Karonudib is a promising anticancer therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background:

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of liver cancer and is generally caused by viral infections or consumption of mutagens, such as alcohol. While liver transplantation and hepatectomy is curative for some patients, many relapse into disease with few treatment options such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors, for example, sorafenib or lenvatinib. The need for novel systemic treatment approaches is urgent.

Methods:

MTH1 expression profile was first analyzed in a HCC database and MTH1 mRNA/protein level was determined in resected HCC and paired paracancerous tissues with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry. HCC cancer cell lines were exposed in vitro to MTH1 inhibitors or depleted of MTH1 by siRNA. 8-oxoG was measured by the modified comet assay. The effect of MTH1 inhibition on tumor growth was explored in HCC xenograft in vivo models.

Results:

MTH1 protein level is elevated in HCC tissue compared with paracancerous liver tissue and indicates poor prognosis. The MTH1 inhibitor Karonudib (TH1579) and siRNA effectively introduce toxic oxidized nucleotides into DNA, 8-oxoG, and kill HCC cell lines in vitro. Furthermore, we demonstrate that HCC growth in a xenograft mouse model in vivo is efficiently suppressed by Karonudib.

Conclusion:

Altogether, these data suggest HCC relies on MTH1 for survival, which can be targeted and may open up a novel treatment option for HCC in the future.

miR-215 promotes cell migration and invasion of gastric cancer cell lines by targeting FOXO1

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumor worldwide and has high morbidity and mortality. microRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs which play critical roles in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. In this current study, we used qRT-PCR to detect miR-215 and FOXO1 expression level in 50 paired gastric cancer tissues and found that miR-215 was frequently overexpressed and FOXO1 was down-regulated in GC cancer tissues. Clinicopathological analysis showed that miR-215 expression level was correlated with the progression of tumor invasion and TNM stage. Additionally, transwell invasion assay showed that miR-215 promoted the migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells. We found that miR-215 decreased FOXO1 expression by directly binding to the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of FOXO1. These results suggest that miR-215 promotes cell migration and invasion of gastric cancer by targeting FOXO1. Therefore, this study provides a promising therapeutic strategy for treating gastric cancer.

The efficacy of Polyporus Umbellatus polysaccharide in treating hepatitis B in China

Polyporus umbellatus polysaccharide (PUPS) has been identified as the major bioactive component in the mushroom Polyporus umbellatus that has immuno-enhancing, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activities. Both PUPS capsule and injection are Chinese Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) approved drugs, which have been used alone or in combination with a variety of clinical drugs for treating Hepatitis B, lung and liver cancers in China since 1990. Our aim was to review both the efficacy and problem associated with PUPS mono- and combination therapy conducted in China and the underlying molecular mechanisms. To this end, the term Polyporus umbellatus polysaccharide both in English and in Chinese was used to conduct a systematic search of PubMed, VIP (Chongqing VIP Chinese Scientific Journals Database), CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), and Wanfang database. A total 11,703 clinically reported cases in China from over 100 publications during the past 27 years were evaluated, translated into English, and summarized into 3 figures and 13 tables to provide a general view of efficacy of PUPS during mono- and combination therapy. The published data showed the effectiveness of PUPS for treating hepatitis B in most reported cases. Moreover, the combined therapies for PUPS plus hepatitis B vaccine, PUPS plus interferon, PUPS plus acyclovir, and PUPS plus iRNA are better than when treated with either drug alone. Overall, when PUPS is used alone or in combination with other drugs for prevention and treatment of hepatitis B-affected patients, the efficacy is convincible.

Incremental amounts of rumen-protected histidine increase plasma and muscle histidine concentrations and milk protein yield in dairy cows fed a metabolizable protein-deficient diet

The dairy industry can benefit from low crude protein (CP) diets due to reduced N excretion, but shortages of Met, Lys, and His may limit milk protein synthesis. We studied the effect of incremental amounts of rumen-protected (RP)-His on plasma and muscle AA profile, nutrient utilization, and yields of milk and milk true protein in dairy cows. Eight multiparous Holstein cows (130 ± 30 d in milk) were randomly assigned to treatment sequences in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design with 28-d experimental periods. Treatments included a basal diet composed (dry matter basis) of 50% corn silage, 15% haylage, and 35% concentrate supplemented with 0, 82, 164, and 246 g/d of RP-His and 11 g/d of RP-Met. Milk, plasma, and muscle samples were collected weekly or every other week during all 4 periods, whereas spot urine and fecal grab samples were taken only in wk 4 of each period. Data were analyzed individually by week using linear, quadratic, and cubic orthogonal polynomials and repeated measures. Plasma His increased linearly with RP-His during wk 1 (30.3 to 57.2 µM) to wk 4 (33.2 to 63.1 µM). Plasma carnosine increased linearly with supplemental RP-His except in wk 2. No treatment effect was observed for plasma 3-methylhistidine except a quadratic effect in wk 3. Inclusion of RP-His showed linear effects on muscle His in wk 2 (20.1 to 32.5 µM) and 4 (20.3 to 35.5 µM). Whereas muscle anserine and carnosine concentrations were not affected by treatments in wk 4, anserine responded quadratically and carnosine showed a trend for a quadratic response to RP-His in wk 2. During wk 4, treatments did not affect urinary excretion of total purine derivatives, as well as dry matter intake and milk concentrations of fat and true protein. In contrast, milk yield tended to increase linearly (31.2 to 32.7 kg/d) and milk true protein yield responded linearly (0.93 to 0.98 kg/d) and tended to increase quadratically to RP-His supplementation in wk 4. Also, milk urea-N (11.7 to 12.9 mg/dL) and urinary excretion of urea-N (23.7 to 27.0% of N intake) increased linearly with feeding RP-His in wk 4. Overall, RP-His was effective to enhance plasma and muscle concentrations of His and milk protein synthesis. Elevated milk urea-N and urinary excretion of urea-N suggest that plasma His may have exceeded the requirement with excess N converted to urea in the liver. Future research is needed to determine the bioavailability of RP-His supplements to improve the accuracy of diet formulation for AA.

MicroRNA-101 regulates autophagy, proliferation and apoptosis via targeting EZH2 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Laryngeal carcinoma is the second commonest head and neck carcinoma globally. MicroRNA-101 (miR-101) has been reported as a tumor suppressor in multiple malignancies including laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). However, the roles and molecular mechanisms of miR-101 in the development of LSCC have not been fully elucidated. In present study, RT-qPCR assay was performed to detect the expression of miR-101 and enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) mRNA. Western blot assay was conducted to determine protein expression of LC3-Ⅰ, LC3-Ⅱ, p62 and EZH2. Cell proliferative capacity was evaluated by MTS assay. The effect of miR-101 alone or along with EZH2 on cell apoptosis was assessed by apoptotic index and caspase-3 activity. Bioinformatic analysis, luciferase assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were carried out to investigate the interaction between miR-101 and EZH2. Results revealed that miR-101 expression was strikingly down-regulated in LSCC cell lines. Functional analyses showed that ectopic expression of miR-101 suppressed cell autophagy and proliferation and facilitated cell apoptosis in LSCC. Further investigations revealed that miR-101 inhibited EZH2 expression by direct interaction and EZH2 was highly expressed in LSCC cells. Also, EZH2 knockdown reduced the autophagic activity of LSCC cells. Moreover, restoration experiments showed that EZH2 up-regulation weakened miR-101-mediated anti-autophagy, anti-proliferation and pro-apoptosis effects in LSCC cells. In conclusion, our findings suggested that miR-101 inhibited autophagy and proliferation and promoted apoptosis via targeting EZH2 in LSCC, providing a deep insight into the pathogenesis of LSCC and hinting the pivotal roles of epigenetic modifications especially histone methylation in the development of LSCC.

DRAM is Involved in Hypoxia/Ischemia-Induced Autophagic Apoptosis in Hepatocytes

Liver hypoxia/ischemia injury leads to acute liver injury, delayed graft dysfunction, and failure during liver transplantation. Previous studies showed that autophagy is involved in liver hypoxia/ischemia injury. Our and others’ studies have found that the damage-regulated autophagy modulator (DRAM) could induce the autophagic apoptosis. However, the role of DRAM regulating autophagy in liver hypoxia/ischemia injury remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether DRAM is involved in oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced hepatocyte autophagic apoptosis. Normal hepatocytes (HL-7702) were treated with OGD while Balb/c mice underwent surgery to induce 70% liver ischemia. To evaluate the role of DRAM in hypoxia/ischemia-induced hepatic injury, DRAM siRNA was used to knockdown DRAM expression in cultured hepatocytes and a recombinant adenovirus vector expressing DRAM was used to overexpress DRAM in cultured hepatocytes in vitro and in the liver in vivo. Hepatic injury was analyzed by histopathological methods and measurement of hepatocyte enzyme release. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry and TUNEL staining. Several autophagic biomarkers were observed by western blot analysis. OGD and 70% hepatic ischemia significantly induced cell autophagy, apoptosis and DRAM expression in hepatocytes in vitro and in vivo. OGD-induced autophagic apoptosis was inhibited by 3-Methyladenine (3-MA). OGD-induced injury and autophagy in HL-7702 cells were significantly attenuated by DRAM knockdown but aggravated by DRAM overexpression in vitro. Similarly, DRAM overexpression increased ischemia-induced liver injury and hepatic apoptosis in vivo. Our data demonstrate that hypoxia/ischemia induces hepatic injury through a DRAM-dependent autophagic apoptosis pathway. These data also suggest that DRAM plays an important role in ischemia-induced liver injury and hepatocyte apoptosis.

Methyl donor supplementation suppresses the progression of liver lipid accumulation while modifying the plasma triacylglycerol lipidome in periparturient Holstein dairy cows

Co-supplementation of methyl donors may lower hepatic lipid content in transition cows. To define the ability of methyl donor supplementation (MDS) to reduce hepatic lipid content and modify the plasma lipidome, 30 multiparous Holstein cows (2.04 ± 0.69 lactations; 689 ± 58 kg of body weight; 3.48 ± 0.10 units of body condition score) were fed a ration with or without rumen-protected methyl donors (22 g/d of Met, 10 g/d of choline chloride, 3 g/d of betaine, 96 mg/d of riboflavin, and 1.4 mg/d of vitamin B₁₂) from d -28 before expected calving through d 14 postpartum. Cows were randomly enrolled based on predefined selection criteria (body condition score and parity). Base diets without MDS were formulated for gestation (15.4% crude protein with a predicted Lys-to-Met ratio of 3.25; 1.44 Mcal of net energy for lactation/kg of dry matter) and lactation (16.6% crude protein with a predicted Lys-to-Met ratio of 3.36; 1.64 Mcal of net energy for lactation/kg of dry matter). Blood sampling occurred from d -28 relative to expected calving through d 14 postpartum. Liver tissue was biopsied at d -28 relative to expected calving and on d 5 and 14 postpartum. In addition to routine analyses, serum AA concentrations on d 10 and 12 were quantified using mass spectrometry. Plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) and cholesteryl esters (CE) were qualitatively measured using time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Data were analyzed using a mixed model with repeated measures. Dry matter intake and milk yield were not modified by MDS. The transition from d -28 relative to expected parturition to d 14 postpartum was characterized by increased plasma fatty acid (0.15 to 0.71 mmol/L) and β-hydroxybutyrate (0.34 to 0.43 mmol/L) levels and liver lipid content (3.91 to 9.16%). Methyl donor supplementation increased the serum Met level by 26% and decreased the serum Lys-to-Met ratio by 21% on d 10 and 12, respectively. Moreover, the increase in hepatic lipid content from d 5 through 14 postpartum was suppressed with MDS relative to control (3.57 vs. -0.29%). Dietary MDS modified the TAG and CE lipidome. For example, MDS increased plasma TAG 46:3 (carbon number:double bond) by 116% relative to control cows on d 5 postpartum. Moreover, MDS tended to increase plasma CE 34:6. In contrast, MDS lowered plasma TAG 54:8 by 39% relative to control cows on d 5 postpartum. We concluded that in the absence of gains in dry matter intake and milk and milk protein yields, dietary MDS slows the progression of hepatic lipid accumulation and modifies the plasma TAG lipidome in transition cows.

Primary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma of the hilar bile duct resulting in fluctuant jaundice: A case report

RATIONALE

Primary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas rarely originate in the hilar bile duct. Preoperative diagnosis of a primary MALT lymphoma of the hilar bile duct is difficult owing to the rarity of this disease. Differentiating between obstructive jaundice caused by MALT lymphoma of the hilar bile duct and hilar cholangiocarcinoma (the most common form of bile duct cancer) is challenging.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 57-year-old man presented to our hospital in August 2012 with fluctuant obstructive jaundice.

DIAGNOSES

Contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography showed a hilar liver mass measuring 23 × 28 mm along with intrahepatic biliary dilatation indicating hilar bile duct obstruction with a high index of suspicion for hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOMES

Based on frozen section examination, he was intraoperatively diagnosed with chronic nonspecific inflammation. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations confirmed a diagnosis of malignant lymphoma, specifically classified as an extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of MALT type.

LESSONS

A primary MALT lymphoma of the bile duct should be considered among the differential diagnosis in patients with a hilar tumor who present with fluctuating jaundice and are preoperatively diagnosed with suspected hilar cholangiocarcinoma, and/or an intraoperative diagnosis of chronic nonspecific inflammation (based on frozen section examination) assessed for stenosis or obstruction of the bile duct.

MicroRNA-766 promotes cancer progression by targeting NR3C2 in hepatocellular carcinoma

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to play important roles in tumor progression of various cancers. However, the clinical significance and biologic function of miR-766 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the roles of miR-766 in HCC progression using HCC cell lines and a xenograft mouse model. miR-766 expression in tumor tissues and adjacent nontumorous liver tissues of patients with HCC was evaluated by quantitative RT-PCR. Our results showed that miR-766 promoted proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells in vitro and in vivo and that NR3C2 was a direct target of miR-766 and involved in miR-766-mediated proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells. We also found that miR-766 affected the β-catenin signaling pathway by targeting NR3C2. Furthermore, miR-766 was significantly up-regulated in HCC tissues and was correlated with the prognosis of patients with liver cancer. Taken together, our results show that miR-766 affects HCC progression by modulating NR3C2 expression and is a possible new therapeutic target for patients with HCC.-Yang, C., Ma, X., Guan, G., Liu, H., Yang, Y., Niu, Q., Wu, Z., Jiang, Y., Bian, C., Zang, Y., Zhuang, L. MicroRNA-766 promotes cancer progression by targeting NR3C2 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

An Autoimmune Basis for Raynaud's Phenomenon: Murine Model and Human Disease

OBJECTIVE

Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) is common in anti-RNP-positive patients with rheumatic diseases but is not itself known to be caused by autoimmunity. The aim of this study was to assess autoantibodies that could mediate this process.

METHODS

Antibodies derived from patient sera and from murine models of anti-RNP autoimmunity were screened for the ability to induce RP-like tissue ischemia and endothelial cell apoptosis in murine models and in vitro systems.

RESULTS

RNP-positive sera from RP patients and murine sera from RNP-positive B cell adoptive transfer recipients induced RP-like tissue ischemia and endothelial cell apoptosis. Proteomic analysis identified cytokeratin 10 (K10) as a candidate autoantigen in RP. Monoclonal anti-K10 antibodies reproduced patterns of ischemic tissue loss and endothelial cell apoptosis; K10 knockout or depletion of anti-K10 activity in serum was protective. Cold exposure enhanced K10 expression and in vivo tissue loss.

CONCLUSION

Anti-K10 antibodies are sufficient to mediate RP-like ischemia in murine models and are implicated in the pathogenesis of RP in patients with anti-RNP autoimmunity.

Abstract 610: Dynamic immune landscape of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells from recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation treatment

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies and the third most lethal malignancy worldwide. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is the most commonly used curative treatment for the patients not suitable for surgical resection or liver transplantation. It can cause regional and global anti-tumor immune response, but is insufficient to prevent HCC recurrence in many patients. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) are considered to be the best target for the study of the global immune status after RFA. Previous studies on PBMC were mainly based on traditional flow cytometry, which could not differentiate the complicated immune cell subtypes. In this study, we used mass cytometry to comprehensively characterize the phenotypic and functional alterations of the PBMC in recurrent HCC patients who had received RFA treatment. Fifty-four (54) blood samples from 13 patients were analyzed. Manual gating, SPADE analysis and viSNE analysis were used to interpret the mass cytometry data. The percentage of monocytes showed a fast increase after RFA, and reduced to the normal level before the HCC recurrence (P=0.026). A long-lasting reduction of B cells count were also found after the first RFA (P=0.021), and the B cell count remained at a low level before and after the secondary RFA. The percentage of CD4+ T cells in CD45+ cells was significantly reduced after the first RFA, then restored to the pretreatment level at the time of recurrence, and reduced again after the second RFA(P=0.024). CD8+ T cells showed the same alteration trend as CD4+ cells (P=0.03). We also examined the expression of functional markers in T cells and Tregs. Alterations of CD28 expression were most frequently found in T cells. The Treg population showed a large heterogeneity among the patients with TIM3, LAG3 or CTLA4 positive Tregs being the largest populations. These results suggest a more specific treating modality should be used in combination with the RFA treatment.

Citation Format: Dexi Chen, Yang Zhao, Yabo Ouyang, Kai Liu, Wei Rao, Feili Wei, Xiaoni Liu, Ying Shi, Shanshan Wang, Lijun Pang, Luxin Qiao, Yunjin Zang, Xiaoming Yin. Dynamic immune landscape of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells from recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation treatment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 610.

DNA damage regulated autophagy modulator 1 recovers the function of apoptosis-stimulating of p53 protein 2 on inducing apoptotic cell death in Huh7.5 cells

Overexpression of apoptosis-stimulating of p53 protein 2 (ASPP2) can induce apoptotic cell death in hepatoma cells, which contributes to a killing effect of ASPP2 on treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, ASPP2 overexpression failed to induce apoptotic cell death in the HCC Huh7.5 cell line, but promoted autophagy development by inhibiting AKT/mTOR pathway. Inhibition of autophagy using 3-methyladenosine recovered the function of ASPP2 on inducing apoptotic cell death, indicating that ASPP2-induced autophagy has an anti-apoptotic role in Huh7.5 cells. A previous study demonstrated that ASPP2-induced autophagy could induce apoptosis in a CHOP- and DRAM-dependent manner, in which CHOP is involved in the initiation of autophagy and DRAM allows autophagy to induce apoptosis. In the present study, CHOP and DRAM were not involved in ASPP2-induced autophagy; however, the induction of DRAM overexpression recovered the apoptosis-inducing function of ASPP2, indicating that DRAM overexpression switches the role of ASPP2-induced autophagy from anti-apoptotic to pro-apoptotic in Huh7.5 cells. Thus, in combination with DRAM, ASPP2 may better perform its pro-apoptotic role by preventing the occurrence of anti-apoptotic autophagy.

YY1 promotes HDAC1 expression and decreases sensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma cells to HDAC inhibitor

YY1 is a DNA-binding transcription factor and reported to be involved in cancer progression. Histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) could inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. However, it is unclear about the roles of YY1 in the sensitivity of HCC cells to HDACi. In this study, firstly, we identified two drug-response profiles to HDACi in HCC cell lines, while our results showed that HDAC1 expression was positively correlated with YY1 in HCC cell lines and primary tumor tissues. Secondly, YY1 decreased the sensitivity of HCC cells to HDACi in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we found that YY1 promoted HDAC1 expression by binding to its promoter, while HDAC1 in turn up-regulated the expression of YY1. In conclusion, our results showed that YY1 could reduce the sensitivity of HCC cells to HDACi and might be a potential therapeutic target in HCC.

Donor and recipient P450 gene polymorphisms influence individual pharmacological effects of tacrolimus in Chinese liver transplantation patients

The immunosuppressant drug tacrolimus (Tac) used for the prevention of immunological rejection is a metabolic substrate of cytochrome P450 enzymes. This study was designed to evaluate the short-term and long-term potential influence of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CYP450 genes of liver transplant (LT) recipients as well as the donors on individual pharmacological effects of Tac and to guide individualized-medication from the perspective of pharmacogenomics. Twenty-one SNPs of the CYP450 gene were genotyped for both recipients and donors in 373 LT patients receiving Tac-based immunosuppressants. The Tac concentration/dosage ratio (C/D) was evaluated from the initial medication until one year after LT. The C/D ratio was significantly higher when the donor and/or recipient genotype of CYP3A5 rs776746 was G/G or rs15524 was T/T or rs4646450 was C/C all through one year after transplantation. Comparing the effect of donor gene variants of rs776746, rs15524, and rs4646450 on Tac C/D ratios with the recipients, statistically significant differences were found between the donor T/T group and the recipient T/T group in rs15524 at 1 month and 6 months, and at 6 months, the donor C/C group differed from the recipient C/C group in rs4646450. In conclusion, rs776746, rs15524, and rs4646450 of CYP3A5 had a significant influence on Tac pharmacological effects for both the initial use and long-term use. The donor liver genotype and the recipient intestine genotype contribute almost equally in the short-term, but the donor genotype had a greater effect than the recipient genotype at 6 months. Personalized Tac treatment after LT should be based on the CYP3A5 genotype.

Differential effects of reticulophagy and mitophagy on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Autophagy affects the pathological progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, the precise role of autophagy in NAFLD remains unclear. In this study, we want to identify the role of autophagy including reticulophagy and mitophagy in NAFLD pathogenesis. When HepG2 cells were treated with 400 μM oleic acid (OA), increased reticulophagy was induced 8 h after treatment, which correlated with an anti-apoptotic response as shown by the activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway, an increase in BCL-2 expression, and the downregulation of OA-induced lipotoxicity. When treated with OA for 24 h, DRAM expression-dependent mitophagy resulted in increased apoptosis in HepG2 cells. Inhibition of reticulophagy aggravated and increased lipotoxicity-induced apoptosis 8 h after treatment; however, the inhibition of mitophagy decreased hepatocyte apoptosis after 24 h of OA treatment. Results from the analysis of patient liver samples showed that autophagic flux increased in patients with mild or severe NAFL. PI3K/AKT phosphorylation was observed only in samples from patients with low-grade steatosis, whereas DRAM expression was increased in samples from patients with high-grade steatosis. Together, our results demonstrate that reticulophagy and mitophagy are independent, sequential events that influence NAFLD progression, which opens new avenues for investigating new therapeutics in NAFLD.

X-inactive-specific transcript of peripheral blood cells is regulated by exosomal Jpx and acts as a biomarker for female patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background:

Long noncoding ribonucleic acid (lncRNA) X-inactive-specific transcript (Xist) was reported to affect cell proliferation and metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there are rare reports focusing on the diagnostic evaluation and regulatory mechanism of Xist expression from peripheral blood cells of patients with HCC.

Methods:

In this study, a cohort of 206 female participants including healthy volunteers (HVs) and patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), cirrhosis and HCC was recruited. Coculture system was used to evaluate the effects of exosomal JPX transcript, XIST activator (Jpx) on Xist expression of blood cells.

Results:

First, Xist expressions of both peripheral blood mononuclear cells and granulocytes were upregulated in female patients with HCC, and showed significantly increased discriminatory power when differentiating female patients with early-stage HCC from controls or differentiating female patients with HCC from patients with CHB and cirrhosis, compared with alpha fetoprotein (AFP). Then, another lncRNA Jpx that was an activator of Xist was upregulated in exosomes, mononuclear cells and granulocytes of female patients with HCC. Furthermore, our results showed that Jpx could be delivered from HCC cells to blood cells via exosomes and activate Xist expression of blood cells by repressing the transregulatory effects of CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF).

Conclusions:

This study revealed an exosome-mediated regulation of Xist expression in blood cells and suggested that Xist expressions of mononuclear cells and granulocytes would be promising biomarkers for diagnosis of female patients with HCC.

Δ40p53 is involved in the inactivation of autophagy and contributes to inhibition of cell death in HCT116-Δ40p53 cells

Δ40p53 is an isoform of wild-type p53 (wtp53). Here, we assessed whether Δ40p53 has the same functions as wild-type p53 in the regulation of cell death and autophagy. First, we used HCT116 (p53+/+) and H1299 (p53-free) cells to produce two cell lines (HCT116-Δ40p53 and H1299-Δ40p53) that express exogenous Δ40p53 but not wtp53. By using these cell lines, we determined that Δ40p53 inhibited starvation-induced autophagy, as does wtp53. This inhibition arises from both Δ40p53 and wtp53 having 3′-5′ exonuclease activity, which reduces the levels of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and then inhibits PKR/eIF2α-induced autophagy in cells exposed to starvation. Like wtp53, the translocation of Δ40p53 to the nucleus increased in cells in response to Methyl methane sulfonate (MMS) treatment-induced DNA damage. Previous studies have shown that nuclear wtp53 can induce DRAM expression and DRAM-induced autophagy in cells in response to DNA damage, thereby contributing to apoptotic cell death as DRAM-induced autophagy is a pro-apoptotic factor. Here, nuclear Δ40p53 did not individually induce DRAM-induced autophagy and cell death in response to DNA damage. However, nuclear Δ40p53 inhibited wtp53-induced DRAM expression and cell death. Thus, Δ40p53 and wtp53 have 3′-5′ exonuclease activity and inhibit starvation-induced autophagy in the cytoplasm; however, nuclear Δ40p53 inhibits wtp53-induced cell death by impairing the transactivation activity of wtp53. Because wtp53 inhibits tumor and viral infection by inhibiting autophagy and promoting degradation of viral dsRNA, it is reasonable to believe that Δ40p53 has the similar functions. A deeper study of these functions of Δ40p53 is needed in the future.

Synergistic inhibitory effects on hepatocellular carcinoma with recombinant human adenovirus Aspp2 and oxaliplatin via p53-independent pathway in vitro and in vivo

The present study was designed to investigate the synergistic inhibitory effects on hepatocellular carcinoma with recombinant human adenovirus Aspp2 (Aspp2-ad) and oxaliplatin via p53-independent pathway in vitro and in vivo. After being treated with Aspp2-ad and/or oxaliplatin for 24-48 h, HepG2P53-/- and Hep3B cells showed a significant growth inhibition compared with vehicle control. Combination group showed a synergetic effect, the inhibitory rates were all above 80% at 48 h point in HepG2P53-/- and Hep3B cells. The apoptotic cell numbers of Aspp2-ad and/or oxaliplatin treatment groups were increased remarkably, especially for the combined therapy group in the liver cancer cells. The Hep3B xenograft experiment also showed similar inhibition of Aspp2-ad and/or oxaliplatin to the in vitro experiment. H&E results showed that combination group had the least mitotic indexes and the most necrosis. The immunohistochemistry results showed that PCNA, CD31 expression decreased greatly in treatment groups. These results suggested that Aspp2-ad might inhibit proliferation and vascular growth of hepatocarcinoma. Aspp2 induced apoptosis protein expression in Aspp2-ad and combination groups, the Aspp2, Bax and activation of caspase-3 expression increased greatly both in vitro and in vivo. But interestingly, the autophagy proteins showed different responses not only in HepG2P53-/- and Hep3B cells but also in vitro and in vivo. We found that Aspp2-ad downregulated the p-ERK, p-STAT3 expression, the synergistic effects were observed in combination group, while there was not response of mTOR to Aspp2-ad. In conclusion, Aspp2-ad, in P53-independent manner, regulated ERK and STAT3 signal moleculars to inhibit hepatocarcinoma in coordination with oxaliplatin by influencing the protein expression of proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy and vascular growth. Aspp2-ad has the potential to be developed in gene therapy for HCC, especially for P53 deletion or mutation in HCC.