Targeted glypican-3 gene transcription inhibited the proliferation of human hepatoma cells by specific short hairpin RNA. Tumour Biol. 2013;34:661-668. [PMID: 23192642 PMCID: PMC3597277 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-012-0593-y]

Heparan sulfate proteoglycans and their modification as promising anticancer targets in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common types of primary liver cancer. Despite advancements in the treatment strategies of HCC, there is an urgent requirement to identify and develop novel therapeutic drugs that do not lead to resistance. These novel agents should have the potential to influence the primary mechanisms participating in the pathogenesis of HCC. Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are major elements of the extracellular matrix that perform structural and signaling functions. HSPGs protect against invasion of tumor cells by preventing cell infiltration and intercellular adhesion. Several enzymes, such as heparanase, matrix metalloproteinase-9 and sulfatase-2, have been reported to affect HSPGs, leading to their degradation and thus enhancing tumor invasion. In addition, some compounds that are produced from the degradation of HSPGs, including glypican-3 and syndecan-1, enhance tumor progression. Thus, the identification of enzymes that affect HSPGs or their degradation products in HCC may lead to the development of novel therapeutic targets. The present review discusses the main enzymes and compounds associated with HSPGs, and their involvement with the pathogenicity of HCC.

Oncogenic Wnt3a: A Candidate Specific Marker and Novel Molecular Target for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background and aim: It is of the utmost importance for the specific diagnosis and effective therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Abnormality of oncogenic Wingless-type MMTV integration site family member 3a (Wnt3a) has been associated with progression of HCC. In this study, we aimed to evaluate Wnt3a as a novel biomarker and target for HCC.

Methods: Circulating Wnt3a levels were quantitatively detected in a cohort of chronic liver diseases by an enzyme-linked immune-absorbent assay (ELISA). Hepatic Wnt3a expression in HCC and para-cancerous tissues was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Prognostic value of Wnt3a for HCC was discovered in the cohort from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Dynamic alterations of Wnt3a levels were detected in the hepatocarcinogenesis model induced by 2-acetylaminofluorene. Effects of Wnt3a on biological behaviors were evaluated in vitro and in vivo based on Crispr/Cas9.

Results: Up-regulated Wnt3a levels were observed in serum of HCC patients with high specificity and sensitivity for HCC diagnosis. Combination of Wnt3a and AFP could improve sensitivity to 93.9% in serological detection. In addition, Wnt3a expression in HCC tissues was significantly higher than that in para-cancerous tissues. The cohort of TCGA demonstrated that high Wnt3a expression led to a poor survival of HCC patients, especially in cases at advanced stages. Furthermore, the hepatocarcinogenesis model showed that Wnt3a dynamically increased in the development of HCC. Functionally, silencing Wnt3a by Crispr/Cas9 suppressed the proliferation, colony formation, induced cell cycle arrest of HCC cells by de-activating Wnt/β-catenin pathway in vitro, and inhibited xenograft tumor growth in vivo.

Conclusions: Oncogenic Wnt3a could be considered as a candidate biomarker and novel target for HCC.

Low glucose metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma with GPC3 expression

AIM

To investigate the relationship between glucose metabolism and glypican-3 (GPC3) expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

Immunohistochemical staining of pathological samples for GPC3 and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), and whole-body ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT for measuring tumour glucose uptake were performed in 55 newly diagnosed HCC patients. The maximum standard uptake value (SUV_max) and tumour-to-non-tumourous liver uptake (T/NT) ratio were used to quantify ¹⁸F-FDG uptake. In vitro¹⁸F-FDG uptake assay of GPC3-expressing HepG2 and non-GPC3-expressing RH7777 cells was used to examine the effect of GPC3 in cellular glucose metabolism. The relationships between GPC3 expression and ¹⁸F-FDG uptake, GLUT1 expression, tumour differentiation, and other clinical indicators were analysed using Spearman rank correlation, univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

Positive GPC3 expression was observed in 67.3% of HCC patients, including 75.0% of those with well or moderately differentiated HCC and 36.4% of those with poorly differentiated HCC. There was an inverse relationship between GPC3 expression and SUV_max (Spearman correlation coefficient = -0.281, P = 0.038) and a positive relationship between GLUT1 expression and SUV_max (Spearman correlation coefficient = 0.681, P < 0.001) in patients with HCC. Univariate analysis showed that two glucose metabolic parameters (SUV_max and T/NT ratio), tumour differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and TNM stage were all significantly associated with GPC3 expression (P < 0.05), whereas GLUT1 expression, sex, age, tumour size, intrahepatic lesion number, and distant metastasis showed no statistical association (P > 0.05). Further multivariate analysis revealed that only the T/N ratio was significantly correlated with GPC3 expression in patients with HCC (P < 0.05). In vitro assay revealed that the uptake of ¹⁸F-FDG in GPC3-expressing HepG2 cells was significantly lower than that of non-GPC3-expressing RH7777 cells (t = -20.352, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The present study demonstrated that GPC3 expression is inversely associated with glucose metabolism, suggesting that GPC3 may play a role in regulating glucose metabolism in HCC.

Expression of oncofetal antigen glypican-3 associates significantly with poor prognosis in HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide with poor prognosis. However, its prognostic evaluation is still an urgent problem. The objectives of this present study were to investigate oncofetal antigen glypican-3 (GPC-3) expression in HCC and their match para-cancerous tissues by the array technology with immunohistochemistry and estimate its value as a novel prognostic marker for HCC. The incidence of GPC-3 expression was 95.7 % in the cancerous tissues with significantly higher (χ² = 33.824, P < 0.001) than that in the para-cancerous tissues (52.2 %). Abnormal expression of GPC-3 in HCC tissues was markedly related to poor or moderate differentiation (P < 0.001), hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (P = 0.004), periportal cancer embolus (P = 0.043), and tumor-node- metastasis staging (P = 0.038). According to the univariate and multivariate analysis, the overall survival of HCC patients with high GPC-3 level was significantly worse than those with low or without GPC-3 expression (P < 0.001), suggesting that abnormal GPC-3 expression should be an independent prognostic factor for HBV-related HCC patient's survival.

Glypican-3: A promising biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis and treatment

Liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type. Therefore, molecular targets are urgently required for the early detection of HCC and the development of novel therapeutic approaches. Glypican-3 (GPC3), an oncofetal proteoglycan anchored to the cell membrane, is normally detected in the fetal liver but not in the healthy adult liver. However, in HCC patients, GPC3 is overexpressed at both the gene and protein levels, and its expression predicts a poor prognosis. Mechanistic studies have revealed that GPC3 functions in HCC progression by binding to molecules such as Wnt signaling proteins and growth factors. Moreover, GPC3 has been used as a target for molecular imaging and therapeutic intervention in HCC. To date, GPC3-targeted magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and near-infrared imaging have been investigated for early HCC detection, and various immunotherapeutic protocols targeting GPC3 have been developed, including the use of humanized anti-GPC3 cytotoxic antibodies, treatment with peptide/DNA vaccines, immunotoxin therapies, and genetic therapies. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge regarding the structure, function, and biology of GPC3 with a focus on its clinical potential as a diagnostic molecule and a therapeutic target in HCC immunotherapy.

Advances in the study of oncofetal antigen glypican-3 expression in HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma

Early specific diagnosis and effective treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are crucial. Expression of membrane-associated heparan sulfate proteoglycan glypican-3 (GPC-3) was recently found to increase as part of the malignant transformation of hepatocytes, and this increase is especially marked in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, periportal cancerous embolus, or extra-hepatic metastasis. According to data from basic and clinical studies, the oncofetal antigen GPC-3 is a highly specific diagnostic biomarker of HCC and an indicator of its prognosis, and GPC-3 is also a promising target molecule for HCC gene therapy since it may play a crucial role in cell proliferation, metastasis, and invasion and it may mediate oncogenesis and oncogenic signaling pathways. This review summarizes recent advances in the use of oncofetal antigen GPC-3 to diagnose HBV-related HCC, estimate its prognosis, and its targeted therapy.

Glypican-3 is a biomarker and a therapeutic target of hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

The carcinogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a multi-factorial, multi-step and complex process. Early diagnosis and effective treatments are of utmost importance. This review summarized the recent studies of oncofetal glypican-3 (GPC-3), a membrane-associated heparan sulfate proteoglycan, in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC.

DATA SOURCES

English-language reports published from June 2001 to September 2014 were searched from MEDLINE. The key words searched included: GPC-3, biomarker, target and HCC. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were extracted, and the effect of GPC-3 targeted therapy on HCC was also evaluated.

RESULTS

GPC-3 plays a crucial role in HCC cell proliferation and metastasis. It mediates oncogenesis involving signaling pathways during hepatocyte malignant transformation. GPC-3 expression is increased in atypical hyperplasia and cancerous tissues. GPC-3 levels in HCC patients are related to HBV infection, TNM stage, periportal cancerous embolus, and extrahepatic metastasis. The diagnostic accuracy of the combination of serum GPC-3 and alpha-fetoprotein in HCC is up to 94.3%. Down-regulation of GPC-3 with specific siRNA or anti-GPC-3 antibody alters cell migration, metastasis and invasion behaviors. The nude mice xenograft tumor growth is inhibited by silencing GPC-3 gene transcription.

CONCLUSION

Oncofetal GPC-3 is a highly specific biomarker for the diagnosis of HCC and a promising target molecule for HCC gene therapy.

Oncofetal glypican-3: Specific diagnosis and targeted-therapy for primary liver cancer

The development and progression of primary hepatocellular cancer (PHC) are a multi- factorial, multi-step, and multi-center complex process. Its early diagnosis and effective treatments are of the most importance. Glypican-3 (GPC-3) plays a crucial role in PHC progression. Increased GPC-3 expression has been found during hepatocyte malignant transformation. GPC-3 levels in PHC patients are related to HBV infection, TNM stage, periportal cancerous embolus, and extra-hepatic metastasis. Circulating GPC-3 or GPC-3 mRNA with AFP enhances the positive rate up to 94.3% for PHC diagnosis. Down-regulating GPC-3 by specific siRNA could alter liver cancer cell biological behaviors such as migration, metastasis, and invasion; and inhibit nude mouse xenograft growth with decreased β-catenin, p-GSK3β, and cyclin D1 expression, suggesting that oncofetal GPC-3 is not only a specific diagnostic biomarker for PHC, but also a promising target for PHC therapy.

Biomarker-based MicroRNA Therapeutic Strategies for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key factors involved in a series of biological processes, ranging from embryogenesis to programmed cell death. Its link to aberrant expression profiles has rendered it a potentially attractive tool for the diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment of various diseases. Accumulating evidence has indicated that miRNAs act as tumor suppressors in hepatocyte malignant transformation by regulating development, differentiation, proliferation, and tumorigenesis. Here, we summarize recent progress in the development of novel biomarker-based miRNA therapeutic strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Biomarker-based MicroRNA Therapeutic Strategies for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key factors involved in a series of biological processes, ranging from embryogenesis to programmed cell death. Its link to aberrant expression profiles has rendered it a potentially attractive tool for the diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment of various diseases. Accumulating evidence has indicated that miRNAs act as tumor suppressors in hepatocyte malignant transformation by regulating development, differentiation, proliferation, and tumorigenesis. Here, we summarize recent progress in the development of novel biomarker-based miRNA therapeutic strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Down-regulation of glypican-3 gene transcription inhibits hepatoma cell invasion and angiogenesis

AIM: To investigate whether down-regulation of glypican-3 (GPC-3) gene transcription by short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) inhibits hepatoma MHCC-97H cell invasion and angiogenesis.

METHODS: Specific GPC-3 shRNAs were transfected into MHCC-97H cells. GPC-3 mRNA and protein expression was analyzed by fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot, respectively. Hepatoma cell proliferation was detected by 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine and sulforhodamine B assay, and cell migration and invasion were assessed by wound healing and transwell assays.

RESULTS: After MHCC-97H cells were transfected with shRNA1, GPC-3 mRNA expression was down-regulated by 75.6% (t = 15.473, P < 0.001), cell proliferation was inhibited significantly, and cell migration and invasion were decreased. β-catenin expression was down-regulated by 67.7%, and glioma-associated oncogene 1 (Gli1) expression was up-regulated by 53.5% in MHCC-97H cells. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was significantly decreased (54.2%, t = 46.746, P < 0.001) in cells transfected with shRNA1 compared with control cells.

CONCLUSION: shRNA-mediated GPC-3 knockdown inhibits the migration, invasion and angiogenesis of hepatoma cells possibly through Wnt/β-catenin and Hh signaling pathways.

Glypican-3 as an emerging molecular target for hepatocellular carcinoma gene therapy

Glypican-3 (GPC-3), a membrane-associated heparan sulfate proteoglycan, plays a crucial role in cell proliferation and metastasis, particularly in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression, and perhaps is a valuable target for its gene therapy. However, its mechanism remains to be explored. In the present study, the biological behaviors of HCC cells were investigated by interfering GPC-3 gene transcription. After the cells were transfected with specific GPC-3 short hairpin RNA (shRNA), the inhibition of GPC-3 expression was 75.6 % in MHCC-97H or 73.8 % in Huh7 cells at mRNA level; the rates of proliferation and apoptosis were 53.6 and 60.5 % in MHCC-97H or 54.9 and 54.4 % in Huh7 cells, with the cell cycles arrested in the G1 phase; the incidences of cell migration, metastasis, and invasion inhibition were 80.1, 56.4, and 69.1 % in MHCC-97H or 80.9, 59.6, and 58.3 % in Huh7 cells, respectively. The cell biological behaviors were altered by silencing GPC-3 with down-regulation of β-catenin, insulin-like growth factor-II and vascular endothelial growth factor, and Gli1 up-regulation. The cell proliferation was significantly inhibited (up to 95.11 %) by shRNA plus anti-cancer drugs, suggesting that GPC-3 gene should be a potential target for promoting hepatoma cell apoptosis and inhibiting metastasis through the Wnt/β-catenin and Hh singling pathways.