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Du YN, Zhao JW. GDF15: Immunomodulatory Role in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Implications. J Hepatocell Carcinoma 2024; 11:1171-1183. [PMID: 38911292 PMCID: PMC11193986 DOI: 10.2147/jhc.s471239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally and the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Evidence shows that growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) contributes to hepatocarcinogenesis through various mechanisms. This paper reviews the latest insights into the role of GDF15 in the development of HCC, its role in the immune microenvironment of HCC, and its molecular mechanisms in metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD)-related HCC. Additionally, as a serum biomarker for HCC, diagnostic and prognostic value of GDF15 for HCC is summarized. The article elaborates on the immunological effects of GDF15, elucidating its effects on hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), liver fibrosis, as well as its role in HCC metastasis and tumor angiogenesis, and its interactions with anticancer drugs. Based on the impact of GDF15 on the immune response in HCC, future research should identify its signaling pathways, affected immune cells, and tumor microenvironment interactions. Clinical studies correlating GDF15 levels with patient outcomes can aid personalized treatment. Additionally, exploring GDF15-targeted therapies with immunotherapies could improve anti-tumor responses and patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ning Du
- Department of Medical Sciences, Li Ka-shing School of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jin-Wei Zhao
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, People’s Republic of China
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2
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Liu L, He Z, Jiang Z, Liu Z, Zhuang X. Acidity-induced ITGB6 promote migration and invasion of lung cancer cells by epithelial-mesenchymal transition and focal adhesion. Exp Cell Res 2024; 436:113962. [PMID: 38316250 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2024.113962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a prevalent tumor and acidic tumor microenvironment provides an energy source driving tumor progression. We previously demonstrated significantly upregulated Integrin β6 (ITGB6) in NSCLC cells. This study was designed to investigate the role of ITGB6 in NSCLC metastasis and explore the potential mechanisms. The expression of ITGB6 was evaluated in patients with NSCLC. Migration and invasion assays were utilized to investigate the role of ITGB6, and ChIP-qPCR and dual-luciferase reporter experiments preliminarily analyzed the relationship between ETS proto-oncogene 1 (ETS1) and ITGB6. Bioinformatics analysis and rescue models were performed to explore the underlying mechanisms. The results demonstrated that ITGB6 was upregulated in NSCLC patients and the difference was even more pronounced in patients with poor prognosis. Functionally, acidity-induced ITGB6 promoted migration and invasion of NSCLC cells in vitro, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and focal adhesion were the important mechanisms responsible for ITGB6-involved metastasis. Mechanistically, we revealed ETS1 enriched in the ITGB6 promoter region and promoted transcription to triggered the activation of subsequent signaling pathways. Moreover, ChIP-qPCR and dual-luciferase reporter experiments demonstrated that ETS1 played an important role in directly mediating ITGB6 expression. Furthermore, we found ITGB6 was responsible for the acidic microenvironment-mediated migration and invasion processes in NSCLC by performing rescue experiments with ITGB6 knockdown. Our findings indicated acidic microenvironment directly induced ETS1 to regulate the expression of ITGB6, and then the highly expressed ITGB6 further mediate EMT and activates the downstream focal adhesion pathways, eventually promotes the invasion and migration in NSCLC progression and metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linxin Liu
- Joint Laboratory for Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicine of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhuoru He
- Joint Laboratory for Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicine of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhangyu Jiang
- Joint Laboratory for Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicine of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhongqiu Liu
- Joint Laboratory for Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicine of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaojun Zhuang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
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Chen L, Ye X, Yang L, Zhao J, You J, Feng Y. Linking fatty liver diseases to hepatocellular carcinoma by hepatic stellate cells. JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL CANCER CENTER 2024; 4:25-35. [PMID: 39036388 PMCID: PMC11256631 DOI: 10.1016/j.jncc.2024.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), a distinct category of non-parenchymal cells in the liver, are critical for liver homeostasis. In healthy livers, HSCs remain non-proliferative and quiescent. However, under conditions of acute or chronic liver damage, HSCs are activated and participate in the progression and regulation of liver diseases such as liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Fatty liver diseases (FLD), including nonalcoholic (NAFLD) and alcohol-related (ALD), are common chronic inflammatory conditions of the liver. These diseases, often resulting from multiple metabolic disorders, can progress through a sequence of inflammation, fibrosis, and ultimately, cancer. In this review, we focused on the activation and regulatory mechanism of HSCs in the context of FLD. We summarized the molecular pathways of activated HSCs (aHSCs) in mediating FLD and their role in promoting liver tumor development from the perspectives of cell proliferation, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, immunosuppression, and chemo-resistance. We aimed to offer an in-depth discussion on the reciprocal regulatory interactions between FLD and HSC activation, providing new insights for researchers in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang'en Chen
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, First Affiliated Hospital, and Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiangshi Ye
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, First Affiliated Hospital, and Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lixian Yang
- Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou, China
| | - Jiangsha Zhao
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, First Affiliated Hospital, and Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jia You
- School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuxiong Feng
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, First Affiliated Hospital, and Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Li C, Wang Z, Zhang Y, Zhu Y, Xu M, Lei H, Zhang D. Efficient Sequential Co-Delivery Nanosystem for Inhibition of Tumor and Tumor-Associated Fibroblast-Induced Resistance and Metastasis. Int J Nanomedicine 2024; 19:1749-1766. [PMID: 38414527 PMCID: PMC10898601 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s427783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most lethal subtype of breast cancer. However, the effect of current treatment strategies by inducing tumor cell apoptosis alone is not satisfactory. The growth, metastasis and treatment sensitivity of tumors can be strongly influenced by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the microenvironment. Effective cancer therapies may need to target not only the tumor cells directly but also the CAFs that protect them. Methods Celastrol and small-sized micelles containing betulinic acid were co-encapsulated into liposomes using the thin-film hydration method (CL@BM). Folic acid was further introduced to modify liposomes as the targeting moiety (F/CL@BM). We established a novel NIH3T3+4T1 co-culture model to mimic the tumor microenvironment and assessed the nanocarrier's inhibitory effects on CAFs-induced drug resistance and migration in the co-culture model. The in vivo biological distribution, fluorescence imaging, biological safety evaluation, and combined therapeutic effect evaluation of the nanocarrier were carried out based on a triple-negative breast cancer model. Results In the present study, a novel multifunctional nano-formulation was designed by combining the advantages of sequential release, co-loading of tretinoin and betulinic acid, and folic acid-mediated active targeting. As expected, the nano-formulation exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity in different cellular models and effectively increased drug accumulation at the tumor site by disrupting the cellular barrier composed of CAFs by tretinoin. Notably, the co-loaded nano-formulations proved to be more potent in inhibiting tumor growth in mice and also showed better anti-metastatic effects in lung metastasis models compared to the formulations with either drug alone. This novel drug delivery system has the potential to be used to develop more effective cancer therapies. Conclusion Targeting CAFs with celastrol sensitizes tumor cells to chemotherapy, increasing the efficacy of betulinic acid. The combination of drugs targeting tumor cells and CAFs may lead to more effective therapies against various cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunhong Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhen Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China
| | - Yifeng Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuqing Zhu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China
| | - Maochang Xu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China
| | - Hui Lei
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China
| | - Dan Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China
- Green Pharmaceutical Technology Key Laboratory of Luzhou, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, People's Republic of China
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Chen Y, Zhou Y, Yan Z, Tong P, Xia Q, He K. Effect of infiltrating immune cells in tumor microenvironment on metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2023; 46:1595-1604. [PMID: 37414962 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-023-00841-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most lethal and prevalent human malignancies, leading to poor prognosis due to its high recurrence and metastasis rates. In recent years it has become increasingly evident that the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in tumor progression and metastasis. Tumor microenvironment (TME) refers to the complex tissue environment of tumor occurrence and development. Here, we summarize the development of HCC and the role of cellular and non-cellular components of the TME in the metastasis HCC, with particular reference to tumor-infiltrating immune cells. We also discuss some of the possible therapeutic targets for the TME and the future prospectives of this evolving field. SIGNIFICANCE: This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the role of the infiltrating immune cells in TME in the metastasis of HCC and highlights the future outlook for targeted therapy of the TME in the context of recent experiments revealing a number of therapeutic targets targeting the TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiwen Chen
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuhang Zhou
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China
| | - Ziyang Yan
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China
| | - Peilin Tong
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiang Xia
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China.
| | - Kang He
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China.
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Ezhilarasan D, Najimi M. Deciphering the possible reciprocal loop between hepatic stellate cells and cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment of the liver. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2023; 182:103902. [PMID: 36621514 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2022.103902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs)/myofibroblasts are the important sources of cancer-associated fibroblasts in the liver tumor microenvironment (TME). The crosstalk between activated HSCs and tumor cells mediates HCC progression, metastasis, tumor cell survival, angiogenesis and chemoresistance. In TME, HCC cells secrete various soluble factors responsible for the phenotypic activation of quiescent HSCs. Tumor cells use activated HSC-derived extracellular matrix (ECM) for migration and invasion. Further, in liver TME, activated HSCs and sinusoidal endothelial cells engage in a crosstalk that causes the secretion of angiogenesis and metastasis-related growth factors and cytokines. Activated HSCs and immune cells crosstalk to decrease immune surveillance in the liver TME by increasing the population of T regulatory cells and M2 macrophages or myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Thus, HSCs play a vital role in liver TME cell interactions. Therefore, a deep understanding of HSCs activation and their crosstalk with cancer and immune cells in TME may lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies to target HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devaraj Ezhilarasan
- Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600077, India.
| | - Mustapha Najimi
- Laboratory of Pediatric Hepatology and Cell Therapy, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique (IREC), UCLouvain, Brussels 1200, Belgium
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Wang Z, Saoud C, Wangsiricharoen S, James AW, Popel AS, Sulam J. Label Cleaning Multiple Instance Learning: Refining Coarse Annotations on Single Whole-Slide Images. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MEDICAL IMAGING 2022; 41:3952-3968. [PMID: 36037454 PMCID: PMC9825360 DOI: 10.1109/tmi.2022.3202759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Annotating cancerous regions in whole-slide images (WSIs) of pathology samples plays a critical role in clinical diagnosis, biomedical research, and machine learning algorithms development. However, generating exhaustive and accurate annotations is labor-intensive, challenging, and costly. Drawing only coarse and approximate annotations is a much easier task, less costly, and it alleviates pathologists' workload. In this paper, we study the problem of refining these approximate annotations in digital pathology to obtain more accurate ones. Some previous works have explored obtaining machine learning models from these inaccurate annotations, but few of them tackle the refinement problem where the mislabeled regions should be explicitly identified and corrected, and all of them require a - often very large - number of training samples. We present a method, named Label Cleaning Multiple Instance Learning (LC-MIL), to refine coarse annotations on a single WSI without the need for external training data. Patches cropped from a WSI with inaccurate labels are processed jointly within a multiple instance learning framework, mitigating their impact on the predictive model and refining the segmentation. Our experiments on a heterogeneous WSI set with breast cancer lymph node metastasis, liver cancer, and colorectal cancer samples show that LC-MIL significantly refines the coarse annotations, outperforming state-of-the-art alternatives, even while learning from a single slide. Moreover, we demonstrate how real annotations drawn by pathologists can be efficiently refined and improved by the proposed approach. All these results demonstrate that LC-MIL is a promising, lightweight tool to provide fine-grained annotations from coarsely annotated pathology sets.
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Abu El-Makarem MA, Kamel MF, Mohamed AA, Ali HA, Mohamed MR, Mohamed AEDM, El-Said AM, Ameen MG, Hassnine AA, Hassan HA. Down-regulation of hepatic expression of GHR/STAT5/IGF-1 signaling pathway fosters development and aggressiveness of HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma: Crosstalk with Snail-1 and type 2 transforming growth factor-beta receptor. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0277266. [PMID: 36374927 PMCID: PMC9662744 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and aims So far, few clinical trials are available concerning the role of growth hormone receptor (GHR)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5)/insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) axis in hepatocarcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hepatic expression of GHR/STAT5/IGF-1 signaling pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and to correlate the results with the clinico-pathological features and disease outcome. The interaction between this signaling pathway and some inducers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), namely Snail-1 and type 2 transforming growth factor-beta receptor (TGFBR2) was studied too. Material and methods A total of 40 patients with HCV-associated HCC were included in this study. They were compared to 40 patients with HCV-related cirrhosis without HCC, and 20 healthy controls. The hepatic expression of GHR, STAT5, IGF-1, Snail-1 and TGFBR2 proteins were assessed by immunohistochemistry. Results Compared with cirrhotic patients without HCC and healthy controls, cirrhotic patients with HCC had significantly lower hepatic expression of GHR, STAT5, and IGF-1proteins. They also displayed significantly lower hepatic expression of TGFBR2, but higher expression of Snail-1 versus the non-HCC cirrhotic patients and controls. Serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) showed significant negative correlations with hepatic expression of GHR (r = -0.31; p = 0.029) and STAT5 (r = -0.29; p = 0.04). Hepatic expression of Snail-1 also showed negative correlations with GHR, STAT5, and IGF-1 expression (r = -0.55, p = 0.02; r = -0.472, p = 0.035, and r = -0.51, p = 0.009, respectively), whereas, hepatic expression of TGFBR2 was correlated positively with the expression of all these proteins (r = 0.47, p = 0.034; 0.49, p = 0.023, and r = 0.57, p<0.001, respectively). Moreover, we reported that decreased expression of GHR was significantly associated with serum AFP level>100 ng/ml (p = 0.048), increased tumor size (p = 0.02), vascular invasion (p = 0.002), and advanced pathological stage (p = 0.01). Similar significant associations were found between down-regulation of STAT5 expression and AFP level > 100 ng/ml (p = 0.006), vascular invasion (p = 0.009), and advanced tumor stage (p = 0.007). Also, attenuated expression of IGF-1 showed a significant association with vascular invasion (p < 0.001). Intriguingly, we detected that lower expression of GHR, STAT5 and IGF-1 were considered independent predictors for worse outcome in HCC. Conclusion Decreased expression of GHR/STAT5/IGF-1 signaling pathway may have a role in development, aggressiveness, and worse outcome of HCV-associated HCC irrespective of the liver functional status. Snail-1 and TGFBR2 as inducers of EMT may be key players. However, large prospective multicenter studies are needed to validate these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona A. Abu El-Makarem
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt
- * E-mail:
| | - Mariana F. Kamel
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt
- Department of Pathology, Minia Oncology Center, Minia, Egypt
| | - Ahmed A. Mohamed
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt
| | - Hisham A. Ali
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud R. Mohamed
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt
| | | | - Ahmed M. El-Said
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud G. Ameen
- Department of Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assuit University, Assuit, Egypt
| | - Alshymaa A. Hassnine
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt
| | - Hatem A. Hassan
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt
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Proposal to Consider Chemical/Physical Microenvironment as a New Therapeutic Off-Target Approach. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14102084. [PMID: 36297518 PMCID: PMC9611316 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14102084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The molecular revolution could lead drug discovery from chance observation to the rational design of new classes of drugs that could simultaneously be more effective and less toxic. Unfortunately, we are witnessing some failure in this sense, and the causes of the crisis involve a wide range of epistemological and scientific aspects. In pharmacology, one key point is the crisis of the paradigm the “magic bullet”, which is to design therapies based on specific molecular targets. Drug repurposing is one of the proposed ways out of the crisis and is based on the off-target effects of known drugs. Here, we propose the microenvironment as the ideal place to direct the off-targeting of known drugs. While it has been extensively investigated in tumors, the generation of a harsh microenvironment is also a phenotype of the vast majority of chronic diseases. The hostile microenvironment, on the one hand, reduces the efficacy of both chemical and biological drugs; on the other hand, it dictates a sort of “Darwinian” selection of those cells armed to survive in such hostile conditions. This opens the way to the consideration of the microenvironment as a convenient target for pharmacological action, with a clear example in proton pump inhibitors.
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Pan PK, Wu TM, Tsai HY, Cho IC, Tseng HW, Lin TD, Nan FH, Wu YS. Acid external and internal environment exchange the Oreochromis niloticus tissue immune gene expression compared to the mouse macrophage polarization model. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1012078. [PMID: 36225935 PMCID: PMC9549756 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1012078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The water environment plays an important role in animal physiology. In this study, we sought to evaluate the effect of the acid environment on the Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia) internal microenvironment immune response compare to the mouse macrophage model (J77A.1). The acid environment treated mouse macrophage J774A.1 model have shown that acidic treatment is able to polarize macrophages into M2-like macrophages via an increase in Ym1, Tgm2, Arg1, Fizz1, and IL-10 expression. Metabolic analysis of mouse macrophages (J774A.1) at pH 2 vs. pH 7 and pH 4 vs. pH 7 have been shown to promote the expression of intracellular acetylcholine, choline, prochlorperazine, L-leucine, and bisphenol A,2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f] quinolone metabolites in the M2-like macrophage. Immune gene expression of the O. niloticus spleen and liver treated at pH 2, 4, and 7 was shown to reduce TNF-α, IL-1 β, IL-8, and IL-12 expression compared to pH 7 treatment. Immune gene was induced in O. niloticus following culture at pH 5, 6, and 7 fresh water environment. Taken together, we found that the acid internal environment polarizes tissues into an M2 macrophage developmental microenvironment. However, if the external environment is acid, tissues are exposed to an M1 macrophage developmental microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Po-Kai Pan
- Department of Aquaculture, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
| | - Tsung-Meng Wu
- Department of Aquaculture, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Yuan Tsai
- Department of Aquaculture, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
| | - I-Cheng Cho
- Department of Aquaculture, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Wei Tseng
- Department of Aquaculture, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
| | - Tai-Du Lin
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Fan-Hua Nan
- Department of Aquaculture, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Sheng Wu
- Department of Aquaculture, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
- *Correspondence: Yu-Sheng Wu,
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Yu L, Shen N, Shi Y, Shi X, Fu X, Li S, Zhu B, Yu W, Zhang Y. Characterization of cancer-related fibroblasts (CAF) in hepatocellular carcinoma and construction of CAF-based risk signature based on single-cell RNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq data. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1009789. [PMID: 36211448 PMCID: PMC9537943 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1009789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are involved in tumor growth, angiogenesis, metastasis, and resistance to therapy. We sought to explore the CAFs characteristics in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and establish a CAF-based risk signature for predicting the prognosis of HCC patients. Methods The signal-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data was obtained from the GEO database. Bulk RNA-seq data and microarray data of HCC were obtained from the TCGA and GEO databases respectively. Seurat R package was applied to process scRNA-seq data and identify CAF clusters according to the CAF markers. Differential expression analysis was performed to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between normal and tumor samples in TCGA dataset. Then Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the DEGs associated with CAF clusters, followed by the univariate Cox regression analysis to identify CAF-related prognostic genes. Lasso regression was implemented to construct a risk signature based on CAF-related prognostic genes. Finally, a nomogram model based on the risk signature and clinicopathological characteristics was developed. Results Based on scRNA-seq data, we identified 4 CAF clusters in HCC, 3 of which were associated with prognosis in HCC. A total of 423 genes were identified from 2811 DEGs to be significantly correlated with CAF clusters, and were narrowed down to generate a risk signature with 6 genes. These six genes were primarily connected with 39 pathways, such as angiogenesis, apoptosis, and hypoxia. Meanwhile, the risk signature was significantly associated with stromal and immune scores, as well as some immune cells. Multivariate analysis revealed that risk signature was an independent prognostic factor for HCC, and its value in predicting immunotherapeutic outcomes was confirmed. A novel nomogram integrating the stage and CAF-based risk signature was constructed, which exhibited favorable predictability and reliability in the prognosis prediction of HCC. Conclusion CAF-based risk signatures can effectively predict the prognosis of HCC, and comprehensive characterization of the CAF signature of HCC may help to interpret the response of HCC to immunotherapy and provide new strategies for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lianghe Yu
- Hepatobiliary Surgery, the third affiliated hospital, Naval Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ningjia Shen
- Hepatobiliary Surgery, the third affiliated hospital, Naval Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan Shi
- Hepatobiliary Surgery, the third affiliated hospital, Naval Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xintong Shi
- Hepatobiliary Surgery, the third affiliated hospital, Naval Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaohui Fu
- Hepatobiliary Surgery, the third affiliated hospital, Naval Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shuang Li
- Bioinformatics R&D Department, Hangzhou Mugu Technology Co., Ltd, Hangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Shuang Li, ; Bin Zhu, ; Wenlong Yu, ; Yongjie Zhang,
| | - Bin Zhu
- Hepatobiliary Surgery, the third affiliated hospital, Naval Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Shuang Li, ; Bin Zhu, ; Wenlong Yu, ; Yongjie Zhang,
| | - Wenlong Yu
- Hepatobiliary Surgery, the third affiliated hospital, Naval Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Shuang Li, ; Bin Zhu, ; Wenlong Yu, ; Yongjie Zhang,
| | - Yongjie Zhang
- Hepatobiliary Surgery, the third affiliated hospital, Naval Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Shuang Li, ; Bin Zhu, ; Wenlong Yu, ; Yongjie Zhang,
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12
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Wang PW, Lin TY, Yang PM, Yeh CT, Pan TL. Hepatic Stellate Cell Modulates the Immune Microenvironment in the Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810777. [PMID: 36142683 PMCID: PMC9503407 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of increases in the mortality rate due to cancer that usually develops in patients with liver fibrosis and impaired hepatic immunity. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) may directly or indirectly crosstalk with various hepatic cells and subsequently modulate extracellular remodeling, cell invasion, macrophage conversion, and cancer deterioration. In this regard, the tumor microenvironment created by activated HSC plays a critical role in mediating pathogenesis and immune escape during HCC progression. Herein, intermediately differentiated human liver cancer cell line (J5) cells were co-cultured with HSC-conditioned medium (HSC-CM); changes in cell phenotype and cytokine profiles were analyzed to assess the impact of HSCs on the development of hepatoma. The stage of liver fibrosis correlated significantly with tumor grade, and the administration of conditioned medium secreted by activated HSC (aHSC-CM) could induce the expression of N-cadherin, cell migration, and invasive potential, as well as the activity of matrix metalloproteinases in J5 cells, implying that aHSC-CM could trigger the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Next, the HSC-CM was further investigated and network analysis indicated that specific cytokines and soluble proteins, such as activin A, released from activated HSCs could remarkably affect the tumor-associated immune microenvironment involved in macrophage polarization, which would, in turn, diminish a host’s immune surveillance and drive hepatoma cells into a more malignant phenotype. Together, our findings provide a novel insight into the integral roles of HSCs to enhance hepatocarcinogenesis through their immune-modulatory properties and suggest that HSC may serve as a potent target for the treatment of advanced HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Wen Wang
- Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
| | - Tung-Yi Lin
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Keelung, Keelung 20401, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Ming Yang
- TMU Research Center of Cancer Translational Medicine, Taipei 11042, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11042, Taiwan
| | - Chau-Ting Yeh
- Liver Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 33375, Taiwan
| | - Tai-Long Pan
- Liver Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 33375, Taiwan
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan
- Department of Cosmetic Science, Research Center for Food and Cosmetic Safety, and Research Center for Chinese Herbal Medicine, College of Human Ecology, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan 33303, Taiwan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +886-3-211-8800 (ext. 5105); Fax: +886-3-211-8700
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13
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Guizhen Z, Guanchang J, Liwen L, Huifen W, Zhigang R, Ranran S, Zujiang Y. The tumor microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma and its targeting strategy by CAR-T cell immunotherapy. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:918869. [PMID: 36093115 PMCID: PMC9452721 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.918869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the major subtype of liver cancer, which ranks sixth in cancer incidence and third in mortality. Although great strides have been made in novel therapy for HCC, such as immunotherapy, the prognosis remains less than satisfactory. Increasing evidence demonstrates that the tumor immune microenvironment (TME) exerts a significant role in the evolution of HCC and has a non-negligible impact on the efficacy of HCC treatment. In the past two decades, the success in hematological malignancies made by chimeric antigen receptor-modified T (CAR-T) cell therapy leveraging it holds great promise for cancer treatment. However, in the face of a hostile TME in solid tumors like HCC, the efficacy of CAR-T cells will be greatly compromised. Here, we provide an overview of TME features in HCC, discuss recent advances and challenges of CAR-T immunotherapy in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhang Guizhen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Presion Medicine Cencter Gene Hospital of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, China
- Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ji Guanchang
- Department of Urology People’s Hospital of Puyang, Puyang, China
| | - Liu Liwen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Presion Medicine Cencter Gene Hospital of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, China
- Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Wang Huifen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Presion Medicine Cencter Gene Hospital of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, China
- Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ren Zhigang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Sun Ranran
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yu Zujiang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Presion Medicine Cencter Gene Hospital of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, China
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14
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Zhang Y, Liang J, Cao N, Gao J, Xie Y, Zhou S, Tang X. ASIC1α up-regulates MMP-2/9 expression to enhance mobility and proliferation of liver cancer cells via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. BMC Cancer 2022; 22:778. [PMID: 35840921 PMCID: PMC9287982 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-022-09874-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A major challenge in the treatment of liver cancer is that a large proportion of patients fail to achieve long-term disease control, with death from liver cancer cell migration and invasion. Acid-sensitive ion channel 1α (ASIC1α) is involved in the migration, invasion, and proliferation of liver cancer cells. Therefore, we explored the mechanism of ASIC1α-mediated liver cancer cell migration and invasion. We determined the levels of ASIC1α by western blotting and immunofluorescence in HepG2 and SK-Hep1 cells cultured in various acidic conditions. In addition, wound healing assay, transwell invasion assay, and MTT assay were conducted to assess the migration, invasion, and proliferation abilities of liver cancer cells. Western blotting was conducted to determine the levels of MMP2, MMP9, ASIC1α, p-PI3Kp85, t-PI3Kp85, p-AKT(Ser473), t-AKT, p-mTOR (Ser2448), t-mTOR. We first found that the levels of ASIC1α in the HepG2 and SK-Hep1 cells in acidic conditions (pH 6.5) were significantly increased. Inhibition and knockdown of ASIC1α down-regulated MMP-2/9 expression and inhibited the migration, invasion, and proliferation of HepG2 and SK-Hep1 cells; overexpression of ASIC1α had the opposite effect. We further demonstrated that ASIC1α up-regulates MMP-2/9 via activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, thereby promoting migration, invasion, and proliferation of liver cancer cells. Overexpression of MMP-2/9 and activation of AKT reversed these effects on liver cancer cells caused by inhibition of ASIC1α. We conclude that ASIC1α can regulate migration, invasion, and proliferation of liver cancer cells through the MMP-2/9/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. These observations may provide a new reference for liver cancer chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinci Zhang
- Medcial School, Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan, 232001, China.,Institute of Environment-Friendly Materials and Occupational Health of Anhui, University of Science and Technology, Wuhu, 241003, China
| | - Jiaojiao Liang
- Medcial School, Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan, 232001, China.,Institute of Environment-Friendly Materials and Occupational Health of Anhui, University of Science and Technology, Wuhu, 241003, China
| | - Niandie Cao
- Medcial School, Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan, 232001, China.,Institute of Environment-Friendly Materials and Occupational Health of Anhui, University of Science and Technology, Wuhu, 241003, China
| | - Jiafeng Gao
- Medcial School, Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan, 232001, China.,Institute of Environment-Friendly Materials and Occupational Health of Anhui, University of Science and Technology, Wuhu, 241003, China
| | - Yinghai Xie
- Medcial School, Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan, 232001, China.,First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan, 232001, China
| | - Shuping Zhou
- Medcial School, Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan, 232001, China.,First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan, 232001, China
| | - Xiaolong Tang
- Medcial School, Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan, 232001, China. .,Institute of Environment-Friendly Materials and Occupational Health of Anhui, University of Science and Technology, Wuhu, 241003, China.
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15
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Ding M, Zhang S, Guo Y, Yao J, Shen Q, Huang M, Chen W, Yu S, Zheng Y, Lin Y, Yan W, Liu Z, Su T, Lu L. Tumor Microenvironment Acidity Triggers Lipid Accumulation in Liver Cancer via SCD1 Activation. Mol Cancer Res 2022; 20:810-822. [PMID: 35046108 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-21-0699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Acidification is recognized as the predominant characteristic of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and contributes to tumor progression. However, the mechanism of extracellular acidic TME directly influences intercellular pathological responses remains unclear. Meanwhile, acidic TME is mainly ascribed to aberrant metabolism of lipids and glucose, but whether and how acidity affects metabolic reprogramming, especially for lipid metabolism, is still unknown. We found that lipid was significantly accumulated in liver cancer cells when exposed to acidic TME. Moreover, proteomic analysis showed that differentially expressed proteins were mainly clustered into fatty acid pathways. Subsequently, we found that acidification increased the expression of SCD1 by activating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Interestingly, we found that SCD1 directly bound to PPARα in the acidic TME, which vanished after 2-day reverse incubation in pH7.4 medium, implying extracellular acidosis might influence intercellular function by mediating the binding affinity between SCD1 and PPARα under different pH gradients. In summary, our data revealed that acidosis could significantly trigger fatty acid synthesis to promote liver tumorigenesis by upregulating SCD1 in a PI3K/AKT activation dependent manner and simultaneously promote SCD1 binding to PPARα. Our study not only provides direct mechanistic evidence to support the vital role of acidosis in lipid metabolic reprogramming, but also provides novel insights for determining the binding affinity of functional proteins as a molecular mechanism to better understand the role of the acidic TME in tumor development. Implications: The acidic TME contributes to lipid accumulation in liver cancer by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and promoting SCD1-PPARα binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Ding
- International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
| | - Shuwei Zhang
- International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
| | - Yajuan Guo
- International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
| | | | - Qinghong Shen
- International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
| | - Min Huang
- International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
| | - Wenbo Chen
- International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
| | - Shaofang Yu
- International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
| | - Yaqiu Zheng
- International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
| | - Yuefang Lin
- International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
| | - Wenxin Yan
- International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
| | - Zhongqiu Liu
- International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
| | - Tao Su
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
| | - Linlin Lu
- International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
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16
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Iessi E, Vona R, Cittadini C, Matarrese P. Targeting the Interplay between Cancer Metabolic Reprogramming and Cell Death Pathways as a Viable Therapeutic Path. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9121942. [PMID: 34944758 PMCID: PMC8698563 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9121942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In cancer cells, metabolic adaptations are often observed in terms of nutrient absorption, biosynthesis of macromolecules, and production of energy necessary to meet the needs of the tumor cell such as uncontrolled proliferation, dissemination, and acquisition of resistance to death processes induced by both unfavorable environmental conditions and therapeutic drugs. Many oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes have a significant effect on cellular metabolism, as there is a close relationship between the pathways activated by these genes and the various metabolic options. The metabolic adaptations observed in cancer cells not only promote their proliferation and invasion, but also their survival by inducing intrinsic and acquired resistance to various anticancer agents and to various forms of cell death, such as apoptosis, necroptosis, autophagy, and ferroptosis. In this review we analyze the main metabolic differences between cancer and non-cancer cells and how these can affect the various cell death pathways, effectively determining the susceptibility of cancer cells to therapy-induced death. Targeting the metabolic peculiarities of cancer could represent in the near future an innovative therapeutic strategy for the treatment of those tumors whose metabolic characteristics are known.
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17
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Dai XH, Wang GH, Lian XL, Yan Y, Wang Y, Zou HR, Liu H. Effect of acidic culture conditions on the proliferation, apoptosis, and migration ability of human tongue squamous cell carcinoma cells and its related mechanism. HUA XI KOU QIANG YI XUE ZA ZHI = HUAXI KOUQIANG YIXUE ZAZHI = WEST CHINA JOURNAL OF STOMATOLOGY 2021; 39:540-546. [PMID: 34636201 DOI: 10.7518/hxkq.2021.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aims to explore the effect of acidic culture conditions on the proliferation, apoptosis, and migration ability of human tongue squamous cell carcinoma SCC15 and CAL27 cells and its potential molecular mechanism. METHODS After acidic culture for different periods, methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) method was adop-ted to detect the cell proliferation of SCC15 and CAL27. Flow cytometry was employed to detect the apoptosis level of SCC15 and CAL27 cells. The migration ability of SCC15 and CAL27 after acidic culture was detected by scratch hea-ling test. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (FQ-PCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and survivin in SCC15 and CAL27 cells after acidic culture. RESULTS After culture for 24 h under acidic microenvironment, SCC15 and CAL27 cells grew rapidly and reached the stationary phase after adjustment for 3 days. The apoptosis levels of SCC15 and CAL27 cells decreased after acidic culture, but the most significant reduction occurred after 6 h of acidic culture. The scratch healing rates of SCC15 and CAL27 cells increased after acidic culture. The results of FQ-PCR showed that the mRNA expression levels of COX-2 and survivin in SCC15 and CAL27 cells increased after acidic culture. CONCLUSIONS Extracellular acidic microenvironment can inhibit the apoptosis of tongue squamous carcinoma cells, promote their migration, and induce more adaptable and malignant tongue squamous carcinoma cells. The mechanism may be related to COX-2 and survivin and their signal pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Hua Dai
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Function Reconstruction, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300041, China
| | - Guan-Hua Wang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Function Reconstruction, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300041, China
| | - Xiao-Li Lian
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Function Reconstruction, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300041, China
| | - Yan Yan
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Function Reconstruction, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300041, China
| | - Yue Wang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Function Reconstruction, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300041, China
| | - Hui-Ru Zou
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Function Reconstruction, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300041, China
| | - Hao Liu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Function Reconstruction, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300041, China
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18
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Wu M, Miao H, Fu R, Zhang J, Zheng W. Hepatic Stellate Cell: A Potential Target for Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Curr Mol Pharmacol 2021; 13:261-272. [PMID: 32091349 DOI: 10.2174/1874467213666200224102820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Revised: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Liver cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, in which hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for the majority. Despite the progression in treatment, the prognosis remains extremely poor for HCC patients. The mechanisms of hepatocarcinogenesis are complex, of which fibrosis is acknowledged as the pre-cancerous stage of HCC. Approximately, 80-90% of HCC develops in the fibrotic or cirrhotic livers. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the main effector cells of liver fibrosis, could secret various biological contents to maintain the liver inflammation. By decades, HSCs are increasingly correlated with HCC in the tumor microenvironment. In this review, we summarized the underlying mechanisms that HSCs participated in the genesis and progression of HCC. HSCs secrete various bioactive contents and regulate tumor-related pathways, subsequently contribute to metastasis, angiogenesis, immunosuppression, chemoresistance and cancer stemness. The study indicates that HSC plays vital roles in HCC progression, suggesting it as a promising therapeutic target for HCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengna Wu
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, 226001 Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Huajie Miao
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, 226001 Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Rong Fu
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Haian Hospital of Nantong University, 17 Zhongba Road, 226600, Haian, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Department of Chemotherapy, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, 226001 Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wenjie Zheng
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, 226001 Nantong, Jiangsu, China
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19
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Zhang LY, Zhang JG, Yang X, Cai MH, Zhang CW, Hu ZM. Targeting Tumor Immunosuppressive Microenvironment for the Prevention of Hepatic Cancer: Applications of Traditional Chinese Medicines in Targeted Delivery. Curr Top Med Chem 2021; 20:2789-2800. [PMID: 33076809 DOI: 10.2174/1568026620666201019111524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the ancient and most accepted alternative medicinal systems in the world for the treatment of health ailments. World Health Organization recognizes TCM as one of the primary healthcare practices followed across the globe. TCM utilizes a holistic approach for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers. The tumor microenvironment (TME) surrounds cancer cells and plays pivotal roles in tumor development, growth, progression, and therapy resistance. TME is a hypoxic and acidic environment that includes immune cells, pericytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, various cytokines, growth factors, and extracellular matrix components. Targeting TME using targeted drug delivery and nanoparticles is an attractive strategy for the treatment of solid tumors and recently has received significant research attention under precise medicine concept. TME plays a pivotal role in the overall survival and metastasis of a tumor by stimulating cell proliferation, preventing the tumor clearance by the immune cells, enhancing the oncogenic potential of the cancer cells, and promoting tumor invasion. Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major causes of cancer-associated deaths affecting millions of individuals worldwide each year. TCM herbs contain several bioactive phytoconstituents with a broad range of biological, physiological, and immunological effects on the system. Several TCM herbs and their monomers have shown inhibitory effects in HCC by controlling the TME. This study reviews the fundamentals and applications of targeting strategies for immunosuppressing TME to treat cancers. This study focuses on TME targeting strategies using TCM herbs and the molecular mechanisms of several TCM herbs and their monomers on controlling TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le-Yi Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Chun’an First People’s Hospital (Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital Chun’an
Branch), Hangzhou 311700, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China
| | - Jun-Gang Zhang
- Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China,Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Diagnosis and Individualized Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China
| | - Xue Yang
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Diagnosis and Individualized Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China
| | - Mao-Hua Cai
- Department of General Surgery, Chun’an First People’s Hospital (Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital Chun’an
Branch), Hangzhou 311700, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China
| | - Cheng-Wu Zhang
- Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China,Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Diagnosis and Individualized Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China
| | - Zhi-Ming Hu
- Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China,Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Diagnosis and Individualized Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China
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20
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Wang S, Lv Y, Zhou Y, Ling J, Wang H, Gu D, Wang C, Qin W, Zheng X, Jin H. Acidic extracellular pH induces autophagy to promote anoikis resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via downregulation of miR-3663-3p. J Cancer 2021; 12:3418-3426. [PMID: 33995620 PMCID: PMC8120191 DOI: 10.7150/jca.51849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Metastasis is the major reason for poor prognosis and high fatality in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Due to the “Warburg effect”, an acidic tumor microenvironment (TME) exists in solid tumors and plays a critical role in cancer metastasis. Thus, clarifying the mechanism underlying the acidic TME in tumor metastasis could facilitate the development of new therapeutic strategies for HCC. Anoikis resistance is one of the most important events in the early stage of cancer metastasis. Here, we report that acidic extracellular pH (pHe) promotes autophagy of HCC cells via the AMPK/mTOR pathway. We found that autophagy induced by acidity enhances anoikis resistance of HCC cells, which could be reversed by autophagy inhibitors. Furthermore, miR-3663-3p was downregulated by acidity, and overexpression of miR-3663-3p abolished acidic pHe-induced autophagy and anoikis resistance. In summary, acidic pHe enhances anoikis resistance of HCC cells by inducing autophagy, which is regulated by miR-3663-3p. Our findings provide new insight into how the acidic TME is involved in HCC progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 25/Ln 2200 Xie-Tu Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yuanyuan Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 25/Ln 2200 Xie-Tu Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yangyang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 25/Ln 2200 Xie-Tu Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Jing Ling
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 25/Ln 2200 Xie-Tu Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Hui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 25/Ln 2200 Xie-Tu Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Dishui Gu
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, Guangdong, 523808, China
| | - Cun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 25/Ln 2200 Xie-Tu Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Wenxin Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 25/Ln 2200 Xie-Tu Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xingling Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 25/Ln 2200 Xie-Tu Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Haojie Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 25/Ln 2200 Xie-Tu Road, Shanghai 200032, China
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21
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Meng X, Xu Y, Ning X. Tumor microenvironment acidity modulates ROR1 to promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition and hepatocarcinoma metastasis. J Cell Sci 2021; 134:237804. [PMID: 33648935 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.255349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The tendency of hepatocarcinoma to metastasize results in a high rate of mortality, making it a hot research topic in cancer studies. Although an acidic tumor microenvironment has been proven to promote cancer metastasis, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain poorly defined. Here, we found that acidic conditions significantly enhanced cell migration and invasion ability in hepatocellular carcinoma, and the expression of receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1) was distinctly upregulated in acid-treated cells. In addition, siRNA-mediated knockdown of ROR1 could effectively inhibit acid-induced cell migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Importantly, neutralization of acidic environments with NaHCO3 could downregulate acid-stimulated ROR1 expression, thereby retarding cell metastatic potential. Notably, the formation of metastatic nodules was significantly increased after intrapulmonary injection of acid-stimulated cancer cells, and this was inhibited by pretreating with NaHCO3. In summary, we reveal that an acidic tumor microenvironment modulates ROR1 expression to promote tumor metastasis, providing not only a better understanding of molecular mechanisms related to metastasis, but also a promising target for tumor management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Meng
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials , Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Yurui Xu
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials , Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Xinghai Ning
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials , Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
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22
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Qi C, Wang D, Gong X, Zhou Q, Yue X, Li C, Li Z, Tian G, Zhang B, Wang Q, Wei X, Wu J. Co-Delivery of Curcumin and Capsaicin by Dual-Targeting Liposomes for Inhibition of aHSC-Induced Drug Resistance and Metastasis. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:16019-16035. [PMID: 33819006 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c23137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Recent research studies have shown that the low survival rate of liver cancer is due to drug resistance and metastasis. In the tumor microenvironment (TME), activated hepatic stellate cells (aHSCs) have been proven to favor the development of liver cancer. Hence, the combination therapy dual-targeting aHSCs and tumor cells might be an effective strategy for treatment of liver cancer. In this study, the novel multifunctional liposomes (CAPS-CUR/GA&Gal-Lip) were prepared for co-delivery of curcumin (CUR) and capsaicin (CAPS), in which glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) and galactose (Gal) were chosen as targeting ligands to modify the liposomes (Lip) for dual-targeting liver cancer. To mimic TME, a novel HSCs+HepG2 (human hepatoma cell line) cocultured model was established for the antitumor effect in vitro. The results showed that, compared to HepG2 cells alone, the cocultured model promoted drug resistance and migration by upregulating the expression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and Vimentin, which were effectively inhibited by CAPS-CUR/GA&Gal-Lip. The efficacy of the in vivo antitumor was evaluated by three mice models: subcutaneous H22 (mouse hepatoma cell line) tumor-bearing mice, H22+m-HSC (mouse hepatic stellate cell) tumor-bearing mice, and orthotopic H22 cells-bearing mice. The results showed that CAPS-CUR/GA&Gal-Lip exhibited lesser extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, lesser tumor angiogenesis, and superior antitumor effect compared with the no- and/or Gal-modified Lip, which was attributed to the simultaneous blocking of the activation of HSCs and inhibition of the metastasis of tumor cells. The dual-targeting method using Lip is thus a potential strategy for liver cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cuiping Qi
- School of Nursing, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, P. R. China
| | - Di Wang
- School of Nursing, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, P. R. China
| | - Xue Gong
- School of Bioscience and Technology, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, P. R. China
| | - Qiyang Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, P. R. China
| | - Xinxin Yue
- School of Nursing, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, P. R. China
| | - Chenglei Li
- School of Pharmacy, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, P. R. China
| | - Zhipeng Li
- School of Bioscience and Technology, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, P. R. China
| | - Guixiang Tian
- School of Bioscience and Technology, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, P. R. China
| | - Bo Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, P. R. China
| | - Qing Wang
- School of Basic Medicine, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, P. R. China
| | - Xiuhong Wei
- School of Nursing, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, P. R. China
| | - Jingliang Wu
- School of Bioscience and Technology, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, P. R. China
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23
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Yamanaka T, Harimoto N, Yokobori T, Muranushi R, Hoshino K, Hagiwara K, Gantumur D, Handa T, Ishii N, Tsukagoshi M, Igarashi T, Watanabe A, Kubo N, Araki K, Umezawa K, Shirabe K. Conophylline Inhibits Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Inhibiting Activated Cancer-associated Fibroblasts Through Suppression of G Protein-coupled Receptor 68. Mol Cancer Ther 2021; 20:1019-1028. [PMID: 33722852 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-20-0150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 09/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
Abstract
Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is currently challenging. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) promote the malignancy of HCC cells via production of cytokines. Conophylline (CnP), a vinca alkaloid obtained from Ervatamia microphylla leaves, has been reported to suppress activation of hepatic stellate cells and liver fibrosis in rats. We examined the efficacy of CnP in suppressing tumor growth in HCC. Specifically, we investigated whether CnP could inhibit CAFs, which were derived from HCC tissues in vitro and in vivo Same as previous reports, CAFs promoted proliferative and invasive ability of HCC cells. CnP suppressed α-smooth muscle actin expression of CAFs, and inhibited their cancer-promoting effects. CnP significantly suppressed CAFs producting cytokines such as IL6, IL8, C-C motif chemokine ligand 2, angiogenin, and osteopontin (OPN). Combined therapy with sorafenib and CnP against HCC cells and CAFs in vivo showed to inhibit tumor growth the most compared with controls and single treatment with CnP or sorafenib. Transcriptome analysis revealed that GPR68 in CAFs was strongly suppressed by CnP. The cancer-promoting effects of cytokines were eliminated by knockdown of GPR68 in CAFs. CnP inhibited the HCC-promoting effects of CAFs by suppressing several HCC-promoting cytokines secreted by CAFs expressing GPR68. Combination therapy with CnP and existing anticancer agents may be a promising strategy for treating refractory HCC associated with activated CAFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Yamanaka
- Department of General Surgical Science, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Norifumi Harimoto
- Department of General Surgical Science, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan.
| | | | - Ryo Muranushi
- Department of General Surgical Science, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Kouki Hoshino
- Department of General Surgical Science, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Kei Hagiwara
- Department of General Surgical Science, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Dolgormaa Gantumur
- Department of General Surgical Science, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Tadashi Handa
- Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan.,Department of Social Welfare, Gunma University of Health and Welfare, Gunma, Japan
| | - Norihiro Ishii
- Department of General Surgical Science, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Mariko Tsukagoshi
- Department of General Surgical Science, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan.,Department of Innovative Cancer Immunotherapy, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Takamichi Igarashi
- Department of General Surgical Science, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Akira Watanabe
- Department of General Surgical Science, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Norio Kubo
- Department of General Surgical Science, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Kenichiro Araki
- Department of General Surgical Science, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Kazuo Umezawa
- Department of Molecular Target Medicine, Aichi Medical University, School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan
| | - Ken Shirabe
- Department of General Surgical Science, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
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24
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Kim YJ, Jang H, Lee K, Park S, Min SG, Hong C, Park JH, Lee K, Kim J, Hong W, Jung H, Liu Y, Rajkumar H, Khened M, Krishnamurthi G, Yang S, Wang X, Han CH, Kwak JT, Ma J, Tang Z, Marami B, Zeineh J, Zhao Z, Heng PA, Schmitz R, Madesta F, Rösch T, Werner R, Tian J, Puybareau E, Bovio M, Zhang X, Zhu Y, Chun SY, Jeong WK, Park P, Choi J. PAIP 2019: Liver cancer segmentation challenge. Med Image Anal 2020; 67:101854. [PMID: 33091742 DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2020.101854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Pathology Artificial Intelligence Platform (PAIP) is a free research platform in support of pathological artificial intelligence (AI). The main goal of the platform is to construct a high-quality pathology learning data set that will allow greater accessibility. The PAIP Liver Cancer Segmentation Challenge, organized in conjunction with the Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention Society (MICCAI 2019), is the first image analysis challenge to apply PAIP datasets. The goal of the challenge was to evaluate new and existing algorithms for automated detection of liver cancer in whole-slide images (WSIs). Additionally, the PAIP of this year attempted to address potential future problems of AI applicability in clinical settings. In the challenge, participants were asked to use analytical data and statistical metrics to evaluate the performance of automated algorithms in two different tasks. The participants were given the two different tasks: Task 1 involved investigating Liver Cancer Segmentation and Task 2 involved investigating Viable Tumor Burden Estimation. There was a strong correlation between high performance of teams on both tasks, in which teams that performed well on Task 1 also performed well on Task 2. After evaluation, we summarized the top 11 team's algorithms. We then gave pathological implications on the easily predicted images for cancer segmentation and the challenging images for viable tumor burden estimation. Out of the 231 participants of the PAIP challenge datasets, a total of 64 were submitted from 28 team participants. The submitted algorithms predicted the automatic segmentation on the liver cancer with WSIs to an accuracy of a score estimation of 0.78. The PAIP challenge was created in an effort to combat the lack of research that has been done to address Liver cancer using digital pathology. It remains unclear of how the applicability of AI algorithms created during the challenge can affect clinical diagnoses. However, the results of this dataset and evaluation metric provided has the potential to aid the development and benchmarking of cancer diagnosis and segmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoo Jung Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
| | - Hyungjoon Jang
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, South Korea.
| | - Kyoungbun Lee
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
| | - Seongkeun Park
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sung-Gyu Min
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Choyeon Hong
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jeong Hwan Park
- Department of Pathology, Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Kanggeun Lee
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, South Korea
| | - Jisoo Kim
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, South Korea
| | - Wonjae Hong
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, South Korea
| | - Hyun Jung
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland, United States
| | - Yanling Liu
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland, United States
| | - Haran Rajkumar
- Department of Engineering Design, Indian Institute Of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Mahendra Khened
- Department of Engineering Design, Indian Institute Of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Ganapathy Krishnamurthi
- Department of Engineering Design, Indian Institute Of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Sen Yang
- Sichuan University and Tencent AI Lab, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiyue Wang
- College of Computer Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Chang Hee Han
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jin Tae Kwak
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea
| | | | | | - Bahram Marami
- The Center for Computational and Systems Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Jack Zeineh
- The Center for Computational and Systems Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Zixu Zhao
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Pheng-Ann Heng
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Rüdiger Schmitz
- Department for Interdisciplinary Endoscopy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; DAISYlabs, Forschungszentrum Medizintechnik Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Frederic Madesta
- Instutute of Computational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; DAISYlabs, Forschungszentrum Medizintechnik Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Rösch
- Department for Interdisciplinary Endoscopy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Rene Werner
- Instutute of Computational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; DAISYlabs, Forschungszentrum Medizintechnik Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jie Tian
- Shanghai JiaoTong University, Shanghai, China
| | | | | | | | - Yifeng Zhu
- University of Maine, Orono, ME, United States
| | - Se Young Chun
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, South Korea.
| | - Won-Ki Jeong
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, College of Informatics, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Korea.
| | | | - Jinwook Choi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
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25
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Jiang S, Zhang J, Bian J, Zhang L, Xu Y, Zhao H, Sang X, Lu X. Novel nomograms based on immune and stromal scores for predicting the disease-free and overall survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing radical surgery. J Surg Oncol 2020; 122:1569-1579. [PMID: 32885449 DOI: 10.1002/jso.26197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stromal and immune cells play important roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and progression. However, tools for predicting the prognosis of patients with HCC based on stromal and immune scores are not well established. We aimed to develop nomograms that predicted the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients after radical surgery. METHODS Basic information of 251 patients were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Multivariate Cox analyses identified variables predicting the prognosis of patients. DFS and OS nomograms were constructed based on the stromal and immune scores of the training group and verified in the well-matched test group. RESULTS An intermediate stromal score (hazards ratio [HR] = 3.177; P < .001] was an independent risk factor for DFS. An intermediate immune score independently predicted a longer DFS (HR = 0.323; P = .002) and OS (HR = 0.305; P = .021); a high immune score predicted a longer DFS (HR = 0.289; P = .002). The concordance index (C-index) of nomograms was 0.729 for DFS and 0.696 for OS in the test group. CONCLUSION Nomograms based on the stromal and immune scores favorably predicted the DFS and OS of patients with HCC after radical surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shitao Jiang
- Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Junwei Zhang
- Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jin Bian
- Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yiyao Xu
- Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Haitao Zhao
- Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xinting Sang
- Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Lu
- Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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26
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Yi Y, Ni XC, Liu G, Yin YR, Huang JL, Gan W, Zhou PY, Guan RY, Zhou C, Sun BY, Qiu SJ. Clinical significance of herpes virus entry mediator expression in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma. Oncol Lett 2020; 20:19. [PMID: 32774492 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2020.11880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM) is overexpressed in several malignancies, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, to the best of our knowledge, the clinical significance of HVEM in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC remains unclear. Thus, the present study aimed to explore the clinical significance of HVEM in HBV-related HCC. In the present study, HVEM expression was evaluated in HCC cell lines and HCC frozen samples. The prognostic value of HVEM was assessed in a cohort of 221 patients with HBV-related HCC, following radical resection. B- and T-lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) expression in subsets of CD8+ T cells was determined via flow cytometry analysis. The results demonstrated high HVEM expression in HCC cell lines, and in HCC tissues compared with paired non-cancerous liver tissues. HVEM expression was demonstrated to be significantly associated with tumor encapsulation and vascular invasion. Furthermore, tumor HVEM status was significantly associated with infiltration of regulatory T cells, but not with CD8+ T cells. Notably, high HVEM expression in HCC was determined to be an independent predictor of an unfavorable outcome of patients with HCC following radical resection. Higher BTLA expression (the receptor of HVEM) was observed in both HCC-infiltrating CD8+ effector memory (CCR7- CD45RA-) and CD45RA+ effector memory (CCR7- CD45RA+) T cells in HCC tissues and blood compared with those in paired peritumor tissues or peripheral blood. Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that HVEM may serve a critical role in HBV-related HCC, most likely by promoting tumor progression and tumor immune evasion, thus the HVEM/BLTA signaling pathway may be a potential target in tumor immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Yi
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China
| | - Xiao-Chun Ni
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital of Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200000, P.R. China
| | - Gao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China
| | - Yi-Rui Yin
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China
| | - Jing-Long Huang
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China
| | - Wei Gan
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China
| | - Pei-Yun Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China
| | - Ruo-Yu Guan
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China
| | - Cheng Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China
| | - Bao-Ye Sun
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China
| | - Shuang-Jian Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China
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27
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Roife D, Sarcar B, Fleming JB. Stellate Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1263:67-84. [PMID: 32588324 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-44518-8_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
As tumor microenvironments share many of the same qualities as chronic wounds, attention is turning to the wound-repair cells that support the growth of cancerous cells. Stellate cells are star-shaped cells that were first discovered in the perisinusoidal spaces in the liver and have been found to support wound healing by the secretion of growth factors and extracellular matrix. They have since been also found to serve a similar function in the pancreas. In both organs, the wound-healing process may become dysregulated and lead to pathological fibrosis (also known as cirrhosis in the liver). In recent years there has been increasing attention paid to the role of these cells in tumor formation and progression. They may be a factor in initiating the first steps of carcinogenesis such as with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma and also contribute to continued tumor growth, invasion, metastasis, evasion of the immune system, and resistance to chemotherapy, in cancers of both the liver and pancreas. In this chapter we aim to review the structure and function of hepatic and pancreatic stellate cells and their contributions to the tumor microenvironment in their respective cancers and also discuss potential new targets for cancer therapy based on our new understanding of these vital components of the tumor stroma.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Roife
- Department of Surgery, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA.,Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Bhaswati Sarcar
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Jason B Fleming
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
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28
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Integrated analysis reveals critical glycolytic regulators in hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell Commun Signal 2020; 18:97. [PMID: 32576292 PMCID: PMC7310503 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-020-00539-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Cancer cells primarily utilize aerobic glycolysis for energy production, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. Increased aerobic glycolysis supports cancer cell survival and rapid proliferation and predicts a poor prognosis in cancer patients. Methods Molecular profiles from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort were used to analyze the prognostic value of glycolysis gene signature in human cancers. Gain- and loss-of-function studies were performed to key drivers implicated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) glycolysis. The molecular mechanisms underlying Osteopontin (OPN)-mediated glycolysis were investigated by real-time qPCR, western blotting, immunohistochemistry, luciferase reporter assay, and xenograft and diethyl-nitrosamine (DEN)-induced HCC mouse models. Results Increased glycolysis predicts adverse clinical outcome in many types of human cancers, especially HCC. Then, we identified a handful of differentially expressed genes related to HCC glycolysis. Gain- and loss-of-function studies showed that OPN promotes, while SPP2, LECT2, SLC10A1, CYP3A4, HSD17B13, and IYD inhibit HCC cell glycolysis as revealed by glucose utilization, lactate production, and extracellular acidification ratio. These glycolysis-related genes exhibited significant tumor-promoting or tumor suppressive effect on HCC cells and these effects were glycolysis-dependent. Mechanistically, OPN enhanced HCC glycolysis by activating the αvβ3-NF-κB signaling. Genetic or pharmacological blockade of OPN-αvβ3 axis suppressed HCC glycolysis in xenograft tumor model and hepatocarcinogenesis induced by DEN. Conclusions Our findings reveal crucial determinants for controlling the Warburg metabolism in HCC cells and provide a new insight into the oncogenic roles of OPN in HCC. Video Abstract
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29
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The Crosstalk between Tumor Cells and the Microenvironment in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: The Role of Exosomal microRNAs and their Clinical Implications. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12040823. [PMID: 32235370 PMCID: PMC7226466 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12040823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The communication between hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and their microenvironment is an essential mechanism supporting or preventing tumor development and progression. Recent evidence has identified extracellular vesicles (EVs) as one of the mechanisms mediating paracrine signaling between cells. Exosomes, the most described class of EVs, deliver proteins, mRNAs, noncoding RNAs, DNA, and lipids to recipient cells, also at remote distances. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), as part of the non-coding RNA exosomal cargo, have an important role in regulating cellular pathways in targeted cells, regulating several processes related to tumor progression invasion and metastasis, such as angiogenesis, immune-escape, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, invasion, and multi-drug resistance. Accumulating evidence suggests exosomal miRNAs as relevant players in the dynamic crosstalk among cancerous, immune, and stromal cells in establishing the tumorigenic microenvironment. In addition, they sustain the metastasic niche formation at distant sites. In this review, we summarized the recent findings on the role of the exosome-derived miRNAs in the cross-communication between tumor cells and different hepatic resident cells, with a focus on the molecular mechanisms responsible for the cell re-programming. In addition, we describe the clinical implication derived from the exosomal miRNA-driven immunomodulation to the current immunotherapy strategies and the molecular aspects influencing the resistance to therapeutic agents.
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Effects of Environmental pH on the Growth of Gastric Cancer Cells. Gastroenterol Res Pract 2020; 2020:3245359. [PMID: 32211041 PMCID: PMC7085403 DOI: 10.1155/2020/3245359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and other acid-suppressing drugs are widely used in the treatment of gastrointestinal ulcer, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, gastritis, and gastric cancer (GC). About 80% of GC patients receive acid suppression treatment. PPI suppresses the production of gastric acid by inhibiting the function of H+/K+-ATPase in gastric parietal cells and raises the pH value to achieve therapeutic purposes. Some studies have found that PPI had a certain antitumor effect in the proliferation and apoptosis of tumor cells. But the effects of environmental pH on the growth of GC cells and its mechanism are unknown. Therefore, we hoped to find the effects of culture medium pH on the biological behavior of GC cells by in vitro experiments and provide guidance for the use of acid-suppressing drugs in GC patients. Aims We aimed to observe the effects of pH changes in GC cell culture medium on the cell biological behavior of cancer cells and to analyze the potential mechanisms. We hoped to find out the effect of acid suppression on the growth of GC cells. Methods The GC cell lines (SGC-7901 and MKN45) were used as the research object. We adjusted the pH value in the cell culture medium to observe the changes in cell viability (MTT), apoptosis (flow cytometry), and invasion (Transwell) at pH 6, pH 7, and pH 8. qRT-PCR and western blot (WB) assays were used to determine the expression changes of genes and proteins (mTOR, AKT, Wnt, Glut, and HIF-1α) at pH 6, pH 7, and pH 8. Results The results of MTT showed that the viability of SGC-7901 and MKN45 in the pH 8.0 group was significantly weaker than that in the pH 6.0 or pH 7.0 group (P < 0.001). Flow cytometry results showed that the apoptosis of SGC-7901 and MKN45 in the pH 8.0 group was more obvious than that in the pH 6.0 or pH 7.0 group (P < 0.001). Flow cytometry results showed that the apoptosis of SGC-7901 and MKN45 in the pH 8.0 group was more obvious than that in the pH 6.0 or pH 7.0 group (P < 0.001). Flow cytometry results showed that the apoptosis of SGC-7901 and MKN45 in the pH 8.0 group was more obvious than that in the pH 6.0 or pH 7.0 group (α) at pH 6, pH 7, and pH 8. P < 0.001). Flow cytometry results showed that the apoptosis of SGC-7901 and MKN45 in the pH 8.0 group was more obvious than that in the pH 6.0 or pH 7.0 group ( Conclusions Compared with the microacid environment, the microalkaline environment inhibited the viability, invasion, and expression of genes and proteins (mTOR, AKT, Wnt, Glut, and HIF-1α) but promoted the apoptosis of GC cells and thus inhibited the growth of GC.α) at pH 6, pH 7, and pH 8.
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Ma LN, Huang XB, Muyayalo KP, Mor G, Liao AH. Lactic Acid: A Novel Signaling Molecule in Early Pregnancy? Front Immunol 2020; 11:279. [PMID: 32180770 PMCID: PMC7057764 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Aerobic glycolysis is a recognized feature shared by tumors, leading to the accumulation of lactic acid in their local microenvironments. Like the tumors, the blastocysts, placenta, trophoblasts and decidual immune cells can also produce a large amount of lactic acid through aerobic glycolysis during the early pregnancy. Moreover, the placenta expresses the transporters of the lactic acid. While several studies have described the role of lactic acid in the tumor microenvironment, especially lactic acid's modulation of immune cells, the role of lactic acid produced during pregnancy is still unclear. In this paper, we reviewed the scientific evidence detailing the effects of lactic acid in the tumor microenvironment. Based on the influence of the lactic acid on immune cells and tumors, we proposed that lactic acid released in the unique uterine environment could have similar effects on the trophoblast cells and immune cells during the early pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Na Ma
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiao-Bo Huang
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Kahindo P Muyayalo
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Gil Mor
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Ai-Hua Liao
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Zhu WW, Lu M, Wang XY, Zhou X, Gao C, Qin LX. The fuel and engine: The roles of reprogrammed metabolism in metastasis of primary liver cancer. Genes Dis 2020; 7:299-307. [PMID: 32884984 PMCID: PMC7452537 DOI: 10.1016/j.gendis.2020.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Metastasis and metabolism reprogramming are two major hallmarks of cancer. In the initiation and progression of cancer, tumor cells are known to undergo fundamental metabolic changes to sustain their development and progression. In recent years, much more attentions have been drawn to their important roles in facilitating cancer metastasis through regulating the biological properties. In this review, we summarized the recent progresses in the studies of metabolism reprogramming of cancer metastasis, particularly of primary liver cancer, and highlight their potential applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Wei Zhu
- Department of General Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Cancer Metastasis Institute, Fudan University, 12 Urumqi Road (M), Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Ming Lu
- Department of General Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Cancer Metastasis Institute, Fudan University, 12 Urumqi Road (M), Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Xiang-Yu Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Cancer Metastasis Institute, Fudan University, 12 Urumqi Road (M), Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Xu Zhou
- Department of General Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Cancer Metastasis Institute, Fudan University, 12 Urumqi Road (M), Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Chao Gao
- Department of General Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Cancer Metastasis Institute, Fudan University, 12 Urumqi Road (M), Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Lun-Xiu Qin
- Department of General Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Cancer Metastasis Institute, Fudan University, 12 Urumqi Road (M), Shanghai, 200040, China
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Shukla RP, Dewangan J, Urandur S, Banala VT, Diwedi M, Sharma S, Agrawal S, Rath SK, Trivedi R, Mishra PR. Multifunctional hybrid nanoconstructs facilitate intracellular localization of doxorubicin and genistein to enhance apoptotic and anti-angiogenic efficacy in breast adenocarcinoma. Biomater Sci 2020; 8:1298-1315. [DOI: 10.1039/c9bm01246j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The progressive development of tumors leading to angiogenesis marks the advancement of cancer which requires specific targeted treatment preferably with combination chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravi Prakash Shukla
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Lucknow
- India
| | - Jayant Dewangan
- Division of Toxicology
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Lucknow
- India
| | - Sandeep Urandur
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Lucknow
- India
| | - Venkatesh Teja Banala
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Lucknow
- India
| | - Monika Diwedi
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Lucknow
- India
| | - Shweta Sharma
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Lucknow
- India
| | - Sristi Agrawal
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Lucknow
- India
| | | | - Ritu Trivedi
- Division of Endocrinology
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Lucknow
- India
| | - Prabhat Ranjan Mishra
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics
- CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Lucknow
- India
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34
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Zhang P, Meng J, Li Y, Wang Z, Hou Y. pH-Sensitive Ratiometric Fluorescent Probe for Evaluation of Tumor Treatments. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2019; 12:E1632. [PMID: 31109039 PMCID: PMC6566363 DOI: 10.3390/ma12101632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Determining therapeutic efficacy is critical for tumor precision theranostics. In order to monitor the efficacy of anti-cancer drugs (e.g., Paclitaxel), a pH-sensitive ratiometric fluorescent imaging probe was constructed. The pH-sensitive ratiometric fluorescent dye ANNA was covalently coupled to the N-terminal of the cell-penetrating TAT peptide through an amidation reaction (TAT-ANNA). The in vitro cellular experiments determined that the TAT-ANNA probe could penetrate the cell membrane and image the intracellular pH in real time. The in vivo experiments were then carried out, and the ratiometric pH response to the state of the tumor was recorded immediately after medication. The TAT-ANNA probe was successfully used to monitor the pharmacodynamics of anti-cancer drugs in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peisen Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Junli Meng
- Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Yingying Li
- Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Zihua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
| | - Yi Hou
- Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China.
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35
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Zhang W, Cai J, Wu B, Shen Z. pH-responsive hyaluronic acid nanoparticles coloaded with sorafenib and cisplatin for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. J Biomater Appl 2019; 34:219-228. [PMID: 31084233 DOI: 10.1177/0885328219849711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhang
- Tianjin First Center Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Jinzhen Cai
- Tianjin First Center Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Bin Wu
- Tianjin First Center Hospital, Tianjin, China
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Yin Z, Jiang K, Li R, Dong C, Wang L. Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells play critical roles in hepatocellular carcinoma initiation, progression and therapy. Mol Cancer 2018; 17:178. [PMID: 30593276 PMCID: PMC6309092 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-018-0926-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 12/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer, with high morbidity, relapse and mortality rates. Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) can be recruited to and become integral components of the HCC microenvironment and can influence tumor progression. This review discusses MSC migration to liver fibrosis and the HCC microenvironment, MSC involvement in HCC initiation and progression and the widespread application of MSCs in HCC-targeted therapy, thus clarifying the critical roles of MSCs in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeli Yin
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, 467 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116027, Liaoning, China.,Engineering Research Center for New Materials and Precision Treatment Technology of Malignant Tumors Therapy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, Liaoning, China.,Engineering Technology Research Center for Translational Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, Liaoning, China
| | - Keqiu Jiang
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, 467 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116027, Liaoning, China.,Engineering Research Center for New Materials and Precision Treatment Technology of Malignant Tumors Therapy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, Liaoning, China.,Engineering Technology Research Center for Translational Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, Liaoning, China
| | - Rui Li
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, 467 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116027, Liaoning, China.,Engineering Research Center for New Materials and Precision Treatment Technology of Malignant Tumors Therapy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, Liaoning, China.,Engineering Technology Research Center for Translational Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, Liaoning, China
| | - Chengyong Dong
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, 467 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116027, Liaoning, China. .,Engineering Research Center for New Materials and Precision Treatment Technology of Malignant Tumors Therapy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, Liaoning, China. .,Engineering Technology Research Center for Translational Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, Liaoning, China.
| | - Liming Wang
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, 467 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116027, Liaoning, China. .,Engineering Research Center for New Materials and Precision Treatment Technology of Malignant Tumors Therapy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, Liaoning, China. .,Engineering Technology Research Center for Translational Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, Liaoning, China.
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37
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Erstad DJ, Fuchs BC, Tanabe KK. Molecular signatures in hepatocellular carcinoma: A step toward rationally designed cancer therapy. Cancer 2018; 124:3084-3104. [DOI: 10.1002/cncr.31257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Revised: 12/12/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Derek J. Erstad
- Department of SurgeryMassachusetts General HospitalBoston Massachusetts
| | - Bryan C. Fuchs
- Division of Surgical OncologyMassachusetts General HospitalBoston Massachusetts
| | - Kenneth K. Tanabe
- Division of Surgical OncologyMassachusetts General HospitalBoston Massachusetts
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38
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FOXQ1/NDRG1 axis exacerbates hepatocellular carcinoma initiation via enhancing crosstalk between fibroblasts and tumor cells. Cancer Lett 2018; 417:21-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2017.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Revised: 12/12/2017] [Accepted: 12/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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39
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Huang W, Luo S, Burgess R, Yi YH, Huang GF, Huang RP. New Insights into the Tumor Microenvironment Utilizing Protein Array Technology. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19020559. [PMID: 29438283 PMCID: PMC5855781 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19020559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a considerably heterogeneous niche, which is created by tumor cells, the surrounding tumor stroma, blood vessels, infiltrating immune cells, and a variety of associated stromal cells. Intercellular communication within this niche is driven by soluble proteins synthesized by local tumor and stromal cells and include chemokines, growth factors, interferons, interleukins, and angiogenic factors. The interaction of tumor cells with their microenvironment is essential for tumorigenesis, tumor progression, growth, and metastasis, and resistance to drug therapy. Protein arrays enable the parallel detection of hundreds of proteins in a small amount of biological sample. Recent data have demonstrated that the application of protein arrays may yield valuable information regarding the structure and functional mechanisms of the TME. In this review, we will discuss protein array technologies and their applications in TME analysis to discern pathways involved in promoting the tumorigenic phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Huang
- RayBiotech, Inc., Guangzhou, 79 Ruihe Road, Huangpu District, Guangzhou 510600, China.
- South China Biochip Research Center, 79 Ruihe Road, Huangpu District, Guangzhou 510600, China.
| | - Shuhong Luo
- RayBiotech, Inc., Guangzhou, 79 Ruihe Road, Huangpu District, Guangzhou 510600, China.
- South China Biochip Research Center, 79 Ruihe Road, Huangpu District, Guangzhou 510600, China.
- RayBiotech, Inc., 3607 Parkway Lane, Norcross, GA 30092, USA.
| | - Rob Burgess
- RayBiotech, Inc., 3607 Parkway Lane, Norcross, GA 30092, USA.
| | - Yu-Hua Yi
- RayBiotech, Inc., Guangzhou, 79 Ruihe Road, Huangpu District, Guangzhou 510600, China.
- South China Biochip Research Center, 79 Ruihe Road, Huangpu District, Guangzhou 510600, China.
| | - Gordon F Huang
- RayBiotech, Inc., 3607 Parkway Lane, Norcross, GA 30092, USA.
| | - Ruo-Pan Huang
- RayBiotech, Inc., Guangzhou, 79 Ruihe Road, Huangpu District, Guangzhou 510600, China.
- South China Biochip Research Center, 79 Ruihe Road, Huangpu District, Guangzhou 510600, China.
- RayBiotech, Inc., 3607 Parkway Lane, Norcross, GA 30092, USA.
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Chu F, Zhang W, Guo W, Wang Z, Yang Y, Zhang X, Fang K, Yan M, Wang P, Lei H. Oleanolic Acid-amino Acids Derivatives: Design, Synthesis, and Hepatoprotective Evaluation In Vitro and In Vivo. Molecules 2018; 23:E322. [PMID: 29393898 PMCID: PMC6017290 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23020322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the main extracellular matrix (ECM)-producing cells in the injured liver and the key mediators of liver fibrosis; they also promote the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the acidic extracellular microenvironment of HCC, HSCs are activated to promote the migration of HCC cells. It is worth attempting to alter the weak acidic microenvironment to promote activated HSC apoptosis to treat liver fibrosis and liver cancer. In the present study, a series of novel OA-amino acids analogues were designed and synthesized to introduce different amino acids in the 3-hydroxyl of OA using the ester condensation reaction to enhance hydrophilicity, alkalinity, and biological activity. We found that OA-lysine derivative (3g) could improve the hydrophilic of OA and induce HSCs apoptosis via inducing MMP depolarization and increasing intracellular Ca2+ levels. Additionally, 3g displayed a better hepatoprotective effect than OA (20 mg/kg, intragastric administration) against the acute liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) in mice. The results suggested that basic amino acids (lysine) could effectively enhance OA's hydrophilicity, alkalinity, and hepatoprotective activity in vitro and in vivo, which might be likely associated with increasing bioavailability and altering an extracellular weak acidic microenvironment with further verification. Therefore, the OA-lysine derivative (3g) has the potential to be developed as an agent with hepatoprotective activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuhao Chu
- School of Chinese Pharmacy, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China.
| | - Wenxi Zhang
- School of Chinese Pharmacy, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China.
| | - Wenbo Guo
- School of Chinese Pharmacy, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China.
| | - Zhaoyi Wang
- School of Chinese Pharmacy, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China.
| | - Yuqin Yang
- School of Chinese Pharmacy, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China.
| | - Xinyu Zhang
- School of Chinese Pharmacy, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China.
| | - Kang Fang
- School of Chinese Pharmacy, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China.
| | - Mengmeng Yan
- School of Chinese Pharmacy, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China.
| | - Penglong Wang
- School of Chinese Pharmacy, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China.
| | - Haimin Lei
- School of Chinese Pharmacy, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China.
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Qin X, Yan M, Wang X, Xu Q, Wang X, Zhu X, Shi J, Li Z, Zhang J, Chen W. Cancer-associated Fibroblast-derived IL-6 Promotes Head and Neck Cancer Progression via the Osteopontin-NF-kappa B Signaling Pathway. Am J Cancer Res 2018; 8:921-940. [PMID: 29463991 PMCID: PMC5817102 DOI: 10.7150/thno.22182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteopontin (OPN), a chemokine-like protein, plays a crucial role in the proliferation and metastasis of various cancers. However, how tumor stroma modulates the expression of neoplastic OPN and the multifaceted roles of OPN in head and neck cancer (HNC) are unclear. In this study, we tried to investigate the bridging role of OPN between tumor stroma and cancer cells. Methods: Immunohistochemical staining and quantitative real-time PCR were used to detect OPN expression in HNC tissues, and the correlations between OPN expression and clinicopathologic features were then analyzed. We used a co-culture assay to study the modulatory role of IL-6 on OPN expression and immunoprecipitation analysis was used to determine the endogenous interaction between OPN and integrin αvβ3. Furthermore, a xenograft assay was carried out to confirm the tumor-promoting role and the potential therapeutic value of OPN in HNC. Results: We found that OPN was significantly up-regulated in HNCs, and the elevated OPN was correlated with poor prognosis. Moreover, we identified IL-6 secreted by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) as the major upstream molecule that triggers the induction of neoplastic OPN. As such, during the interaction of fibroblasts and cancer cells, the increased neoplastic OPN induced by stromal IL-6 accelerated the growth, migration and invasion of cancer cells. More importantly, we also showed that soluble OPN could promote HNC progression via the integrin αvβ3-NF-kappa B pathway, and the combination of OPN and IL-6 had a better prognostic and diagnostic performance in HNC than either molecule alone. Conclusion: Our study identified a novel modulatory role for OPN in HNC progression and further demonstrated that the combination of OPN and IL-6 might be a promising prognostic and diagnostic indicator as well as a potential cancer therapeutic target.
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42
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Rethinking the Combination of Proton Exchanger Inhibitors in Cancer Therapy. Metabolites 2017; 8:metabo8010002. [PMID: 29295495 PMCID: PMC5875992 DOI: 10.3390/metabo8010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 12/16/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Microenvironmental acidity is becoming a key target for the new age of cancer treatment. In fact, while cancer is characterized by genetic heterogeneity, extracellular acidity is a common phenotype of almost all cancers. To survive and proliferate under acidic conditions, tumor cells up-regulate proton exchangers and transporters (mainly V-ATPase, Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE), monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs), and carbonic anhydrases (CAs)), that actively extrude excess protons, avoiding intracellular accumulation of toxic molecules, thus becoming a sort of survival option with many similarities compared with unicellular microorganisms. These systems are also involved in the unresponsiveness or resistance to chemotherapy, leading to the protection of cancer cells from the vast majority of drugs, that when protonated in the acidic tumor microenvironment, do not enter into cancer cells. Indeed, as usually occurs in the progression versus malignancy, resistant tumor clones emerge and proliferate, following a transient initial response to a therapy, thus giving rise to more malignant behavior and rapid tumor progression. Recent studies are supporting the use of a cocktail of proton exchanger inhibitors as a new strategy against cancer.
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43
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Sasaki R, Devhare P, Ray RB, Ray R. Hepatitis C virus-induced tumor-initiating cancer stem-like cells activate stromal fibroblasts in a xenograft tumor model. Hepatology 2017; 66:1766-1778. [PMID: 28664988 PMCID: PMC5696059 DOI: 10.1002/hep.29346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Revised: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Hepatitis C virus (HCV) often causes persistent infection and is an increasingly important factor in the etiology of fibrosis/cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, although the mechanisms for the disease processes remain unclear. We have shown previously that HCV infection generates an epithelial-mesenchymal transition state and tumor-initiating cancer stem-like cells in human hepatocytes. In this study, we investigated whether HCV-induced tumor-initiating cancer stem-like cells when implanted into mice activate stromal fibroblasts. A number of fibroblast activation markers, including matrix metalloproteinase 2, were significantly increased at the mRNA or protein level in the xenograft tumors, suggesting the presence of tumor-associated fibroblasts. Fibroblast activation markers of murine origin were specifically increased in tumor, suggesting that fibroblasts migrate to form stroma. Next, we demonstrated that conditioned medium from HCV-infected human hepatocytes activates fibrosis-related markers in hepatic stellate cells. We further observed that these HCV-infected hepatocytes express transforming growth factor beta, which activates stromal fibroblast markers. Subsequent analysis suggested that anti-transforming growth factor beta neutralizing antibody, when incubated with conditioned medium from HCV-infected hepatocytes, inhibits fibrosis marker activation in primary human hepatic stellate cells. CONCLUSION HCV-infected hepatocytes induce local fibroblast activation by secretion of transforming growth factor beta, and a preneoplastic or tumor state of the hepatocytes influences the network for the tumor-associated fibroblast environment. (Hepatology 2017;66:1766-1778).
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Affiliation(s)
- Reina Sasaki
- Department of Pathology, Saint Louis University, Missouri, USA,Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University, Missouri, USA
| | - Pradip Devhare
- Department of Pathology, Saint Louis University, Missouri, USA
| | - Ratna B. Ray
- Department of Pathology, Saint Louis University, Missouri, USA
| | - Ranjit Ray
- Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University, Missouri, USA,Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Saint Louis University, Missouri, USA
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Xu C, Li H, Yin M, Yang T, An L, Yang G. Osteopontin is involved in TLR4 pathway contributing to ovarian cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. Oncotarget 2017; 8:98394-98404. [PMID: 29228698 PMCID: PMC5716738 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.21844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2017] [Accepted: 09/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor cell proliferation and metastasis are critical for tumor progression and lead to death of cancer patients. TLR4 is a member of the toll-like receptor (TLR) family, which promotes tumor growth, metastasis and immune escape. Osteopontin (OPN), a phosphorylated glycoprotein extensively expressed in multiple cell-types, plays important roles in tumorigenesis, metastasis and infiltration, and participates in signal transduction of innate immunity. However, it is unclear whether TLR4 has any relationship with OPN. The current study investigated the role of TLR4 and OPN in tumor proliferation and metastasis, and the potential effect of TLR4 signaling on OPN using the human ovarian cancer cell line HO-8910PM. High expression levels of TLR4 and OPN were detected in HO-8910PM cells, which promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of tumor cells. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced activation of TLR4 up-regulated OPN, increasing the malignant phenotype of cells. RNAi-mediated knockdown of OPN reduced significantly the metastatic phenotype activated by TLR4. Taken together, our study demonstrates that OPN contributes to the ovarian cancer cell proliferation and metastasis, which is activated by TLR4 signaling pathway. It provides new insights for the mechanisms of tumor development and metastasis, and suggests targeting TLR4 and OPN as an intervention in the ovarian cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong Xu
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China.,College of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China
| | - Hua Li
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China
| | - Miao Yin
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China
| | - Tao Yang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China
| | - Liguo An
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China
| | - Guiwen Yang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China
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Xie YX, Liao R, Pan L, Du CY. ERK pathway activation contributes to the tumor-promoting effects of hepatic stellate cells in hepatocellular carcinoma. Immunol Lett 2017; 188:116-123. [PMID: 28668554 DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2017.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Revised: 06/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Activated hepatic stellate cell (aHSC) play a critical role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression crosstalking with cancer cell via various signaling pathways. The aim of our study is to explore the tumor-promoting effects of aHSCs on HCC via ERK pathway. METHODS α-SMA, p-ERK and p-JNK expression levels in tumoral and peritumoral tissues of HCC were assessed by immunohistochemical and western blotting. The protein and mRNA expression levels in human hepatoma cell treated with aHSC conditioned medium (CM) were determined by western blotting and real-time quantitative PCR, respectively. Cell migration and invasion abilities were assessed using transwell assays. The proliferation ability of HCC cells induced by aHSCs-CM was detected by CCK-8 assay and cell cycle analysis. RESULTS We found that aHSC number was positively correlated with p-ERK expression levels in tumoral tissues and aHSC-CM could time-dependently promote PCNA, p-ERK expression in HCC cells. Moreover, aHSC-CM enhanced HCC cells proliferation via ERK. Additionally, aHSC upregulated c-jun and cyclinD1 expression levels, accelerating the transition from G1 to the S phase of HCC cells, and this effect could be arrested by inhibiting ERK pathway. Furthermore, aHSC-CM promoted migration and invasion of HCC cells via ERK. Epithelial-mesenchymal transitions (EMT) phenomenon could be reversed by ERK suppression. CONCLUSION High expression of p-ERK and aHSCs may be associated with the aggressive behavior of HCC cells. Secretions from aHSCs could promote proliferation and EMT of HCC cells via ERK1/2/c-jun/cyclinD1 axis or ERK pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Xiao Xie
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Rui Liao
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Long Pan
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Cheng-You Du
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China.
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Endo S, Nakata K, Ohuchida K, Takesue S, Nakayama H, Abe T, Koikawa K, Okumura T, Sada M, Horioka K, Zheng B, Mizuuchi Y, Iwamoto C, Murata M, Moriyama T, Miyasaka Y, Ohtsuka T, Mizumoto K, Oda Y, Hashizume M, Nakamura M. Autophagy Is Required for Activation of Pancreatic Stellate Cells, Associated With Pancreatic Cancer Progression and Promotes Growth of Pancreatic Tumors in Mice. Gastroenterology 2017; 152:1492-1506.e24. [PMID: 28126348 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2017.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 165] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) change from a quiescent to activated state in the tumor environment and secrete extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules and cytokines to increase the aggressiveness of tumors. However, it is not clear how PSCs are activated to produce these factors, or whether this process can be inhibited. PSCs have morphologic and functional similarities to hepatic stellate cells, which undergo autophagy to promote fibrosis and tumor growth. We investigated whether autophagy activates PSCs, which promotes development of the tumor stroma and growth of pancreatic tumors in mice. METHODS We used immunofluorescence microscopy and immunohistochemistry to analyze pancreatic tumor specimens from 133 patients who underwent pancreatectomy in Japan from 2000 to 2009. PSCs were cultured from pancreatic tumor tissues or tissues of patients with chronic pancreatitis; these were analyzed by immunofluorescence microscopy, immunoblots, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and in assays for invasiveness, proliferation, and lipid droplets. Autophagy was inhibited in PSCs by administration of chloroquine or transfection with small interfering RNAs. Proteins were knocked down in immortalized PSCs by expression of small hairpin RNAs. Cells were transplanted into pancreatic tails of nude mice, and tumor growth and metastasis were quantified. RESULTS Based on immunohistochemical analyses, autophagy was significantly associated with tumor T category (P = .018), histologic grade (P = .001), lymph node metastases (P < .001), stage (P = .009), perilymphatic invasion (P = .001), and perivascular invasion (P = .003). Autophagy of PSCs was associated with shorter survival times of patients with pancreatic cancer. PSC expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3, a marker of autophagosomes, was associated with poor outcomes (shorter survival time, disease recurrence) for patients with pancreatic cancer (relative risk of shorter survival time, 1.56). Immunoblots showed that PSCs from pancreatic tumor samples expressed higher levels of markers of autophagy than PSCs from chronic pancreatitis samples. Inhibitors of autophagy increased the number of lipid droplets of PSCs, indicating a quiescent state of PSCs, and reduced their production of ECM molecules and interleukin 6, as well as their proliferation and invasiveness in culture. PSCs exposed to autophagy inhibitors formed smaller tumors in nude mice (P = .001) and fewer liver metastases (P = .018) with less peritoneal dissemination (P = .018) compared to PSCs not exposed to autophagy inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS Autophagic PSCs produce ECM molecules and interleukin 6 and are associated with shorter survival times and disease recurrence in patients with pancreatic cancer. Inhibitors of PSC autophagy might reduce pancreatic tumor invasiveness by altering the tumor stroma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sho Endo
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kohei Nakata
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
| | - Kenoki Ohuchida
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan; Department of Advanced Medical Initiatives, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
| | - Shin Takesue
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Hiromichi Nakayama
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Toshiya Abe
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Koikawa
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Takashi Okumura
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Masafumi Sada
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kohei Horioka
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Biao Zheng
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yusuke Mizuuchi
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan; Department of Anatomical Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Chika Iwamoto
- Department of Advanced Medical Initiatives, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Masaharu Murata
- Department of Advanced Medical Initiatives, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Taiki Moriyama
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Miyasaka
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Takao Ohtsuka
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Mizumoto
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yoshinao Oda
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Makoto Hashizume
- Department of Advanced Medical Initiatives, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Masafumi Nakamura
- Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
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Karpinsky G, Fatyga A, Krawczyk MA, Chamera M, Sande N, Szmyd D, Izycka-Swieszewska E, Bien E. Osteopontin: its potential role in cancer of children and young adults. Biomark Med 2017; 11:389-402. [DOI: 10.2217/bmm-2016-0308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: Osteopontin (OPN) is aglyco-phosphoprotein, involved in tissue remodeling, inflammation and boneresorption. In various adult neoplasms OPN was shown to correlate with cancer progression, invasiveness and metastasis. Aim: to define the role of OPN in malignancies of children and young adults. Material and methods: a structured PubMed and Google Scholar literature analysis based on reports published in English between I'1995 and XII'2015. Results: 14 studies (four on hematological malignancies, four on bone tumors, three on CNS tumors, two on dendritic proliferative diseases and one on renal tumors) were identified. Higher levels of serum and cerebro-spinal fluid OPN protein, and high expressions of OPN mRNA and SPP1 gene were present in more aggressive and advanced childhood malignancies. In children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia with CNS involvement and with atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) and medulloblastoma, the serum and CSF OPN levels reflected tumor bulk and response to therapy, while in children with AT/RT and multisystem Langerhans cell histiocytosis with high-risk organs involvement, high OPN serum levels correlated with poorer survival. To the contrary, in osteosarcoma, high OPN mRNA and SPP1 gene expressions correlated with better survival and good response to chemotherapy. Conclusions: The literature review suggests that OPN may play important roles in the development and progression of selected cancers of children and young adults, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia, malignant gliomas, AT/RT and Langerhans cell histiocytosis. However, limited number of published studies prevents from definite concluding on the clinical utility of OPN as a marker of diagnosis, prognosis and treatment monitoring in these pediatric cancers. Further studies performed in more numerous groups of patients with particular types of cancers of children and young adults are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle Karpinsky
- Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit Medical Center, 3901 Beaubien Street, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
| | - Aleksandra Fatyga
- Department of Pediatrics, Hematology & Oncology, University Clinic Center, 7 Debinki Street, 80–952 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Anna Krawczyk
- Department of Pediatrics, Hematology & Oncology, Medical University of Gdansk, 7 Debinki Street, 80–211 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Madeleine Chamera
- The English Division Pediatric Oncology Scientific Circle, Medical University of Gdansk, 7 Debinki Street, 80–211 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Natalia Sande
- The English Division Pediatric Oncology Scientific Circle, Medical University of Gdansk, 7 Debinki Street, 80–211 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Dagmara Szmyd
- Coronary Care Unit, Cardiology Department, West Cumberland Hospital, Whitehaven, United Kingdom
| | - Ewa Izycka-Swieszewska
- Department of Pathology & Neuropathology, Medical University of Gdansk, 1 Debinki Street, 80–211 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Ewa Bien
- Department of Pediatrics, Hematology & Oncology, Medical University of Gdansk, 7 Debinki Street, 80–211 Gdansk, Poland
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Spugnini E, Fais S. Proton pump inhibition and cancer therapeutics: A specific tumor targeting or it is a phenomenon secondary to a systemic buffering? Semin Cancer Biol 2017; 43:111-118. [PMID: 28088584 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2017.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2016] [Revised: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
One of the unsolved mysteries in oncology includes the strategies that cancer cells adopt to cope with an adverse microenvironment. However, we knew, from the Warburg's discovery that through their metabolism based on sugar fermentation, cancer cells acidify their microenvironment and this progressive acidification induces a selective pressure, leading to the development of very malignant cells entirely armed to survive in the hostile microenvironment generated by their own metabolism. In the last decades a primordial role for proton exchangers has been supported as a key tumor advantage in facing off the acidic milieu. Proton exchangers do not allow intracellular acidification through a continuous elimination of H+ either outside the cells or within the internal vacuoles. This article wants to comment a translational process through that led to the preclinical demonstration that a class of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) exploited worldwide for peptic ulcer treatment and gastroprotection are indeed powerful chemosensitizers as well. In this process we achieved the clinical proof of concept that PPI may well be included in new anti-cancer strategies with a solid background and rationale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Spugnini
- SAFU, Regina Elena Cancer Institute, Via Chianesi 53, 00134 Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Fais
- Dept. of Therapeutic Research and Medicines Evaluation Istituto Superiore di Sanità (National Institute of Health), Viale Regina Elena 299, Rome Italy.
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Affo S, Yu LX, Schwabe RF. The Role of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts and Fibrosis in Liver Cancer. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PATHOLOGY-MECHANISMS OF DISEASE 2016; 12:153-186. [PMID: 27959632 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-pathol-052016-100322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 429] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, causing more than 700,000 deaths annually. Because of the wide landscape of genomic alterations and limited therapeutic success of targeting tumor cells, a recent focus has been on better understanding and possibly targeting the microenvironment in which liver tumors develop. A unique feature of liver cancer is its close association with liver fibrosis. More than 80% of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) develop in fibrotic or cirrhotic livers, suggesting an important role of liver fibrosis in the premalignant environment (PME) of the liver. Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), in contrast, is characterized by a strong desmoplasia that typically occurs in response to the tumor, suggesting a key role of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and fibrosis in its tumor microenvironment (TME). Here, we discuss the functional contributions of myofibroblasts, CAFs, and fibrosis to the development of HCC and CCA in the hepatic PME and TME, focusing on myofibroblast- and extracellular matrix-associated growth factors, fibrosis-associated immunosuppressive pathways, as well as mechanosensitive signaling cascades that are activated by increased tissue stiffness. Better understanding of the role of myofibroblasts in HCC and CCA development and progression may provide the basis to target these cells for tumor prevention or therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Affo
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032;
| | - Le-Xing Yu
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032;
| | - Robert F Schwabe
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032;
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50
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Hu CT, Guo LL, Feng N, Zhang L, Zhou N, Ma LL, Shen L, Tong GH, Yan QW, Zhu SJ, Bian XW, Lai MD, Deng YJ, Ding YQ. MIF, secreted by human hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells, promotes chemotaxis and outgrowth of colorectal cancer in liver prometastasis. Oncotarget 2016; 6:22410-23. [PMID: 26087187 PMCID: PMC4673172 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.4198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2015] [Accepted: 05/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Growth and invasion of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) cells in the liver depend on microenvironment. Here, we showed that human hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells (HHSECs) induce chemotaxis and outgrowth of CRC cells. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), released by HHSECs, stimulated chemotaxis of CRC cells. MIF secreted by HHSECs, but not by CRC cells themselves, promoted migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and facilitated proliferation and apoptotic resistance of CRC cells. In orthotopic implantation models in nude mice, exogenous MIF stimulated growth of CRC cells and metastasis. Furthermore, MIF accelerated mobility of CRC cells by suppressing F-actin depolymerization and phosphorylating cofilin. Noteworthy, MIF levels were correlated with the size of hepatic metastases. We suggest that HHSECs and paracrine MIF promote initial migration and proliferation of CRC cells in the hepatic sinusoids to generate liver metastases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Ting Hu
- Department of Pathology, Nanfang Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Tumor Pathology, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Li-Li Guo
- Department of Pathology, Nanfang Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Tumor Pathology, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Na Feng
- Department of Pathology, Nanfang Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Tumor Pathology, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Na Zhou
- Department of Pathology, Nanfang Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Li-Li Ma
- Department of Pathology, Nanfang Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Lan Shen
- Department of Pathology, Nanfang Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Gui-Hui Tong
- Department of Pathology, Nanfang Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Qian-Wen Yan
- Department of Pathology, Nanfang Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Shi-Jie Zhu
- Department of Pathology, Nanfang Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Xiu-Wu Bian
- Department of Pathology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Mao D Lai
- Department of Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310006, China
| | - Yong-Jian Deng
- Department of Pathology, Nanfang Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Tumor Pathology, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yan-Qing Ding
- Department of Pathology, Nanfang Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Tumor Pathology, Guangzhou 510515, China
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