Proteome and Network Analysis Provides Novel Insights Into Developing and Established Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a debilitating side-effect of cancer therapies. So far, the development of CIPN cannot be prevented, neither can established CIPN be reverted, often leading to the cessation of necessary chemotherapy. Thus, there is an urgent need to explore the mechanistic basis of CIPN to facilitate its treatment. Here we used an integrated approach of quantitative proteome profiling and network analysis in a clinically relevant rat model of paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy. We analysed lumbar rat DRG at two critical time points: (1) day 7, right after cessation of paclitaxel treatment, but prior to neuropathy development (pre-CIPN); (2) 4 weeks after paclitaxel initiation, when neuropathy has developed (peak-CIPN). In this way we identified a differential protein signature, which shows how changes in the proteome correlate with the development and maintenance of CIPN, respectively. Extensive biological pathway and network analysis reveals that, at pre-CIPN, regulated proteins are prominently implicated in mitochondrial (dys)function, immune signalling, neuronal damage/regeneration, and neuronal transcription. Orthogonal validation in an independent rat cohort confirmed the increase of β-catenin (CTNNB1) at pre-CIPN. More importantly, detailed analysis of protein networks associated with β-catenin highlights translationally relevant and potentially druggable targets. Overall, this study demonstrates the enormous value of combining animal behaviour with proteome and network analysis to provide unprecedented insights into the molecular basis of CIPN. In line with emerging approaches of network medicine our results highlight new avenues for developing improved therapeutic options aimed at preventing and treating CIPN.