On the basis of clinical trials using first-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), it became a doctrine that V-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog () mutations drive resistance to EGFR inhibition in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Conversely, we provide evidence that EGFR signaling is engaged in K-RAS-driven lung tumorigenesis in humans and in mice. Specifically, genetic mouse models revealed that deletion of quenches mutant K-RAS activity and transiently reduces tumor growth. However, EGFR inhibition initiates a rapid resistance mechanism involving non-EGFR ERBB family members. This tumor escape mechanism clarifies the disappointing outcome of first-generation TKIs and suggests high therapeutic potential of pan-ERBB inhibitors. On the basis of various experimental models including genetically engineered mouse models, patient-derived and cell line-derived xenografts, and in vitro experiments, we demonstrate that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved pan-ERBB inhibitor afatinib effectively impairs K-RAS-driven lung tumorigenesis. Our data support reconsidering the use of pan-ERBB inhibition in clinical trials to treat-mutated NSCLC.

Accumulation of connective tissue is a typical feature of chronic liver diseases. Decorin, a small leucine-rich proteoglycan, regulates collagen fibrillogenesis during development, and by directly blocking the bioactivity of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1), it exerts a protective effect against fibrosis. However no in vivo investigations on the role of decorin in liver have been performed before. In this study we utilized decorin-null (Dcn−/−) mice to establish the role of decorin in experimental liver fibrosis and repair. Not only the extent of experimentally-induced liver fibrosis was more severe in Dcn−/− animals, but also the healing process was significantly delayed vis-à-vis wild-type mice. Collagen I, III, and IV mRNA levels in Dcn−/−livers were higher than those of wild-type livers only in the first two months, but no difference was observed after four months of fibrosis induction, suggesting that the elevation of these proteins reflects a specific impairment of their degradation. Gelatinase assays confirmed this hypothesis as we found decreased MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity and higher expression of TIMP-1 and PAI-1 mRNA in Dcn−/− livers. In contrast, at the end of the recovery phase increased production rather than impaired degradation was found to be responsible for the excessive connective tissue deposition in livers of Dcn−/− mice. Higher expression of TGFβ1-inducible early responsive gene in decorin-null livers indicated enhanced bioactivity of TGFβ1 known to upregulate TIMP-1 and PAI-1, as well. Morever, two main axes of TGFβ1-evoked signaling pathways were affected by decorin deficiency, namely the Erk1/2 and Smad3 were activated in Dcn−/− samples, while no significant difference in phospho-Smad2 was observed between mice with different genotypes. Collectively, our results indicate that the lack of decorin favors the development of hepatic fibrosis and attenuates its subsequent healing process at least in part by affecting the bioactivity of TGFβ1.

Thy-1, a marker of hematopoietic stem cells, has been reported to be expressed by oval cells proliferating during stem cell-mediated regeneration in rat liver, suggesting a relationship between the two cell populations. Consequently, Thy-1 has become an accepted cell surface marker to sort hepatic oval cells. In the present study we used the well-characterized 2-acetylaminfluorene/partial hepatectomy model to induce transit-amplification of hepatic oval cells in the regenerating liver and characterized Thy-1 expression using Northern hybridization, quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis, immunofluorescence confocal microscopy, and immunoelectronmicroscopy. We found that Thy-1 expression was induced during transit-amplification of the oval cell population, but Thy-1 mRNA was not present in the ␣-fetoprotein-expressing oval cells.

SP are co-senior and co-corresponding authors to this study. AbstractThe appearance of lung metastases is associated with poor outcome and the management of patients with secondary pulmonary tumours remains a clinical challenge. We examined the vascularization process of lung metastasis in six different preclinical models and found that the tumours incorporated the pre-existing alveolar capillaries (ie vessel co-option). During the initial phase of vessel co-option, the incorporated capillaries were still sheathed by pneumocytes, but these incorporated vessels subsequently underwent different fates dependent on the model. In five of the models examined (B16, HT1080, HT25, C26, and MAT B-III), the tumour cells gradually stripped the pneumocytes from the vessels. These dissected pneumocytes underwent fragmentation, but the incorporated microvessels survived. In the sixth model (C38), the tumour cells failed to invade the alveolar walls. Instead, they induced the development of vascularized desmoplastic tissue columns. Finally, we examined the process of arterialization in lung metastases and found that they became arterialized when their diameter grew to exceed 5 mm. In conclusion, our data show that lung metastases can vascularize by co-opting the pulmonary microvasculature. This is likely to have important clinical implications, especially with respect to anti-angiogenic therapies.

One of the hallmarks of intussusceptive angiogenesis is the development of intraluminal connective tissue pillars. The exact mechanism of pillar formation has not yet been elucidated. By using electron and confocal microscopy, we observed intraluminal nascent pillars that contain a collagen bundle covered by endothelial cells (ECs) in the vasculature of experimental tumors. We proposed a new mechanism for the development of these pillars. First, intraluminal endothelial bridges are formed. Second, localized dissolution of the basement membrane occurs and a bridging EC attaches to a collagen bundle in the underlying connective tissue. A pulling force is then exerted by the actin cytoskeleton of the ECs via specific attachment points, which contain vinculin, to the collagen bundle, resulting in suction and subsequent transport of the collagen bundle into and through the vessel lumen. Third, the pillar matures through the immigration of connective tissue cells and the deposition of new collagenous connective tissue. The proposed simple mechanism generates a connection between the processes of endothelial bridging and intussusceptive angiogenesis and identifies the source of the force behind pillar formation. Moreover, it ensures the rapid formation of pillars from pre-existing building blocks and the maintenance of EC polarity. To describe it, we coined the term inverse sprouting.

The tissue distribution and prognostic relevance of subtype‐specific proteins (ASCL1, NEUROD1, POU2F3, YAP1) present an evolving area of research in small‐cell lung cancer (SCLC). The expression of subtype‐specific transcription factors and P53 and RB1 proteins were measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 386 surgically resected SCLC samples. Correlations between subtype‐specific proteins and in vitro efficacy of various therapeutic agents were investigated by proteomics and cell viability assays in 26 human SCLC cell lines. Besides SCLC‐A (ASCL1‐dominant), SCLC‐AN (combined ASCL1/NEUROD1), SCLC‐N (NEUROD1‐dominant), and SCLC‐P (POU2F3‐dominant), IHC and cluster analyses identified a quadruple‐negative SCLC subtype (SCLC‐QN). No unique YAP1‐subtype was found. The highest overall survival rates were associated with non‐neuroendocrine subtypes (SCLC‐P and SCLC‐QN) and the lowest with neuroendocrine subtypes (SCLC‐A, SCLC‐N, SCLC‐AN). In univariate analyses, high ASCL1 expression was associated with poor prognosis and high POU2F3 expression with good prognosis. Notably, high ASCL1 expression influenced survival outcomes independently of other variables in a multivariate model. High POU2F3 and YAP1 protein abundances correlated with sensitivity and resistance to standard‐of‐care chemotherapeutics, respectively. Specific correlation patterns were also found between the efficacy of targeted agents and subtype‐specific protein abundances. In conclusion, we investigated the clinicopathological relevance of SCLC molecular subtypes in a large cohort of surgically resected specimens. Differential IHC expression of ASCL1, NEUROD1, and POU2F3 defines SCLC subtypes. No YAP1‐subtype can be distinguished by IHC. High POU2F3 expression is associated with improved survival in a univariate analysis, whereas elevated ASCL1 expression is an independent negative prognosticator. Proteomic and cell viability assays of human SCLC cell lines revealed distinct vulnerability profiles defined by transcription regulators. © 2022 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

In this study, we present a mechanism for the development of arterial blood supply in experimental liver metastases. To analyze the arterialization process of experimental liver metastases, we elucidated a few key questions regarding the blood supply of hepatic lobules in mice. The microvasculature of the mouse liver is characterized by numerous arterioportal anastomoses and arterial terminations at the base of the lobules. These terminations supply one hepatic microcirculatory subunit per lobule, which we call an arterial hepatic microcirculatory subunit (aHMS). The process of arterialization can be divided into the following steps: 1) distortion of the aHMS by metastasis; 2) initial fusion of the sinusoids of the aHMS at the tumor parenchyma interface; 3) fusion of the sinusoids located at the base of the aHMSs , which leads to the disruption of the vascular sphincter (burst pipe); 4) incorporation of the dilated artery and the fused sinusoids into the tumor; and 5) further development of the tumor vasculature (arterial tree) by proliferation , remodeling , and continuous incorporation of fused sinusoids at the tumor-parenchyma interface. This process leads to the inevitable arterialization of liver metastases above the 2000-to 2500-m size, regardless of the origin and growth

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