Serum IGF-1 linking visceral obesity with esophageal adenocarcinoma: unconvincing evidence

The NF-κB-modulated miR-19a-3p enhances malignancy of human ovarian cancer cells through inhibition of IGFBP-3 expression

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy due to the lack of symptoms until advanced stages, and new diagnosis and treatment strategy is in urgent need. In this study, we found higher expression of miR-19a-3p in ovarian cancer tissues compared with that in the adjacent normal tissues. By chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) analysis, we showed that nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) binds to the promoter of miR-19a-3p, leading to reduced expression in ovarian cancer cells. Further study indicated that miR-19a-3p inhibits the expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), resulting in enhanced growth and migration of ovarian cancer cells in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. These results showed that miR-19a-3p enhances the oncogenesis of ovarian cancer through inhibition of IGFBP-3 expression, and which can be inhibited by NF-κB, suggesting an NF-κB/miR-19a-3p/IGFBP-3 pathway in the oncogenesis of ovarian cancer, which expands our understanding of ovarian cancer and they may contribute to the development of new diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer.

Effects of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 on apoptosis of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cells

Background

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is the second most common carcinoma worldwide. Clinical treatment for patients with CSCC remains non-ideal. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3), a member of the insulin-like growth (IGF) system, participates in several biological processes, including cellular proliferation and apoptosis. Here, we explored the functional role of IGFBP3 in apoptosis and proliferation of A431 cells, a human CSCC cell line.

Materials and methods

Differential expression analysis, immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, TUNEL assay, and CCK8 assay techniques were used to investigate the IGFBP3 expression levels in both A431 cells and CSCC tissue surgically obtained from humans as well as to explore the functional role of IGFBP3 in the apoptosis and proliferation of A431 cells.

Results

By using normal epidermal keratinocytes for comparison, we identified the top 10 ranked differentially upregulated genes expressed in human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. Among these 10 genes, IGFBP3 was ranked number 1. By using immunohistochemistry, we found that the expression level of IGFBP3 was significantly elevated in CSCC tissue compared with that in normal human skin tissue. Knockdown of IGFBP3 in A431 cells by transfection with IGFBP3-specific siRNA markedly altered the expression of proteins that contribute to apoptosis via mitochondrial pathways, significantly suppressing the expression of Bax and active caspase-3, while significantly increasing B-cell lymphoma-2 expression. TUNEL assay confirmed the effect of knockdown of IGFBP3 on the apoptosis as well. In addition, knockdown of IGFBP3 inhibited the proliferation of A431 cells.

Conclusion

IGFBP3 is overexpressed in both CSCC cell lines and tissue. Knockdown of IGFBP3 enhanced the apoptosis via a mitochondrial pathway and inhibited the proliferation of A431 cells. These findings indicate that IGFBP3 may be a biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for CSCC.

Impact of targeting insulin-like growth factor signaling in head and neck cancers

The IGF system has been shown to have either negative or negligible impact on clinical outcomes of tumor development depending on specific tumor sites or stages. This review focuses on the clinical impact of IGF signaling in head and neck cancer, the effects of IGF targeted therapies, and the multi-dimensional role of IRS 1/2 signaling as a potential mechanism in resistance to targeted therapies. Similar to other tumor sites, both negative and positive correlations between levels of IGF-1/IGF-1-R and clinical outcomes in head and neck cancer have been reported. In addition, utilization of IGF targeted therapies has not demonstrated significant clinical benefit; therefore the prognostic impact of the IGF system on head and neck cancer remains uncertain.