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Li Q, Li J, Wang J, Wang J, Lu T, Jia Y, Sun H, Ma X. PLEK2 mediates metastasis and invasion via α5-nAChR activation in nicotine-induced lung adenocarcinoma. Mol Carcinog 2024; 63:253-265. [PMID: 37921560 DOI: 10.1002/mc.23649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Evidence has shown a strong relationship between smoking and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). α5-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α5-nAChR) contributes to nicotine-induced lung cancer cell EMT. The cytoskeleton-associated protein PLEK2 is mainly involved in cytoskeletal protein recombination and cell stretch migration regulation, which is closely related to EMT. However, little is known about the link between nicotine/α5-nAChR and PLEK2 in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Here, we identified a link between α5-nAChR and PLEK2 in LUAD. α5-nAChR expression was correlated with PLEK2 expression, smoking status and lower survival in vivo. α5-nAChR mediated nicotine-induced PLEK2 expression via STAT3. α5-nAChR/PLEK2 signaling is involved in LUAD cell migration, invasion and stemness. Moreover, PLEK2 was found to interact with CFL1 in nicotine-induced EMT in LUAD cells. Furthermore, the functional link among α5-nAChR, PLEK2 and CFL1 was confirmed in mouse xenograft tissues and human LUAD tissues. These findings reveal a novel α5-nAChR/PLEK2/CFL1 pathway involved in nicotine-induced LUAD progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Li
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Jingtan Li
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Jingting Wang
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Tong Lu
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Shandong Intelligent Technology Innovation Center, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Yanfei Jia
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Haiji Sun
- Shandong Intelligent Technology Innovation Center, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- College of Life Science, Shandong Normal University, Shandong, China
| | - Xiaoli Ma
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Shandong Intelligent Technology Innovation Center, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Stress Injury of Shandong Province, Shandong, China
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Zhu P, Kang G, Jiao Y, Gui C, Fan H, Li X, Jia Y, Zhang L, Ma X. The α5-nAChR/PD-L1 axis facilitates lung adenocarcinoma cell migration and invasion. Hum Cell 2022; 35:1207-1218. [PMID: 35593989 DOI: 10.1007/s13577-022-00709-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
α5 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α5-nAChR) is associated with the progression of smoking-related lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), but the molecular mechanism is unclear. Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is encoded by the CD274 gene, which not only inhibits the immune system, but also plays a unique role in tumor growth and metastasis. Here, we gained important insights into the underlying mechanism between α5-nAChR and PD-L1 in LUAD progression. α5-nAChR was overexpressed in various histological subtypes, cancer stages and metastasis statuses of LUAD. The group that coexpressed α5-nAChR and PD-L1 had a worse prognosis than the other subgroups at different stages of LUAD lymph node metastasis. The expression of α5-nAChR and PD-L1 was associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker CDH2. In vitro, α5-nAChR mediated nicotine-induced PD-L1 expression via STAT3 and the expression of EMT markers. Downregulation of α5-nAChR and/or PD-L1 inhibited EMT marker expression, cell proliferation, migration and invasion compared to silencing α5-nAChR or PD-L1 alone in LUAD cells. Furthermore, α5-nAChR expression was associated with PD-L1 and EMT marker expression in mouse xenograft models. These results highlight that α5-nAChR mediates STAT3/PD-L1 signaling, which contributes to cell migration and invasion. Therefore, our study may reveal a new interaction between α5-nAChR and PD-L1 that is involved in tumor cell growth and progression in LUAD, which may be a promising target for NSCLC diagnosis and immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Zhu
- Department of Medical Laboratory, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261053, China
| | - Guiyu Kang
- Department of Medical Laboratory, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261053, China
| | - Yang Jiao
- Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250013, China
| | - Chengzhi Gui
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250013, China
| | - Huiping Fan
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250013, China
| | - Xiangying Li
- Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250013, China
| | - Yanfei Jia
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250013, China
| | - Lulu Zhang
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250013, China
| | - Xiaoli Ma
- Department of Medical Laboratory, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261053, China.
- Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250013, China.
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250013, China.
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Zhang Q, Jia Y, Pan P, Zhang X, Jia Y, Zhu P, Chen X, Jiao Y, Kang G, Zhang L, Ma X. α5-nAChR associated with Ly6E modulates cell migration via TGF-β1/Smad signaling in non-small cell lung cancer. Carcinogenesis 2022; 43:393-404. [PMID: 34994389 DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgac003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The α5-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α5-nAChR) is closely associated with nicotine-related lung cancer, offering a novel perspective for investigating the molecular pathogenesis of this disease. However, the mechanism by which α5-nAChR functions in lung carcinogenesis remains to be elucidated. Lymphocyte antigen 6 (Ly6) proteins, like snake three-finger alpha toxins such as α-bungarotoxin, can modulate nAChR signaling. Ly6E, a member of the Ly6 family, is a biomarker of poor prognosis in smoking-induced lung carcinogenesis and is involved in the regulation of TGF-β1/Smad signaling. Here, we explored the underlying mechanisms linking α5-nAChR and Ly6E in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The expression of α5-nAChR was correlated with Ly6 expression, smoking status and lower survival in NSCLC tissues. In vitro, α5-nAChR mediated Ly6E, the phosphorylation of the TGF-β1 downstream molecule Smad3 (pSmad3, a key mediator of TGF-β1 signaling), the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers Zeb1, N-cadherin and vimentin expression in NSCLC cells. The downregulation of Ly6E reduced α5-nAChR, pSmad3, Zeb1, N-cadherin and vimentin expression. Functionally, silencing both α5-nAChR and Ly6E significantly inhibited cell migration compared to silencing α5-nAChR or Ly6E alone. Furthermore, the functional effects of α5-nAchR and Ly6E were confirmed in chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and mouse xenograft models. Therefore, our findings uncover a new interaction between α5-nAChR and Ly6E that inhibits cancer cell migration by modulating the TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway in NSCLC, which may serve as a novel target for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Zhang
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Ying Jia
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Taian City Central Hospital, Taian, China
| | - Pan Pan
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiuping Zhang
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yanfei Jia
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Ping Zhu
- Department of Medical Laboratory, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
| | - Xiaowei Chen
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yang Jiao
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Guiyu Kang
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China.,Department of Clinical Laboratory, Taian City Central Hospital, Taian, China
| | - Lulu Zhang
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaoli Ma
- Research Center of Basic Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China.,Department of Medical Laboratory, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China.,Research Center of Basic Medicine, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
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