Notch suppresses angiogenesis and progression of hepatic metastases.
The Notch pathway plays multiple key roles in tumorigenesis, and its signaling components have therefore aroused great interest as targets for emerging therapies. Here, we show that inhibition of Notch, using a soluble receptor Notch1 decoy, unexpectedly caused a remarkable increase in liver metastases from neuroblastoma and breast cancer cells. Increased liver metastases were also seen after treatment with the γ-secretase inhibitor PF-03084014. Transgenic mice with heterozygous loss of Notch1 demonstrated a marked increase in hepatic metastases, indicating that Notch1 signaling acts as metastatic suppressor in the liver microenvironment. Inhibition of DLL1/4 with ligand-specific Notch1 decoys increased sprouting of sinusoidal endothelial cells into micrometastases, thereby supporting early metastatic angiogenic growth. Inhibition of tumor-derived JAG1 signaling activated hepatic stellate cells, increasing their recruitment to vasculature of micrometastases, thereby supporting progression to macrometastases. These results demonstrate that inhibition of Notch causes pathologic activation of liver stromal cells, promoting angiogenesis and growth of hepatic metastases. Our findings have potentially serious implications for Notch inhibition therapy.
Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York.
Debarshi
D
Banerjee
Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York.
Sonia L
SL
Hernandez
Department of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York.
Alejandro
A
Garcia
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York.
Thaned
T
Kangsamaksin
Department of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York.
Emily
E
Sbiroli
Department of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York.
John
J
Andrews
Department of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York.
Lynn Ann
LA
Forrester
Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York.
Na
N
Wei
Department of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York.
Angela
A
Kadenhe-Chiweshe
Department of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York.
Carrie J
CJ
Shawber
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York. Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York.
Jan K
JK
Kitajewski
Department of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York.
Jessica J
JJ
Kandel
Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York. Department of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York. Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York. dy39@columbia.edu.
Darrell J
DJ
Yamashiro
D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018450:Disease Progression; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000556:secondary*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000235:genetics*; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D051881:Receptor, Notch1 / Q000502:physiology*; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
C497761:NOTCH1 protein, human; D051881:Receptor, Notch1