Discoidin Domain Receptor 2 orchestrates melanoma resistance combining phenotype switching and proliferation.

Combined therapy with anti-BRAF plus anti-MEK is currently used as first-line treatment of patients with metastatic melanomas harboring the somatic BRAF V600E mutation. However, the main issue with targeted therapy is the acquisition of tumor cell resistance. In a majority of resistant melanoma cells, the resistant process consists in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This process called phenotype switching makes melanoma cells more invasive. Its signature is characterized by MITF low, AXL high, and actin cytoskeleton reorganization through RhoA activation. In parallel of this phenotype switching phase, the resistant cells exhibit an anarchic cell proliferation due to hyper-activation of the MAP kinase pathway. We show that a majority of human melanoma overexpress discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR2) after treatment. The same result was found in resistant cell lines presenting phenotype switching compared to the corresponding sensitive cell lines. We demonstrate that DDR2 inhibition induces a decrease in AXL expression and reduces stress fiber formation in resistant melanoma cell lines. In this phenotype switching context, we report that DDR2 control cell and tumor proliferation through the MAP kinase pathway in resistant cells in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, inhibition of DDR2 could be a new and promising strategy for countering this resistance mechanism.

A Complex and Evolutive Character: Two Face Aspects of ECM in Tumor Progression.

Tumor microenvironment, including extracellular matrix (ECM) and stromal cells, is a key player during tumor development, from initiation, growth and progression to metastasis. During all of these steps, remodeling of matrix components occurs, changing its biochemical and physical properties. The global and basic cancer ECM model is that tumors are surrounded by activated stromal cells, that remodel physiological ECM to evolve into a stiffer and more crosslinked ECM than in normal conditions, thereby increasing invasive capacities of cancer cells. In this review, we show that this too simple model does not consider the complexity, specificity and heterogeneity of each organ and tumor. First, we describe the general ECM in context of cancer. Then, we go through five invasive and most frequent cancers from different origins (breast, liver, pancreas, colon, and skin), and show that each cancer has its own specific matrix, with different stromal cells, ECM components, biochemical properties and activated signaling pathways. Furthermore, in these five cancers, we describe the dual role of tumor ECM: as a protective barrier against tumor cell proliferation and invasion, and as a major player in tumor progression. Indeed, crosstalk between tumor and stromal cells induce changes in matrix organization by remodeling ECM through invadosome formation in order to degrade it, promoting tumor progression and cell invasion. To sum up, in this review, we highlight the specificities of matrix composition in five cancers and the necessity not to consider the ECM as one general and simple entity, but one complex, dynamic and specific entity for each cancer type and subtype.

Linking Matrix Rigidity with EMT and Cancer Invasion.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a major role in cancer progression through its increased deposition and alignment. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Fattet et al. reveal a pathway in which ECM stiffness promotes EPHA2/LYN complex activation, leading to TWIST1 nuclear localization and triggering EMT in breast cancer.

ASS1 Overexpression: A Hallmark of Sonic Hedgehog Hepatocellular Adenomas; Recommendations for Clinical Practice.

Until recently, 10% of hepatocellular adenomas (HCAs) remained unclassified (UHCA). Among the UHCAs, the sonic hedgehog HCA (shHCA) was defined by focal deletions that fuse the promoter of Inhibin beta E chain with GLI1. Prostaglandin D2 synthase was proposed as immunomarker. In parallel, our previous work using proteomic analysis showed that most UHCAs constitute a homogeneous subtype associated with overexpression of argininosuccinate synthase (ASS1). To clarify the use of ASS1 in the HCA classification and avoid misinterpretations of the immunohistochemical staining, the aims of this work were to study (1) the link between shHCA and ASS1 overexpression and (2) the clinical relevance of ASS1 overexpression for diagnosis. Molecular, proteomic, and immunohistochemical analyses were performed in UHCA cases of the Bordeaux series. The clinico-pathological features, including ASS1 immunohistochemical labeling, were analyzed on a large international series of 67 cases. ASS1 overexpression and the shHCA subgroup were superimposed in 15 cases studied by molecular analysis, establishing ASS1 overexpression as a hallmark of shHCA. Moreover, the ASS1 immunomarker was better than prostaglandin D2 synthase and only found positive in 7 of 22 shHCAs. Of the 67 UHCA cases, 58 (85.3%) overexpressed ASS1, four cases were ASS1 negative, and in five cases ASS1 was noncontributory. Proteomic analysis performed in the case of doubtful interpretation of ASS1 overexpression, especially on biopsies, can be a support to interpret such cases. ASS1 overexpression is a specific hallmark of shHCA known to be at high risk of bleeding. Therefore, ASS1 is an additional tool for HCA classification and clinical diagnosis.

DDR1 and DDR2 physical interaction leads to signaling interconnection but with possible distinct functions.

Discoidin domain receptors 1 and 2 (DDR1 and DDR2) are members of the tyrosine kinase receptors activated after binding with collagen. DDRs are implicated in numerous physiological and pathological functions such as proliferation, adhesion and migration. Little is known about the expression of the two receptors in normal and cancer cells and most of studies focus only on one receptor. Western blot analysis of DDR1 and DDR2 expression in different tumor cell lines shows an absence of high co-expression of the two receptors suggesting a deleterious effect of their presence at high amount. To study the consequences of high DDR1 and DDR2 co-expression in cells, we over-express the two receptors in HEK 293T cells and compare biological effects to HEK cells over-expressing DDR1 or DDR2. To distinguish between the intracellular dependent and independent activities of the two receptors we over-express an intracellular truncated dominant-negative DDR1 or DDR2 protein (DDR1DN and DDR2DN). No major differences of Erk or Jak2 activation are found after collagen I stimulation, nevertheless Erk activation is higher in cells co-expressing DDR1 and DDR2. DDR1 increases cell proliferation but co-expression of DDR1 and DDR2 is inhibitory. DDR1 but not DDR2 is implicated in cell adhesion to a collagen I matrix. DDR1, and DDR1 and DDR2 co-expression inhibit cell migration. Moreover a DDR1/DDR2 physical interaction is found by co-immunoprecipitation assays. Taken together, our results show a deleterious effect of high co-expression of DDR1 and DDR2 and a physical interaction between the two receptors.

Multitasking discoidin domain receptors are involved in several and specific hallmarks of cancer.

Discoidin domain receptors, DDR1 and DDR2, are two members of collagen receptor family that belong to tyrosine kinase receptor subgroup. Unlike other matrix receptor-like integrins, these collagen receptors have not been extensively studied. However, more and more studies are focusing on their involvement in cancer. These two receptors are present in several subcellular localizations such as intercellular junction or along type I collagen fibers. Consequently, they are involved in multiple cellular functions, for instance, cell cohesion, proliferation, adhesion, migration and invasion. Furthermore, various signaling pathways are associated with these multiple functions. In this review, we highlight and characterize hallmarks of cancer in which DDRs play crucial roles. We discuss recent data from studies that demonstrate the involvement of DDRs in tumor proliferation, cancer mutations, drug resistance, inflammation, neo-angiogenesis and metastasis. DDRs could be potential targets in cancer and we conclude this review by discussing the different ways to inhibits them.