Circulating extracellular vesicles release oncogenic miR-424 in experimental models and patients with aggressive prostate cancer
Domenico Albino, Martina Falcione, Valeria Uboldi, Dada Oluwaseyi Temilola, Giada Sandrini, Jessica Merulla, Gianluca Civenni, Aleksandra Kokanovic, Alessandra Stürchler, Dheeraj Shinde, Mariangela Garofalo, Ricardo Pereira Mestre, Vera Constâncio, Martha Wium, Jacopo Burrello, Nicoló Baranzini, Annalisa Grimaldi, Jean‐Philippe Theurillat, Daniela Bossi, Lucio Barile, Rui Henrique, Cármen Jerónimo, Luiz F. Zerbini, Carlo V. Catapano, Giuseppina M. Carbone
Abstract
Abstract Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are relevant means for transferring signals across cells and facilitate propagation of oncogenic stimuli promoting disease evolution and metastatic spread in cancer patients. Here, we investigated the release of miR-424 in circulating small EVs or exosomes from prostate cancer patients and assessed the functional implications in multiple experimental models. We found higher frequency of circulating miR-424 positive EVs in patients with metastatic prostate cancer compared to patients with primary tumors and BPH. Release of miR-424 in small EVs was enhanced in cell lines (LNCaP abl ), transgenic mice (Pb-Cre4;Pten flox/flox ;Rosa26 ERG/ERG ) and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of aggressive disease. EVs containing miR-424 promoted stem-like traits and tumor-initiating properties in normal prostate epithelial cells while enhanced tumorigenesis in transformed prostate epithelial cells. Intravenous administration of miR-424 positive EVs to mice, mimicking blood circulation, promoted miR-424 transfer and tumor growth in xenograft models. Circulating miR-424 positive EVs from patients with aggressive primary and metastatic tumors induced stem-like features when supplemented to prostate epithelial cells. This study establishes that EVs-mediated transfer of miR-424 across heterogeneous cell populations is an important mechanism of tumor self-sustenance, disease recurrence and progression. These findings might indicate novel approaches for the management and therapy of prostate cancer.