TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhanced SPARCL1 expression in cancer stem cells improves preclinical modeling of glioblastoma by promoting both tumor infiltration and angiogenesis
AU - Gagliardi, Filippo
AU - Narayanan, Ashwin
AU - Gallotti, Alberto Luigi
AU - Pieri, Valentina
AU - Mazzoleni, Stefania
AU - Cominelli, Manuela
AU - Rezzola, Sara
AU - Corsini, Michela
AU - Brugnara, Gianluca
AU - Altabella, Luisa
AU - Politi, Letterio Salvatore
AU - Bacigaluppi, Marco
AU - Falini, Andrea
AU - Castellano, Antonella
AU - Ronca, Roberto
AU - Poliani, Pietro Luigi
AU - Mortini, Pietro
AU - Galli, Rossella
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC) grant IG12924 to R.G.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Authors
Copyright:
Copyright 2019 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/2
Y1 - 2020/2
N2 - Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant brain tumor of adults and is characterized by extensive cell dissemination within the brain parenchyma and enhanced angiogenesis. Effective preclinical modeling of these key features suffers from several shortcomings. Aim of this study was to determine whether modulating the expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) modifiers in proneural (PN) and mesenchymal (MES) cancer stem cells (CSCs) and in conventional glioma cell lines (GCLs) might improve tumor invasion and vascularization. To this end, we selected secreted, acidic and rich in cysteine-like 1 (SPARCL1) as a potential mediator of ECM remodeling in GBM. SPARCL1 transcript and protein expression was assessed in PN and MES CSCs as well as GCLs, in their xenografts and in patient-derived specimens by qPCR, WB and IHC. SPARCL1 expression was then enforced in both CSCs and GCLs by lentiviral-based transduction. The effect of SPARCL1 gain-of-function on microvascular proliferation, microglia activation and advanced imaging features was tested in intracranial xenografts by IHC and MRI and validated by chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assays. SPARCL1 expression significantly enhanced the infiltrative and neoangiogenic features of PN and MES CSC/GCL-induced tumors, with the concomitant activation of inflammatory responses associated with the tumor microenvironment, thus resulting in experimental GBMs that reproduced both the parenchymal infiltration and the increased microvascular density, typical of GBM. Overall, these results indicate that SPARCL1 overexpression might be instrumental for the generation of CSC-derived preclinical models of GBM in which the main pathognomonic hallmarks of GBMs are retrievable, making them suitable for effective preclinical testing of therapeutics.
AB - Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant brain tumor of adults and is characterized by extensive cell dissemination within the brain parenchyma and enhanced angiogenesis. Effective preclinical modeling of these key features suffers from several shortcomings. Aim of this study was to determine whether modulating the expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) modifiers in proneural (PN) and mesenchymal (MES) cancer stem cells (CSCs) and in conventional glioma cell lines (GCLs) might improve tumor invasion and vascularization. To this end, we selected secreted, acidic and rich in cysteine-like 1 (SPARCL1) as a potential mediator of ECM remodeling in GBM. SPARCL1 transcript and protein expression was assessed in PN and MES CSCs as well as GCLs, in their xenografts and in patient-derived specimens by qPCR, WB and IHC. SPARCL1 expression was then enforced in both CSCs and GCLs by lentiviral-based transduction. The effect of SPARCL1 gain-of-function on microvascular proliferation, microglia activation and advanced imaging features was tested in intracranial xenografts by IHC and MRI and validated by chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assays. SPARCL1 expression significantly enhanced the infiltrative and neoangiogenic features of PN and MES CSC/GCL-induced tumors, with the concomitant activation of inflammatory responses associated with the tumor microenvironment, thus resulting in experimental GBMs that reproduced both the parenchymal infiltration and the increased microvascular density, typical of GBM. Overall, these results indicate that SPARCL1 overexpression might be instrumental for the generation of CSC-derived preclinical models of GBM in which the main pathognomonic hallmarks of GBMs are retrievable, making them suitable for effective preclinical testing of therapeutics.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.nbd.2019.104705
DO - 10.1016/j.nbd.2019.104705
M3 - Article
C2 - 31830525
AN - SCOPUS:85076411094
VL - 134
JO - Neurobiology of Disease
JF - Neurobiology of Disease
SN - 0969-9961
M1 - 104705
ER -