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Tran F, Lee E, Cuddapah S, Choi BH, Dai W. MicroRNA-Gene Interactions Impacted by Toxic Metal(oid)s during EMT and Carcinogenesis. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:5818. [PMID: 36497298 PMCID: PMC9741118 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14235818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic environmental exposure to toxic metal(loid)s significantly contributes to human cancer development and progression. It is estimated that approximately 90% of cancer deaths are a result of metastasis of malignant cells, which is initiated by epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) during early carcinogenesis. EMT is regulated by many families of genes and microRNAs (miRNAs) that control signaling pathways for cell survival, death, and/or differentiation. Recent mechanistic studies have shown that toxic metal(loid)s alter the expression of miRNAs responsible for regulating the expression of genes involved in EMT. Altered miRNA expressions have the potential to be biomarkers for predicting survival and responses to treatment in cancers. Significantly, miRNAs can be developed as therapeutic targets for cancer patients in the clinic. In this mini review, we summarize key findings from recent studies that highlight chemical-miRNA-gene interactions leading to the perturbation of EMT after exposure to toxic metal(loid)s including arsenic, cadmium, nickel, and chromium.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Byeong Hyeok Choi
- Division of Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY 10010, USA
| | - Wei Dai
- Division of Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY 10010, USA
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Chen XL, Xu YM, Lau ATY. Toxic metals in the regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity: demons or angels? Cancer Cell Int 2022; 22:237. [PMID: 35897065 PMCID: PMC9327425 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-022-02638-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Epithelial cells can trans-differentiate into motile mesenchymal cells through a dynamic process known as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). EMT is crucial in embryonic development and wound healing but also contributes to human diseases such as organ fibrosis and cancer progression. Heavy metals are environmental pollutants that can affect human health in various ways, including causing cancers. The cytotoxicity and carcinogenicity of heavy metals are complex, and studies have demonstrated that some of these metals can affect the progress of EMT. Here, we focus on reviewing the roles of six environmentally common toxic metals concerning EMT: arsenic (AS), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu). Noteworthily, the effects of these elements on EMT may vary according to the form, dose, and exposure time; the dual role of heavy metals (e.g., AS, Cd, and Cu) on EMT is also observed, in which, sometimes they can promote while sometimes inhibit the EMT process. Given the vast number of toxicologically relevant metals that exist in nature, we believe a comprehensive understanding of their effects on EMT is required to dictate in what circumstances these metals act more likely as demons or angels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu-Li Chen
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Epigenetics, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong 515041 People’s Republic of China
| | - Yan-Ming Xu
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Epigenetics, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong 515041 People’s Republic of China
| | - Andy T. Y. Lau
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Epigenetics, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong 515041 People’s Republic of China
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Zhang XN, Meng FG, Wang YR, Liu SX, Zeng T. Transformed ALDH2 -/- hepatocytes by ethanol could serve as a useful tool for studying alcoholic hepatocarcinogenesis. Med Hypotheses 2020; 146:110366. [PMID: 33208242 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2020.110366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol is a well-recognized hepatic carcinogen. Alcohol is metabolized into genotoxic acetaldehyde in hepatocytes, which is catalyzed by aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2). The detailed underlying mechanisms of alcohol-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear, at least partially, due to the absence of appropriate experimental models. Current studies suggest that rodents are not good models of the most common liver diseases that trigger HCC including alcoholic liver injury. We hypothesize that ethanol could induce transformation of immortalized normal liver cells, which may serve as a versatile tool for studying alcoholic HCC. Besides, we believe that knockout of ALDH2 will help to shorten the time course of transformation, as ALDH2 deficiency will significantly increase the accumulation of acetaldehyde in hepatocytes. Using this model, the dynamic changes of carcinogenesis-related molecular events could be easily examined. Furthermore, the transformed cells isolated from soft agar could be inoculated to mice for studying invasion, metastasis, and also for screening prophylactics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiu-Ning Zhang
- Institute of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
| | - Fan-Ge Meng
- Institute of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
| | - Yi-Ran Wang
- Institute of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
| | - Shi-Xuan Liu
- Institute of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
| | - Tao Zeng
- Institute of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China.
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Dai L, Zhao J, Yin J, Fu W, Chen G. Cell adhesion molecule 2 (CADM2) promotes brain metastasis by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in human non-small cell lung cancer. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2020; 8:465. [PMID: 32395509 PMCID: PMC7210202 DOI: 10.21037/atm.2020.03.85] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Background To investigate the effect of CADM2 on brain metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Human transcriptome-wide microarray analysis was used to identify gene expression in lung tissue of NSCLC patients with or without brain metastasis, which indicated that CADM2 was significantly up-regulated. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to confirm the CADM2 up-regulation further. SiRNA was used to knock down the expression of CADM2 in NSCLC cell lines and a Transwell assay was performed to determine the effects of CADM2 knockdown on cell migration and invasion. The expressions of Vimentin and E-cadherin were detected by western blot assay. Results The result of microarray analysis and qRT-PCR showed that CADM2 was significantly up-regulated in NSCLC patients with brain metastasis than in those without brain metastasis. The result of the Transwell assay showed that the migration and invasion abilities of NSCLC cells were inhibited after CADM2 knockdown. Also, the expression of Vimentin was reduced while E-cadherin was increased, followed by CADM2 knockdown. Conclusions The results showed that CADM2 might promote brain metastasis by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in human NSCLC. We propose that CADM2 can be used as a novel molecular target for the prevention and treatment in NSCLC with brain metastasis patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Dai
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,Department of Thoracic Surgery, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China.,Department of Thoracic Surgery, Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510095, China
| | - Jian Zhao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510095, China
| | - Jun Yin
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510095, China
| | - Wenfan Fu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510095, China
| | - Gang Chen
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,Department of Thoracic Surgery, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China
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Chen WX, Zhou J, Zhou SS, Zhang YD, Ji TY, Zhang XL, Wang SM, Du T, Ding DG. Microvesicles derived from human Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells enhance autophagy and ameliorate acute lung injury via delivery of miR-100. Stem Cell Res Ther 2020; 11:113. [PMID: 32169098 PMCID: PMC7071666 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-020-01617-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives Microvesicles (MVs) derived from human Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-MVs) were demonstrated to ameliorate acute lung injury (ALI). We have previously found that MSC-MV-transferred hepatocyte growth factor was partly involved in their therapeutic effects. Since MSC-MVs also contained a substantial quantity of miR-100, which plays an important role in lung cancer and injury, we speculated that miR-100 might similarly account for a part of the therapeutic effects of MSC-MVs. Methods MSCs were transfected with miR-100 inhibitor to downregulate miR-100 in MSC-MVs. A rat model of ALI and cell injury in rat type II alveolar epithelial cell line (L2) was induced by bleomycin (BLM). A co-culture model of alveolar epithelial cells and MSC-MVs was utilized to examine the therapeutic role of MSC-MVs and mechanism. Results MSC-MV treatment attenuated BLM-induced apoptosis and inflammation in BLM-treated L2 cells and ameliorated BLM-induced lung apoptosis, inflammation, and fibrosis in BLM-induced ALI rats. The beneficial effect of MSC-MVs was partly eliminated when miR-100 was knocked down in MSCs. Moreover, MSC-MV-transferred miR-100 mediated the therapeutic effect of MSC-MVs in ALI through enhancing autophagy by targeting mTOR. Conclusion MSC-MVs enhance autophagy and ameliorate ALI partially via delivery of miR-100.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Xia Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450000, Henan, China
| | - Jun Zhou
- Department of Urology, Henan University People's Hospital; Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450003, China
| | - Sha-Sha Zhou
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450000, Henan, China
| | - Yu-Dan Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450000, Henan, China
| | - Tong-Yu Ji
- Department of Urology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou University People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, China
| | - Xiao-Li Zhang
- Department of Urology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou University People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, China
| | - Shu-Min Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450000, Henan, China.
| | - Tao Du
- Department of Urology, Henan University People's Hospital; Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450003, China. .,Department of Urology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou University People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, China.
| | - De-Gang Ding
- Department of Urology, Henan University People's Hospital; Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450003, China.,Department of Urology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou University People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, China
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Yang D, Tang S, Yang Y, Yang F, Jiang W, Liu Y, Zhang F, Fang H, Wang S, Zhang Y. Generation and Validation of miR-100 Hepatocyte-Specific Knock-Out Mice. Front Oncol 2019; 9:535. [PMID: 31293973 PMCID: PMC6606737 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Inactivation of microRNA-100 (miR-100) is involved in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and miR-100 behaves as a tumor suppressor. To understand miR-100 function in HCC genesis and development in vivo, we developed hepatocyte-specific miR-100 deficient mice. Methods: Mice homozygous for floxed miR-100 allele that carried the Alb-Cre transgene (miR-100flox/floxAlb -Cre+) were developed by mating miR-100flox/flox mice with Alb-Cre+/+mice. The mice tails DNA were genotyped using the primers for LoxP sites and Cre recombinase, respectively. The specific deletion of miR-100 in the livers was verified by quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). HE-staining was performed for histology analysis. Liver function was assessed by transaminase activity. The metabolic profiles of the hepatocytes were detected using a Seahorse XFe24 extracellular flux analyzer. The direct targets of miR-100 (such as IGF1R-β, mTOR and CDC25A) and HCC related protein (SHP-2) were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot in liver tissues. Results: The resultant homozygous knockout mice with genotype of miR-100flox/flox-Alb-Cre+ showed an 80% decrease in hepatic miR-100 expression. In adult mice, miR-100 knockout has no effect on the liver function and morphology. In aged mice, HE staining showed that miR-100 knockout caused infiltration of inflammatory cells and expansion of hepatocellular nuclei. Consistently, liver function was impaired in miR-100 knockout aged mice as indicated by increased serum AST and ALT levels. The metabolic analysis demonstrated that the miR-100 knockout hepatocytes tend to adopt glycolysis. The expressions of the miR-100 target genes, such as IGF1R-β, CDC25A and mTOR, were increased. In addition, the known HCC related protein, SHP-2 also was up-regulated in the knockout livers. Conclusions: We successfully generated a miR-100 hepatocyte-specific knock-out mouse model. The malignant transformation related to HCC were observed in aged mice. Therefore, this model is suitable for investigating the mechanism of miR-100 inactivation contributing to HCC genesis in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Yang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Sai Tang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yan Yang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Fan Yang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Wengang Jiang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yakun Liu
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Fengyun Zhang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Haoshu Fang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Siying Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yuxia Zhang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
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Savary CC, Bellamri N, Morzadec C, Langouët S, Lecureur V, Vernhet L. Long term exposure to environmental concentrations of diesel exhaust particles does not impact the phenotype of human bronchial epithelial cells. Toxicol In Vitro 2018; 52:154-160. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2018.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Zhong M, Huang Z, Wang L, Lin Z, Cao Z, Li X, Zhang F, Wang H, Li Y, Ma X. Malignant Transformation of Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells Induced by Arsenic through STAT3/miR-301a/SMAD4 Loop. Sci Rep 2018; 8:13291. [PMID: 30185897 PMCID: PMC6125593 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-31516-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Arsenic is a well-known of human carcinogen and miR-301a is an oncogenic microRNA, which links to oncogenesis, however, little is understood about its contribution to arsenic-induced cellular transformation and tumorigenesis. Here, we investigated the role of miR-301a during arsenic-induced cellular transformation and tumor formation. miR-301a was found to be upregulated during arsenic-induced BEAS-2B transformation and the overexpression of miR-301a was dependent on IL-6/STAT3 signaling. Inhibition of miR-301a leads to reduction of cell proliferation, colony formation and cell migration. By using dual luciferase assay, SMAD4 was confirmed to be a direct target of miR-301a in BEAS-2B cells and upregulation of SMAD4 is involved the restraining cell growth and migration. In addition, reducing of miR-301a expression enhances doxorubicin-induced cellular apoptosis of transformed BEAS-2B through up-regulating SMAD4. Furthermore, we demonstrated that downregulation of miR-301a in BEAS-2B attenuates tumor growth in the xenograft model by targeting SMAD4. Of note, the level of miR-301a expression correlated inversely with SMAD4 expression in clinical specimens of human lung cancer. Our findings ascertain that miR-301a is an oncogenic miRNA, which targets SMAD4 to establish an essential mechanism for arsenic-induced carcinogenesis, IL-6/STAT3/miR-301a/SMAD4 signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingtian Zhong
- The Research Center of Basic Integrative Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Zhujuan Huang
- The Research Center of Basic Integrative Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
- Department of Cancer Biology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Zhanwen Lin
- Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Zhi Cao
- The Research Center of Basic Integrative Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Xun Li
- Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Fengxue Zhang
- The Research Center of Basic Integrative Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Hongqi Wang
- The Research Center of Basic Integrative Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Yong Li
- Department of Cancer Biology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
| | - Xiaodong Ma
- The Research Center of Basic Integrative Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
- Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
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