Overexpression of ING5 inhibits HGF-induced proliferation, invasion and EMT in thyroid cancer cells via regulation of the c-Met/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

Deciphering the dual roles of PHD finger proteins from oncogenic drivers to tumor suppressors

PHD (plant homeodomain) finger proteins emerge as central epigenetic readers and modulators in cancer biology, orchestrating a broad spectrum of cellular processes pivotal to oncogenesis and tumor suppression. This review delineates the dualistic roles of PHD fingers in cancer, highlighting their involvement in chromatin remodeling, gene expression regulation, and interactions with cellular signaling networks. PHD fingers' ability to interpret specific histone modifications underscores their influence on gene expression patterns, impacting crucial cancer-related processes such as cell proliferation, DNA repair, and apoptosis. The review delves into the oncogenic potential of certain PHD finger proteins, exemplified by PHF1 and PHF8, which promote tumor progression through epigenetic dysregulation and modulation of signaling pathways like Wnt and TGFβ. Conversely, it discusses the tumor-suppressive functions of PHD finger proteins, such as PHF2 and members of the ING family, which uphold genomic stability and inhibit tumor growth through their interactions with chromatin and transcriptional regulators. Additionally, the review explores the therapeutic potential of targeting PHD finger proteins in cancer treatment, considering their pivotal roles in regulating cancer stem cells and influencing the immune response to cancer therapy. Through a comprehensive synthesis of current insights, this review underscores the complex but promising landscape of PHD finger proteins in cancer biology, advocating for further research to unlock novel therapeutic avenues that leverage their unique cellular roles.

Investigation of the effects of phthalates on in vitro thyroid models with RNA-Seq and ATAC-Seq

Introduction

Phthalates are a class of endocrine-disrupting chemicals that have been shown to negatively correlate with thyroid hormone serum levels in humans and to cause a state of hyperactivity in the thyroid. However, their mechanism of action is not well described at the molecular level.

Methods

We analyzed the response of mouse thyroid organoids to the exposure to a biologically relevant dose range of the phthalates bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-iso-decylphthalate (DIDP), di-iso-nonylphthalate (DINP), and di-n-octylphthalate (DnOP) for 24 h and simultaneously analyzed mRNA and miRNA expression via RNA sequencing. Using the expression data, we performed differential expression and gene set enrichment analysis. We also exposed the human thyroid follicular epithelial cell line Nthy-ori 3-1 to 1 µM of DEHP or DINP for 5 days and analyzed changes in chromatin accessibility via ATAC-Seq.

Results

Dose-series analysis showed how the expression of several genes increased or decreased at the highest dose tested. As expected with the low dosing scheme, the compounds induced a modest response on the transcriptome, as we identified changes in only mmu-miR-143-3p after DINP treatment and very few differentially expressed genes. No effect was observed on thyroid markers. Ing5, a component of histones H3 and H4 acetylation complexes, was consistently upregulated in three out of four conditions compared to control, and we observed a partial overlap among the genes differentially expressed by the treatments. Gene set enrichment analysis showed enrichment in the treatment samples of the fatty acid metabolism pathway and in the control of pathways related to the receptor signalling and extracellular matrix organization. ATAC-Seq analysis showed a general increase in accessibility compared to the control, however we did not identify significant changes in accessibility in the identified regions.

Discussion

With this work, we showed that despite having only a few differentially expressed genes, diverse analysis methods could be applied to retrieve relevant information on phthalates, showing the potential of in vitro thyroid-relevant systems for the analysis of endocrine disruptors.

Newly identified tumor suppressor functions of ING proteins

The INhibitor of Growth (ING) proteins (ING1, ING2, ING3, ING4 and ING5) are a family of epigenetic regulators. Their decreased expression in numerous cancers led to identifying the ING proteins as gatekeeper tumor suppressors as they regulate cell cycle progression, apoptosis and senescence. Subsequently, they were also described as caretaker tumor suppressors through their involvement in DNA replication and the DNA damage response (DDR). Recent studies have identified new interactions of the ING proteins with proteins or pathways implicated in cell proliferation, the maintenance of stem cells pluripotency or the DDR. Furthermore, the ING proteins have been identified as regulators of ribosomal RNA synthesis and of mRNA stability and as regulators of mitochondrial DNA transcription resulting in the regulation of metabolism. These new findings highlight new antitumorigenic activities of the ING proteins that are potential targets for cancer treatment.

The roles of ING5 in cancer: A tumor suppressor

As a Class II tumor suppressor, ING5 contains nuclear localization signal, plant homeodomain, novel conserved region, and leucine zipper-like domains. ING5 proteins form homodimer into a coil-coil structure, and heterodimers with ING4, histone H3K4me3, histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complex, Tip60, Cyclin A1/CDK2, INCA1 and EBNA3C for the transcription of target genes. The acetylated proteins up-regulated by ING5 are preferentially located in nucleus and act as transcription cofactors, chromatin and DNA binding functions, while those down-regulated by ING5 mostly in cytoplasm and contribute to metabolism. ING5 promotes the autoacetylation of HAT p300, p53, histone H3 and H4 for the transcription of downstream genes (Bax, GADD45, p21, p27 and so forth). Transcriptionally, YY1 and SRF up-regulate ING5 mRNA expression by the interaction of YY1-SRF-p53-ING5 complex with ING5 promoter. Translationally, ING5 is targeted by miR-196, miR-196a, miR-196b-5p, miR-193a-3p, miR-27-3p, miR-200b/200a/429, miR-1307, miR-193, miR-222, miR-331-3p, miR-181b, miR-543 and miR-196-b. ING5 suppresses proliferation, migration, invasion and tumor growth of various cancer cells via the suppression of EGFR/PI3K/Akt, IL-6/STAT3, Akt/NF-κB/NF-κB/MMP-9 or IL-6/CXCL12 pathway. ING5-mediated chemoresistance is closely linked to anti-apoptosis, overexpression of chemoresistant genes, the activation of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin signal pathways. Histologically, ING5 abrogation in gastric stem-like and pdx1-positive cells causes gastric dysplasia and cancer, and conditional ING5 knockout in pdx1-positive and gastric chief cells increases MNU-induced gastric carcinogenesis. Intestinal ING5 deletion increases AOM/DSS- induced colorectal carcinogenesis and decreases high-fat-diet weight. The overexpression and nucleocytoplasmic translocation of ING5 are seen during carcinogenesis, and ING5 expression was inversely associated with aggressive behaviors and poor prognosis in a variety of cancers. These findings indicated that ING5 might be used for a molecular marker for carcinogenesis and following progression, and as a target for gene therapy if its chemoresistant function might be ameliorated.

Transcriptional Regulation of ING5 and its Suppressive Effects on Gastric Cancer

ING5 targets histone acetyltransferase or histone deacetylase complexes for local chromatin remodeling. Its transcriptional regulation and suppressive effects on gastric cancer remain elusive. Luciferase assay, EMSA, and ChIP were used to identify the cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors of the ING5 gene. We analyzed the effects of SAHA on the aggressive phenotypes of ING5 transfectants, and the effects of different ING5 mutants on aggressive phenotypes in SGC-7901 cells. Finally, we observed the effects of ING5 abrogation on gastric carcinogenesis. EMSA and ChIP showed that both SRF (−717 to −678 bp) and YY1 (−48 to 25bp) interacted with the promoter of ING5 and up-regulated ING5 expression in gastric cancer via SRF-YY1-ING5-p53 complex formation. ING5, SRF, and YY1 were overexpressed in gastric cancer, (P<0.05), and associated with worse prognosis of gastric cancer patients (P<0.05). ING5 had positive relationships with SRF and YY1 expression in gastric cancer (P<0.05). SAHA treatment caused early arrest at S phase in ING5 transfectants of SGC-7901 (P<0.05), and either 0.5 or 1.0 μM SAHA enhanced their migration and invasion (P<0.05). The wild-type and mutant ING5 transfectants showed lower viability and invasion than the control (P<0.05) with low CDC25, VEGF, and MMP-9 expression. Gastric spontaneous adenocarcinoma was observed in Atp4b-cre; ING5^f/f, Pdx1-cre; ING5^f/f, and K19-cre; ING5^f/f mice. ING5 deletion increased the sensitivity of MNU-induced gastric carcinogenesis. ING5 mRNA might be a good marker of gastric carcinogenesis, and poor prognosis. ING5 expression was positively regulated by the interaction of SRF-YY1-ING5-p53 complex within the ING5 promoter from −50 bp upstream to the transcription start site. ING5 deletion might contribute to the tumorigenesis and histogenesis of gastric cancer.

CircSND1/miR-182-5p Axis Promotes Proliferative and Invasive Abilities of Thyroid Cancer via Binding Targeting MET

Objective. To monitor the impacts of circSND1 upon thyroid cancer (TC) tissues and cells and its mechanisms. Methods. Thiazole blue (MTT) was adopted to monitor the impacts of circSND1 upon the proliferative abilities of TPC-1 and SW1736 cells. 5-Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) combined with flow cytometry was adopted to monitor the impacts of circSND1 upon the DNA synthesis of TPC-1 and SW1736 cells. We adopted transwell experiment to examine the impacts of circSND1 on cell invasive abilities of TPC-1 and SW1736 cells. The mRNA quantitative levels of circSND1, miR-182-5p, and mesenchymal epidermal transformation factor (MET) in TC tissues were detected by qRT-PCR experiment. We also adopted luciferase assay to verify the targeting interaction between miR-182-5p and MET or miR-182-5p and circSND1. Results. CircSND1 mRNA and MET mRNA were upregulated in thyroid cancer tissues. MiR-182-5p quantification was attenuated in thyroid cancer tissues. Downregulation of circSND1 suppressed TC progression in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, luciferase report assay uncovered that miR-182-5p was a direct binding target of circSND1 and MET was a direct binding target of miR-182-5p. Besides, circSND1 regulated MET expression and thyroid cancer cell function via binding miR-182-5p. Conclusion. Overexpression of circSND1 in TC tissues and cells facilitates TC tumorigenesis and metastasis via suppressing the quantitative level of miR-182-5p and inducing the upregulation of MET mRNA and protein expression, which expected to offer fresh clues for the administration of TC.

E-cadherin on epithelial-mesenchymal transition in thyroid cancer

Thyroid carcinoma is a common malignant tumor of endocrine system and head and neck. Recurrence, metastasis and high malignant expression after routine treatment are serious clinical problems, so it is of great significance to explore its mechanism and find action targets. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is associated with tumor malignancy and invasion. One key change in tumour EMT is low expression of E-cadherin. Therefore, this article reviews the expression of E-cadherin in thyroid cancers (TC), discuss the potential mechanisms involved, and outline opportunities to exploit E-cadherin on regulating the occurrence of EMT as a critical factor in cancer therapeutics.

Proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses identify liver-related signaling in retinal pigment epithelial cells during EMT

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is associated with several blinding retinal diseases. Using proteomics and phosphoproteomics studies of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived RPE monolayers with induced EMT, we capture kinase/phosphatase signaling cascades 1 h and 12 h after induction to better understand the pathways mediating RPE EMT. Induction by co-treatment with transforming growth factor β and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TGNF) or enzymatic dissociation perturbs signaling in many of the same pathways, with striking similarity in the respective phosphoproteomes at 1 h. Liver hyperplasia and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-MET signaling exhibit the highest overall enrichment. We also observe that HGF and epidermal growth factor signaling, two cooperative pathways inhibited by EMT induction, regulate the RPE transcriptional profile.

A Novel Splice Variant of the Inhibitor of Growth 3 Lacks the Plant Homeodomain and Regulates Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Prostate Cancer Cells

Inhibitor of growth 3 (ING3) is one of five members of the ING tumour suppressor family, characterized by a highly conserved plant homeodomain (PHD) as a reader of the histone mark H3K4me3. ING3 was reported to act as a tumour suppressor in many different cancer types to regulate apoptosis. On the other hand, ING3 levels positively correlate with poor survival prognosis of prostate cancer (PCa) patients. In PCa cells, ING3 acts rather as an androgen receptor (AR) co-activator and harbours oncogenic properties in PCa. Here, we show the identification of a novel ING3 splice variant in both the human PCa cell line LNCaP and in human PCa patient specimen. The novel ING3 splice variant lacks exon 11, ING3∆ex11, which results in deletion of the PHD, providing a unique opportunity to analyse functionally the PHD of ING3 by a natural splice variant. Functionally, overexpression of ING3Δex11 induced morphological changes of LNCaP-derived 3D spheroids with generation of lumen and pore-like structures within spheroids. Since these structures are an indicator of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), key regulatory factors and markers for EMT were analysed. The data suggest that in contrast to ING3, ING3Δex11 specifically modulates the expression of key EMT-regulating upstream transcription factors and induces the expression of EMT markers, indicating that the PHD of ING3 inhibits EMT. In line with this, ING3 knockdown also induced the expression of EMT markers, confirming the impact of ING3 on EMT regulation. Further, ING3 knockdown induced cellular senescence via a pathway leading to cell cycle arrest, indicating an oncogenic role for ING3 in PCa. Thus, the data suggest that the ING3Δex11 splice variant lacking functional PHD exhibits oncogenic characteristics through triggering EMT in PCa cells.

Identification of the EMT-Related Genes Signature for Predicting Occurrence and Progression in Thyroid Cancer

BACKGROUND

The detection rate of thyroid cancer (TC) has been continuously improved due to the development of detection technology. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is thought to be closely related to the malignant progression of tumors. However, the relationship between EMT-related genes (ERGs) characteristics and the diagnosis and prognosis of TC patients has not been studied.

METHODS

Four datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were used to perform transcriptomic profile analysis. The overlapping differentially expressed ERGs (DEERGs) were analyzed using the R package "limma". Then, the hub genes, which had a higher degree, were identified by the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Gene expression analysis between the TC and normal data, the disease-free survival (DFS) analysis of TC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas Thyroid Cancer (TCGA-THCA) cohort, function analysis, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed to verify the importance of the hub genes. Finally, a prognostic risk scoring was constructed to predict DFS in patients with the selected genes.

RESULTS

A total of 43 DEERGs were identified and 10 DEERGs were considered hub ERGs, which had a high degree of connectivity in the PPI network. Then, the differential expressions of FN1, ITGA2, and KIT between TC and normal tissues were verified in the TCGA-THCA cohort and their protein expressions were also verified by IHC. DFS analysis indicated upregulations of FN1 expression (P<0.01) and ITGA2 expression (P<0.01) and downregulation of KIT expression (P=0.01) increased risks of decreased DFS for TCGA-THCA patients. Besides, by building a prognostic risk scoring model, we found that the DFS of TCGA-THCA patients was significantly worse in high-risk groups.

CONCLUSION

In summary, these hub ERGs were potential biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of TC, which can provide a basis for further exploring the efficacy of EMT in patients with TC.

Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Chemoresistance in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) remains a cancer with poor prognosis and high recurrence rate. Even with multimodal treatment options available for OSCC, tumor drug resistance is still a persistent problem, leading to increased tumor invasiveness among OSCC patients. An emerging trend of thought proposes that extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a role in facilitating tumor progression and chemoresistance via signaling between tumor cells. In particular, exosomes and microvesicles are heavily implicated in this process by various studies. Where primary studies into a particular EV-mediated chemoresistance mechanism in OSCC are limited, similar studies on other cancer cell types will be used in the discussion below to provide ideas for a new line of investigation into OSCC chemoresistance. By understanding how EVs are or may be involved in OSCC chemoresistance, novel targeted therapies such as EV inhibition may be an effective alternative to current treatment options in the near future. In this review, the current understandings on OSCC drug mechanisms under the novel context of exosomes and microvesicles were reviewed, including shuttling of miRNA content, drug efflux, alteration of vesicular pH, anti-apoptotic signaling, modulation of DNA damage repair, immunomodulation, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and maintenance of tumor by cancer stem cells.

Structure-activity relationship study of novel quinazoline-based 1,6-naphthyridinones as MET inhibitors with potent antitumor efficacy

As a privileged scaffold, the quinazoline ring is widely used in the development of EGFR inhibitors, while few quinazoline-based MET inhibitors are reported. In our ongoing efforts to develop new MET-targeted anticancer drug candidates, a series of quinazoline-based 1,6-naphthyridinone derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their biological activities. The preliminary SARs studies indicate that the quinazoline scaffold was also acceptable for the block A of class II MET inhibitors. The further pharmacokinetic studies led to the identification of the most promising compound 22a with favorable in vitro potency (MET, IC₅₀ = 9.0 nM), human microsomal metabolic stability (t_1/2 = 621.2 min) and oral bioavailability (F = 42%). Moreover, 22a displayed good in vivo antitumor efficacy (IR of 81% in 75 mg/kg) in MET-positive human glioblastoma U-87 MG xenograft model. These positive results indicated that 22a is a potential new MET-targeted antitumor drug lead, which is worthy of further development.

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.

Role of PI3K/AKT pathway in cancer: the framework of malignant behavior

Given that the PI3K/AKT pathway has manifested its compelling influence on multiple cellular process, we further review the roles of hyperactivation of PI3K/AKT pathway in various human cancers. We state the abnormalities of PI3K/AKT pathway in different cancers, which are closely related with tumorigenesis, proliferation, growth, apoptosis, invasion, metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, stem-like phenotype, immune microenvironment and drug resistance of cancer cells. In addition, we investigated the current clinical trials of inhibitors against PI3K/AKT pathway in cancers and found that the clinical efficacy of these inhibitors as monotherapy has so far been limited despite of the promising preclinical activity, which means combinations of targeted therapy may achieve better efficacies in cancers. In short, we hope to feature PI3K/AKT pathway in cancers to the clinic and bring the new promising to patients for targeted therapies.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel N-sulfonylamidine-based derivatives as c-Met inhibitors via Cu-catalyzed three-component reaction

In our continuing efforts to develop novel c-Met inhibitors as potential anticancer candidates, a series of new N-sulfonylamidine derivatives were designed, synthesized via Cu-catalyzed multicomponent reaction (MCR) as the key step, and evaluated for their in vitro biological activities against c-Met kinase and four cancer cell lines (A549, HT-29, MKN-45 and MDA-MB-231). Most of the target compounds showed moderate to significant potency at both the enzyme-based and cell-based assay and possessed selectivity for A549 and HT-29 cancer cell lines. The preliminary SAR studies demonstrated that compound 26af (c-Met IC₅₀ = 2.89 nM) was the most promising compound compared with the positive foretinib, which exhibited the remarkable antiproliferative activities, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.28 to 0.72 μM. Mechanistic studies of 26af showed the anticancer activity was closely related to the blocking phosphorylation of c-Met, leading to cell cycle arresting at G2/M phase and apoptosis of A549 cells by a concentration-dependent manner. The promising compound 26af was further identified as a relatively selective inhibitor of c-Met kinase, which also possessed an acceptable safety profile and favorable pharmacokinetic properties in BALB/c mouse. The favorable drug-likeness of 26af suggested that N-sulfonylamidines may be used as a promising scaffold for antitumor drug development. Additionally, the docking study and molecular dynamics simulations of 26af revealed a common mode of interaction with the binding site of c-Met. These positive results indicated that compound 26af is a potential anti-cancer candidate for clinical trials, and deserves further development as a selective c-Met inhibitor.

MicroRNA-196b-5p promotes malignant progression of colorectal cancer by targeting ING5

Background

miR-196b-5p expression is deregulated in many malignant tumors. Although miR-196b-5p has been implicated in the malignant transformation of colorectal cancer, its role in this specific type of cancer has not been fully explored. Thus, the present study was aimed to examine the cellular function of miR-196b-5p and its role in malignant biological behavior in colorectal cancer.

Methods

miR-196b-5p expression was measured in colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines using quantitative real-time PCR. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and Transwell assay were used to detect proliferation, migration, and invasion in cell lines, whereas flow cytometry was applied to study apoptosis. Western blot analysis was performed to measure the protein levels. Dual luciferase reporter assay was used to investigate the interaction between miR-196b-5p and ING5. Tumor formation was evaluated in mice.

Results

MiR-196b-5p was abundantly expressed in colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines, whereas ING5 was expressed at low levels. MiR-196b-5p was successfully overexpressed or knocked down in colorectal cancer cells. We found that miR-196b-5p overexpression significantly accelerated the proliferation, cell cycle, migration and invasion, while inhibited cell apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells. However, miR-196b-5p inhibitor showed the opposite effects. Moreover, ING5 overexpression or knockdown was successfully performed in colorectal cancer cells. ING5 overexpression suppressed proliferation, migration, invasion, the phosphorylation of PI3K, Akt as well as MEK, and promoted cell apoptosis, which could be reversed by ING5 knockdown. Additionally, ING5 was identified as a target of miR-196b-5p through bioinformatics analysis and a luciferase activity assay. Furthermore, ING5 knockdown could attenuate the decrease in proliferation, migration, invasion, and the protein levels of p-PI3K, p-Akt, and p-MEK, which were induced by miRNA-196b-5p inhibitor. Besides, miR-196b-5p knockdown inhibited tumor growth, whereas ING5 knockdown elevated it in vivo.

Conclusions

In conclusion, miR-196b-5p promotes cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and inhibits apoptosis in colorectal cancer by targeting ING5.

Cancer Stem Cells in Thyroid Tumors: From the Origin to Metastasis

Thyroid tumors are extremely heterogeneous varying from almost benign tumors with good prognosis as papillary or follicular tumors, to the undifferentiated ones with severe prognosis. Recently, several models of thyroid carcinogenesis have been described, mostly hypothesizing a major role of the thyroid cancer stem cell (TCSC) population in both cancer initiation and metastasis formation. However, the cellular origin of TCSC is still incompletely understood. Here, we review the principal epigenetic mechanisms relevant to TCSC origin and maintenance in both well-differentiated and anaplastic thyroid tumors. Specifically, we describe the alterations in DNA methylation, histone modifiers, and microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in TCSC survival, focusing on the potential of targeting aberrant epigenetic modifications for developing novel therapeutic approaches. Moreover, we discuss the bidirectional relationship between TCSCs and immune cells. The cells of innate and adaptive response can promote the TCSC-driven tumorigenesis, and conversely, TCSCs may favor the expansion of immune cells with protumorigenic functions. Finally, we evaluate the role of the tumor microenvironment and the complex cross-talk of chemokines, hormones, and cytokines in regulating thyroid tumor initiation, progression, and therapy refractoriness. The re-education of the stromal cells can be an effective strategy to fight thyroid cancer. Dissecting the genetic and epigenetic landscape of TCSCs and their interactions with tumor microenvironment cells is urgently needed to select more appropriate treatment and improve the outcome of patients affected by advanced differentiated and undifferentiated thyroid cancers.

Expression analysis of microRNAs and mRNAs in myofibroblast differentiation of lung resident mesenchymal stem cells

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a serious lung disease that involved the myofibroblast differentiation of lung resident mesenchymal stem cells (LR-MSCs). However, the specific molecular mechanisms of myofibroblast differentiation of LR-MSCs still remain a mystery. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of miRNAs and mRNAs changes in LR-MSCs treated with TGF-β1 was performed. Through computational approaches, the pivotal roles of differentially expressed miRNAs that were associated with tight junction, pathways in cancer, focal adhesion, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction were shown. Kruppel-like factor 4 (Klf4) and inhibitor of growth family, member 5 (Ing5) may be the targets for the therapy of pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting myofibroblast differentiation of LR-MSCs and EMT. Collectively, a molecular paradigm for understanding myofibroblast differentiation of LR-MSCs in IPF was provided by the integrated miRNA/mRNA analyses.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in thyroid cancer: a comprehensive review

The Metastatic progression of solid tumors, such as thyroid cancer is a complex process which involves various factors. Current understanding on the role of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in thyroid carcinomas suggests that EMT is implicated in the progression from follicular thyroid cancer (FTC) and papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) to poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC) and anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC). According to the literature, the initiation of the EMT program in thyroid epithelial cells elevates the number of stem cells, which contribute to recurrent and metastatic diseases. The EMT process is orchestrated by a complex network of transcription factors, growth factors, signaling cascades, epigenetic modulations, and the tumor milieu. These factors have been shown to be dysregulated in thyroid carcinomas. Therefore, molecular interferences restoring the expression of tumor suppressors, or thwarting overexpressed oncogenes is a hopeful therapeutic method to improve the treatment of progressive diseases. In this review, we summarize the recent findings on EMT in thyroid cancer focusing on the main role-players and regulators of this process in thyroid tumors.

ARQ-197 enhances the antitumor effect of sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma cells via decelerating its intracellular clearance

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the heaviest malignant burdens in China. Molecular targeting agent, sorafenib, is the main therapeutic option for antitumor therapy of advanced HCC, but it is currently too expensive for the public and its therapeutic effect does not satisfy initial expectation. Therefore, it is important to develop more effective molecular targeted therapeutic strategies for advanced HCC.

Materials and methods

The antitumor effects of sorafenib or ARQ-197, an antagonist of c-MET (tyrosine-protein kinase Met or hepatocyte growth factor receptor), were examined by MTT or in murine tumor model. The effect of ARQ-197 on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) or multidrug resistance (MDR) was examined by quantitative real-time PCR for the expression of related genes. The clearance of sorafenib in HCC cells was detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry.

Results

ARQ-197 treatment enhanced the sensitivity of HCC cells to sorafenib. Mechanistic studies indicated that ARQ-197 inhibited the expression of EMT- and MDR-related genes. Moreover, ARQ-197 treatment decelerated the clearance of sorafenib in cultured HCC cells and subcutaneous HCC tumors in nude mice.

Conclusion

In the present work, our data suggested that ARQ-197 decelerated the clearance of sorafenib in HCC cells and enhanced the antitumor effect of sorafenib.

CircRNA circ_0067934 Overexpression Correlates with Poor Prognosis and Promotes Thyroid Carcinoma Progression

BACKGROUND Circular RNAs are important regulators in human cancers, including thyroid carcinoma. The circ_0067934 RNA is reported to participate in hepatocellular carcinoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and lung cancer. Whether it regulates thyroid carcinoma remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to research potential mechanisms of circ_0067934 in thyroid tumors to provide potential new diagnostic and treatment targets. MATERIAL AND METHODS The expression level of circ_0067934 in thyroid tumors, adjacent tissues, and cell lines was measured by qRT-PCR. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis was used to explore the relationship between circ_0067934 level and survival time of patients. Circ_0067934 was knocked down to research its functional role in thyroid tumors. Cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8 (cell counting kit-8) assay. Migration and invasion were analyzed by Transwell assay. Western blot was applied to analyze the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) and PI3K/AKT related proteins. RESULTS Compared with adjacent tissue, circ_0067934 was highly expressed in thyroid tumors. Circ_0067934 expression level was highly expressed in thyroid tumor cell lines. Patients with high expression of circ_0067934 showed lower survival rates. Knockdown of circ_0067934 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and also promoted apoptosis. In addition, circ_0067934 knockdown inhibited EMT and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS circ_0067934 could improve the development of thyroid carcinoma by promoting EMT and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.