Publication details
Dysregulation of the p53 pathway provides a therapeutic target in aggressive pediatric sarcomas with stem-like traits
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | CELLULAR ONCOLOGY |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13402-024-01020-x |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13402-024-01020-x |
| Keywords | Pediatric sarcomas; Cancer stemness; p53; Prognosis; Targeted therapy |
| Description | PurposePediatric sarcomas are bone and soft tissue tumors that often exhibit high metastatic potential and refractory stem-like phenotypes, resulting in poor outcomes. Aggressive sarcomas frequently harbor a disrupted p53 pathway. However, whether pediatric sarcoma stemness is associated with abrogated p53 function and might be attenuated via p53 reactivation remains unclear.MethodsWe utilized a unique panel of pediatric sarcoma models and tumor tissue cohorts to investigate the correlation between the expression of stemness-related transcription factors, p53 pathway dysregulations, tumorigenicity in vivo, and clinicopathological features. TP53 mutation status was assessed by next-generation sequencing. Major findings were validated via shRNA-mediated silencing and functional assays. The p53 pathway-targeting drugs were used to explore the effects and selectivity of p53 reactivation against sarcoma cells with stem-like traits.ResultsWe found that highly tumorigenic stem-like sarcoma cells exhibit dysregulated p53, making them vulnerable to drugs that restore wild-type p53 activity. Immunohistochemistry of mouse xenografts and human tumor tissues revealed that p53 dysregulations, together with enhanced expression of the stemness-related transcription factors SOX2 or KLF4, are crucial features in pediatric osteosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and Ewing's sarcoma development. p53 dysregulation appears to be an important step for sarcoma cells to acquire a fully stem-like phenotype, and p53-positive pediatric sarcomas exhibit a high frequency of early metastasis. Importantly, reactivating p53 signaling via MDM2/MDMX inhibition selectively induces apoptosis in aggressive, stem-like Ewing's sarcoma cells while sparing healthy fibroblasts.ConclusionsOur results indicate that restoring canonical p53 activity provides a promising strategy for developing improved therapies for pediatric sarcomas with unfavorable stem-like traits. |
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