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With the large number of women diagnosed and treated for breast cancer each year, the importance of studying recurrence has become evident due to most deaths from breast cancer resulting from tumor recurrence following therapy. To mitigate this, cellular and molecular pathways used by residual disease prior to recurrence must be studied. An altered metabolism has long been considered a hallmark of cancer, and several recent studies have gone further to report metabolic dysfunction and alterations as key to understanding the underlying behavior of dormant and recurrent cancer cells. Our group has used two probes, 2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1, 3-diaxol-4-yl) amino]-2-deoxyglucose (2-NBDG) and tetramethyl rhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE), to image glucose uptake and mitochondrial membrane potential, respectively, to report changes in metabolism between primary tumors, regression, residual disease, and after regrowth in genetically engineered mouse (GEM)-derived mammospheres. Imaging revealed unique metabolic phenotypes across the stages of tumor development. Although primary mammospheres overexpressing Her2 maintained increased glucose uptake (“Warburg effect”), after Her2 downregulation, during regression and residual disease, mammospheres appeared to switch to oxidative phosphorylation. Interestingly, in mammospheres where Her2 overexpression was turned back on to model recurrence, glucose uptake was lowest, indicating a potential change in substrate preference following the reactivation of Her2, reeliciting growth. Our findings highlight the importance of imaging metabolic adaptions to gain insight into the fundamental behaviors of residual and recurrent disease.Implications:This study demonstrates these functional fluorescent probes' ability to report metabolic adaptations during primary tumor growth, regression, residual disease, and regrowth in Her2 breast tumors.

Supplementary Figure 1: 3D Rendering of mammosphere stained with 2-NBDG and TMRE. Supplementary Figure 2: Western blot confirms loss of Her2 expression following withdrawal of Dox in media conditions. Supplementary Figure 3: Quantification of immunohistochemistry results confirm changes in proliferation and apoptosis. Supplementary Figure 4: Average 2-NBDG and TMRE per mammosphere and group across each time point. Supplementary Figure 5: Annexin V and TMRE flow cytometry show increased TMRE is independent of increased apoptosis.

Supplementary tables S1-S3. Supplementary Table S1: Institutional Tumor Genotyping Strategies. Supplementary Table S2: T790M Genotype by Modality. Supplementary Table S3: EGFR Primary Mutation Detection.

Purpose: The T790M gatekeeper mutation in the EGFR is acquired by some EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) as they become resistant to selective tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). As third-generation EGFR TKIs that overcome T790M-associated resistance become available, noninvasive approaches to T790M detection will become critical to guide management.Experimental Design: As part of a multi-institutional Stand-Up-To-Cancer collaboration, we performed an exploratory analysis of 40 patients with EGFR-mutant tumors progressing on EGFR TKI therapy. We compared the T790M genotype from tumor biopsies with analysis of simultaneously collected circulating tumor cells (CTC) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA).Results: T790M genotypes were successfully obtained in 30 (75%) tumor biopsies, 28 (70%) CTC samples, and 32 (80%) ctDNA samples. The resistance-associated mutation was detected in 47% to 50% of patients using each of the genotyping assays, with concordance among them ranging from 57% to 74%. Although CTC- and ctDNA-based genotyping were each unsuccessful in 20% to 30% of cases, the two assays together enabled genotyping in all patients with an available blood sample, and they identified the T790M mutation in 14 (35%) patients in whom the concurrent biopsy was negative or indeterminate.Conclusions: Discordant genotypes between tumor biopsy and blood-based analyses may result from technological differences, as well as sampling different tumor cell populations. The use of complementary approaches may provide the most complete assessment of each patient's cancer, which should be validated in predicting response to T790M-targeted inhibitors. Clin Cancer Res; 22(5); 1103–10. ©2015 AACR.

PURPOSE: Therapeutic efficacy of hormonal therapies to target estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer is limited by the acquisition of ligand-independent ESR1 mutations, which confer treatment resistance to aromatase inhibitors (AIs). Monitoring for the emergence of such mutations may enable individualized therapy. We thus assessed CTC- and ctDNA-based detection of ESR1 mutations with the aim of evaluating non-invasive approaches for the determination of endocrine resistance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a prospective cohort of 55 women with hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer, we isolated circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and developed a high-sensitivity method for the detection of ESR1 mutations in these CTCs. In patients with sufficient plasma for the simultaneous extraction of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), we performed a parallel analysis of ESR1 mutations using multiplex droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and examined the agreement between these two platforms. Finally, we isolated single CTCs from a subset of these patients and reviewed RNA expression to explore alternate methods of evaluating endocrine responsiveness. RESULTS: High-sensitivity ESR1 sequencing from CTCs revealed mono- and oligoclonal mutations in 22% of patients. These were concordant with plasma DNA sequencing in 95% of cases. Emergence of ESR1 mutations was correlated both with time to metastatic relapse and duration of AI therapy following such recurrence. The Presence of an ESR1 mutation, compared to ESR1 wild type, was associated with markedly shorter Progression-Free Survival on AI-based therapies (p = 0.0006), but unaltered to other non-AI-based therapies (p = 0.73). Compared with ESR1 mutant cases, AI-resistant CTCs with wild-type ESR1 showed an elevated ER-coactivator RNA signature, consistent with their predicted response to second-line hormonal therapies. CONCLUSION: Blood-based serial monitoring may guide the selection of precision therapeutics for women with AI-resistant ER-positive breast cancer.

The survival and recurrence of dormant tumour cells following therapy is a leading cause of death in cancer patients. The metabolic properties of these cells are likely distinct from those of rapidly growing tumours. Here we show that Her2 down-regulation in breast cancer cells promotes changes in cellular metabolism, culminating in oxidative stress and compensatory upregulation of the antioxidant transcription factor, NRF2. NRF2 is activated during dormancy and in recurrent tumours in animal models and breast cancer patients with poor prognosis. Constitutive activation of NRF2 accelerates recurrence, while suppression of NRF2 impairs it. In recurrent tumours, NRF2 signalling induces a transcriptional metabolic reprogramming to re-establish redox homeostasis and upregulate de novo nucleotide synthesis. The NRF2-driven metabolic state renders recurrent tumour cells sensitive to glutaminase inhibition, which prevents reactivation of dormant tumour cells in vitro, suggesting that NRF2-high dormant and recurrent tumours may be targeted. These data provide evidence that NRF2-driven metabolic reprogramming promotes the recurrence of dormant breast cancer.

Branched-chain amino acid metabolism has emerged as a crucial regulator of tumor proliferation. In particular, the branched-chain amino acid transaminase 1 (BCAT1), which catalyzes the conversion of branched-chain amino acids to α-keto acids in the cytoplasm, has been identified as a promising therapeutic target for several different cancer types, including gliomas and leukemias. BCAT1 expression has also been associated with resistance to anti-estrogen therapy in breast cancer, suggesting a role in therapeutic resistance and tumor progression. Yet a functional role for BCAT1 in promoting breast cancer recurrence has not been described. Further, BCAT1 expression is restricted to just a few specialized tissues, such as the testes and central nervous system, and the mechanism by which it becomes transcriptionally activated in tumors that arise from tissues that do not typically express BCAT1 is unclear. Here, we report that Bcat1 is upregulated in recurrent breast tumors to promote recurrent tumor growth. We find that Bcat1 is upregulated by the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in mammary epithelial cells and breast cancer cells. Finally, we analyze human tumor datasets to show that BCAT1 expression is strongly correlated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal gene signatures, suggesting that EMT is the predominant regulator of BCAT1 expression in cancer. Because EMT is associated with therapy resistance, metastasis, and tumor recurrence, these findings suggest a broad clinical potential for BCAT1 inhibition.

SummaryThe survival of residual tumor cells following therapy and their eventual recurrence constitutes one of the biggest obstacles to obtaining cures in breast cancer, but it remains unclear how the clonal composition of tumors changes during tumor relapse. We used cellular barcoding to directly monitor clonal dynamics during tumor recurrence in a genetically engineered mouse model. We found that the clonal diversity of tumors progressively decreased during tumor regression, residual disease, and recurrence. Only a fraction of subclones survived oncogene withdrawal and persisted in residual tumors. The minimal residual disease phase itself was accompanied by a continued attrition of clones, suggesting an ongoing process of selection during dormancy. The reactivation of dormant residual cells into recurrent tumors followed several distinct evolutionary routes. Approximately half of the recurrent tumors exhibited a striking clonal dominance in which one or two subclones comprised the vast majority of the tumor. The majority of these clonal recurrent tumors exhibited evidence of de novo acquisition of Met amplification, and were sensitive to small-molecule Met inhibitors. A second group of recurrent tumors exhibited marked polyclonality, with thousands of subclones and a clonal architecture very similar to primary tumors. These polyclonal recurrent tumors were not sensitive to Met inhibitors, but were instead dependent upon an autocrine IL-6 – Stat3 pathway. These results suggest that the survival and reactivation of dormant tumors can proceed via multiple independent routes, producing recurrent tumors with distinct clonal composition, genetic alterations, and drug sensitivities.

Tumor relapse is the leading cause of death in breast cancer, largely due to the fact that recurrent tumors are frequently resistant to chemotherapy. We previously reported that downregulation of the proapoptotic protein Par-4 promotes tumor recurrence in genetically engineered mouse models of breast cancer recurrence. In the present study, we examined the mechanism and functional significance of Par-4 downregulation in recurrent tumors. We found that epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) promotes epigenetic silencing of Par-4 in recurrent tumors. Par-4 silencing proceeded through binding of the EMT transcription factor Twist to the Par-4 promoter, where Twist induced a unique bivalent chromatin domain. This bivalent configuration conferred plasticity at the Par-4 promoter, and Par-4 silencing could be reversed with pharmacologic inhibitors of Ezh2 and HDAC1/2. Using an epigenome editing approach to reexpress Par-4 by specifically reversing the histone modifications found in recurrent tumors, we found that Par-4 reexpression sensitized recurrent tumors to chemotherapy in vitro and in vivo. Upon reexpression, Par-4 bound to the protein phosphatase PP1, caused widespread changes in phosphorylation of cytoskeletal proteins, and cooperated with microtubule-targeting drugs to induce mitotic defects. These results identify Twist-induced epigenetic silencing of Par-4 as a targetable axis that promotes chemoresistance in recurrent breast cancer.

SummaryCells integrate nutrient sensing and metabolism to coordinate proper cellular responses to a particular nutrient source. For example, glucose drives a gene expression program characterized by activating genes involved in its metabolism, in part by increasing glucose-derived histone acetylation. Here, we find that lipid-derived acetyl-CoA is a major source of carbon for histone acetylation. Using 13C-carbon tracing combined with acetyl-proteomics, we show that up to 90% of acetylation on certain histone lysines can be derived from fatty acid carbon, even in the presence of excess glucose. By repressing both glucose and glutamine metabolism, fatty acid oxidation reprograms cellular metabolism, leading to increased lipid-derived acetyl-CoA. Gene expression profiling of octanoate-treated hepatocytes shows a pattern of upregulated lipid metabolic genes, demonstrating a specific transcriptional response to lipid. These studies expand the landscape of nutrient sensing and uncover how lipids and metabolism are integrated by epigenetic events that control gene expression.

The survival and recurrence of residual tumor cells following therapy constitutes one of the biggest obstacles to obtaining cures in breast cancer, but it remains unclear how the clonal composition of tumors changes during relapse. We use cellular barcoding to monitor clonal dynamics during tumor recurrence in vivo. We find that clonal diversity decreases during tumor regression, residual disease, and recurrence. The recurrence of dormant residual cells follows several distinct routes. Approximately half of the recurrent tumors exhibit clonal dominance with a small number of subclones comprising the vast majority of the tumor; these clonal recurrences are frequently dependent upon Met gene amplification. A second group of recurrent tumors comprises thousands of subclones, has a clonal architecture similar to primary tumors, and is dependent upon the Jak/Stat pathway. Thus the regrowth of dormant tumors proceeds via multiple routes, producing recurrent tumors with distinct clonal composition, genetic alterations, and drug sensitivities., The cellular composition of recurrent tumors can provide insight into resistance to therapy and inform on second line therapies. Here, using a genetically modified mouse, the authors perform barcoding experiments of the primary tumors to allow them to study the clonal dynamics of tumor recurrence.

With the large number of women diagnosed and treated for breast cancer each year, the importance of studying recurrence has become evident due to most deaths from breast cancer resulting from tumor recurrence following therapy. To mitigate this, cellular and molecular pathways used by residual disease prior to recurrence must be studied. An altered metabolism has long been considered a hallmark of cancer, and several recent studies have gone further to report metabolic dysfunction and alterations as key to understanding the underlying behavior of dormant and recurrent cancer cells. Our group has used two probes, 2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1, 3-diaxol-4-yl) amino]-2-deoxyglucose (2-NBDG) and tetramethyl rhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE), to image glucose uptake and mitochondrial membrane potential, respectively, to report changes in metabolism between primary tumors, regression, residual disease, and after regrowth in genetically engineered mouse (GEM)-derived mammospheres. Imaging revealed unique metabolic phenotypes across the stages of tumor development. Although primary mammospheres overexpressing Her2 maintained increased glucose uptake (“Warburg effect”), after Her2 downregulation, during regression and residual disease, mammospheres appeared to switch to oxidative phosphorylation. Interestingly, in mammospheres where Her2 overexpression was turned back on to model recurrence, glucose uptake was lowest, indicating a potential change in substrate preference following the reactivation of Her2, reeliciting growth. Our findings highlight the importance of imaging metabolic adaptions to gain insight into the fundamental behaviors of residual and recurrent disease. Implications: This study demonstrates these functional fluorescent probes' ability to report metabolic adaptations during primary tumor growth, regression, residual disease, and regrowth in Her2 breast tumors.

SummaryOncogenic signaling pathways both directly and indirectly regulate anabolic metabolism, and this is required for tumor growth. Targeted therapies that inhibit oncogenic signaling have dramatic impacts on cellular metabolism. However, it is not known whether the acquisition of resistance to these therapies is associated with – or driven by – alterations in cellular metabolism. To address this, we used a conditional mouse model of Her2-driven breast cancer to study metabolic adaptations following Her2 inhibition, during residual disease, and after tumor recurrence. We found that Her2 downregulation caused widespread changes in cellular metabolism, culminating in oxidative stress. Tumor cells adapted to this metabolic stress by upregulation of the antioxidant transcription factor, NRF2. Constitutive NRF2 expression persisted during residual disease and tumor recurrence, and NRF2 was both sufficient to promote tumor recurrence, and necessary for recurrent tumor growth. These results are supported by clinical data showing that the NRF2 transcriptional program is activated in recurrent breast tumors, and that NRF2 is associated with poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer. Mechanistically, NRF2 signaling in recurrent tumors induced metabolic reprogramming to re-establish redox homeostasis and upregulate de novo nucleotide synthesis. Finally, this NRF2-driven metabolic state rendered recurrent tumor cells sensitive to glutaminase inhibition, suggesting that NRF2-high recurrent tumors can be therapeutically targeted. Together, these data provide evidence that NRF2-driven metabolic reprogramming is required for breast cancer recurrence following oncogene inhibition.SignificanceAlthough tumor recurrence is the leading cause of mortality in breast cancer, the cellular properties that allow tumor cells to evade therapy and form recurrent tumors remain largely uncharacterized. Similarly, very little is known about how tumor metabolism changes following therapy, or whether alterations in cellular metabolism drive tumor recurrence. In this study, we identify the antioxidant transcription factor NRF2 as a critical positive regulator of breast cancer recurrence. We find that NRF2-dependent metabolic reprogramming is both sufficient and required to promote tumor recurrence. Additionally, we demonstrate that the NRF2-driven metabolic state renders recurrent tumors sensitive to glutaminase inhibitors, suggesting a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of recurrent breast cancer.

Purpose: The T790M gatekeeper mutation in the EGFR is acquired by some EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) as they become resistant to selective tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). As third-generation EGFR TKIs that overcome T790M-associated resistance become available, noninvasive approaches to T790M detection will become critical to guide management. Experimental Design: As part of a multi-institutional Stand-Up-To-Cancer collaboration, we performed an exploratory analysis of 40 patients with EGFR-mutant tumors progressing on EGFR TKI therapy. We compared the T790M genotype from tumor biopsies with analysis of simultaneously collected circulating tumor cells (CTC) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). Results: T790M genotypes were successfully obtained in 30 (75%) tumor biopsies, 28 (70%) CTC samples, and 32 (80%) ctDNA samples. The resistance-associated mutation was detected in 47% to 50% of patients using each of the genotyping assays, with concordance among them ranging from 57% to 74%. Although CTC- and ctDNA-based genotyping were each unsuccessful in 20% to 30% of cases, the two assays together enabled genotyping in all patients with an available blood sample, and they identified the T790M mutation in 14 (35%) patients in whom the concurrent biopsy was negative or indeterminate. Conclusions: Discordant genotypes between tumor biopsy and blood-based analyses may result from technological differences, as well as sampling different tumor cell populations. The use of complementary approaches may provide the most complete assessment of each patient's cancer, which should be validated in predicting response to T790M-targeted inhibitors. Clin Cancer Res; 22(5); 1103–10. ©2015 AACR.

Circulating signals of drug resistance Cancer drugs often lose their effectiveness because tumors acquire genetic changes that confer drug resistance. Ideally, patients would be switched to a different drug before tumor growth resumes, but this requires early knowledge of how resistance arose. Miyamoto et al. have developed a non-invasive method to spot resistance by sequencing RNA transcripts in single circulating tumor cells (CTCs) (see the Perspective by Nanus and Giannakakou). For example, in prostate cancer patients, drug resistance was triggered by activation of the Wnt signaling pathway. But CTCs are rare and fragile, and the technology needs further development before it is used in clinical practice. Science , this issue p. 1351 ; see also p. 1283

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in women in the United States, and despite improved prognosis resulting from targeted therapies, tumors commonly re-emerge upon development of therapeutic resistance. In order to overcome this, it is critical to explore the cellular pathways that change in tumors following treatment. While many mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies have been identified, the metabolic changes that occur following treatment have not been well defined. We believe that these changes may offer a general therapeutic target. Using a doxycycline-inducible Her2 mouse model of breast cancer, we are exploring the molecular and cellular consequences Her2 inhibition. Using in vitro mammosphere cultures derived from these mice, we showed that Her2 loss quickly downregulates ERK and Akt signaling. There is a corresponding decrease in proliferation, and apoptosis is induced in 25-50% of cells. However, a population of cells survives Her2 withdrawal and remains dormant for upwards of one month. We are using these models to study how metabolic pathways are rewired following Her2 inhibition, and we believe that the metabolic pathways adapted upon Her2 inhibition may represent targetable vulnerabilities. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Douglas B. Fox, James V. Alvarez. Her2 inhibition and dormant cell metabolism [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4947. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4947

A surprising cache of ancient plant material adds evidence for divergent climate histories of the East and West Antarctic ice sheets over the past 14 million years.

Fossil pollen and climate models suggest a messy world in 2100, as surviving species reshuffle into entirely new combinations, creating "no-analog" ecosystems. (Read more.)