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Stromal heparan sulfate differentiates neuroblasts to suppress neuroblastoma growth
Erik H. Knelson, Angela L. Gaviglio, Jasmine C. Nee, Mark D. Starr, Andrew B. Nixon, Stephen G. Marcus, Gerard C. Blobe
Erik H. Knelson, Angela L. Gaviglio, Jasmine C. Nee, Mark D. Starr, Andrew B. Nixon, Stephen G. Marcus, Gerard C. Blobe
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Research Article Oncology

Stromal heparan sulfate differentiates neuroblasts to suppress neuroblastoma growth

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Abstract

Neuroblastoma prognosis is dependent on both the differentiation state and stromal content of the tumor. Neuroblastoma tumor stroma is thought to suppress neuroblast growth via release of soluble differentiating factors. Here, we identified critical growth-limiting components of the differentiating stroma secretome and designed a potential therapeutic strategy based on their central mechanism of action. We demonstrated that expression of heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), including TβRIII, GPC1, GPC3, SDC3, and SDC4, is low in neuroblasts and high in the Schwannian stroma. Evaluation of neuroblastoma patient microarray data revealed an association between TGFBR3, GPC1, and SDC3 expression and improved prognosis. Treatment of neuroblastoma cell lines with soluble HSPGs promoted neuroblast differentiation via FGFR1 and ERK phosphorylation, leading to upregulation of the transcription factor inhibitor of DNA binding 1 (ID1). HSPGs also enhanced FGF2-dependent differentiation, and the anticoagulant heparin had a similar effect, leading to decreased neuroblast proliferation. Dissection of individual sulfation sites identified 2-O, 3-O-desulfated heparin (ODSH) as a differentiating agent, and treatment of orthotopic xenograft models with ODSH suppressed tumor growth and metastasis without anticoagulation. These studies support heparan sulfate signaling intermediates as prognostic and therapeutic neuroblastoma biomarkers and demonstrate that tumor stroma biology can inform the design of targeted molecular therapeutics.

Authors

Erik H. Knelson, Angela L. Gaviglio, Jasmine C. Nee, Mark D. Starr, Andrew B. Nixon, Stephen G. Marcus, Gerard C. Blobe

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Figure 9

ODSH suppresses neuroblastoma orthotopic xenograft growth and metastasis.

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ODSH suppresses neuroblastoma orthotopic xenograft growth and metastasis...
(A) BE2 orthotopic xenograft. Tumor radiance was measured after 32 days of growth using luciferase imaging (photons/s/cm2/steradian), and the measurement was used to calculate the fold change in tumor radiance after 10, 17, 24, and 32 days of treatment with PBS or 1 mg/mouse/day of ODSH. Mann-Whitney U test, *P < 0.05 versus control at all time points. Luminescence images on day 24 of treatment. Survival until humane endpoints as a percentage of each condition. Treatment was stopped after 35 days (red arrow). Ki67 staining of xenograft sections. Original magnification, ×20; scale bar: 50 μM. Quantification of stain intensity using ImmunoRatio software. Data are presented as the mean of 3 sections ± SEM. *P < 0.05 versus control by 2-tailed Student’s t test. (B) SK-N-AS orthotopic xenograft. Tumor radiance was measured after 28 days of growth using luciferase imaging (photons/s/cm2/steradian), and the measurement was used to calculate the fold change after 7 and 11 days of treatment with PBS or 1 mg/mouse/day of ODSH. Luminescence images on day 7 of treatment. Survival until humane endpoints as a percentage of each condition. (C) H&E-stained organs from xenografted mice treated with PBS control or ODSH. Parentheses indicate the number of mice with AS or BE2 cell metastasis to the indicated organ. Arrows point to metastases. Original magnification, ×10; scale bar: 200 μM. (D) Western blots for differentiation and signaling markers in lysates from SK-N-AS and BE2 xenografts. Densitometry normalized to β-actin is shown as the percentage of control. (E) Images of tumor radiance in a pair of mice with a similar original tumor size in the SK-N-AS experiment. Injections were stopped after 32 days of treatment (day 60).

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ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

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