Browsing by Author "Ahmed, Atique U."

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    CCL2 produced by the glioma microenvironment is essential for the recruitment of regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells
    (AACR Publications, 2016-10-01) Chang, Alan L.; Miska, Jason; Wainwright, Derek A.; Dey, Mahua; Rivetta, Claudia V.; Yu, Dou; Kanojia, Deepak; Pituch, Katarzyna C.; Qiao, Jian; Pytel, Peter; Han, Yu; Wu, Meijing; Zhang, Lingjiao; Horbinski, Craig M.; Ahmed, Atique U.; Lesniak, Maciej S.; Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine
    In many aggressive cancers, such as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), progression is enabled by local immunosuppression driven by the accumulation of regulatory T cells (Treg) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). However, the mechanistic details of how Treg and MDSC are recruited in various tumors is not yet well understood. Here we report that macrophages and microglia within the glioma microenvironment produce CCL2, a chemokine that is critical for recruiting both CCR4+ Treg and CCR2+Ly-6C+ monocytic MDSC in this disease setting. In murine gliomas, we established novel roles for tumor-derived CCL20 and osteoprotegerin in inducing CCL2 production from macrophages and microglia. Tumors grown in CCL2 deficient mice failed to maximally accrue Treg and monocytic MDSC. In mixed-bone marrow chimera assays, we found that CCR4-deficient Treg and CCR2-deficient monocytic MDSC were defective in glioma accumulation. Further, administration of a small molecule antagonist of CCR4 improved median survival in the model. In clinical specimens of GBM, elevated levels of CCL2 expression correlated with reduced overall survival of patients. Lastly, we found that CD163-positive infiltrating macrophages were a major source of CCL2 in GBM patients. Collectively, our findings show how glioma cells influence the tumor microenvironment to recruit potent effectors of immunosuppression that drive progression.
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    Genomic analysis of human brain metastases treated with stereotactic radiosurgery reveals unique signature based on treatment failure
    (Elsevier, 2024-03-27) Shireman, Jack M.; White, Quinn; Ni, Zijian; Mohanty, Chitrasen; Cai, Yujia; Zhao, Lei; Agrawal, Namita; Gonugunta, Nikita; Wang, Xiaohu; Mccarthy, Liam; Kasulabada, Varshitha; Pattnaik, Akshita; Ahmed, Atique U.; Miller, James; Kulwin, Charles; Cohen-Gadol, Aaron; Payner, Troy; Lin, Chih-Ta; Savage, Jesse J.; Lane, Brandon; Shiue, Kevin; Kamer, Aaron; Shah, Mitesh; Iyer, Gopal; Watson, Gordon; Kendziorski, Christina; Dey, Mahua; Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine
    Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has been shown to be efficacious for the treatment of limited brain metastasis (BM); however, the effects of SRS on human brain metastases have yet to be studied. We performed genomic analysis on resected brain metastases from patients whose resected lesion was previously treated with SRS. Our analyses demonstrated for the first time that patients possess a distinct genomic signature based on type of treatment failure including local failure, leptomeningeal spread, and radio-necrosis. Examination of the center and peripheral edge of the tumors treated with SRS indicated differential DNA damage distribution and an enrichment for tumor suppressor mutations and DNA damage repair pathways along the peripheral edge. Furthermore, the two clinical modalities used to deliver SRS, LINAC and GK, demonstrated differential effects on the tumor landscape even between controlled primary sites. Our study provides, in human, biological evidence of differential effects of SRS across BM's.
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    Genomic Analysis of Human Brain Metastases Treated with Stereotactic Radiosurgery Under the Phase-II Clinical Trial (NCT03398694) Reveals DNA Damage Repair at the Peripheral Tumor Edge
    (medRxiv, 2023-04-24) Shireman, Jack M.; White, Quinn; Agrawal, Namita; Ni, Zijian; Chen, Grace; Zhao, Lei; Gonugunta, Nikita; Wang, Xiaohu; Mccarthy, Liam; Kasulabada, Varshitha; Pattnaik, Akshita; Ahmed, Atique U.; Miller, James; Kulwin, Charles; Cohen-Gadol, Aaron; Payner, Troy; Lin, Chih-Ta; Savage, Jesse J.; Lane, Brandon; Shiue, Kevin; Kamer, Aaron; Shah, Mitesh; Iyer, Gopal; Watson, Gordon; Kendziorski, Christina; Dey, Mahua; Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine
    Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) is one of the leading treatment modalities for oligo brain metastasis (BM), however no comprehensive genomic data assessing the effect of radiation on BM in humans exist. Leveraging a unique opportunity, as part of the clinical trial (NCT03398694), we collected post-SRS, delivered via Gamma-knife or LINAC, tumor samples from core and peripheral-edges of the resected tumor to characterize the genomic effects of overall SRS as well as the SRS delivery modality. Using these rare patient samples, we show that SRS results in significant genomic changes at DNA and RNA levels throughout the tumor. Mutations and expression profiles of peripheral tumor samples indicated interaction with surrounding brain tissue as well as elevated DNA damage repair. Central samples show GSEA enrichment for cellular apoptosis while peripheral samples carried an increase in tumor suppressor mutations. There are significant differences in the transcriptomic profile at the periphery between Gamma-knife vs LINAC.
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    Interleukin-8/CXCR2 signaling regulates therapy-induced plasticity and enhances tumorigenicity in glioblastoma
    (Springer Nature, 2019-03-29) Hasan, Tanwir; Caragher, Seamus P.; Shireman, Jack M.; Park, Cheol H.; Atashi, Fatemeh; Baisiwala, Shivani; Lee, Gina; Guo, Donna; Wang, Jennifer Y.; Dey, Mahua; Wu, Meijing; Lesniak, Maciej S.; Horbinski, Craig M.; James, C. David; Ahmed, Atique U.; Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine
    Emerging evidence reveals enrichment of glioma-initiating cells (GICs) following therapeutic intervention. One factor known to contribute to this enrichment is cellular plasticity-the ability of glioma cells to attain multiple phenotypes. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms governing therapy-induced cellular plasticity, we performed genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-Seq) and gene expression analysis (gene microarray analysis) during treatment with standard of care temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy. Analysis revealed significant enhancement of open-chromatin marks in known astrocytic enhancers for interleukin-8 (IL-8) loci as well as elevated expression during anti-glioma chemotherapy. The Cancer Genome Atlas and Ivy Glioblastoma Atlas Project data demonstrated that IL-8 transcript expression is negatively correlated with GBM patient survival (p = 0.001) and positively correlated with that of genes associated with the GIC phenotypes, such as KLF4, c-Myc, and HIF2α (p < 0.001). Immunohistochemical analysis of patient samples demonstrated elevated IL-8 expression in about 60% of recurrent GBM tumors relative to matched primary tumors and this expression also positively correlates with time to recurrence. Exposure to IL-8 significantly enhanced the self-renewing capacity of PDX GBM (average threefold, p < 0.0005), as well as increasing the expression of GIC markers in the CXCR2 population. Furthermore, IL-8 knockdown significantly delayed PDX GBM tumor growth in vivo (p < 0.0005). Finally, guided by in silico analysis of TCGA data, we examined the effect of therapy-induced IL-8 expression on the epigenomic landscape of GBM cells and observed increased trimethylation of H3K9 and H3K27. Our results show that autocrine IL-8 alters cellular plasticity and mediates alterations in histone status. These findings suggest that IL-8 signaling participates in regulating GBM adaptation to therapeutic stress and therefore represents a promising target for combination with conventional chemotherapy in order to limit GBM recurrence.
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    Molecular Classification of Gliomas is Associated with Seizure Control: A Retrospective Analysis
    (Springer, 2021) Easwaran, Teresa P.; Lancki, Nicola; Henriquez, Mario; Vortmeyer, Alexander O.; Barbaro, Nicholas M.; Scholtens, Denise M.; Ahmed, Atique U.; Dey, Mahua; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine
    Classically, histologic grading of gliomas has been used to predict seizure association, with low-grade gliomas associated with an increased incidence of seizures compared to high-grade gliomas. In 2016, WHO reclassified gliomas based on histology and molecular characteristics. We sought to determine whether molecular classification of gliomas is associated with preoperative seizure presentation and/or post-operative seizure control across multiple glioma subtypes. All gliomas operated at our institution from 2007 to 2017 were identified based on ICD 9 and 10 billing codes and were retrospectively assessed for molecular classification of the IDH1 mutation, and 1p/19q codeletion. Logistic regression models were performed to assess associations of seizures at presentation as well as post-operative seizures with IDH status and the new WHO integrated classification. Our study included 376 patients: 82 IDH mutant and 294 IDH wildtype. The presence of IDH mutation was associated with seizures at presentation [OR 3.135 (1.818-5.404), p < 0.001]. IDH-mutant glioblastomas presented with seizures less often than other IDH-mutant glioma subtypes grade II and III [OR 0.104 (0.032-0.340), p < 0.001]. IDH-mutant tumors were associated with worse post-operative seizure outcomes, demonstrated by Engel Class [OR 2.666 (1.592-4.464), p < 0.001]. IDH mutation in gliomas is associated with an increased risk of seizure development and worse post-operative seizure control, in all grades except for GBM.