Tensin4 (TNS4) is upregulated by Wnt signalling in adenomas in multiple intestinal neoplasia (Min) mice

Tensin 4 facilitates aerobic glycolysis, migration and invasion of colorectal cancer cells through the β‑catenin/c‑Myc signaling pathway

Tensin 4 (TNS4) is overexpressed in multiple cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC), and is associated with a poor prognosis of patients with CRC. However, the role and underlying mechanisms of TNS4 in CRC have yet to be elucidated. The expression of TNS4 in CRC tissues were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Cell migration and invasion were assessed in vitro using Transwell assay. Western blot and reverse transcription (RT)-quantitative (q)PCR were used to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which TNS4 regulates aerobic glycolysis, migration and invasion of CRC cells. The present study demonstrated that TNS4 was highly expressed in the cancer tissues of patients with CRC and significantly associated with the tumor-node-metastasis stages. TNS4 silencing led to a significant decrease in glucose consumption and lactate production in CRC cells, and knockdown of TNS4 suppressed the migration and invasion of CRC cells via aerobic glycolysis through the β-catenin/c-Myc pathway. Notably, treatment with DASA-58, an activator of glycolysis, or SKL2001, an activator of β-catenin/c-Myc signaling, significantly reversed the effect of TNS4 knockdown on aerobic glycolysis, migration and invasion of CRC cells. Collectively, these results suggest that TNS4 may act as a novel regulator of aerobic glycolysis, migration and invasion of CRC cells by modulating β-catenin/c-Myc signaling, providing a new potential biomarker and therapeutic target in CRC.

Hypoxia-driven TNS4 fosters HNSCC tumorigenesis by stabilizing integrin α5β1 complex and triggering FAK-mediated Akt and TGFβ signaling pathways

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains a formidable clinical challenge due to its high recurrence rate and limited targeted therapeutic options. This study aims to elucidate the role of tensin 4 (TNS4) in the pathogenesis of HNSCC across clinical, cellular, and animal levels. We found a significant upregulation of TNS4 expression in HNSCC tissues compared to normal controls. Elevated levels of TNS4 were associated with adverse clinical outcomes, including diminished overall survival. Functional assays revealed that TNS4 knockdown attenuated, and its overexpression augmented, the oncogenic capabilities of HNSCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic studies revealed that TNS4 overexpression promotes the interaction between integrin α5 and integrin β1, thereby activating focal adhesion kinase (FAK). This TNS4-mediated FAK activation simultaneously enhanced the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and facilitated the interaction between TGFβRI and TGFβRII, leading to the activation of the TGFβ signaling pathway. Both of these activated pathways contributed to HNSCC tumorigenesis. Additionally, we found that hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) transcriptionally regulated TNS4 expression. In conclusion, our findings provide the basis for innovative TNS4-targeted therapeutic strategies, which could potentially improve prognosis and survival rates for patients with HNSCC.

Epigenetic Activation of Tensin 4 Promotes Gastric Cancer Progression

Gastric cancer (GC) is a complex disease influenced by multiple genetic and epigenetic factors. Chronic inflammation caused by Helicobacter pylori infection and dietary risk factors can result in the accumulation of aberrant DNA methylation in gastric mucosa, which promotes GC development. Tensin 4 (TNS4), a member of the Tensin family of proteins, is localized to focal adhesion sites, which connect the extracellular matrix and cytoskeletal network. We identified upregulation of TNS4 in GC using quantitative reverse transcription PCR with 174 paired samples of GC tumors and adjacent normal tissues. Transcriptional activation of TNS4 occurred even during the early stage of tumor development. TNS4 depletion in GC cell lines that expressed high to moderate levels of TNS4, i.e., SNU-601, KATO III, and MKN74, reduced cell proliferation and migration, whereas ectopic expression of TNS4 in those lines that expressed lower levels of TNS4, i.e., SNU-638, MKN1, and MKN45 increased colony formation and cell migration. The promoter region of TNS4 was hypomethylated in GC cell lines that showed upregulation of TNS4. We also found a significant negative correlation between TNS4 expression and CpG methylation in 250 GC tumors based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data. This study elucidates the epigenetic mechanism of TNS4 activation and functional roles of TNS4 in GC development and progression and suggests a possible approach for future GC treatments.

Mining TCGA and GEO databases for the prediction of poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma based on up-regulated expression of TNS4

To investigate the clinical significance of Tensin4 (TNS4) in human cancers, particularly lung cancer, we mined the Cancer Genome Atlas database for lung adenocarcinoma (TCGA-LUAD) and the Gene Expression Omnibus database to predict poor prognosis based on the up-regulated expression of TNS4 in LUAD. The correlation between the clinical pathologic features of patients and TNS4 gene expression was analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the association of clinicopathologic characteristics with the overall survival (OS) of cancer patients using TCGA data. The relationship between TNS4 expression and cancer patient survival was evaluated with Kaplan-Meier survival curves and meta-analyses. GO and KEGG were also included in the data mining methods. The expression level of TNS4 in LUAD tissue was higher than that in adjacent normal tissue (P < .001). According to the Kaplan-Meier survival curve, LUAD patients with high TNS4 expression had worse prognosis than those with low TNS4 expression (P < .001 for OS; P = .028 for progression-free survival). A positive correlation between TNS4 expression and poor OS was found with both univariate and multivariate analyses. Increased TNS4 expression in LUAD was closely correlated with a higher disease stage (P = .007), positive lymph nodes (P = .005), and larger tumor size (P = .002). Moreover, meta-analysis including seven independent datasets showed LUAD patients with higher TNS4 had poorer OS (combined hazard ratio = 1.27, 95% confidence interval 1.16-1.39). In the high-TNS4 population, regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, extracellular matrix receptor interactions, and focal adhesion were differentially enriched. Integrin α6β4 and laminin-5 genes were also associated with TNS4. TNS4 expression may be a potential biomarker for predicting poor survival in LUAD. Moreover, the correlation between TNS4 and integrin α6β4 may be attributed to the role of TNS4 in LUAD.

Tensin4 (TNS4) is upregulated by Wnt signalling in adenomas in multiple intestinal neoplasia (Min) mice

Apc^Min/+ mice are regarded as a standard animal model of colorectal cancer (CRC). Tensin4 (TNS4 or Cten) is a putative oncogene conferring features of stemness and promoting motility. Our objective was to assess TNS4 expression in intestinal adenomas and determine whether TNS4 is upregulated by Wnt signalling. Apc^Min/+ mice (n = 11) were sacrificed at approximately 120 days old at the onset of anaemia signs. Small intestines were harvested, and Swiss roll preparations were tested for TNS4 expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Individual polyps were also separately collected (n = 14) and tested for TNS4 mRNA expression and Kras mutation. The relationship between Wnt signalling and TNS4 expression was tested by Western blotting in the human CRC cell line HCT116 after inhibition of β-catenin activity with MSAB or its increase by transfection with a Flag β-catenin expression vector. Overall, 135/148 (91.2%) of the total intestinal polyps were positive for TNS4 expression by IHC, whilst adjacent normal areas were negative. RT-qPCR analysis showed approximately 5-fold upregulation of TNS4 mRNA in the polyps compared to adjacent normal tissue and no Kras mutations were detected. In HCT116, β-catenin inhibition resulted in reduced TNS4 expression, and conversely, β-catenin overexpression resulted in increased TNS4 expression. In conclusion, this is the first report linking aberrant Wnt signalling to upregulation of TNS4 both during initiation of intestinal adenomas in mice and in in vitro models. The exact contribution of TNS4 to adenoma development remains to be investigated, but the Apc^Min/+ mouse represents a good model to study this.