SULF1 inhibits proliferation and invasion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells by decreasing heparin-binding growth factor signaling

SULF1 regulates malignant progression of colorectal cancer by modulating ARSH via FAK/PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has the third highest incidence and second mortality rate of malignant tumors globally, highlighting the urgency to explore the mechanisms underlying CRC progression for refined treatment of this patient population.

METHODS

R Studio was used for data sorting and analysis. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle detection were performed by flow cytometry. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to explore mRNA expression levels. Western blotting was used to explore protein expression levels. CCK8, EdU, and colony formation assays were performed to explore the proliferation capacity of CRC cells. Transwell invasion and migration assays, along with the wound healing assay, were used to explore the invasive and migratory abilities of CRC cells. Subcutaneous Xenograft Assay was utilized to evaluate the tumorigenic capacity of CRC cells in vivo.

RESULTS

SULF1 was highly expressed in CRC samples and cell lines. The knockdown of SULF1 inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of CRC and increased the rate of cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, we demonstrated that SULF1 could negatively regulate ARSH through the FAK/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

CONCLUSION

We demonstrated that SULF1 could promote CRC progression by regulating ARSH. The SULF1/ARSH/FAK/PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway represents a promising target for the treatment of this patient population. Colorectal cancer (CRC) has the third highest incidence and second mortality rate of malignant tumors globally. Sulfatase 1 (SULF1) belongs to the sulfatase family, The function of SULF1 in CRC remains elusive. Our study demonstrated that the knockdown of SULF1 could inhibit the proliferation, invasion, and migration of CRC. Meanwhile, our findings indicated that SULF1 could interact with Arylsulfatase Family Member H (ARSH) to regulate the proliferation, invasion, and migration of CRC via the FAK/PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Taken together, our findings suggest that SULF1 might be a new therapeutic target in CRC.

Validation of Novel Molecular Imaging Targets Identified by Functional Genomic mRNA Profiling to Detect Dysplasia in Barrett's Esophagus

Barrett’s esophagus (BE) is the precursor of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Dysplastic BE (DBE) has a higher progression risk to EAC compared to non-dysplastic BE (NDBE). However, the miss rates for the endoscopic detection of DBE remain high. Fluorescence molecular endoscopy (FME) can detect DBE and mucosal EAC by highlighting the tumor-specific expression of proteins. This study aimed to identify target proteins suitable for FME. Publicly available RNA expression profiles of EAC and NDBE were corrected by functional genomic mRNA (FGmRNA) profiling. Following a class comparison between FGmRNA profiles of EAC and NDBE, predicted, significantly upregulated genes in EAC were prioritized by a literature search. Protein expression of prioritized genes was validated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) on DBE and NDBE tissues. Near-infrared fluorescent tracers targeting the proteins were developed and evaluated ex vivo on fresh human specimens. In total, 1976 overexpressed genes were identified in EAC (n = 64) compared to NDBE (n = 66) at RNA level. Prioritization and IHC validation revealed SPARC, SULF1, PKCι, and DDR1 (all p < 0.0001) as the most attractive imaging protein targets for DBE detection. Newly developed tracers SULF1-800CW and SPARC-800CW both showed higher fluorescence intensity in DBE tissue compared to paired non-dysplastic tissue. This study identified SPARC, SULF1, PKCι, and DDR1 as promising targets for FME to differentiate DBE from NDBE tissue, for which SULF1-800CW and SPARC-800CW were successfully ex vivo evaluated. Clinical studies should further validate these findings.

Rs3802278 in 3'-UTR of SULF1 associated with platinum resistance and survival in Chinese epithelial ovarian cancer patients

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers, but platinum resistance remains a major obstacle in the chemotherapy of ovarian cancer. This study aims to examine the role of polymorphisms in sulfatase 1 (SULF1) in platinum resistance and survival in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients. We genotyped 12 SNPs of SULF1 in 195 EOC patients treated with platinum using MassARRAY method and evaluated the association between the SNPs and platinum response. SULF1 rs3802278 was marginal significantly associated with platinum resistance in recessive model with p value of 0.055. The patients with SULF1 rs3802278 AA were more resistant to platinum-based chemotherapy comparing to those with AG/GG genotype (OR: 2.317, 95%CI: 0.982 ∼ 5.465). In survival analysis, rs3802278 was significantly associated with both of PFS and OS after adjusted by FIGO stage and age. Patients with AA genotypes showed a shorter PFS and OS than with AG/GG genotypes (median PFS: 15 months vs. 21 months, p = 0.010, HR = 1.876, 95%CI: 1.165-3.022; median OS: 42 months vs. 73 months, p = 0.031, HR = 1.928, 95%CI: 1.061-3.504). SULF1 rs3802278 may serve as a potential candidate biomarker for the prediction of platinum resistance and prognosis in Chinese EOC patients.

Neural progenitor fate decision defects, cortical hypoplasia and behavioral impairment in Celsr1-deficient mice

The development of the cerebral cortex is a tightly regulated process that relies on exquisitely coordinated actions of intrinsic and extrinsic cues. Here, we show that the communication between forebrain meninges and apical neural progenitor cells (aNPC) is essential to cortical development, and that the basal compartment of aNPC is key to this communication process. We found that Celsr1, a cadherin of the adhesion G protein coupled receptor family, controls branching of aNPC basal processes abutting the meninges and thereby regulates retinoic acid (RA)-dependent neurogenesis. Loss-of-function of Celsr1 results in a decreased number of endfeet, modifies RA-dependent transcriptional activity and biases aNPC commitment toward self-renewal at the expense of basal progenitor and neuron production. The mutant cortex has a reduced number of neurons, and Celsr1 mutant mice exhibit microcephaly and behavioral abnormalities. Our results uncover an important role for Celsr1 protein and for the basal compartment of neural progenitor cells in fate decision during the development of the cerebral cortex.

4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma growth via beta-adrenoceptors in vitro and in vivo

Cigarette smoke is a risk factor for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). It contains several carcinogens known to initiate and promote tumorigenesis as well as metastasis. The nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) is one of the strongest carcinogens in tobacco and our previous studies have shown its proliferation-promoting role in the progression of ESCC. Recently, NNK was identified as an agonist for both beta1- and beta2-adrenoceptors. Thus, we hypothesized that the cancer-promoting effect of NNK was likely mediated through beta-adrenoceptors in ESCC. Therefore, we investigated the comprehensive role of NNK in ESCC in vitro and in vivo, and found that NNK promoted many oncogenic features including ESCC cell proliferation and xenograft tumor growth as well as ESCC cell migration and invasion. Western blotting showed that NNK induced significant up-regulation of phosphorylated ERK1/2, cyclin D1, Bcl-2, and vascular endothelial growth factor as well as down-regulation of Bax. Importantly, the oncogenic effects of NNK in ESCC and the altered protein expression were reversed to some extent by down-regulation of beta1- and beta2-adrenoceptors with the beta2-adrenoceptor showing a greater rescue effect. Taken together, our in vitro and in vivo results demonstrate that NNK plays an oncogenic role in ESCC through beta-adrenoceptors. Furthermore, beta2-adrenoceptor might play a more important role in this process. Our findings might provide a chemoprevention and therapy strategy for cigarette smoke-related ESCC carcinogenesis.

Enhanced tumorigenic potential of colorectal cancer cells by extracellular sulfatases

Heparan sulfate endosulfatase-1 and -2 (SULF1 and SULF2) are two important extracellular 6-O-endosulfatases that remove 6-O sulfate groups of N-glucosamine along heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycan chains often found in the extracellular matrix. The HS sulfation pattern influences signaling events at the cell surface, which are critical for interactions with growth factors and their receptors. SULFs are overexpressed in several types of human tumors, but their role in cancer is still unclear because their molecular mechanism has not been fully explored and understood. To further investigate the functions of these sulfatases in tumorigenesis, stable overexpression models of these genes were generated in the colorectal cancer cells, Caco-2 and HCT-116. Importantly, mimicking overexpression of these sulfatases resulted in increased viability and proliferation, and augmented cell migration. These effects were reverted by shRNA-mediated knockdown of SULF1 or SULF2 and by the addition of unfractionated heparin. Detailed structural analysis of HS from cells overexpressing SULFs showed reduction in the trisulfated disaccharide UA(2S)-GlcNS(6S) and corresponding increase in UA(2S)-GlcNS disaccharide, as well as an unexpected rise in less common disaccharides containing GlcNAc(6S) residues. Moreover, cancer cells transfected with SULFs demonstrated increased Wnt signaling. In summary, SULF1 or SULF2 overexpression contributes to colorectal cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.

IMPLICATIONS

This study reveals that sulfatases have oncogenic effects in colon cancer cells, suggesting an important role for these enzymes in cancer progression.

Disulfiram suppresses growth of the malignant pleural mesothelioma cells in part by inducing apoptosis

Dithiocarbamate compound Disulfiram (DSF) that binds with copper and functions as an inhibitor of aldehyde dehydrogenase is a Food and Drug Administration approved agent for treatment of alcoholism. Copper complexed DSF (DSF-Cu) also possesses anti-tumor and chemosensitizing properties; however, its molecular mechanisms of action remain unclear. Here we investigated malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) suppressive effects of DSF-Cu and the molecular mechanisms involved. DSF-Cu inhibited growth of the murine as well as human MPM cells in part by increasing levels of ubiquitinated proteins. DSF-Cu exposure stimulated apoptosis in MPM cells that involved activation of stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs) p38 and JNK1/2, caspase-3, and cleavage of poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase, as well as increased expression of sulfatase 1 and apoptosis transducing CARP-1/CCAR1 protein. Gene-array based analyses revealed that DSF-Cu suppressed cell growth and metastasis-promoting genes including matrix metallopeptidase 3 and 10. DSF inhibited MPM cell growth and survival by upregulating cell cycle inhibitor p27Kip1, IGFBP7, and inhibitors of NF-κB such as ABIN 1 and 2 and Inhibitory κB (IκB)α and β proteins. DSF-Cu promoted cleavage of vimentin, as well as serine-phosphorylation and lysine-63 linked ubiquitination of podoplanin. Administration of 50 mg/kg DSF-Cu by daily i.p injections inhibited growth of murine MPM cell-derived tumors in vivo. Although podoplanin expression often correlates with metastatic disease and poor prognosis, phosphorylation of serines in cytoplasmic domain of podoplanin has recently been shown to interfere with cellular motility and migration signaling. Post-translational modification of podoplanin and cleavage of vimentin by DSF-Cu underscore a metastasis inhibitory property of this agent and together with our in vivo studies underscore its potential as an anti-MPM agent.