KIF20A Predicts Poor Survival of Patients and Promotes Colorectal Cancer Tumor Progression through the JAK/STAT3 Signaling Pathway

Integrative approach using network pharmacology, bioinformatics, and experimental methods to explore the mechanism of cantharidin in treating colorectal cancer

Cantharidin, a terpenoid produced by blister beetles, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat various ailments and cancers. However, its biological activity, impact, and anticancer mechanisms remain unclear. The Cantharidin chemical gene connections were identified using various databases. The GSE21815 dataset was used to collect the gene expression information. Differential gene analysis and gene ontology analyses were performed. Gene set enrichment analysis was used to assess the activation of disease pathways. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis and differential analysis were used to identify illness-associated genes, examine differential genes, and discover therapeutic targets via protein-protein interactions. MCODE analysis of major subgroup networks was used to identify critical genes influenced by Cantharidin, examine variations in the expression of key clustered genes in colorectal cancer vs. control samples, and describe the subject operators. Single-cell GSE188711 dataset was preprocessed to investigate Cantharidin's therapeutic targets and signaling pathways in colorectal cancer. Single-cell RNA sequencing was utilized to identify 22 cell clusters and marker genes for two different cell types in each cluster. The effects of different Cantharidin concentrations on colorectal cancer cells were studied in vitro. One hundred and ninety-seven Cantharidin-associated target genes and 480 critical genes implicated in the development of the illness were identified. Cantharidin significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of HCT116 cells and promoted apoptosis at certain concentrations. Patients on current therapy develop inherent and acquired resistance. Our study suggests that Cantharidin may play an anti-CRC role by modulating immune function.

Circ_0084188 Regulates the progression of colorectal cancer through the miR-769-5p/KIF20A axis

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the major gastrointestinal malignancies threatening human health. More and more studies indicate that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are important regulatory factors of CRC, but the mechanism is still indistinct.

METHODS

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot were used to detect the expression of circ_0084188, microRNA-769-5p (miR-769-5p), and kinesin family member 20A (KIF20A) in CRC tissues. Kaplan-Meier curve was used to analyze the relationship between circ_0084188 expression and the survival rate of CRC patients. Cell proliferation, viability, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were analyzed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), flow cytometry, wound-healing, and transwell assays, respectively. The relationship between miR-769-5p and circ_0084188 or KIF20A was detected by a dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down. The effect of circ_0084188 on tumor growth was verified by xenograft studies in vivo.

RESULTS

Circ_0084188 and KIF20A were upregulated and miR-769-5p was downregulated in CRC. Circ_0084188 knockdown repressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CRC cells, as well as enhanced apoptosis in vitro. Mechanistically, circ_0084188 targeted miR-769-5p, and the reduction of miR-769-5p reversed the effects of circ_0084188 knockdown on cell functional behaviors. KLF20A was a direct miR-769-5p target, and circ_0084188 acted as a sponge for miR-769-5p to regulate the KIF20A level. Moreover, miR-769-5p regulated the functional behaviors of CRC cells by targeting KIF20A. In addition, circ_0084188 knockdown confined the growth of xenograft tumors in vivo.

CONCLUSION

Circ_0084188 upregulated the expression of KIF20A to promote the tumorigenesis of CRC through miR-769-5p, providing a new therapeutic target for CRC.

Upregulation of the key biomarker kinesin family member 20A (KIF20A) is associated with pulmonary artery hypertension

OBJECTIVE

Pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) is a complex, fatal disease with limited treatments. This study aimed to investigate possible key targets in PAH through bioinformatics.

METHODS

GSE144274 were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Then, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between idiopathic pulmonary hypertension (IPAH) and healthy subjects were identified and analyzed. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were analyzed, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using STRING. The hub genes were identified by MCODE method. The expression levels of hub genes were validated in vitro and in vivo models. Finally, the ROC analysis was performed based on the level of hub genes in clinical plasma samples.

RESULTS

A total of 363 DEGs were identified. GO analysis on these DEGs were mainly enriched in cell division, inflammatory response, among others. In the KEGG pathways analysis, DEGs mainly involved in cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, rheumatoid arthritis, and IL-17 signaling pathways were enriched. The DEGs were analyzed with the STRING for PPI network analysis, and 62 hub genes were identified by MCODE. Finally, 6 central genes, KIF18B, SPC25, DLGAP5, KIF20A, CEP55 and ANLN, were screened out due to their novelty role in PAH. The expression of KIF20A was validated to be significantly upregulated both in the lung tissue of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (HPH) mice and proliferative PASMCs. Additionally, KIF20A levels is evelated in PAH plasma and the area under the curve (AUC) to identify PAH was 0.8591 for KIF20A.

CONCLUSION

The level of KIF20A elevates during the progression of PAH, which suggestes it could be a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for the PAH.

KIF20A is a Prognostic Marker for Female Patients with Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer and Receiving Tamoxifen as Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy

Purpose

Our aim was to verify whether KIF20A has the potential to serve as a prognostic marker for female patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer (BC) and treated with tamoxifen (TAM).

Patients and Methods

Online tools were used to investigate the potential correlation between KIF20A gene expression and survival of patients with ER-positive BC and TAM treatment. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry (IHC) was conducted to assess the expression levels of KIF20A in patients included from our center. The prognostic value of KIF20A for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was further evaluated using Cox regression analysis.

Results

According to the results obtained from online tools, it was found that patients with low KIF20A expression exhibited significantly better survival outcomes in terms of relapse-free survival (RFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and OS compared to those with high KIF20A expression (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P = 0.008, respectively). Additionally, significantly lower gene expression of KIF20A was found in patients who responded to TAM than in those who did not respond to TAM (P < 0.001). We further included 203 patients with adjuvant TAM therapy, and IHC for KIF20A was performed on sections from paraffin-embedded blocks. Patients with low KIF20A expression had significantly better DFS and OS (P = 0.001 and 0.002, respectively, log rank test), and the expression of KIF20A was identified as an independent factor for predicting both DFS and OS (P = 0.001 and 0.008, respectively).

Conclusion

KIF20A expression is an independent prognostic factor for survival in patients with ER-positive BC who received adjuvant TAM therapy. In clinical practice, IHC evaluation of KIF20A expression in surgical samples before administering tamoxifen may assist in predicting the treatment outcomes of these patients.

Retracted: KIF20A Predicts Poor Survival of Patients and Promotes Colorectal Cancer Tumor Progression through the JAK/STAT3 Signaling Pathway

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2020/2032679.].

The influence of COVID-19 on colorectal cancer was investigated using bioinformatics and systems biology techniques

Introduction

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic and highly contagious, posing a serious threat to human health. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a risk factor for COVID-19 infection. Therefore, it is vital to investigate the intrinsic link between these two diseases.

Methods

In this work, bioinformatics and systems biology techniques were used to detect the mutual pathways, molecular biomarkers, and potential drugs between COVID-19 and CRC.

Results

A total of 161 common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified based on the RNA sequencing datasets of the two diseases. Functional analysis was performed using ontology keywords, and pathway analysis was also performed. The common DEGs were further utilized to create a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and to identify hub genes and key modules. The datasets revealed transcription factors-gene interactions, co-regulatory networks with DEGs-miRNAs of common DEGs, and predicted possible drugs as well. The ten predicted drugs include troglitazone, estradiol, progesterone, calcitriol, genistein, dexamethasone, lucanthone, resveratrol, retinoic acid, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, some of which have been investigated as potential CRC and COVID-19 therapies.

Discussion

By clarifying the relationship between COVID-19 and CRC, we hope to provide novel clues and promising therapeutic drugs to treat these two illnesses.

Discovery of BAR502, as potent steroidal antagonist of leukemia inhibitory factor receptor for the treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Introduction

The leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), is a cytokine belonging to IL-6 family, whose overexpression correlate with poor prognosis in cancer patients, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). LIF signaling is mediate by its binding to the heterodimeric LIF receptor (LIFR) complex formed by the LIFR receptor and Gp130, leading to JAK1/STAT3 activation. Bile acids are steroid that modulates the expression/activity of membrane and nuclear receptors, including the Farnesoid-X-Receptor (FXR) and G Protein Bile Acid Activated Receptor (GPBAR1).

Methods

Herein we have investigated whether ligands to FXR and GPBAR1 modulate LIF/LIFR pathway in PDAC cells and whether these receptors are expressed in human neoplastic tissues.

Results

The transcriptome analysis of a cohort of PDCA patients revealed that expression of LIF and LIFR is increased in the neoplastic tissue in comparison to paired non-neoplastic tissues. By in vitro assay we found that both primary and secondary bile acids exert a weak antagonistic effect on LIF/LIFR signaling. In contrast, BAR502 a non-bile acid steroidal dual FXR and GPBAR1 ligand, potently inhibits binding of LIF to LIFR with an IC50 of 3.8 µM.

Discussion

BAR502 reverses the pattern LIF-induced in a FXR and GPBAR1 independent manner, suggesting a potential role for BAR502 in the treatment of LIFR overexpressing-PDAC.

Expression, regulating mechanism and therapeutic target of KIF20A in multiple cancer

Kinesin family member 20A (KIF20A) is a member of the kinesin family. It transports chromosomes during mitosis, plays a key role in cell division. Recently, studies proved that KIF20A was highly expressed in cancer. High expression of KIF20A was correlated with poor overall survival (OS). In this review, we summarized all the cancer that highly expressed KIF20A, described the role of KIF20A in cancer. We also organized phase I and phase II clinical trials of KIF20A peptides vaccine. All results indicated that KIF20A was a promising therapeutic target for multiple cancer.

An evaluation of KIF20A as a prognostic factor and therapeutic target for lung adenocarcinoma using integrated bioinformatics analysis

The identification of prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality from lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). This study aimed to identify a reliable prognostic and therapeutic biomarker for LUAD using integrated bioinformatics. Based on the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and genome-tissue expression (GTEx) analyses, KIF20A has been identified as the hub gene. Following validation using a series of cohorts, survival analysis, meta-analysis, and univariate Cox analysis was conducted. ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms were then used to study the association of KIF20A with the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the percentage of tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TICs). In vitro experiments were conducted to determine the function of KIF20A. Finally, there was a negative association between the expression of the KIF20A and overall survival, progression-free survival, and disease-free survival, which was confirmed by meta-analysis and COX analysis. Furthermore, KIF20A also had a potential role of altering the TME and TICs proportions in LUAD. Validations in vitro were performed on A549 and PC-9 cell lines, and we found that the knockdown of KIF20A exhibited inhibitory effects on cell proliferation, resulted in cell cycle arrest during the G2/M phase, and induced cellular apoptosis. Our study demonstrated that KIF20A could be utilized as a reliable prognostic marker and treatment target for LUAD. However, further studies are required to validate these findings.

Inhibition of KIF20A suppresses the replication of influenza A virus by inhibiting viral entry

The influenza A virus (IAV) has caused several pandemics, and therefore there are many ongoing efforts to identify novel antiviral therapeutic strategies including vaccines and antiviral drugs. However, influenza viruses continuously undergo antigenic drift and shift, resulting in the emergence of mutated viruses. In turn, this decreases the efficiency of existing vaccines and antiviral drugs to control IAV infection. Therefore, this study sought to identify alternative therapeutic strategies targeting host cell factors rather than viruses to avoid infection by mutated viruses. Particularly, we investigated the role of KIF20A that is one of kinesin superfamily proteins in the replication of IAV. The KIF20A increased viral protein levels in IAV-infected cells by regulating the initial entry stage during viral infection. Furthermore, the KIF20A inhibitor significantly suppressed viral replication, which protected mice from morbidity and mortality. Therefore, our findings demonstrated that KIF20A is highly involved in the viral replication process and viral propagation both in vitro and in vivo, and could thus be used as a target for the development of novel antiviral drugs.

Integrated Analysis of Transcriptome Data Revealed AURKA and KIF20A as Critical Genes in Medulloblastoma Progression

Medulloblastoma is the neuroepithelial tumor with the highest degree of malignancy in the central nervous system, accounting for about 8% to 10% of children’s brain tumors. It has a high degree of malignancy and is easily transmitted through cerebrospinal fluid, with a relatively poor prognosis. Although medulloblastoma has been widely studied and treated, its molecular mechanism remains unclear. To determine which gene plays a crucial role in medulloblastoma development and progression, we analyzed three microarray datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes were used to detect and evaluate differentially expressed genes. Protein interaction network was established, and the hub genes were determined in cytoHubba through various assessment methods, while the target genes were screened out using survival analysis. Ultimately, human medulloblastoma samples were utilized to confirm target gene expression. In conclusion, This study found that aurora kinase A (AURKA) and kinesin family member 20A (KIF20A) may be involved in the initiation and development of medulloblastoma, have a close association with prognosis, and may become a potential therapeutic target and prognostic marker of MED.

Identification of potentially functional circular RNAs hsa_circ_0070934 and hsa_circ_0004315 as prognostic factors of hepatocellular carcinoma by integrated bioinformatics analysis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide, which has a high mortality rate and poor treatment outcomes with yet unknown molecular basis. It seems that gene expression plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) can interact with microRNAs (miRNAs) to regulate gene expression in various malignancies by acting as competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). However, the potential pathogenesis roles of the ceRNA network among circRNA/miRNA/mRNA in HCC are unclear. In this study, first, the HCC circRNA expression data were obtained from three Gene Expression Omnibus microarray datasets (GSE164803, GSE94508, GSE97332), and the differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs) were identified using R limma package. Also, the liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) miRNA and mRNA sequence data were retrieved from TCGA and differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMIs) and mRNAs (DEGs) were determined using the R DESeq2 package. Second, CSCD website was used to uncover the binding sites of miRNAs on DECs. The DECs' potential target miRNAs were revealed by conducting an intersection between predicted miRNAs from CSCD and downregulated DEMIs. Third, candidate genes were uncovered by intersecting targeted genes predicted by miRWalk and targetscan online tools with upregulated DEGs. The ceRNA network was then built using the Cytoscape software. The functional enrichment and the overall survival time of these potential targeted genes were analyzed, and a PPI network was constructed in the STRING database. Network visualization was performed by Cytoscape, and ten hub genes were detected using the CytoHubba plugin tool. Four DECs (hsa_circ_0000520, hsa_circ_0008616, hsa_circ_0070934, hsa_circ_0004315) were obtained and six miRNAs (hsa-miR-542-5p, hsa-miR-326, hsa-miR-511-5p, hsa-miR-195-5p, hsa-miR-214-3p, and hsa-miR-424-5p) which are regulated by the above DECs were identified. Then 543 overlapped genes regulated by six miRNAs mentioned above were predicted. Functional enrichment analysis showed that these genes are mostly associated with regulatory pathways in cancer. Ten hub genes (TTK, AURKB, KIF20A, KIF23, CEP55, CDC6, DTL, NCAPG, CENPF, PLK4) have been screened from the PPI network of the 204 survival-related genes. KIF20A, NCAPG, TTK, PLK4, and CDC6 were selected for the highest significance p-values. At the end, a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory axis was established for five final selected hub genes. This study implies the potential pathogenesis of the obtained network and proposes that the two DECs (has_circ_0070934 and has_circ_0004315) may be important prognostic markers for HCC.

Identification of key regulators associated with colon cancer prognosis and pathogenesis

Colon cancer (CC) is the fourth deadliest cancer in the world. New insights into prognostication might be helpful to define the optimal adjuvant treatments for patients in routine clinical practice. Here, a microarray dataset with 30 primary tumors and 30 normal samples was analyzed using GEO2R to find differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Then, DAVID, KEGG, ChEA and X2K were used to analyze DEGs-related Gene Ontology, pathways, transcription factors (TFs) and kinases, respectively. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed using the STRING database and Cytoscape. The modules and hub genes of DEGs was determined through MCODE and CytoHubba plugins, and the expression of hub genes was verified using GEPIA. To find microRNAs and metabolites associated with DEGs, miRTarBase and HMDB were used, respectively. It was found that 233 and 373 genes were upregulated and downregulated in CC, respectively. GO analysis showed that the upregulated DEGs were mainly involved in mitotic nuclear division and cell division. Top 10 hub genes were identified, including AURKB, CDK1, DLGAP5, AURKA, CCNB2, CCNB1, BUB1B, CCNA2, KIF20A and BUB1. Whereas, FOMX1, E2F7, E2F1, E2F4 and AR were identified as top 5 TFs in CC. Moreover, CDK1, CDC2, MAPK14, ATM and CK2ALPHA was identified as top 5 kinases in CC. miRNAs analysis showed that Hsa-miR-215-5p hsa-miR-193b-3p, hsa-miR-192-5p and hsa-miR-16-5p could target the largest number of CC genes. Taken together, CC-related genes, especially the hub genes, TFs, and metabolites might be used as novel biomarkers for CC, as well as for diagnosis and guiding therapeutic strategies for CC.

Identifying Mitotic Kinesins as Potential Prognostic Biomarkers in Ovarian Cancer Using Bioinformatic Analyses

Ovarian cancer (OC) is characterized by late-stage presentation, chemoresistance, and poor survival. Evaluating the prognosis of OC patients via effective biomarkers is essential to manage OC progression and to improve survival; however, it has been barely established. Here, we intend to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) as potential prognostic biomarkers of OC via bioinformatic analyses. Initially, a total of thirteen DEGs were extracted from different public databases as candidates. The expression of KIF20A, one of the DEGs, was correlated with a worse outcome of OC patients. The functional correlation of the DEGs with mitosis and the prognostic value of KIF20A imply a high correlation between mitotic kinesins (KIFs) and OC development. Finally, we found that KIF20A, together with the other nine mitotic KIFs (4A, 11, 14, 15, 18A, 18B, 23, C1, and2C) were upregulated and activated in OC tissues. Among the ten, seven overexpressed mitotic KIFs (11, 14, 18B, 20A, 23, and C1) were correlated with unfavorable clinical prognosis. Moreover, KIF20A and KIF23 overexpression was associated with worse prognosis in OC patients treated with platinum/taxol chemotherapy, while OCs overexpressing mitotic KIFs (11, 15, 18B, and C1) were resistant to MAPK pathway inhibitors. In conclusion, worse outcomes of OC patients were correlated with overexpression of several mitotic KIFs, which may serve both as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for OC.

A Novel Risk Factor Model Based on Glycolysis-Associated Genes for Predicting the Prognosis of Patients With Prostate Cancer

Background

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most prevalent cancers among males, and its mortality rate is increasing due to biochemical recurrence (BCR). Glycolysis has been proven to play an important regulatory role in tumorigenesis. Although several key regulators or predictors involved in PCa progression have been found, the relationship between glycolysis and PCa is unclear; we aimed to develop a novel glycolysis-associated multifactor prediction model for better predicting the prognosis of PCa.

Methods

Differential mRNA expression profiles derived from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) PCa cohort were generated through the “edgeR” package. Glycolysis-related genes were obtained from the GSEA database. Univariate Cox and LASSO regression analyses were used to identify genes significantly associated with disease-free survival. ROC curves were applied to evaluate the predictive value of the model. An external dataset derived from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) was used to verify the predictive ability. Glucose consumption and lactic production assays were used to assess changes in metabolic capacity, and Transwell assays were used to assess the invasion and migration of PC3 cells.

Results

Five glycolysis-related genes were applied to construct a risk score prediction model. Patients with PCa derived from TCGA and GEO (GSE70770) were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups according to the median. In the TCGA cohort, the high-risk group had a poorer prognosis than the low-risk group, and the results were further verified in the GSE70770 cohort. In vitro experiments demonstrated that knocking down HMMR, KIF20A, PGM2L1, and ANKZF1 separately led to less glucose consumption, less lactic production, and inhibition of cell migration and invasion, and the results were the opposite with GPR87 knockdown.

Conclusion

The risk score based on five glycolysis-related genes may serve as an accurate prognostic marker for PCa patients with BCR.

Centromere protein E as a novel biomarker and potential therapeutic target for retinoblastoma

Retinoblastoma is the most common intraocular malignancy during childhood. Currently, there is no effective treatment for metastatic retinoblastoma. We investigated potential biomarkers of retinoblastoma by utilizing three datasets from a public database. Functional enrichment analysis, including gene ontology, Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes, gene set enrichment analysis and variation analysis, suggested that differentially expressed genes in retinoblastoma were enriched in accelerated cell cycle events. Protein-protein interaction analysis constructed a network consisting of six hub genes, including benzimidazoles 1 (BUB1), cyclin dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), centromere protein E (CENPE), kinesin family member 20A (KIF20A), PDZ binding kinase (PBK), and targeting protein for xklp2 (TPX2). Drug sensitivity analysis showed that nelarabine was positively correlated with five hub genes. All six genes were expressed differently in six immune subtypes and were positively correlated with stemness indices in most human cancer types. Since CENPE is the least known hub gene in retinoblastoma, we further analyzed the potential non-coding RNAs and transcription factors that regulate CENPE and built interaction networks of competing endogenous RNA and transcription factors. Immune cell infiltration, especially by plasma and B cells, was enhanced in samples with high CENPE expression. Pan-cancer analysis illustrated that CENPE was highly expressed in a wide range of human tumors. In vitro validation revealed that CENPE was significantly upregulated at both the mRNA and protein levels in retinoblastoma cells. In conclusion, CENPE, along with other hub genes, could serve as a potential biomarker and intervention target for retinoblastoma.

Falcarindiol Enhances Cisplatin Chemosensitivity of Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Down-Regulating the STAT3-Modulated PTTG1 Pathway

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent primary liver malignancy globally and the third leading cause of cancer-related death. Chemotherapy is one of the main methods in treating HCC, while recent studies have found that the resistance of HCC to chemotherapeutic drugs reduces the efficacy of the chemotherapy. Falcarindiol (FAD) is a cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory polyacetylenic oxylipin found in food plants of the carrot family (Apiaceae), while its role in HCC remains to be explored. Here, HCC cells (Huh7 and LM3) were treated with FAD at different doses. Cell proliferation was tested by the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) method and colony formation assay, while the apoptosis was monitored by flow cytometry. The profiles of apoptosis-related proteins (Bax, bcl2, and Caspase-3), DNA repair proteins (Rad51, BRCA1, and MDC1), and the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)/Pituitary Tumor Transforming Gene 1 (PTTG1) were verified by western blot (WB) or quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The interaction between STAT3 and PTTG1 was verified by immunoprecipitation (IP). In addition, a xenograft tumor model was constructed in mice to explore the anti-tumor effects of FAD in vivo, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to count the number of Ki67-stained cells. As a result, FAD inhibited HCC cell proliferation and DNA repair, facilitated their apoptosis, and also enhanced cisplatin (DDP) chemosensitivity. The Combination Index (CI) evaluation showed that FAD and DDP had synergistic effects in repressing HCC cell proliferation. Besides, FAD dampened the STAT3/PTTG1 pathway expression. Further studies revealed that inhibiting STAT3 enhanced the inhibitive effect of FAD on HCC cells, whereas overexpressing PTTG1 attenuated the anti-tumor effect of FAD. Overall, our study illustrated that FAD is a potential anticancer drug and strengthens the chemosensitivity of HCC cells to DDP by inhibiting the STAT3/PTTG1 pathway.

SphK1 Promotes Cancer Progression through Activating JAK/STAT Pathway and Up-Regulating S1PR1 Expression in Colon Cancer Cells

BACKGROUND

SphK1 is a conserved lipid kinase, which can catalyze formation of tumor promoting factor sphingosine phosphate-1 (S1P).

OBJECTIVE

To investigate effect of SphK1 on proliferation/migration of colon cancer cells and associated mechanisms.

METHODS

Transcription of SphK1 gene in colon cancer cells was detected. Gene transcription of SphK1 was inhibited by transfecting with si-SphK1 gene in colon cancer cells. Effects of SphK1 inhibition (si-SphK1) on cell migration/proliferation were detected using transwell system and MTS. Gene transcription of SIP, S1PR1, S1PR2, S1PR3, and activation of JAK/STAT3 pathway were examined using RT-PCR and western blot assay. S1PR1 over-expressing plasmid was constructed and transfected into cells. Effects of S1PR1 over-expression on migration/proliferation of si-SphK1 transfected colon cancer cells and activation of JAK/STAT3 pathway were determined using RT-PCR and western blotting.

RESULTS

Gene transcription of SphK1 in SW480 and HT-29 colon cancer cells was significantly inhibited by transfection of si-SphK1 gene. Transwell migration and MTS findings showed that si-SphK1 transfection (si-SphK1 group) could reduce migration quantity and cell viability of colon cancer cells compared to negative control (NC) (p<0.0001). SphK1 inhibition (si-SphK1 group) significantly down-regulated S1PR1 and S1PR3 gene transcription in SW480 and HT-29 cells (p<0.0001), and decreased activation level of JAKSTAT3 signaling pathway compared to NC group (p<0.05). Over-expression of S1PR1 reversed inhibitory effects of si-SphK1 on migration/proliferation of SW480 and activation of JAK/Stat3.

CONCLUSION

SphK1 promoted proliferation and migration of colon cancer cells through promoting JAK/STAT activation and up-regulating S1PR1 expression.

Aberrant KIF23 expression is associated with adverse clinical outcome and promotes cellular malignant behavior through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in Colorectal Cancer

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to reveal the clinicopathological significance and prognostic role of kinesin family member 23 (KIF23) in colorectal cancer (CRC) and characterize its biological function and the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Bioinformatics analysis, immunohistochemistry, Western blot and qRT-PCR were utilized to investigate the expression of KIF23 in CRC tissues. The CCK-8 assay, wound healing assay and Matrigel assay were used to detect cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. Western blot, immunofluorescence staining and cell function experiment were performed to explore the underlying mechanism.

Results: The overexpression of KIF23 was associated with T stage, N stage, M stage and TNM stage, and CRC patients with high KIF23 expression had a worse prognosis. KIF23 knockdown inhibits CRC cells proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. The mechanism study determined that KIF23 activates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by promoting the nuclear translocation of β-catenin to regulate the malignant behavior of CRC cells.

Conclusion: These results suggest that KIF23 may act as a putative oncogene and a potential therapeutic target in CRC.