95%, being confirmed by Giemsa stain and flow cytometry. RESULTS Increased numbers of CD68+ cells in initial B-NHL biopsies when compared to normal tissue was confirmed by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. However, CD14 expression was substantially lower than CD68 expression in the tissues suggesting that many CD68+ mo/mΦ are CD14 negative. Using a monocyte enrichment kit to isolate all mo/mΦ, we found that CD14 negative mo/mΦ constituted half the tissue mo/mΦ. Furthermore, we found by flow cytometry, CyTOF and Giemsa stain that CD14- mo/mΦ constituted 2 populations: a more frequent population of larger cells and a less common population of smaller cells. While all cells expressed CD68, the larger cells had increased expression of CD32, CD64 and HLA-DR. The CD14+ cells typically also expressed CD163 and CD33 and were a subset of the larger monocyte population, while the population of small cells was positive only for CD68 and CD45. Using CD14 and SIRP-α, we could identify 3 populations of mo/mΦ: CD14+SIRP-αhigh, CD14-SIRP-αlow and CD14-SIRP-α- cells. CD14+SIRP-αhigh cells and CD14-SIRP-αlow cells typically constitute the population of larger cells, while CD14-SIRP-α- cells constituted the population of smaller cells. Interestingly, while the CD14-SIRP-α- cells lack the typical phenotypic markers of mo/mΦ, they morphologically have the appearance of monocytic cells and this population appears expanded in lymphoma tissue. CONCLUSIONS We have identified a unique population of small mo/mΦ that have an immature phenotype and lack expression of CD14, SIRP-α, CD163, and other FcγR markers. This subset of mo/mΦ is prevalent in lymphoma and may have limited phagocytic function. This CD68+CD14-SIRP-α- mo/mΦ subpopulation may account for prognostic differences in the outcome of lymphoma patients treated with or without monoclonal antibodies. Citation Format: Ya-Ping Chen, Zhi-Zhang Yang, Jose C. Villasboas, Tammy Price-Troska, Anne J. Novak, Stephen M. Ansell. Expression of CD14 and SIRP-α defines distinct populations of intratumoral monocytes/macrophages in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3287.
Abstract 3026: Galunisertib inhibits ovarian cancer cell fibrosis and metastasis in vitro
Cliby, William A. , Zhang, Qing Hua

Mayo Clinic

Cancer Research | July 26, 2016 | Volume: 76 | Issue: 14_Supplement | Pages: 3026-3026

10.1158/1538-7445.am2016-3026 Get It

Abstract Background: In ovarian cancer (OC), the intraperitoneal fibrosis that accompanies metastasis is a common scenario and associated with significant morbidity and gut dysfunction. Accumulating evidences indicate that Transforming Growth Factor β (TGF-β) signaling pathway plays a key role in cancer associated fibrosis and metastasis. Several TGF-β inhibitors, including Galunisertib (LY2157299) which is a TGF-β receptor I inhibitor, are currently in clinical trials for fibrosis-related diseases and cancer. Our hypothesis is that targeted anti-cancer therapies can block the growth and spread of cancer or specifically address the fibrosis accompanying metastatic peritoneal cancer. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of Galunisertib in inhibiting OC fibrosis and metastasis in vitro. Methods: Five OC cell lines, including SKOV3ip, HeyA8, OVCAR8, OV2008, and PEO4, and one cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) cell line, TRS3, were tested in this study. We utilized a co-culture system that has successfully been used to study the interactions between cancer cells and local environment, including CAFs. Twenty-three candidate TGF-β signaling- and fibrosis-related genes were selected based on previous studies. RNA and protein from both fibroblast cells and OC cells were collected for RT-qPCR and western blot analysis. MTT assay, Wound healing assay and Matrigel invasion assay were used to study OC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Chou-Talalay assays were performed to study the interactions between Galunisertib and Carboplatin and Paclitaxel. Results: RT-qPCR results showed that Galunisertib treatment suppresses the expression of both TGF-β receptor I and TGF-β1 which is the most abundant isoform of TGF-β in OC. Western blot results showed that Galunisertib treatment reverses the TGF-β1-induced SMAD2/3 phosphorylation, confirming the efficacy of Galunisertib in TGF-β signaling pathway blockage. Intriguingly, Galunisertib treatment inhibits the expression of candidate fibrosis-related genes, like ACTA2, TIMP3, COL5A1, COL11A1, and VCAN in both OC and CAF cells. Would healing and Transwell invasion assay also demonstrated that Galunisertib treatment effectively reduces both basal and TGF-β1-induced cell migration and invasion (p<0.05). MTT assay showed that Galunisertib is able to inhibit the proliferation of both OC and CAFs cells with IC50 values range from 100-400 μm. Additionally, Galunisertib shows strong synergistic effects with both Carboplatin and Paclitaxel in Chou-Talalay assays. Conclusion: Galunisertib treatment suppresses the expression of TGF-β-dependent fibrosis-related genes from OC cell lines and CAFs. Coincident with this inhibition of fibrosis related genes, galunisrtib reduces cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. These data suggest that targeting the TGF-β pathway is a viable therapeutic approach to reduce both symptoms related to OC-related fibrosis and cancer metastasis in OC. Citation Format: Qing Zhang, William A. Cliby. Galunisertib inhibits ovarian cancer cell fibrosis and metastasis in vitro. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3026.
Abstract 2939: Heregulin-induced resistance against HER2-targeted therapies in HER2 positive breast and gastric cancer in vitro and in vivo
Nonagase, Yoshikane, Takahama, Takayuki , Takegawa, Naoki , Ueda, Hiroto, Takeda, Masayuki , Tamura, Takao , Nakagawa, Kazuhiko , Tsurutani, Junji , Yonesaka, Kimio , Watanabe, Satomi , Haratani, Koji , Kawakami, Hisato , Hayashi, Hidetoshi , Sakamoto, Haruka

Mayo Clinic

Cancer Research | July 26, 2016 | Volume: 76 | Issue: 14_Supplement | Pages: 2939-2939

10.1158/1538-7445.am2016-2939 Get It

Abstract Background HER2-targeted therapies have been shown clinical benefits in patients with HER2 positive breast and gastric cancers. However, resistance against such targeted therapies eventually develops in most cases. Overexpression of heregulin, a ligand for HER3, has been reported as one of the resistant mechanism against HER2-targeted therapies. Upregulation of heregulin activates HER3-PI3K-AKT signaling, leading to the resistance against HER2-targeted therapies. We investigated the effects of heregulin in cell lines and evaluate its clinical impacts in HER2 positive breast and gastric cancers. Materials and methods We utilized transfected or recombinant heregulin to investigate the effect of heregulin on proliferation and apoptosis of SK-BR-3 and NCI-N87 cell lines treated with lapatinib, trastuzumab, trastuzumab-emtansine and paclitaxel. Clinical data and specimens were obtained from patients with HER2 positive breast and gastric cancers, evaluating their heregulin value from both serum and tissues using ELISA and RT-PCR, respectively. Results Heregulin transfection and recombinant heregulin conferred resistance against treatment with lapatinib, trastuzumab, and weak resistance against trastuzumab-emtansine, but no resistance against paclitaxel in HER2 positive cell lines. Clinical data of heregulin among patients treated with HER2-targeted therapies revealed that patients with relatively high heregulin value tended to have worse prognosis. Conclusions Together these data, overexpression of heregulin may at least in part play a role in resistance against HER2-targeted therapies in HER2 positive cancer patients. Further investigation is warranted to elucidate the relevance of treatments targeting heregulin-HER3-PI3K signaling. Citation Format: Yoshikane Nonagase, Kimio Yonesaka, Satomi Watanabe, Koji Haratani, Takayuki Takahama, Naoki Takegawa, Hiroto Ueda, Hisato Kawakami, Hidetoshi Hayashi, Masayuki Takeda, Haruka Sakamoto, Takao Tamura, Kazuhiko Nakagawa, Junji Tsurutani. Heregulin-induced resistance against HER2-targeted therapies in HER2 positive breast and gastric cancer in vitro and in vivo. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2939.
Abstract 4781: The novel tubulin-binding ‘tumor checkpoint controller’ BAL101553 has anti-cancer activity alone and in combination treatments across a panel of GBM patient-derived xenografts
Pokorny, Jenny L. , Lane, Heidi A. , Bachmann, Felix , Carlson, Brett L. , Decker, Paul A. , Eckel‐Passow, Jeanette E. , Mladek, Ann C. , Schroeder, Mark A. , Bakken, Katrina K. , Decker, Paul A. , Sarkaria, Jann N.

Mayo Clinic

Cancer Research | July 26, 2016 | Volume: 76 | Issue: 14_Supplement | Pages: 4781-4781

10.1158/1538-7445.am2016-4781 Get It

Abstract Microtubule-targeting agents (MTA) have been employed in the treatment of many cancers for decades. BAL101553 is a highly soluble prodrug of BAL27862, a novel, small molecule, microtubule-depolymerizing agent that induces tumor cell death by activating the ‘spindle assembly checkpoint’. Given intravenously or orally, the drug penetrates the brain and has anti-cancer activity in diverse tumor models refractory to standard MTA or radiotherapy (RT). In this study, BAL101553 was evaluated in orthotopic xenografts from 16 GBM PDX models; 7 of 16 lines demonstrated significant (p<0.01) increases in median survival with BAL101553 versus placebo (range in median survival extension 24-87%). The combination of BAL101553 with conventional therapies for GBM (RT and temozolomide (TMZ) was then evaluated in select lines. In the MGMT methylated GBM12 line, combination of RT with TMZ increased survival compared to placebo (median survival 80 days vs. 23 days, respectively; p<0.001). Extended BAL101553 monotherapy provided a short but significant extension in survival (median survival 31 days, p<0.001), while extended BAL101553 dosing during and after RT/TMZ (median survival 85 days) did not extend survival relative to RT/TMZ alone (p = 0.56). In contrast, in the MGMT unmethylated GBM6 line, combination of RT and extended BAL101553 increased survival (median 90 days, p<0.001) relative to either treatment alone (median survival BAL101553 63 days; RT 69 days) or placebo (46 days). Additionally, the combination of BAL101553 with TMZ (median survival 70 days) was more effective than TMZ alone (median survival 60 days; p = 0.009). Consistent with the unmethylated MGMT status, the TMZ/RT combination (median survival 66 days) was similar to RT alone (p = 0.62), but the combination of extended BAL101553 with RT/TMZ (median survival 101 days; p<0.001 compared to other combination groups) was significantly more effective. To further evaluate whether BAL101553 is a true radiosensitizer, a second GBM6 study was performed. Also here, combination of RT (20Gy, 2wks) with extended BAL101553 dosing (median survival 66 days) significantly extended survival compared to RT alone (median survival 54 days; p = 002). Interestingly, when BAL101553 dosing was limited to 2 weeks with RT, there was no increase in median survival (58 days; p = 0.16). To evaluate effects on tumor repopulation during RT, the efficacy of an extended RT schedule (36 Gy, 6 wks) with or without 6 weeks of BAL101553 was evaluated. In this case, BAL101553 given during the RT schedule (median survival 78 days) extended median survival as compared to RT alone (61 days; p<0.001). Collectively, these data demonstrate that BAL101553 has broad single agent activity across a panel of GBM PDX models and suggests that combination with RT/TMZ therapy may provide additional benefits for survival extension. Citation Format: Ann C. Mladek, Jenny L. Pokorny, Heidi Lane, Felix Bachmann, Mark A. Schroeder, Katrina K. Bakken, Brett L. Carlson, Paul A. Decker, Jeanette E. Eckel-Passow, Jann N. Sarkaria. The novel tubulin-binding ‘tumor checkpoint controller’ BAL101553 has anti-cancer activity alone and in combination treatments across a panel of GBM patient-derived xenografts. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4781.
Abstract 4513: A prognostic model for pulmonary carcinoid tumors based on large chromosomal alterations
Leventakos, Konstantinos , Johnson, Sarah H. , Kerr, Sarah E. , Aubry, Marie Christine, Vasmatzis, George , Molina, Julian R. , Mansfield, Aaron S. , Murphy, Stephen J.

Mayo Clinic

Cancer Research | July 26, 2016 | Volume: 76 | Issue: 14_Supplement | Pages: 4513-4513

10.1158/1538-7445.am2016-4513 Get It

Abstract PURPOSE: Previous mutational analyses have failed to identify a predictive or prognostic marker for pulmonary carcinoid tumors (PCT). The heterogeneity of PCTs coupled with a lack of detailed information about the tumor biology, impedes patient stratification into groups based on tumor phenotypes or treatment response. We sought to use high-throughput next-generation sequencing to improve prognostication. METHODS: We stratified 37 patients with resected PCTs as low risk (n = 17) and high risk (n = 20) based on a 5 year long follow up for recurrence. Patients with no recurrence within 5 years from initial treatment were deemed low risk. Macrodissection was followed by genomic DNA isolation and next-generation sequencing was performed using an Illumina Mate Pair library protocol. Sequence reads were mapped to the human genome, and primers spanning the fusion junctions were used for validation polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Carcinoids commonly harbor rearrangements (median 3.5, range 1-167). Large chromosomal gains or losses were found in 24 of the cases (64.8%). We developed a prognostic score that included the total amount of genetic alterations (deletions and translocations). ROC analysis revealed an AUC of 0.76. High risk patients had a mean score of 20 and low risk patients had a mean score of 5.45 (p value = 0.03, Welch Two Sample t-test). Further analysis of the specific genetic alterations harbored by high and low risk PCTs and correlation with the pathologic and immunohistochemical information is currently underway. CONCLUSION: Large chromosomal rearrangements and aneuploidy portend a poor prognosis for patients with PCTs. Mate Pair sequencing of PCTs provides valuable prognostic information for this highly heterogeneous group of cancers. Citation Format: Konstantinos Leventakos, Aaron S. Mansfield, Stephen J. Murphy, Sarah H. Johnson, Sarah E. Kerr, Marie Christine Aubry, George Vasmatzis, Julian R. Molina. A prognostic model for pulmonary carcinoid tumors based on large chromosomal alterations. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4513.
Abstract 4412: c-Myc-driven lymphomas require calcium-modulating cyclophilin ligand (CAML) for survival and proliferation
Shing, Jennifer C. , Lindquist, Lonn D., Bram, Richard J.

Mayo Clinic

Cancer Research | July 26, 2016 | Volume: 76 | Issue: 14_Supplement | Pages: 4412-4412

10.1158/1538-7445.am2016-4412 Get It

Abstract Calcium-modulating cyclophilin ligand (CAML) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein that functions in a complex to mediate tail-anchored (TA) protein insertion into the ER membrane. CAML has also been implicated as a regulator of endocytic trafficking, modulator of intracellular calcium signaling, and essential factor for the survival and proliferation of specialized immune cells. To investigate the role of CAML in cell biology and cancer, we generated Eμ-Myc transgenic mice that carry a conditional deletion allele of CAML. From these mice, we derived B cell lymphoma cell lines driven by c-Myc and induced deletion of the CAML gene by treatment with tamoxifen to activate Cre-ERT2 in vitro. Homozygous loss of CAML in multiple independent B cell lymphoma lines activated apoptosis, while heterozygous deletion led to reduced cell proliferation. Apoptosis was inhibited by caspase inhibitor Q-VD-OPh or Bcl-2/xL overexpression; however, blocking apoptosis did not restore cell division. Loss of CAML did not activate the unfolded protein response, but did induce c-Jun and JNK phosphorylation. Structure-function studies indicated that lymphoma cell viability did not depend on interaction of CAML with TRC40, another component of TA protein insertion machinery. Conversely, expression of a minimal region of CAML that interacts with the TA insertion co-factor WRB was sufficient to rescue growth of CAML-deleted cells. In summary, our study demonstrates an essential pro-survival role for CAML in c-Myc-driven lymphomas. Future investigations will focus on the underlying mechanism of apoptosis in this system to advance our understanding of the biological functions of CAML, and consider CAML-dependent survival as a potential novel target for anticancer therapy. Citation Format: Jennifer C. Shing, Lonn D. Lindquist, Richard J. Bram. c-Myc-driven lymphomas require calcium-modulating cyclophilin ligand (CAML) for survival and proliferation. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4412.
Abstract 440: Quantification of somatic chromosomal rearrangements in circulating cell-free DNA from ovarian cancers
Harris, Faye R. , Kovtun, Irina V. , Smadbeck, James , Jatoi, Aminah , Kalli, Kimberly R., Halling, Geoffrey C. , Kosari, Farhad , Johnson, Sarah H. , Mariani, Andrea , Vasmatzis, George , Multinu, Francesco , Murphy, Stephen J.

Mayo Clinic

Cancer Research | July 26, 2016 | Volume: 76 | Issue: 14_Supplement | Pages: 440-440

10.1158/1538-7445.am2016-440 Get It

Abstract Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) provides great potential for the non-invasive clinical assessment of tumor burden. We developed a monitoring protocol using next generation mate-pair sequencing to identify chromosomal rearrangement signatures in primary tumors to follow ctDNA in blood. Primary tumors of 10 patients with ovarian cancer were sequenced, and individualized tumor-specific panels were designed to detect the junctions in ctDNA. A novel algorithm was developed and applied to data generated by quantitative PCR to calculate the percent of ctDNA. Selected junctions, some with potential as therapeutic targets, were detected in pre-surgically drawn blood in eight out of ten patients. Of these eight, three demonstrated the continued presence of circulating tumor DNA post-surgery, and five had undetectable levels, consistent with their documented presence or absence of disease. The detection of somatic junctions derived from ctDNA could be an effective way to monitor ovarian cancer patients for relapse and therapy response. Citation Format: Faye R. Harris, Irina Kovtun, James Smadbeck, Francesco Multinu, Aminah Jatoi, Kimberly R. Kalli, Stephen J. Murphy, Geoffrey C. Halling, Farhad Kosari, Sarah H. Johnson, Andrea Mariani, George Vasmatzis. Quantification of somatic chromosomal rearrangements in circulating cell-free DNA from ovarian cancers. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 440.