Identification of novel subregions of LOH in gastric cancer and analysis of the HIC1 and TOB1 tumor suppressor genes in these subregions

TOB1 modulates neutrophil phenotypes to influence gastric cancer progression and immunotherapy efficacy

Introduction

The ErbB-2.1(TOB1) signaling transducer protein is a tumor-suppressive protein that actively suppresses the malignant phenotype of gastric cancer cells. Yet, TOB1 negatively regulates the activation and growth of different immune cells. Understanding the expression and role of TOB1 in the gastric cancer immune environment is crucial to maximize its potential in targeted immunotherapy.

Methods

This study employed multiplex immunofluorescence analysis to precisely delineate and quantify the expression of TOB1 in immune cells within gastric cancer tissue microarrays. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were performed to assess the influence of clinical-pathological parameters, immune cells, TOB1, and double-positive cells on the prognosis of gastric cancer patients. Subsequent experiments included co-culture assays of si-TOB1-transfected neutrophils with AGS or HGC-27 cells, along with EdU, invasion, migration assays, and bioinformatics analyses, aimed at elucidating the mechanisms through which TOB1 in neutrophils impacts the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.

Results

We remarkably revealed that TOB1 exhibits varying expression levels in both the nucleus (nTOB1) and cytoplasm (cTOB1) of diverse immune cell populations, including CD8+ T cells, CD66b+ neutrophils, FOXP3+ Tregs, CD20+ B cells, CD4+ T cells, and CD68+ macrophages within gastric cancer and paracancerous tissues. Significantly, TOB1 was notably concentrated in CD66b+ neutrophils. Survival analysis showed that a higher density of cTOB1/nTOB1+CD66b+ neutrophils was linked to a better prognosis. Subsequent experiments revealed that, following stimulation with the supernatant of tumor tissue culture, the levels of TOB1 protein and mRNA in neutrophils decreased, accompanied by enhanced apoptosis. HL-60 cells were successfully induced to neutrophil-like cells by DMSO. Neutrophils-like cells with attenuated TOB1 gene expression by si-TOB1 demonstrated heightened apoptosis, consequently fostering a malignant phenotype in AGS and HCG-27 cells upon co-cultivation. The subsequent analysis of the datasets from TCGA and TIMER2 revealed that patients with high levels of TOB1 combined neutrophils showed better immunotherapy response.

Discussion

This study significantly advances our comprehension of TOB1's role within the immune microenvironment of gastric cancer, offering promising therapeutic targets for immunotherapy in this context.

The promoter methylation drives down-regulation mode of HIC1 in gastric cancer, its molecular characteristics and downstream functional pathways

Gastric cancer is a common malignant tumor of the gastrointestinal tract with a high incidence and mortality rate. Previous results have suggested that the HIC1 gene might be a tumor suppressor candidate in gastric cancer. However, several critical points need to be elucidated: (1) The correlation of HIC1 promoter methylation with its specific expression level in gastric cancer; (2) The molecular characterization of HIC1 promoter methylation; (3) The possible mechanism by which HIC1 performs its inhibitory role in gastric cancer. To address these questions, we retrieved data from TCGA database to analyze HIC1 promoter methylation levels and transcript expression data, and performed targeted region bisulfite sequencing on three stable HIC1 down-regulated cell lines and normal control cell lines, and performed whole transcriptome and metabolite assays in HIC1 knockout cell lines by CRISPR-Cas9 technique. Results demonstrated that HIC1 promoter hypermethylation might be a crucial driving force leading to its down-regulation in HIC1 expression in gastric cancer. This implicated that promoter CG methylation of HIC1 might play a major role in the development of gastric carcinogenesis. Besides, HIC1 may suppress gastric cancer progression by maintaining the normal cellular metabolism, and inhibiting the mTOR signaling pathway activity.

The Overexpression of TOB1 Induces Autophagy in Gastric Cancer Cells by Secreting Exosomes

We previously confirmed that transducer of ERBB2, 1 (TOB1) gene, can induce autophagy in gastric cancer cells. Studies have shown the biogenesis of exosomes overlaps with different autophagy processes, which helps to maintain the self-renewal and homeostasis of body cells. This study is aimed at verifying whether overexpressing TOB1 induces autophagy by secreting exosomes in gastric cancer cells and its underlying mechanisms. Differential ultracentrifugation was used to extracted the exosomes from the culture medium of gastric cancer cell line AGS-TOB1 ectopically overexpressing TOB1 (exo-AGS-TOB1, experimental group) and AGS-empty-vector cell line with low expression of endogenous TOB1 (exo-AGS-Vector, control group). Exosomal markers CD9 and TSG101 were determined in both the cell supernatants of exo-AGS-TOB1 and exo-AGS-Vector by Western blot. Under the transmission electron microscope (TEM), the exosomes were round and saucer-like vesicles with double-layer membrane structure, and the vesicles showed different translucency due to different contents. The peak size of exosomes detected by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) was about 100 nm. When the exosomes of exo-AGS-TOB1 and exo-AGS-Vector were cocultured with TOB1 knockdown gastric cancer cell line HGC-27-TOB1-6E12 for 48 hours, the conversion of autophagy-related protein LC3-I to LC3-II in HGC-27-TOB1-6E12 gastric cancer cells cocultured with exo-AGS-TOB1 was significantly higher than that in the control group, and the ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I was statistically different (P < 0.05). More autophagosomes in HGC-27-TOB1-6E12 cells cocultured with exo-AGS-TOB1 for 48 hours were observed under TEM, while fewer autophagosomes were found in the control group. Lastly, miRNAs were differentially expressed by cell supernatant-exosomal whole transcriptome sequencing. Thus, our results provide new insights into TOB1-induced autophagy in gastric cancer.

Involvement of TOB1 on autophagy in gastric cancer AGS cells via decreasing the activation of AKT/mTOR signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

We previously identified the tumor suppressor gene TOB1 as related to gastric cancer. The purpose of this study was to explore whether TOB1 induces autophagy through the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in gastric cancer.

METHODS

Western blotting was used to detect the protein levels of TOB1, LC3, AKT, mTOR, phosphorylated (p) AKT, and p-mTOR. A double fluorescent GFP-RFP-LC3 fusion protein was used to trace autophagy by laser confocal microscopy. Autophagosomes were observed by transmission electron microscopy.

RESULTS

The conversion of LC3-I to LC3-II and the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio were significantly increased in AGS cells overexpressing TOB1 compared with control cells. Fluorescence imaging showed LC3 puncta at 48 h, and these puncta increased significantly at 72 h after TOB1 transfection compared with control tumor cells. The presence of autophagosomes in AGS cells was observed at 72 h after TOB1 transfection by transmission electron microscopy, and no autophagosomes were found in the control cells. Moreover, the levels of p-AKT and p -mTOR were lower in AGS cells than in control cancer cells.

CONCLUSION

Our results provide novel insight that TOB1 might suppress gastric cancer by inducing autophagy, possibly through decreasing phosphorylation and the subsequent activation of the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

The functional variant in promoter of OVCA1 was associated with the risk of gastric cancer in the northeast Chinese Han population

We previously found allelic deletions on chromosomes 17 in primary gastric cancers (GC) using microsatellite markers for loss of heterozygosity (LOH). OVCA1 lies in one of these regions (17q21.33). The association between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of OVCA1 gene and risk of gastric cancer is not yet clear. In this study, the peripheral blood of 505 gastric cancer patients and 544 healthy controls were genotyped for six SNPs (rs2273981, rs1131600, rs3752963, rs3803806, rs2236375, and rs1051322) of OVCA1, to evaluate the association of these SNPs with the risk of gastric cancer in the Han population in northeast China. The effect of rs2273981 located in the promoter region of OVCA1 on the transcription activity was determined using dual luciferase reporter assay. We found that the association between the AA + AG genotype of rs2273981 and the risk of gastric cancer was significant in smokers (AA + AG vs. GG, OR = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.04 - 5.87, P < 0.05). Stratified analysis of the clinicopathological parameters revealed that rs1131600 AG + GG genotype were significantly associated with increased gastric tumor volume (AG + GG vs. AA, OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.00 - 3.29, P < 0.05). The rs2236375 CT + TT genotype was also significantly associated with increased gastric tumor volume (CT + TT vs. CC, OR = 2.65, 95% CI = 1.38 - 5.10, P < 0.05). Additionally, by interacting with the transcription factor AP2A, the GG genotype the rs2273981 increased the transcription activity of OVCA1 compared with AA genotype, thus involved in gastric cancer development.

[Update on gastric cancer. New molecular classifications]

Gastric cancer (GC) is an aggressive tumor, which is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage and shows high mortality rates. Several GC classifications have been published, based on features such as tumor location, endoscopic features or microscopic architecture. However, TNM stage remains the mainstay of GC management and treatment. In the last years, technical advances have allowed us to investigate the biological heterogeneity of GC and develop new molecular classifications. This knowledge may enhance current classifications, and has the potential to refine GC management and aid in the identification of new molecular targets. In this literature review we have summarized the main findings in epidemiology, screening, classification systems and treatment of GC, focusing on the molecular alterations and new molecular classifications published in the last years.

Association between HIC1 promoter methylation and solid tumor: A meta-analysis

The epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes by promoter methylation plays an increasingly important role in cancer research. A number of studies have reported the contribution of HIC1 promoter methylation towards the occurrence and development of solid tumors, even though HIC1 promoter methylation has also been found in normal and benign tissue samples. We sought to perform a more accurate and comprehensive meta-analysis to assess the association between HIC1 promoter methylation and cancer risk. We searched and retrieved all published studies on HIC1 promoter methylation in PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases. After two reviewers checked the studies and extracted the necessary data independently, the meta-analysis was performed using STATA 12.0 software. A total of 14 case-control studies (949 cancer patients, 282 benign, and 371 normal controls) were included in our study. We report a significantly elevated HIC1 promoter methylation in tumor samples compared to normal (OR = 7.02, 95 % CI 3.12-15.78, P < 0.001) and benign controls (OR = 2.69, 95 % CI 1.13-6.42, P = 0.025). Subgroup analysis stratified by ethnicity showed a significantly reduced heterogeneity among North American (I² = 0.0 %, P = 0.502) and European (I² = 33.7 %, P = 0.183) samples. In addition, heterogeneity was significantly reduced among MSP based detection method (I² = 36.4 %, P = 0.139) when samples were stratified based on the methylation detection methods. The overall outcome demonstrated that HIC1 promoter methylation may be involved in the occurrence and development of solid tumors and has the potential to serve as an epigenetic maker in various specific tumors.

Phosphorylation of TOB1 at T172 and S320 is critical for gastric cancer proliferation and progression

We previously revealed that increased phosphorylation of TOB1, a tumor suppressor protein, may promote the progression of gastric cancer. However, the phosphorylated sites on TOB1 and their functional implication in gastric cancer remain to be clarified. Here, we addressed these questions using the gastric mucosal epithelial cell line GES-1 and three gastric cancer cell lines (HGC-27, AGS, and MKN-1). Compared with the control GES-1 cells, the gastric cancer cells showed decreased levels of TOB1 protein and increased levels of phosphorylated TOB1 (p-TOB1) by Western blotting. Then, TOB1 protein was enriched and purified by immunoprecipitation. Two novel phosphorylation sites at threonine 172 (T172) and serine 320 (S320) in TOB1 were identified in gastric cancer MKN-1 cells using LC-MS/MS. Furthermore, treatment with the serine/threonine kinase inhibitor staurosporine (STS; 2 nmol/L, 8 h) significantly decreased the levels of p-TOB1. As a result, the proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer cells were diminished, accompanied by an increased proportion of cells in G1 phase and a decreased proportion of cells in G2 phase. Taken together, these findings indicate for the first time that TOB1 is phosphorylated at T172 and S320 in gastric cancer cells, which are sensitive to STS. Downregulation of p-TOB1 levels by STS treatment can weaken the malignant phenotype of gastric cancer cells and block their progression through the cell cycle. Moreover, STS may exert its antiproliferative activity in gastric cancers by restoring TOB1 protein activity.

Decreased expression levels of DAL-1 and TOB1 are associated with clinicopathological features and poor prognosis in gastric cancer

PURPOSE

We previously demonstrated that the functional inactivation of DAL-1 and TOB1 promotes an aggressive phenotype in gastric cancer cells, but the links between both genes and the survival of patients with gastric cancer are unknown. Here, we investigated the correlations of the expression levels of DAL-1 and TOB1 with the progression of gastric cancer.

METHODS

A total of 270 patients who underwent resectable gastrectomy were included. The expression of DAL-1 and TOB1 was detected by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

Low expression of DAL-1 in cancer tissue was significantly associated with tumor site (p < 0.05), histological grade (p < 0.01), depth of invasion (p < 0.05), lymph node metastasis status (p < 0.05), Lauren classification (p < 0.001), and clinical stage (p < 0.01). A lower level of TOB1 was observed in gastric cancer patients with diffuse type disease compared to patients with either intestinal or mixed type disease (p < 0.001). Additionally, Spearman's correlation analysis revealed that decreased expression of DAL-1 was positively correlated with low TOB1 expression (r=0.304, p < 0.001). The survival analysis showed that low levels of DAL-1 and TOB1 were significantly associated with poor survival of gastric cancer patients (p <0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The downregulation of DAL-1 and TOB1 expression is associated with shorter survival of gastric cancer patients. Hence, DAL-1 and TOB1 may be considered potential novel markers for predicting the outcomes of patients with gastric cancer.

Association between the SNPs of the TOB1 gene and gastric cancer risk in the Chinese Han population of northeast China

The TOB1 (ErbB-2,1) gene is an anti-proliferative factor that has the potential to regulate cell growth and encodes a member of the transducer of erbB-2/B-cell translocation gene protein. The association between the polymorphisms of the TOB1 gene and gastric cancer (GC) risk is still unclear. In this study, 506 GC cases and 548 healthy controls (HCs) were collected to evaluate the association between the eleven SNPs (rs35220381, rs12950561, rs7221352, rs61482741, rs9303568, rs34700818, rs12949115, rs9903822, rs12601477, rs11656976 and rs4626) of the TOB1 gene and GC risk in the population of northeast China. The results showed that there were significant associations of haplotype GCCTTGC, haplotype ATCTTGG, and haplotype GCCACGC with GC risk (P < 0.05, P < 0.001, and P <0.001, respectively). The association between rs12601477 GA+AA genotypes and GC risk was significant among individuals older than 58 (adjusted OR=1.53, 95% CI=1.05-2.22, P< 0.05). The association between rs4626 AG+GG genotypes and GC risk was significant among individuals older than 58 (adjusted OR=1.54, 95% CI = 1.03-2.28, P<0.05). The rs34700818 CT+TT genotypes were associated with a significantly increased risk of T3-T4 (CT+TT vs CC, adjusted OR=1.71, 95% CI= 1.01-2.88, P<0.05) and TNM stage II (CT+TT vs CC, adjusted OR=2.40, 95% CI =1.27-4.52, P<0.01). The rs61482741 CG+GG genotypes were also associated with a significantly increased risk of T3-T4 (CG+GG vs CC, adjusted OR=1.71, 95% CI = 1.01-2.88, P<0.05) and TNM stage II (CG+GG vs CC, adjusted OR=2.40, 95% CI=1.27-4.52, P<0.01). The results suggest that four SNPs (rs12601477, rs4626, rs34700818 and rs61482741) of the TOB1 gene play an important role in the occurrence and development of GC in the Chinese Han population of northeast China.

Decreased TOB1 expression and increased phosphorylation of nuclear TOB1 promotes gastric cancer

TOB1, a member of the BTG/TOB protein family, inhibits tumor cell proliferation. We previously observed down-regulation and phosphorylation of TOB1 in gastric cancer (GC). Here, we examined the subcellular distribution and clinical significance of TOB1 expression and phosphorylation in GC. Immunohistochemical analysis of 341 primary GC and corresponding normal gastric tissue samples demonstrated that nuclear TOB1 expression was lower in GC than normal tissue (80.4% vs. 92.4%), and decreased nuclear TOB1 expression correlated with high TNM stage. By contrast, phosphorylation of nuclear TOB1 was higher in GC than normal gastric tissue (66.0% vs. 36.4%), and was associated with poorly differentiated and high TNM stage tumors. Patients with intestinal type GC and increased nuclear TOB1 phosphorylation had poor overall survival. Multivariate survival analysis indicated the nuclear concentration of phosphorylated TOB1 was an independent prognostic factor for intestinal type GC. Overexpression of TOB1 containing mutations in its nuclear export signal inhibited GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion compared to cells expressing TOB1 with the nuclear localization signal. Thus, decreased TOB1 expression and increased phosphorylation of nuclear TOB1 is associated with aggressive tumor behavior and poor prognosis in intestinal type GC. Additionally, TOB1 nuclear retention is critical for its anti-proliferative activity.

Transducer of ERBB2.1 (TOB1) as a Tumor Suppressor: A Mechanistic Perspective

Transducer of ERBB2.1 (TOB1) is a tumor-suppressor protein, which functions as a negative regulator of the receptor tyrosine-kinase ERBB2. As most of the other tumor suppressor proteins, TOB1 is inactivated in many human cancers. Homozygous deletion of TOB1 in mice is reported to be responsible for cancer development in the lung, liver, and lymph node, whereas the ectopic overexpression of TOB1 shows anti-proliferation, and a decrease in the migration and invasion abilities on cancer cells. Biochemical studies revealed that the anti-proliferative activity of TOB1 involves mRNA deadenylation and is associated with the reduction of both cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) expressions and the induction of CDK inhibitors. Moreover, TOB1 interacts with an oncogenic signaling mediator, β-catenin, and inhibits β-catenin-regulated gene transcription. TOB1 antagonizes the v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene (AKT) signaling and induces cancer cell apoptosis by activating BCL2-associated X (BAX) protein and inhibiting the BCL-2 and BCL-XL expressions. The tumor-specific overexpression of TOB1 results in the activation of other tumor suppressor proteins, such as mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4 (SMAD4) and phosphatase and tensin homolog-10 (PTEN), and blocks tumor progression. TOB1-overexpressing cancer cells have limited potential of growing as xenograft tumors in nude mice upon subcutaneous implantation. This review addresses the molecular basis of TOB1 tumor suppressor function with special emphasis on its regulation of intracellular signaling pathways.

The polymorphism in miR-25 attenuated the oncogenic function in gastric cancer

miR-25 was identified as an essential oncogene by promoting the growth and metastasis through TOB1 in gastric cancer (GC). The function of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located in the mature region of miR-25 (rs41274221) has not been investigated. In this study, we aimed to explore the involvement of rs41274221 in miR-25 in gastric cancer. We found that SNP rs41274221 in miR-25 was participated in the occurrence of GC by acting as a tumor protective factor associating with the tumor growth and metastasis. Besides, further investigation found that upregulation of miR-25 with AA genotype could attenuate the proliferation and invasion of tumor cells caused by wild-type miR-25. The dual-luciferase reporter assay also confirmed that miR-25 harbored the A allele which caused an incapacitation of binding at the TOB1. In conclusion, rs41274221 in miR-25 was a subgroup which may protect the patients from further growth and metastasis of gastric cancer and might serve as a novel biomarker for the disease.

MicroRNA-25 promotes gastric cancer migration, invasion and proliferation by directly targeting transducer of ERBB2, 1 and correlates with poor survival

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common tumors and the molecular mechanism underlying its metastasis is still largely unclear. Here, we show that miR-25 was overexpressed in plasma and primary tumor tissues of GC patients with tumor node metastasis stage (III or IV) or lymph node metastasis. MiR-25 inhibition significantly decreased the metastasis, invasion and proliferation of GC cells in vitro, and reduced their capacity to develop distal pulmonary metastases and peritoneal dissemination in vivo. Furthermore, miR-25 repressed transducer of ERBB2, 1 (TOB1) expression by directly binding to TOB1-3'-UTR, and the inverse correlation was observed between the expressions of miR-25 and TOB1 mRNA in primary GC tissues. Moreover, the loss of TOB1 increased the metastasis, invasion and proliferation of GC cells, and the restoration of TOB1 led to suppressed metastasis, invasion and proliferation. The receiver operating characteristics analysis yielded an area under the curve value of 0.7325 in distinguishing the GC patients with death from those with survival. The analysis of optimal cutoff value revealed poor survival in GC patients with high plasma concentrations of miR-25 (>0.2333 amol/μl). Taken together, miR-25 promotes GC progression by directly downregulating TOB1 expression, and may be a noninvasive biomarker for the prognosis of GC patients.

Deciphering HIC1 control pathways to reveal new avenues in cancer therapeutics

INTRODUCTION

The tumor suppressor gene HIC1 (Hypermethylated in Cancer 1), which encodes a transcriptional repressor with multiple partners and multiple targets, is epigenetically silenced but not mutated in tumors. HIC1 has broad biological roles during normal development and is implicated in many canonical processes of cancer such as control of cell growth, cell survival upon genotoxic stress, cell migration, and motility.

AREAS COVERED

The HIC1 literature herein discussed includes its discovery as a candidate tumor suppressor gene hypermethylated or deleted in many human tumors, animal models establishing it as tumor suppressor gene, its role as a sequence-specific transcriptional repressor recruiting several chromatin regulatory complexes, its cognate target genes, and its functional roles in normal tissues. Finally, this review discusses how its loss of function contributes to the early steps in tumorigenesis.

EXPERT OPINION

Given HIC1's ability to direct repressive complexes to sequence-specific binding sites associated with its target genes, its loss results in specific changes in the transcriptional program of the cell. An understanding of this program through identification of HIC1's target genes and their involvement in feedback loops and cell process regulation will yield the ability to leverage this knowledge for therapeutic translation.

Glutamine depletion and glucose depletion trigger growth inhibition via distinctive gene expression reprogramming

Glutamine (Gln) and glucose (Glc) represent two important nutrients for proliferating cells, consistent with the observations that oncogenic processes are associated with enhanced glycolysis and glutaminolysis. Gln depletion and Glc depletion have been shown to trigger growth arrest and eventually cell death. Solid tumors often outgrow the blood supply, resulting in ischemia, which is associated with hypoxia and nutrient insufficiency. Whereas oxygen-sensing and adaptive mechanisms to hypoxia have been well-studied, how cells directly sense and respond to Gln and Glc insufficiency remains unclear. Using mRNA profiling techniques, we compared the gene expression profiles of acute Gln-depleted cells, Glc-depleted cells and cells adapted to Gln depletion. Here we report the global changes of the gene expression in those cells cultured under the defined nutrient conditions. Analysis of mRNA profiling data revealed that Gln and Glc depletion triggered dramatic gene expression reprogramming. Either Gln or Glc deletion leads to changes of the expression of cell cycle genes, but these conditions have distinctive effects on transcription regulators and gene expression profiles. Moreover, Gln and Glc depletion triggered distinguishable ER-stress responses. The gene expression patterns support that Gln and Glc have distinctive metabolic roles in supporting cell survival and proliferation, and cells use different mechanisms to sense and respond to Gln and Glc insufficiency. Our mRNA profiling database provides a resource for further investigating the nutrient-sensing mechanisms and potential effects of Glc and Gln abundance on the biological behaviors of cells.

Tob1 induces apoptosis and inhibits proliferation, migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells by activating Smad4 and inhibiting β‑catenin signaling

Transducer of ErbB-2.1 (Tob1), a tumor suppressor protein, is inactivated in a variety of cancers including stomach cancer. However, the role of Tob1 in gastric carcinogenesis remains elusive. The present study aimed to investigate whether Tob1 could inhibit gastric cancer progression in vitro, and to elucidate its underlying molecular mechanisms. We found differential expression of Tob1 in human gastric cancer (MKN28, AGS and MKN1) cells. The overexpression of Tob1 induced apoptosis in MKN28 and AGS cells, which was associated with sub-G1 arrest, activation of caspase-3, induction of Bax, inhibition of Bcl-2 and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). In addition, Tob1 inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion, which were reversed in MKN1 and AGS cells transfected with Tob1 siRNA. Overexpression of Tob1 in MKN28 and AGS cells induced the expression of Smad4, leading to the increased expression and the promoter activity of p15, which was diminished by silencing of Tob1 using specific siRNA. Tob1 decreased the phosphorylation of Akt and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) in MKN28 and AGS cells, resulting in the reduced protein expression and the transcriptional activity of β‑catenin, which in turn decreased the expression of cyclin D1, cyclin-dependent kinase-4 (CDK4), urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) and peroxisome proliferator and activator receptor-δ (PPARδ). Conversely, silencing of Tob1 induced the phosphorylation of Akt and GSK-3β, and increased the expression of β‑catenin and its target genes. Collectively, our study demonstrates that the overexpression of Tob1 inhibits gastric cancer progression by activating Smad4- and inhibiting β‑catenin-mediated signaling pathways.

DNA methylation and microRNAs in cancer

DNA methylation is a type of epigenetic modification in the human genome, which means that gene expression is regulated without altering the DNA sequence. Methylation and the relationship between methylation and cancer have been the focus of molecular biology researches. Methylation represses gene expression and can influence embryogenesis and tumorigenesis. In different tissues and at different stages of life, the level of methylation of DNA varies, implying a fundamental but distinct role for methylation. When genes are repressed by abnormal methylation, the resulting effects can include instability of that gene and inactivation of a tumor suppressor gene. MicroRNAs have some aspects in common with this regulation of gene expression. Here we reviewed the influence of gene methylation on cancer and analyzed the methods used to profile methylation. We also assessed the correlation between methylation and other epigenetic modifications and microRNAs. About 55 845 research papers have been published about methylation, and one-fifth of these are about the appearance of methylation in cancer. We conclude that methylation does play a role in some cancer types.