Understanding PPARgamma signaling in melanoma brain metastasis

项目摘要 转移，即癌症从原发肿瘤部位向远端器官的扩散，是超过80%的死亡的原因 从癌症。脑是常见的转移部位之一。脑转移，在晚期发展 由于其发病率的上升，疾病过程已成为临床上的一个重要问题， 生存期延长和现有全身治疗的疗效有限。转移是一个多步骤的过程， 需要癌细胞和基质细胞之间复杂的相互作用，这一过程通常被称为 “种子和土壤假说”是一个世纪前提出的。“土壤”，即微环境，不仅决定了 转移性癌细胞的生长，但也有助于治疗抗性。“种子”，入侵的癌症 细胞，直接改变周围的脑基质细胞。我们的长期目标是解剖 转移过程中癌细胞和脑基质细胞之间的相互作用。 我们已经开发了新的体内和体外模型，以解决我们对大脑理解的差距 转移性生长的微环境控制。我们的数据表明，星形胶质细胞，这种独特的， 丰富的脑细胞，激活脑转移性黑色素瘤细胞中的PPAR γ信号传导。通过综合 使用体外共培养试验和体内脑转移小鼠模型的方法，Aim 1将描述 脑转移过程中黑色素瘤细胞中过氧化物酶体增殖物激活受体β通路的作用我们将跟踪动态变化和效果 在整个脑转移过程中，黑色素瘤细胞中的PPAR γ信号转导。此外， 拮抗剂将用于我们的临床前小鼠模型中，以测试其治疗黑色素瘤脑转移的潜力。 目的2将阐明星形胶质细胞如何激活侵入黑色素瘤细胞的过氧化物酶体增殖物激活受体信号。我们假设 星形胶质细胞作为不饱和脂肪酸的“供体”，是PPAR γ的天然激动剂， 细胞所获得的见解可能使我们能够机械地解构黑色素瘤脑转移， 新的治疗策略，为患者几乎没有临床资源。

Project Summary Metastasis, the spread of cancer from primary tumor site to distal organs, is the cause of over 80% of deaths from cancer. The brain is one of the common metastasis locations. Brain metastasis, which develops in the late course of illness, has become a significant problem in clinic due to its rising incidence as a consequence of prolonged survival and limited efficacy of existing systemic therapies. Metastasis is a multi-step process that requires the complex interplay between cancer cells and the stromal cells, a process commonly referred to as “seed and soil hypothesis” coined over a century ago. The ‘soil’, the microenvironment, not only decides the outgrowth of metastatic cancer cells, but also contributes to therapy resistance. The ‘seed’, the invaded cancer cells, directly modifies the surrounding brain stromal cells. Our long-term goal is to dissect the complex interactions between cancer cells and brain stromal cells during metastasis. We have developed novel in vivo and in vitro models to address the gaps in our understanding of brain microenvironmental control of metastatic outgrowth. Our data implicate that astrocytes, the unique and most abundant brain cells, activate PPAR signaling in brain metastatic melanoma cells. Through an integrative approach using in vitro co-culture assays and in vivo brain metastatic mouse models, Aim 1 will delineate the role of PPAR pathway in melanoma cells during brain metastasis. We will track the dynamic changes and effect of PPAR signaling in melanoma cells throughout the whole brain metastatic process. Moreover, PPAR antagonist will be used in our pre-clinical mouse models to test its potential to treat melanoma brain metastasis. Aim 2 will address how astrocytes activate PPAR signaling in the invades melanoma cells. We hypothesize that astrocytes serve as ‘donor’ of unsaturated fatty acids, natural agonist of PPAR, to the invaded melanoma cells. The gained insights may enable us to mechanistically deconstruct melanoma brain metastasis and develop new treatment strategies for patients with little clinical recourse.