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Mesothelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition as a possible therapeutic target in peritoneal metastasis of ovarian cancer
Author(s) -
RynneVidal Angela,
AuYeung Chi Lam,
JiménezHeffernan José A,
PérezLozano María Luisa,
CremadesJimeno Lucía,
Bárcena Carmen,
CristóbalGarcía Ignacio,
FernándezChacón Concepción,
Yeung Tsz Lun,
Mok Samuel C,
Sandoval Pilar,
LópezCabrera Manuel
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/path.4889
Subject(s) - peritoneal cavity , mesothelial cell , smad , ovarian cancer , cancer research , epithelial–mesenchymal transition , metastasis , transforming growth factor , medicine , mesothelium , mesenchymal stem cell , cancer , pathology , anatomy
Peritoneal dissemination is the primary metastatic route of ovarian cancer ( OvCa ), and is often accompanied by the accumulation of ascitic fluid. The peritoneal cavity is lined by mesothelial cells ( MCs ), which can be converted into carcinoma‐associated fibroblasts ( CAFs ) through mesothelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition ( MMT ). Here, we demonstrate that MCs isolated from ascitic fluid ( AFMCs ) of OvCa patients with peritoneal implants also undergo MMT and promote subcutaneous tumour growth in mice. RNA sequencing of AFMCs revealed that MMT ‐related pathways – including transforming growth factor ( TGF )‐β signalling – are differentially regulated, and a gene signature was verified in peritoneal implants from OvCa patients. In a mouse model, pre‐induction of MMT resulted in increased peritoneal tumour growth, whereas interfering with the TGF ‐β receptor reduced metastasis. MC ‐derived CAFs showed activation of Smad‐dependent TGF ‐β signalling, which was disrupted in OvCa cells, despite their elevated TGF ‐β production. Accordingly, targeting Smad‐dependent signalling in the peritoneal pre‐metastatic niche in mice reduced tumour colonization, suggesting that Smad‐dependent MMT could be crucial in peritoneal carcinomatosis. Together, these results indicate that bidirectional communication between OvCa cells and MC ‐derived CAFs , via TGF ‐β‐mediated MMT , seems to be crucial to form a suitable metastatic niche. We suggest MMT as a possible target for therapeutic intervention and a potential source of biomarkers for improving OvCa diagnosis and/or prognosis. © 2017 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.