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Activated hedgehog pathway is a potential target for pharmacological intervention in biliary tract cancer

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Abstract

Hedgehog (Hh) signalling contributes to carcinogenesis and represents a valid druggable target in human cancers, possibly also in biliary tract cancer (BTC). We analysed the expression of Hh components in BTC using eight heterogeneously differentiated cell lines, xenograft tumours and a human tissue microarray. The dose-, time- and cell line-dependent effects of two Hh inhibitors (cyclopamine and Gant-61) were analysed in vitro for survival, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution and possible synergism with conventional chemotherapeutic agents. In human BTC samples, the sonic Hh ligand and the Gli1 transcription factor showed increased expression in tumours compared to normal adjacent tissue and were significantly associated with high tumour grade and positive lymph node status. In BTC cell lines, we could confirm the Hh component expression at varying extent within the employed cell lines in vitro and in vivo indicating non-canonical signalling. Both Hh inhibitors showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity above 5 µM with a stronger effect for Gant-61 inducing apoptosis whereas cyclopamine rather inhibited proliferation. Cytotoxicity was associated with low cytokeratin expression and higher mesenchymal marker expression such as vimentin. Additionally, drug combinations of Gant-61 with conventional chemotherapy (cisplatin) exerted synergistic effects. In conclusion, Hh pathway is significantly activated in human BTC tissue compared to normal adjacent tissue. The current data demonstrate for the first time an effective anticancer activity of especially Gant-61 in BTC and suggest second generation Hh pathway inhibitors as a potential novel treatment strategy in BTC.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by funds of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Anniversary fund, project number: 14842), the research fund of the Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg (Grant No. A-12/02/006-KIE) and the ‘Wissenschaftlicher Verein‘of the Institute of Pathology Salzburg. The authors are grateful to the pharmacy at Salzburger Landeskliniken for providing cisplatin.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

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Author notes

  1. Matthias Ocker

    Present address: Experimental Medicine Oncology, Bayer Pharma AG, Berlin, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine I, Paracelsus Medical University/Salzburger Landeskliniken (SALK), Salzburg, Austria

    Tobias Kiesslich, Christian Mayr, Julia Wachter, Doris Bach, Julia Fuereder, Andrej Wagner & Frieder Berr

  2. Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria

    Tobias Kiesslich

  3. Department of Internal Medicine II, Landesklinikum Gänserndorf-Mistelbach, Mistelbach, Austria

    Julia Wachter

  4. Institute of Pathology, Paracelsus Medical University/Salzburger Landeskliniken (SALK), Muellner Hauptstrasse 48, 5020, Salzburg, Austria

    Beate Alinger & Daniel Neureiter

  5. Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Martin Pichler

  6. Department of Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany

    Pietro Di Fazio

  7. Institute for Surgical Research, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany

    Matthias Ocker

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Correspondence to Daniel Neureiter.

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Kiesslich, T., Mayr, C., Wachter, J. et al. Activated hedgehog pathway is a potential target for pharmacological intervention in biliary tract cancer. Mol Cell Biochem 396, 257–268 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-014-2161-9

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