1
|
Atorrasagasti C, Onorato AM, Mazzolini G. The role of SPARC (secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine) in the pathogenesis of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. J Physiol Biochem 2023; 79:815-831. [PMID: 36018492 DOI: 10.1007/s13105-022-00913-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein with pleiotropic functions, which is expressed in adipose, hepatic, muscular, and pancreatic tissue. Particularly, several studies demonstrated that SPARC is an important player in the context of obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver disease including advanced hepatic fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Evidence in murine and human samples indicates that SPARC is involved in adipogenesis, cellular metabolism, extracellular matrix modulation, glucose and lipid metabolism, among others. Furthermore, studies in SPARC knockout mouse model showed that SPARC contributes to adipose tissue formation, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and diabetes. Hence, SPARC may represent a novel and interesting target protein for future therapeutic interventions or a biomarker of disease progression. This review summarizes the role of SPARC in the pathophysiology of obesity, and extensively revised SPARC functions in physiological and pathological adipose tissue deposition, muscle metabolism, liver, and diabetes-related pathways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Catalina Atorrasagasti
- Gene Therapy Laboratory, Facultad de Ciencias Biomédicas, Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Traslacional, CONICET- Universidad Austral, Av. Pte. Perón 1500 (B1629AHJ) Derqui-Pilar, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Agostina M Onorato
- Gene Therapy Laboratory, Facultad de Ciencias Biomédicas, Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Traslacional, CONICET- Universidad Austral, Av. Pte. Perón 1500 (B1629AHJ) Derqui-Pilar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Guillermo Mazzolini
- Gene Therapy Laboratory, Facultad de Ciencias Biomédicas, Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Traslacional, CONICET- Universidad Austral, Av. Pte. Perón 1500 (B1629AHJ) Derqui-Pilar, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Liver Unit, Hospital Universitario Austral, Universidad Austral, Av. Pte. Perón 1500 (B1629AHJ) Derqui-Pilar, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Breitenecker K, Hedrich V, Pupp F, Chen D, Řezníčková E, Ortmayr G, Huber H, Weber G, Balcar L, Pinter M, Mikulits W. Synergism of the receptor tyrosine kinase Axl with ErbB receptors mediates resistance to regorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1238883. [PMID: 37746265 PMCID: PMC10514905 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1238883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients at advanced stages receive immunotherapy or treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as Sorafenib (Sora) or Lenvatinib in frontline as well as Regorafenib (Rego) or Cabozantinib in second-line. A major hindrance of TKI therapies is the development of resistance, which renders drug treatment futile and results in HCC progression. Methods In this study, we addressed the impact of the receptor tyrosine kinase Axl binding to its ligand Gas6 in acquiring refractoriness to TKIs. The initial responses of Axl-positive and Axl-negative cell lines to different TKIs were assessed. Upon inducing resistance, RNA-Seq, gain- and loss-of-function studies were applied to understand and intervene with the molecular basis of refractoriness. Secretome analysis was performed to identify potential biomarkers of resistance. Results We show that HCC cells exhibiting a mesenchymal-like phenotype were less sensitive to drug treatment, linking TKI resistance to changes in epithelial plasticity. Gas6/Axl expression and activation were upregulated in Rego-resistant HCC cells together with the induction of ErbB receptors, whereas HCC cells lacking Axl failed to stimulate ErbBs. Treatment of Rego-insensitive HCC cells with the pan-ErbB family inhibitor Afatinib rather than with Erlotinib blocking ErbB1 reduced cell viability and clonogenicity. Genetic intervention with ErbB2-4 but not ErbB1 confirmed their crucial involvement in refractoriness to Rego. Furthermore, Rego-resistant HCC cells secreted basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) depending on Axl expression. HCC patients treated with Sora in first-line and with Rego in second-line displayed elevated serum levels of bFGF, emphasizing bFGF as a predictive biomarker of TKI treatment. Discussion Together, these data suggest that the inhibition of ErbBs is synthetic lethal with Rego in Axl-expressing HCC cells, showing a novel vulnerability of HCC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Breitenecker
- Center for Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Viola Hedrich
- Center for Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Franziska Pupp
- Center for Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Doris Chen
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Perutz Labs Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Řezníčková
- Center for Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czechia
| | - Gregor Ortmayr
- Center for Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Heidemarie Huber
- Center for Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerhard Weber
- Center for Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lorenz Balcar
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthias Pinter
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Mikulits
- Center for Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Sekar V, Veerabathiran R, Pandian A, Sivamani G. Targeting liver cancer stem cell through EpCAM therapy targeted with chemotherapy endorse enhanced progression in hepatocellular carcinoma. EGYPTIAN LIVER JOURNAL 2023; 13:29. [DOI: 10.1186/s43066-023-00263-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Two chief hurdles in most cancer treatments are chemoresistance and tumor recurrence, especially counting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Most conformist chemotherapy fails to completely cure HCC patients because of its susceptibility to develop multidrug resistance (MDR) through factors such as hypoxia, cancer stem cells, and drug efflux mechanism cancer stem cells (CSC) which are significant factors involved in chemoresistance. It has been exposed that targeting liver cancer stem cells and chemotherapeutic drugs have a better selected, overall survival rate for hepatocellular carcinoma patients.
Aim
This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of targeting stem cells for liver cancer using a therapy that targets EpCAM in combination with chemotherapy and how this approach can enhance the treatment outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma, the most prevalent kind of liver cancer.
Results
The outcome was studied by flow cytometry, Western blot, RT-PCR, and cytotoxicity assays. EpCAM gene silenced and XAV939-treated cells showed decreased expression of CD133, a liver cancer stem cell (LCSC) marker in flow cytometry analysis, and reduced expression of ABCG2 gene, which is a reliable marker for chemoresistance in RT-PCR and western blot analysis; it was also unable to form colonies in colony forming assay. Similarly, in the spheroid formation assay, EpCAM gene silenced cells and XAV939-treated cells in combinations with cisplatin treatment were powerless to appear spheroid, whereas cisplatin alone-treated cells showed spheroids. In the cytotoxicity assay, cisplatin alone and combined with EpCAM silenced and XAV939-treated cells showed more lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release than EpCAM silenced arm XAV939 treated components.
Conclusion
These findings confirm our hypothesis that conventional chemotherapy kills cancer cells but not cancer stem cells. We believe EpCAM-targeted therapy enhances chemosensitivity and decreases relapsed chances. This approach might be the best option for a better prognosis for hepatocellular carcinoma patients.
Collapse
|
4
|
Baicalin Inhibits EMT through PDK1/AKT Signaling in Human Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2021; 2021:4391581. [PMID: 34868313 PMCID: PMC8639265 DOI: 10.1155/2021/4391581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Background Baicalin is a naturally occurring compound with anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the mechanism underlying its anticancer activity on nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. Methods The effects of baicalin on the progression and metastasis of experimental NSCLC cell lines were studied in vitro and in vivo. Wound-healing and transwell assays were performed to evaluate the potency of baicalin and the motility and migration ability of NCI-H460 cells. Immunofluorescence assay, western blot assay, and immunohistochemistry test were conducted to investigate the inhibiting effect of baicalin on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of NSCLC. Results Baicalin inhibited the proliferation and migration of NCI-H446 human NSCLC cells in a dose-dependent manner, reduced the expression levels of phospho-3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (p-PDK1) and phosphor-serine/threonine-protein kinase (p-AKT), reversed the levels of EMT markers, and inhibited the migration of NSCLC cells. Conclusions Baicalin impedes EMT by inhibiting the PDK1/AKT pathway in human NSCLC and thus may be an effective alternative treatment for carcinoma and a new candidate antimetastasis drug.
Collapse
|
5
|
Rosner M, Hengstschläger M. Three-dimensional migration of human amniotic fluid stem cells involves mesenchymal and amoeboid modes and is regulated by mTORC1. STEM CELLS (DAYTON, OHIO) 2021; 39:1718-1732. [PMID: 34331786 PMCID: PMC9291078 DOI: 10.1002/stem.3441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Three‐dimensional (3D) cell migration is an integral part of many physiologic processes. Although being well studied in the context of adult tissue homeostasis and cancer development, remarkably little is known about the invasive behavior of human stem cells. Using two different kinds of invasion assays, this study aimed at investigating and characterizing the 3D migratory capacity of human amniotic fluid stem cells (hAFSCs), a well‐established fetal stem cell type. Eight hAFSC lines were found to harbor pronounced potential to penetrate basement membrane (BM)‐like matrices. Morphological examination and inhibitor approaches revealed that 3D migration of hAFSCs involves both the matrix metalloprotease‐dependent mesenchymal, elongated mode and the Rho‐associated protein kinase‐dependent amoeboid, round mode. Moreover, hAFSCs could be shown to harbor transendothelial migration capacity and to exhibit a motility‐associated marker expression pattern. Finally, the potential to cross extracellular matrix was found to be induced by mTORC1‐activating growth factors and reduced by blocking mTORC1 activity. Taken together, this report provides the first demonstration that human stem cells exhibit mTORC1‐dependent invasive capacity and can concurrently make use of mesenchymal and amoeboid 3D cell migration modes, which represents an important step toward the full biological characterization of fetal human stem cells with relevance to both developmental research and stem cell‐based therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Margit Rosner
- Institute of Medical Genetics, Center of Pathobiochemistry and Genetics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Markus Hengstschläger
- Institute of Medical Genetics, Center of Pathobiochemistry and Genetics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Mišík M, Nersesyan A, Kment M, Ernst B, Setayesh T, Ferk F, Holzmann K, Krupitza G, Knasmueller S. Micronucleus assays with the human derived liver cell line (Huh6): A promising approach to reduce the use of laboratory animals in genetic toxicology. Food Chem Toxicol 2021; 154:112355. [PMID: 34147571 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2021.112355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The inadequate representation of enzymes which catalyze the activation/detoxification of xenobiotics in cells that are currently used in genotoxicity testing of chemicals leads to a high number of false positive results and the number of follow up studies with rodents could be reduced by use of more reliable in vitro models. We found earlier that several xenobiotic drug metabolizing enzymes are represented in the human derived liver cell line Huh6 and developed a protocol for micronucleus (MN) experiments which is in agreement with the current OECD guideline. This protocol was used to test 23 genotoxic and non-genotoxic reference chemicals; based on these results and of earlier findings (with 9 chemicals) we calculated the predictive value of the assay for the detection of genotoxic carcinogens. We found a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 94% for a total number of 32 chemicals; comparisons with results obtained with other in vitro assays show that the validity of MN tests with Huh6 is higher as that of other experimental models. These results are promising and indicate that the use of Huh6 cells in genetic toxicology may contribute to the reduction of the use of laboratory rodents; further experimental work to confirm this assumption is warranted.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miroslav Mišík
- Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Armen Nersesyan
- Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Kment
- Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Benjamin Ernst
- Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tahereh Setayesh
- Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Franziska Ferk
- Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Klaus Holzmann
- Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Georg Krupitza
- Department of Pathology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, 1090, Austria
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Shrestha R, Bridle KR, Cao L, Crawford DHG, Jayachandran A. Dual Targeting of Sorafenib-Resistant HCC-Derived Cancer Stem Cells. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 28:2150-2172. [PMID: 34208001 PMCID: PMC8293268 DOI: 10.3390/curroncol28030200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Sorafenib, an oral multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been the first-line therapy for the treatment of patients with advanced HCC, providing a survival benefit of only three months in approximately 30% of patients. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a rare tumour subpopulation with self-renewal and differentiation capabilities, and have been implicated in tumour growth, recurrence and drug resistance. The process of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) contributes to the generation and maintenance of the CSC population, resulting in immune evasion and therapy resistance in several cancers, including HCC. The aim of this study is to target the chemoresistant CSC population in HCC by assessing the effectiveness of a combination treatment approach with Sorafenib, an EMT inhibitor and an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI). A stem-cell-conditioned serum-free medium was utilised to enrich the CSC population from the human HCC cell lines Hep3B, PLC/PRF/5 and HepG2. The anchorage independent spheres were characterised for CSC features. The human HCC-derived spheres were assessed for EMT status and expression of immune checkpoint molecules. The effect of combination treatment with SB431542, an EMT inhibitor, and siRNA-mediated knockdown of programmed cell death protein ligand-1 (PD-L1) or CD73 along with Sorafenib on human HCC-derived CSCs was examined with cell viability and apoptosis assays. The three-dimensional spheres enriched from human HCC cell lines demonstrated CSC-like features. The human HCC-derived CSCs also exhibited the EMT phenotype along with the upregulation of immune checkpoint molecules. The combined treatment with SB431542 and siRNA-mediated PD-L1 or CD73 knockdown effectively enhanced the cytotoxicity of Sorafenib against the CSC population compared to Sorafenib alone, as evidenced by the reduced size and proliferation of spheres. Furthermore, the combination treatment of Sorafenib with SB431542 and PD-L1 or CD73 siRNA resulted in an increased proportion of an apoptotic population, as evidenced by flow cytometry analysis. In conclusion, the combined targeting of EMT and immune checkpoint molecules with Sorafenib can effectively target the CSC tumour subpopulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ritu Shrestha
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia; (R.S.); (K.R.B.); (L.C.); (D.H.G.C.)
- Gallipoli Medical Research Institute, Greenslopes Private Hospital, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia
| | - Kim R. Bridle
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia; (R.S.); (K.R.B.); (L.C.); (D.H.G.C.)
- Gallipoli Medical Research Institute, Greenslopes Private Hospital, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia
| | - Lu Cao
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia; (R.S.); (K.R.B.); (L.C.); (D.H.G.C.)
- Gallipoli Medical Research Institute, Greenslopes Private Hospital, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia
| | - Darrell H. G. Crawford
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia; (R.S.); (K.R.B.); (L.C.); (D.H.G.C.)
- Gallipoli Medical Research Institute, Greenslopes Private Hospital, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia
| | - Aparna Jayachandran
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia; (R.S.); (K.R.B.); (L.C.); (D.H.G.C.)
- Gallipoli Medical Research Institute, Greenslopes Private Hospital, Brisbane, QLD 4120, Australia
- Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute, Ballarat, VIC 3350, Australia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +61-4-2424-8058
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Gautron A, Bachelot L, Aubry M, Leclerc D, Quéméner AM, Corre S, Rambow F, Paris A, Tardif N, Leclair HM, Marin‐Bejar O, Coulouarn C, Marine J, Galibert M, Gilot D. CRISPR screens identify tumor-promoting genes conferring melanoma cell plasticity and resistance. EMBO Mol Med 2021; 13:e13466. [PMID: 33724679 PMCID: PMC8103100 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.202013466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Most genetic alterations that drive melanoma development and resistance to targeted therapy have been uncovered. In contrast, and despite their increasingly recognized contribution, little is known about the non-genetic mechanisms that drive these processes. Here, we performed in vivo gain-of-function CRISPR screens and identified SMAD3, BIRC3, and SLC9A5 as key actors of BRAFi resistance. We show that their expression levels increase during acquisition of BRAFi resistance and remain high in persister cells and during relapse. The upregulation of the SMAD3 transcriptional activity (SMAD3-signature) promotes a mesenchymal-like phenotype and BRAFi resistance by acting as an upstream transcriptional regulator of potent BRAFi-resistance genes such as EGFR and AXL. This SMAD3-signature predicts resistance to both current melanoma therapies in different cohorts. Critically, chemical inhibition of SMAD3 may constitute amenable target for melanoma since it efficiently abrogates persister cells survival. Interestingly, decrease of SMAD3 activity can also be reached by inhibiting the Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR), another druggable transcription factor governing SMAD3 expression level. Our work highlights novel drug vulnerabilities that can be exploited to develop long-lasting antimelanoma therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Gautron
- CNRSIGDR (Institut de génétique et développement de Rennes)‐UMR 6290Univ RennesRennesFrance
| | - Laura Bachelot
- CNRSIGDR (Institut de génétique et développement de Rennes)‐UMR 6290Univ RennesRennesFrance
| | - Marc Aubry
- CNRSIGDR (Institut de génétique et développement de Rennes)‐UMR 6290Univ RennesRennesFrance
- Plateforme GEH, CNRS, InsermBIOSIT ‐ UMS 3480, US_S 018Univ RennesRennesFrance
| | | | - Anaïs M Quéméner
- CNRSIGDR (Institut de génétique et développement de Rennes)‐UMR 6290Univ RennesRennesFrance
| | - Sébastien Corre
- CNRSIGDR (Institut de génétique et développement de Rennes)‐UMR 6290Univ RennesRennesFrance
| | - Florian Rambow
- Department of OncologyKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- VIB Center for Cancer BiologyVIBLeuvenBelgium
| | - Anaïs Paris
- CNRSIGDR (Institut de génétique et développement de Rennes)‐UMR 6290Univ RennesRennesFrance
| | - Nina Tardif
- CNRSIGDR (Institut de génétique et développement de Rennes)‐UMR 6290Univ RennesRennesFrance
| | - Héloïse M Leclair
- CNRSIGDR (Institut de génétique et développement de Rennes)‐UMR 6290Univ RennesRennesFrance
| | - Oskar Marin‐Bejar
- Department of OncologyKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- VIB Center for Cancer BiologyVIBLeuvenBelgium
| | | | - Jean‐Christophe Marine
- Department of OncologyKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- VIB Center for Cancer BiologyVIBLeuvenBelgium
| | - Marie‐Dominique Galibert
- CNRSIGDR (Institut de génétique et développement de Rennes)‐UMR 6290Univ RennesRennesFrance
- Service de Génétique Moléculaire et GénomiqueCHU RennesRennesFrance
| | - David Gilot
- CNRSIGDR (Institut de génétique et développement de Rennes)‐UMR 6290Univ RennesRennesFrance
- Present address:
INSERM U1242Centre Eugène MarquisRennesFrance
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Afanasyeva EA, Gartlgruber M, Ryl T, Decaesteker B, Denecker G, Mönke G, Toprak UH, Florez A, Torkov A, Dreidax D, Herrmann C, Okonechnikov K, Ek S, Sharma AK, Sagulenko V, Speleman F, Henrich KO, Westermann F. Kalirin-RAC controls nucleokinetic migration in ADRN-type neuroblastoma. Life Sci Alliance 2021; 4:e201900332. [PMID: 33658318 PMCID: PMC8017594 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.201900332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The migrational propensity of neuroblastoma is affected by cell identity, but the mechanisms behind the divergence remain unknown. Using RNAi and time-lapse imaging, we show that ADRN-type NB cells exhibit RAC1- and kalirin-dependent nucleokinetic (NUC) migration that relies on several integral components of neuronal migration. Inhibition of NUC migration by RAC1 and kalirin-GEF1 inhibitors occurs without hampering cell proliferation and ADRN identity. Using three clinically relevant expression dichotomies, we reveal that most of up-regulated mRNAs in RAC1- and kalirin-GEF1-suppressed ADRN-type NB cells are associated with low-risk characteristics. The computational analysis shows that, in a context of overall gene set poverty, the upregulomes in RAC1- and kalirin-GEF1-suppressed ADRN-type cells are a batch of AU-rich element-containing mRNAs, which suggests a link between NUC migration and mRNA stability. Gene set enrichment analysis-based search for vulnerabilities reveals prospective weak points in RAC1- and kalirin-GEF1-suppressed ADRN-type NB cells, including activities of H3K27- and DNA methyltransferases. Altogether, these data support the introduction of NUC inhibitors into cancer treatment research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elena A Afanasyeva
- Department of Neuroblastoma Genomics, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Moritz Gartlgruber
- Department of Neuroblastoma Genomics, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tatsiana Ryl
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Duisburg Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Bieke Decaesteker
- Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University, and Cancer Research Institute Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Geertrui Denecker
- Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University, and Cancer Research Institute Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Gregor Mönke
- European Molecular Biology Laboratories, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Umut H Toprak
- Department of Neuroblastoma Genomics, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Andres Florez
- Department of Neuroblastoma Genomics, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Center for Systems Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alica Torkov
- Department of Neuroblastoma Genomics, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Daniel Dreidax
- Department of Neuroblastoma Genomics, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Carl Herrmann
- Group of Cancer Regulatory Genomics B086, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Konstantin Okonechnikov
- Department of Pediatric Neurooncology, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sara Ek
- Department of Immunotechnology, CREATE Health, Faculty of Engineering, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Ashwini Kumar Sharma
- Institute for Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology and BioQuant, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Theoretical Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Vitaliya Sagulenko
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Frank Speleman
- Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University, and Cancer Research Institute Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kai-Oliver Henrich
- Department of Neuroblastoma Genomics, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Frank Westermann
- Department of Neuroblastoma Genomics, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Li W, Liu K, Chen Y, Zhu M, Li M. Role of Alpha-Fetoprotein in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Drug Resistance. Curr Med Chem 2021; 28:1126-1142. [PMID: 32729413 DOI: 10.2174/0929867327999200729151247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major type of primary liver cancer and a major cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide because of its high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. Surgical resection is currently the major treatment measure for patients in the early and middle stages of the disease. Because due to late diagnosis, most patients already miss the opportunity for surgery upon disease confirmation, conservative chemotherapy (drug treatment) remains an important method of comprehensive treatment for patients with middle- and late-stage liver cancer. However, multidrug resistance (MDR) in patients with HCC severely reduces the treatment effect and is an important obstacle to chemotherapeutic success. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is an important biomarker for the diagnosis of HCC. The serum expression levels of AFP in many patients with HCC are increased, and a persistently increased AFP level is a risk factor for HCC progression. Many studies have indicated that AFP functions as an immune suppressor, and AFP can promote malignant transformation during HCC development and might be involved in the process of MDR in patients with liver cancer. This review describes drug resistance mechanisms during HCC drug treatment and reviews the relationship between the mechanism of AFP in HCC development and progression and HCC drug resistance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Li
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical College, Haikou 571199, Hainan Province, China
| | - Kun Liu
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical College, Haikou 571199, Hainan Province, China
| | - Yi Chen
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical College, Haikou 571199, Hainan Province, China
| | - Mingyue Zhu
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical College, Haikou 571199, Hainan Province, China
| | - Mengsen Li
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical College, Haikou 571199, Hainan Province, China
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Li X, Chen W, Liu K, Zhang S, Yang R, Liu K, Li D, Huang Y. Oridonin Sensitizes Hepatocellular Carcinoma to the Anticancer Effect of Sorafenib by Targeting the Akt Pathway. Cancer Manag Res 2020; 12:8081-8091. [PMID: 32982405 PMCID: PMC7494228 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s257482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Oridonin is the core bioactive component of Rabdosia rubescens, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine used in the treatment of hepatoma. Sorafenib, a targeted therapeutic agent for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), has recently been shown to exert limited clinical effects. However, few studies have focused on the synergistic effect of these two drugs on hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods We treated different HCC cell lines with different concentrations of oridonin and sorafenib and assessed the viability by using MTT assays and examined proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis after cotreatment of HepG2 cells with 20 μM oridonin and 5 μM sorafenib via colony formation assays, Transwell assays and flow cytometry. Regulatory effects were measured by Western blotting. The in vivo synergistic effect was confirmed through xenograft tumor models, and tumor tissues were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Results The inhibitory effects of oridonin and sorafenib cotreatment on HCC cells were stronger than those of either drug alone. In addition, combined treatment with the two drugs synergistically inhibited epithelial–mesenchymal transition and the Akt pathway but not NF-κB or MAPK signaling. Akt phosphorylation by SC79 reversed the inhibitory effects of the combined treatment. Synergistic inhibition was equally observed in vivo. Conclusion Oridonin combined with sorafenib synergistically inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition and induced apoptosis by targeting the Akt pathway but not NF-κB or MAPK signaling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuguang Li
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.,Department of Abdominal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Weirun Chen
- Department of Abdominal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Kaihang Liu
- Department of General Practice, The People's Hospital of Longhua, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Sheng Zhang
- Department of Abdominal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Ru Yang
- Department of General Practice, Women & Children Health Institute Futian Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Kairui Liu
- Department of Abdominal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Dateng Li
- Department of Statistical Science, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA
| | - Youxing Huang
- Department of Abdominal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Transcriptomics-Based Drug Repurposing Approach Identifies Novel Drugs against Sorafenib-Resistant Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12102730. [PMID: 32977582 PMCID: PMC7598246 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12102730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a type of liver cancer, remains a treatment challenge due to late detection and resistance to currently approved drugs. It takes 15–20 years for a single new drug to become FDA approved. The purpose of this study was to expedite identification of novel drugs against drug-resistant HCC. For this, we matched gene expression alterations in resistant HCC with gene expression changes caused by treatment of cancer cells with drugs already FDA approved for other diseases to find the drug that can reverse the resistance-related changes. Among the identified drugs, we validated the growth inhibitory effect of two drugs, identified their mechanism in HCC and, thus, provided proof of concept evidence for validity of this drug repurposing approach with potential for use in personalized medicine. Abstract Objective: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is frequently diagnosed in patients with late-stage disease who are ineligible for curative surgical therapies. The majority of patients become resistant to sorafenib, the only approved first-line therapy for advanced cancer, underscoring the need for newer, more effective drugs. The purpose of this study is to expedite identification of novel drugs against sorafenib resistant (SR)-HCC. Methods: We employed a transcriptomics-based drug repurposing method termed connectivity mapping using gene signatures from in vitro-derived SR Huh7 HCC cells. For proof of concept validation, we focused on drugs that were FDA-approved or under clinical investigation and prioritized two anti-neoplastic agents (dasatinib and fostamatinib) with targets associated with HCC. We also prospectively validated predicted gene expression changes in drug-treated SR Huh7 cells as well as identified and validated the targets of Fostamatinib in HCC. Results: Dasatinib specifically reduced the viability of SR-HCC cells that correlated with up-regulated activity of SRC family kinases, its targets, in our SR-HCC model. However, fostamatinib was able to inhibit both parental and SR HCC cells in vitro and in xenograft models. Ingenuity pathway analysis of fostamatinib gene expression signature from LINCS predicted JAK/STAT, PI3K/AKT, ERK/MAPK pathways as potential targets of fostamatinib that were validated by Western blot analysis. Fostamatinib treatment reversed the expression of genes that were deregulated in SR HCC. Conclusion: We provide proof of concept evidence for the validity of this drug repurposing approach for SR-HCC with implications for personalized medicine.
Collapse
|
13
|
Lee S, Choi EJ, Cho EJ, Lee YB, Lee JH, Yu SJ, Yoon JH, Kim YJ. Inhibition of PI3K/Akt signaling suppresses epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in hepatocellular carcinoma through the Snail/GSK-3/beta-catenin pathway. Clin Mol Hepatol 2020; 26:529-539. [PMID: 32829570 PMCID: PMC7641573 DOI: 10.3350/cmh.2019.0056n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background/Aims Patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have a poor prognosis due to the lack of effective systemic therapies. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a pivotal event in tumor progression, during which cancer cells acquire invasive properties. In this study, we investigated the effects of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors, including LY294002 and idelalisib, on the EMT features of HCC cells in vitro. Methods Human HCC cell lines, including Huh-BAT and HepG2, were used in this study. Cell proliferation was measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide, and cell cycle distributions were evaluated using a flow cytometer by propidium iodide staining. Immunofluorescence staining, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and immunoblotting were performed to detect EMT-associated changes. Results PI3K inhibitors suppressed the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells and deregulated the expression of EMT markers, as indicated by increased expression of E-cadherin, an epithelial marker, and decreased expression of N-cadherin, a mesenchymal marker, and Snail, a transcription factor implicated in EMT regulation. Furthermore, LY294002 and idelalisib inhibited the phosphorylation of GSK-3β and induced the nuclear translocation of GSK-3β, which corresponded to the downregulation of Snail and β-catenin expressions in Huh-BAT and HepG2 cells. Conclusions The inhibition of PI3K/Akt signaling decreases Snail expression by enhancing the nuclear translocation of GSK-3β, which suppresses EMT in HCC cells, suggesting the potential clinical application of PI3K inhibitors for HCC treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seulki Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Eun Ji Choi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Eun Ju Cho
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Yun Bin Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jeong-Hoon Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Su Jong Yu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jung-Hwan Yoon
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Yoon Jun Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Liu A, Wu Q, Peng D, Ares I, Anadón A, Lopez-Torres B, Martínez-Larrañaga MR, Wang X, Martínez MA. A novel strategy for the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and chemoresistance of hepatocellular carcinoma: DNA methylation. Med Res Rev 2020; 40:1973-2018. [PMID: 32525219 DOI: 10.1002/med.21696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The cancer mortality rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second highest in the world and the therapeutic options are limited. The incidence of this deadly cancer is rising at an alarming rate because of the high degree of resistance to chemo- and radiotherapy, lack of proper, and adequate vaccination to hepatitis B, and lack of consciousness and knowledge about the disease itself and the lifestyle of the people. DNA methylation and DNA methylation-induced epigenetic alterations, due to their potential reversibility, open the access to develop novel biomarkers and therapeutics for HCC. The contribution to these epigenetic changes in HCC development still has not been thoroughly summarized. Thus, it is necessary to better understand the new molecular targets of HCC epigenetics in HCC diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. This review elaborates on recent key findings regarding molecular biomarkers for HCC early diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Currently emerging epigenetic drugs for the treatment of HCC are summarized. In addition, combining epigenetic drugs with nonepigenetic drugs for HCC treatment is also mentioned. The molecular mechanisms of DNA methylation-mediated HCC resistance are reviewed, providing some insights into the difficulty of treating liver cancer and anticancer drug development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aimei Liu
- National Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residues and MAO Key Laboratory for Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues, Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU), Wuhan, China
| | - Qinghua Wu
- College of Life Science, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China.,Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Dapeng Peng
- National Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residues and MAO Key Laboratory for Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues, Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU), Wuhan, China
| | - Irma Ares
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre (i+12), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Arturo Anadón
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre (i+12), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Bernardo Lopez-Torres
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre (i+12), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
| | - María-Rosa Martínez-Larrañaga
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre (i+12), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Xu Wang
- National Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residues and MAO Key Laboratory for Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues, Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU), Wuhan, China.,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre (i+12), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
| | - María-Aránzazu Martínez
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre (i+12), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Rodríguez-Hernández MA, Chapresto-Garzón R, Cadenas M, Navarro-Villarán E, Negrete M, Gómez-Bravo MA, Victor VM, Padillo FJ, Muntané J. Differential effectiveness of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in 2D/3D culture according to cell differentiation, p53 status and mitochondrial respiration in liver cancer cells. Cell Death Dis 2020; 11:339. [PMID: 32382022 PMCID: PMC7206079 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-020-2558-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Sorafenib and Regorafenib are the recommended first- and second-line therapies in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Lenvatinib and Cabozantinib have shown non-inferior antitumoral activities compared with the corresponding recommended therapies. The clinical trials have established recommended doses for each treatment that lead different blood concentrations in patients for Sorafenib (10 µM), Regorafenib (1 µM), Lenvatinib (0.1 µM), and Cabozantinib (1 µM). However, very low response rates are observed in patients attributed to intrinsic resistances or upregulation of survival signaling. The aim of the study was the comparative dose–response analysis of the drugs (0–100 µM) in well-differentiated (HepG2, Hep3B, and Huh7), moderately (SNU423), and poorly (SNU449) differentiated liver cancer cells in 2D/3D cultures. Cells harbors wild-type p53 (HepG2), non-sense p53 mutation (Hep3B), inframe p53 gene deletion (SNU423), and p53 point mutation (Huh7 and SNU449). The administration of regular used in vitro dose (10 µM) in 3D and 2D cultures, as well as the dose–response analysis in 2D cultures showed Sorafenib and Regorafenib were increasingly effective in reducing cell proliferation, and inducing apoptosis in well-differentiated and expressing wild-type p53 in HCC cells. Lenvatinib and Cabozantinib were particularly effective in moderately to poorly differentiated cells with mutated or lacking p53 that have lower basal oxygen consumption rate (OCR), ATP, and maximal respiration capacity than observed in differentiated HCC cells. Sorafenib and Regorafenib downregulated, and Lenvatinib and Cabozantinib upregulated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and mesenchymal–epithelial transition factor receptor (c-Met) in HepG2 cells. Conclusions: Sorafenib and Regorafenib were especially active in well-differentiated cells, with wild-type p53 and increased mitochondrial respiration. By contrast, Lenvatinib and Cabozantinib appeared more effective in moderately to poorly differentiated cells with mutated p53 and low mitochondrial respiration. The development of strategies that allow us to deliver increased doses in tumors might potentially enhance the effectiveness of the treatments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- María A Rodríguez-Hernández
- Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Hospital University "Virgen del Rocío"/CSIC/University of Seville, Seville, Spain.,Spanish Network for Biomedical Research in Hepatic and Digestive diseases (CIBERehd), Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Raquel Chapresto-Garzón
- Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Hospital University "Virgen del Rocío"/CSIC/University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Miryam Cadenas
- Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Hospital University "Virgen del Rocío"/CSIC/University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Elena Navarro-Villarán
- Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Hospital University "Virgen del Rocío"/CSIC/University of Seville, Seville, Spain.,Spanish Network for Biomedical Research in Hepatic and Digestive diseases (CIBERehd), Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - María Negrete
- Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Hospital University "Virgen del Rocío"/CSIC/University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Miguel A Gómez-Bravo
- Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Hospital University "Virgen del Rocío"/CSIC/University of Seville, Seville, Spain.,Spanish Network for Biomedical Research in Hepatic and Digestive diseases (CIBERehd), Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain.,Department of General Surgery, Hospital University "Virgen del Rocío"/CSIC/University of Seville/IBIS, Seville, Spain
| | - Victor M Victor
- Spanish Network for Biomedical Research in Hepatic and Digestive diseases (CIBERehd), Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain.,Service of Endocrinology, University Hospital Doctor Peset, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Region (FISABIO), Valencia, Spain.,Department of Physiology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Francisco J Padillo
- Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Hospital University "Virgen del Rocío"/CSIC/University of Seville, Seville, Spain.,Spanish Network for Biomedical Research in Hepatic and Digestive diseases (CIBERehd), Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain.,Department of General Surgery, Hospital University "Virgen del Rocío"/CSIC/University of Seville/IBIS, Seville, Spain
| | - Jordi Muntané
- Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Hospital University "Virgen del Rocío"/CSIC/University of Seville, Seville, Spain. .,Spanish Network for Biomedical Research in Hepatic and Digestive diseases (CIBERehd), Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain. .,Department of General Surgery, Hospital University "Virgen del Rocío"/CSIC/University of Seville/IBIS, Seville, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Wu QQ, Zhao M, Huang GZ, Zheng ZN, Chen Y, Zeng WS, Lv XZ. Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP) Overexpression Induces Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Down-Regulating Dipeptidyl Peptidase 9 (DPP9). Onco Targets Ther 2020; 13:2599-2611. [PMID: 32273729 PMCID: PMC7113806 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s243417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) acts as a tumor promoter via epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The present study was designed to investigate the FAP targeting proteins and explore the precise mechanism by which FAP promotes EMT in OSCC. Patients and Methods Proteins interacting with FAP were found and filtered by immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry (IP-MS). Both DPP9 protein and mRNA were examined in 90 paired OSCC samples and matched normal tissue. DPP9 knockdown was conducted to determine its function in OSCC in vitro and in vivo. Results Dipeptidyl peptidase 9 (DPP9) was identified as interacting with FAP intracellularly by IP-MS. The levels of both DPP9 protein and mRNA were down-regulated in OSCC tissue. Lower DPP9 expression was correlated with unfavorable survival rates of OSCC patients. DPP9 knockdown accelerates the proliferation of OSCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of FAP leads to a reduction in DPP9 expression. Likewise, DPP9 overexpression reverses the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT induced by FAP during OSCC. Conclusion Our study finds that FAP promotes EMT of OSCC by down-regulating DPP9 in a non-enzymatic manner. FAP-DPP9 pathway could be a potential therapeutic target of OSCC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qing-Qing Wu
- Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, NanFang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Zhao
- Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, NanFang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Guang-Zhao Huang
- Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, NanFang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Ze-Nan Zheng
- Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, NanFang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuechuan Chen
- Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, NanFang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei-Sen Zeng
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Zhi Lv
- Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, NanFang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Chakraborty P, George JT, Tripathi S, Levine H, Jolly MK. Comparative Study of Transcriptomics-Based Scoring Metrics for the Epithelial-Hybrid-Mesenchymal Spectrum. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:220. [PMID: 32266244 PMCID: PMC7100584 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cellular process implicated in embryonic development, wound healing, and pathological conditions such as cancer metastasis and fibrosis. Cancer cells undergoing EMT exhibit enhanced aggressive behavior characterized by drug resistance, tumor-initiation potential, and the ability to evade the immune system. Recent in silico, in vitro, and in vivo evidence indicates that EMT is not an all-or-none process; instead, cells can stably acquire one or more hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal (E/M) phenotypes which often can be more aggressive than purely E or M cell populations. Thus, the EMT status of cancer cells can prove to be a critical estimate of patient prognosis. Recent attempts have employed different transcriptomics signatures to quantify EMT status in cell lines and patient tumors. However, a comprehensive comparison of these methods, including their accuracy in identifying cells in the hybrid E/M phenotype(s), is lacking. Here, we compare three distinct metrics that score EMT on a continuum, based on the transcriptomics signature of individual samples. Our results demonstrate that these methods exhibit good concordance among themselves in quantifying the extent of EMT in a given sample. Moreover, scoring EMT using any of the three methods discerned that cells can undergo varying extents of EMT across tumor types. Separately, our analysis also identified tumor types with maximum variability in terms of EMT and associated an enrichment of hybrid E/M signatures in these samples. Moreover, we also found that the multinomial logistic regression (MLR)-based metric was capable of distinguishing between "pure" individual hybrid E/M vs. mixtures of E and M cells. Our results, thus, suggest that while any of the three methods can indicate a generic trend in the EMT status of a given cell, the MLR method has two additional advantages: (a) it uses a small number of predictors to calculate the EMT score and (b) it can predict from the transcriptomic signature of a population whether it is comprised of "pure" hybrid E/M cells at the single-cell level or is instead an ensemble of E and M cell subpopulations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Chakraborty
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Jason T. George
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX, United States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Shubham Tripathi
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX, United States
- Ph.D. Program in Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology, Rice University, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Herbert Levine
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Mohit Kumar Jolly
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Chakraborty P, George JT, Tripathi S, Levine H, Jolly MK. Comparative Study of Transcriptomics-Based Scoring Metrics for the Epithelial-Hybrid-Mesenchymal Spectrum. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:220. [PMID: 32266244 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00220/full] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cellular process implicated in embryonic development, wound healing, and pathological conditions such as cancer metastasis and fibrosis. Cancer cells undergoing EMT exhibit enhanced aggressive behavior characterized by drug resistance, tumor-initiation potential, and the ability to evade the immune system. Recent in silico, in vitro, and in vivo evidence indicates that EMT is not an all-or-none process; instead, cells can stably acquire one or more hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal (E/M) phenotypes which often can be more aggressive than purely E or M cell populations. Thus, the EMT status of cancer cells can prove to be a critical estimate of patient prognosis. Recent attempts have employed different transcriptomics signatures to quantify EMT status in cell lines and patient tumors. However, a comprehensive comparison of these methods, including their accuracy in identifying cells in the hybrid E/M phenotype(s), is lacking. Here, we compare three distinct metrics that score EMT on a continuum, based on the transcriptomics signature of individual samples. Our results demonstrate that these methods exhibit good concordance among themselves in quantifying the extent of EMT in a given sample. Moreover, scoring EMT using any of the three methods discerned that cells can undergo varying extents of EMT across tumor types. Separately, our analysis also identified tumor types with maximum variability in terms of EMT and associated an enrichment of hybrid E/M signatures in these samples. Moreover, we also found that the multinomial logistic regression (MLR)-based metric was capable of distinguishing between "pure" individual hybrid E/M vs. mixtures of E and M cells. Our results, thus, suggest that while any of the three methods can indicate a generic trend in the EMT status of a given cell, the MLR method has two additional advantages: (a) it uses a small number of predictors to calculate the EMT score and (b) it can predict from the transcriptomic signature of a population whether it is comprised of "pure" hybrid E/M cells at the single-cell level or is instead an ensemble of E and M cell subpopulations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Chakraborty
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Jason T George
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX, United States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Shubham Tripathi
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX, United States
- Ph.D. Program in Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology, Rice University, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Herbert Levine
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Mohit Kumar Jolly
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Sreekumar R, Emaduddin M, Al-Saihati H, Moutasim K, Chan J, Spampinato M, Bhome R, Yuen HM, Mescoli C, Vitale A, Cillo U, Rugge M, Primrose J, Hilal MA, Thirdborough S, Tulchinsky E, Thomas G, Mirnezami A, Sayan AE. Protein kinase C inhibitors override ZEB1-induced chemoresistance in HCC. Cell Death Dis 2019; 10:703. [PMID: 31543517 PMCID: PMC6755133 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-019-1885-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process by which tumour cells lose epithelial characteristics, become mesenchymal and highly motile. EMT pathways also induce stem cell features and resistance to apoptosis. Identifying and targeting this pool of tumour cells is a major challenge. Protein kinase C (PKC) inhibition has been shown to eliminate breast cancer stem cells but has never been assessed in hepatocellular cancer (HCC). We investigated ZEB family of EMT inducer expression as a biomarker for metastatic HCC and evaluated the efficacy of PKC inhibitors for HCC treatment. We showed that ZEB1 positivity predicted patient survival in multiple cohorts and also validated as an independent biomarker of HCC metastasis. ZEB1-expressing HCC cell lines became resistant to conventional chemotherapeutic agents and were enriched in CD44high/CD24low cell population. ZEB1- or TGFβ-induced EMT increased PKCα abundance. Probing public databases ascertained a positive association of ZEB1 and PKCα expression in human HCC tumours. Inhibition of PKCα activity by small molecule inhibitors or by PKCA knockdown reduced viability of mesenchymal HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Our results suggest that ZEB1 expression predicts survival and metastatic potential of HCC. Chemoresistant/mesenchymal HCC cells become addicted to PKC pathway and display sensitivity to PKC inhibitors such as UCN-01. Stratifying patients according to ZEB1 and combining UCN-01 with conventional chemotherapy may be an advantageous chemotherapeutic strategy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Sreekumar
- University of Southampton Cancer Sciences Division, Somers Cancer Research Building, Southampton University, Tremona Road, Southampton, UK
- Department of Surgery, Southampton University Hospital NHS Trust, Southampton, UK
| | - Muhammad Emaduddin
- University of Southampton Cancer Sciences Division, Somers Cancer Research Building, Southampton University, Tremona Road, Southampton, UK
| | - Hajir Al-Saihati
- University of Southampton Cancer Sciences Division, Somers Cancer Research Building, Southampton University, Tremona Road, Southampton, UK
| | - Karwan Moutasim
- University of Southampton Cancer Sciences Division, Somers Cancer Research Building, Southampton University, Tremona Road, Southampton, UK
| | - James Chan
- University of Southampton Cancer Sciences Division, Somers Cancer Research Building, Southampton University, Tremona Road, Southampton, UK
| | - Marcello Spampinato
- HPB Unit, Department of General and Minimally Invasive Surgery, Policlinico of Abano Terme, Abano Terme, Italy
| | - Rahul Bhome
- University of Southampton Cancer Sciences Division, Somers Cancer Research Building, Southampton University, Tremona Road, Southampton, UK
- Department of Surgery, Southampton University Hospital NHS Trust, Southampton, UK
| | - Ho Ming Yuen
- Primary Care and Population Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | | | - Alessandro Vitale
- Hepatobiliary and Liver Transplantation Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Umberto Cillo
- Hepatobiliary and Liver Transplantation Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Massimo Rugge
- Department of Pathology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - John Primrose
- University of Southampton Cancer Sciences Division, Somers Cancer Research Building, Southampton University, Tremona Road, Southampton, UK
- Department of Surgery, Southampton University Hospital NHS Trust, Southampton, UK
| | - Mohammad Abu Hilal
- Department of Surgery, Southampton University Hospital NHS Trust, Southampton, UK
| | - Stephen Thirdborough
- University of Southampton Cancer Sciences Division, Somers Cancer Research Building, Southampton University, Tremona Road, Southampton, UK
| | - Eugene Tulchinsky
- Cancer Sciences and Molecular Medicine Department, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudnuy, Moscow region, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Astana, Kazakhstan
| | - Gareth Thomas
- University of Southampton Cancer Sciences Division, Somers Cancer Research Building, Southampton University, Tremona Road, Southampton, UK
| | - Alex Mirnezami
- University of Southampton Cancer Sciences Division, Somers Cancer Research Building, Southampton University, Tremona Road, Southampton, UK
- Department of Surgery, Southampton University Hospital NHS Trust, Southampton, UK
| | - A Emre Sayan
- University of Southampton Cancer Sciences Division, Somers Cancer Research Building, Southampton University, Tremona Road, Southampton, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Mišík M, Nersesyan A, Ropek N, Huber WW, Haslinger E, Knasmueller S. Use of human derived liver cells for the detection of genotoxins in comet assays. MUTATION RESEARCH/GENETIC TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MUTAGENESIS 2019; 845:402995. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2018.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/09/2018] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
|
21
|
Yang L, Zhang XY, Li K, Li AP, Yang WD, Yang R, Wang P, Zhao ZH, Cui F, Qin Y, Yang JH, Tao HL, Sun T, Chen S, Yu PH, Liu HJ, Yang C. Protopanaxadiol inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition of hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting STAT3 pathway. Cell Death Dis 2019; 10:630. [PMID: 31431619 PMCID: PMC6702205 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-019-1733-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Revised: 05/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Diol-type ginsenosides, such as protopanaxadiol (PPD), exhibit antioxidation, anti-inflammation, and antitumor effects. However, the antitumor effect of these ginsenosides and the mechanism of PPD remain unclear. In this work, the antitumor effects of several derivatives, including PPD, Rg5, Rg3, Rh2, and Rh3, were evaluated in five different cancer cell lines. PPD demonstrated the best inhibitory effects on the proliferation and migration of the five cancer cell lines, especially the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines. Therefore, the mechanism of action of PPD in HCC cells was elucidated. PPD inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of HepG2 and PLC/PRF/5 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot and immunofluorescence assay showed that PPD can alter the expression of epithelial–mesenchymal transition markers, increase E-cadherin expression, and decrease vimentin expression. Docking and biacore experiments revealed that STAT3 is the target protein of PPD, which formed hydrogen bonds with Gly583/Leu608/Tyr674 at the SH2 domain of STAT3. PPD inhibited the phosphorylation of STAT3 and its translocation from the cytosol to the nucleus, thereby inhibiting the expression of Twist1. PPD also inhibited tumor volume and tumor lung metastasis in PLC/PRF/5 xenograft model. In conclusion, PPD can inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells through the STAT3/Twist1 pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Early Druggability Evaluation of Innovative Drugs and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biomedicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Xue-Ying Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Early Druggability Evaluation of Innovative Drugs and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biomedicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Kun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Early Druggability Evaluation of Innovative Drugs and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biomedicine, Tianjin, China
| | - An-Ping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.,College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Wen-Dong Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Early Druggability Evaluation of Innovative Drugs and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biomedicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Ru Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Early Druggability Evaluation of Innovative Drugs and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biomedicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Peng Wang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Early Druggability Evaluation of Innovative Drugs and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biomedicine, Tianjin, China.,College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Zi-Han Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Early Druggability Evaluation of Innovative Drugs and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biomedicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Fang Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Early Druggability Evaluation of Innovative Drugs and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biomedicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Yuan Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Early Druggability Evaluation of Innovative Drugs and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biomedicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Jia-Huan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Early Druggability Evaluation of Innovative Drugs and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biomedicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Hong-Lian Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Early Druggability Evaluation of Innovative Drugs and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biomedicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Tao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Early Druggability Evaluation of Innovative Drugs and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biomedicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Shuang Chen
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Early Druggability Evaluation of Innovative Drugs and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biomedicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Pei-Hua Yu
- Enoch Phytomedicine Ltd., Shenzhen, China.
| | - Hui-Juan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China. .,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Early Druggability Evaluation of Innovative Drugs and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biomedicine, Tianjin, China. .,College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
| | - Cheng Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China. .,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Early Druggability Evaluation of Innovative Drugs and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Tianjin International Joint Academy of Biomedicine, Tianjin, China.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Yang C, Su H, Liao X, Han C, Yu T, Zhu G, Wang X, Winkler CA, O'Brien SJ, Peng T. Marker of proliferation Ki-67 expression is associated with transforming growth factor beta 1 and can predict the prognosis of patients with hepatic B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Manag Res 2018; 10:679-696. [PMID: 29692627 PMCID: PMC5901156 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s162595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent malignancy of the liver. Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFB1) and marker of proliferation Ki-67 (MKI67) regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and growth. The association between MKI67 and TGFB1 expression and its clinical implications in HCC remain unknown.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chengkun Yang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Hao Su
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Xiwen Liao
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Chuangye Han
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Tingdong Yu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Guangzhi Zhu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Xiangkun Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Cheryl Ann Winkler
- Basic Research Laboratory, CCR, NCI, Leidos Biomedical Research, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Stephen J O'Brien
- Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Frederick, MD, USA.,Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, St. Petersburg State University, St Petersburg, Russia.,Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
| | - Tao Peng
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Province, China
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Mebarki S, Désert R, Sulpice L, Sicard M, Desille M, Canal F, Dubois-Pot Schneider H, Bergeat D, Turlin B, Bellaud P, Lavergne E, Le Guével R, Corlu A, Perret C, Coulouarn C, Clément B, Musso O. De novo HAPLN1 expression hallmarks Wnt-induced stem cell and fibrogenic networks leading to aggressive human hepatocellular carcinomas. Oncotarget 2018; 7:39026-39043. [PMID: 27191501 PMCID: PMC5129911 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.9346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Accepted: 04/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
About 20% hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) display wild-type β-catenin, enhanced Wnt signaling, hepatocyte dedifferentiation and bad outcome, suggesting a specific impact of Wnt signals on HCC stem/progenitor cells. To study Wnt-specific molecular pathways, cell fates and clinical outcome, we fine-tuned Wnt/β-catenin signaling in liver progenitor cells, using the prototypical Wnt ligand Wnt3a. Cell biology assays and transcriptomic profiling were performed in HepaRG hepatic progenitors exposed to Wnt3a after β-catenin knockdown or Wnt inhibition with FZD8_CRD. Gene expression network, molecular pathology and survival analyses were performed on HCCs and matching non-tumor livers from 70 patients by real-time PCR and tissue micro-array-based immunohistochemistry. Wnt3a reprogrammed liver progenitors to replicating fibrogenic myofibroblast-like cells displaying stem and invasive features. Invasion was inhibited by 30 nM FZD7 and FZD8 CRDs. Translation of these data to human HCCs revealed two tight gene networks associating cell surface Wnt signaling, stem/progenitor markers and mesenchymal commitment. Both networks were linked by Hyaluronan And Proteoglycan Link Protein 1 (HAPLN1), that appeared de novo in aggressive HCCs expressing cytoplasmic β-catenin and stem cell markers. HAPLN1 was independently associated with bad overall and disease-free outcome. In vitro, HAPLN1 was expressed de novo in EPCAM¯/NCAM+ mesoderm-committed progenitors, upon spontaneous epithelial-mesenchymal transition and de-differentiation of hepatocyte-like cells to liver progenitors. In these cells, HAPLN1 knockdown downregulated key markers of mesenchymal cells, such as Snail, LGR5, collagen IV and α-SMA. In conclusion, HAPLN1 reflects a signaling network leading to stemness, mesenchymal commitment and HCC progression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sihem Mebarki
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France.,Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Romain Désert
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France.,Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Laurent Sulpice
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France.,Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France.,CHU de Rennes, Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Rennes, France
| | - Marie Sicard
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France.,Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Mireille Desille
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France.,Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France.,CHU de Rennes, Centre de Ressources Biologiques Santé, Rennes, France
| | - Frédéric Canal
- Inserm, Institut Cochin, Paris, France.,Cnrs, UMR8104, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | | | - Damien Bergeat
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France.,Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France.,CHU de Rennes, Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Rennes, France
| | - Bruno Turlin
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France.,Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France.,CHU de Rennes, Centre de Ressources Biologiques Santé, Rennes, France
| | - Pascale Bellaud
- Université de Rennes 1, UMS 18 Biosit, Biogenouest, Rennes, France
| | - Elise Lavergne
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France.,Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Rémy Le Guével
- Université de Rennes 1, UMS 18 Biosit, Biogenouest, ImPACcellCore Facility, Rennes, France
| | - Anne Corlu
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France.,Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France.,Université de Rennes 1, UMS 18 Biosit, Biogenouest, ImPACcellCore Facility, Rennes, France
| | - Christine Perret
- Inserm, Institut Cochin, Paris, France.,Cnrs, UMR8104, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Cédric Coulouarn
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France.,Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Bruno Clément
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France.,Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Orlando Musso
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France.,Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Apigenin inhibits NF-κB and snail signaling, EMT and metastasis in human hepatocellular carcinoma. Oncotarget 2018; 7:41421-41431. [PMID: 27203387 PMCID: PMC5173069 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.9404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Apigenin is a naturally occurring compound with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. In this study, we investigated the effects of apigenin on migration and metastasis in experimental human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines in vitro and in vivo. Apigenin dose-dependently inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion by PLC and Bel-7402 human HCC cells. It also suppressed tumor growth in PLC cell xenografts without altering body weight, thereby prolonging survival. Apigenin reduced Snai1 and NF-κB expression, reversed increases in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker levels, increased cellular adhesion, regulated actin polymerization and cell migration, and inhibited invasion and migration by HCC cells. Apigenin may therefore inhibit EMT by inhibiting the NF-κB/Snail pathway in human HCC.
Collapse
|
25
|
Waldherr M, Mišík M, Ferk F, Tomc J, Žegura B, Filipič M, Mikulits W, Mai S, Haas O, Huber WW, Haslinger E, Knasmüller S. Use of HuH6 and other human-derived hepatoma lines for the detection of genotoxins: a new hope for laboratory animals? Arch Toxicol 2017; 92:921-934. [PMID: 29218508 PMCID: PMC5818615 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-017-2109-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cell lines which are currently used in genotoxicity tests lack enzymes which activate/detoxify mutagens. Therefore, rodent-derived liver preparations are used which reflect their metabolism in humans only partly; as a consequence misleading results are often obtained. Previous findings suggest that certain liver cell lines express phase I/II enzymes and detect promutagens without activation; however, their use is hampered by different shortcomings. The aim of this study was the identification of a suitable cell line. The sensitivity of twelve hepatic cell lines was investigated in single cell gel electrophoresis assays. Furthermore, characteristics of these lines were studied which are relevant for their use in genotoxicity assays (mitotic activity, p53 status, chromosome number, and stability). Three lines (HuH6, HCC1.2, and HepG2) detected representatives of five classes of promutagens, namely, IQ and PhIP (HAAs), B(a)P (PAH), NDMA (nitrosamine), and AFB1 (aflatoxin), and were sensitive towards reactive oxygen species (ROS). In contrast, the commercially available line HepaRG, postulated to be a surrogate for hepatocytes and an ideal tool for mutagenicity tests, did not detect IQ and was relatively insensitive towards ROS. All other lines failed to detect two or more compounds. HCC1.2 cells have a high and unstable chromosome number and mutated p53, these features distract from its use in routine screening. HepG2 was frequently employed in earlier studies, but pronounced inter-laboratory variations were observed. HuH6 was never used in genotoxicity experiments and is highly promising, it has a stable karyotype and we demonstrated that the results of genotoxicity experiments are reproducible.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Monika Waldherr
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University Vienna, Borschkegasse 8a, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Miroslav Mišík
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University Vienna, Borschkegasse 8a, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Franziska Ferk
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University Vienna, Borschkegasse 8a, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jana Tomc
- Department for Genetic Toxicology and Cancer Biology, National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Jozef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova cesta 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Bojana Žegura
- Department for Genetic Toxicology and Cancer Biology, National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Metka Filipič
- Department for Genetic Toxicology and Cancer Biology, National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Wolfgang Mikulits
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University Vienna, Borschkegasse 8a, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sören Mai
- Labdia Labordiagnostik GmbH, Zimmermannplatz 8, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Oskar Haas
- Labdia Labordiagnostik GmbH, Zimmermannplatz 8, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang W Huber
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University Vienna, Borschkegasse 8a, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Haslinger
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University Vienna, Borschkegasse 8a, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Siegfried Knasmüller
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University Vienna, Borschkegasse 8a, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Resminostat induces changes in epithelial plasticity of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and sensitizes them to sorafenib-induced apoptosis. Oncotarget 2017; 8:110367-110379. [PMID: 29299154 PMCID: PMC5746389 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.22775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 11/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Resminostat, a novel class I, IIb, and IV histone deacetylase inhibitor, was studied in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients after relapse to sorafenib (SHELTER study). In this phase I/II clinical trial, combination of sorafenib and resminostat was safe and showed early signs of efficacy. However, the molecular mechanisms behind this synergism have not been explored yet. In this work, we aimed to analyze whether resminostat regulates epithelial-mesenchymal and stemness phenotype as a mechanism of sensitization to sorafenib. Three HCC cell lines with differences in their epithelial/mesenchymal characteristics were treated with resminostat and sorafenib alone, or in combination. Resminostat prevented growth and induced cell death in the HCC cells, in a time and dose dependent manner. A collaborative effect between resminostat and sorafenib was detected in the mesenchymal HCC cells, which were insensitive to sorafenib-induced apoptosis. Expression of mesenchymal-related genes was decreased in resminostat-treated HCC cells, concomitant with an increase in epithelial-related gene expression, organized tight junctions and reduced invasive growth. Moreover, resminostat down-regulated CD44 expression, coincident with decreased capacity to form colonies at low cell density. CONCLUSION Resminostat shifts mesenchymal cells towards a more epithelial phenotype, lower invasive and stemness properties, which may contribute to the sensitization to sorafenib-induced apoptosis.
Collapse
|
27
|
Niu L, Liu L, Yang S, Ren J, Lai PBS, Chen GG. New insights into sorafenib resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma: Responsible mechanisms and promising strategies. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2017; 1868:564-570. [PMID: 29054475 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2017.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Revised: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 10/15/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
It is disappointing that only a few patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) obtain a significant survival benefit from the sorafenib treatment, which is currently regarded as a first-line chemotherapeutic therapy in patients with advanced HCC. Most patients are highly refractory to this therapy. Therefore, it is necessary to identify resistant factors and explore potential protocols that can be used to overcome the resistance or substitute sorafenib once the resistance is formed. In fact, a growing body of studies has been focusing on the resistance mechanisms or the method to overcome it. The limitation of sorafenib efficacy has been partially but not fully elucidated. Moreover, some protocols have shown encouraging outcomes but still need to be further verified in clinical trials. In this review, we summarize the recent findings on the potential mechanisms that contribute to sorafenib resistance and discuss strategies that can be used to improve the treatment outcome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leilei Niu
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, NT, China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Liping Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University (Shenzhen People's Hospital), Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Shengli Yang
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Jianwei Ren
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, NT, China; Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Paul B S Lai
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, NT, China.
| | - George G Chen
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, NT, China; Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Parsana P, Amend SR, Hernandez J, Pienta KJ, Battle A. Identifying global expression patterns and key regulators in epithelial to mesenchymal transition through multi-study integration. BMC Cancer 2017. [PMID: 28651527 PMCID: PMC5485747 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-017-3413-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the process by which stationary epithelial cells transdifferentiate to mesenchymal cells with increased motility. EMT is integral in early stages of development and wound healing. Studies have shown that EMT could be a critical early event in tumor metastasis that is involved in acquisition of migratory and invasive properties in multiple carcinomas. Methods In this study, we used 15 published gene expression microarray datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) that represent 12 cell lines from 6 cancer types across 95 observations (45 unique samples and 50 replicates) with different modes of induction of EMT or the reverse transition, mesenchymal to epithelial transition (MET). We integrated multiple gene expression datasets while considering study differences, batch effects, and noise in gene expression measurements. A universal differential EMT gene list was obtained by normalizing and correcting the data using four approaches, computing differential expression from each, and identifying a consensus ranking. We confirmed our discovery of novel EMT genes at mRNA and protein levels in an in vitro EMT model of prostate cancer – PC3 epi, EMT and Taxol resistant cell lines. We validate our discovery of C1orf116 as a novel EMT regulator by siRNA knockdown of C1orf116 in PC3 epithelial cells. Results Among differentially expressed genes, we found known epithelial and mesenchymal marker genes such as CDH1 and ZEB1. Additionally, we discovered genes known in a subset of carcinomas that were unknown in prostate cancer. This included epithelial specific LSR and S100A14 and mesenchymal specific DPYSL3. Furthermore, we also discovered novel EMT genes including a poorly-characterized gene C1orf116. We show that decreased expression of C1orf116 is associated with poor prognosis in lung and prostate cancer patients. We demonstrate that knockdown of C1orf116 expression induced expression of mesenchymal genes in epithelial prostate cancer cell line PC3-epi cells, suggesting it as a candidate driver of the epithelial phenotype. Conclusions This comprehensive approach of statistical analysis and functional validation identified global expression patterns in EMT and candidate regulatory genes, thereby both extending current knowledge and identifying novel drivers of EMT. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-017-3413-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Princy Parsana
- Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Sarah R Amend
- Department of Urology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - James Hernandez
- Department of Urology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Kenneth J Pienta
- Department of Urology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Alexis Battle
- Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Ling S, Li J, Shan Q, Dai H, Lu D, Wen X, Song P, Xie H, Zhou L, Liu J, Xu X, Zheng S. USP22 mediates the multidrug resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma via the SIRT1/AKT/MRP1 signaling pathway. Mol Oncol 2017; 11:682-695. [PMID: 28417539 PMCID: PMC5467492 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2017] [Revised: 04/06/2017] [Accepted: 04/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) often fail because of multidrug resistance (MDR). The mechanisms of MDR are complex but cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are able to self‐renew and differentiate, have recently been shown to be involved. The deubiquitinating enzyme ubiquitin‐specific protease 22 (USP22) is a marker for CSCs. This study aimed to elucidate the role of USP22 in MDR of HCC and the underlying mechanisms. Using in vitro and in vivo assays, we found that modified USP22 levels were responsible for the altered drug‐resistant phenotype of BEL7402 and BEL/FU cells. Downregulation of USP22 dramatically inhibited the expression of ABCC1 (encoding MRP1) but weakly influenced ABCB1 (encoding P‐glycoprotein). Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) was reported previously as a functional mediator of USP22 that could promote HCC cell proliferation and enhance resistance to chemotherapy. In this study, USP22 directly interacted with SIRT1 and positively regulated SIRT1 protein expression. Regulation of the expression of both USP22 and SIRT1 markedly affected the AKT pathway and MRP1 expression. Inhibition of the AKT pathway by its specific inhibitor LY294002 resulted in downregulation of MRP1. USP22 and MRP1 expression was detected in 168 clinical HCC samples by immunohistochemical staining, and a firm relationship between USP22 and MRP1 was identified. Together, these results indicate that USP22 could promote the MDR in HCC cells by activating the SIRT1/AKT/MRP1 pathway. USP22 might be a potential target, through which the MDR of HCC in clinical setting could be reversed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sunbin Ling
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Department of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jie Li
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qiaonan Shan
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Haojiang Dai
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Di Lu
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xue Wen
- Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, China
| | - Penghong Song
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Haiyang Xie
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lin Zhou
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jimin Liu
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Xiao Xu
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shusen Zheng
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Kim J, Jiang J, Badawi M, Schmittgen TD. miR-221 regulates CD44 in hepatocellular carcinoma through the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2017; 487:709-715. [PMID: 28442344 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2017.04.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 04/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
CD44 and miR-221 are upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines and tumors, however a connection between the two has not been identified. As the expression of miR-221 directly correlated with CD44 in HCC cells, we hypothesized that miR-221 may directly or indirectly regulate CD44 expression. Inhibition of miR-221 with antisense in Sk-Hep-1 or SNU-449 cell lines reduced CD44 protein expression while miR-221 mimic increased CD44 protein levels. miR-221 antisense did not alter the CD44 mRNA levels in Sk-Hep-1 or SNU-449 cells suggesting that regulation of CD44 protein occurs post transcriptionally. To discover miRNAs that may be involved in the miR-221 regulation of CD44, we performed miRNA profiling in SNU-449 cells treated with anti-miR-221. Several miRNAs were increased with miR-221 inhibition including miR-708-5p, a miRNA that targets CD44. As miR-221 targets several regulators of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway and a link between this pathway and CD44 has been previously shown in prostate cancer, we considered miR-221 regulation of CD44 may be through this pathway. Inhibition of miR-221 reduced p-4EBP1, a downstream effector of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway. Likewise, inhibiting the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway with the ATP-competitive mTOR inhibitor PP242 reduced CD44 protein in SNU-423 and SNU-449 cells without altering CD44 mRNA levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jihye Kim
- College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Jinmai Jiang
- College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Mohamed Badawi
- College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Yang W, Wang JG, Xu J, Zhou D, Ren K, Hou C, Chen L, Liu X. HCRP1 inhibits TGF-β induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in hepatocellular carcinoma. Int J Oncol 2017; 50:1233-1240. [DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2017.3903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
|
32
|
Tang Z, Li J, Shen Q, Feng J, Liu H, Wang W, Xu L, Shi G, Ye X, Ge M, Zhou X, Ni S. Contribution of upregulated dipeptidyl peptidase 9 (DPP9) in promoting tumoregenicity, metastasis and the prediction of poor prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Int J Cancer 2017; 140:1620-1632. [PMID: 27943262 PMCID: PMC5324565 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.30571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2016] [Revised: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Dipeptidyl peptidase 9 (DPP9) is encoded by DPP9, which belongs to the DPP4 gene family. Proteins encoded by these genes have unique peptidase and extra‐enzymatic functions that have been linked to various diseases including cancers. Here, we describe the expression pattern and biological function of DPP9 in non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The repression of DPP9 expression by small interfering RNA inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Moreover, we explored the role of DPP9 in regulating epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT). The epithelial markers E‐cadherin and MUC1 were significantly increased, while mesenchymal markers vimentin and S100A4 were markedly decreased in DPP9 knockdown cells. The downregulation of DPP9 in the NSCLC cells induced the expression of apoptosis‐associated proteins both in vitro and in vivo. We investigated the protein expression levels of DPP9 by tissue microarray immunohistochemical assay (TMA‐IHC) (n = 217). Further we found mRNA expression levels of DPP9 in 30 pairs of clinical NSCLC tissues were significantly lower than in the adjacent non‐cancerous tissues. Survival analysis showed that the overexpression of DPP9 was a significant independent factor for poor 5‐year overall survival in patients with NSCLC (p = 0.003). Taken together, DPP9 expression correlates with poor overall survival in NSCLC. What's new? Non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is associated with multiple genetic and epigenetic changes. Nonetheless, mechanisms underlying its initiation and progression are not well understood. The present study identifies a role for dipeptidyl peptidase 9 (DPP9), a DPP4 family member with suspected influence on tumor initiation and metastasis. In lung cancer cells in vitro, DPP9 repression inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while its repression in vivo dramatically slowed tumor growth, greatly reducing tumor volume in DPP9 knockdown mice. In clinical NSCLC specimens, DPP9 upregulation was significantly associated with advanced TNM stage and was negatively prognostic for overall survival.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyuan Tang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qin Shen
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jian Feng
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hua Liu
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Liqin Xu
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guanglin Shi
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xumei Ye
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Min Ge
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiaoyu Zhou
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Songshi Ni
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Delitala M, Lorenzi T. Emergence of spatial patterns in a mathematical model for the co-culture dynamics of epithelial-like and mesenchymal-like cells. MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES AND ENGINEERING : MBE 2017; 14:79-93. [PMID: 27879121 DOI: 10.3934/mbe.2017006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence indicates that the interaction between epithelial and mesenchymal cells plays a pivotal role in cancer development and metastasis formation. Here we propose an integro-differential model for the co-culture dynamics of epithelial-like and mesenchymal-like cells. Our model takes into account the effects of chemotaxis, adhesive interactions between epithelial-like cells, proliferation and competition for nutrients. We present a sample of numerical results which display the emergence of spots, stripes and honeycomb patterns, depending on parameters and initial data. These simulations also suggest that epithelial-like and mesenchymal-like cells can segregate when there is little competition for nutrients. Furthermore, our computational results provide a possible explanation for how the concerted action between epithelial-cell adhesion and mesenchymal-cell spreading can precipitate the formation of ring-like structures, which resemble the fibrous capsules frequently observed in hepatic tumours.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcello Delitala
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy.
| | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Exosomes Derived from Irradiated Esophageal Carcinoma-Infiltrating T Cells Promote Metastasis by Inducing the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Esophageal Cancer Cells. Pathol Oncol Res 2017; 24:11-18. [PMID: 28132116 DOI: 10.1007/s12253-016-0185-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Accepted: 12/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Exosomes are nanovesicles derived from tumor and normal cells that are detectable in human biological fluids, such as plasma, and cell culture supernatants. The function of exosome secretion from "normal" cells is unclear. Although numerous studies have investigated exosomes derived from hematopoietic cells, little is known regarding exosomes fromT cells, even though these cells play significant roles in innate and acquired immunity. A CCK-8 assay was used to examine the ability of exosomes to inhibit TE13 cell proliferation. In vitro invasion and wound healing assays were conducted to explore the effects of exosomes on TE13 cell migration and invasion. A Western blottinganalys is was performed to investigate the effects of exosomes on the expression of the EMT-related moleculesβ-catenin, NF-κB and snail. This study aimed to investigate the effects of exosomes from irradiated T cells on the human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cell line TE13 and revealed that exosomes inhibit the proliferation but promote the metastasis of TE13 cells in a dose-and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, exosomes significantly increased the expression of β-catenin, NF-κB and snail in TE13 cells. The results of this study suggest an important role for T cell-derived exosomes in the progression of esophageal carcinoma: T cell-derived exosomes promote esophageal cancer metastasis, likely by promoting the EMT through the upregulation of β-catenin and the NF-κB/snail pathway. Moreover, this study supports the use of exosomes as a nearly perfect example of biomimetic nanovesicles that could be utilized in future therapeutic strategies against various diseases, including cancer.
Collapse
|
35
|
Chilosi M, Caliò A, Rossi A, Gilioli E, Pedica F, Montagna L, Pedron S, Confalonieri M, Doglioni C, Ziesche R, Grubinger M, Mikulits W, Poletti V. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition-related proteins ZEB1, β-catenin, and β-tubulin-III in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Mod Pathol 2017; 30:26-38. [PMID: 27586205 DOI: 10.1038/modpathol.2016.147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2016] [Revised: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Epithelial to mesenchymal transition has been suggested as a relevant contributor to pulmonary fibrosis, but how and where this complex process is triggered in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is not fully understood. Beta-tubulin-III (Tubβ3), ZEB1, and β-catenin are partially under the negative control of miR-200, a family of micro-RNAs playing a major role in epithelial to mesenchymal transition, that are reduced in experimental lung fibrosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. We wonder whether in situ expression of these proteins is increased in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, to better understand the significance of miR-200 feedback loop and epithelial to mesenchymal transition. We investigated the immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent expression and precise location of ZEB1, Tubβ3, and β-catenin in tissue samples from 34 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis cases and 21 controls (5 normal lungs and 16 other interstitial lung diseases). In 100% idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis samples, the three proteins were concurrently expressed in fibroblastic foci, as well in damaged epithelial cells overlying these lesions and in pericytes within neo-angiogenesis areas. These results were also confirmed by immunofluorescence assay. In controls the abnormal expression of the three proteins was absent or limited. This is the first study that relates concurrent expression of Tubβ3, ZEB1, and β-catenin to abnormal epithelial and myofibroblast differentiation in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, providing indirect but robust evidence of miR-200 deregulation and epithelial to mesenchymal transition activation in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The abnormal expression and localization of these proteins in bronchiolar fibro-proliferative lesions are unique for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and might represent a disease-specific marker in challenging lung biopsies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Chilosi
- Anatomic Pathology, University and Hospital Trust, Verona, Italy
| | - Anna Caliò
- Anatomic Pathology, University and Hospital Trust, Verona, Italy
| | - Andrea Rossi
- Pulmonary Division, University and Hospital Trust, Verona, Italy
| | - Eliana Gilioli
- Anatomic Pathology, University and Hospital Trust, Verona, Italy
| | - Federica Pedica
- Anatomic Pathology, University and Hospital Trust, Verona, Italy.,Department of Pathology, IRCSS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Licia Montagna
- Anatomic Pathology, University and Hospital Trust, Verona, Italy
| | - Serena Pedron
- Anatomic Pathology, University and Hospital Trust, Verona, Italy
| | - Marco Confalonieri
- Department of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Cattinara, Trieste, Italy
| | - Claudio Doglioni
- Department of Pathology, IRCSS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Rolf Ziesche
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine-II University of Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Markus Grubinger
- Department of Medicine I, Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University of Wien, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Mikulits
- Department of Medicine I, Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University of Wien, Austria
| | - Venerino Poletti
- Pulmonology Unit, Department of Thoracic Diseases, GB Morgagni-L Pierantoni Hospital, Forlì, Italy.,Department of Respiratory Diseases and Allergology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Désert R, Mebarki S, Desille M, Sicard M, Lavergne E, Renaud S, Bergeat D, Sulpice L, Perret C, Turlin B, Clément B, Musso O. "Fibrous nests" in human hepatocellular carcinoma express a Wnt-induced gene signature associated with poor clinical outcome. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2016; 81:195-207. [PMID: 27545991 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2016.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2015] [Revised: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the 3rd cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Most cases arise in a background of chronic inflammation, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, severe fibrosis and stem/progenitor cell amplification. Although HCCs are soft cellular tumors, they may contain fibrous nests within the tumor mass. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore cancer cell phenotypes in fibrous nests. Combined anatomic pathology, tissue microarray and real-time PCR analyses revealed that HCCs (n=82) containing fibrous nests were poorly differentiated, expressed Wnt pathway components and target genes, as well as markers of stem/progenitor cells, such as CD44, LGR5 and SOX9. Consistently, in severe liver fibroses (n=66) and in HCCs containing fibrous nests, weighted correlation analysis revealed a gene network including the myofibroblast marker ACTA2, the basement membrane components COL4A1 and LAMC1, the Wnt pathway members FZD1; FZD7; WNT2; LEF1; DKK1 and the Secreted Frizzled Related Proteins (SFRPs) 1; 2 and 5. Moreover, unbiased random survival forest analysis of a transcriptomic dataset of 247 HCC patients revealed high DKK1, COL4A1, SFRP1 and LAMC1 to be associated with advanced tumor staging as well as with bad overall and disease-free survival. In vitro, these genes were upregulated in liver cancer stem/progenitor cells upon Wnt-induced mesenchymal commitment and myofibroblast differentiation. In conclusion, fibrous nests express Wnt target genes, as well as markers of cancer stem cells and mesenchymal commitment. Fibrous nests embody the specific microenvironment of the cancer stem cell niche and can be detected by routine anatomic pathology analyses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Romain Désert
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France; Université de Rennes 1, F-35043 Rennes, France.
| | - Sihem Mebarki
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France; Université de Rennes 1, F-35043 Rennes, France.
| | - Mireille Desille
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France; Université de Rennes 1, F-35043 Rennes, France; CHU Rennes, Centre de Ressources Biologiques Santé BB-0033-00056, Rennes, France.
| | - Marie Sicard
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France; Université de Rennes 1, F-35043 Rennes, France.
| | - Elise Lavergne
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France; Université de Rennes 1, F-35043 Rennes, France.
| | - Stéphanie Renaud
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France; Université de Rennes 1, F-35043 Rennes, France.
| | - Damien Bergeat
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France; Université de Rennes 1, F-35043 Rennes, France; CHU de Rennes, Dept. of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Rennes, France.
| | - Laurent Sulpice
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France; Université de Rennes 1, F-35043 Rennes, France; CHU de Rennes, Dept. of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Rennes, France.
| | - Christine Perret
- Inserm, U1016, Institut Cochin, Paris, France; Cnrs, UMR8104, Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.
| | - Bruno Turlin
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France; Université de Rennes 1, F-35043 Rennes, France; CHU Rennes, Centre de Ressources Biologiques Santé BB-0033-00056, Rennes, France.
| | - Bruno Clément
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France; Université de Rennes 1, F-35043 Rennes, France.
| | - Orlando Musso
- Inserm, UMR991, Liver Metabolisms and Cancer, Rennes, France; Université de Rennes 1, F-35043 Rennes, France.
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Kong XX, Lv YR, Shao LP, Nong XY, Zhang GL, Zhang Y, Fan HX, Liu M, Li X, Tang H. HBx-induced MiR-1269b in NF-κB dependent manner upregulates cell division cycle 40 homolog (CDC40) to promote proliferation and migration in hepatoma cells. J Transl Med 2016; 14:189. [PMID: 27349221 PMCID: PMC4924318 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-016-0949-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Occurrence and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. miR-1269b is up-regulated in HCC cells and tissues. However, the regulation of miR-1269b expression by HBV and the mechanism underlying the oncogenic activity of miR-1269b in HCC are unclear. METHODS Reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to measure the expression of miR-1269b and target genes in HCC tissues and cell lines. Western blot analysis was used to assess the expression of miR-1269b target genes and related proteins. Using luciferase reporter assays and EMSA, we identified the factors regulating the transcriptional level of miR-1269b. Colony formation, flow cytometry and cell migration assays were performed to evaluate the phenotypic changes caused by miR-1269b and its target in HCC cells. RESULTS We demonstrated that the expression levels of pre-miR-1269b and miR-1269b in HBV-positive HepG2.2.15 cells were dramatically increased compared with HBV-negative HepG2 cells. HBx was shown to facilitate translocation of NF-κB from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, and NF-κB binds to the promoter of miR-1269b to enhance its transcription. miR-1269b targets and up-regulates CDC40, a cell division cycle 40 homolog. CDC40 increases cell cycle progression, cell proliferation and migration. Rescue experiment indicated that CDC40 promotes malignancy induced by miR-1269b in HCC cells. CONCLUSION We found that HBx activates NF-κB to promote the expression of miR1269b, which augments CDC40 expression, contributing to malignancy in HCC. Our findings provide insights into the mechanisms underlying HBV-induced hepatocarcinogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Xiao Kong
- Tianjin Life Science Research Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, 22 Qi-Xiang-Tai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Yan-Ru Lv
- Tianjin Life Science Research Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, 22 Qi-Xiang-Tai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China.,The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
| | - Li-Ping Shao
- Tianjin Life Science Research Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, 22 Qi-Xiang-Tai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Xiang-Yang Nong
- Tianjin Life Science Research Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, 22 Qi-Xiang-Tai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China.,The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
| | - Guang-Ling Zhang
- Tangshan Key Laboratory for Preclinical and Basic Research on Chronic Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan City, Hebei Province, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Tianjin Life Science Research Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, 22 Qi-Xiang-Tai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Hong-Xia Fan
- Tianjin Life Science Research Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, 22 Qi-Xiang-Tai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Min Liu
- Tianjin Life Science Research Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, 22 Qi-Xiang-Tai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Xin Li
- Tianjin Life Science Research Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, 22 Qi-Xiang-Tai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Hua Tang
- Tianjin Life Science Research Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, 22 Qi-Xiang-Tai Road, Tianjin, 300070, China.
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Wen L, Liang C, Chen E, Chen W, Liang F, Zhi X, Wei T, Xue F, Li G, Yang Q, Gong W, Feng X, Bai X, Liang T. Regulation of Multi-drug Resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma cells is TRPC6/Calcium Dependent. Sci Rep 2016; 6:23269. [PMID: 27011063 PMCID: PMC4806320 DOI: 10.1038/srep23269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2015] [Accepted: 03/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is notoriously refractory to chemotherapy because of its tendency to develop multi-drug resistance (MDR), whose various underlying mechanisms make it difficult to target. The calcium signalling pathway is associated with many cellular biological activities, and is also a critical player in cancer. However, its role in modulating tumour MDR remains unclear. In this study, stimulation by doxorubicin, hypoxia and ionizing radiation was used to induce MDR in HCC cells. A sustained aggregation of intracellular calcium was observed upon these stimuli, while inhibition of calcium signalling enhanced the cells' sensitivity to various drugs by attenuating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), Hif1-α signalling and DNA damage repair. The effect of calcium signalling is mediated via transient receptor potential canonical 6 (TRPC6), a subtype of calcium-permeable channel. An in vivo xenograft model of HCC further confirmed that inhibiting TRPC6 enhanced the efficacy of doxorubicin. In addition, we deduced that STAT3 activation is a downstream signalling pathway in MDR. Collectively, this study demonstrated that the various mechanisms regulating MDR in HCC cells are calcium dependent through the TRPC6/calcium/STAT3 pathway. We propose that targeting TRPC6 in HCC may be a novel antineoplastic strategy, especially combined with chemotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liang Wen
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Chao Liang
- Department of General Surgery, Ningbo Medical Treatment Center Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo, PR China
| | - Enjiang Chen
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Feng Liang
- Department of Neurosurgery Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Xiao Zhi
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Tao Wei
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Fei Xue
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Henan Province People's Hospital, Henan, PR China
| | - Guogang Li
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Qi Yang
- Center for Immunology and Microbial Disease,Albany Medical College, ME-205 47 New Scotland Ave., MC-151, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Weihua Gong
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Xinhua Feng
- Life Sciences Institute and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Xueli Bai
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Tingbo Liang
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Feng J, Xu L, Ni S, Gu J, Zhu H, Wang H, Zhang S, Zhang W, Huang J. Involvement of FoxQ1 in NSCLC through regulating EMT and increasing chemosensitivity. Oncotarget 2015; 5:9689-702. [PMID: 25356753 PMCID: PMC4259430 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.2103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Forkhead box Q1 (FoxQ1) is a member of the forkhead transcription factor family. High expression of FoxQ1 has been associated with several cancers including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but its role in the development of NSCLC is not clear. In this study, we investigated the effect of FoxQ1 up-regulated and down-regulated in vitro and in vivo, and the role of FoxQ1 in regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in NSCLC, providing evidence that FoxQ1 could be a potential therapeutic target in NSCLC. NSCLC cells with silenced FoxQ1 had decreased cell proliferation, migration and invasion in cell culture and delayed growth of xenograft tumors in mice compared with corresponding control cells. The NSCLC cells downregulated for FoxQ1 induced the expression of apoptosis-associated proteins and reduction of anti-apoptotic protein expression. Downregulation of FoxQ1 promoted the expression of epithelial markers and decreased several mesenchymal markers in vitro and in vivo. In addition, FoxQ1 was associated with resistance to conventional chemotherapeutic agents. In contrast, FoxQ1 overexpressed elicited converse effects on these phenotypes in vitro and in vivo. Our findings define a key role for FoxQ1 in regulating EMT and increasing chemosensitivity in NSCLC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jian Feng
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Liqin Xu
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Songshi Ni
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jun Gu
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Huijun Zhu
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Haiying Wang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shu Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jianfei Huang
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Lin TH, Shao YY, Chan SY, Huang CY, Hsu CH, Cheng AL. High Serum Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Levels Predict Outcome in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Treated with Sorafenib. Clin Cancer Res 2015; 21:3678-84. [PMID: 25977342 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-14-1954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2014] [Accepted: 05/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The TGF-β signaling pathway is crucial in the progression and metastasis of malignancies. We investigated whether the serum TGF-β1 level was related to the outcomes of patients treated with sorafenib for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We selected patients who had received sorafenib-containing regimens as first-line therapy for advanced HCC between 2007 and 2012. Serum TGF-β1 levels were measured and correlated with the treatment outcomes. The expression TGF-β1 and the sensitivity to sorafenib were examined in HCC cell lines. RESULTS Ninety-one patients were included; 62 (68%) were hepatitis B virus surface antigen (+), and 11 (12%) were anti-hepatitis C virus (+). High (≥ median) pretreatment serum TGF-β1 levels (median 13.7 ng/mL; range, 3.0-41.8) were associated with high α-fetoprotein levels, but not with age, gender, or disease stage. Patients with high pretreatment serum TGF-β1 levels exhibited significantly shorter progression-free survival (median, 2.5 vs. 4.3 months; P = 0.022) and overall survival (median 5.6 vs. 11.6 months; P = 0.029) than did patients with low serum TGF-β1 levels. Compared with pretreatment levels, the serum TGF-β1 levels were significantly increased at disease progression (n = 29, P = 0.010). In preclinical models of HCC, higher TGF-β1 expression levels were associated with poorer sensitivity to sorafenib. CONCLUSIONS High pretreatment serum TGF-β1 levels were associated with poor prognoses, and increased serum TGF-β1 levels were associated with the disease progression of advanced HCC patients. TGF-β pathway may be explored as a therapeutic target for advanced HCC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tzu-Hsuan Lin
- Graduate Institute of Oncology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Yun Shao
- Graduate Institute of Oncology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan. Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Soa-Yu Chan
- Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Yi Huang
- Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Hung Hsu
- Graduate Institute of Oncology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan. Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Ann-Lii Cheng
- Graduate Institute of Oncology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan. Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Reichl P, Dengler M, van Zijl F, Huber H, Führlinger G, Reichel C, Sieghart W, Peck-Radosavljevic M, Grubinger M, Mikulits W. Axl activates autocrine transforming growth factor-β signaling in hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatology 2015; 61:930-41. [PMID: 25251599 PMCID: PMC4450343 DOI: 10.1002/hep.27492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2014] [Accepted: 09/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), intrahepatic metastasis frequently correlates with epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of malignant hepatocytes. Several mechanisms have been identified to be essentially involved in hepatocellular EMT, among them transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling. Here we show the up-regulation and activation of the receptor tyrosine kinase Axl in EMT-transformed hepatoma cells. Knockdown of Axl expression resulted in abrogation of invasive and transendothelial migratory abilities of mesenchymal HCC cells in vitro and Axl overexpression-induced metastatic colonization of epithelial hepatoma cells in vivo. Importantly, Axl knockdown severely impaired resistance to TGF-β-mediated growth inhibition. Analysis of the Axl interactome revealed binding of Axl to 14-3-3ζ, which is essentially required for Axl-mediated cell invasion, transendothelial migration, and resistance against TGF-β. Axl/14-3-3ζ signaling caused phosphorylation of Smad3 linker region (Smad3L) at Ser213, resulting in the up-regulation of tumor-progressive TGF-β target genes such as PAI1, MMP9, and Snail as well as augmented TGF-β1 secretion in mesenchymal HCC cells. Accordingly, high Axl expression in HCC patient samples correlated with elevated vessel invasion of HCC cells, higher risk of tumor recurrence after liver transplantation, strong phosphorylation of Smad3L, and lower survival. In addition, elevated expression of both Axl and 14-3-3ζ showed strongly reduced survival of HCC patients. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that Axl/14-3-3ζ signaling is central for TGF-β-mediated HCC progression and a promising target for HCC therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Reichl
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mirko Dengler
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Franziska van Zijl
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Heidemarie Huber
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerhard Führlinger
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Wolfgang Sieghart
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Markus Peck-Radosavljevic
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Markus Grubinger
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Mikulits
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Pinna F, Breuhahn K. Implementation of systems theory in liver cancer research. Hepat Oncol 2015; 2:9-11. [PMID: 30190981 DOI: 10.2217/hep.14.29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Federico Pinna
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kai Breuhahn
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Abstract
In addition to their historical role, autoantibodies appear promising as biomarkers to facilitate diagnosis, improve patient outcome and decrease mortality in cancer. Autoantibodies may also be useful in the identification of subjects at risk for cancer, that is, those bearing premalignant changes. Numerous studies have demonstrated that cancer serum contains a variety of autoantibodies that react with autologous cellular antigens, that is, tumor-associated antigens. Interestingly, some of these antigens are involved in signal transduction, cell cycle regulation, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. As such, identification of these molecules has additional importance for development of novel anticancer drugs and vaccines. This review focuses on the use of autoantibodies in breast cancer, a major public health problem. We also address the need for additional research to validate this approach in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics in general.
Collapse
|
44
|
Fernando J, Malfettone A, Cepeda EB, Vilarrasa-Blasi R, Bertran E, Raimondi G, Fabra À, Alvarez-Barrientos A, Fernández-Salguero P, Fernández-Rodríguez CM, Giannelli G, Sancho P, Fabregat I. A mesenchymal-like phenotype and expression of CD44 predict lack of apoptotic response to sorafenib in liver tumor cells. Int J Cancer 2014; 136:E161-72. [PMID: 25053293 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.29097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2014] [Accepted: 07/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The multikinase inhibitor sorafenib is the only effective drug in advanced cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, response differs among patients and effectiveness only implies a delay. We have recently described that sorafenib sensitizes HCC cells to apoptosis. In this work, we have explored the response to this drug of six different liver tumor cell lines to define a phenotypic signature that may predict lack of response in HCC patients. Results have indicated that liver tumor cells that show a mesenchymal-like phenotype, resistance to the suppressor effects of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and high expression of the stem cell marker CD44 were refractory to sorafenib-induced cell death in in vitro studies, which correlated with lack of response to sorafenib in nude mice xenograft models of human HCC. In contrast, epithelial-like cells expressing the stem-related proteins EpCAM or CD133 were sensitive to sorafenib-induced apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. A cross-talk between the TGF-β pathway and the acquisition of a mesenchymal-like phenotype with up-regulation of CD44 expression was found in the HCC cell lines. Targeted CD44 knock-down in the mesenchymal-like cells indicated that CD44 plays an active role in protecting HCC cells from sorafenib-induced apoptosis. However, CD44 effect requires a TGF-β-induced mesenchymal background, since the only overexpression of CD44 in epithelial-like HCC cells is not sufficient to impair sorafenib-induced cell death. In conclusion, a mesenchymal profile and expression of CD44, linked to activation of the TGF-β pathway, may predict lack of response to sorafenib in HCC patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joan Fernando
- Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
45
|
Zhai X, Zhu H, Wang W, Zhang S, Zhang Y, Mao G. Abnormal expression of EMT-related proteins, S100A4, vimentin and E-cadherin, is correlated with clinicopathological features and prognosis in HCC. Med Oncol 2014; 31:970. [PMID: 24781336 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-014-0970-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2014] [Accepted: 04/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
We determined the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) indicator proteins, E-cadherin (E-cad), vimentin (VIM), mucin 1 (MUC1) and S100 calcium-binding protein A4 (S100A4) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patient tissue samples. We also investigated the relationship between the expression of these proteins and clinicopathologic factors in HCC. Finally, we assessed the potential value of these markers as prognostic indicators of survival in HCC patients. The expression of E-cad, VIM, MUC1 and S100A4 EMT indicator proteins was assessed in tissue microarray HCC tissue sections and corresponding peritumoral normal tissues by immunohistochemistry. In addition, the expression for the four EMT indicator proteins was correlated with clinicopathological features of HCC and patient outcome. Comparison of clinicopathological characteristics and immunohistochemistry by χ(2) analysis revealed that downregulation of E-cad in HCC was significantly associated with later TNM cancer stage (P = 0.012), gross classification (P = 0.018), regional lymph node metastasis (P = 0.036) and liver cirrhosis (P = 0.028). Increased S100A4 expression in HCC was significantly associated with differentiation (P = 0.032), tumor with a complete fibrous capsule (P = 0.031) and portal vein invasion (P = 0.038). High VIM expression in HCC was significantly associated with high serum α-fetoprotein levels (P = 0.016). We also observed that low E-cad expression was significantly associated with overexpression of VIM (P = 0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analysis revealed that low E-cad expression (HR = 0.164, 95 % CI 0.072 to 0.373, P < 0.001) and high serum α-fetoprotein levels (HR = 2.202, 95 % CI 1.054 to 4.598, P = 0.036) were independent prognostic factors in HCC. Our study demonstrates that high S100A4 and VIM expression and low E-cad expression correlate with an aggressive, malignant phenotype in HCC. These results also support a role for E-cad as a prognostic factor in HCC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolu Zhai
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
46
|
Reexpression of Let-7g microRNA inhibits the proliferation and migration via K-Ras/HMGA2/snail axis in hepatocellular carcinoma. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2014; 2014:742417. [PMID: 24724096 PMCID: PMC3960551 DOI: 10.1155/2014/742417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2013] [Revised: 01/16/2014] [Accepted: 01/26/2014] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Let-7 family microRNAs have been reported to be downregulated in human hepatocellular carcinoma in comparison with normal hepatic tissues. Among them, let-7g was identified as the lowest expression using real-time RT-PCR. However, the mechanism by which let-7g works in hepatocellular carcinoma remains unknown. Here, in our present study, we have had let-7g reexpressed in vitro in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines MHCC97-H and HCCLM3 via transfection. The proliferation after reexpression of let-7g was assayed using MTT method; the migration and invasion after restoration were detected by wound-healing and Transwell assay, respectively. We found using Western-blotting that let-7g can regulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by downregulating K-Ras and HMGA2A after reexpresssion. Xenografted nude mice were used to observe whether or not reexpression of let-7g could have potential therapeutic ability. In vivo, to observe the association with let-7g expression and overall prognosis, 40 paired cases of hepatocellular carcinoma were analyzed using in situ hybridization (ISH). It was found that reexpression of let-7g can inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion significantly, and that low expression of let-7g was significantly associated with poorer overall survival. Taken together, let-7g could be used as a promising therapeutic agent in vivo in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma at the earlier stage.
Collapse
|
47
|
Sadamori H, Yagi T, Shigeyasu K, Umeda Y, Sugihara M, Yokomichi N, Ohara T, Nishida N, Nagasaka T, Goel A, Fujiwara T. Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with lymph node metastases showing epithelial to mesenchymal transition effectively treated with systemic chemotherapy: Report of a case. Hepatol Res 2013; 43:1368-73. [PMID: 23607775 DOI: 10.1111/hepr.12080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2012] [Revised: 12/27/2012] [Accepted: 01/21/2013] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
We present a case in which combination chemotherapy was used to successfully treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with rapid progression of lymph node (LN) metastases after liver resection. In addition, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers were examined immunohistochemically. A 43-year-old man who had been diagnosed with HCC showed an enlarged LN near the hepatic artery proper. After extended left lobectomy with lymphadenectomy in the hepatoduodenal ligament, he experienced rapid progression of metastases to the para-aortic and mediastinal LN. Partial remission was achieved after induction and maintenance of combination chemotherapy using etoposide, carboplatin, epirubicin and 5-fluorouracil. As a consequence of this treatment, the patient survived 10 months. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that HCC cells in the metastatic LN showed low expression of E-cadherin and high expression of N-cadherin and vimentin, indicating EMT. Combination chemotherapy may prove effective for patients with HCC accompanied by LN metastases that show features of EMT.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Sadamori
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Puszyk WM, Le Trinh T, Chapple S, Liu C. Linking metabolism and epigenetic regulation in development of hepatocellular carcinoma. J Transl Med 2013; 93:983-90. [PMID: 23917878 PMCID: PMC4028619 DOI: 10.1038/labinvest.2013.94] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2013] [Accepted: 07/07/2013] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common form of cancer globally and is rarely curable once detected. The 5-year survival rate of patients diagnosed with late-stage HCC may be as low as 27%. HCC is a cancer largely driven by epigenetic changes that arise from exposure to exogenous environmental factors rather than coding sequence mutations. The liver is susceptible to effects from Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B viruses, exposure to aflatoxin and continuous excessive consumption of alcohol. The liver is a highly metabolic organ balancing many vital biochemical processes; exposure to any of the above environmental factors is associated with loss of liver function and is a major risk factor for the development of HCC. Emerging studies aim to examine the underlying metabolic processes that are abrogated in cancer and lead to the altered flux and availability of key metabolites important for epigenetic processes. Metabolites have been shown to act as substrates for many canonical epigenetic regulators. These enzymes are responsible for regulating histone modification, DNA methylation and micro RNA expression. By studying the impact of altered liver metabolism, we may better understand the long-term epigenetic processes, which lead to the development and progression of HCC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William Matthew Puszyk
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, USA
| | - Thu Le Trinh
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, USA
| | - Sarah Chapple
- Cardiovascular Division, BHF Centre of Research Excellence, School of Medicine, King’s College London, London, SE1 9NH, UK
| | - Chen Liu
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, USA,Shands Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, USA,Correspondence: Chen Liu, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, 1600 SW Archer Road, M651, PO 100275, Gainesville, FL 32610. Tel: 352-273-5413; Fax: 352-392-6249
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Haider C, Grubinger M, Řezníčková E, Weiss TS, Rotheneder H, Miklos W, Berger W, Jorda R, Zatloukal M, Gucky T, Strnad M, Kryštof V, Mikulits W. Novel inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases combat hepatocellular carcinoma without inducing chemoresistance. Mol Cancer Ther 2013; 12:1947-57. [PMID: 23939380 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-13-0263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Treatment options for hepatocellular carcinoma using chemotherapeutics at intermediate and advanced stages of disease are limited as patients most rapidly escape from therapy and succumb to disease progression. Mechanisms of the hepatic xenobiotic metabolism are mostly involved in providing chemoresistance to therapeutic compounds. Given the fact that the aberrant activation of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) is frequently observed in hepatocellular carcinomas, we focused on the efficacy of the novel compounds BA-12 and BP-14 that antagonize CDK1/2/5/7 and CDK9. Inhibition of those CDKs in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines reduced the clonogenicity by arresting cells in S-G2 and G2-M phase of the cell cycle and inducing apoptosis. In contrast, primary human hepatocytes failed to show cytotoxicity and apoptosis. No loss of chemosensitivity was observed in hepatocellular carcinoma cells after long-term exposure to inhibitors. In vivo, treatment of xenografted human hepatocellular carcinomas with BA-12 or BP-14 effectively repressed tumor formation. Moreover, BA-12 or BP-14 significantly diminished diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatoma development in mice. These data show that BA-12 or BP-14 exhibit strong antitumorigenic effects in the absence of chemoresistance, resulting in a superior efficacy compared with currently used chemotherapeutics in hepatocellular carcinomas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christine Haider
- Corresponding Author: Wolfgang Mikulits, Medical University Vienna, Borschkegasse 8a, Vienna 1090, Austria.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
50
|
D'Alessandro LA, Meyer R, Klingmüller U. Hepatocellular carcinoma: a systems biology perspective. Front Physiol 2013; 4:28. [PMID: 23444340 PMCID: PMC3580827 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2013.00028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2012] [Accepted: 02/06/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) have different etiology and heterogenic genomic alterations lead to high complexity. The molecular features of HCC have largely been studied by gene expression and proteome profiling focusing on the correlations between the expression of specific markers and clinical data. Integration of the increasing amounts of data in databases has facilitated the link of genomic and proteomic profiles of HCC to disease state and clinical outcome. Despite the current knowledge, specific molecular markers remain to be identified and new strategies are required to establish novel-targeted therapies. In the last years, mathematical models reconstructing gene and protein networks based on experimental data of HCC have been developed providing powerful tools to predict candidate interactions and potential targets for therapy. Furthermore, the combination of dynamic and logical mathematical models with quantitative data allows detailed mechanistic insights into system properties. To address effects at the organ level, mathematical models reconstructing the three-dimensional organization of liver lobules were developed. In the future, integration of different modeling approaches capturing the effects at the cellular up to the organ level is required to address the complex properties of HCC and to enable the discovery of new targets for HCC prevention or treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lorenza A D'Alessandro
- Division Systems Biology of Signal Transduction, DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | | |
Collapse
|