SOX4 overexpression regulates the p53-mediated apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma: clinical implication and functional analysis in vitro

Clinical Correlation of Transcription Factor SOX3 in Cancer: Unveiling Its Role in Tumorigenesis

Members of the SOX (SRY-related HMG box) family of transcription factors are crucial for embryonic development and cell fate determination. This review investigates the role of SOX3 in cancer, as aberrations in SOX3 expression have been implicated in several cancers, including osteosarcoma, breast, esophageal, endometrial, ovarian, gastric, hepatocellular carcinomas, glioblastoma, and leukemia. These dysregulations modulate key cancer outcomes such as apoptosis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, migration, cell cycle, and proliferation, contributing to cancer development. SOX3 exhibits varied expression patterns correlated with clinicopathological parameters in diverse tumor types. This review aims to elucidate the nuanced role of SOX3 in tumorigenesis, correlating its expression with clinical and pathological characteristics in cancer patients and cellular modelsBy providing a comprehensive exploration of SOX3 involvement in cancer, this review underscores the multifaceted role of SOX3 across distinct tumor types. The complexity uncovered in SOX3 function emphasizes the need for further research to unravel its full potential in cancer therapeutics.

Lineage specific transcription factor waves reprogram neuroblastoma from self-renewal to differentiation

Temporal regulation of super-enhancer (SE) driven transcription factors (TFs) underlies normal developmental programs. Neuroblastoma (NB) arises from an inability of sympathoadrenal progenitors to exit a self-renewal program and terminally differentiate. To identify SEs driving TF regulators, we use all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) to induce NB growth arrest and differentiation. Time-course H3K27ac ChIP-seq and RNA-seq reveal ATRA coordinated SE waves. SEs that decrease with ATRA link to stem cell development (MYCN, GATA3, SOX11). CRISPR-Cas9 and siRNA verify SOX11 dependency, in vitro and in vivo. Silencing the SOX11 SE using dCAS9-KRAB decreases SOX11 mRNA and inhibits cell growth. Other TFs activate in sequential waves at 2, 4 and 8 days of ATRA treatment that regulate neural development (GATA2 and SOX4). Silencing the gained SOX4 SE using dCAS9-KRAB decreases SOX4 expression and attenuates ATRA-induced differentiation genes. Our study identifies oncogenic lineage drivers of NB self-renewal and TFs critical for implementing a differentiation program.

Decoding the role of long non-coding RNAs in gallbladder cancer pathogenesis: A review focus on signaling pathways interplay

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is one of the most aggressive types of biliary tree cancers and the commonest despite its rarity. It is infrequently diagnosed at an early stage, further contributing to its poor prognosis and low survival rate. The lethal nature of the disease has underlined a crucial need to discern the underlying mechanisms of GBC carcinogenesis which are still largely unknown. However, with the continual evolution in the research of cancer biology and molecular genetics, studies have found that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play an active role in the molecular pathophysiology of GBC development. Dysregulated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and their interaction with intracellular signaling pathways contribute to malignancy and disease development. LncRNAs, a subclass of ncRNAs with over 200 nucleotides, regulate gene expression at transcriptional, translational, and post-translational levels and especially as epigenetic modulators. Thus, their expression abnormalities have been linked to malignancy and therapeutic resistance. lnsRNAs have also been found in GBC patients' serum and tumor tissue biopsies, highlighting their potential as novel biomarkers and for targeted therapy. This review will examine the growing involvement of lncRNAs in GBC pathophysiology, including related signaling pathways and their wider clinical use.

SOX4/HDAC2 Axis Enhances Cell Survivability and Reduces Apoptosis by Activating AKT/MAPK Signaling in Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND

Increased SOX4 (SRY-related HMG-box) activity aids cellular transformation and metastasis. However, its specific functions and downstream targets remain to be completely elusive in colorectal cancer (CRC).

AIMS

To investigate the role of SOX4 in CRC progression and the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

In the current study, online available datasets of CRC patients were explored to check the expression status of SOX4. To investigate the further functions, SOX4 was overexpressed and knocked down in CRC cells. Colony formation assay, flowcytometry analysis, and MTT assay were used to check for proliferation and apoptosis. Acridine orange staining was done to check the role of SOX4 in autophagy induction. Furthermore, western blot, qRT-PCR, and bioinformatic analysis was done to elucidate the downstream molecular mechanism of SOX4.

RESULTS

GEPIA database showed enhanced expression of SOX4 mRNA in CRC tumor, and the human protein atlas (HPA) showed strong staining of SOX4 protein in tumor when compared to the normal tissue. Ectopic expression of SOX4 enhanced colony formation ability as well as rescued cells from apoptosis. SOX4 overexpressed cells showed the formation of acidic vesicular organelles (AVOs) which indicated autophagy. Further results revealed the activation of p-AKT/MAPK molecules upon overexpression of SOX4. SOX4 expression was found to be positively correlated with histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2). Knockdown of SOX4 or HDAC2 inhibition induced apoptosis, revealed by decrease in BCL2 and increase in BAX expression, and inactivated the p-AKT/MAPK signaling.

CONCLUSION

The study uncovers that SOX4/HDAC2 axis improves cell survivability and reduces apoptosis via activation of the p-AKT/MAPK pathway.

Clinical Significance of SOX10 Expression in Human Pathology

The embryonic development of neural crest cells and subsequent tissue differentiation are intricately regulated by specific transcription factors. Among these, SOX10, a member of the SOX gene family, stands out. Located on chromosome 22q13, the SOX10 gene encodes a transcription factor crucial for the differentiation, migration, and maintenance of tissues derived from neural crest cells. It plays a pivotal role in developing various tissues, including the central and peripheral nervous systems, melanocytes, chondrocytes, and odontoblasts. Mutations in SOX10 have been associated with congenital disorders such as Waardenburg-Shah Syndrome, PCWH syndrome, and Kallman syndrome, underscoring its clinical significance. Furthermore, SOX10 is implicated in neural and neuroectodermal tumors, such as melanoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs), and schwannomas, influencing processes like proliferation, migration, and differentiation. In mesenchymal tumors, SOX10 expression serves as a valuable marker for distinguishing between different tumor types. Additionally, SOX10 has been identified in various epithelial neoplasms, including breast, ovarian, salivary gland, nasopharyngeal, and bladder cancers, presenting itself as a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker. However, despite these associations, further research is imperative to elucidate its precise role in these malignancies.

Evaluation of Long Non-coding RNA (LncRNA) in the Pathogenesis of Chemotherapy Resistance in Cervical Cancer: Diagnostic and Prognostic Approach

Cervical cancer (CC), caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), is a leading cause of female malignancies worldwide. Therefore, understanding the underlying mechanisms of CC development and identifying novel therapeutic targets are significantly important. Cisplatin resistance is a significant challenge in the management of CC. Recent studies highlighted the critical role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in modulation of cisplatin resistance. This comprehensive review aims to collect the current understanding roles of lncRNAs and their involvement in cisplatin resistance in CC by highlighting key processes of cancer progression, including apoptosis, proliferation, angiogenesis and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We discussed the role of lncRNA in CC resistance to cisplatin through molecular pathways and examined gene expression changes. We also discussed treatment strategies and factors that reduce CC resistance to cisplatin by targeting them.

Tumor-suppressive role of miR-139-5p in angiogenesis and tumorigenesis of ovarian cancer: Based on GEO microarray analysis and experimental validation

This study clarified the possible molecular mechanisms by which the miR-139-5p/SOX4/TMEM2 axis affected angiogenesis and tumorigenesis of ovarian cancer (OC) based on GEO microarray datasets and experimental support. The expression of miR-139-5p and SOX4 was examined in clinical OC samples. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and human OC cell lines were included in vitro experiments. Tube formation assay was conducted in HUVECs. The expression of SOX4, SOX4, and VEGF in OC cells was identified using Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Luciferase assays were conducted to validate the targeting relationship between miR-139-5p and SOX4 and between SOX4 and TMEM2. A RIP assay assessed the binding of SOX4 and miR-139-5p. The impact of miR-139-5p and SOX4 on OC tumorigenesis in vivo was evaluated in nude mice. SOX4 was up-regulated, while miR-139-5p was down-regulated in OC tissues and cells. Ectopic miR-139-5p expression or SOX4 knockdown inhibited angiogenesis and tumorigenicity of OC. By targeting SOX4 in OC, miR-139-5p lowered VEGF expression, angiogenesis, and TMEM2 expression. The miR-139-5p/SOX4/TMEM2 axis also reduced VEGF expression and angiogenesis, which might curtail OC growth in vivo. Collectively, miR-139-5p represses VEGF expression and angiogenesis by targeting the transcription factor SOX4 and down-regulating TMEM2 expression, thereby impeding OC tumorigenesis.

Lung Cancer Gene Regulatory Network of Transcription Factors Related to the Hallmarks of Cancer

The transcriptomic analysis of microarray and RNA-Seq datasets followed our own bioinformatic pipeline to identify a transcriptional regulatory network of lung cancer. Twenty-six transcription factors are dysregulated and co-expressed in most of the lung cancer and pulmonary arterial hypertension datasets, which makes them the most frequently dysregulated transcription factors. Co-expression, gene regulatory, coregulatory, and transcriptional regulatory networks, along with fibration symmetries, were constructed to identify common connection patterns, alignments, main regulators, and target genes in order to analyze transcription factor complex formation, as well as its synchronized co-expression patterns in every type of lung cancer. The regulatory function of the most frequently dysregulated transcription factors over lung cancer deregulated genes was validated with ChEA3 enrichment analysis. A Kaplan-Meier plotter analysis linked the dysregulation of the top transcription factors with lung cancer patients' survival. Our results indicate that lung cancer has unique and common deregulated genes and transcription factors with pulmonary arterial hypertension, co-expressed and regulated in a coordinated and cooperative manner by the transcriptional regulatory network that might be associated with critical biological processes and signaling pathways related to the acquisition of the hallmarks of cancer, making them potentially relevant tumor biomarkers for lung cancer early diagnosis and targets for the development of personalized therapies against lung cancer.

Advance of SOX Transcription Factors in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: From Role, Tumor Immune Relevance to Targeted Therapy

Simple Summary

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the deadliest human health burdens worldwide. However, the molecular mechanism of HCC development is still not fully understood. Sex determining region Y-related high-mobility group box (SOX) transcription factors not only play pivotal roles in cell fate decisions during development but also participate in the initiation and progression of cancer. Given the significance of SOX factors in cancer and their ‘undruggable’ properties, we summarize the role and molecular mechanism of SOX family members in HCC and the regulatory effect of SOX factors in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) of various cancers. For the first time, we analyze the association between the levels of SOX factors and that of immune components in HCC, providing clues to the pivotal role of SOX factors in the TIME of HCC. We also discuss the opportunities and challenges of targeting SOX factors for cancer.

Abstract

Sex determining region Y (SRY)-related high-mobility group (HMG) box (SOX) factors belong to an evolutionarily conserved family of transcription factors that play essential roles in cell fate decisions involving numerous developmental processes. In recent years, the significance of SOX factors in the initiation and progression of cancers has been gradually revealed, and they act as potential therapeutic targets for cancer. However, the research involving SOX factors is still preliminary, given that their effects in some leading-edge fields such as tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) remain obscure. More importantly, as a class of ‘undruggable’ molecules, targeting SOX factors still face considerable challenges in achieving clinical translation. Here, we mainly focus on the roles and regulatory mechanisms of SOX family members in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the fatal human health burdens worldwide. We then detail the role of SOX members in remodeling TIME and analyze the association between SOX members and immune components in HCC for the first time. In addition, we emphasize several alternative strategies involved in the translational advances of SOX members in cancer. Finally, we discuss the alternative strategies of targeting SOX family for cancer and propose the opportunities and challenges they face based on the current accumulated studies and our understanding.

miR-335-laden B Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Promote SOX4-Dependent Apoptosis in Human Multiple Myeloma Cells

Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by the accumulation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow. Despite novel therapies, MM still remains an incurable cancer and new strategies are needed. Increased expression of the transcription factor Sex-determining region Y-related high-mobility-group box transcription factor 4 (SOX4) has been correlated with tumor development and progression through a variety of distinct processes, including inhibition of apoptosis, increased cell invasion and metastasis, and induction and maintenance of cancer-initiating cells. The role of SOX4 in MM is largely unknown. Since SOX4 is a known target of miR-335, we used miR-335 to assess whether SOX4 modulation could promote apoptosis in MM cells. Using an MM cell model we show that miR-335 acts both on SOX4-related genes (AKT, PI3K) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (Hif1-α). In addition, we show miR-335-laden extracellular vesicles induced in B cells (iEVs) are also effective in targeting SOX4, causing apoptosis. Collectively, we propose that miR-335-laden iEVs could be developed as a novel form of gene therapy in MM.

Functional characterization of HIC, a P2Y1 agonist, as a p53 stabilizer for prostate cancer cell death induction

Background: (1-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrophenyl)(4-hydroxyphenyl)methyl)indoline-4-carbonitrile (HIC), an agonist of the P2Y1 receptor (P2Y1R), induces cell death in prostate cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanism behind the inhibition of HIC in prostate cancer remains elusive. Methods & results: Here, to outline the inhibitory role of HIC on prostate cancer cells, PC-3 and DU145 cell lines were treated with the respective IC₅₀ concentrations, which reduced cell proliferation, adherence properties and spheroid formation. HIC was able to arrest the cell cycle at G1/S phase and also induced apoptosis and DNA damage, validated by gene expression profiling. HIC inhibited the prostate cancer cells' migration and invasion, revealing its antimetastatic ability. P2Y1R-targeted HIC affects p53, MAPK and NF-κB protein expression, thereby improving the p53 stabilization essential for G1/S arrest and cell death. Conclusion: These findings provide an insight on the potential use of HIC, which remains the mainstay treatment for prostate cancer.

Death-Associated Protein 6 (Daxx) Alleviates Liver Fibrosis by Modulating Smad2 Acetylation

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) has been identified as an inducer of hepatocyte epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which triggers liver fibrosis. Death-associated protein 6 (Daxx) is known to be associated with the TGF-β-induced apoptotic pathway, but the function of Daxx in liver fibrosis remains unknown. This study aimed to elucidate the role of Daxx in liver fibrosis. We used liver fibrosis tissues from humans and mice to assess Daxx expression. EMT properties and TGF-β signaling pathway activation were investigated in the Daxx-overexpressing FL83B cell line. The therapeutic effect of Daxx was investigated in a mouse model of liver fibrosis by the hydrodynamic injection of plasmids. The expression of Daxx was markedly decreased in hepatocytes from fibrotic human and mouse livers, as well as in hepatocytes treated with TGF-β in vitro. The overexpression of Daxx inhibited the EMT process by interfering with the TGF-β-induced phosphorylation of Smad2. Coimmunoprecipitation analysis confirmed that Daxx reduced the transcriptional activity of Smad2 by binding to its MH1 domain and interfering with Smad2 acetylation. In addition, the therapeutic delivery of Daxx alleviated liver fibrosis in a thioacetamide-induced fibrosis mouse model. Overall, our results indicate that Daxx could be a potential therapeutic target to modulate fibrogenesis, as well as a useful biomarker for liver fibrosis.

A novel five-gene signature predicts overall survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common public health challenges, worldwide. Because of molecular complexity and tumor heterogeneity, there are no effective predictive models for prognosis of HCC. This underlines the unmet need for accurate prognostic models for HCC. Analysis of GSE14520 data from gene omnibus (GEO) database identified multiple differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMs) between HCC and normal tissues. After randomly stratifying the patients into the training and testing groups, we performed univariate, lasso, and multivariable Cox regression analyses to delineate the prognostic gene signature in training set. We then used Kaplan-Meier plot, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC), multivariable Cox regression analysis of clinical information, nomogram, and decision curve analysis (DCA) to evaluate the predictive and overall survival value of a novel five-gene signature (CNIH4, SOX4, SPP1, SORBS2, and CCL19) within and across sets, separately and combined. We also validated the prognostic value of the five-gene signature using The Cancer Genome Atlas-Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (TCGA-LIHC), GSE54236 and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) sets. Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that the five-gene signature and tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage were independent prognostic factors for overall survival of HCC patients in GSE14520 and TCGA-LIHC. Combining TNM stage clinical pathological parameters and nomogram greatly improved the prognosis prediction of HCC. Further gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed enrichment of KEGG pathways related to cell cycle in the high-risk group and histidine metabolism in the low-risk group. Finally, all these five mRNAs are overexpressed between 12 pairs of HCC and adjacent normal tissues by quantitative real-time PCR validation. In brief, a five-gene prognostic signature and a nomogram were identified and constructed, respectively, and further validated for their HCC prognostic value. The five-gene risk score together with TNM stage models could aid in rationalizing customized therapies in HCC patients.

Alternate Roles of Sox Transcription Factors beyond Transcription Initiation

Sox proteins are known as crucial transcription factors for many developmental processes and for a wide range of common diseases. They were believed to specifically bind and bend DNA with other transcription factors and elicit transcriptional activation or repression activities in the early stage of transcription. However, their functions are not limited to transcription initiation. It has been showed that Sox proteins are involved in the regulation of alternative splicing regulatory networks and translational control. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge on how Sox transcription factors such as Sox2, Sry, Sox6, and Sox9 allow the coordination of co-transcriptional splicing and also the mechanism of SOX4-mediated translational control in the context of RNA polymerase III.

The effect of SOX4 gene 3'UTR polymorphisms on osteoporosis

Objective

This study aimed to explore the correlation between the SRY-related high-mobility-group box gene 4 (SOX4) 3′ untranslated region (UTR) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and osteoporosis susceptibility.

Methods

The study recruited 330 osteoporosis patients (the case group) and 330 non-osteoporosis patients (the control group) in Sichuan Chengdu First People’s Hospital and Zibo Central Hospital from August 2016 to August 2019. Sanger sequencing was used to analyze the genotypes of SOX4 gene rs79958549, rs139085828, and rs201335371 loci. Multi-factor dimensionality reduction (MDR) was used to analyze the interaction between the SOX4 gene rs79958549, rs139085828, and rs201335371 loci and the clinical characteristics of the subjects.

Results

The risk of osteoporosis in the carriers of A allele at SOX4 rs79958549 was 5.40 times that in the carriers of the G allele (95% CI 3.25–8.96, P < 0.01). The risk of osteoporosis in the carriers of the A allele at SOX4 rs139085828 was 1.68 times that in the carriers of the G allele (95% CI 1.45–1.85, P < 0.01). The risk of osteoporosis in the carriers of the T allele at SOX4 rs201335371 was 0.54 times that in the carriers of the C allele (95% CI 0.43–0.69, P < 0.01). The SOX4 gene rs79958549, rs139085828, and rs201335371 A-A-C haplotype (OR = 5.14, 95% CI 2.45–10.57, P < 0.01) were associated with increased risk of osteoporosis and G-G-T haplotype was significantly associated with decreased risk of osteoporosis (OR = 0.48, 95% CI 0.38–0.62, P < 0.01). The interaction among the factors of sex, smoking, drinking, rs79958549, rs201335371 was the best model for osteoporosis prediction, and the risk for osteoporosis in ‘high-risk combination’ was 2.74 times that of ‘low-risk combination’ (95% CI 1.01–7.43, P = 0.04). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the risk factors for osteoporosis were BMD (OR = 5.85, 95% CI 2.88–8.94, P < 0.01), T score (OR = 8.54, 95% CI 5.66–10.49, P < 0.01), Z score (OR = 3.77, 95% CI 2.15–8.50, P < 0.01), rs79958549 SNP (OR = 6.92, 95% CI 3.58–8.93, P < 0.01), and rs139085828 SNP (OR = 2.36, 95% CI 1.85–4.27, P < 0.01). The protective factor for osteoporosis was rs201335371SNP (OR = 0.48, 95% CI 0.32–0.75, P < 0.01).

Conclusion

The SOX4 gene SNPs rs79958549, rs139085828, and rs201335371 loci were significantly associated with osteoporosis risk.

Clinicopathological significance of SOX4 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers in patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

Sex-determining region-Y-related high-mobility-group box 4 (SOX4) is associated with the metastasis and prognosis of many cancer types. However, studies on the role of SOX4 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) are few, and hence the mechanism is unclear. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) allows neoplastic cells to gain the plasticity and motility required for tumor progression and metastasis. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between SOX4 and EMT, and their relationship with clinicopathological factors and related prognosis.

METHODS

Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the positive expression of SOX4 protein, EMT-related transcription factor protein, and related marker protein in 127 LSCC tissue samples. At the same time, data on various parameters of clinical pathology and postoperative survival were collected.

RESULTS

The positive expression rate of SOX4 and Slug in LSCC was related to pathological differentiation, Lymph node metastasis (LNM), and pathological TNM of a tumor. The expression rates of ZEB1, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and β-catenin in LSCC correlated with LNM and pTNM. The expression of SOX4, combined expression of SOX4 and ZEB1, and LNM were independent prognostic factors for the total survival time of patients with LSCC.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, SOX4 was vital in the LSCC EMT process, which might be mediated by transcription factor ZEB1. SOX4 and ZEB1 might serve as potential biomarkers of metastasis and prognosis, as well as promising therapeutic targets of LSCC.

SOX4 as biomarker in hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Hepatitis B virus infection is associated with liver disease, including cancers. In this study, we assessed the power of sex-determining region Y (SRY)-related high-mobility group (HMG)-box 4(SOX4) gene to predict the clinical course of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: To evaluate the differential expression of SOX4 and its diagnostic and prognostic potential in HCC, we analyzed the GSE14520 dataset. Stratified analysis and joint-effect analysis were done using SOX4 and clinical factor. We then designed a nomogram for predicting the clinical course of HCC. Differential SOX4 expression and its correlation with tumor stage as well as its diagnostic and prognostic value were analyzed on the oncomine and GEPIA websites. Gene set enrichment analysis was explored as well as candidate gene ontology and metabolic pathways modulated by in SOX4 HCC.

Results: Our analysis revealed that the level of SOX4 was significantly upregulated in tumor issue (P <0.001). This observation was validated through oncomine dataset and MERAV analysis (all P <0.05). Diagnostic receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of SOX4 suggested it has diagnostic potential in HCC (GSE14520 dataset: P <0.001, area under curve (AUC) = 0.782; Oncomine: (Wurmbach dataset) P = 0.002, AUC = 0.831 and (Mas dataset) P <0.001, AUC = 0.947). In addition, SOX4 exhibited high correlation with overall survival of HBV-associated HCC (adjusted P = 0.004, hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) = 2.055 (1.261-3.349) and recurrence-free survival (adjusted P = 0.008, HR (95% CI) = 1.721 (1.151-2.574). These observations which were verified by GEPIA analysis for overall survival (P = 0.007) and recurrence-free survival (P= 0.096). Gene enrichment analysis revealed that affected processes included lymphocyte differentiation, pancreatic endocrine pathways, and insulin signaling pathway. SOX4 prognostic value was evaluated using nomogram analysis for HCC 1, 3, and 5-year, survival.

Conclusion: Differential SOX4 expression presents an avenue of diagnosing and predicting clinical course of HCC. In HCC, SOX4 may affect TP53 metabolic processes, lymphocyte differentiation and the insulin signaling pathway.

miR-369-3p serves as prognostic factor and regulates cancer progression of hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of miR-369-3p in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials & methods: The expression levels of miR-369-3p were detected using the quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR analysis. The cell counting kit-8 and transwell assays were used to explore the effects of miR-369-3p on cell proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells. Results: The miR-369-3p expression was downregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines, in comparison to the normal controls, respectively. In vitro, overexpression of miR-369-3p in Hep 3B and Huh7 cells inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion. SOX4 was a direct target of miR-369-3p. Conclusion: Our results suggested that miR-369-3p may be a tumor suppressor in HCC by targeting SOX4.

Clinicopathological significance of SOX4 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers in patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Sex-determining region-Y-related high-mobility-group box 4 (SOX4) is associated with the metastasis and prognosis of many cancer types. However, studies on the role of SOX4 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) are few, and hence the mechanism is unclear. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) allows neoplastic cells to gain the plasticity and motility required for tumor progression and metastasis. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between SOX4 and EMT, and their relationship with clinicopathological factors and related prognosis.

METHODS

Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the positive expression of SOX4 protein, EMT-related transcription factor protein, and related marker protein in 127 LSCC tissue samples. At the same time, data on various parameters of clinical pathology and postoperative survival were collected.

RESULTS

The positive expression rate of SOX4 and Slug in LSCC was related to pathological differentiation, lymphatic invasion, and pathological tumor node metastasis (TNM) of a tumor. The expression rates of ZEB1, Twist, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and β-catenin in LSCC correlated with lymphatic invasion and pathological tumor node metastasis. The expression of SOX4, combined expression of SOX4 and ZEB1, and lymphatic invasion were independent prognostic factors for the total survival time of patients with LSCC.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, SOX4 was vital in the LSCC EMT process, which might be mediated by transcription factor ZEB1. SOX4 and ZEB1 might serve as potential biomarkers of metastasis and prognosis, as well as promising therapeutic targets of LSCC.

Sox13 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis by transcriptionally activating Twist1

SRY (sex-determining region Y)-box 13 (Sox13), a member of group D of the SRY-related high mobility group (HMG) box (Sox) family, is a critical regulator of embryonic development and cartilage formation. Few studies have investigated the role of Sox13 in tumorigenesis. The present study reveals the clinical significance and biological function of Sox13 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). First, the expression of Sox13 in HCC samples was evaluated by qRT-PCR and western blotting, and its association with clinicopathological features and prognosis was determined. We found that Sox13 expression was higher in tumor tissue than in paired nontumor tissue. The upregulation of Sox13 was associated with poor differentiation, metastasis, recurrence and poor overall, and tumor-free survival of HCC patients. The function of Sox13 on HCC cell migration and invasion was then assessed by Transwell assay, and the results demonstrated that Sox13 promoted HCC cell invasion, migration, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Notably, the invasion, migration, and EMT of HCC cells induced by Sox13 overexpression could be abolished by Twist1 depletion, and Sox13 was positively correlated with Twist1 at both the mRNA and protein levels. Mechanistically, we revealed that Sox13 activated Twist1 transcription and consequently upregulated Twist1 expression. Furthermore, Sox13 formed a heterodimer with Sox5, and this heterodimer functionally cooperated to enhance the transcriptional activity of Twist1. Our findings suggest that Sox13 serves as an oncogene in HCC, and might be a novel prognostic and therapeutic candidate.

MiR-212-3p mediates apoptosis and invasion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma through inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by targeting SOX4

Background

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the predominant subtype of esophageal cancer in East Asia, with approximately half of ESCC cases occurring in China. ESCC poses a serious threat to the quality of life of patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are extremely important in the occurrence and development of ESCC. Current studies have shown that miR-212-3p is expressed at low levels in esophageal adenocarcinoma tumor tissues; however, its function and mechanism in ESCC have not been studied.

Methods

The expression levels of miR-212-3p and SOX4 were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in ESCC tissues and adjacent tissues, and ESCC cell lines from 60 patients. The interaction of miR-212-3p and SOX4 was determined using a dual-luciferase reporter gene system. EC9706 Cells were transfected with miR-212-3p mimic, NC mimic, si-NC and si-SOX4 and miR-212-3p mimic + overexpressing-SOX4, and the effects on miR-212-3p and SOX4 expression were observed, respectively. An MTT assay was carried out to detect the proliferation ability of ESCC. The invasion ability and apoptosis level of the cells were determined by Transwell assay and flow cytometry, respectively. qPCR was used to detect expression of miR-212-3p and SOX4. Western blot was performed to observe the expression of SOX4, Wnt1, β-catenin, c-Myc, and Cyclin D1.

Results

miR-212-3P was observed to be down-regulated in ESCC tissues and cells, while SOX4 expression was up-regulated; the two were negatively correlated. The dual-luciferase reporter gene further confirmed that miR-212-3p targeted SOX4. miR-212-3p overexpression and interference with SOX4 significantly inhibited the proliferation and invasion of ESCC EC970 cells, and promoted apoptosis. Furthermore, the results of Western blot confirmed that miR-212-3p overexpression and interference with SOX4 down-regulated the expression of Wnt1, β-catenin, c-Myc, and Cyclin D1. Meanwhile, SOX4 overexpression reversed the effect of up-regulation of miR-212-3p on EC970 function.

Conclusions

miR-212-3p mediates the apoptosis and invasion of ESCC cells through inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway by targeting SOX4.

miR-212 as potential biomarker suppresses the proliferation of gastric cancer via targeting SOX4

Background

Circulating microRNAs that post‐transcriptionally regulate gene expressions have been reported as promising biomarkers in cancer monitoring. This study was to identify the potential role of circulating miR‐212 in gastric cancer and whether it could serve as a novel biomarker for gastric cancer.

Methods

We detected the serum levels of miR‐212 in 100 health people and 110 gastric cancer patients and analyzed the relationships of the serum level of miR‐212 with gastric cancer. We detected the expression of miR‐212 in human gastric mucosal epithelial cell line (GES‐1) and human gastric cancer cell lines (NCI‐N87 and SNU‐16) using qRT‐PCR. Then, we detected the role of 5‐aza‐deoxycytidine on the epigenetic regulation of miR‐212 in human gastric cancer cell lines. Furthermore, luciferase reporter assay was used to detect binding activity of miR‐212 on SOX4 mRNA, and their functions on the cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Results

The expression of miR‐212 was higher in health people than that in gastric cancer patients, higher in gastric mucosal epithelial cell line than that in gastric cancer cells. miR‐212 can be a circulating biomarker and an independent prognostic factor of gastric cancer. Moreover, miR‐212 can directly regulate the 3′UTR of SOX4 mRNA to suppress p53 and Bax, resulting gastric cancer cells proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrated that miR‐212 was epigenetically downregulated in gastric cancer, and resulting low level of miR‐212 can be a potential circulating biomarker and poor prognosis predicator of gastric cancer.

Widespread Dysregulation of Long Noncoding Genes Associated With Fatty Acid Metabolism, Cell Division, and Immune Response Gene Networks in Xenobiotic-exposed Rat Liver

Xenobiotic exposure dysregulates hundreds of protein-coding genes in mammalian liver, impacting many physiological processes and inducing diverse toxicological responses. Little is known about xenobiotic effects on long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), many of which have important regulatory functions. Here, we present a computational framework to discover liver-expressed, xenobiotic-responsive lncRNAs (xeno-lncs) with strong functional, gene regulatory potential and elucidate the impact of xenobiotic exposure on their gene regulatory networks. We assembled the long noncoding transcriptome of xenobiotic-exposed rat liver using RNA-seq datasets from male rats treated with 27 individual chemicals, representing 7 mechanisms of action (MOAs). Ortholog analysis was combined with coexpression data and causal inference methods to infer lncRNA function and deduce gene regulatory networks, including causal effects of lncRNAs on protein-coding gene expression and biological pathways. We discovered > 1400 liver-expressed xeno-lncs, many with human and/or mouse orthologs. Xenobiotics representing different MOAs often regulated common xeno-lnc targets: 123 xeno-lncs were dysregulated by ≥ 10 chemicals, and 5 xeno-lncs responded to ≥ 20 of the 27 chemicals investigated; 81 other xeno-lncs served as MOA-selective markers of xenobiotic exposure. Xeno-lnc-protein-coding gene coexpression regulatory network analysis identified xeno-lncs closely associated with exposure-induced perturbations of hepatic fatty acid metabolism, cell division, or immune response pathways, and with apoptosis or cirrhosis. We also identified hub and bottleneck lncRNAs, which are expected to be key regulators of gene expression. This work elucidates extensive networks of xeno-lnc-protein-coding gene interactions and provides a framework for understanding the widespread transcriptome-altering actions of foreign chemicals in a key-responsive mammalian tissue.

MicroRNA-132-3p regulates cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of liver cancer by targeting Sox4

The present study investigated whether microRNA (miR)-132-3p targeted transcription factor SOX-4 (Sox4) for the inhibition of proliferation, migration, invasion and promotion of apoptosis in liver cancer (LC) cells. The expression of miR132-3p and Sox4 mRNA was evaluated by quantitative PCR and protein expression was determined by western blot analysis. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were assessed at different time points by the MTT assay, flow cytometry analysis, wound healing assay and Transwell migration assay, respectively. Bioinformatics prediction and luciferase assays were performed to validate and confirm Sox4as a potential target of miR-132p. There was a reduced expression of miR-132-3p in HepG2 and Huh7 cell lines compared with HccLM3 cells. Overexpression of miR-132-3p resulted in significant inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis in LC cells. Moreover, migration and invasion of HepG2 cells were suppressed by over expressing miR-132-3p. However, downregulation of miR-132-3p in Hep-G2 cells promoted cell growth, invasion and migration and inhibited apoptosis. Bioinformatics analysis predicted Sox4 as a potential target of miR-132-3p, which was further confirmed by the luciferase reporter assay. In addition, an inverse association was observed between miR-132-3p and Sox4 expression. miR-132-3p may regulate the proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of HepG2 cells by targeting Sox4.

LncARSR sponges miR-129-5p to promote proliferation and metastasis of bladder cancer cells through increasing SOX4 expression

Emerging evidences have indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are potential biomarkers, playing important roles in the development of cancer. LncRNA Activated in RCC with Sunitinib Resistance (lncARSR) is a novel lncRNA that functions as a potential biomarker and is involved in the progression of cancers. However, the clinical significance and molecular mechanism of lncARSR in bladder cancer (Bca) remains unknow. In this study, we discovered that lncARSR was significantly up-regulated in bladder cancer. In addition, increased expression of lncARSR was positively correlated with higher histological grade and larger tumor size. Further experiments demonstrated that suppression of lncARSR attenuated the proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process of Bca cells. Mechanistically, lncARSR was mainly located in the cytoplasm and acted as a miRNA sponge to positively modulate the expression of Sex-determining region Y-related high-mobility-group box transcription factor 4 (SOX4) via sponging miR-129-5p and subsequently promoted the proliferation and metastasis of Bca cells, thus playing an oncogenic role in Bca pathogenesis. In conclusion, our study indicated that lncARSR plays a critical regulatory role in Bca cells and lncARSR may serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for bladder cancer.

The Long Noncoding RNA LINC00908 Facilitates Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression Via Interaction With Sox-4

Background

The hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly aggressive and common malignancy worldwide. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated a pivotal role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in various tumors. However, the function of intergenic lncRNA LINC00908 is still unknown in HCC.

Methods

The RT-qPCR method was used to quantify the expression of LINC00908. Migration and viability assay were performed to evaluate the in vitro effect and xenograft tumor model was used to measure the in vivo effect. Immunoblot was used to identify the association of LINC00908 with Sox-4 and the stability of Sox-4.

Results

We found a novel lncRNA related to HCC. LINC00908 is highly expressed in tumorous tissues and cell lines compared with normal ones. High LINC00908 expression correlated with advanced TNM stages, tumor size and metastasis. LINC00908 promoted the migration and viability of HCC cells. The in vivo xenograft tumor growth and proliferation were also enhanced by LINC00908 overexpression and inhibited by LINC00908 silence. LINC00908 physically interacted with Sox-4, and the association between LINC00908 and Sox-4 increased the stability of Sox-4 by reducing proteasomal degradation.

Conclusion

Taken together, our current work has identified a novel lncRNA LINC00908 which is critically involved in HCC progression. The LINC00908-Sox-4 axis might provide a new and potential target for pharmaceutical therapies.

Long non-coding RNA TGLC15 advances hepatocellular carcinoma by stabilizing Sox4

Background

The hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) belongs to a common malignancy especially in China. Recent data have clarified important roles of long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in HCC. However, the role of a novel intergenic lncRNA termed TGLC15 is still elusive.

Methods

We screened for novel lncRNAs using lncRNA profiling. TGLC15 expression was quantified by qRT‐PCR. In vitro experiments such as migration and viability assays were performed. In vivo implantation experiments were conducted to investigate tumorigenic functions of TGLC15. Combined RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and mass spectrometry (MS) were utilized to uncover Sox4 as TGLC15 binding protein.

Results

TGLC15 is significantly overexpressed in tumor tissues and HCC cell lines. Higher TGLC15 levels correlated with advanced malignant characteristics such as TNM stages, tumor size, and metastasis. TGLC15 advanced HCC migration and viability. The in vivo experiments supported that xenograft tumor growth and proliferation were facilitated by TGLC15 overexpression. Mechanistic studies showed that TGLC15 interacted with Sox4 and interaction between TGLC15 and Sox4 could stabilize Sox4 via reduction in proteasome‐mediated degradation.

Conclusions

Collectively, our data have identified a novel lncRNA TGLC15 during HCC development. The TGLC15‐Sox4 signaling might be a potential target for pharmaceutical intervention.

Emerging Role of SOX Proteins in Breast Cancer Development and Maintenance

The SOX genes encode a family of more than 20 transcription factors that are critical regulators of embryogenesis and developmental processes and, when aberrantly expressed, have been shown to contribute to tumor development and progression in both an oncogenic and tumor suppressive role. Increasing evidence demonstrates that the SOX proteins play essential roles in multiple cellular processes that mediate or contribute to oncogenic transformation and tumor progression. In the context of breast cancer, SOX proteins function both as oncogenes and tumor suppressors and have been shown to be associated with tumor stage and grade and poor prognosis. Experimental evidence demonstrates that a subset of SOX proteins regulate critical aspects of breast cancer biology including cancer stemness and multiple signaling pathways leading to altered cell proliferation, survival, and tumor development; EMT, cell migration and metastasis; as well as other tumor associated characteristics. This review will summarize the role of SOX family members as important mediators of tumorigenesis in breast cancer, with an emphasis on the triple negative or basal-like subtype of breast cancer, as well as examine the therapeutic potential of these genes and their downstream targets.

SOX4: The unappreciated oncogene

SOX4 is an essential developmental transcription factor that regulates stemness, differentiation, progenitor development, and multiple developmental pathways including PI3K, Wnt, and TGFβ signaling. The SOX4 gene is frequently amplified and overexpressed in over 20 types of malignancies, and multiple lines of evidence support that notion that SOX4 is an oncogene. Its overexpression is due to both gene amplification and to activation of PI3K, Wnt, and TGFβ pathways that SOX4 regulates. SOX4 interacts with multiple other transcription factors, rendering many of its impacts on gene expression context and tissue-specific. Nevertheless, there are common themes that run through many of the effects of SOX4 hyperactivity, such as the promotion of cell survival, stemness, the epithelial to mesenchymal transition, migration, and metastasis. Specific targeting of SOX4 remains a challenge for future cancer research and drug development.

SOX4 regulates invasion of bladder cancer cells via repression of WNT5a

Sry-Related HMG-BOX-4 (SOX4) is a developmental transcription factor that is overexpressed in as many as 23% of bladder cancer patients; however, the role of SOX4 in bladder cancer tumorigenesis is not yet well understood. Given the many roles of SOX4 in embryonic development and the context-dependent regulation of gene expression, in this study, we sought to determine the role of SOX4 in bladder cancer and to identify SOX4-regulated genes that may contribute to tumorigenesis. For this purpose, we employed a CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) method to transcriptionally repress SOX4 expression in T24 bladder cancer cell lines, 'rescued' these cell lines with the lentiviral-mediated expression of SOX4, and performed whole genome expression profiling. The cells in which SOX4 was knocked down (T24-SOX4-KD) exhibited decreased invasive capabilities, but no changes in migration or proliferation, whereas rescue experiments with SOX4 lentiviral vector restored the invasive phenotype. Gene expression profiling revealed 173 high confidence SOX4-regulated genes, including WNT5a as a potential target of repression by SOX4. Treatment of the T24-SOX4-KD cells with a WNT5a antagonist restored the invasive phenotype observed in the T24-scramble control cells and the SOX4 lentiviral-rescued cells. High WNT5a expression was associated with a decreased invasion and WNT5a expression inversely correlated with SOX4 expression, suggesting that SOX4 can negatively regulate WNT5a levels either directly or indirectly and that WNT5a likely plays a protective role against invasion in bladder cancer cells.

TGFβ-induced SMAD4-dependent Apoptosis Proceeded by EMT in CRC

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In Saudi Arabia, colorectal cancer is more aggressive and presents at younger age, warranting new treatment strategies. Role of TGFβ/Smad4 signaling pathway in initiation and progression of colorectal cancer is well documented. This study examined the role of TGFβ/Smad4 signaling pathway in a large cohort of Saudi patients with colorectal cancer, followed by in vitro analysis to dissect the dual role of TGFβ on inducing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and apoptosis. Our study demonstrated high frequency of Smad4 alterations with low expression of Smad4 protein identifying a subgroup of aggressive colorectal cancer to be an independent marker for poor prognosis. Functional studies using colorectal cancer cells show that TGFβ induces Smad4-dependent EMT followed by apoptosis. Induction of mesenchymal transcriptional factors, Snail1 and Zeb1, was essential for TGFβ-induced apoptosis. Our results indicate that KLF5 acts as an oncogene in colorectal cancer cells regardless of Smad4 expression and inhibition of KLF5 is requisite for TGFβ-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, TGFβ/Smad4 signal inhibits the transcription of KLF5 that in turn switches Sox4 from tumor promoter to suppressor. A high incidence of Smad4 alterations were found in the Saudi patients with colorectal cancer. Functional study results indicate that TGFβ induces Smad4-dependent EMT followed by apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells.

Compounding effect of vitamin D3 diet, supplementation, and alcohol exposure on macrophage response to mycobacterium infection

Vitamin D₃ is known to be a key component in the defense against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection through the regulation of cytokine and effector molecules. Conversely, alcohol exposure has been recognized as an immune dysregulator. Macrophages were extracted from D₃ deficient and sufficient diet mice and supplemented with D₃ or exposed to ethanol during ex vivo infection using M. bovis BCG, as a surrogate for Mtb. Results of our study indicate that while exogenous supplementation or alcohol exposure did alter immune response, in vivo diet was the greatest determinant of cytokine and effector molecule production. Alcohol exposure was found to profoundly dysregulate primary murine macrophages, with ethanol-exposed cells generally characterized as hyper- or hyporesponsive. Exogenous D₃ supplementation had a normative effect for diet deficient host, however supplementation was not sufficient to compensate for the effects of diet deficiency. Vitamin D₃ sufficient diet resulted in reduced cell cytotoxicity for the majority of time points. Results provide insight into the ramifications of both the individual and combined health risks of D₃ deficiency or alcohol exposure. Given the clinical relevance of D₃ deficiency and alcohol use comorbidities, outcomes of this study have implications in therapeutic approaches for the treatment of tuberculosis disease.

ARPC2 promotes breast cancer proliferation and metastasis

Actin-related protein 2/3 complex (ARPC2) is an actin‑binding component involved in the regulation of actin polymerization. It mediates the formation of branched actin networks and contacts the mother actin filament. Migration and invasion are key processes which enable tumor cells to infiltrate blood vessels or lymphatic vessels, and the actin pathway plays a very important role. Given that ARPC2 is critical to this progression, the present study focused on ARPC2 activity in breast cancer (BrCa) cell invasion and migration. Limited data are available on the expression and role of ARPC2 proteins in breast carcinomas. We screened the Oncomine database for messenger RNAs (mRNAs) that are upregulated in BrCa and found that ARPC2 was one of the most consistently involved mRNAs in BrCa. The analysis of immunohistochemical data revealed that ARPC2 expression was higher in breast cancerous tissues than in adjacent non‑cancerous tissues. In addition, ARPC2 was highly associated with the tumor stage, nodal metastasis, and overall survival of patients with BrCa. We performed siRNA‑ARPC2 transfection to investigate the effect of ARPC2 on the proliferation, migration, invasion and arrest of BrCa cells. It was revealed that ectopic ARPC2 expression significantly upregulated N‑cadherin, vimentin, ZEB1, MMP‑9 and MMP‑3 expression and also activated the TGF‑β pathway to contribute to epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT). These results collectively indicated that ARPC2 promoted the tumorigenesis of breast carcinoma and the initiation of EMT. Therefore, ARPC2 was revealed to be a potential therapeutic target in patients with BrCa.

High Levels of Prebiotic Resistant Starch in Diet Modulate Gene Expression and Metabolomic Profile in Pancreatic Cancer Xenograft Mice

Cancer initiation and protection mainly derives from a systemic metabolic environment regulated by dietary patterns. Less is known about the impact of nutritional interventions in people with a diagnosis of cancer. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of a diet rich in resistant starch (RS) on cell pathways modulation and metabolomic phenotype in pancreatic cancer xenograft mice. RNA-Seq experiments on tumor tissue showed that 25 genes resulted in dysregulated pancreatic cancer in mice fed with an RS diet, as compared to those fed with control diet. Moreover, in these two different mice groups, six serum metabolites were deregulated as detected by LC–MS analysis. A bioinformatic prediction analysis showed the involvement of the differentially expressed genes on insulin receptor signaling, circadian rhythm signaling, and cancer drug resistance among the three top canonical pathways, whilst cell death and survival, gene expression, and neurological disease were among the three top disease and biological functions. These findings shed light on the genomic and metabolic phenotype, contributing to the knowledge of the mechanisms through which RS may act as a potential supportive approach for enhancing the efficacy of existing cancer treatments.

The role of SOX family members in solid tumours and metastasis

Cancer is a heavy burden for humans across the world with high morbidity and mortality. Transcription factors including sex determining region Y (SRY)-related high-mobility group (HMG) box (SOX) proteins are thought to be involved in the regulation of specific biological processes. The deregulation of gene expression programs can lead to cancer development. Here, we review the role of the SOX family in breast cancer, prostate cancer, renal cell carcinoma, thyroid cancer, brain tumours, gastrointestinal and lung tumours as well as the entailing therapeutic implications. The SOX family consists of more than 20 members that mediate DNA binding by the HMG domain and have regulatory functions in development, cell-fate decision, and differentiation. SOX2, SOX4, SOX5, SOX8, SOX9, and SOX18 are up-regulated in different cancer types and have been found to be associated with poor prognosis, while the up-regulation of SOX11 and SOX30 appears to be favourable for the outcome in other cancer types. SOX2, SOX4, SOX5 and other SOX members are involved in tumorigenesis, e.g. SOX2 is markedly up-regulated in chemotherapy resistant cells. The SoxF family (SOX7, SOX17, SOX18) plays an important role in angio- and lymphangiogenesis, with SOX18 seemingly being an attractive target for anti-angiogenic therapy and the treatment of metastatic disease in cancer. In summary, SOX transcription factors play an important role in cancer progression, including tumorigenesis, changes in the tumour microenvironment, and metastasis. Certain SOX proteins are potential molecular markers for cancer prognosis and putative potential therapeutic targets, but further investigations are required to understand their physiological functions.

SRY-Box Containing Gene 4 Promotes Liver Steatosis by Upregulation of SREBP-1c

Obesity is usually associated with an increased risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease that is characterized by accumulation of excessive triglyceride (TG) in hepatocytes. However, the factors involved in the obesity-induced hepatosteatosis are poorly defined. Here, we report that SRY-box containing gene 4 (Sox4), a transcription factor that regulates cell proliferation and differentiation, plays an important role in hepatic TG metabolism. Sox4 expression levels are markedly upregulated in livers of obese rodents and humans. Adenovirus-medicated overexpression of Sox4 in the livers of lean mice promotes liver steatosis, whereas liver-specific knockdown of Sox4 ameliorates TG accumulation and improves insulin resistance in obese mice. At the molecular level, we show that Sox4 could directly control the transcription of SREBP-1c gene through binding to its proximal promoter region. Thus, we have identified Sox4 as an important component of hepatic TG metabolism.

Identification and expression of transcription factor sox2 in large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea

As an important transcription and pluripotency factor, Sox2 plays its functions essentially in the regulation of self-renewal and pluripotency of embryonic and neural stem cells, as well as embryogenesis, organogenesis, neurogenesis and regeneration. The data is lacking on Sox2 in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) (Lc-Sox2) which is a limitation on the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In this study, Lc-sox2 was cloned by RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) and analyzed by Bioinformatics. The quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and whole mount in situ hybridization (WISH) were used to detect the expression of Lc-sox2. The full-length cDNA sequence of Lc-sox2 is 2135 bp and encodes a 322-aa (amino acids). Lc-Sox2 possesses a highly conserved HMG-box as DNA-binding domain, maintains highly conserved with vertebrates, particularly with teleosts. In tissues, Lc-sox2 was expressed with gender difference in brain and eye (female > male), in embryos, Lc-sox2 was expressed with a zygotic type that the high level expression began to appear in the gastrula stage. The spatio-temporal expression patterns of Lc-sox2 suggested the potential involvement in embryogenesis, neurogenesis, gametogenesis and adult physiological processes of large yellow croaker. Our results contributed to better understanding of Sox2 from large yellow croaker.

miR‑30a‑5p inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of melanoma cells by targeting SOX4

MicroRNA (miR)‑30a‑5p has been reported to suppress the progression of hepatocellular cancer, renal cell carcinoma, oral cancer and gastric cancer. However, whether miR‑30a‑5p is involved in the regulation of melanoma remains unclear. The present study revealed that miR‑30a‑5p was downregulated in melanoma tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR‑30a‑5p significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of melanoma cells in vitro. In addition, ectopic expression of miR‑30a‑5p delayed tumor growth in vivo. In terms of mechanism, miR‑30a‑5p targeted sex determining region Y‑box 4 (SOX4) and impeded the expression of SOX4 in melanoma cells. In addition, SOX4 was upregulated in melanoma tissues and cell lines when compared with normal tissues or cells. Furthermore, overexpression of SOX4 significantly rescued the proliferation, migration and invasion of melanoma cells transfected with miR‑30a‑5p mimics. Taken together, the results of the present study demonstrated that miR‑30a‑5p suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of melanoma cells in SOX4‑dependent manner.

FHL3 links cell growth and self-renewal by modulating SOX4 in glioma

Differentiation status significantly affects the properties of malignant glioma cells, with non-stem cells inducing tumor enlargement and stem-like cells driving tumor initiation and treatment resistance. It is not completely understood how the same protein can have a distinct role in these cell populations. Here, we report that four and a half LIM domain protein 3 (FHL3) has an inhibitory effect on proliferation in non-stem glioma cells and a non-proliferative effect in glioma stem cells (GSCs). In GSCs, we show that FHL3 interacts with the Smad2/3 protein complex at the SOX4 promoter region, inhibits SOX4 transcriptional activity by recruiting PPM1A phosphatase to Smad2/3, and then suppresses GSC tumor sphere formation and self-renewal in vitro and in vivo via downregulation of SOX2 expression. Altogether, these findings highlight the role of FHL3 as a stemness-suppressor in regulation of the Smad2/3-SOX4-SOX2 axis in glioma.

Bioinformatics functional analysis of let-7a, miR-34a, and miR-199a/b reveals novel insights into immune system pathways and cancer hallmarks for hepatocellular carcinoma

Let-7a, miR-34a, and miR-199 a/b have gained a great attention as master regulators for cellular processes. In particular, these three micro-RNAs act as potential onco-suppressors for hepatocellular carcinoma. Bioinformatics can reveal the functionality of these micro-RNAs through target prediction and functional annotation analysis. In the current study, in silico analysis using innovative servers (miRror Suite, DAVID, miRGator V3.0, GeneTrail) has demonstrated the combinatorial and the individual target genes of these micro-RNAs and further explored their roles in hepatocellular carcinoma progression. There were 87 common target messenger RNAs (p ≤ 0.05) that were predicted to be regulated by the three micro-RNAs using miRror 2.0 target prediction tool. In addition, the functional enrichment analysis of these targets that was performed by DAVID functional annotation and REACTOME tools revealed two major immune-related pathways, eight hepatocellular carcinoma hallmarks-linked pathways, and two pathways that mediate interconnected processes between immune system and hepatocellular carcinoma hallmarks. Moreover, protein-protein interaction network for the predicted common targets was obtained by using STRING database. The individual analysis of target genes and pathways for the three micro-RNAs of interest using miRGator V3.0 and GeneTrail servers revealed some novel predicted target oncogenes such as SOX4, which we validated experimentally, in addition to some regulated pathways of immune system and hepatocarcinogenesis such as insulin signaling pathway and adipocytokine signaling pathway. In general, our results demonstrate that let-7a, miR-34a, and miR-199 a/b have novel interactions in different immune system pathways and major hepatocellular carcinoma hallmarks. Thus, our findings shed more light on the roles of these miRNAs as cancer silencers.

Combinatory use of distinct single-cell RNA-seq analytical platforms reveals the heterogeneous transcriptome response

Single-cell RNA-seq is a powerful tool for revealing heterogeneity in cancer cells. However, each of the current single-cell RNA-seq platforms has inherent advantages and disadvantages. Here, we show that combining the different single-cell RNA-seq platforms can be an effective approach to obtaining complete information about expression differences and a sufficient cellular population to understand transcriptional heterogeneity in cancers. We demonstrate that it is possible to estimate missing expression information. We further demonstrate that even in the cases where precise information for an individual gene cannot be inferred, the activity of given transcriptional modules can be analyzed. Interestingly, we found that two distinct transcriptional modules, one associated with the Aurora kinase gene and the other with the DUSP gene, are aberrantly regulated in a minor population of cells and may thus contribute to the possible emergence of dormancy or eventual drug resistance within the population.

DownRegulated SOX4 Expression Suppresses Cell Proliferation, Migration, and Induces Apoptosis in Osteosarcoma In Vitro and In Vivo

The SOX4 transcription factor is involved in various cellular processes, such as embryonic development and differentiation. Deregulated expression of Sox4 in several human cancers has been reported to date, but its biological functions in the progression of osteosarcoma remain unclear. In this study, we found that the expression levels of SOX4 protein were significantly higher in high-grade osteosarcoma tissues and metastatic osteosarcoma tissues. Its overexpression was associated with poor prognosis in osteosarcoma. Knockdown of the SOX4 gene in the osteosarcoma cell lines resulted in decreased cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and induced apoptosis. After SOX4 gene silencing, the protein expression levels of Bax, Caspase-3, and P53 in osteosarcoma cells were significantly elevated, while the protein expression levels of Bcl-2, MMP2, and MMP9 were obviously decreased. In vivo analysis in nude mice further confirmed that knockdown of SOX4 suppressed tumor growth. In conclusion, SOX4 appears to be an important tumor oncogene in the regulation of osteosarcoma cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion, and it may be a potential target for effective osteosarcoma therapy.

SOX4 arrests lung development in rats with hyperoxia‑induced bronchopulmonary dysplasia by controlling EZH2 expression

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is currently the most common severe complication in premature infants and is characterized by the arrest of alveolar and vascular growth. Alveolar type II cells play an important role in the pathological foundation of BPD. An association of BPD with epithelial‑to‑mesenchymal transition (EMT) in type II cells exposed to hyperoxia was previously identified. SOX4, a transcription factor that is indispensable to embryogenesis, including lung development, participates in regulating EMT and cell survival, affecting tumorigenesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the involvement of SOX4 in the occurrence of BPD, which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been previously determined. For this purpose, newborn rats were randomly divided into two treatment groups: The model group was exposed to hyperoxia (80-85% O2), while the control group was kept under normoxic conditions (21% O2). Lung tissues were collected on postnatal days 1, 3, 7, 14 and 21 and morphological changes in the lungs were examined by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The location of SOX4 in type II cells was detected by double immunofluorescence. The expression of SOX4 and enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) in type II cells and lung tissues were detected by immunochemistry, western blotting and quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. The results demonstrated that, compared with the control group, the radial alveolar count decreased rapidly in the model group, accompanied by increased mean alveolar diameter and alveolar septal thickness. SOX4 and EZH2 were highly expressed in type II cells exposed to hyperoxia. However, in total lung tissues, SOX4 and EZH2 expression was profoundly decreased in the early stages and increased in the late stages following exposure to hyperoxia. The expression of the EZH2 protein was positively correlated with that of the SOX4 protein. In conclusion, at the alveolar stage, which is a critical period after birth for lung development, hyperoxia induced dysregulation of SOX4 and EZH2 in rat lungs, indicating that SOX4 may contribute to the disruption of lung development in BPD by regulating EZH2 expression.

MicroRNA-338-3p targets SOX4 and inhibits cell proliferation and invasion of renal cell carcinoma

MicroRNA (miR)-338-3p has been reported to be involved in tumor progression and development in various types of cancer. However, the biological function of miR-338-3p and its related molecular pathways involved in the progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the biological role and underlying mechanism of miR-338-3p in RCC cells. It was demonstrated that miR-338-3p expression level was significantly downregulated (P<0.05) in RCC tissues and cell lines. Clinical association analysis indicated that low expression of miR-338-3p was significantly associated with advanced TNM stage and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). Function assays revealed that restoration of miR-338-3p in RCC cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion (P<0.05). Notably, sex-determining region Y-box 4 (SOX4) was identified as a direct target of miR-338-3p in RCC cells through a luciferase reporter assay, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. Furthermore, SOX4 overexpression partially rescued miR-338-3p-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion in RCC cells. These results suggested that miR-338-3p functioned as a tumor suppressor in RCC cells by modulating SOX4, suggesting that miR-338-3p may have a potential use in the treatment of RCC.

SOX14 activates the p53 signaling pathway and induces apoptosis in a cervical carcinoma cell line

SOX14 is a member of the SOX family of transcription factors mainly involved in the regulation of neural development. Recently, it became evident that SOX14 is one of four hypermethylated genes in cervical carcinoma, considered as a tumor suppressor candidate in this type of malignancy. In this paper we elucidated the role of SOX14 in the regulation of malignant properties of cervical carcinoma cells in vitro. Functional analysis performed in HeLa cells revealed that SOX14 overexpression decreased viability and promoted apoptosis through altering the expression of apoptosis related genes. Our results demonstrated that overexpression of SOX14 initiated accumulation of p53, demonstrating potential cross-talk between SOX14 and the p53 signaling pathway. Further analysis unambiguously showed that SOX14 triggered posttranslational modification of p53 protein, as detected by the significantly increased level of phospho-p53 (Ser-15) in SOX14-overexpressing HeLa cells. Moreover, the obtained results revealed that SOX14 activated p53 protein, which was confirmed by elevated p21^Waf1/Cip1, a well known target gene of p53. This study advances our understanding about the role of SOX14 and might explain the molecular mechanism by which this transcription factor could exert tumor suppressor properties in cervical carcinoma.

P53-miR-191-SOX4 regulatory loop affects apoptosis in breast cancer

miRNAs have emerged as key participants of p53 signaling pathways because they regulate or are regulated by p53. Here, we provide the first study demonstrating direct regulation of an oncogenic miRNA, miR-191-5p, by p53 and existence of a regulatory feedback loop. Using a combination of qRT-PCR, promoter-luciferase, and chromatin-immunoprecipitation assays, we show that p53 brings about down-regulation of miR-191-5p in breast cancer. miR-191-5p overexpression brought about inhibition of apoptosis in breast cancer cell lines (MCF7 and ZR-75) as demonstrated by reduction in annexin-V stained cells and caspase 3/7 activity, whereas miR-191-5p down-regulation showed the opposite. We further unveiled that SOX4 was a direct target of miR-191-5p. SOX4 overexpression was shown to increase p53 protein levels in MCF7 cells. miR-191-5p overexpression brought about down-regulation of SOX4 and thus p53 levels, suggesting the existence of a regulatory feedback loop. Breast cancer treatment by doxorubicin, an anti-cancer drug, involves induction of apoptosis by p53; we thus wanted to check whether miR-191-5p affects doxorubicin sensitivity. Interestingly, Anti-miR-191 treatment significantly decreased the IC50 of the doxorubicin drug and thus sensitized breast cancer cells to doxorubicin treatment by promoting apoptosis. Overall, this work highlights the importance of the p53-miR-191-SOX4 axis in the regulation of apoptosis and drug resistance in breast cancer and offers a preclinical proof-of-concept for use of an Anti-miR-191 and doxorubicin combination as a rational approach to pursue for better breast cancer treatment.

MicroRNA-25 suppresses proliferation, migration, and invasion of osteosarcoma by targeting SOX4

Altered expression of the miR-25 has been implicated in many human malignant progression as oncogene or tumor suppressor. However, the precise role of miR-25 in osteosarcoma progression remains largely unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role and underlying mechanism of miR-25 in osteosarcoma. In this study, we demonstrated that miR-25 was significantly downregulated in osteosarcoma cell lines and tissues and that lower miR-25 was associated with advanced tumor-node-metastasis stage and lymph node metastasis. Then, we found that introduction of miR-25 significantly suppressed the proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion of osteosarcoma cells in vitro and retarded tumor growth in vivo. Further studies indicated that the epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related transcription factor, SOX4 (SRY-related high-mobility group box 4), was a direct target gene of miR-25, evidenced by bioinformatics analysis predicted and luciferase reporter assay. Furthermore, miR-25 could decrease the expression of SOX4 levels and inhibited epithelial-mesenchymal transition process. The levels of miR-25 were inversely correlated with those of SOX4 expression in osteosarcoma tissues. SOX4 overexpression rescued miR-25-induced suppression of proliferation, migration, and invasion of osteosarcoma cells. Taken together, these results suggest that miR-25 functions as a tumor suppressor in the progression of osteosarcoma by repressing SOX4.

MicroRNA-138 Inhibits Cell Growth, Invasion, and EMT of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer via SOX4/p53 Feedback Loop

Many studies have shown that downregulation of miR-138 occurs in a variety of cancers including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the precise mechanisms of miR-138 in NSCLC have not been well clarified. In this study, we investigated the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of miR-138 in NSCLC cell lines, discussing whether it could turn out to be a therapeutic biomarker of NSCLC in the future. In our study, we found that miR-138 is downregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Moreover, the low level of miR-138 was associated with increased expression of SOX4 in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Upregulation of miR-138 significantly inhibited proliferation of NSCLC cells. In addition, invasion and EMT of NSCLC cells were suppressed by overexpression of miR-138. However, downregulation of miR-138 promoted cell growth and metastasis of NSCLC cells. Bioinformatics analysis predicted that SOX4 was a potential target gene of miR-138. Next, luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-138 could directly target SOX4. Consistent with the effect of miR-138, downregulation of SOX4 by siRNA inhibited proliferation, invasion, and EMT of NSCLC cells. Overexpression of SOX4 in NSCLC cells partially reversed the effect of miR-138 mimic. In addition, decreased SOX4 expression could increase the level of miR-138 via upregulation of p53. Introduction of miR-138 dramatically inhibited growth, invasion, and EMT of NSCLC cells through a SOX4/p53 feedback loop.