Browsing by Author "Hawkins, Shannon"

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    Global Transcriptome Abnormalities of the Eutopic Endometrium From Women With Adenomyosis
    (Sage, 2016-10) Herndon, Christopher N.; Aghajanova, Lusine; Balayan, Shaina; Erikson, David; Barragan, Fatima; Goldfien, Gabriel; Vo, Kim Chi; Hawkins, Shannon; Giudice, Linda C.; Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine
    OBJECTIVE: Adenomyosis is a clinical disorder defined by the presence of endometrial glands and stroma within the myometrium, the pathogenesis of which is poorly understood. We postulate that dysregulation of genes and pathways in eutopic endometrium may predispose to ectopic implantation. No study, to our knowledge, has examined the global transcriptome of isolated eutopic endometrium from women with clinically significant adenomyosis. DESIGN: Laboratory-based study with full institutional review board approval and consents. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Endometrial sampling was performed on hysterectomy specimens (proliferative phase) from symptomatic women with pathologically confirmed diffuse adenomyosis (n = 3). Controls (n = 5) were normo-ovulatory patients without adenomyosis. All patients were free from leiomyoma, endometriosis, and hormonal exposures. Isolated purified total RNA was subjected to microarray analysis using the Gene 1.0 ST Affymetrix platform. Data were analyzed with GeneSpring and Ingenuity Pathway analysis. Validation of several genes was undertaken by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Comparison of transcriptomes of proliferative endometrium from women with and without adenomyosis revealed 140 upregulated and 884 downregulated genes in samples from women with adenomyosis compared to controls. Highly differentially expressed genes include those involved in regulation of apoptosis, steroid hormone responsiveness, and proteins involved in extracellular matrix remodeling as well as microRNAs of unknown significance. Affected canonical pathways included eukaryotic initiation factor 2 signaling, oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondrial dysfunction, estrogen receptor signaling, and mammalian target of rapamycin signaling. CONCLUSION: The eutopic endometrium in patients with adenomyosis has fundamental abnormalities that may predispose to invasion and survival beyond the myometrial interface.
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    MiR-10a as a Modulator of Proliferation and Cell Cycle Progression in Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma
    (2024-08) Collins, Kaitlyn Elizabeth; Hawkins, Shannon; Kim, Jaeyeon; Mayo, Lindsey; Nephew, Kenneth; Zhang, Chi; Zimmers, Teresa
    Endometriosis, a benign inflammatory disease whereby endometrial-like tissue grows outside the uterus, is a significant risk factor for endometriosis-associated ovarian cancers. In particular, ovarian endometriomas, cystic lesions of deeply invasive endometriosis, are a potential precursor lesion for ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC). To explore the transcriptomic landscape, OCCC from women with pathology-proven concurrent endometriosis (n=4) were compared to benign endometriomas (n=4) by bulk RNA and small-RNA sequencing. Analysis of protein-coding genes identified 2449 upregulated and 3131 downregulated protein-coding genes (DESeq2, P<0.05, log2 fold-change>|1|) in OCCC with concurrent endometriosis compared to endometriomas. Gene set enrichment analysis showed upregulation of cell cycle regulation and DNA replication pathways and downregulation in cytokine receptor signaling and matrisome pathways. Analysis of miRNAs revealed 64 upregulated and 61 downregulated mature miRNA molecules (DESeq2, P<0.05, log2 fold-change>|1|). Hsa-miR-10a-5p represented over 21% of the miRNA molecules in OCCC with endometriosis and was significantly upregulated (NGS: log2 fold change=4.37, P=2.43E-18; QPCR: 8.1-fold change, P<0.05). Correlation between miR-10a expression level in OCCC cell lines and IC50 (50% inhibitory concentration) of carboplatin in vitro revealed a positive correlation (R2=0.92). The cellular function of miR-10a was investigated by overexpressing miR-10a in vitro. MiR-10a overexpression revealed a significant decrease in proliferation (n=6; P< 0.05), compared to a non-targeting control. Cell-cycle analysis revealed a significant shift in cells from S and G2 to G1 in (n=6; P<0.0001). MiR-10a overexpression in vitro was correlated with decreased expression of predicted miR-10a target genes critical for proliferation, cell-cycle regulation, and cell survival [SERPINE1 (3.2 downregulated; P<0.05), CDK6 (2.4 downregulated; P<0.05) and, RAP2A (2-3 downregulated; P<0.05)].
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    Using Chemical Probes to Define the Role of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1A in a Breast Cancer Model
    (2022-09) Takahashi, Cyrus; Hurley, Thomas; Georgiadis, Millie; Harrington, Maureen; Hawkins, Shannon; Wek, Ronald
    The aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) superfamily comprises a group of NAD(P)+-dependent enzymes that catalyze the conversion of aldehydes to their corresponding carboxylic acids. Of the nineteen human ALDH enzymes, members of the ALDH1A subfamily consisting of ALDH1A1, ALDH1A2, and ALDH1A3 have attracted interest as markers of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in several cancer types including lung, breast, and ovarian. CSCs represent a distinct subpopulation of highly tumorigenic cells that promote metastasis, recurrence, and resistance to conventional cancer therapies. The increased expression and activity of ALDH1A in CSCs is well-documented, as is the correlation between ALDH1A and a more aggressive cancer phenotype with poorer treatment outcomes. However, the actual functional role of ALDH1A in the context of CSCs has yet to be clearly defined. Elucidating this role will lead to a greater understanding of CSC biology and evaluate ALDH1A as a potential anti-CSC therapeutic target. In this study, previously developed and characterized selective small-molecule inhibitors of ALDH1A were used in conjunction with global transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses to identify pathways that could potentially establish a link between ALDH1A activity and early events in CSC formation in a triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) model. These approaches revealed that ALDH1A inhibition is associated with mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunction and perturbation of the electron transport chain. ALDH1A inhibition also resulted in an increase in markers of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR), specifically mediated through the Protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) pathway. These effects appear to occur independently of both the canonical function of ALDH1A in detoxifying reactive aldehydes as well as its potential metabolic contribution through the generation of NADH. Together, these results suggest a separate role for ALDH1A in TNBC CSCs in protecting against ER stress that warrants further study.