EYA1 promotes tumor angiogenesis by activating the PI3K pathway in colorectal cancer

Angiogenesis and prostate cancer: MicroRNAs comes into view

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, is an important stage in the growth of cancer. Extracellular matrix, endothelial cells, and soluble substances must be carefully coordinated during the multistep procedure of angiogenesis. Inducers and inhibitors have been found to control pretty much every phase. In addition to benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, and angiogenesis have a critical role in the initiation and progression of prostate cancer. MicroRNA (miRNA) is endogenous, short, non-coding RNA molecules of almost 22 nucleotides play a role in regulating cellular processes and regulating several genes' expression. Through controlling endothelial migration, differentiation, death, and cell proliferation, miRNAs have a significant function in angiogenesis. A number of pathological and physiological processes, particularly prostate cancer's emergence, depend on the regulation of angiogenesis. Investigating the functions played with miRNAs in angiogenesis is crucial because it might result in the creation of novel prostate cancer therapies that entail regulating angiogenesis. The function of several miRNAs and its targeting genes engaged in cancer of the prostate angiogenesis will be reviewed in this review in light of the most recent developments. The potential clinical utility of miRNAs potentially a novel therapeutic targets will also be explored, as well as their capacity to control prostate cancer angiogenesis and the underlying mechanisms.

Novel Drugs with High Efficacy against Tumor Angiogenesis

Angiogenesis is involved in physiological and pathological processes in the body. Tumor angiogenesis is a key factor associated with tumor growth, progression, and metastasis. Therefore, there is great interest in developing antiangiogenic strategies. Hypoxia is the basic initiating factor of tumor angiogenesis, which leads to the increase of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiopoietin (Ang), hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1), etc. in hypoxic cells. The pathways of VEGF and Ang are considered to be critical steps in tumor angiogenesis. A number of antiangiogenic drugs targeting VEGF/VEGFR (VEGF receptor) or ANG/Tie2, or both, are currently being used for cancer treatment, or are still in various stages of clinical development or preclinical evaluation. This article aims to review the mechanisms of angiogenesis and tumor angiogenesis and to focus on new drugs and strategies for the treatment of antiangiogenesis. However, antitumor angiogenic drugs alone may not be sufficient to eradicate tumors. The molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is considered a promising molecular target. The VEGFR system and its downstream signaling molecules depend on the function of HSP90. This article also briefly introduces the role of HSP90 in angiogenesis and some HSP90 inhibitors.

The deubiquitinase OTUB1 fosters papillary thyroid carcinoma growth through EYA1 stabilization

Deubiquitinating enzyme OTU domain‐containing ubiquitin aldehyde‐binding proteins 1 (OTUB1) has been shown to have an essential role in multiple carcinomas. However, the function of OTUB1 in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and the underlying mechanisms regulating PTC cells proliferation remain poorly understood. In this study, OTUB1 was significantly upregulated in papillary thyroid carcinoma tissues and cells. Through in vitro and in vivo experiments, knockdown of OTUB1 suppressed PTC cells growth whereas OTUB1 overexpression enhanced the proliferation ability of PTC cells. Moreover, the eyes absent homologue 1 (EYA1) was recognized as a potential target of OTUB1 through mass spectrometry analysis, and we further verified that EYA1 protein level was positively correlated with OTUB1 expression in PTC cells and clinical samples. Mechanistically, OTUB1 could interact with EYA1 directly and deubiquitinate EYA1 to stabilize it. At last, EYA1 was found to play an essential role in OTUB1‐derived PTC cells growth. Overall, our investigation reveals that OTUB1 is a previously unrecognized oncogenic factor in PTC cells proliferation and suggests that OTUB1 might be a novel therapeutic target in PTC.

Contemporary and historical selection in Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) support novel, polygenic response to transmissible cancer

Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) are evolving in response to a unique transmissible cancer, devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), first described in 1996. Persistence of wild populations and the recent emergence of a second independently evolved transmissible cancer suggest that transmissible cancers may be a recurrent feature in devils. Here, we compared signatures of selection across temporal scales to determine whether genes or gene pathways under contemporary selection (six to eight generations) have also been subject to historical selection (65-85 Myr). First, we used targeted sequencing, RAD-capture, in approximately 2500 devils in six populations to identify genomic regions subject to rapid evolution. We documented genome-wide contemporary evolution, including 186 candidate genes related to cell cycling and immune response. Then we used a molecular evolution approach to identify historical positive selection in devils compared to other marsupials and found evidence of selection in 1773 genes. However, we found limited overlap across time scales, with only 16 shared candidate genes, and no overlap in enriched functional gene sets. Our results are consistent with a novel, multi-locus evolutionary response of devils to DFTD. Our results can inform conservation by identifying high priority targets for genetic monitoring and guiding maintenance of adaptive potential in managed populations.

Targeting EYA3 in Ewing Sarcoma Retards Tumor Growth and Angiogenesis

EWSR1/FLI1, the most common fusion gene in Ewing sarcoma, upregulates expression of the Eyes Absent 3 (EYA3) transactivator-phosphatase protein. The purpose of this study was to investigate molecular and cellular mechanisms through which EYA3 might promote Ewing sarcoma tumor growth and to determine whether the EYA3 tyrosine phosphatase activity represents a viable therapeutic target. We used genetic and pharmacologic modulation of EYA3 in cell line-based xenografts to examine how loss of EYA3 tyrosine phosphatase activity affects tumor growth and angiogenesis. Molecular mechanisms were evaluated in vivo and in vitro through analyses of tumor tissue and multicellular tumor spheroids. Our results show that both loss of EYA3 in Ewing sarcoma cells and pharmacologic inhibition of the EYA3 tyrosine phosphatase activity inhibit tumor growth and tumor angiogenesis. EYA3 regulates levels of VEGFA in Ewing tumors, as well as promoting DNA damage repair and survival of Ewing sarcoma tumor cells. Target engagement is demonstrated in tumor tissue through elevated levels of the EYA3 substrate H2AX-pY142 upon loss of EYA3 or with Benzarone treatment. The efficacy of EYA3 tyrosine phosphatase inhibition in attenuating tumor growth and angiogenesis is corroborated in an Ewing sarcoma patient-derived tumor xenograft. Together, the results presented here validate EYA3 as a target for the development of novel Ewing sarcoma therapeutic strategies, and set the stage for evaluating the efficacy of combining the antiangiogenic and anti-cell survival effects of EYA3 inhibition with cytotoxic chemotherapy.

MicroRNAs and angiogenesis: a new era for the management of colorectal cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNA molecules containing only 20–22 nucleotides. MiRNAs play a role in gene silencing and translation suppression by targeting and binding to mRNA. Proper control of miRNA expression is very important for maintaining a normal physiological environment because miRNAs can affect most cellular pathways, including cell cycle checkpoint, cell proliferation, and apoptosis pathways, and have a wide range of target genes. With these properties, miRNAs can modulate multiple signalling pathways involved in cancer development, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, and migration pathways. MiRNAs that activate or inhibit the molecular pathway related to tumour angiogenesis are common topics of research. Angiogenesis promotes tumorigenesis and metastasis by providing oxygen and diffusible nutrients and releasing proangiogenic factors and is one of the hallmarks of tumour progression. CRC is one of the most common tumours, and metastasis has always been a difficult issue in its treatment. Although comprehensive treatments, such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy, have prolonged the survival of CRC patients, the overall response is not optimistic. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find new therapeutic targets to improve CRC treatment. In a series of recent reports, miRNAs have been shown to bidirectionally regulate angiogenesis in colorectal cancer. Many miRNAs can directly act on VEGF or inhibit angiogenesis through other pathways (HIF-1a, PI3K/AKT, etc.), while some miRNAs, specifically many exosomal miRNAs, are capable of promoting CRC angiogenesis. Understanding the mechanism of action of miRNAs in angiogenesis is of great significance for finding new targets for the treatment of tumour angiogenesis. Deciphering the exact role of specific miRNAs in angiogenesis is a challenge due to the high complexity of their actions. Here, we describe the latest advances in the understanding of miRNAs and their corresponding targets that play a role in CRC angiogenesis and discuss possible miRNA-based therapeutic strategies.

Construction of differential expression plasmids of NGF to detect its influence on PC12 cell neuronal differentiation

Alongside angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, neurogenesis also occurs within the cancer microenvironment. Neurogenesis is a complex process involving multiple factors, among which nerve growth factor (NGF) possesses the dual biological roles of neuron nutrition and axon growth promotion. Thus, NGF might be a key molecule involved in regulating cancer-related neurogenesis, which could play a crucial role in the signal transmission system that controls nerve growth in tumors, and enhances the abilities of migration, invasion and metastasis of tumor cells. The present study aimed to construct differential expression plasmids of NGF, in order to detect whether NGF has a vital role in neurogenesis in breast cancer cells. In the present study, 92 clinical cases of breast cancer were collected and immunohistochemical analysis was performed to verify the existence of neurons in the breast cancer microenvironment. Furthermore, recombinant NGF lentiviral overexpression, knockout and silencing plasmids were constructed, and whether NGF has an effect on neuron growth was preliminarily confirmed, indicating that the successfully constructed plasmids could be used to verify the roles of NGF in cancer-associated neurogenesis.

Ginsenoside Rg3 Prevents Oncogenic Long Noncoding RNA ATXN8OS from Inhibiting Tumor-Suppressive microRNA-424-5p in Breast Cancer Cells

Ginsenoside Rg3 exerts antiproliferation activity on cancer cells by regulating diverse noncoding RNAs. However, little is known about the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) or their relationship with competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) in Rg3-treated cancer cells. Here, a lncRNA (ATXN8OS) was found to be downregulated via Rg3-mediated promoter hypermethylation in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. SiRNA-induced downregulation of ATXN8OS decreased cell proliferation but increased apoptosis, suggesting that the noncoding RNA possessed proproliferation activity. An in silico search for potential ATXN8OS-targeting microRNAs (miRs) identified a promising candidate (miR-424-5p) based on its high binding score. As expected, miR-424-5p suppressed proliferation and stimulated apoptosis of the MCF-7 cells. The in silico miR-target-gene prediction identified 200 potential target genes of miR-424-5p, which were subsequently narrowed down to seven that underwent hypermethylation at their promoter by Rg3. Among them, three genes (EYA1, DACH1, and CHRM3) were previously known oncogenes and were proven to be oppositely regulated by ATXN8OS and miR-424-5p. When taken together, Rg3 downregulated ATXN8OS that inhibited the tumor-suppressive miR-424-5p, leading to the downregulation of the oncogenic target genes.

C1222C Deletion in Exon 8 of ABL1 Is Involved in Carcinogenesis and Cell Cycle Control of Colorectal Cancer Through IRS1/PI3K/Akt Pathway

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide. ABL1 (c-Abl) is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase, whose role, and molecular mechanism in CRC remain largely unclear. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of ABL1 to obtain information on colon cancer gene mutation. We analyzed the tissue samples obtained from patients with CRC, CRC cell lines, and the immunodeficient mice. The proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis of CRC cells were examined. IPA software was used to analyze the molecules involved in CRC after ABL1 RNA interference. We found ABL1 was highly expressed in CRC tissues and cells. This high expression was associated with the TNM stage of CRC patients. In exon 8 of the ABL1 gene, we identified a novel mutation of C1222C deletion, which was related to the CRC stage. Depletion of ABL1 resulted in the inhibition of proliferation and escalation of apoptosis in two CRC cell lines, SW480, and HCT-116. Our in vivo study also demonstrated that depletion of ABL1 reduced CRC tumor progression. The results of the ingenuity pathway analysis indicated that the expression of 732 genes was upregulated and that of 691 genes was downregulated in mice transplanted with ABL1-downregulated CRC cells, among which we confirmed that depletion of ABL1 inhibited TGF-β1 via IRS1/PI3K/AKT pathway in CRC progression. These findings demonstrated that ABL1 plays an important role and that it can be a potential molecular target for CRC therapy.

Lysine-specific histone demethylase 1B (LSD2/KDM1B) represses p53 expression to promote proliferation and inhibit apoptosis in colorectal cancer through LSD2-mediated H3K4me2 demethylation

Epigenetic alterations have been reported to play critical roles in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the biological function of the lysine-specific histone demethylase 1B (LSD2/KDM1B) in CRC is not well understood. Therefore, we investigated the characteristics of LSD2 in CRC. We observed significant upregulation of LSD2 in CRC tissue compared to that in normal colorectal tissue. LSD2 promotes CRC cell proliferation and inhibits cell apoptosis through cell cycle regulation, promoting CRC progression both in vitro and in vivo. We found that LSD2 performs these functions by inhibiting the p53-p21-Rb pathway. Finally, we found that LSD2 directly binds to p53 and represses p53 expression via H3K4me2 demethylation at the p53 promoter. Our results revealed that LSD2 acts as an oncogene by binding and inhibiting p53 activity in CRC. Thus, LSD2 may be a new molecular target for CRC treatment.

Angiogenesis-promoting factors in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the common malignant tumors, accounting for about 10% and 9.4% of malignancies in males and females, respectively. The number of patients who die from CRC reaches 700000 each year. In addition, there are about 1.4 million new patients every year. Angiogenesis is involved in a variety of physiological and pathological processes and is an important pathological marker for many diseases such as tumor, ischemia, atherosclerosis, inflammation, wound healing, and tissue regeneration. Angiogenesis plays a crucial role in the occurrence, development, and metastasis of CRC. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge of tumor-associated angiogenesis, the factors that promote angiogenesis in CRC, and future directions in this field, with an aim to provide a theoretical basis for better understanding the role of angiogenesis in the pathogenesis of CRC.

Co-transplantation with adipose-derived cells to improve parathyroid transplantation in a mice model

Background

Accidentally removed parathyroid glands are still challenging in neck surgery, leading to hypoparathyroidism characterized with abnormally low levels of parathyroid hormone. Parathyroid auto-transplantation is usually applied in compensation. To improve the efficiency of parathyroid transplantation, we introduced a method by co-transplanting with adipose-derived cells, including stromal vascular fractions (SVFs) and adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), and investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in parathyroid transplantation survival.

Methods

Rat and human parathyroid tissues were transplanted into nude mice as parathyroid transplantation model to examine the effects of SVFs and ADSCs on grafts angiogenesis and survival rates, including blood vessel assembly and parathyroid hormone levels. Several angiogenic factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 2, were assessed in parathyroid grafts. The effects of hypoxia were investigated on ADSCs. The modulatory roles of the eyes absent homolog 1 (EYA1), which is vital in parathyroid development, was also investigated on angiogenic factor production and secretion by ADSCs. All experimental data were statistically processed. Student’s t test was used to assess significant differences between 2 groups. For multiple comparisons with additional interventions, two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test was performed. P < 0.05 was considered as significant.

Results

SVFs improve rat parathyroid transplantation survival and blood vessel assembly, as well as FGF2 and VEGF-A expression levels in parathyroid transplantation mice. Functional human parathyroid grafts have higher microvessel density and increased VEGF-A expression. The supernatant of ADSCs induced tubule formation and migration of human endothelial cells in vitro. Hypoxia had no effect on proliferation and apoptosis of human ADSCs but induced higher angiogenic factor levels of VEGF-A and FGF2, modulated by EYA1, which was confirmed by parathyroid glands transplantation in mice.

Conclusions

Adipose-derived cells, including ADSCs and SVFs, improve parathyroid transplantation survival via promoting angiogenesis through EYA1-regulating angiogenetic factors in vitro and in vivo. Our studies proved an effective method to improve the parathyroid autotransplantation, which is promising for clinical patients with hypoparathyroidism when parathyroid glands were accidentally injured, removed, or devascularized.

CCL19 suppresses angiogenesis through promoting miR-206 and inhibiting Met/ERK/Elk-1/HIF-1α/VEGF-A pathway in colorectal cancer

The mechanisms underlying the role of chemokines in tumor angiogenesis is still not fully understood. In this study, we detected the influence of CCL19 on colorectal cancer (CRC) angiogenesis. The expression of CCL19 and CD31 in CRC tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. Human CRC cell lines SW1116 and SW620 stably transfected with CCL19 lentivirus and CCL19 shRNA, and HUVEC stably transfected with CCR7 shRNA were used in our study. Our study showed that CCL19 was significantly low-expressed in CRC tissues and positively related to highly tumor microvessel density. In vitro, we observed that CCL19 high-expressed SW1116 supernatant was able to inhibit proliferation, migration, and sprouting responses of HUVEC, whereas CCL19 low-expressed SW620 supernatant can promote HUVEC angiogenesis. Additionally, we further demonstrated that these functions maybe achieved through promoting miR-206 thus inhibiting Met/ERK/Elk-1/HIF-1α/VEGF-A pathway in a CCR7-dependent manner. Mice angiogenesis model also confirmed that elevated expression of CCL19 inhibit the angiogenesis of CRC in vivo. In summary, our results supported that CCL19 can inhibit CRC angiogenesis through promoting miR-206 thus inhibiting Met/ERK/Elk-1/HIF-1α/VEGF-A pathway. This may be a novel therapeutic option for anti-vascular treatment in CRC.