FBXO39 predicts poor prognosis and correlates with tumor progression in cervical squamous cell carcinoma

Cancer/testis-45A1 promotes cervical cancer cell tumorigenesis and drug resistance by activating oncogenic SRC and downstream signaling pathways

BACKGROUND

Cancer/testis antigen-45A1 (CT45A1) is overexpressed in various types of cancer but is not expressed in healthy women. The role of CT45A1 in cervical cancer has not yet been described in the literature.

PURPOSE

The aim of this research was to study the role of CT45A1 in cervical cancer progression and drug resistance, elucidate the mechanisms underlying CT45A1-mediated tumorigenesis and investigate CT45A1 as a biomarker for cervical cancer diagnosis, prognostic prediction, and targeted therapy.

METHODS

The CT45A1 levels in the tumors from cervical cancer patients were measured using immunohistochemical staining. The role and mechanisms underlying CT45A1-mediated cervical cancer cell tumor growth, invasion, and drug resistance were studied using xenograft mice, cervical cancer cells, immunohistochemistry, RNA-seq, real-time qPCR, Chromatin immunoprecipitation and Western blotting.

RESULTS

CT45A1 levels were notably high in the tumor tissues of human cervical cancer patients compared to the paracancerous tissues (p < 0.001). Overexpression of CT45A1 was closely associated with poor prognosis in cervical cancer patients. CT45A1 promoted cervical cancer cell tumor growth, invasion, neovascularization, and drug resistance. Mechanistically, CT45A1 promoted the expression of 128 pro-tumorigenic genes and concurrently activated key signaling pathways, including the oncogenic SRC, ERK, CREB, and YAP/TAZ signaling pathways. Furthermore, CT45A1-mediated tumorigenesis and drug resistance were markedly inhibited by the small molecule lycorine.

CONCLUSION

CT45A1 promotes cervical cancer cell tumorigenesis, neovascularization, and drug resistance by activating oncogenic SRC and downstream tumorigenic signaling pathways. These findings provide new insight into the pathogenesis of cervical cancer and offer a new platform for the development of novel therapeutics against cervical cancer.

F-box and leucine-rich repeat 6 promotes gastric cancer progression via the promotion of epithelial-mesenchymal transition

BACKGROUND

F-box and leucine-rich repeat 6 (FBXL6) have reportedly been associated with several cancer types. However, the role and mechanisms of FBXL6 in gastric cancer (GC) require further elucidation.

AIM

To investigate the effect of FBXL6 in GC tissues and cells and the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

TCGA and GEO database analysis was performed to evaluate the expression of FBXL6 in GC tissues and adjacent normal tissues. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence, and western blotting were used to detect the expression of FBXL6 in GC tissue and cell lines. Cell clone formation, 5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine (EdU) assays, CCK-8, transwell migration assay, and wound healing assays were performed to evaluate the malignant biological behavior in GC cell lines after transfection with FBXL6-shRNA and the overexpression of FBXL6 plasmids. Furthermore, in vivo tumor assays were performed to prove whether FBXL6 promoted cell proliferation in vivo.

RESULTS

FBXL6 expression was upregulated more in tumor tissues than in adjacent normal tissues and positively associated with clinicopathological characteristics. The outcomes of CCK-8, clone formation, and Edu assays demonstrated that FBXL6 knockdown inhibited cell proliferation, whereas upregulation of FBXL6 promoted proliferation in GC cells. Additionally, the transwell migration assay revealed that FBXL6 knockdown suppressed migration and invasion, whereas the overexpression of FBXL6 showed the opposite results. Through the subcutaneous tumor implantation assay, it was evident that the knockdown of FBXL6 inhibited GC graft tumor growth in vivo. Western blotting showed that the effects of FBXL6 on the expression of the proteins associated with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition-associated proteins in GC cells.

CONCLUSION

Silencing of FBXL6 inactivated the EMT pathway to suppress GC malignancy in vitro. FBXL6 can potentially be used for the diagnosis and targeted therapy of patients with GC.