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Rui T, Zhang X, Feng S, Huang H, Zhan S, Xie H, Zhou L, Ling Q, Zheng S. The Similar Effects of miR-512-3p and miR-519a-2-5p on the Promotion of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Different Tunes Sung With Equal Skill. Front Oncol 2020; 10:1244. [PMID: 32850377 PMCID: PMC7427533 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.01244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the therapeutic methods of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have made great advances, the current situation is that HCC is the common malignancy. Our previous bioinformatic study presented that two members of C19MC (mir-512-1 and mir-519a-2) acted as crucial roles in the HCC progression. In this study, we first demonstrated that the miR-512-3p and miR-519a-2-5p, which were spliced from the mir-512-1 and mir-519a-2, were the functional mature miRNAs. Meanwhile, both miR-512-3p and miR-519a-2-5p were significantly upregulated in human HCC samples and HCC cell lines. The miR-512-3p and miR-519a-2-5p promoted the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the two miRNAs co-targeted the downstream tumor suppressors MAP3K2 and MAP2K4 and subsequently achieved the HCC progression. In the clinical cohort, high expression of miR-512-3p and miR-519a-2-5p acted as two risk factors for HCC recurrence and distinguished patients with poor tumor-free survival after radical resection. The integration of the two miRNAs into the AJCC staging system significantly improved the accuracy for the prediction of HCC recurrence. Our study suggests that miR-512-3p and miR-519a-2-5p have similar effects on the promotion of HCC progression. They can be robust markers for the prediction of HCC recurrence and therapy targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Rui
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xueyou Zhang
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shi Feng
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haitao Huang
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shaowei Zhan
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haiyang Xie
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lin Zhou
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qi Ling
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shusen Zheng
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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2
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Tao C, Huang K, Shi J, Hu Q, Li K, Zhu X. Genomics and Prognosis Analysis of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Glioma. Front Oncol 2020; 10:183. [PMID: 32154177 PMCID: PMC7047417 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.00183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is regulated by induction factors, transcription factor families and an array of signaling pathways genes, and has been implicated in the invasion and progression of gliomas. Methods: We obtained the Clinicopathological data sets from Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA). The “limma” package was used to analyze the expression of EMT-related genes in gliomas with different pathological characteristics. We used the “ConsensusClusterPlus” package to divide gliomas into two groups to study their correlation with glioma malignancy. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression was applied to select seven prognosis-associated genes to build the risk signature, and the coefficients obtained from the LASSO algorithm were used to calculate the risk score which we applied to determine the prognostic value of the risk signature. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to determine whether the risk signature is an independent prognostic indicator. Results: We analyzed the differentially expressed 22 common epithelial-mesenchymal transition-associated genes in 508 gliomas graded by different clinicopathological features. Two glioma subgroups (EM1/2) were identified by consistent clustering of the proteins, of which the EM1 subgroup had a better prognosis than the EM2 subgroup, and the EM2 group was associated with cancer migration and proliferation. Significant enrichment analysis revealed that EMT-related transcriptional regulators and signaling pathways genes were highly related to glioma malignancies. Seven EMT-related genes were used to derive risk scores, which served as independent prognostic markers and prediction factors for the clinicopathological features of glioma. And we found the overall survival (OS) was significantly different between the low- and high-risk groups, the ROC curve indicated that the risk score can predict survival rates for glioma patients. Conclusion: EMT-related induction factors, transcriptional regulators and signaling pathways genes are important players in the malignant progression of glioma and may help in decision making regarding the choice of prognosis assessment and provide us clues to understand EMT epigenetic modification in glioma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuming Tao
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.,Scientific Research Center, East China Institute of Digital Medical Engineering, Shangrao, China
| | - Kai Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Jin Shi
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Qing Hu
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.,Scientific Research Center, East China Institute of Digital Medical Engineering, Shangrao, China
| | - Kuangxun Li
- Queen Mary School, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Xingen Zhu
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
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3
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Liu S, Huang J, Zhang Y, Liu Y, Zuo S, Li R. MAP2K4 interacts with Vimentin to activate the PI3K/AKT pathway and promotes breast cancer pathogenesis. Aging (Albany NY) 2019; 11:10697-10710. [PMID: 31761784 PMCID: PMC6914392 DOI: 10.18632/aging.102485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MAP2K4) is a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activator family. MAPK signaling plays a significant role in cell proliferation, differentiation, transcriptional regulation, and development. However, specific function and mechanism of MAP2K4 in breast cancer have not been clarified. According to our study, overexpressed MAP2K4 in breast cancer cells increased proliferation, migration, and invasion in vivo and in vitro, while MAP2K4 knockdown restored the effects. Subsequent mechanistic analyses demonstrated that MAP2K4 promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by activating phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling, the downstream proteins, c-JUN, the G1/S cell cycle, and the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Meanwhile, MAP2K4 interacted with Vimentin and further propagated the malignant phenotype. Furthermore, patients with high MAP2K4 and Vimentin expression levels had poorer overall survival rates than those with low expression levels of both proteins. Our studies demonstrated that MAP2K4 has the potential to serve as an oncogene in breast cancer and it activates the phosphorylated PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to activate downstream cycle-associated proteins and EMT signals while interacting with Vimentin to promote breast cancer cells proliferation, migration, and invasion. In our study, MAP2K4 and Vimentin co-expression is confirmed to be an unfavorable factor in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu Liu
- Southern Medical University, Nanfang Hospital, Department of Oncology, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, P. R. China.,Guizhou Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Guiyang 550003, Guizhou, P. R. China
| | - Juan Huang
- Southern Medical University, Nanfang Hospital, Department of Oncology, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Yewei Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550001, Guizhou, P. R. China
| | - Yiyi Liu
- Cancer Center, Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510310, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Shi Zuo
- Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550001, Guizhou, P. R. China
| | - Rong Li
- Southern Medical University, Nanfang Hospital, Department of Oncology, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, P. R. China
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4
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Browning L, Patel MR, Horvath EB, Tawara K, Jorcyk CL. IL-6 and ovarian cancer: inflammatory cytokines in promotion of metastasis. Cancer Manag Res 2018; 10:6685-6693. [PMID: 30584363 PMCID: PMC6287645 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s179189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is the most fatal gynecological cancer in the USA and the fifth most common cancer-related cause of death in women. Inflammation has been shown to play many roles in ovarian cancer tumor growth, with the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) having been established as a key immunoregulatory cytokine. Ovarian cancer cells continuously secrete cytokines that promote tumorigenicity in both autocrine and paracrine fashions while also receiving signals from the tumor microenvironment (TME). The TME contains many cells including leukocytes and fibroblasts, which respond to proinflammatory cytokines and secrete their own cytokines, which can produce many effects including promotion of chemoresistance, resistance to apoptosis, invasion, angiogenesis by way of overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor, and promotion of metastatic growth at distant sites. IL-6 and its proinflammatory family members, including oncostatin M, have been found to directly stimulate enhanced invasion of cancer cells through basement membrane degradation caused by the overexpression of matrix metalloproteinases, stimulate promotion of cell cycle, enhance resistance to chemotherapy, and cause epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). IL-6 has been shown to activate signaling pathways that lead to tumor proliferation, the most studied of which being the Janus kinase (JAK) and STAT3 pathway. IL-6-induced JAK/STAT activation leads to constitutive activation of STAT3, which has been correlated with enhanced tumor cell growth and resistance to chemotherapy. IL-6 has also been shown to act as a trigger of the EMT, the hypothesized first step in the metastatic cascade. Understanding the important role of IL-6 and its family members' effects on the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer tumor growth and metastasis may lead to more novel treatments, detection methods, and improvement of overall clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Landon Browning
- University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Megha R Patel
- University of California Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Eli Bring Horvath
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA,
| | - Ken Tawara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA, .,Biomolecular Sciences Program, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA,
| | - Cheryl L Jorcyk
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA, .,Biomolecular Sciences Program, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USA,
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5
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Meel MH, Schaper SA, Kaspers GJL, Hulleman E. Signaling pathways and mesenchymal transition in pediatric high-grade glioma. Cell Mol Life Sci 2018; 75:871-887. [PMID: 29164272 PMCID: PMC5809527 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-017-2714-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Revised: 10/24/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGG), including diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG), are the most lethal types of cancer in children. In recent years, it has become evident that these tumors are driven by epigenetic events, mainly mutations involving genes encoding Histone 3, setting them apart from their adult counterparts. These tumors are exceptionally resistant to chemotherapy and respond only temporarily to radiotherapy. Moreover, their delicate location and diffuse growth pattern make complete surgical resection impossible. In many other forms of cancer, chemo- and radioresistance, in combination with a diffuse, invasive phenotype, are associated with a transcriptional program termed the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Activation of this program allows cancer cells to survive individually, invade surrounding tissues and metastasize. It also enables them to survive exposure to cytotoxic therapy, including chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation. We here suggest that EMT plays an important, yet poorly understood role in the biology and therapy resistance of pHGG and DIPG. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the major signal transduction pathways and transcription factors involved in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in cancer in general and in pediatric HGG and DIPG in particular. Despite the fact that the mesenchymal transition has not yet been specifically studied in pHGG and DIPG, activation of pathways and high levels of transcription factors involved in EMT have been described. We conclude that the mesenchymal transition is likely to be an important element of the biology of pHGG and DIPG and warrants further investigation for the development of novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaël H Meel
- Departments of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Neuro-oncology Research Group, Cancer Center Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sophie A Schaper
- Departments of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Neuro-oncology Research Group, Cancer Center Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gertjan J L Kaspers
- Departments of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Neuro-oncology Research Group, Cancer Center Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Esther Hulleman
- Departments of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Neuro-oncology Research Group, Cancer Center Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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6
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Sharma V, Young L, Allison AB, Owen K. Registered report: Diverse somatic mutation patterns and pathway alterations in human cancers. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 26894955 PMCID: PMC4769161 DOI: 10.7554/elife.11566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 01/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Reproducibility Project: Cancer Biology seeks to address growing concerns about reproducibility in scientific research by conducting replications of selected experiments from a number of high-profile papers in the field of cancer biology. The papers, which were published between 2010 and 2012, were selected on the basis of citations and Altmetric scores (Errington et al., 2014). This Registered Report describes the proposed replication plan of key experiments from "Diverse somatic mutation patterns and pathway alterations in human cancers" by Kan and colleagues published in Nature in 2010 (Kan et al., 2010). The experiments to be replicated are those reported in Figures 3D-F and 4C-F. Kan and colleagues utilized mismatch repair detection (MRD) technology to identify somatic mutations in primary human tumor samples and identified a previously uncharacterized arginine 243 to histidine (R243H) mutation in the G-protein α subunit GNAO1 in breast carcinoma tissue. In Figures 3D-F, Kan and colleagues demonstrated that stable expression of mutant GNAO1(R243D) conferred a significant growth advantage in human mammary epithelial cells, confirming the oncogenic potential of this mutation. Similarly, expression of variants with somatic mutations in MAP2K4, a JNK pathway kinase (shown in Figures 4C-E) resulted in a significant increase in anchorage-independent growth. Interestingly, these mutants exhibited reduced kinase activity compared to wild type MAP2K4, indicating these mutations impose a dominant-negative influence to promote growth (Figure 4F). The Reproducibility Project: Cancer Biology is a collaboration between the Center for Open Science and Science Exchange and the results of the replications will be published in eLife.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lisa Young
- Applied Biological Materials, Richmond, Canada
| | - Anne B Allison
- Piedmond Virginia Community College, Charlottesville, United States
| | - Kate Owen
- University of Virginia, Charlottesville, United States
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7
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Marusiak AA, Stephenson NL, Baik H, Trotter EW, Li Y, Blyth K, Mason S, Chapman P, Puto LA, Read JA, Brassington C, Pollard HK, Phillips C, Green I, Overman R, Collier M, Testoni E, Miller CJ, Hunter T, Sansom OJ, Brognard J. Recurrent MLK4 Loss-of-Function Mutations Suppress JNK Signaling to Promote Colon Tumorigenesis. Cancer Res 2016; 76:724-35. [PMID: 26637668 PMCID: PMC4740929 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-15-0701-t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 11/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
MLK4 is a member of the mixed-lineage family of kinases that regulate the JNK, p38, and ERK kinase signaling pathways. MLK4 mutations have been identified in various human cancers, including frequently in colorectal cancer, where their function and pathobiological importance have been uncertain. In this study, we assessed the functional consequences of MLK4 mutations in colon tumorigenesis. Biochemical data indicated that a majority of MLK4 mutations are loss-of-function (LOF) mutations that can exert dominant-negative effects. In seeking to understand the abrogated activity of these mutants, we elucidated a new MLK4 catalytic domain structure. To determine whether MLK4 is required to maintain tumorigenic phenotypes, we reconstituted its signaling axis in colon cancer cells harboring MLK4-inactivating mutations. We found that restoring MLK4 activity reduced cell viability, proliferation, and colony formation in vitro and delayed tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistic investigations established that restoring the function of MLK4 selectively induced the JNK pathway and its downstream targets, cJUN, ATF3, and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors CDKN1A and CDKN2B. Our work indicates that MLK4 is a novel tumor-suppressing kinase harboring frequent LOF mutations that lead to diminished signaling in the JNK pathway and enhanced proliferation in colon cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna A Marusiak
- Signalling Networks in Cancer Group, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Natalie L Stephenson
- Signalling Networks in Cancer Group, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Hayeon Baik
- Signalling Networks in Cancer Group, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Eleanor W Trotter
- Signalling Networks in Cancer Group, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Yaoyong Li
- Computational Biology Support, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Karen Blyth
- Colorectal Cancer and Wnt Signalling Group, The Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Mason
- Colorectal Cancer and Wnt Signalling Group, The Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Phil Chapman
- Computational Biology Support, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Lorena A Puto
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California
| | - Jon A Read
- Discovery Sciences, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Chris Phillips
- Discovery Sciences, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Isabelle Green
- Discovery Sciences, AstraZeneca, Cheshire, United Kingdom
| | - Ross Overman
- Discovery Sciences, AstraZeneca, Cheshire, United Kingdom
| | | | - Ewelina Testoni
- Signalling Networks in Cancer Group, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Crispin J Miller
- Computational Biology Support, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. RNA Biology Group, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Tony Hunter
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California
| | - Owen J Sansom
- Colorectal Cancer and Wnt Signalling Group, The Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - John Brognard
- Signalling Networks in Cancer Group, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
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8
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Zhou XM, Zhang H, Han X. Role of epithelial to mesenchymal transition proteins in gynecological cancers: pathological and therapeutic perspectives. Tumour Biol 2014; 35:9523-30. [PMID: 25168372 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-014-2537-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2014] [Accepted: 08/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Gynecorelogic cancers like ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers are among the major threats to modern life, especially to female health. Like some other types of cancers, all of these gynecological cancers have found to be associated with the developmental stage epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). More specifically, the aberrant expression of major EMT markers, such as lower expressions of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin, and overexpressions of N-cadherin, beta-catenin, vimentin, and matrix metalloproteinases, have been reported in ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers. The transcription factors, such as Twist, Snail, Slug, and Zeb, which regulate these EMT mediators, are also reported to be overexpressed in gynecological cancers. In addition to the over/lower expression, the promoter methylation of some of these genes has been identified too. In the era of target-specific cancer therapeutics, some promising studies showed that targeting EMT markers might be an interesting and successful tool in future cancer therapy. In this study, we have reviewed the recent development in the research on the association of EMT markers with three major gynecological cancers in the perspectives of carcinogenesis and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Mei Zhou
- Department of Gynaecolgy and Obstetrics, Shenzhen FuTian District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, No. 6001 Beihuan Blvd., Futian District, Shenzhen, 518000, China,
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9
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Pham TT, Angus SP, Johnson GL. MAP3K1: Genomic Alterations in Cancer and Function in Promoting Cell Survival or Apoptosis. Genes Cancer 2014; 4:419-26. [PMID: 24386504 DOI: 10.1177/1947601913513950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2013] [Accepted: 11/02/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
MAP3K1 is a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAP3K) family of serine/threonine kinases. MAP3K1 regulates JNK activation and is unique among human kinases in that it also encodes an E3 ligase domain that ubiquitylates c-Jun and ERK1/2. Full length MAP3K1 regulates cell migration and contributes to pro-survival signaling while its caspase 3-mediated cleavage generates a C-terminal kinase domain that promotes apoptosis. The critical function of MAP3K1 in cell fate decisions suggests that it may be a target for deregulation in cancer. Recent large-scale genomic studies have revealed that MAP3K1 copy number loss and somatic missense or nonsense mutations are observed in a significant number of different cancers, being most prominent in luminal breast cancer. The alteration of MAP3K1 in diverse cancer types demonstrates the importance of defining phenotypes for possible therapeutic targeting of tumor cell vulnerabilities created when MAP3K1 function is lost or gained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trang T Pham
- Department of Pharmacology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Steven P Angus
- Department of Pharmacology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Gary L Johnson
- Department of Pharmacology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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10
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Khan MA, Chen HC, Zhang D, Fu J. Twist: a molecular target in cancer therapeutics. Tumour Biol 2013; 34:2497-506. [PMID: 23873099 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-013-1002-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2013] [Accepted: 07/04/2013] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Twist, the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, is involved in the process of epithelial to mesenchymal transitions (EMTs), which play an essential role in cancer metastasis. Overexpression of Twist or its promoter methylation is a common scenario in metastatic carcinomas. Twist is activated by a variety of signal transduction pathways, including Akt, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, mitogen-activated protein kinase, Ras, and Wnt signaling. Activated Twist upregulates N-cadherin and downregulates E-cadherin, which are the hallmarks of EMT. Moreover, Twist plays an important role in some physiological processes involved in metastasis, like angiogenesis, invadopodia, extravasation, and chromosomal instability. Twist also protects cancer cells from apoptotic cell death. In addition, Twist is responsible for the stemness of cancer cells and the generation of drug resistance. Recently, targeting Twist has gained significant interests in cancer therapeutics. The inactivation of Twist by small RNA technology or chemotherapeutic approach has been proved successful. Moreover, several inhibitors which are antagonistic to the upstream or downstream molecules of Twist signaling pathways have also been identified. Development of potential treatment strategies by targeting Twist has a great promise in cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Asaduzzaman Khan
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Luzhou Medical College, 3-319 Zhongshan Road, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, China
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11
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Mechanisms of ovarian cancer metastasis: biochemical pathways. Int J Mol Sci 2012; 13:11705-11717. [PMID: 23109879 PMCID: PMC3472771 DOI: 10.3390/ijms130911705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2012] [Revised: 08/31/2012] [Accepted: 09/03/2012] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. Despite advances in chemotherapy, the five-year survival rate of advanced ovarian cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis remains around 30%. The most significant prognostic factor is stage, and most patients present at an advanced stage with peritoneal dissemination. There is often no clearly identifiable precursor lesion; therefore, the events leading to metastatic disease are poorly understood. This article reviews metastatic suppressor genes, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and the tumor microenvironment as they relate to ovarian cancer metastasis. Additionally, novel chemotherapeutic agents targeting the metastasis-related biochemical pathways are discussed.
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12
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Nakayama K, Nakayama N, Miyazaki K. Development of a novel ovarian cancer molecular target therapy against cancer-related transcriptional factor, NAC1. J Obstet Gynaecol Res 2012; 39:18-25. [PMID: 22845777 DOI: 10.1111/j.1447-0756.2012.01946.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kentaro Nakayama
- Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology Biocehmistory, Shimane University School of Medicine, Izumo, Japan.
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Davidson B, Tropé CG, Reich R. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition in ovarian carcinoma. Front Oncol 2012; 2:33. [PMID: 22655269 PMCID: PMC3356037 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2012.00033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2012] [Accepted: 03/21/2012] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy, with the majority of patients dying within 5 years of diagnosis. This poor survival of patients diagnosed with this malignancy is attributed to diagnosis at advanced stage, when the tumor has metastasized, and to chemotherapy resistance, either primary or developing along tumor progression. However, ovarian carcinomas, constituting the vast majority of ovarian cancers, additionally have unique biology, one aspect of which is the ability to co-express epithelial and mesenchymal determinants. epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), a physiological process by which mesenchymal cells are formed and migrate to target organs during embryogenesis, is involved in cancer cell invasion and metastasis. However, these changes do not fully occur in ovarian carcinoma, and are even reversed in tumor cells present in malignant peritoneal and pleural effusions. This review summarizes current knowledge in this area, including the characteristics of EMT related to adhesion, transcriptional regulation and chemoresistance, and their clinical relevance, as well as the recently observed regulation of EMT by microRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Davidson
- Division of Pathology, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital Oslo, Norway
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Time-dependent transcriptional profiling links gene expression to mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MKK4)-mediated suppression of omental metastatic colonization. Clin Exp Metastasis 2012; 29:397-408. [PMID: 22350525 DOI: 10.1007/s10585-011-9448-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2011] [Accepted: 12/22/2011] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Although metastasis is the most lethal attribute of cancer, critical gaps in our knowledge of how cancer cells effectively colonize distant sites remain. For example, little is known about the cellular and molecular events that occur during the timecourse of metastatic colonization. To address this we are using the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MKK4) metastasis suppressor as a tool to identify these events. Specifically, we report a microarray expression-based strategy to identify genes whose transcription is altered in SKOV3ip.1 human ovarian cancer cells that express ectopic MKK4 throughout the course of in vivo metastatic colonization. The majority of genes identified fell into the categories of cytokinesis, cytoskeleton remodeling, and cell adhesion, and their expression was repressed in MKK4-expressing cells relative to vector controls. The greatest transcriptional divergence was concomitant with impaired proliferation at 14 days post injection (dpi). Specifically, 763 genes were differentially expressed (FDR < 0.05) between lesions that expressed ectopic MKK4 and paired controls. In contrast, only seven genes were differentially expressed at the experimental endpoint, when MKK4-expressing and control cells had formed macroscopic metastases. Application of our cohort of differentially expressed genes to three independent clinical datasets demonstrated a strong correlation between our findings and metastatic phenotypes in patient samples. Our results highlight the dynamic nature of metastatic colonization and reinforce the importance of examining both molecular and cellular phenotypes over time when studying metastasis formation.
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Map2k4 functions as a tumor suppressor in lung adenocarcinoma and inhibits tumor cell invasion by decreasing peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ2 expression. Mol Cell Biol 2011; 31:4270-85. [PMID: 21896780 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.05562-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
MAP2K4 encodes a dual-specificity kinase (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4, or MKK4) that is mutated in a variety of human malignancies, but the biochemical properties of the mutant kinases and their roles in tumorigenesis have not been fully elucidated. Here we showed that 8 out of 11 cancer-associated MAP2K4 mutations reduce MKK4 protein stability or impair its kinase activity. On the basis of findings from bioinformatic studies on human cancer cell lines with homozygous MAP2K4 loss, we posited that MKK4 functions as a tumor suppressor in lung adenocarcinomas that develop in mice owing to expression of mutant Kras and Tp53. Conditional Map2k4 inactivation in the bronchial epithelium of mice had no discernible effect alone but increased the multiplicity and accelerated the growth of incipient lung neoplasias induced by oncogenic Kras. MKK4 suppressed the invasion and metastasis of Kras-Tp53-mutant lung adenocarcinoma cells. MKK4 deficiency increased peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor γ2 (PPARγ2) expression through noncanonical MKK4 substrates, and PPARγ2 enhanced tumor cell invasion. We conclude that Map2k4 functions as a tumor suppressor in lung adenocarcinoma and inhibits tumor cell invasion by decreasing PPARγ2 levels.
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Davis SJ, Choong DYH, Ramakrishna M, Ryland GL, Campbell IG, Gorringe KL. Analysis of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MAP2K4) tumor suppressor gene in ovarian cancer. BMC Cancer 2011; 11:173. [PMID: 21575258 PMCID: PMC3115913 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2407-11-173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2010] [Accepted: 05/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND MAP2K4 is a putative tumor and metastasis suppressor gene frequently found to be deleted in various cancer types. We aimed to conduct a comprehensive analysis of this gene to assess its involvement in ovarian cancer. METHODS We screened for mutations in MAP2K4 using High Resolution Melt analysis of 149 primary ovarian tumors and methylation at the promoter using Methylation-Specific Single-Stranded Conformation Polymorphism analysis of 39 tumors. We also considered the clinical impact of changes in MAP2K4 using publicly available expression and copy number array data. Finally, we used siRNA to measure the effect of reducing MAP2K4 expression in cell lines. RESULTS In addition to 4 previously detected homozygous deletions, we identified a homozygous 16 bp truncating deletion and a heterozygous 4 bp deletion, each in one ovarian tumor. No promoter methylation was detected. The frequency of MAP2K4 homozygous inactivation was 5.6% overall, and 9.8% in high-grade serous cases. Hemizygous deletion of MAP2K4 was observed in 38% of samples. There were significant correlations of copy number and expression in three microarray data sets. There was a significant correlation between MAP2K4 expression and overall survival in one expression array data set, but this was not confirmed in an independent set. Treatment of JAM and HOSE6.3 cell lines with MAP2K4 siRNA showed some reduction in proliferation. CONCLUSIONS MAP2K4 is targeted by genetic inactivation in ovarian cancer and restricted to high grade serous and endometrioid carcinomas in our cohort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally J Davis
- VBCRC Cancer Genetics Laboratory, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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