Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. On the basis of its histopathology and molecular-genomic changes, ovarian cancer has been divided into subtypes, each with distinct biology and outcome. The aim of this study was to develop a panel of patient-derived EOC xenografts that recapitulate the molecular and biologic heterogeneity of human ovarian cancer. Thirty-four EOC xenografts were successfully established, either subcutaneously or intraperitoneally, in nude mice. The xenografts were histologically similar to the corresponding patient tumor and comprised all the major ovarian cancer subtypes. After orthotopic transplantation in the bursa of the mouse ovary, they disseminate into the organs of the peritoneal cavity and produce ascites, typical of ovarian cancer. Gene expression analysis and mutation status indicated a high degree of similarity with the original patient and discriminate different subsets of xenografts. They were very responsive, responsive, and resistant to cisplatin, resembling the clinical situation in ovarian cancer. This panel of patient-derived EOC xenografts that recapitulate the recently type I and type II classification serves to study the biology of ovarian cancer, identify tumor-specific molecular markers, and develop novel treatment modalities. Cancer Res; 74(23); 6980-90. Ó2014 AACR.

Background: Targeting tumor angiogenesis and vasculature is a promising strategy for the inhibition of tumor growth and dissemination. Evidence suggests that tumor vasculature expresses unique markers that distinguish it from normal vasculature. Our efforts focused on the molecular characterization of endothelial cells (EC) in the search for selective markers of tumor vasculature that might be helpful for the development of effective therapeutic approaches.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors, affecting angiogenesis, have shown therapeutic efficacy in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The increased overall survival is not fully explained by their anti-tumor activity, since these drugs frequently induce disease stabilization rather than regression. RCC patients frequently develop cachectic syndrome. We used the RXF393 human renal carcinoma xenograft that recapitulates the characteristics of the disease, including the growth in the mouse kidney (orthotopic implantation), and the induction of cachexia with subsequent premature death. Sunitinib prevents body weight loss and muscle wasting and significantly improves the survival of RXF393-bearing nude mice. The anti-cachectic effect was not associated to direct anti-tumor activity of the drug. Most relevant is the ability of sunitinib to reverse the cachectic phenotype and rescue the animals from the loss of fat tissue. Body weight loss is prevented also in mice bearing the C26 colon carcinoma, classically reported to induce cachexia in immunocompetent mice. Among the mechanisms, we herein show that sunitinib is able to restrain the overactivation of STAT3 and MuRF-1 pathways, involved in enhanced muscle protein catabolism during cancer cachexia.We suggest that off-target effects of angiogenesis inhibitors targeting STAT3 are worth considering as a therapeutic option for patients who develop cachexia, independently of their anti-tumor activity.

Differently from most transformed cells, cutaneous melanoma expresses the pleiotropic factor thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1). Herein, we show that TSP-1 (RNA and protein), undetectable in four cultures of melanocytes and a RGP melanoma, was variously present in 13 cell lines from advanced melanomas or metastases. Moreover, microarray analysis of 55 human lesions showed higher TSP-1 expression in primary melanomas and metastases than in common and dysplastic nevi. In a functional enrichment analysis, the expression of TSP-1 correlated with motility-related genes. Accordingly, TSP-1 production was associated with melanoma cell motility in vitro and lung colonization potential in vivo. VEGF/VEGFR-1 and FGF-2, involved in melanoma progression, regulated TSP-1 production. These factors were coexpressed with TSP-1 and correlated negatively with Slug (SNAI2), a cell migration master gene implicated in melanoma metastasis. We conclude that TSP-1 cooperates with FGF-2 and VEGF/VEGFR-1 in determining melanoma invasion and metastasis, as part of a Slug-independent motility program.

The biological players involved in angiogenesis are only partially defined. Here, we report that endothelial cells (ECs) express a novel isoform of the cell-surface adhesion molecule L1CAM, termed L1-ΔTM. The splicing factor NOVA2, which binds directly to L1CAM pre-mRNA, is necessary and sufficient for the skipping of L1CAM transmembrane domain in ECs, leading to the release of soluble L1-ΔTM. The latter exerts high angiogenic function through both autocrine and paracrine activities. Mechanistically, L1-ΔTM-induced angiogenesis requires fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 signaling, implying a crosstalk between the two molecules. NOVA2 and L1-ΔTM are overexpressed in the vasculature of ovarian cancer, where L1-ΔTM levels correlate with tumor vascularization, supporting the involvement of NOVA2-mediated L1-ΔTM production in tumor angiogenesis. Finally, high NOVA2 expression is associated with poor outcome in ovarian cancer patients. Our results point to L1-ΔTM as a novel, EC-derived angiogenic factor which may represent a target for innovative antiangiogenic therapies.