c-myc Gene Copy Number Variation in Cervical Exfoliated Cells Detected on Fluorescence in situ Hybridization for Cervical Cancer Screening

Diminazene aceturate-induced cytotoxicity is associated with the deregulation of cell cycle signaling and downregulation of oncogenes Furin, c-MYC, and FOXM1 in human cervical carcinoma Hela cells

Diminazene aceturate (DIZE) is an FDA-listed small molecule known for the treatment of African sleeping sickness. In vivo studies showed that DIZE may be beneficial for a range of human ailments. However, there is very limited information on the effects of DIZE on human cancer cells. The current study aimed to investigate the cytotoxic responses of DIZE, using the human carcinoma Hela cell line. WST-1 cell proliferation assay showed that DIZE inhibited the viability of Hela cells in a dose-dependent manner and the observed response was associated with the downregulation of Ki67 and PCNA cell proliferation markers. DIZE-treated cells stained with acridine orange-ethidium and JC-10 dye revealed cell death and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Ψm), compared with DMSO (vehicle) control, respectively. Cellular immunofluorescence staining of DIZE-treated cells showed upregulation of caspase 3 activities. DIZE-treated cells showed downregulation of mRNA for G1/S genes CCNA2 and CDC25A, S-phase genes MCM3 and PLK4, and G2/S phase transition/mitosis genes Aurka and PLK1. These effects were associated with decreased mRNA expression of Furin, c-Myc, and FOXM1 oncogenes. These results suggested that DIZE may be considered for its effects on other cancer types. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the effect of DIZE on human cervical cancer cells.

Polydatin Inhibits Cell Viability, Migration, and Invasion Through Suppressing the c-Myc Expression in Human Cervical Cancer

Polydatin, an active ingredient from the roots of Polygonum cuspidatum, is considered to have protective effects on the cardiovascular system and liver. In this study, we demonstrated that polydatin has antitumor activity against human cervical cancer. Polydatin efficiently inhibited cervical cancer cell proliferation by regulating cell cycle-related proteins including p21, p27, CDK2, CDK4, Cyclin D1, and Cyclin E1. Furthermore, polydatin suppressed cell invasion and migration by regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, including E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Snail and Slug. The c-Myc, as a proto-oncogene, is considered to be closely associated with the proliferation and metastasis of tumor cells. After polydatin treatment, the protein expression of c-Myc showed a significant decrease. Based on these data, we overexpressed c-Myc in cervical cancer cells and observed that the overexpression of c-Myc rescued the inhibitory effect of polydatin on cell proliferation and metastasis. These results indicated that polydatin can inhibit cell proliferation and metastasis through suppressing the c-Myc expression in human cervical cancer.

Predictive value of p16INK4a, Ki-67 and ProExC immuno-qualitative features in LSIL progression into HSIL

The current nested case-control study was conducted to explore the prognostic value of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (p16^INK4a), marker of proliferation Ki-67 (Ki-67) and immunohistochemical cocktail containing antibodies directed against topoisomerase IIα (TOP2A) and minichromosome maintenance 2 (MCM2) proteins (ProExC) immuno-qualitative features to predict low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) progression. A total of 92 LSIL patients were followed-up for 2 years, where those with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) or persistent LSIL were designated as the case group and those who spontaneously regressed were designated as the control group. The infection status of human papillomavirus (HPV) was evaluated using flow-through hybridization and gene chip, whilst the expression of p16^INK4a, Ki-67 and ProExC were tested in LSIL patient biopsies by immunohistochemistry. All data were collected at the beginning of the follow-up and patient outcomes were diagnosed by histopathological examination. To analyze the risk factors for LSIL progression, sensitivity, specificity, positive-negative predictive value (PPV-NPV), positive-negative likelihood ratio (PLR-NLR), Youden's index (YI) and multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed. The expression rates of p16^INK4a, Ki-67, and ProExC were found to be higher in the progression group compared with those in the persistence and regression groups. Only p16^INK4a expression significantly associated with high-risk HPV infection. With respect to predicting HSIL, p16^INK4a staining was the most sensitive but Ki-67 staining was found to be the most specific. YI was the highest (42.1%) for p16^INK4a expression in the present study, followed by ProExC (39.5%) and Ki-67 (28.3%). However, the expression of ProExC was found to be an independent risk factor for LSIL progression into HSIL. In conclusion, whilst immunohistochemical staining for p16^INK4a, Ki-67, and ProExC can be used to predict HSIL progression, only ProExC expression can be applied an independent risk factor for LSIL progression.

Genomic amplification of HPV, h-TERC and c-MYC in liquid-based cytological specimens for screening of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cancer

Cervical cancer is one of the most prevalent female cancer types in developing countries. ThinPrep cytological test (TCT) and human papillomavirus (HPV) detection are canonical screening methods for cervical cancer currently. However, there are limitations to these techniques. The aim of the present study was to identify efficient and practical methods for the screening of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and carcinoma. Residual PreservCyt specimens were obtained from 1,000 women who were admitted between August 2013 and December 2015. TCT, human telomerase RNA component (h-TERC) fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), MYC-specific FISH and surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-HPV genotyping were performed, followed by histopathology for those patients with positive results in any of the four tests. As a result, 106, 64, 56 and 112 patients were positive in the TCT, h-TERC, c-MYC and SPR-HPV tests, respectively, resulting in 213 being scheduled for histopathology; inflammation was identified in 159 patients, CIN I in 31, CIN II in 14, CIN III in seven and invasive cervical cancer in two patients. Using histopathology as the gold standard, TCT exhibited the highest sensitivity (87.04%), while h-TERC analysis had the highest specificity (81.76%). Parallel tests demonstrated that the Youden's index of TCT + h-TERC was the highest (0.49), while the serial analysis reported that TCT + HPV had the highest Youden's index (0.53) compared with any of the biomarkers alone (TCT, 0.50; HPV, 0.29; h-TERC, 0.47). In conclusion, dual positive TCT and HPV may be an efficient approach for basic screening of cervical lesions. h-TERC amplification may serve as an auxiliary test to improve the specificity.

IFNα-Expressing Amniotic Fluid-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Migrate to and Suppress HeLa Cell-Derived Tumors in a Mouse Model

Background

Immunotherapy for cervical cancer with type I interferon (IFN) is limited because of the cytotoxicity that accompanies the high doses that are administered. In this study, we investigated the utilization of amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AF-MSCs) as a means for delivering IFNα to local tumor sites for the suppression of cervical cancer in a mouse model using HeLa cell xenografts.

Methods

The tumor tropism ability of AF-MSCs and AF-MSCs genetically modified to overexpress IFNα (IFNα-AF-MSCs) was examined through Transwell in vitro and through fluorescent images and immunohistochemistry in a mouse model. Tumor size and tumor apoptosis were observed to evaluate the efficacy of the targeting therapy. Mechanistically, tumor cell apoptosis was detected by cytometry and TUNEL, and oncogenic proteins c-Myc, p53, and Bcl-2 as well as microvessel density were detected by immunohistochemistry.

Results

In this model, intravenously injected AF-MSCs selectively migrated to the tumor sites, participated in tumor construction, and promoted tumor growth. After being genetically modified to overexpress IFNα, the IFNα-AF-MSCs maintained their tumor tropism but could significantly suppress tumor growth. The restrictive efficacy of IFNα-AF-MSCs was associated with the suppression of angiogenesis, inhibition of tumor cell proliferation, and induction of apoptosis in tumor cells. Neither AF-MSCs nor IFNα-AF-MSCs trigger tumor formation.

Conclusions

IFNα-AF-MSC-based therapy is feasible and shows potential for treating cervical cancer, suggesting that AF-MSCs may be promising vehicles for delivering targeted anticancer therapy.

Low folate levels are associated with methylation-mediated transcriptional repression of miR-203 and miR-375 during cervical carcinogenesis

The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation between a lack of folic acid and the abnormal expression of microRNA (miR)-203 and miR-375 in cervical cancer. In total, 60 tissue samples of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or stage IA-IIA cervical cancer (study group), and 30 samples without soluble interleukin or malignancy (control group) were examined. The expression of miR-203 and miR-375 was detected using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and the difference in expression levels was quantified using the 2^-ΔΔCq method. In addition, CaSki cervical cancer cells were cultured in vitro and treated with various concentrations of folic acid. The DNA methylation states of miR-203 and miR-375 were subsequently detected by methylation-specific PCR, and the expression levels were evaluated using RT-PCR. miR-203 and miR-375 were significantly downregulated in CIN and cervical cancer tissues, compared with the control group. There was a marked difference in terms of the expression levels of miR-375 between the two groups (P<0.05). In CaSki cells, as the concentration of folic acid increased, the positive rate of DNA methylation of miR-203 and miR-375 decreased, while the expression levels of miR-203 and miR-375 demonstrated a gradual increase, which indicated that the latter two parameters were negatively correlated (P<0.05). Compared with normal cervical tissue, the expression levels of miR-203 and miR-375 were downregulated in CIN and cervical cancer. Methylation of these two miRs was apparent in CaSki cells, and was associated with a lack of folic acid. Therefore, reduced levels of folic acid, leading to increased methylation of miR-203 and miR-375, may be significant events during cervical carcinogenesis.