PI3K activation in neural stem cells drives tumorigenesis which can be ameliorated by targeting the cAMP response element binding protein.

Background: Hyperactivation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling is common in cancers, but the precise role of the pathway in glioma biology remains to be determined. Some understanding of PI3K signaling mechanisms in brain cancer comes from studies on neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs), where signals transmitted via the PI3K pathway cooperate with other intracellular pathways and downstream transcription factors to regulate critical cell functions. Methods: To investigate the role of the PI3K pathway in glioma initiation and development, we generated a mouse model targeting the inducible expression of a PIK3CAH1047A oncogenic mutant and deletion of the PI3K negative regulator, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), to NSPCs. Results: Expression of a Pik3caH1047A was sufficient to generate tumors with oligodendroglial features, but simultaneous loss of PTEN was required for the development of invasive, high-grade glioma. Pik3caH1047A-PTEN mutant NSPCs exhibited enhanced neurosphere formation which correlated with increased Wnt signaling, while loss of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) in Pik3caH1047A-Pten mutant tumors led to longer symptom-free survival in mice. Conclusion: Taken together, our findings present a novel mouse model for glioma demonstrating that the PI3K pathway is important for initiation of tumorigenesis and that disruption of downstream CREB signaling attenuates tumor expansion.

Identification of Pik3ca Mutation as a Genetic Driver of Prostate Cancer That Cooperates with Pten Loss to Accelerate Progression and Castration-Resistant Growth.

Genetic alterations that potentiate PI3K signaling are frequent in prostate cancer, yet how different genetic drivers of the PI3K cascade contribute to prostate cancer is unclear. Here, we report PIK3CA mutation/amplification correlates with poor survival of patients with prostate cancer. To interrogate the requirement of different PI3K genetic drivers in prostate cancer, we employed a genetic approach to mutate Pik3ca in mouse prostate epithelium. We show Pik3caH1047R mutation causes p110α-dependent invasive prostate carcinoma in vivo Furthermore, we report that PIK3CA mutation and PTEN loss coexist in patients with prostate cancer and can cooperate in vivo to accelerate disease progression via AKT-mTORC1/2 hyperactivation. Contrasting single mutants that slowly acquire castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), concomitant Pik3ca mutation and Pten loss caused de novo CRPC. Thus, Pik3ca mutation and Pten deletion are not functionally redundant. Our findings indicate that PIK3CA mutation is an attractive prognostic indicator for prostate cancer that may cooperate with PTEN loss to facilitate CRPC in patients.Significance: We show PIK3CA mutation correlates with poor prostate cancer prognosis and causes prostate cancer in mice. Moreover, PIK3CA mutation and PTEN loss coexist in prostate cancer and can cooperate in vivo to accelerate tumorigenesis and facilitate CRPC. Delineating this synergistic relationship may present new therapeutic/prognostic approaches to overcome castration/PI3K-AKT-mTORC1/2 inhibitor resistance. Cancer Discov; 8(6); 764-79. ©2018 AACR.See related commentary by Triscott and Rubin, p. 682This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 663.

Oncogenic PIK3CA induces centrosome amplification and tolerance to genome doubling.

Mutations in PIK3CA are very frequent in cancer and lead to sustained PI3K pathway activation. The impact of acute expression of mutant PIK3CA during early stages of malignancy is unknown. Using a mouse model to activate the Pik3ca H1047R hotspot mutation in the heterozygous state from its endogenous locus, we here report that mutant Pik3ca induces centrosome amplification in cultured cells (through a pathway involving AKT, ROCK and CDK2/Cyclin E-nucleophosmin) and in mouse tissues, and increased in vitro cellular tolerance to spontaneous genome doubling. We also present evidence that the majority of PIK3CA H1047R mutations in the TCGA breast cancer cohort precede genome doubling. These previously unappreciated roles of PIK3CA mutation show that PI3K signalling can contribute to the generation of irreversible genomic changes in cancer. While this can limit the impact of PI3K-targeted therapies, these findings also open the opportunity for therapeutic approaches aimed at limiting tumour heterogeneity and evolution.

Inhibiting the system xC-/glutathione axis selectively targets cancers with mutant-p53 accumulation.

TP53, a critical tumour suppressor gene, is mutated in over half of all cancers resulting in mutant-p53 protein accumulation and poor patient survival. Therapeutic strategies to target mutant-p53 cancers are urgently needed. We show that accumulated mutant-p53 protein suppresses the expression of SLC7A11, a component of the cystine/glutamate antiporter, system xC-, through binding to the master antioxidant transcription factor NRF2. This diminishes glutathione synthesis, rendering mutant-p53 tumours susceptible to oxidative damage. System xC- inhibitors specifically exploit this vulnerability to preferentially kill cancer cells with stabilized mutant-p53 protein. Moreover, we demonstrate that SLC7A11 expression is a novel and robust predictive biomarker for APR-246, a first-in-class mutant-p53 reactivator that also binds and depletes glutathione in tumours, triggering lipid peroxidative cell death. Importantly, system xC- antagonism strongly synergizes with APR-246 to induce apoptosis in mutant-p53 tumours. We propose a new paradigm for targeting cancers that accumulate mutant-p53 protein by inhibiting the SLC7A11-glutathione axis.

Novel metastatic models of esophageal adenocarcinoma derived from FLO-1 cells highlight the importance of E-cadherin in cancer metastasis.

There is currently a paucity of preclinical models available to study the metastatic process in esophageal cancer. Here we report FLO-1, and its isogenic derivative FLO-1LM, as two spontaneously metastatic cell line models of human esophageal adenocarcinoma. We show that FLO-1 has undergone epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasizes following subcutaneous injection in mice. FLO-1LM, derived from a FLO-1 liver metastasis, has markedly enhanced proliferative, clonogenic, anti-apoptotic, invasive, immune-tolerant and metastatic potential. Genome-wide RNAseq profiling revealed a significant enrichment of metastasis-related pathways in FLO-1LM cells. Moreover, CDH1, which encodes the adhesion molecule E-cadherin, was the most significantly downregulated gene in FLO-1LM compared to FLO-1. Consistent with this, repression of E-cadherin expression in FLO-1 cells resulted in increased metastatic activity. Importantly, reduced E-cadherin expression is commonly reported in esophageal adenocarcinoma and independently predicts poor patient survival. Collectively, these findings highlight the biological importance of E-cadherin activity in the pathogenesis of metastatic esophageal adenocarcinoma and validate the utility of FLO-1 parental and FLO-1LM cells as preclinical models of metastasis in this disease.

APR-246 potently inhibits tumour growth and overcomes chemoresistance in preclinical models of oesophageal adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: p53 is a critical tumour suppressor and is mutated in 70% of oesophageal adenocarcinomas (OACs), resulting in chemoresistance and poor survival. APR-246 is a first-in-class reactivator of mutant p53 and is currently in clinical trials. In this study, we characterised the activity of APR-246 and its effect on p53 signalling in a large panel of cell line xenograft (CLX) and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of OAC. DESIGN: In vitro response to APR-246 was assessed using clonogenic survival, cell cycle and apoptosis assays. Ectopic expression, gene knockdown and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout studies of mutant p53 were performed to investigate p53-dependent drug effects. p53 signalling was examined using quantitative RT-PCR and western blot. Synergistic interactions between APR-246 and conventional chemotherapies were evaluated in vitro and in vivo using CLX and PDX models. RESULTS: APR-246 upregulated p53 target genes, inhibited clonogenic survival and induced cell cycle arrest as well as apoptosis in OAC cells harbouring p53 mutations. Sensitivity to APR-246 correlated with cellular levels of mutant p53 protein. Ectopic expression of mutant p53 sensitised p53-null cells to APR-246, while p53 gene knockdown and knockout diminished drug activity. Importantly, APR-246 synergistically enhanced the inhibitory effects of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil through p53 accumulation. Finally, APR-246 demonstrated potent antitumour activity in CLX and PDX models, and restored chemosensitivity to a cisplatin/5-fluorouracil-resistant xenograft model. CONCLUSIONS: APR-246 has significant antitumour activity in OAC. Given that APR-246 is safe at therapeutic levels our study strongly suggests that APR-246 can be translated into improving the clinical outcomes for OAC patients.

Heterozygous expression of the oncogenic Pik3ca(H1047R) mutation during murine development results in fatal embryonic and extraembryonic defects.

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signalling pathway regulates many cellular functions including proliferation, migration, survival and protein synthesis. Somatic mutations in PIK3CA, the gene encoding the p110α catalytic subunit of PI3K enzyme, are commonly associated with many human cancers as well as recently being implicated in human overgrowth syndromes. However, it is not clear if such mutations can be inherited through the germline. We have used a novel mouse model with Cre recombinase (Cre)-conditional knock-in of the common H1047R mutation into the endogenous Pik3ca gene. Heterozygous expression of the Pik3ca(H1047R) mutation in the developing mouse embryo resulted in failed 'turning' of the embryo and disrupted vascular remodelling within the embryonic and extraembryonic tissues, leading to lethality prior to E10. As vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) signalling was disrupted in these embryos, we used Cre under the control of the Tie2 promoter to target the Pik3ca(H1047R) mutation specifically to endothelial cells. In these embryos turning occurred normally but the vascular remodelling defects and embryonic lethality remained, likely as a result of endothelial hyperproliferation. Our results confirm the lethality associated with heterozygous expression of the Pik3ca(H1047R) mutation during development and likely explain the lack of inherited germline PIK3CA mutations in humans.

Ubiquitous expression of the Pik3caH1047R mutation promotes hypoglycemia, hypoinsulinemia, and organomegaly.

Mutations in PIK3CA, the gene encoding the p110α catalytic subunit of PI3K, are among the most common mutations found in human cancer and have also recently been implicated in a range of overgrowth syndromes in humans. We have used a novel inducible "exon-switch" approach to knock in the constitutively active Pik3ca(H1047R) mutation into the endogenous Pik3ca gene of the mouse. Ubiquitous expression of the Pik3ca(H1047R) mutation throughout the body resulted in a dramatic increase in body weight within 3 weeks of induction (mutant 150 ± 5%; wild-type 117 ± 3%, mean ± sem), which was associated with increased organ size rather than adiposity. Severe metabolic effects, including a reduction in blood glucose levels to 59 ± 4% of baseline (11 days postinduction) and undetectable insulin levels, were also observed. Pik3ca(H1047R) mutant mice died earlier (median survival 46.5 d post-mutation induction) than wild-type control mice (100% survival > 250 days). Although deletion of Akt2 increased median survival by 44%, neither organ overgrowth, nor hypoglycemia were rescued, indicating that both the growth and metabolic functions of constitutive PI3K activity can be Akt2 independent. This mouse model demonstrates the critical role of PI3K in the regulation of both organ size and glucose metabolism at the whole animal level.

Physiological expression of the PI3K-activating mutation Pik3ca(H1047R) combines with Apc loss to promote development of invasive intestinal adenocarcinomas in mice.

PIK3CA, the gene encoding the p110α catalytic subunit of PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase), is mutated in approximately 20% of sporadic CRCs (colorectal cancers), but the role of these mutations in the pathogenesis of CRC remains unclear. In the present study we used a novel mouse model to investigate the role of the Pik3caH1047R mutation, the most common PIK3CA mutation in CRC, during the development and progression of intestinal cancer. Our results demonstrate that Pik3caH1047R, when expressed at physiological levels, is insufficient to initiate intestinal tumorigenesis; however, in the context of Apc (adenomatous polyposis coli) loss, which is observed in 80% of CRCs and by itself results in benign intestinal adenomas, the Pik3caH1047R mutation promotes the development of highly aggressive and invasive adenocarcinomas in both the small and large intestines. The results of the present study show that an activating Pik3ca mutation can act in tandem with Apc loss to drive the progression of gastrointestinal cancer and thus this disease may be susceptible to therapeutic targeting using PI3K pathway inhibitors.

Physiological levels of Pik3ca(H1047R) mutation in the mouse mammary gland results in ductal hyperplasia and formation of ERα-positive tumors.

PIK3CA, the gene coding for the p110α subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase, is frequently mutated in a variety of human tumors including breast cancers. To better understand the role of mutant PIK3CA in the initiation and/or progression of breast cancer, we have generated mice with a conditional knock-in of the common activating mutation, Pik3ca(H1047R), into one allele of the endogenous gene in the mammary gland. These mice developed a ductal anaplasia and hyperplasia by 6 weeks of age characterized by multi-layering of the epithelial lining of the mammary ducts and expansion of the luminal progenitor (Lin(-); CD29(lo); CD24(+); CD61(+)) cell population. The Pik3ca(H1047R) expressing mice eventually develop mammary tumors with 100% penetrance but with a long latency (>12 months). This is significantly longer than has been reported for transgenic models where expression of the mutant Pik3ca is driven by an exogenous promoter. Histological analysis of the tumors formed revealed predominantly ERα-positive fibroadenomas, carcinosarcomas and sarcomas. In vitro induction of Pik3ca(H1047R) in immortalized mammary epithelial cells also resulted in tumor formation when injected into the mammary fat pad of immunodeficient recipient mice. This novel model, which reproduces the scenario of a heterozygous somatic mutation occurring in the endogenous PIK3CA gene, will thus be a valuable tool for investigating the role of Pik3ca(H1047R) mutation in mammary tumorigenesis both in vivo and in vitro.

An activating Pik3ca mutation coupled with Pten loss is sufficient to initiate ovarian tumorigenesis in mice.

Mutations in the gene encoding the p110α subunit of PI3K (PIK3CA) that result in enhanced PI3K activity are frequently observed in human cancers. To better understand the role of mutant PIK3CA in the initiation or progression of tumorigenesis, we generated mice in which a PIK3CA mutation commonly detected in human cancers (the H1047R mutation) could be conditionally knocked into the endogenous Pik3ca locus. Activation of this mutation in the mouse ovary revealed that alone, Pik3caH1047R induced premalignant hyperplasia of the ovarian surface epithelium but no tumors. Concomitantly, we analyzed several human ovarian cancers and found PIK3CA mutations coexistent with KRAS and/or PTEN mutations, raising the possibility that a secondary defect in a co-regulator of PI3K activity may be required for mutant PIK3CA to promote transformation. Consistent with this notion, we found that Pik3caH1047R mutation plus Pten deletion in the mouse ovary led to the development of ovarian serous adenocarcinomas and granulosa cell tumors. Both mutational events were required for early, robust Akt activation. Pharmacological inhibition of PI3K/mTOR in these mice delayed tumor growth and prolonged survival. These results demonstrate that the Pik3caH1047R mutation with loss of Pten is enough to promote ovarian cell transformation and that we have developed a model system for studying possible therapies.

Screening ethnically diverse human embryonic stem cells identifies a chromosome 20 minimal amplicon conferring growth advantage.

The International Stem Cell Initiative analyzed 125 human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines and 11 induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines, from 38 laboratories worldwide, for genetic changes occurring during culture. Most lines were analyzed at an early and late passage. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis revealed that they included representatives of most major ethnic groups. Most lines remained karyotypically normal, but there was a progressive tendency to acquire changes on prolonged culture, commonly affecting chromosomes 1, 12, 17 and 20. DNA methylation patterns changed haphazardly with no link to time in culture. Structural variants, determined from the SNP arrays, also appeared sporadically. No common variants related to culture were observed on chromosomes 1, 12 and 17, but a minimal amplicon in chromosome 20q11.21, including three genes expressed in human ES cells, ID1, BCL2L1 and HM13, occurred in >20% of the lines. Of these genes, BCL2L1 is a strong candidate for driving culture adaptation of ES cells.

Genetic correction and analysis of induced pluripotent stem cells from a patient with gyrate atrophy.

Gene-corrected patient-specific induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells offer a unique approach to gene therapy. Here, we begin to assess whether the mutational load acquired during gene correction of iPS cells is compatible with use in the treatment of genetic causes of retinal degenerative disease. We isolated iPS cells free of transgene sequences from a patient with gyrate atrophy caused by a point mutation in the gene encoding ornithine-δ-aminotransferase (OAT) and used homologous recombination to correct the genetic defect. Cytogenetic analysis, array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), and exome sequencing were performed to assess the genomic integrity of an iPS cell line after three sequential clonal events: initial reprogramming, gene targeting, and subsequent removal of a selection cassette. No abnormalities were detected after standard G-band metaphase analysis. However, aCGH and exome sequencing identified two deletions, one amplification, and nine mutations in protein coding regions in the initial iPS cell clone. Except for the targeted correction of the single nucleotide in the OAT locus and a single synonymous base-pair change, no additional mutations or copy number variation were identified in iPS cells after the two subsequent clonal events. These findings confirm that iPS cells themselves may carry a significant mutational load at initial isolation, but that the clonal events and prolonged cultured required for correction of a genetic defect can be accomplished without a substantial increase in mutational burden.

Efficient generation of transgene-free induced pluripotent stem cells from normal and neoplastic bone marrow and cord blood mononuclear cells.

Reprogramming blood cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provides a novel tool for modeling blood diseases in vitro. However, the well-known limitations of current reprogramming technologies include low efficiency, slow kinetics, and transgene integration and residual expression. In the present study, we have demonstrated that iPSCs free of transgene and vector sequences could be generated from human BM and CB mononuclear cells using non-integrating episomal vectors. The reprogramming described here is up to 100 times more efficient, occurs 1-3 weeks faster compared with the reprogramming of fibroblasts, and does not require isolation of progenitors or multiple rounds of transfection. Blood-derived iPSC lines lacked rearrangements of IGH and TCR, indicating that their origin is non-B- or non-T-lymphoid cells. When cocultured on OP9, blood-derived iPSCs could be differentiated back to the blood cells, albeit with lower efficiency compared to fibroblast-derived iPSCs. We also generated transgene-free iPSCs from the BM of a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). CML iPSCs showed a unique complex chromosomal translocation identified in marrow sample while displaying typical embryonic stem cell phenotype and pluripotent differentiation potential. This approach provides an opportunity to explore banked normal and diseased CB and BM samples without the limitations associated with virus-based methods.

Mutation analysis of PIK3CA and PIK3CB in esophageal cancer and Barrett's esophagus.

Mutation of PIK3CA, the gene coding for the p110alpha catalytic subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), has been reported in a limited range of human tumors. We now report that PIK3CA is also mutated in esophageal tumors. Single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) and denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) were used to screen all 20 exons of PIK3CA in 101 samples from 95 individuals with esophageal cancer and/or Barrett's esophagus. Somatic mutation of PIK3CA was detected in 4 of 35 (11.8%) of esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and 3 of 50 (6%) adenocarcinomas. No mutations were detected in any of 17 samples of Barrett's esophagus. For PIK3CB, we screened exons 11 and 22, which code for the regions corresponding to the exon 9 and 20 mutational 'hotspots' of PIK3CA. No somatic changes were detected in PIK3CB This study extends previous observations in other tumor types by demonstrating the presence of somatic PIK3CA mutations in both SCC and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, thus implicating the PI3K pathway in the initiation and/or progression of esophageal cancers.

The AIB1 glutamine repeat polymorphism is not associated with risk of breast cancer before age 40 years in Australian women.

INTRODUCTION: AIB1, located at 20q12, is a member of the steroid hormone coactivator family. It contains a glutamine repeat (CAG/CAA) polymorphism at its carboxyl-terminal region that may alter the transcriptional activation of the receptor and affect susceptibility to breast cancer through altered sensitivity to hormones. METHODS: We evaluated this repeat polymorphism in the context of early-onset disease by conducting a case-control study of 432 Australian women diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 40 years and 393 population-based control individuals who were frequency matched for age. Genotyping was performed using a scanning laser fluorescence imager. RESULTS: There were no differences in genotype frequencies between cases and control individuals, or between cases categorized by family history or by BRCA1 and BRCA2 germline mutation status. There was no evidence that the presence of one or two alleles of 26 glutamine repeats or fewer was associated with breast cancer (odds ratio = 1.03, 95% confidence interval = 0.73-1.44), or that women with alleles greater than 29 repeats were at increased risk of breast cancer. Exclusion of women who carried a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation (24 cases) and non-Caucasian women (44 cases) did not alter the risk estimates or inferences. We present raw data, including that on mutation carriers, to allow pooling with other studies. CONCLUSION: There was no evidence that risk of breast cancer depends on AIB1 CAG/CAA polymorphism status, even if affected women carry a mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2.

Mutation of the PIK3CA gene in ovarian and breast cancer.

Phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinases are lipid kinases with important roles in neoplasia. Recently, a very high frequency of somatic mutations in PIK3CA has been reported among a large series of colorectal cancers. However, the relevance of PIK3CA mutation in other cancer types remains unclear because of the limited number of tumors investigated. We have screened a total of 284 primary human tumors for mutations in all coding exons of PIK3CA using a combination of single stranded conformational polymorphism and denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. Among 70 primary breast cancers, 40% (28 of 70) harbored mutations in PIK3CA, making it the most common mutation described to date in this cancer type. Mutations were not associated with histologic subtype, estrogen receptor status, grade or presence of tumor in lymph nodes. Among the primary epithelial ovarian cancers only 11 of 167 (6.6%) contain somatic mutations, but there was a clear histologic subtype bias in their distribution. Only 2 of 88 (2.3%) of serous carcinomas had PIK3CA mutations compared with 8 of 40 (20.0%) endometrioid and clear cell cancers, which was highly significant (P = 0.001). In contrast, PIK3CA gene amplification (>7-fold) was common among all histologic subtypes (24.5%) and was inversely associated with the presence of mutations. Overall, PIK3CA mutation or gene amplification was detected in 30.5% of all ovarian cancers and 45% of the endometrioid and clear cell subtypes. Our study is the first direct evidence that PIK3CA is an oncogene in ovarian cancer and greatly extends recent findings in breast cancer.

The DNMT3B C-->T promoter polymorphism and risk of breast cancer in a British population: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Gene promoter methylation is an important regulator of expression and is a key epigenetic factor in tumorigenesis. DNA methylation is mediated by DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), of which three active forms have been identified: DNMT1, DNM3A and DNMT3B. The C-->T transition polymorphism (C46359T) in the promoter of the DNMT3B gene, which significantly increases transcriptional activity, has been postulated to increase the propensity for promoter-hypermethylation-mediated silencing of tumour suppressor genes. METHODS: To determine the role of this polymorphism in breast cancer, we genotyped 352 cases and 258 controls from a British population. The breast cancer cases were selected on the basis of either an age at onset of less than 40 years, a family history of breast cancer irrespective of age at onset, or bilateral breast cancer diagnosed after 39 years of age irrespective of family history. RESULTS: The C allele was found to be more common in case subjects than in control subjects (cases, 0.59; controls, 0.54) corresponding to a nominally significant increase in breast cancer risk to heterozygotes and CC homozygotes (odds ratio 1.51, 95% confidence interval 1.01-2.25) in the dominant inheritance model. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings contrast with those of a previous study, which showed that individuals carrying at least one T allele have a significantly increased risk of developing lung cancer. This discrepancy might be an artefact resulting from a chance variation, or it might point to differing influences of promoter hypermethylation in these cancer types.