Clinical and prognostic value of the C-Met/HGF signaling pathway in cervical cancer

Precision immunotherapy for cholangiocarcinoma: Pioneering the use of human-derived anti-cMET single chain variable fragment in anti-cMET chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) NK cells

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) presents a significant clinical challenge which is often identified in advanced stages, therby restricting the effectiveness of surgical interventions for most patients. The high incidence of cancer recurrence and resistance to chemotherapy further contribute to a bleak prognosis and low survival rates. To address this pressing need for effective therapeutic strategies, our study focuses on the development of an innovative cellular immunotherapy, specifically utilizing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered natural killer (NK) cells designed to target the cMET receptor tyrosine kinase. In this investigation, we initiated the screening of a phage library displaying human single-chain variable fragment (ScFv) to identify novel ScFv molecules with specificity for cMET. Remarkably, ScFv11, ScFv72, and ScFv114 demonstrated exceptional binding affinity, confirmed by molecular docking analysis. These selected ScFvs, in addition to the well-established anti-cMET ScFvA, were integrated into a CAR cassette harboring CD28 transmembrane region-41BB-CD3ζ domains. The resulting anti-cMET CAR constructs were transduced into NK-92 cells, generating potent anti-cMET CAR-NK-92 cells. To assess the specificity and efficacy of these engineered cells, we employed KKU213A cells with high cMET expression and KKU055 cells with low cMET levels. Notably, co-culture of anti-cMET CAR-NK-92 cells with KKU213A cells resulted in significantly increased cell death, whereas no such effect was observed with KKU055 cells. In summary, our study identified cMET as a promising therapeutic target for CCA. The NK-92 cells, armed with the anti-cMET CAR molecule, have shown strong ability to kill cancer cells specifically, indicating their potential as a promising treatment for CCA in the future.

Tumor biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis and targeted therapy

Tumor biomarkers, the substances which are produced by tumors or the body's responses to tumors during tumorigenesis and progression, have been demonstrated to possess critical and encouraging value in screening and early diagnosis, prognosis prediction, recurrence detection, and therapeutic efficacy monitoring of cancers. Over the past decades, continuous progress has been made in exploring and discovering novel, sensitive, specific, and accurate tumor biomarkers, which has significantly promoted personalized medicine and improved the outcomes of cancer patients, especially advances in molecular biology technologies developed for the detection of tumor biomarkers. Herein, we summarize the discovery and development of tumor biomarkers, including the history of tumor biomarkers, the conventional and innovative technologies used for biomarker discovery and detection, the classification of tumor biomarkers based on tissue origins, and the application of tumor biomarkers in clinical cancer management. In particular, we highlight the recent advancements in biomarker-based anticancer-targeted therapies which are emerging as breakthroughs and promising cancer therapeutic strategies. We also discuss limitations and challenges that need to be addressed and provide insights and perspectives to turn challenges into opportunities in this field. Collectively, the discovery and application of multiple tumor biomarkers emphasized in this review may provide guidance on improved precision medicine, broaden horizons in future research directions, and expedite the clinical classification of cancer patients according to their molecular biomarkers rather than organs of origin.

Deubiquitinase BRCC3 promotes the migration, invasion and EMT progression of colon adenocarcinoma by stabilizing MET expression

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein/breast cancer type 2 susceptibility protein-containing complex subunit 3 (BRCC3), a deubiquitinase (DUBs), is overexpressed in various cancers. However, the underlying biological roles of BRCC3 in adenocarcinoma colon (COAD) have yet to be decrypted.

OBJECTIVE

In this work, we explored the potential biological function of BRCC3 in the natural process of COAD cells.

METHODS

The expression levels of BRCC3 in COAD tissues and cell lines were investigated via quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting analyses. Meanwhile, short hairpin RNAs targeting BRCC3 (sh-BRCC3) or mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (MET) (sh-MET) were used to investigate the biological function, including proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progression in COAD cells. Furthermore, the expression levels of EMT-related biomarkers were detected with western blotting analysis. Furthermore, we also performed Co-IP assay to identify the correlation between BRCC3 and MET.

RESULTS

BRCC3 expression was increased in COAD tissues and cell lines. ShRNA-mediated downmodulation of BRCC3 in COAD cell lines induced EMT progression. BRCC3 knockdown resulted in decreased migration as well as invasion and increased apoptosis of SW480 and Lovo cells. Besides, MET was regulated by BRCC3 and involved in the migration, invasion, and EMT in SW480 and Lovo cells. Finally, we uncovered that the overexpressed MET reversed the effects of BRCC3 knockdown in COAD cell development.

CONCLUSIONS

BRCC3 acted as a critical factor in the development of COAD by deubiquitinating and stabilizing MET, which might provide an emerging biomarker for the therapeutic and diagnosis strategy of COAD.

Key processes in tumor metastasis and therapeutic strategies with nanocarriers: a review

Cancer metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related death. Metastasis occurs at all stages of tumor development, with unexplored changes occurring at the primary site and distant colonization sites. The growing understanding of the metastatic process of tumor cells has contributed to the emergence of better treatment options and strategies. This review summarizes a range of features related to tumor cell metastasis and nanobased drug delivery systems for inhibiting tumor metastasis. The mechanisms of tumor metastasis in the ideal order of metastatic progression were summarized. We focus on the prominent role of nanocarriers in the treatment of tumor metastasis, summarizing the latest applications of nanocarriers in combination with drugs to target important components and processes of tumor metastasis and providing ideas for more effective nanodrug delivery systems.

Non-coding RNAs and exosomal non-coding RNAs in pituitary adenoma

Pituitary adenoma (PA) is the third most common primary intracranial tumor in terms of overall disease incidence. Although they are benign tumors, they can have a variety of clinical symptoms, but are mostly asymptomatic, which often leads to diagnosis at an advanced stage when surgical intervention is ineffective. Earlier identification of PA could reduce morbidity and allow better clinical management of the affected patients. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) do not generally code for proteins, but can modulate biological processes at the post-transcriptional level through a variety of molecular mechanisms. An increased number of ncRNA expression profiles have been found in PAs. Therefore, understanding the expression patterns of different ncRNAs could be a promising method for developing non-invasive biomarkers. This review summarizes the expression patterns of dysregulated ncRNAs (microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs) involved in PA, which could one day serve as innovative biomarkers or therapeutic targets for the treatment of this neoplasia. We also discuss the potential molecular pathways by which the dysregulated ncRNAs could cause PA and affect its progression.

Landscape and Construction of a Novel N6-methyladenosine-related LncRNAs in Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is a crucial clinical problem with high mortality. Despite much research in therapy, the prognosis of patients with cervical cancer is still not ideal. The data on cervical cancer were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) portal. R language was used to screen out the N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-related lncRNAs (long non-coding RNA). A consensus clustering algorithm was performed to identify m6A-related lncRNAs in cervical cancer; 10 m6A-related lncRNAs showing a significant association with survival were filtrated through a gradually univariate Cox regression model, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm, and multivariate Cox regression preliminarily. Furthermore, we conducted Kaplan-Meier curves, receiver operating curve (ROC) analyses, and proportional hazards model to quantify the underlying character of the m6A-related model in the prevision of cervical cancer patients. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to explore several pathways significantly. Finally, cell-type identification by estimating relative subsets of RNA transcripts (CIBERSORT) was applied to estimate the immune cell infiltration in the profiling. In the present study, 10 m6A-related lncRNAs make up our prediction model. This prediction model can do duty for an independent predictive biomolecular element. Subsequently, we then found that the model was still valid in further validation of the training group and the test group. Our signature was correlated with immune cell infiltration and partial signaling pathway. These lncRNAs played a no negligible biomolecular role in contributing to the prognosis of cervical cancer.

Impact of AMPK on cervical carcinoma progression and metastasis

Cervical cancer (CC) is the fourth most common malignant neoplasm among women. Late diagnosis is directly associated with the incidence of metastatic disease and remarkably limits the effectiveness of conventional anticancer therapies at the advanced tumor stage. In this study, we investigated the role of 5'AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) in the metastatic progression of cervical cancer. Since the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is known as major mechanism enabling cancer cell metastasis, cell lines, which accurately represent this process, have been used as a research model. We used C-4I and HTB-35 cervical cancer cell lines representing distant stages of the disease, in which we genetically modified the expression of the AMPK catalytic subunit α. We have shown that tumor progression leads to metabolic deregulation which results in reduced expression and activity of AMPK. We also demonstrated that AMPK is related to the ability of cells to acquire invasive phenotype and potential for in vivo metastases, and its activity may inhibit these processes. Our findings support the hypothesis that AMPK is a promising therapeutic target and modulation of its expression and activity may improve the efficacy of cervical cancer treatment.

Opportunities and challenges of targeting c-Met in the treatment of digestive tumors

At present, a large number of studies have demonstrated that c-Met generally exerts a crucial function of promoting tumor cells proliferation and differentiation in digestive system tumors. c-Met also mediates tumor progression and drug resistance by signaling interactions with other oncogenic molecules and then activating downstream pathways. Therefore, c-Met is a promising target for the treatment of digestive system tumors. Many anti-tumor therapies targeting c-Met (tyrosine kinase inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and adoptive immunotherapy) have been developed in treating digestive system tumors. Some drugs have been successfully applied to clinic, but most of them are defective due to their efficacy and complications. In order to promote the clinical application of targeting c-Met drugs in digestive system tumors, it is necessary to further explore the mechanism of c-Met action in digestive system tumors and optimize the anti-tumor treatment of targeting c-Met drugs. Through reading a large number of literatures, the author systematically reviewed the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of c-Met associated with tumor and summarized the current status of targeting c-Met in the treatment of digestive system tumors so as to provide new ideas for the treatment of digestive system tumors.

Design, synthesis and anticancer evaluation of 6,7-disubstituted-4-phenoxyquinoline derivatives bearing 1,8-naphthyridine-3-carboxamide moiety as novel multi-target TKIs

Giving the fact that the disorders of multiple receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are characteristics of various cancers, we assumed that developing novel multi-target drugs might have an advantage in treating the complex cancers. Taking the multi-target c-Met inhibitor Foretinib as the leading compound, we discovered a novel series of 6,7-disubstituted-4-phenoxyquinoline derivatives bearing 1,8-naphthyridine-3-carboxamide moiety with the help of molecular docking. Among them, the most promising compound 33 showed a prominent activity against Hela (IC₅₀ = 0.21 µM), A549 (IC₅₀ = 0.39 µM), and MCF-7 (IC₅₀ = 0.33 µM), which were 3.28-4.82 times more active than that of Foretinib. Additionally, compound 33 dose dependently induced apoptosis by arresting A549 cells at G1 phase. Enzymatic assays and docking analyses were further confirmed that compound 33 was a multi-target inhibitor with the strong potencies against c-Met (IC₅₀ = 11.77 nM), MEK1 (IC₅₀ = 10.71 nM), and Flt-3 (IC₅₀ = 22.36 nM). In the A549 cells mediated xenograft mouse model, compound 33 inhibited the tumor growth (TGI = 64%) without obvious toxicity, establishing compound 33 as a promising candidate for cancer therapy.

Roles of MET in human cancer

The MET proto-oncogene was first identified in osteosarcoma cells exposed to carcinogens. Although expressed in many normal cells, MET is overexpressed in many human cancers. MET is involved in the initiation and development of various human cancers and mediates proliferation, migration and invasion. Accordingly, MET has been successfully used as a biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis, survival, post-operative recurrence, risk assessment and pathologic grading, as well as a therapeutic target. In addition, recent work indicates that inhibition of MET expression and function has potential clinical benefit. This review summarizes the role, mechanism, and clinical significance of MET in the formation and development of human cancer.

Intelligent Diagnosis of Cervical Cancer Based on Data Mining Algorithm

The intelligent diagnosis of cervical cancer by using a class of data mining algorithms has important practical significance. In particular, the useful information included in a significant quantity of medical data may not only discreetly boost the development of medical technology but also detect cervical cancer in the future. This paper improves the data mining algorithm and combines image recognition technology and data mining technology to extract and analyze image features. Moreover, this paper makes full use of the information contained in the image to realize the segmentation of the cervical cancer cell image, select the feature vector according to the characteristics of the cervical cancer cell, and use the statistical classification method to design the classifier. The test results show that the automatic recognition effect of this system is good, and it has a good auxiliary diagnosis effect. Therefore, it can be verified in clinical practice in the follow-up.

A c-Met Inhibitor Suppresses Osteosarcoma Progression via the ERK1/2 Pathway in Human Osteosarcoma Cells

Introduction

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignancy of the bone among adolescents and children. Despite intensive chemotherapy and aggressive surgery, the 5-year survival rate of osteosarcoma still falls under 70%, mainly due to its tendency to metastasize and to develop drug resistance. Therefore, new treatments for osteosarcoma are urgently needed. HGF/c-Met signaling pathway, when dysregulated, is involved in the onset, progression and metastasis of various cancers, making the HGF/c-Met axis a promising therapeutic target.

Methods

In this study, we found Met to be a cancer-promoting gene in osteosarcoma as well, and aimed to investigate the role of a c-met inhibitor (PHA-665752) in osteosarcoma. For this purpose, two human osteosarcoma cell lines (143B and U2OS) were introduced in this study and treated with PHA-665752. CCK8 cell proliferation assay was performed to obtain the IC₅₀ value of PHA-665752 for 143B and U2OS. After that, colony formation assay, transwell migration and invasion assay and wound-healing assay were performed. Furthermore, a tumor-transplanted mouse model was used for in vivo experiments.

Results

Our results showed that PHA-665752 could suppress osteosarcoma progression, promote apoptosis and inhibit proliferation of human osteosarcoma cells. Moreover, we found ERK1/2 pathway to be an important mediator underlying the osteosarcoma-suppressing function of PHA-665752. LY3214996, a highly selective inhibitor of the ERK1/2 pathway, was able to antagonize the effects of PHA-665752 in osteosarcoma. Finally, in vivo experiments indicated that PHA-665752 suppressed tumor growth in a tumor-transplanted mouse model.

Conclusion

Taken together, Met provided a druggable target for osteosarcoma and PHA-665752 is a promising candidate for anti-osteosarcoma treatments.

Crizotinib-induced anti-cancer activity in human cervical carcinoma cells via ROS-dependent mitochondrial depolarization and induction of apoptotic pathway

INTRODUCTION

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality among women population worldwide. In spite of recurrent screening, vaccination, and chemotherapeutic interventions, combating cervical cancer still remains a challenge. Crizotinib is a small molecule inhibitor that targets mesenchymal epithelial transition factor (c-MET) and has been successfully studied for its anti-cancer effects in non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic, gastric, renal, prostate, and breast carcinomas. Although c-MET is a well-known prognostic, diagnostic, and therapeutic target in cervical cancer, anti-cancer properties of its inhibitor crizotinib against cervical carcinoma, has not been explored yet.

METHODS

In the present study, the anti-cancer effects of crizotinib on cervical cancer cells were evaluated using various in vitro cell-based assays, such as labelling drug-treated cells with MTT, H₂ DCFDA, Annexin V5-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) antibody, JC-1, PI, and analysis using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS).

RESULTS

The molecule was found to effectively inhibit proliferation of cervical cancer cells HeLa and SiHa with an IC₅₀ of 0.641 ± 0.0724 and 0.871 ± 0.104 μM, respectively, and induce apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Further investigations showed that crizotinib-induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with increasing concentrations further resulted in mitochondrial membrane depolarization. However, the drug had no effect on cell cycle progression of HeLa and SiHa cells.

CONCLUSION

Thus, the study elucidates the cytotoxic effects of crizotinib in cervical cancer cells by activation of ROS-dependent apoptotic pathway via mitochondrial depolarization. These findings will further aid the evaluation of other molecular mechanisms of crizotinib and would pave the way for its implication as a chemotherapeutic option in cervical cancer.

Association between the HGF/c‑MET signaling pathway and tumorigenesis, progression and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (Review)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most aggressive and lethal malignancies with a rising incidence, and is characterized by rapid progression, frequent metastasis, late diagnosis, high postoperative recurrence and poor prognosis. Therefore, novel treatment strategies for HCC, particularly advanced HCC, are urgently required. The hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/c‑mesenchymal‑epithelial transition receptor (c‑MET) axis is a key signaling pathway in HCC and is strongly associated with its highly malignant features. Available treatments based on HGF/c‑MET inhibition may prolong the lifespan of patients with HCC; however, they do not achieve the desired therapeutic effects. The aim of the present article was to review the basic knowledge regarding the role of the HGF/c‑MET signaling pathway in HCC, and examine the association between the HGF/c‑MET signaling pathway and the tumorigenesis, progression and prognosis of HCC.

Molecular mechanism study of HGF/c-MET pathway activation and immune regulation for a tumor diagnosis model

Background

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) binds to the c-mesenchymal-epithelial transition (C-MET) receptor and activates downstream signaling pathways, playing an essential role in the development of various cancers. Given the role of this signaling pathway, the primary therapeutic direction focuses on identifying and designing HGF inhibitors, antagonists and other molecules to block the binding of HGF to C-MET, thereby limiting the abnormal state of other downstream genes.

Methods

This study focuses on the analysis of immune-related genes and corresponding immune functions that are significantly associated with the HGF/c-MET pathway using transcriptome data from 11 solid tumors.

Results

We systematically analyzed 11 different cancers, including expression correlation, immune infiltration, tumor diagnosis and survival prognosis from HGF/c-MET pathway and immune regulation, two biological mechanisms having received extensive attention in cancer analysis.

Conclusion

We found that the HGF/c-MET pathway affected the tumor microenvironment mainly by interfering with expression levels of other genes. Immune infiltration is another critical factor involved in changes to the tumor microenvironment. The downstream immune-related genes activated by the HGF/c-MET pathway regulate immune-related pathways, which in turn affect the degree of infiltration of immune cells. Immune infiltration is significantly associated with cancer development and prognosis.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-02051-2.

Cervical Cancer Immunotherapy: Facts and Hopes

It is a sad fact that despite being almost completely preventable through human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and screening, cervical cancer remains the fourth most common cancer to affect women worldwide. Persistent high-risk HPV (hrHPV) infection is the primary etiologic factor for cervical cancer. Upward of 70% of cases are driven by HPV types 16 and 18, with a dozen other hrHPVs associated with the remainder of cases. Current standard-of-care treatments include radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and/or surgical resection. However, they have significant side effects and limited efficacy against advanced disease. There are a few treatment options for recurrent or metastatic cases. Immunotherapy offers new hope, as demonstrated by the recent approval of programmed cell death protein 1-blocking antibody for recurrent or metastatic disease. This might be augmented by combination with antigen-specific immunotherapy approaches, such as vaccines or adoptive cell transfer, to enhance the host cellular immune response targeting HPV-positive cancer cells. As cervical cancer progresses, it can foster an immunosuppressive microenvironment and counteract host anticancer immunity. Thus, approaches to reverse suppressive immune environments and bolster effector T-cell functioning are likely to enhance the success of such cervical cancer immunotherapy. The success of nonspecific immunostimulants like imiquimod against genital warts also suggest the possibility of utilizing these immunotherapeutic strategies in cervical cancer prevention to treat precursor lesions (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia) and persistent hrHPV infections against which the licensed prophylactic HPV vaccines have no efficacy. Here, we review the progress and challenges in the development of immunotherapeutic approaches for the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer.

miR-93-5p promotes insulin resistance to regulate type 2 diabetes progression in HepG2 cells by targeting HGF

Insulin resistance is a common feature of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the mechanisms underlying insulin resistance are not completely understood. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of microRNA (miR)-93-5p on insulin resistance in T2DM cells. Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; HepG2) cells were cultured in medium with high glucose content (30 mM glucose) to establish an in vitro insulin-resistant cell model (IR group). Glucose consumption and glycogen synthesis assays were performed to assess glucose consumption and glycogen synthesis, respectively. By performing immunoprecipitation assays, the abundance of the Met-insulin receptor complex was detected in HepG2 cells. miR-93-5p and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) mRNA expression levels were measured via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, and HGF protein expression levels were measured via western blotting. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was conducted to investigate the interaction between miR-93-5p and HGF. Cell Counting Kit-8, BrdU and caspase-3 activity assays were performed to evaluate cell viability, proliferation and apoptosis, respectively, in insulin-resistant HepG2 cells following transfection with small interfering RNA-HGF, HGF overexpression vector, miR-93-5p mimic or miR-93-5p inhibitor. The results demonstrated that miR-93-5p expression was significantly increased and HGF expression was significantly decreased in HCC tissues isolated from patients with or without T2DM compared with adjacent healthy tissues isolated from patients without T2DM. Compared with the IR group, miR-93-5p overexpression significantly increased cell proliferation, glucose consumption and glycogen synthesis, but significantly inhibited apoptosis in insulin-resistant HepG2 cells. By contrast, compared with the IR group, HGF overexpression significantly inhibited cell proliferation, glucose consumption and glycogen synthesis, but significantly enhanced cell apoptosis in insulin-resistant HepG2 cells. Following co-transfection with HGF overexpression vector and miR-93-5p mimic, miR-93-5p mimic-mediated induction of HepG2 cell proliferation, glucose consumption and glycogen synthesis in insulin-resistant HepG2 cells was inhibited. Collectively, the results of the present study indicated that miR-93-5p enhanced insulin resistance to regulate T2DM progression in HepG2 cells by targeting HGF.

ST3Gal IV Mediates the Growth and Proliferation of Cervical Cancer Cells In Vitro and In Vivo Via the Notch/p21/CDKs Pathway

ST3Gal IV is one of the principal sialyltransferases responsible for the biosynthesis of α2, 3-sialic acid to the termini N-glycans or O-glycans of glycoproteins and glycolipids. It has been reported that ST3Gal IV expression is associated with gastric carcinoma, pancreatic adenocarcinoma and breast cancer. While the expression and functions of ST3Gal IV in cervical cancer are still poorly understood. In this study, we found that ST3Gal IV was downregulated in human cervical cancer tissues compared to normal cervix tissues, and ST3Gal IV expression was negatively associated with the pathological grade of cervical cancer. ST3Gal IV upregulation inhibited the growth and proliferation of cervical cancer HeLa and SiHa cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, ST3Gal IV overexpression enhanced the expression of several Notch pathway components such as Jagged1, Notch1, Hes1 and Hey1, while cell cycle protein expression like Cyclin D1, Cyclin E1, CDK2 and CDK4 were decreased. These results indicate that expression of ST3Gal IV is reduced in cervical cancer and plays a negative role in cell proliferation via Notch/p21/CDKs signaling pathway. Thus, sialyltransferase ST3Gal IV might be a target for the diagnosis and therapy of cervical cancer.

Research on Radiosensitivity of the Protein Kinase B Signaling Pathway in Cervical Cancer

The main characteristics of cervical cancer are abnormal and uncontrolled cell proliferation, and it regulates cell growth, differentiation, and cell death through genetic and epigenetic changes. This paper mainly discusses the radiosensitivity of the cervical cancer protein kinase B signaling pathway and discusses the specific mechanisms that affect the occurrence and development of cervical cancer. In addition, this paper studies the effect of transient transfection knocking down the expression of TRIP4 in cervical cancer cells on the expression of key proteins in related signaling pathways and explores the mechanism of its specific effects and finds the mechanism of TRIP4's effect on cervical cancer radiosensitivity. The findings of this study show for the first time that knocking down TRIP4 inhibits cell viability by inhibiting the P13K/AKT and MAPK/ERK pathways, and this corresponds to the first part of the experimental results, which show that knocking down TRIP4 inhibits colony formation and increases apoptosis in HeLa and SiHa cells. Moreover, simultaneous inhibition of TRIP4 and hTERT proteins can increase the radiosensitivity of cervical cancer cells. These findings indicate that the inhibition of TRIP4 may be a new type of treatment that selectively targets the P13K/AKT and MAPK/ERK pathways and hTERT pathways in cervical cancer cells and provides a therapeutic option for the treatment of cervical cancer.

miR-6838-5p Affects Cell Growth, Migration, and Invasion by Targeting GPRIN3 via the Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway in Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancer (GC) is a highly prevalent digestive malignant tumor, ranking second in the tumor-related mortality globally. The microRNAs have been confirmed to be connected with GC progression. Accumulative evidence has suggested that miR-6838-5p exerts a suppressive effect on human cancers. Nonetheless, whether miR-6838-5p is involved in the regulation of GC remains to be investigated. During our research, miR-6838-5p was downregulated in GC cells. Upregulated miR-6838-5p repressed GC cell cycle progression, proliferation, migration, and invasion. Furthermore, miR-6838-5p overexpression repressed the nuclear import of β-catenin, thus inactivating Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Moreover, we observed that GPRIN3 was targeted by miR-6838-5p in GC with luciferase reporter and RIP assays. GPRIN3 upregulation reversed the suppression of miR-6838-5p in GC cellular processes. These findings suggest miR-6838-5p restrains the malignant behaviors of GC cells via targeting GPRIN3 to repress Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which may provide novel targets for GC treatment.

CUL4B promotes aggressive phenotypes of renal cell carcinoma via upregulating c-Met expression

Cullin 4B (CUL4B), encoding a scaffold protein in Cullin RING ubiquitin-ligase complexes (CRL4B), is overexpressed and serves as an oncogene in various solid tumors. However, the roles and the underlying mechanisms of CUL4B in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are still unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that CUL4B was significantly upregulated in RCC cells and clinical specimens, and its overexpression was correlated with poor survival of RCC patients. Knockdown of CUL4B resulted in the inhibition of proliferation, migration and invasion of RCC cells. Furthermore, we found that the expression of CUL4B is positively correlated with c-Met expression in RCC cells and tissues. Konckdown of c-Met or treatment with c-Met inhibitor, SU11274, could block the increase in cell proliferation, migration and invasion induced by CUL4B-overexpression. We also showed that CUL4B overexpression significantly accelerated xenograft tumor growth, and administration of SU11274 could also abrogate the accelerated tumor growth induced by CUL4B overexpression in vivo. These findings shed light on the contribution of CUL4B to tumorigenesis in RCC via activating c-Met signaling and its therapeutic implications in RCC patients.

Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Promote Proliferation and Invasion in Cervical Cancer by Targeting the HGF/c-MET Pathway

Background

Cervical cancer is a serious female malignancy affecting women's health worldwide. The HGF/c-MET signaling pathway is activated in cervical cancer. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) with multipotential differentiation can carry out paracrine secretion of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Here, we investigated the effect and underlying mechanism of ADSCs on the promotion and invasion of cervical cancer in vitro and in vivo.

Materials and Methods

ADSCs were isolated, identified, and co-cultured with cervical cancer cells. HGF was detected using ELISA, and the HGF and c-MET signaling pathway was assessed with Western blot. The proliferation and invasion of human cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa and CaSki cells) were measured using CCK-8 and transwell assays. A HeLa xenograft mouse model was established to determine the effect of ADSCs on tumor growth in vivo.

Results

ADSCs secreted a high level of HGF into the supernatant, while co-culture of ADSCs and cervical cancer cells increased the supernatant level of HGF. The HGF/c-MET pathway was activated in HeLa and CaSki cells co-cultured with ADSCs. Both co-culture with ADSCs and use of ADSC-derived conditioned medium (ADSCs-CM) significantly promoted the proliferation and invasion of cervical cancer cells in vitro, an effect that was reduced by inhibiting tumor cell c-MET expression. Furthermore, ADSCs-CM promoted HeLa cervical tumor growth in vivo, which could be suppressed by intratumoral c-MET siRNA injection.

Conclusion

ADSCs promote cervical cancer growth and invasion through paracrine secretion of HGF and involvement of the HGF/c-MET signaling pathway.

Markers of Angiogenesis, Lymphangiogenesis, and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (Plasticity) in CIN and Early Invasive Carcinoma of the Cervix: Exploring Putative Molecular Mechanisms Involved in Early Tumor Invasion

The establishment of a proangiogenic phenotype and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) are considered as critical events that promote the induction of invasive growth in epithelial tumors, and stimulation of lymphangiogenesis is believed to confer the capacity for early dissemination to cancer cells. Recent research has revealed substantial interdependence between these processes at the molecular level as they rely on common signaling networks. Of great interest are the molecular mechanisms of (lymph-)angiogenesis and EMT associated with the earliest stages of transition from intraepithelial development to invasive growth, as they could provide the source of potentially valuable tools for targeting tumor metastasis. However, in the case of early-stage cervical cancer, the players of (lymph-)angiogenesis and EMT processes still remain substantially uncharacterized. In this study, we used RNA sequencing to compare transcriptomes of HPV(+) preinvasive neoplastic lesions and early-stage invasive carcinoma of the cervix and to identify (lymph-)angiogenesis- and EMT-related genes and pathways that may underlie early acquisition of invasive phenotype and metastatic properties by cervical cancer cells. Second, we applied flow cytometric analysis to evaluate the expression of three key lymphangiogenesis/EMT markers (VEGFR3, MET, and SLUG) in epithelial cells derived from enzymatically treated tissue specimens. Overall, among 201 differentially expressed genes, a considerable number of (lymph-)angiogenesis and EMT regulatory factors were identified, including genes encoding cytokines, growth factor receptors, transcription factors, and adhesion molecules. Pathway analysis confirmed enrichment for angiogenesis, epithelial differentiation, and cell guidance pathways at transition from intraepithelial neoplasia to invasive carcinoma and suggested immune-regulatory/inflammatory pathways to be implicated in initiation of invasive growth of cervical cancer. Flow cytometry showed cell phenotype-specific expression pattern for VEGFR3, MET, and SLUG and revealed correlation with the amount of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes at the early stages of cervical cancer progression. Taken together, these results extend our understanding of driving forces of angiogenesis and metastasis in HPV-associated cervical cancer and may be useful for developing new treatments.

Reduction of miR-212 contributes to pituitary adenoma cell invasion via targeting c-Met

The current study aimed to evaluate the expression and role of miR-212 in the progression of pituitary adenoma (PA), thereby providing a theoretical basis and potential therapy methods for PA patients. Our data showed that miR-212 levels were significantly reduced in PA tissues than normal pituitary tissues. However, no significant difference was identified in the serum of PA patients and healthy control. In addition, the expression of miR-212 in invasive PA was significantly lower than that in noninvasive and normal pituitary tissues. Moreover, the level of miR-212 was decreased with the increase of tumor invasion. Meanwhile, the expression of miR-212 in giant adenomas was significantly lower than that in macroadenomas and microadenomas. Furthermore, inhibition of miR-212 significantly enhanced the proliferation and invasive capacity of GH3 cells. Dual luciferase reporter assay and western blot analysis confirmed that c-Met was a target gene of miR-212. More importantly, upregulation of c-Met significantly prompted PA cell proliferation mainly as a result of the enhanced level of phosphorylation of AKT. This effect could be abolished when c-Met was silenced in GH3 cells. In summary, reduced miR-212 expression in PA contributed to abnormal cancer cell proliferation and invasion mainly by targeting c-Met.

HGF/MET pathway aberrations as diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers in human cancers

Cancer is a major cause of death worldwide. MET tyrosine kinase receptor [MET, c-MET, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) receptor] pathway activation is associated with the appearance of several hallmarks of cancer. The HGF/MET pathway has emerged as an important actionable target across many solid tumors; therefore, biomarker discovery becomes essential in order to guide clinical intervention and patient stratification with the aim of moving towards personalized medicine. The focus of this review is on how the aberrant activation of the HGF/MET pathway in tumor tissue or the circulation can provide diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and predictive biomarkers of drug response. Many meta-analyses have shown that aberrant activation of the MET pathway in tumor tissue, including MET gene overexpression, gene amplification, exon 14 skipping and other activating mutations, is almost invariably associated with shorter survival and poor prognosis. Most meta-analyses have been performed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), breast, head and neck cancers as well as colorectal, gastric, pancreatic and other gastrointestinal cancers. Furthermore, several studies have shown the predictive value of MET biomarkers in the identification of patients who gain the most benefit from HGF/MET targeted therapies administered as single or combination therapies. The highest predictive values have been observed for response to foretinib and savolitinib in renal cancer, as well as tivantinib in NSCLC and colorectal cancer. However, some studies, especially those based on MET expression, have failed to show much value in these stratifications. This may be rooted in lack of standardization of methodologies, in particular in scoring systems applied in immunohistochemistry determinations or absence of oncogenic addiction of cancer cells to the MET pathway, despite detection of overexpression. Measurements of amplification and mutation aberrations are less likely to suffer from these pitfalls. Increased levels of MET soluble ectodomain (sMET) in circulation have also been associated with poor prognosis; however, the evidence is not as strong as it is with tissue-based biomarkers. As a diagnostic biomarker, sMET has shown its value in distinguishing cancer patients from healthy individuals in prostate and bladder cancers and in melanoma. On the other hand, increased circulating HGF has also been presented as a valuable prognostic and diagnostic biomarker in many cancers; however, there is controversy on the predictive value of HGF as a biomarker. Other biomarkers such as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and tumor HGF levels have also been briefly covered. In conclusion, HGF/MET aberrations can provide valuable diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers and represent vital assets for personalized cancer therapy.

Verticillin A suppresses HGF-induced migration and invasion via repression of the c-Met/FAK/Src pathway in human gastric and cervical cancer cells

Background and purpose: Verticillin A is a fungal epipolythiodioxopiperazine (ETP) metabolite that was isolated from Amanita flavorubescens Alk infected by Verticillium sp. It was previously proven to possess potent anti-tumor cell growth activity, and we have recently determined that verticillin A is a selective inhibitor of H3K9me3-specific histone methyltransferase. The objective of this study was to find out whether verticillin A is an effective agent for suppression of gastric and cervical tumor progression. Materials and methods: Wound healing and transwell assays was performed to evaluate the effect of verticillin A on hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-induced AGS and HeLa cells migration and invasion in vitro. Western blot was used to detect signaling proteins verticillin A affected. Results: We determined that verticillin A effectively suppressed hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-induced AGS and HeLa cells migration and invasion in vitro. At the molecular level, we demonstrated that verticillin A inhibited HGF-induced c-Met phosphorylation and repressed the expression of total c-Met protein in AGS and HeLa cells, resulting from reduced expression of fatty acid synthase. In addition, verticillin A could suppress c-Met downstream FAK/Src signaling pathways by impairing c-Met phosphorylation induced by HGF. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated verticillin A inhibits the migration ability of human gastric cancer (AGS) cells and cervical cancer (HeLa) cells by targeting c-Met and its downstream FAK/Src signaling pathways, and suggested that verticillin A acts as a novel HGF/c-Met inhibitor by reducing expression of this receptor.

Features of the cervicovaginal microenvironment drive cancer biomarker signatures in patients across cervical carcinogenesis

Persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the vital factor driving cervical carcinogenesis; however, other features of the local cervicovaginal microenvironment (CVM) may play a critical role in development of precancerous cervical dysplasia and progression to invasive cervical carcinoma (ICC). Here we investigated relationships between locally secreted cancer biomarkers and features of the local CVM to better understand the complex interplay between host, virus and vaginal microbiota (VMB). We enrolled women with ICC, high- and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, as well as, HPV-positive and healthy HPV-negative controls. A broad range of cancer biomarkers was present in the local CVM and specifically elevated in ICC patients. The majority of cancer biomarkers were positively correlated to other biomarkers and linked to genital inflammation. Several cancer biomarkers were also negatively correlated to Lactobacillus abundance and positively correlated with abnormal vaginal pH. Finally, a hierarchical clustering analysis of cancer biomarkers and immune mediators revealed three patient clusters, which varied in levels of cancer biomarkers, genital inflammation, vaginal pH and VMB composition. Specific cancer biomarkers discriminated patients with features of the CVM, such as high genital inflammation, elevated vaginal pH and dysbiotic non-Lactobacillus-dominant VMB, that have been associated with HPV persistence, dysplasia and progression to ICC.

Paeoniflorin Inhibits Hepatocyte Growth Factor- (HGF-) Induced Migration and Invasion and Actin Rearrangement via Suppression of c-Met-Mediated RhoA/ROCK Signaling in Glioblastoma

Paeoniflorin (PF), as one of the important valid natural compounds of the total glucosides of peony, has displayed a potential effect in cancer prevention and treatment. Aggressive migration and invasion, as an important process, can contribute to tumor progression through infiltrating the surround normal tissue. Actin cytoskeleton rearrangement plays a key role in cells migration and invasion, involving multiple signal pathways. HGF/c-Met signal, as an important couple of oncoprotein, has been demonstrated to regulate actin cytoskeleton rearrangement. In our study, we aim to explore whether paeoniflorin can inhibit migration and invasion and actin cytoskeleton rearrangement via regulation of HGF/c-Met/RhoA/ROCK signal. Various approaches were applied to demonstrate the mechanism of paeoniflorin-mediated anticancer effect, including cell wound healing assay, invasion assay, immunofluorescence staining and transfection, and western blotting. We observed that paeoniflorin inhibited HGF-induced migration and invasion and actin cytoskeleton rearrangement in glioblastoma cells. Furthermore, the inhibition of HGF-induced migration and invasion and actin cytoskeleton rearrangement involved c-Met-mediated RhoA/ROCK signaling in glioblastoma. Thus, our study proved that paeoniflorin could inhibit migration and invasion and actin cytoskeleton rearrangement through inhibition of HGF/c-Met/RhoA/ROCK signaling in glioblastoma, suggesting that paeoniflorin might be a candidate compound to treat glioblastoma.

HGF/c-MET Signaling in Melanocytes and Melanoma

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/ mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (c-MET) signaling is involved in complex cellular programs that are important for embryonic development and tissue regeneration, but its activity is also utilized by cancer cells during tumor progression. HGF and c-MET usually mediate heterotypic cell–cell interactions, such as epithelial–mesenchymal, including tumor–stroma interactions. In the skin, dermal fibroblasts are the main source of HGF. The presence of c-MET on keratinocytes is crucial for wound healing in the skin. HGF is not released by normal melanocytes, but as melanocytes express c-MET, they are receptive to HGF, which protects them from apoptosis and stimulates their proliferation and motility. Dissimilar to melanocytes, melanoma cells not only express c-MET, but also release HGF, thus activating c-MET in an autocrine manner. Stimulation of the HGF/c-MET pathways contributes to several processes that are crucial for melanoma development, such as proliferation, survival, motility, and invasiveness, including distant metastatic niche formation. HGF might be a factor in the innate and acquired resistance of melanoma to oncoprotein-targeted drugs. It is not entirely clear whether elevated serum HGF level is associated with low progression-free survival and overall survival after treatment with targeted therapies. This review focuses on the role of HGF/c-MET signaling in melanoma with some introductory information on its function in skin and melanocytes.

HGF/c-MET: A Promising Therapeutic Target in the Digestive System Cancers

The HGF/c-MET pathway is active in the development of digestive system cancers, indicating that inhibition of HGF/c-MET signaling may have therapeutic potential. Various HGF/c-MET signaling inhibitors, mainly c-MET inhibitors, have been tested in clinical trials. The observed efficacy and adverse events of some c-MET inhibitors were not very suitable for treating digestive system cancers. The development of new HGF/c-MET inhibitors in preclinical studies may bring promising treatments and synergistic combination (traditional anticancer drugs and c-MET inhibitors) strategies provided anacceptable safety and tolerability. Insights into miRNA biology and miRNA therapeutics have made miRNAs attractive tools to inhibit HGF/c-MET signaling. Recent reports show that several microRNAs participate in inhibiting HGF/c-MET signaling networks through antagonizing c-MET or HGF in digestive system cancers, and the miRNAs-HGF/c-MET axis plays crucial and novel roles for cancer treatment. In the current review, we will discuss recent findings about inhibitors of HGF/c-MET signaling in treating digestive system cancers, and how miRNAs regulate digestive system cancers via mediating HGF/c-MET pathway.