To understand the better efficacy of low doses of NRPa-308, we evaluated the expression of genes involved in tumor aggressiveness especially those regulating proliferation, angio/lymphangiogenesis, epithelial/mesenchymal transition (EMT) and immune tolerance. The modifications to their mRNAs, analyzed by qPCR, were compiled in Fig. 10. Genes associated with lymphangiogenesis were the most downregulated by the lowest dose of the drug including human NRP2, Prox1 and VEGFC and murine Prox1 and VEGFC in the immunodeficient model (Fig. 10A) and NRP2, Prox1 and VEGFC in the immunocompetent model (Fig. 10B). Only murine Prox1 and VEGFC were downregulated by the intermediate dose in the immunodeficient model (Fig. 10A). Human NRP2, Prox1, and VEGFC and murine NRP2 were upregulated in the presence of the highest dose in the immunodeficient model (Fig. 10A). In the immunodeficient model, proangiogenic genes including human NRP1, VEGFA and murine NRP1, VEGFA, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 were downregulated by the highest dose (Fig. 10A). Some of them were also downregulated by the lowest or intermediate dose including human VEGFA and VEGFR1 and murine NRP1, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 (Fig. 10A). Human NRP1 and VEGFR1, and murine VEGFA and VEGFR2 were upregulated by using the lowest or the highest dose (Fig. 10A). In the immunocompetent model, the proangiogenic genes NRP1 and VEGFR1 were downregulated for the two doses (Fig. 10B). The murine gene involved in immunotolerance, PDL1 was downregulated by the lowest and intermediate dose and was unchanged for the highest dose in immunodeficient mice (Fig. 10A). It was downregulated by the two doses in immunocompetent mice. In the immunodeficient model, genes involved in EMT including human MET and HGF and murine MET and HGF were downregulated by the lowest or intermediate dose (Fig. 10A). Only murine MET was downregulated by the highest dose and human MET and HGF and murine HGF were upregulated by the intermediate or highest dose (Fig. 10A). In the immunocompetent model MET and HGF were downregulated by the two doses (Fig. 10B). In the immunodeficient model, mCD69, a marker of the lymphocytes’ activation, is upregulated, which is synonymous of an activation of the immune response (Fig. 10A). The M2 macrophages marker mARG1 was decreased, which reflects a beneficial polarization of macrophages (Fig. 10A). According to these differences, we attempted to establish a score of good or bad prognosis depending on the up or downregulation of genes involved in tumor aggressiveness. This score will serve to understand why we did not observe a dose dependent effect of NRPa-308. We gave a score of 2 when a gene of poor prognosis decreased and a score of -2 when it increased and vice versa for a gene of good prognosis. The global score for the lowest concentration was respectively 18 and 12 in the immunodeficient (Fig. 10A) and immunocompetent models (Fig. 10B). It was of 20 for the intermediate dose in the immunodeficient model (Fig. 10A) and of 2 and 6 respectively for the highest dose in the immunodeficient (Fig. 10A) and the immunocompetent models (Fig. 10B). This evaluation, in addition to the reduction of tumor growth consistently favored the notion that a low dose of NRPa-308 had the best therapeutic efficacy that was not counterbalanced by the expression of genes related to tumor aggressiveness.
The NRP2 associated pathway is more relevant for the aggressiveness of mccRCC
We were puzzled by confronting our previous results on breast cancers with those enclosed in this manuscript; high dose of NRPa-308 was the most efficient on models of breast cancers whereas it has no effect in models of ccRCC [8]. Considering the striking therapeutic value of targeting NRPs for both models of cancers, we first analyzed the relative expression of NRPs and their ligands VEGFA and VEGFC on a panel of cell lines available in the TCGA data base. In most of the cell lines representative of aggressive ccRCC and breast cancers, VEGFA and NRP1 are expressed at high levels especially in the cell lines used in our respective experimental tumor growth (786-O and MDAMB231) (Fig. 11A-C). VEGFC and NRP2 are expressed by all the ccRCC cell lines. However, VEGFC levels are very low in three out of five breast cancer cell lines and NRP2 levels are very low in all the breast cell lines including MDAMB231 (Fig. 11B-D). These very low levels in MDAMB231 and the more specific effects of NRPa-308 on NRP2, partly explained the results obtained on experimental tumor growth. Our next step was to deep insight into the prognostic role of NRP1 and NRP2 and their known partners VEGFA, VEGFR1, VEGFR2, Semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) and plexin A1 (PLXNA1) (all NRP1 partners) and VEGFC, VEGFR3, Semaphorin 3F (Sema3F), plexin A2 (PLXNA1) and Prospero homeobox protein 1 (Prox1), a master transcription factor of lymphangiogenesis (all NRP2 partners). For that purpose, we correlated the expression of these different partners to disease free survival (DFS, non-metastatic patients M0), progression free survival (PFS, metastatic patients M1) and overall survival (OS) in patients with ccRCC and in patients with the most severe triple negative breast cancers (TNBC). For each gene, we defined the best cut off that determines a survival difference. 425 samples were from M0 and 103 from M1 ccRCC patients. 115 samples were from TNBC patients.
For M0 ccRCC patients, expression of VEGFR2, NRP2, VEGFC, VEGFR3, PLXA2 above their respective best cut off was of good prognosis for DFS (trend (T, p between 0.08 and 0.06) for NRP2, VEGFC) and significant (S) for VEGFR2, VEGFR3, PLXA2). Expression above the best cut off for Sema3A and Prox1 was of poor prognosis for DFS. For M0 patients OS, NRP1, VEGFR1, VEGFR2, NRP2, VEGFC, VEGFR3, Sema3F and PLXA2 (T for NRP1, VEGFC, VEGFR3 S for VEGFR1, VEGFR2, NRP2 and Sema3F). For M1 ccRCC patients, only Sema3F (T) was correlated to a longer PFS whereas eight parameters were correlated to a worse prognosis (NRP1 (S), VEGFR2 (S), Sema3A (S), NRP2 (S), VEGFC (S), VEGFR (S)3, PLXA2 (T) and Prox1 (S)). NRP1 (S), VEGFR1 (S), VEGFR2 (S), Sema3F (S) and PLXA2 (S) were correlated with a longer OS while Sema3A (S), PLXA1 (S), NRP2 (S), VEGFC (S) and Prox1 (S) were correlated to a shorter one.
For TNBC, VEGFA was curiously associated with a longer PFS (T) but NRP1 (S), VEGFR1 (S), PLXNA1 (S), NRP2 (T), VEGFC (T), Sema3F (S) and PLXNA2 (T) were correlated with a shorter one. NRP1 (S), VEGFR1 (S), VEGFR2 (T), PLXNA1 (S), VEGFC (T), Sema3F (S) and PLXNA2 (T) were correlated with a shorter OS. NRP2 was not correlated to survival in that case.
We defined a score by attributing a relative weight of -2 for a gene associated with a significant poor prognosis and a relative weight of -1 for a trend. Inversely, a relative weight of 2 was given for a gene associated with a significant good prognosis and 1 for a trend. NRP1 and NRP2 pathways were considered separately. For the NRP1 pathway, a -1 score was obtained for the DFS and OS of M0 ccRCC patients, -6 and 2 scores for PFS and OS of M1 ccRCC patients, and − 5 and − 7 scores for the PFS and OS of TNBC patients. For the NRP2 pathway, positive score of 4 and 6 were obtained for the DFS and OS of ccRCC patients, -8 and − 2 scores for M1 ccRCC patients and − 5 and − 7 scores for the PFS and OS of TNBC patients.
These results showed that NRP1 and NRP2 signaling pathways, in general, strongly correlate with shorter survival for the most aggressive cancers, M1 ccRCC and TNBC. However, NRP2 is correlated with shorter DFS and OS in ccRCC while NRP1 is more involved in TNBC patients’ survival. These results suggest that NRP1 targeting is more adapted for TNBC while NRP2 targeting is more adapted for ccRCC.