Silence of TPPP3 suppresses cell proliferation, invasion and migration via inactivating NF-κB/COX2 signal pathway in breast cancer cell

Distinguishing high-metastasis-potential circulating tumor cells through fluidic shear stress in a bloodstream-like microfluidic circulatory system

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play a critical role as initiators in tumor metastasis, which unlocks an irreversible process of cancer progression. Regarding the fluid environment of intravascular CTCs, a comprehensive understanding of the impact of hemodynamic shear stress on CTCs is of profound significance but remains vague. Here, we report a microfluidic circulatory system that can emulate the CTC microenvironment to research the responses of typical liver cancer cells to varying levels of fluid shear stress (FSS). We observe that HepG2 cells surviving FSS exhibit a marked overexpression of TLR4 and TPPP3, which are shown to be associated with the colony formation, migration, and anti-apoptosis abilities of HepG2. Furthermore, overexpression of these two genes in another liver cancer cell line with normally low TLR4 and TPPP3 expression, SK-Hep-1 cells, by lentivirus-mediated transfection also confirms the critical role of TLR4 and TPPP3 in improving colony formation, migration, and survival capability under a fluid environment. Interestingly, in vivo experiments show SK-Hep-1 cells, overexpressed with these genes, have enhanced metastatic potential to the liver and lungs in mouse models via tail vein injection. Mechanistically, TLR4 and TPPP3 upregulated by FSS may increase FSS-mediated cell survival and metastasis through the p53-Bax signaling pathway. Moreover, elevated levels of these genes correlate with poorer overall survival in liver cancer patients, suggesting that our findings could offer new therapeutic strategies for early cancer diagnosis and targeted treatment development.

RSRC2 Expression Inhibits Malignant Progression of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer by Transcriptionally Regulating SCIN Expression

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has a shorter survival time and higher mortality rate than other molecular subtypes. RSRC2 is a newly discovered tumor suppressor gene. However, the potential functional mechanism of RSRC2 in TNBC remains unknown so far. Multiple bioinformatics databases were used. A Human Transcriptome Array 2.0 analysis, ChIP-seq analysis, ChIP-qPCR, RT-qPCR, Western blot, cell function assays in vitro and a metastatic mouse model in vivo were performed to demonstrate the role of RSRC2 in TNBC. Through the analysis of various databases, RSRC2 expression was the lowest in TNBC tissues compared to other molecular subtypes. The low expression of RSRC2 was associated with a worse prognosis for patients with breast cancer. The transcriptome array, ChIP-seq and bioinformatics analysis identified that GRHL2 and SCIN might have a close relationship with RSRC2. The functional bioinformatics enrichment analysis and functional cell experiments showed that RSRC2 was involved in cell adhesion, cell proliferation, cell migration and invasion. Furthermore, RSRC2 expression suppressed SCIN expression but not GRHL2 expression. SCIN re-expression in the RSRC2 overexpression cells or SCIN knockdown in the RSRC2 knockdown cells reversed the cellular function caused by RSRC2. Mechanistically, RSRC2 transcriptionally inhibited SCIN expression. In summary, our study reveals that RSRC2 acts as a tumor suppressor in TNBC development and progression through negatively regulating SCIN-mediated cell function, thus providing a potential target for TNBC treatment.

TPPP3 promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition via Snail1 in glioblastoma

Tubulin polymerization promoting protein 3 (TPPP3), a member of the tubulin polymerization family, participates in cell progressions in several human cancers, its biological function and the underlying mechanisms in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remain unclear. Here, we investigated the role and application value of TPPP3 in gliomas and found that the expression of TPPP3 in glioma was higher than that in normal brain tissue (NBT), and increased with the grade of glioma. Up-regulation of TPPP3 expression in glioblastoma cells confer stronger ability of migration, invasion, proliferation and lower apoptosis in vitro. Inhibition of TPPP3 expression in GBM could reduce the migration, invasion, proliferation and induce the apoptosis of glioblastoma cells. TPPP3 affected the process of EMT by regulating the expression of Snail 1 protein. In clinical data analysis, we found a positive correlation between TPPP3 and Snail1 protein expression levels in glioblastomas. Low TPPP3 expression leads to better survival expectations in glioblastomas patients. The content of this study paves the way for further in-depth exploration of the role of TPPP3 in glioblastoma in the future, and provides new treatment and research directions.

Tomo-seq identifies NINJ1 as a potential target for anti-inflammatory strategy in thoracic aortic dissection

BACKGROUND

Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) is a life-threatening disease caused by an intimal tear in the aorta. The histological characteristics differ significantly between the tear area (TA) and the distant area. Previous studies have emphasized that certain specific genes tend to cluster at the TA. Obtaining a thorough understanding of the precise molecular signatures near the TA will assist in discovering therapeutic strategies for TAD.

METHODS

We performed a paired comparison of the pathological patterns in the TA with that in the remote area (RA). We used Tomo-seq, genome-wide transcriptional profiling with spatial resolution, to obtain gene expression signatures spanning from the TA to the RA. Samples from multiple sporadic TAD patients and animal models were used to validate our findings.

RESULTS

Pathological examination revealed that the TA of TAD exhibited more pronounced intimal hyperplasia, media degeneration, and inflammatory infiltration compared to the RA. The TA also had more apoptotic cells and CD31+α-SMA+ cells. Tomo-seq revealed four distinct gene expression patterns from the TA to the RA, which were inflammation, collagen catabolism, extracellular matrix remodeling, and cell stress, respectively. The spatial distribution of genes allowed us to identify genes that were potentially relevant with TAD. NINJ1 encoded the protein-mediated cytoplasmic membrane rupture, regulated tissue remodeling, showed high expression levels in the tear area, and co-expressed within the inflammatory pattern. The use of short hairpin RNA to reduce NINJ1 expression in the beta-aminopropionitrile-induced TAD model led to a significant decrease in TAD formation. Additionally, it resulted in reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells and a decrease in the number of CD31+α-SMA+ cells. The NINJ1-neutralizing antibody also demonstrated comparable therapeutic effects and can effectively impede the formation of TAD.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed that Tomo-seq had the advantage of obtaining spatial expression information of TAD across the TA and the RA. We pointed out that NINJ1 may be involved in inflammation and tissue remodeling, which played an important role in the formation of TAD. NINJ1 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for TAD.

Modulatory Role of TPPP3 in Microtubule Organization and Its Impact on Alpha-Synuclein Pathology

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by locomotion deficits, dopaminergic neuronal loss and alpha-synuclein (SYN) aggregates; the Tubulin Polymerization Promoting Protein (TPPP/p25 or TPPP1) is also implicated in these processes. The moonlighting and chameleon TPPP1 modulates the dynamics/stability of the multifunctional microtubule network by promoting its acetylation and bundling. Previously, we identified the microtubule-associated TPPP3, a homologue of TPPP1 lacking its N-terminus; however, its involvement in physiological or pathological processes was not elucidated. In this work, we have shown the modulatory role of TPPP3, similarly to TPPP1, in microtubule organization, as well as its homo- and hetero-associations with TPPP1. TPPP3, in contrast to TPPP1, virtually does not bind to SYN; consequently, it does not promote SYN aggregation. Its anti-aggregative potency is achieved by counteracting the formation of the TPPP1–SYN pathological complex/aggregation leading to Parkinsonism. The interactions of TPPP3 have been determined and quantified in vitro with recombinant human proteins, cell extracts and in living human cells using different methods including bifunctional fluorescence complementation. The tight association of TPPP3 with TPPP1, but not with SYN, may ensure a unique mechanism for its inhibitory effect. TPPP3 or its selected fragments may become a leading agent for developing anti-Parkinson agents.

Immunotoxin IHP25-BT with low immunogenicity and off-target toxicity inhibits the growth and metastasis of trastuzumab-resistant tumor cells

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is overexpressed in some breast and gastric cancer patients. As the first HER2-targeteed therpeutic antibody, trastuzumab could significantly improve the prognosis of HER2-positive cancer patients. However, even responding patients inevitably get worse due to acquired resistance to trastuzumab after a period of treatment. Many HER2-targeted antibody drugs used wild-type tumor cells to conduct their corresponding preclinical experiments in vitro and in vivo. However, it is impossible to determine whether these newly developed drugs have antitumor effective to trastuzumab-resistant tumor cells. In the study, two trastuzumab-resistant HER2-positive tumor cell populations NCI-N87-TR and BT474-TR were generated. Then, we examined the anti-tumor effects of newly constructed immunotoxins with low immunogenicity and off-target toxicity based on the trastuzumab-resistant tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo. Results demonstrated that the immunotoxin IHP25-BT could not only effectively inhibit tumor growth but also inhibit liver metastasis of tumor cells in a mouse xenograft model. Furthermore, tumor tissue transcriptome sequencing was performed to clarify the potential mechanisms of inhibiting tumor cell distant metastasis by immunotoxin. In conclusion, this work describes a series of attractive therapeutic immunotoxins, the low immunogenicity and off-target toxicity making them promising for trastuzumab-resistant cancer therapy.

Tubulin polymerization promoting protein family member 3 (TPPP3) overexpression inhibits cell proliferation and invasion in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The function of tubulin polymerization promoting protein family member 3 (TPPP3) in tumor cells is complicated, and the role of TPPP3 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unclear. This study aims to explore the expression of TPPP3 in NPC and its effect on NPC cells. The expression of TPPP3 in NPC tissues and other cancers were analyzed by using the Oncomine and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. The mRNA and protein of TPPP3 were detected in NPC tissues by quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, TPPP3 was overexpressed in 5-8 F and HONE1 cell lines by lentivirus transfection, and functional analysis of TPPP3 in NPC was evaluated through in vitro experiments. The expression of TPPP3 was significantly down-regulated in NPC tissues and cells. Overexpression of TPPP3 significantly inhibited proliferation of 5-8 F and HONE1 cells in vitro. In addition, overexpression of TPPP3 significantly attenuated the invasion ability of 5-8 F, HONE1 cells in vitro, but have no significant effect on migration ability. Furthermore, TPPP3 overexpression diminished the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 mRNA. By analyzing dataset GSE12452, it was interesting that TPPP3 high expression group mainly functioned in B cell receptor signaling pathway, cell cycle and DNA replication. In conclusion, our results suggest that TPPP3 may be considered as an antioncogene, which plays an important role in the occurrence and progression of NPC.Abbreviations: TPPP3: tubulin polymerization promoting protein family member 3; NPC: nasopharyngeal carcinoma; GEO: Gene Expression Omnibus; qRT-PCR: quantitative real-time PCR; GFP: green fluorescence protein; MOI, transfected multiplicity of infection; CCK-8: cell counting kit-8; OD: optical density; GSEA: gene set enrichment analysis; GO: Gene Ontology; KEGG: Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes; MMP-2: matrix metalloproteinase-2; MMP-9: matrix metalloproteinase-9.

TPPP3 inhibits the proliferation, invasion and migration of endometrial carcinoma targeted with miR-1827

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN

Database screening indicated that tubulin polymerization-promoting protein 3 (TPPP3) was involved in pathogenesis of multiple cancer types. miR-1827 has a potential role in a variety of human cancers. However, the role of TPPP3 and its underlying molecular mechanism in endometrial cancer (EC) has not been investigated. Herein, we aimed to reveal the role of TPPP3/miR-1827 in EC progression.

METHODS

Tumour tissue and whole blood samples were collected for the detection of TPPP3 expression. TPPP3 shRNAs and pcDNA-TPPP3 were applied to knockdown or upregulate the TPPP3 expression, and miR-1827 mimic was used to upregulate miR-1827 level. CCK-8 and colony assays were applied to estimate the cell proliferation. Wound healing and Transwell assays were conducted to assess the cell migration and invasion abilities. The dual-luciferase reporter assay was conducted to validate the putative binding site between TPPP3 and miR-1827. Expression of TPPP3, miR-1827 and related proteins in cell lines, tissue and whole blood sample were detected using western blot, RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence.

RESULTS

TPPP3 was observed markedly elevated in EC patients and cells. TPPP3 knockdown displayed evident suppression in cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we identified TPPP3 as a direct and functional target gene of miR-1827 in EC cells. The miR-1827 induced regulatory effects on EC cells were partially reversed by TPPP3. Additionally, in vivo study confirmed the findings discovered in vitro.

CONCLUSION

TPPP3 exerted oncogenic roles in EC progression by sponging miR-1827. This finding might provide potential targets for EC therapy.