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The Synthetic β-Nitrostyrene Derivative CYT-Rx20 Inhibits Esophageal Tumor Growth and Metastasis via PI3K/AKT and STAT3 Pathways. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0166453. [PMID: 27875549 PMCID: PMC5119777 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 10/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The β-nitrostyrene family have been implicated for anti-cancer property. However, the pharmacological role of β-nitrostyrene in esophageal cancer remain unclear. Here, a β-nitrostyrene derivative, CYT-Rx20, was synthesized and assessed for its anti-cancer activities and underlying mechanism in esophageal cancer. CYT-Rx20 induced cytotoxicity in esophageal cancer cells by promoting apoptosis through activation of caspase cascade and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage. Besides, CYT-Rx20 inhibited esophageal cancer cell migration and invasion by regulating the expression of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. CYT-Rx20 decreased cell viability and migration through suppression of the PI3K/AKT and STAT3 pathways. Of note, the cytotoxicity and anti-migratory effect of CYT-Rx20 were enhanced by co-treatment with SC79 (AKT activator) or colivelin (STAT3 activator), suggesting the dependency of esophageal cancer cells on AKT and STAT3 for survival and migration, an oncogene addiction phenomenon. In xenograft tumor-bearing mice, CYT-Rx20 significantly reduced tumor growth of the implanted esophageal cancer cells accompanied by decreased Ki-67, phospho-AKT, and phospho-STAT3 expression. In orthotopic esophageal cancer mouse model, decreased tumor growth and lung metastasis with reduced Ki-67 and phospho-STAT3 expression were observed in mice treated with CYT-Rx20. Together, our results suggest that CYT-Rx20 is a potential β-nitrostyrene-based anticancer compound against the tumor growth and metastasis of esophageal cancer.
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Jin P, Wei P, Zhang Y, Lin J, Sha R, Hu Y, Zhang J, Zhou W, Yao H, Ren L, Yang JY, Liu Y, Wen L. Autophagy-mediated clearance of ubiquitinated mutant huntingtin by graphene oxide. NANOSCALE 2016; 8:18740-18750. [PMID: 27790650 DOI: 10.1039/c6nr07255k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Many of the neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington's disease (HD) are caused by the accumulation of intracytoplasmic aggregate-prone proteins. These toxic protein aggregates are mainly degraded by autophagy, thus elevating the autophagy level to enhance the degradation of these proteins representing an emerging viable approach for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. In this report we showed that graphene oxide (GO), an engineered nanomaterial with enormous potential in biomedical applications, effectively enhanced the clearance of mutant huntingtin (Htt), the aggregate-prone protein underlying the pathogenesis of HD. This enhancing effect of GO was autophagy-mediated, as blocking autophagy by chemical inhibitors at either the autophagosome formation stage or the autophagosome-lysosome fusion stage, or more specifically by knocking-down an essential autophagy gene, led to a significant reduction in the ability of GO to elicit Htt degradation. Interestingly, the autophagy induced by GO had the normal capacity to degrade its cargo including LC3-II and Htt, but not p62/SQSTM1 (p62), and was dependent on the activation of class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PtdIns3K) and MEK/ERK1/2 signaling pathways, without mTOR involvement. GO also increased ubiquitination of Htt, an event necessary for Htt's clearance. Furthermore, ubiquitinated huntingtin protein preferentially binds to GO, and abundant GO was found in autophagosomes and autolysosomes, thus raising the possibility that GO may directly deliver the bound protein to autophagosomes for degradation. Our results revealed a novel biological function of GO and may have implications for developing nanomaterial-based therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peipei Jin
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China.
| | - Pengfei Wei
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China.
| | - Yunjiao Zhang
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China.
| | - Jun Lin
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China.
| | - Rui Sha
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China.
| | - Yi Hu
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China.
| | - Jiqian Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Anhui, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China.
| | - Han Yao
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China.
| | - Li Ren
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, P.R. China.
| | - James Y Yang
- School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yanchun Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Energy-Efficient Functional Ceramics and Applied Technology of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou Redsun Gas Applications Co., LTD, Guangzhou 510435, China
| | - Longping Wen
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China.
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Inhibition of autophagy increased AGE/ROS-mediated apoptosis in mesangial cells. Cell Death Dis 2016; 7:e2445. [PMID: 27809300 PMCID: PMC5260901 DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2016.322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2016] [Revised: 09/02/2016] [Accepted: 09/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The aim of our study was to investigate the role of autophagy, a homeostatic process involved in the lysosomal degradation of damaged cell organelles and proteins, in regulating the survival of mesangial cells treated with advanced glycation end products (AGEs). In the present study, AGEs induced mitochondrial depolarization and led to mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis in mesangial cells, as shown by the loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential; increased Bax processing; increased Caspase-9, Caspase-3 and PARP cleavage; and decreased Bcl-2 expression. Meanwhile, AGEs also triggered autophagy flux in mesangial cells, as confirmed by the presence of autophagic vesicles, the conversion of LC3II/LC3I and the increase/decrease in Beclin-1/p62 expression. Interestingly, this study reported apparent apoptosis and autophagy that were dependent on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Scavenging ROS with N-acetyl-l-cysteine could prevent the appearance of the autophagic features and reverse AGE-induced apoptosis. Moreover, AGE-triggered mitophagy, which was confirmed by the colocalization of autophagosomes and mitochondria and Parkin translocation to mitochondria, played a potential role in reducing ROS production in mesangial cells. Additionally, inhibition of autophagy significantly enhanced AGE-induced cell apoptosis. Taken together, our data suggest that ROS were the mediators of AGE-induced mesangial cell apoptosis and that autophagy was likely to be the mechanism that was triggered to repair the ROS-induced damage in the AGE-treated cells and thereby promote cell survival. This study provides new insights into the molecular mechanism of autophagy involved in AGE-induced apoptosis in mesangial cells.
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Liu X, Luo F, Ling M, Lu L, Shi L, Lu X, Xu H, Chen C, Yang Q, Xue J, Li J, Zhang A, Liu Q. MicroRNA-21 activation of ERK signaling via PTEN is involved in arsenite-induced autophagy in human hepatic L-02 cells. Toxicol Lett 2016; 252:1-10. [PMID: 27107786 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2016.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2016] [Revised: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Autophagy, an evolutionarily conserved cellular process, has diverse physiological and pathological roles in biological functions. Whether autophagy is induced by arsenite, a well-established human carcinogen, and the molecular mechanisms involved, remain to be established. Further, microRNAs (miRNAs) act as regulators in various cancers, but how miRNAs regulate autophagy remains largely unexplored. We have found that, in human hepatic epithelial (L-02) cells, arsenite increases levels of autophagy-related proteins in a concentration- and time-dependent manner and elevates the number of autophagic vacuoles (AVs). Arsenite also activates the ERK pathway in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In L-02 cells exposed to arsenite, microRNA-21 (miRNA-21) is over-expressed, and its target proteins, PTEN, PDCD4, and Spry1, are decreased. Moreover, inhibition of miR-21 increases levels of PTEN, and reduces levels of Beclin 1 and LC3 II/I, indicating that miR-21 is involved in arsenite-induced autophagy. In addition, ectopic expression of PTEN blocks the effect of miR-21 on the arsenite-induced autophagy and decreases p-ERK levels. Also, ERK promotes the autophagy induced by arsenite. In sum, upon exposure of cells to arsenite, over-expression of miR-21 activates ERK through PTEN, factors that participate in arsenite-induced autophagy. This link, mediated through miRNAs, establishes a mechanism for the development of autophagy that is associated with arsenic toxicity. Such information contributes to an understanding of the liver toxicity caused by arsenite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinlu Liu
- Institute of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Fei Luo
- Institute of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Min Ling
- Jiangsu Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Lu Lu
- Institute of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Le Shi
- Institute of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Xiaolin Lu
- Institute of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Hui Xu
- Institute of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Chao Chen
- Institute of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Qianlei Yang
- Institute of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Junchao Xue
- Institute of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Jun Li
- The Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Guiyang Medical University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou, PR China
| | - Aihua Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Guiyang Medical University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou, PR China
| | - Qizhan Liu
- Institute of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, PR China.
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