Ewing sarcoma family tumors (ET) are highly aggressive bone and soft tissue tumors for which novel therapies are desperately needed. Almost all ET express the fusion oncogene EWS-FLI1, a transcription factor whose precise mechanism of action is unknown. Unfortunately, the cellular origin of ET remains elusive and this has greatly impeded research efforts aimed at identifying novel therapeutic targets. Recent data from our lab and others suggest the ET arise from malignant transformation of neural crest and/or mesenchymal stem cells. The polycomb gene BMI-1 is highly expressed by many human cancers and functions to promote stem cell self-renewal, in large part through CDKN2A repression. We have recently shown that BMI-1 acts as an oncogene in ET but that this is mediated in a CDKN2A-independent manner. Importantly, our data suggest that BMI-1-mediated changes in cell adhesion may promote tumor formation. In this proposal we will test the hypothesis that ET arise from neural crest stem cells as a result of oncogenic cooperation between EWS-FLI1 and BMI-1. It is our goal to define the mechanism of BMI-1 oncogenic activity in ET maintenance (Aim 1) and initiation (Aim 2 &3). Using in vitro and in vivo assays we will determine if ET cell self-renewal is dependent on BMI-1. We will also investigate the impact of BMI-1 over-expression on tumor engraftment in local and metastatic sites. By assessing the consequences of EWS-FLI1 expression in cells that express variable levels of BMI-1, we will define the molecular mechanisms of EWS-FLI1/BMI-1 cooperation and determine if these oncogenes are together necessary and sufficient to induce malignant transformation of primary stem cells. Our preliminary studies have revealed that polycomb gene targets are frequently hyper-methylated in ET cells compared to untransformed neural crest and mesenchymal stem cells. We will use a highly innovative model of human embryonic stem cell-derived neural crest stem cell differentiation combined with an inducible EWS- FLI1 expression vector to determine if activation of the fusion oncogene leads to aberrant polycomb-mediated silencing of developmental pathways. The importance of BMI-1 and polycomb activity in cancer biology is now well established. Using ET as a model this proposal will generate novel insights into BMI-1 function in human tumor initiation and progression. Identification of BMI-1 -modulated pathways will generate novel targets for therapeutic intervention that can be exploited in the many human cancers that have effectively hijacked BMI-1 activity.

Public Health Relevance

Ewing sarcoma family tumors (ET) are highly aggressive bone and soft tissue tumors that primarily affect children, adolescents, and young adults. Novel therapies are desperately needed, particularly for patients with metastatic disease in whom survival is rare despite aggressive, multi-modality treatment. The studies outlined in this proposal will offer new insights into the putative stem cell origins and underlying biology of these aggressive tumors with a goal of identifying novel stem cell pathway targets that can be exploited for therapeutic intervention.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01CA134604-05
Application #
8658013
Study Section
Molecular Oncogenesis Study Section (MONC)
Program Officer
Ault, Grace S
Project Start
2010-06-10
Project End
2015-04-30
Budget Start
2014-05-01
Budget End
2015-04-30
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
Department
Pediatrics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
City
Ann Arbor
State
MI
Country
United States
Zip Code
48109
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Gray, Felicia; Cho, Hyo Je; Shukla, Shirish et al. (2016) BMI1 regulates PRC1 architecture and activity through homo- and hetero-oligomerization. Nat Commun 7:13343
Ryland, Katherine E; Hawkins, Allegra G; Weisenberger, Daniel J et al. (2016) Promoter Methylation Analysis Reveals That KCNA5 Ion Channel Silencing Supports Ewing Sarcoma Cell Proliferation. Mol Cancer Res 14:26-34
Lawlor, Elizabeth R; Sorensen, Poul H (2015) Twenty Years on: What Do We Really Know about Ewing Sarcoma and What Is the Path Forward? Crit Rev Oncog 20:155-71
Selvanathan, Saravana P; Graham, Garrett T; Erkizan, Hayriye V et al. (2015) Oncogenic fusion protein EWS-FLI1 is a network hub that regulates alternative splicing. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 112:E1307-16
Ryland, K E; Svoboda, L K; Vesely, E D et al. (2015) Polycomb-dependent repression of the potassium channel-encoding gene KCNA5 promotes cancer cell survival under conditions of stress. Oncogene 34:4591-600
Svoboda, Laurie K; Harris, Ashley; Bailey, Natashay J et al. (2014) Overexpression of HOX genes is prevalent in Ewing sarcoma and is associated with altered epigenetic regulation of developmental transcription programs. Epigenetics 9:1613-25
Karnuth, Bianca; Dedy, Nicolas; Spieker, Tilmann et al. (2014) Differentially expressed miRNAs in Ewing sarcoma compared to mesenchymal stem cells: low miR-31 expression with effects on proliferation and invasion. PLoS One 9:e93067
May, William A; Grigoryan, Rita S; Keshelava, Nino et al. (2013) Characterization and drug resistance patterns of Ewing's sarcoma family tumor cell lines. PLoS One 8:e80060
Sompallae, Ramakrishna; Hofmann, Oliver; Maher, Christopher A et al. (2013) A comprehensive promoter landscape identifies a novel promoter for CD133 in restricted tissues, cancers, and stem cells. Front Genet 4:209

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