TRF2 as novel marker of tumor response to taxane-based therapy: from mechanistic insight to clinical implication
Abstract Background Breast Cancer (BC) can be classified, due to its heterogeneity, into multiple subtypes that differ for prognosis and clinical management. Notably, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) – the most aggressive BC form – is refractory to endocrine and most of the target therapies. In...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13046-024-02998-w |
| _version_ | 1827321250260713472 |
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| author | Sara Iachettini Irene Terrenato Manuela Porru Serena Di Vito Angela Rizzo Carmen D’Angelo Eleonora Petti Roberto Dinami Carmen Maresca Anna Di Benedetto Aldo Palange Antonino Mulè Angela Santoro Antonella Palazzo Paola Fuso Antonella Stoppacciaro Patrizia Vici Lorena Filomeno Francesca Sofia Di Lisa Teresa Arcuri Eriseld Krasniqi Alessandra Fabi Annamaria Biroccio Pasquale Zizza |
| author_facet | Sara Iachettini Irene Terrenato Manuela Porru Serena Di Vito Angela Rizzo Carmen D’Angelo Eleonora Petti Roberto Dinami Carmen Maresca Anna Di Benedetto Aldo Palange Antonino Mulè Angela Santoro Antonella Palazzo Paola Fuso Antonella Stoppacciaro Patrizia Vici Lorena Filomeno Francesca Sofia Di Lisa Teresa Arcuri Eriseld Krasniqi Alessandra Fabi Annamaria Biroccio Pasquale Zizza |
| author_sort | Sara Iachettini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Breast Cancer (BC) can be classified, due to its heterogeneity, into multiple subtypes that differ for prognosis and clinical management. Notably, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) – the most aggressive BC form – is refractory to endocrine and most of the target therapies. In this view, taxane-based therapy still represents the elective strategy for the treatment of this tumor. However, due variability in patients’ response, management of TNBC still represents an unmet medical need. Telomeric Binding Factor 2 (TRF2), a key regulator of telomere integrity that is over-expressed in several tumors, including TNBC, has been recently found to plays a role in regulating autophagy, a degradative process that is involved in drug detoxification. Based on these considerations, we pointed, here, at investigating if TRF2, regulating autophagy, can affect tumor sensitivity to therapy. Methods Human TNBC cell lines, over-expressing or not TRF2, were subjected to treatment with different taxanes and drug efficacy was tested in terms of autophagic response and cell proliferation. Autophagy was evaluated first biochemically, by measuring the levels of LC3, and then by immunofluorescence analysis of LC3-puncta positive cells. Concerning the proliferation, cells were subjected to colony formation assays associated with western blot and FACS analyses. The obtained results were then confirmed also in mouse models. Finally, the clinical relevance of our findings was established by retrospective analysis on a cohort of TNBC patients subjected to taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Results This study demonstrated that TRF2, inhibiting autophagy, is able to increase the sensitivity of TNBC cells to taxanes. The data, first obtained in in vitro models, were then recapitulated in preclinical mouse models and in a cohort of TNBC patients, definitively demonstrating that TRF2 over-expression enhances the efficacy of taxane-based neoadjuvant therapy in reducing tumor growth and its recurrence upon surgical intervention. Conclusions Based on our finding it is possible to conclude that TRF2, already known for its role in promoting tumor formation and progression, might represents an Achilles’ heel for cancer. In this view, TRF2 might be exploited as a putative biomarker to predict the response of TNBC patients to taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T01:03:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b5288dd001e444b193813380b0f2304e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1756-9966 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T01:03:03Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-b5288dd001e444b193813380b0f2304e2024-03-10T12:24:27ZengBMCJournal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research1756-99662024-03-0143111610.1186/s13046-024-02998-wTRF2 as novel marker of tumor response to taxane-based therapy: from mechanistic insight to clinical implicationSara Iachettini0Irene Terrenato1Manuela Porru2Serena Di Vito3Angela Rizzo4Carmen D’Angelo5Eleonora Petti6Roberto Dinami7Carmen Maresca8Anna Di Benedetto9Aldo Palange10Antonino Mulè11Angela Santoro12Antonella Palazzo13Paola Fuso14Antonella Stoppacciaro15Patrizia Vici16Lorena Filomeno17Francesca Sofia Di Lisa18Teresa Arcuri19Eriseld Krasniqi20Alessandra Fabi21Annamaria Biroccio22Pasquale Zizza23IRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Translational Oncology Research UnitIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Clinical Trial Center, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics UnitIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Translational Oncology Research UnitIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Translational Oncology Research UnitIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Translational Oncology Research UnitIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Translational Oncology Research UnitIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Translational Oncology Research UnitIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Translational Oncology Research UnitIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Translational Oncology Research UnitIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer InstituteIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer InstitutePathology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCSPathology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCSMedical Oncology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCSDepartment of Woman and Child Health and Public Health, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCSDepartment of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of RomeIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Unit of Phase IV TrialsIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Unit of Phase IV TrialsIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Unit of Phase IV TrialsIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Unit of Phase IV TrialsIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Unit of Phase IV TrialsPrecision Medicine Unit in Senology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCSIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Translational Oncology Research UnitIRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Translational Oncology Research UnitAbstract Background Breast Cancer (BC) can be classified, due to its heterogeneity, into multiple subtypes that differ for prognosis and clinical management. Notably, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) – the most aggressive BC form – is refractory to endocrine and most of the target therapies. In this view, taxane-based therapy still represents the elective strategy for the treatment of this tumor. However, due variability in patients’ response, management of TNBC still represents an unmet medical need. Telomeric Binding Factor 2 (TRF2), a key regulator of telomere integrity that is over-expressed in several tumors, including TNBC, has been recently found to plays a role in regulating autophagy, a degradative process that is involved in drug detoxification. Based on these considerations, we pointed, here, at investigating if TRF2, regulating autophagy, can affect tumor sensitivity to therapy. Methods Human TNBC cell lines, over-expressing or not TRF2, were subjected to treatment with different taxanes and drug efficacy was tested in terms of autophagic response and cell proliferation. Autophagy was evaluated first biochemically, by measuring the levels of LC3, and then by immunofluorescence analysis of LC3-puncta positive cells. Concerning the proliferation, cells were subjected to colony formation assays associated with western blot and FACS analyses. The obtained results were then confirmed also in mouse models. Finally, the clinical relevance of our findings was established by retrospective analysis on a cohort of TNBC patients subjected to taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Results This study demonstrated that TRF2, inhibiting autophagy, is able to increase the sensitivity of TNBC cells to taxanes. The data, first obtained in in vitro models, were then recapitulated in preclinical mouse models and in a cohort of TNBC patients, definitively demonstrating that TRF2 over-expression enhances the efficacy of taxane-based neoadjuvant therapy in reducing tumor growth and its recurrence upon surgical intervention. Conclusions Based on our finding it is possible to conclude that TRF2, already known for its role in promoting tumor formation and progression, might represents an Achilles’ heel for cancer. In this view, TRF2 might be exploited as a putative biomarker to predict the response of TNBC patients to taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13046-024-02998-wTRF2AutophagyTaxanesDrug sensitivityTNBCPredictive marker |
| spellingShingle | Sara Iachettini Irene Terrenato Manuela Porru Serena Di Vito Angela Rizzo Carmen D’Angelo Eleonora Petti Roberto Dinami Carmen Maresca Anna Di Benedetto Aldo Palange Antonino Mulè Angela Santoro Antonella Palazzo Paola Fuso Antonella Stoppacciaro Patrizia Vici Lorena Filomeno Francesca Sofia Di Lisa Teresa Arcuri Eriseld Krasniqi Alessandra Fabi Annamaria Biroccio Pasquale Zizza TRF2 as novel marker of tumor response to taxane-based therapy: from mechanistic insight to clinical implication Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research TRF2 Autophagy Taxanes Drug sensitivity TNBC Predictive marker |
| title | TRF2 as novel marker of tumor response to taxane-based therapy: from mechanistic insight to clinical implication |
| title_full | TRF2 as novel marker of tumor response to taxane-based therapy: from mechanistic insight to clinical implication |
| title_fullStr | TRF2 as novel marker of tumor response to taxane-based therapy: from mechanistic insight to clinical implication |
| title_full_unstemmed | TRF2 as novel marker of tumor response to taxane-based therapy: from mechanistic insight to clinical implication |
| title_short | TRF2 as novel marker of tumor response to taxane-based therapy: from mechanistic insight to clinical implication |
| title_sort | trf2 as novel marker of tumor response to taxane based therapy from mechanistic insight to clinical implication |
| topic | TRF2 Autophagy Taxanes Drug sensitivity TNBC Predictive marker |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13046-024-02998-w |
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