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Wang J, Li D, Yang J, Chang L, Zhang R, Li J. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated epigenetic editing tool: An optimized strategy for targeting de novo DNA methylation with stable status via homology directed repair pathway. Biochimie 2022; 202:190-205. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2022.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Kumar D, Das M, Oberg A, Sahoo D, Wu P, Sauceda C, Jih L, Ellies LG, Langiewicz MT, Sen S, Webster NJG. Hepatocyte Deletion of IGF2 Prevents DNA Damage and Tumor Formation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 9:e2105120. [PMID: 35615981 PMCID: PMC9313545 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202105120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide. Serine-arginine rich splicing factor 3 (SRSF3) plays a critical role in hepatocyte function and its loss in mice promotes chronic liver damage and leads to HCC. Hepatocyte-specific SRSF3 knockout mice (SKO mice) also overexpress insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2). In the present study, double deletion of Igf2 and Srsf3 (DKO mice) prevents hepatic fibrosis and inflammation, and completely prevents tumor formation, and is associated with decreased proliferation, apoptosis and DNA damage, and restored DNA repair enzyme expression. This is confirmed in vitro, where IGF2 treatment of HepG2 hepatoma cells decreases DNA repair enzyme expression and causes DNA damage. Tumors from the SKO mice also show mutational signatures consistent with homologous recombination and mismatch repair defects. Analysis of frozen human samples shows that SRSF3 protein is decreased sixfold in HCC compared to normal liver tissue but SRSF3 mRNA is increased. Looking at public TCGA data, HCC patients having high SRSF3 mRNA expression show poor survival, as do patients with alterations in known SRSF3-dependent splicing events. The results indicate that IGF2 overexpression in conjunction with reduced SRSF3 splicing activity could be a major cause of DNA damage and driver of liver cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak Kumar
- Research and Development ServiceVA San Diego Healthcare SystemSan DiegoCA92161USA
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of MedicineUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCA92093USA
| | - Manasi Das
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of MedicineUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCA92093USA
| | - Alexis Oberg
- Research and Development ServiceVA San Diego Healthcare SystemSan DiegoCA92161USA
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of MedicineUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCA92093USA
| | - Debashis Sahoo
- Division of Genome Information Sciences, Department of PediatricsUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCA92093USA
| | - Panyisha Wu
- Research and Development ServiceVA San Diego Healthcare SystemSan DiegoCA92161USA
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of MedicineUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCA92093USA
| | - Consuelo Sauceda
- Research and Development ServiceVA San Diego Healthcare SystemSan DiegoCA92161USA
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of MedicineUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCA92093USA
| | - Lily Jih
- Research and Development ServiceVA San Diego Healthcare SystemSan DiegoCA92161USA
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of MedicineUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCA92093USA
| | - Lesley G. Ellies
- Division of Cancer Biology Research, Department of PathologyUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCA92093USA
- Moores Cancer CenterUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCA92093USA
| | - Magda T. Langiewicz
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of MedicineUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCA92093USA
| | - Supriya Sen
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of MedicineUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCA92093USA
| | - Nicholas J. G. Webster
- Research and Development ServiceVA San Diego Healthcare SystemSan DiegoCA92161USA
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of MedicineUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCA92093USA
- Moores Cancer CenterUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCA92093USA
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Wang J, Yang J, Li D, Li J. Technologies for targeting DNA methylation modifications: Basic mechanism and potential application in cancer. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2020; 1875:188454. [PMID: 33075468 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2020.188454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
DNA methylation abnormalities are regarded as critical event for cancer initiation and development. Tumor-associated genes encompassing aberrant DNA methylation alterations at specific locus are correlated with chromatin remodeling and dysregulation of gene expression in various malignancies. Thus, technologies designed to manipulate DNA methylation at specific loci of genome are necessary for the functional study and therapeutic application in the context of cancer management. Traditionally, the method for DNA methylation modifications demonstrates an unspecific feature, adversely causing global-genome epigenetic alterations and confusing the function of desired gene. Novel approaches for targeted DNA methylation regulation have a great advantage of manipulating gene epigenetic alterations in a more specific and efficient method. In this review, we described different targeting DNA methylation techniques, including both their advantages and limitations. Through a comprehensive understanding of these targeting tools, we hope to open a new perspective for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Wang
- National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, P.R. China; Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China; Beijing Engineering Research Center of Laboratory Medicine, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Jing Yang
- National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, P.R. China; Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China; Beijing Engineering Research Center of Laboratory Medicine, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Dandan Li
- National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, P.R. China; Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China; Beijing Engineering Research Center of Laboratory Medicine, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Jinming Li
- National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, P.R. China; Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China; Beijing Engineering Research Center of Laboratory Medicine, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, P.R. China.
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The Good, the Bad, the Question- H19 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12051261. [PMID: 32429417 PMCID: PMC7281302 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12051261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common primary liver cancer, is challenging to treat due to its typical late diagnosis, mostly at an advanced stage. Therefore, there is a particular need for research in diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for HCC. The use of long noncoding (lnc) RNAs can widen the list of novel molecular targets improving cancer therapy. In hepatocarcinogenesis, the role of the lncRNA H19, which has been known for more than 30 years now, is still controversially discussed. H19 was described to work either as a tumor suppressor in vitro and in vivo, or to have oncogenic features. This review attempts to survey the conflicting study results and tries to elucidate the potential reasons for the contrary findings, i.e., different methods, models, or readout parameters. This review encompasses in vitro and in vivo models as well as studies on human patient samples. Although the function of H19 in HCC remains elusive, a short outlook summarizes some ideas of using the H19 locus as a novel target for liver cancer therapy.
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Vacante F, Senesi P, Montesano A, Paini S, Luzi L, Terruzzi I. Metformin Counteracts HCC Progression and Metastasis Enhancing KLF6/p21 Expression and Downregulating the IGF Axis. Int J Endocrinol 2019; 2019:7570146. [PMID: 30774659 PMCID: PMC6350585 DOI: 10.1155/2019/7570146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Revised: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the common tumor of the liver. Unfortunately, most HCC seem to be resistant to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The poor efficacy of antitumor agents is also due, at least in part, to the inefficient drug delivery and metabolism exerted by the steatotic/cirrhotic liver that hosts the tumor. Thus, novel approaches in chemotherapy may be needed to improve the survival rate in patients with HCC. Metformin (METF) has been found to lower HCC risk; however, the mechanisms by which METF performs its anticancer activity are not completely elucidated. Previous studies have showed METF action on growth inhibition in the liver in a dose/time-dependent manner and its antitumor role by targeting multiple pathways. We investigated molecular effects of METF in an in vitro human hepatoma model (HepG2), studying cell cycle regulators, tumorigenesis markers, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis regulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS HepG2 cells were treated with METF (400 μM) for 24, 48, and 72 hours. METF action on cell cycle progression and cellular pathways involved in metabolism regulation was evaluated by gene expression analysis, immunofluorescence, and Western blot assay. RESULTS By assessing HepG2 cell viability, METF significantly decreased growth cell capacity raising KLF6/p21 protein content. Moreover, METF ameliorated the cancer microenvironment reducing cellular lipid drop accumulation and promoting AMPK activity. The overexpression of IGF-II molecule and the IGF-I receptor that plays a main role in HCC progression was counteracted by METF. Furthermore, the protein content of HCC principal tumor markers, CK19 and OPN, linked to the metastasis process was significantly reduced by METF stimulus. CONCLUSION Our data show that METF could suppress HepG2 proliferation, through induction of cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. In addition, METF effect on the cancer microenvironment and on the IGF axis leads to the development of new METF therapeutic use in HCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Vacante
- Metabolism Research Center, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese, Milan, Italy
| | - Pamela Senesi
- Metabolism Research Center, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese, Milan, Italy
| | - Anna Montesano
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Paini
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Livio Luzi
- Metabolism Research Center, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Ileana Terruzzi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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Tang Y, Zhang Y, Wang C, Sun Z, Li L, Dong J, Zhou W. 14-3-3ζ binds to hepatitis B virus protein X and maintains its protein stability in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Cancer Med 2018; 7:5543-5553. [PMID: 30358169 PMCID: PMC6247021 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.1512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Revised: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
14‐3‐3ζ, a phosphopeptide‐binding molecule, is reportedly overexpressed in the cancerous tissues of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hepatitis B virus (HBV) protein X (HBx) draws intensive attention in HBV‐related HCC because it not only regulates HBV replication, but also promotes carcinogenesis by interacting with various tumor or antitumor molecules. This study is performed to investigate whether and how 14‐3‐3ζ interacts with HBx. The coimmunoprecipitation (Co‐IP) results showed that 14‐3‐3ζ bond to HBx in HBV‐infected Hep3B HCC cells and CSQT‐2 portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) cells. By performing Co‐IP assay in HBV‐free Huh7 cells expressing wild‐type HBx, mutant HBx‐S31A, or HBx‐S31D (serine31 was mutated into alanine31 or aspartic acid31), we found that the phosphorylated serine31 with its near amino acid residues constituted a RPLphosphoS31GP (R, arginine; P, proline; L, leucine; S, serine; G, glycine) motif in HBx for 14‐3‐3ζ docking. This 14‐3‐3ζ‐HBx interaction was partly impaired when Akt signaling transduction was blocked by LY294002. Furthermore, 14‐3‐3ζ silencing augmented HBx ubiquitination and decreased its expression in cancer cells and xenograft tumor. The migratory and invasive abilities of CSQT‐2 cells were inhibited upon 14‐3‐3ζ silencing, whereas partly restored by HBx overexpression. Additionally, 14‐3‐3ζ positively correlated with HBx to be overexpressed in the primary HCC tissues (r = 0.344) and metastatic PVTT (r = 0.348). In summary, findings of this study reveal a novel 14‐3‐3ζ‐HBx interaction in HCC cells and suggest 14‐3‐3ζ as a candidate target for treating HBV‐related HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yufu Tang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The General Hospital of Shenyang Military Area Command, Shenyang, 100016, China.,Post-doctoral Station, The General Hospital of Shenyang Military Area Command, Shenyang, 10016, China
| | - Yibing Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The General Hospital of Shenyang Military Area Command, Shenyang, 100016, China
| | - Chunhui Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The General Hospital of Shenyang Military Area Command, Shenyang, 100016, China
| | - Zhongyi Sun
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The General Hospital of Shenyang Military Area Command, Shenyang, 100016, China
| | - Longfei Li
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The General Hospital of Shenyang Military Area Command, Shenyang, 100016, China
| | - Jiahong Dong
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital (BTCH), School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Wenping Zhou
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The General Hospital of Shenyang Military Area Command, Shenyang, 100016, China
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Lan X, Fu LJ, Hu ZY, Feng Q, Liu XQ, Zhang X, Chen XM, He JL, Wang YX, Ding YB. Methylated oligonucleotide (MON)-induced promoter hypermethylation is associated with repression of CDH1 expression and contributes to the migration and invasion of human trophoblast cell lines. Reprod Fertil Dev 2018; 29:1509-1520. [PMID: 27439778 DOI: 10.1071/rd16031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA cytosine-5 methylation plays a vital role in regulating the expression of E-cadherin, which is encoded by the CDH1 gene. In this study, we characterised the DNA methylation and expression pattern of CDH1 in an extravillous trophoblast cell line (HTR-8/SVneo) and two trophoblast cell lines -- JEG-3 and JAR. Promoter hypermethylation with reduced E-cadherin expression in HTR-8/SVneo cells and promoter hypomethylation with increased E-cadherin expression in JEG-3 and JAR cells were observed. Demethylation treatment significantly restored E-cadherin expression, contributing to decreases in the motility and invasiveness of HTR-8/SVneo cells. Sense-methylated oligonucleotides (MONs) labelled with Cy5 and complementary to a region of the human CDH1 promoter were designed, with the cytosines in 5'-cytosine-phosphate-guanine-3' (CpG) dinucleotides being replaced by methylated cytosines. Following MON transfection into JEG-3 cells, the level of CDH1 promoter DNA methylation as well as cell motility and invasiveness were increased and gene expression was significantly repressed. Our results indicate that MON-mediated DNA methylation of the CDH1 promoter and subsequent alterations in gene expression may contribute to trophoblast motility and invasion, suggesting a potential method for controlling the biological function of trophoblasts in vitro through epigenetic modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Lan
- Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Yixueyuan Rd, Chongqing, 400016, P.R. China
| | - Li-Juan Fu
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Yixueyuan Rd, Chongqing, 400016, P.R. China
| | - Zhuo-Ying Hu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Rd, Chongqing, 400016, P.R. China
| | - Qian Feng
- Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Yixueyuan Rd, Chongqing, 400016, P.R. China
| | - Xue-Qing Liu
- Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Yixueyuan Rd, Chongqing, 400016, P.R. China
| | - Xue Zhang
- Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Yixueyuan Rd, Chongqing, 400016, P.R. China
| | - Xue-Mei Chen
- Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Yixueyuan Rd, Chongqing, 400016, P.R. China
| | - Jun-Lin He
- Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Yixueyuan Rd, Chongqing, 400016, P.R. China
| | - Ying-Xiong Wang
- Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Yixueyuan Rd, Chongqing, 400016, P.R. China
| | - Yu-Bin Ding
- Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Yixueyuan Rd, Chongqing, 400016, P.R. China
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Differential Sensitivity of Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Xenografts to an IGF-II Neutralizing Antibody May Involve Activated STAT3. Transl Oncol 2018; 11:971-978. [PMID: 29933129 PMCID: PMC6020079 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2018.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Revised: 05/24/2018] [Accepted: 05/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly refractory to current therapeutics used in the clinic. DX-2647, a recombinant human antibody, potently neutralizes the action of insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II), a ligand for three cell-surface receptors (IGF-IR, insulin receptor A and B isoforms, and the cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptor) which is overexpressed in primary human HCC. DX-2647 impaired the growth of tumor xenografts of the HCC cell line, Hep3B; however, xenografts of the HCC cell line, HepG2, were largely unresponsive to DX-2647 treatment. Analysis of a number of aspects of the IGF signaling axis in both cell lines did not reveal any significant differences between the two. However, while DX-2647 abolished phospho (p)-IGF-IR, p-IR and p-AKT signaling in both cell lines, HepG2 showed high levels of p-STAT3, which was unaffected by DX-2647 treatment and was absent from the Hep3B cell line. The driver of p-STAT3 was found to be a secreted cytokine, and treatment of HepG2 cells with a pan- JAK kinase inhibitor resulted in a loss of p-STAT3. These findings implicate the activation of STAT3 as one pathway that may mediate resistance to IGF-II-targeted therapy in HCC.
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Zhao X, Liu X, Wang G, Wen X, Zhang X, Hoffman AR, Li W, Hu JF, Cui J. Loss of insulin-like growth factor II imprinting is a hallmark associated with enhanced chemo/radiotherapy resistance in cancer stem cells. Oncotarget 2018; 7:51349-51364. [PMID: 27275535 PMCID: PMC5239480 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.9784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 05/13/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Insulin-like growth factor II (IGF2) is maternally imprinted in most tissues, but the epigenetic regulation of the gene in cancer stem cells (CSCs) has not been defined. To study the epigenetic mechanisms underlying self-renewal, we isolated CSCs and non-CSCs from colon cancer (HT29, HRT18, HCT116), hepatoma (Hep3B), breast cancer (MCF7) and prostate cancer (ASPC) cell lines. In HT29 and HRT18 cells that show loss of IGF2 imprinting (LOI), IGF2 was biallelically expressed in the isolated CSCs. Surprisingly, we also found loss of IGF2 imprinting in CSCs derived from cell lines HCT116 and ASPC that overall demonstrate maintenance of IGF2 imprinting. Using chromatin conformation capture (3C), we found that intrachromosomal looping between the IGF2 promoters and the imprinting control region (ICR) was abrogated in CSCs, in parallel with loss of IGF2 imprinting in these CSCs. Loss of imprinting led to increased IGF2 expression in CSCs, which have a higher rate of colony formation and greater resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy in vitro. These studies demonstrate that IGF2 LOI is a common feature in CSCs, even when the stem cells are derived from a cell line in which the general population of cells maintain IGF2 imprinting. This finding suggests that aberrant IGF2 imprinting may be an intrinsic epigenetic control mechanism that enhances stemness, self-renewal and chemo/radiotherapy resistance in cancer stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhao
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, China
| | - Xiaoliang Liu
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, China
| | - Guanjun Wang
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, China
| | - Xue Wen
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, China
| | - Xiaoying Zhang
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, China
| | - Andrew R Hoffman
- Stanford University Medical School, Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Wei Li
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, China
| | - Ji-Fan Hu
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, China.,Stanford University Medical School, Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Jiuwei Cui
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, China
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Rahmoon MA, Youness RA, Gomaa AI, Hamza MT, Waked I, El Tayebi HM, Abdelaziz AI. MiR-615-5p depresses natural killer cells cytotoxicity through repressing IGF-1R in hepatocellular carcinoma patients. Growth Factors 2017; 35:76-87. [PMID: 28747084 DOI: 10.1080/08977194.2017.1354859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
miR-615-5p was characterized by our group as a tumour suppressor. IGF-1 R activates a downstream signalling pathway, well characterized in liver cells, however, its role in immunity especially Natural Killer cells (NKs) remains vague. This study aimed at investigating the regulatory role of miR-615-5p on IGF signalling and its impact on NKs cytotoxicity in HCC. Our results showed an upregulation in miR-615-5p and IGF-1 R in NKs of 130 HCC patients compared to 35 controls. Forcing the expression of miR-615-5p, repressed IGF-IR, attenuated NKs cytotoxicity, decreased CD56dim, increased CD56bright NK subsets and reduced the cytotoxic markers NKG2D, TNF-α and perforins. It repressed NKG2D ligand (ULBP2) in Huh-7 cells. In conclusion, miR-615-5p represses IGF-1 R in NKs and their target hepatocytes; however, it has a contradicting impact on HCC progression on both cell types. These findings might pave the way for better understanding the role of microRNAs in NKs function and HCC immune-pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mai Atef Rahmoon
- a Department of Pharmaceutical Biology , German University in Cairo , Cairo , Egypt
| | - Rana Ahmed Youness
- a Department of Pharmaceutical Biology , German University in Cairo , Cairo , Egypt
| | - Asmaa Ibrahim Gomaa
- b Department of Hepatology , National Liver Institute, Menoufiya University , Menoufiya , Egypt
| | | | - Imam Waked
- b Department of Hepatology , National Liver Institute, Menoufiya University , Menoufiya , Egypt
| | - Hend Mohamed El Tayebi
- d Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology , German University in Cairo , Cairo , Egypt
| | - Ahmed Ihab Abdelaziz
- d Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology , German University in Cairo , Cairo , Egypt
- e Department of Biology , American University in Cairo , New Cairo , Egypt
- f School of Medicine , NewGiza University (NGU) , Giza , Egypt
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11
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Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis in cancerogenesis. MUTATION RESEARCH-REVIEWS IN MUTATION RESEARCH 2016; 772:78-104. [PMID: 28528692 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2016.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Revised: 08/27/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Determination of the role of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) family components in carcinogenesis of several human tumors is based on numerous epidemiological and pre-clinical studies, experiments in vivo and in vitro and on attempts at application of drugs affecting the IGF axis. Investigative hypotheses in original studies were based on biological functions manifested by the entire family of IGF (ligands, receptors, linking proteins, adaptor molecules). In the context of carcinogenesis the most important functions of IGF family involve intensification of proliferation and inhibition of cell apoptosis and effect on cell transformation through synthesis of several regulatory proteins. IGF axis controls survival and influences on metastases of cells. Interactions of IGF axis components may be of a direct or indirect nature. The direct effects are linked to activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, in which the initiating role is first of all played by IGF-1 and IGF-1R. Activity of this signaling pathway leads to an increased mitogenesis, cell cycle progression, and protection against different apoptotic stresses. Indirect effects of the axis depend on interactions between IGF and other molecules important for cancer etiology (e.g. sex hormones, products of suppressor genes, viruses, and other GFs) and the style of life (nutrition, physical activity). From the clinical point of view, components of IGF system are first of all considered as diagnostic serous and/or tissue biomarkers of a given cancer, prognostic factors and attractive target of modern anti-tumor therapies. Several mechanisms in which IGF system components act in the process of carcinogenesis need to be clarified, mainly due to multifactorial etiology of the neoplasms. Pin-pointing of the role played in carcinogenesis by any single signaling pathway remains particularly difficult. The aim of this review is to summarize the current data of several epidemiological studies, experiments in vitro and on animal models, to increase our understanding of the complex role of IGF family components in the most common human cancers.
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12
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IGF2 knockdown in two colorectal cancer cell lines decreases survival, adhesion and modulates survival-associated genes. Tumour Biol 2016; 37:12485-12495. [PMID: 27337954 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-016-5115-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased expression of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) is found in tumors of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients exhibiting a gained region on chromosome 11q15 and is implicated in poor patient survival. This study analyzes in vitro phenotypic- and gene expression changes associated with IGF2 shRNA-mediated knockdown. Initially, doxycycline inducible IGF2 knockdown cell lines were generated in the CRC cell lines SW480 and LS174T. The cells were analyzed for changes in proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, adhesion, and invasion. Expression profiling analysis was performed, and, for a subset of the identified genes, expression was validated by qRT-PCR and Western blot. IGF2 knockdown inhibited cell proliferation in both cell lines induced G1 cell cycle blockade and decreased adhesion to several extracellular matrix proteins. Knockdown of IGF2 did not alter invasiveness in SW480 cells, while a slight increase in apoptosis was seen only in the LS174T cell line. Knockdown of IGF2 in SW480 deregulated 58 genes, several of which were associated with proliferation and cell-cell/cell-ECM contacts. A subset of these genes, including CDK2, YAP1, and BIRC5 (Survivin), are members of a common network. This study supports the concept of direct autocrine/paracrine tumor cell activation through IGF2 and a shows role of IGF2 in CRC proliferation, adhesion and, to a limited extent, apoptosis.
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Lin AHY, Shang Y, Mitzner W, Sham JSK, Tang WY. Aberrant DNA Methylation of Phosphodiesterase [corrected] 4D Alters Airway Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotypes. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2016; 54:241-9. [PMID: 26181301 DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2015-0079oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) is a hallmark feature in asthma characterized by exaggerated airway contractile response to stimuli due to increased airway sensitivity and chronic airway remodeling. We have previously shown that allergen-induced AHR in mice is associated with aberrant DNA methylation in the lung genome, suggesting that AHR could be epigenetically regulated, and these changes might predispose the animals to asthma. Previous studies demonstrated that overexpression of phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) is associated with increased AHR. However, epigenetic regulation of this gene in asthmatic airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) has not been examined. In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between epigenetic regulation of PDE4D and ASMC phenotypes. We identified CpG site-specific hypomethylation at PDE4D promoter in human asthmatic ASMCs. We next used methylated oligonucleotides to introduce CpG site-specific methylation at PDE4D promoter and examined its effect on ASMCs. We showed that PDE4D methylation decreased cell proliferation and migration of asthmatic ASMCs. We further elucidated that methylated PDE4D decreased PDE4D expression in asthmatic ASMCs, increased cAMP level, and inhibited the aberrant increase in Ca(2+) level. Moreover, PDE4D methylation reduced the phosphorylation level of downstream effectors of Ca(2+) signaling, including myosin light chain kinase and p38. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that gene-specific epigenetic changes may predispose ASMCs to asthma through alterations in cell phenotypes. Modulation of ASMC phenotypes by methylated PDE4D oligonucleotides can reverse the aberrant ASMC functions to normal phenotypes. This has provided new insight to the development of novel therapeutic options for this debilitative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda H Y Lin
- 1 Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; and
| | - Yan Shang
- 2 Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Wayne Mitzner
- 2 Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - James S K Sham
- 1 Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; and.,2 Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Wan-yee Tang
- 2 Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
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14
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Morita K, Shirabe K, Taketomi A, Soejima Y, Yoshizumi T, Uchiyama H, Ikegami T, Yamashita YI, Sugimachi K, Harimoto N, Itoh S, Ikeda T, Maehara Y. Relevance of microRNA-18a and microRNA-199a-5p to hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after living donor liver transplantation. Liver Transpl 2016; 22:665-76. [PMID: 26783726 DOI: 10.1002/lt.24400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2015] [Revised: 11/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/09/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
There are few reports about recurrence-related microRNAs (miRNAs) after liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The purpose of this study was to identify novel recurrence-related miRNAs after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for HCC. First, we performed microarray analyses of samples from a liver with primary HCC, a liver that was noncancerous, and a liver that had recurrence-metastasis from 3 patients with posttransplant recurrence. Then we selected miRNAs with consistently altered expression in both primary HCC and recurrence as potential candidates of recurrence-related miRNAs. Expression of the miRNAs in HCC and noncancerous livers was assessed in 70 HCC patients who underwent LDLT. The target genes regulated by the recurrence-related miRNAs were identified. MicroRNA-18a (miR-18a) expression was increased, and microRNA-199a-5p (miR-199a-5p) expression was decreased in both primary HCC and recurrence. Increased miR-18a expression correlated with high levels of tumor markers, large tumor size, and a high recurrence rate. Decreased miR-199a-5p expression correlated with high levels of tumor markers, portal venous invasion, and a high recurrence rate. In HCC cells, miR-18a regulated the expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3), and miR-199a-5p regulated the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1A), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor, and insulin-like growth factor 2. In conclusion, increased miR-18a levels and decreased miR-199a-5p levels are relevant to HCC recurrence after LDLT. MiR-18a and miR-199a-5p could be novel therapeutic targets of recurrent HCC after LDLT. Liver Transplantation 22 665-676 2016 AASLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazutoyo Morita
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Ken Shirabe
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Akinobu Taketomi
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yuji Soejima
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Tomoharu Yoshizumi
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Hideaki Uchiyama
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Toru Ikegami
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yo-Ichi Yamashita
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Keishi Sugimachi
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Norifumi Harimoto
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Shinji Itoh
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Ikeda
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yoshihiko Maehara
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
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15
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El Tayebi HM, Abdelaziz AI. Epigenetic regulation of insulin-like growth factor axis in hepatocellular carcinoma. World J Gastroenterol 2016; 22:2668-2677. [PMID: 26973407 PMCID: PMC4777991 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i9.2668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2015] [Revised: 09/29/2015] [Accepted: 12/08/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling pathway is an important pathway in the process of hepatocarcinogenesis, and the IGF network is clearly dysregulated in many cancers and developmental abnormalities. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), only a minority of patients are eligible for curative treatments, such as tumor resection or liver transplant. Unfortunately, there is a high recurrence of HCC after surgical tumor removal. Recent research efforts have focused on targeting IGF axis members in an attempt to find therapeutic options for many health problems. In this review, we shed lights on the regulation of members of the IGF axis, mainly by microRNAs in HCC. MicroRNAs in HCC attempt to halt the aberrant expression of the IGF network, and a single microRNA can have multiple downstream targets in one or more signaling pathways. Targeting microRNAs is a relatively new approach for identifying an efficient radical cure for HCC.
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16
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Zhu XQ, Pan XH, Yao L, Li W, Cui J, Wang G, Mrsny RJ, Hoffman AR, Hu JF. Converting Skin Fibroblasts into Hepatic-like Cells by Transient Programming. J Cell Biochem 2015; 117:589-98. [PMID: 26312781 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.25355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2015] [Accepted: 08/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiang-Qing Zhu
- Research Center of Stem Cell, Tissue and Organ Engineering; Kunming Army General Hospital; Kunming Yunnan P. R. China
| | - Xing-Hua Pan
- Research Center of Stem Cell, Tissue and Organ Engineering; Kunming Army General Hospital; Kunming Yunnan P. R. China
| | - Ling Yao
- Stanford University Medical School; Palo Alto California
| | - Wei Li
- Stem Cell and Cancer Center; The First Affiliated Hospital; Jilin University; Changchun P. R. China
| | - Jiuwei Cui
- Stem Cell and Cancer Center; The First Affiliated Hospital; Jilin University; Changchun P. R. China
| | - Guanjun Wang
- Stem Cell and Cancer Center; The First Affiliated Hospital; Jilin University; Changchun P. R. China
| | - Randall J. Mrsny
- GMR Epigenetics; Palo Alto California
- Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology; University of Bath; Bath England
| | | | - Ji-Fan Hu
- Stanford University Medical School; Palo Alto California
- Stem Cell and Cancer Center; The First Affiliated Hospital; Jilin University; Changchun P. R. China
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17
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Bonney PA, Boettcher LB, Krysiak RS, Fung KM, Sughrue ME. Histology and molecular aspects of central neurocytoma. Neurosurg Clin N Am 2015; 26:21-9. [PMID: 25432180 DOI: 10.1016/j.nec.2014.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Central neurocytoma (CN) is a well-differentiated tumor of neural cells occurring within the ventricles. It is composed of monomorphic cells with round, regular nuclei within clear cytoplasm and must be distinguished from other clear cell tumors. Immunohistochemical markers of CN that aid in diagnosis include synaptophysin and neuronal nuclear antigen. The molecular biology of these tumors is becoming increasingly elucidated, particularly with the use of microarray analyses. Several oncogenic pathways have been suggested by these studies. Although progress continues to be made, knowledge of CN has yet to dictate targeted therapies in treating patients with these tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip A Bonney
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 1000 North Lincoln Boulevard, Suite 4000, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
| | - Lillian B Boettcher
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 1000 North Lincoln Boulevard, Suite 4000, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
| | - Richard S Krysiak
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 1000 North Lincoln Boulevard, Suite 4000, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
| | - Kar-Ming Fung
- Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton L. Young Boulevard, BMSB 451, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
| | - Michael E Sughrue
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 1000 North Lincoln Boulevard, Suite 4000, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA; Oklahoma Comprehensive Brain Tumor Clinic, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA.
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18
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Pivonello C, De Martino MC, Negri M, Cuomo G, Cariati F, Izzo F, Colao A, Pivonello R. The GH-IGF-SST system in hepatocellular carcinoma: biological and molecular pathogenetic mechanisms and therapeutic targets. Infect Agent Cancer 2014; 9:27. [PMID: 25225571 PMCID: PMC4164328 DOI: 10.1186/1750-9378-9-27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2012] [Accepted: 06/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide. Different signalling pathways have been identified to be implicated in the pathogenesis of HCC; among these, GH, IGF and somatostatin (SST) pathways have emerged as some of the major pathways implicated in the development of HCC. Physiologically, GH-IGF-SST system plays a crucial role in liver growth and development since GH induces IGF1 and IGF2 secretion and the expression of their receptors, involved in hepatocytes cell proliferation, differentiation and metabolism. On the other hand, somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) are exclusively present on the biliary tract. Importantly, the GH-IGF-SST system components have been indicated as regulators of hepatocarcinogenesis. Reduction of GH binding affinity to GH receptor, decreased serum IGF1 and increased serum IGF2 production, overexpression of IGF1 receptor, loss of function of IGF2 receptor and appearance of SSTRs are frequently observed in human HCC. In particular, recently, many studies have evaluated the correlation between increased levels of IGF1 receptors and liver diseases and the oncogenic role of IGF2 and its involvement in angiogenesis, migration and, consequently, in tumour progression. SST directly or indirectly influences tumour growth and development through the inhibition of cell proliferation and secretion and induction of apoptosis, even though SST role in hepatocarcinogenesis is still opened to argument. This review addresses the present evidences suggesting a role of the GH-IGF-SST system in the development and progression of HCC, and describes the therapeutic perspectives, based on the targeting of GH-IGF-SST system, which have been hypothesised and experimented in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Pivonello
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Università Federico II di Napoli, Via Sergio Pansini, 5, Naples 80131, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina De Martino
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Università Federico II di Napoli, Via Sergio Pansini, 5, Naples 80131, Italy
| | - Mariarosaria Negri
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Università Federico II di Napoli, Via Sergio Pansini, 5, Naples 80131, Italy
| | | | - Federica Cariati
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Università Federico II di Napoli, Via Sergio Pansini, 5, Naples 80131, Italy
| | - Francesco Izzo
- National Cancer Institute G Pascale Foundation, Naples, Italy
| | - Annamaria Colao
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Università Federico II di Napoli, Via Sergio Pansini, 5, Naples 80131, Italy
| | - Rosario Pivonello
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Università Federico II di Napoli, Via Sergio Pansini, 5, Naples 80131, Italy
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19
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Ma AN, Wang H, Guo R, Wang YX, Li W, Cui J, Wang G, Hoffman AR, Hu JF. Targeted gene suppression by inducing de novo DNA methylation in the gene promoter. Epigenetics Chromatin 2014; 7:20. [PMID: 25184003 PMCID: PMC4150861 DOI: 10.1186/1756-8935-7-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2014] [Accepted: 08/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Targeted gene silencing is an important approach in both drug development and basic research. However, the selection of a potent suppressor has become a significant hurdle to implementing maximal gene inhibition for this approach. We attempted to construct a ‘super suppressor’ by combining the activities of two suppressors that function through distinct epigenetic mechanisms. Results Gene targeting vectors were constructed by fusing a GAL4 DNA-binding domain with a epigenetic suppressor, including CpG DNA methylase Sss1, histone H3 lysine 27 methylase vSET domain, and Kruppel-associated suppression box (KRAB). We found that both Sss1 and KRAB suppressors significantly inhibited the expression of luciferase and copGFP reporter genes. However, the histone H3 lysine 27 methylase vSET did not show significant suppression in this system. Constructs containing both Sss1 and KRAB showed better inhibition than either one alone. In addition, we show that KRAB suppressed gene expression by altering the histone code, but not DNA methylation in the gene promoter. Sss1, on the other hand, not only induced de novo DNA methylation and recruited Heterochromatin Protein 1 (HP1a), but also increased H3K27 and H3K9 methylation in the promoter. Conclusions Epigenetic studies can provide useful data for the selection of suppressors in constructing therapeutic vectors for targeted gene silencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ai-Niu Ma
- King's Lab, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Pharmacy, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China.,Stanford University Medical School, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Hong Wang
- King's Lab, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Pharmacy, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China.,Stem Cell and Cancer Center, First Affiliated Hospital, Jilin University, 519 Dongminzhu Blvd, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Rui Guo
- King's Lab, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Pharmacy, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China.,Stem Cell and Cancer Center, First Affiliated Hospital, Jilin University, 519 Dongminzhu Blvd, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Yong-Xiang Wang
- King's Lab, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Pharmacy, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Wei Li
- Stem Cell and Cancer Center, First Affiliated Hospital, Jilin University, 519 Dongminzhu Blvd, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Jiuwei Cui
- Stem Cell and Cancer Center, First Affiliated Hospital, Jilin University, 519 Dongminzhu Blvd, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Guanjun Wang
- Stem Cell and Cancer Center, First Affiliated Hospital, Jilin University, 519 Dongminzhu Blvd, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Andrew R Hoffman
- Stanford University Medical School, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Ji-Fan Hu
- Stem Cell and Cancer Center, First Affiliated Hospital, Jilin University, 519 Dongminzhu Blvd, Changchun 130021, China.,Stanford University Medical School, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
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20
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Li F, Ma N, Zhao R, Wu G, Zhang Y, Qiao Y, Han D, Xu Y, Xiang Y, Yan B, Jin J, Lv G, Wang L, Xu C, Gao X, Luo S. Overexpression of miR-483-5p/3p cooperate to inhibit mouse liver fibrosis by suppressing the TGF-β stimulated HSCs in transgenic mice. J Cell Mol Med 2014; 18:966-74. [PMID: 24801603 PMCID: PMC4508137 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.12293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2013] [Accepted: 03/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The transition from liver fibrosis to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been suggested to be a continuous and developmental pathological process. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are recently discovered molecules that regulate the expression of genes involved in liver disease. Many reports demonstrate that miR-483-5p and miR-483-3p, which originate from miR-483, are up-regulated in HCC, and their oncogenic targets have been identified. However, recent studies have suggested that miR-483-5p/3p is partially down-regulated in HCC samples and is down-regulated in rat liver fibrosis. Therefore, the aberrant expression and function of miR-483 in liver fibrosis remains elusive. In this study, we demonstrate that overexpression of miR-483 in vivo inhibits mouse liver fibrosis induced by CCl4. We demonstrate that miR-483-5p/3p acts together to target two pro-fibrosis factors, platelet-derived growth factor-β and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2, which suppress the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) LX-2. Our work identifies the pathway that regulates liver fibrosis by inhibiting the activation of HSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuyuan Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
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21
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Zhang H, Zeitz MJ, Wang H, Niu B, Ge S, Li W, Cui J, Wang G, Qian G, Higgins MJ, Fan X, Hoffman AR, Hu JF. Long noncoding RNA-mediated intrachromosomal interactions promote imprinting at the Kcnq1 locus. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 204:61-75. [PMID: 24395636 PMCID: PMC3882787 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201304152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
A long noncoding RNA directly builds an intrachromosomal interaction complex to establish allele-specific transcriptional gene silencing over a large chromosomal domain. Kcnq1ot1 is a long noncoding ribonucleic acid (RNA; lncRNA) that participates in the regulation of genes within the Kcnq1 imprinting domain. Using a novel RNA-guided chromatin conformation capture method, we demonstrate that the 5′ region of Kcnq1ot1 RNA orchestrates a long-range intrachromosomal loop between KvDMR1 and the Kcnq1 promoter that is required for maintenance of imprinting. PRC2 (polycomb repressive complex 2), which participates in the allelic repression of Kcnq1, is also recruited by Kcnq1ot1 RNA via EZH2. Targeted suppression of Kcnq1ot1 lncRNA prevents the creation of this long-range intrachromosomal loop and causes loss of Kcnq1 imprinting. These observations delineate a novel mechanism by which an lncRNA directly builds an intrachromosomal interaction complex to establish allele-specific transcriptional gene silencing over a large chromosomal domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Zhang
- Stem Cell and Cancer Center, First Affiliated Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, People's Republic of China
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22
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Zhang S, Zhong B, Chen M, Yang L, Yang G, Li Y, Wang H, Wang G, Li W, Cui J, Hoffman AR, Hu J. Epigenetic reprogramming reverses the malignant epigenotype of the MMP/TIMP axis genes in tumor cells. Int J Cancer 2013; 134:1583-94. [PMID: 24105737 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.28487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2013] [Accepted: 09/04/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Cancer progression is characterized by extensive tumor invasion into the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) and migration to metastatic sites. The increased proteolytic degradation of the ECM during tumor invasion is directly dependent on the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), counter-balanced by tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs). In this study, we found that unbalanced expression of MMP/TIMP axis genes in tumors was correlated with aberrant epigenotypes in the various gene promoters. The malignant epigenotypes could be therapeutically corrected by a simple defined factor-mediated reprogramming approach. Correction of the abnormal epigenotypes by nuclear remodeling leads to a rebalance in the gene expression profile, an alteration in tumor cell morphology, attenuation of tumor cell migration and invasion in vitro, and reduced tumorigenicity in nude mice. We further identified the downregulation of the MKK-p38 MAPK signal pathway as an important underlying mechanism for reduced tumorigenicity in this epigenetic reprogramming model. These data demonstrate that the malignant phenotypes seen in cancer can be corrected by a nuclear remodeling mechanism, thus highlighting a novel non-chemotherapeutic, non-radiotherapeutic approach for the treatment of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenghong Zhang
- Division of Gastroenterology, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, People's Republic of China; VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Stanford University Medical School, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
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23
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Zaina S, del Pilar Valencia-Morales M, Tristán-Flores FE, Lund G. Nuclear reprogramming and its role in vascular smooth muscle cells. Curr Atheroscler Rep 2013; 15:352. [PMID: 23881547 DOI: 10.1007/s11883-013-0352-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In general terms, "nuclear reprogramming" refers to a change in gene expression profile that results in a significant switch in cellular phenotype. Nuclear reprogramming was first addressed by pioneering studies of cell differentiation during embryonic development. In recent years, nuclear reprogramming has been studied in great detail in the context of experimentally controlled dedifferentiation and transdifferentiation of mammalian cells for therapeutic purposes. In this review, we present a perspective on nuclear reprogramming in the context of spontaneous, pathophysiological phenotypic switch of vascular cells occurring in the atherosclerotic lesion. In particular, we focus on the current knowledge of epigenetic mechanisms participating in the extraordinary flexibility of the gene expression profile of vascular smooth muscle cells and other cell types participating in atherogenesis. Understanding how epigenetic changes participate in vascular cell plasticity may lead to effective therapies based on the remodelling of the vascular architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvio Zaina
- Department of Medical Sciences, Division of Health Sciences, León Campus, University of Guanajuato, 20 de Enero no. 929, 37320, León, Gto., Mexico.
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24
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Kessler SM, Pokorny J, Zimmer V, Laggai S, Lammert F, Bohle RM, Kiemer AK. IGF2 mRNA binding protein p62/IMP2-2 in hepatocellular carcinoma: antiapoptotic action is independent of IGF2/PI3K signaling. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2013; 304:G328-36. [PMID: 23257922 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00005.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The insulin-like growth factor II (IGF2) mRNA binding protein (IMP) p62/IMP2-2, originally isolated from a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patient, induces a steatotic phenotype when overexpressed in mouse livers. Still, p62 transgenic livers do not show liver cell damage but exhibit a pronounced induction of Igf2 and activation of the downstream survival kinase AKT. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between p62 and IGF2 expression in the human system and to study potential antiapoptotic actions of p62. p62 and IGF2 mRNA levels were assessed by real-time RT-PCR. For knockdown and overexpression experiments, human hepatoma HepG2 and PLC/PRF/5 cells were transfected with siRNA or plasmid DNA. Phosphorylated AKT and ERK1/2 were analyzed by Western blot. Investigations of 32 human HCC tissues showed a strong correlation between p62 and IGF2 expression. Of note, p62 expression was increased markedly in patients with poor outcome. In hepatoma cells overexpression of p62 lowered levels of doxorubicin-induced caspase-3-like activity. Vice versa, knockdown of p62 resulted in increased doxorubicin-induced apoptosis. However, neither PI3K inhibitors nor a neutralizing IGF2 antibody showed any effects. Western blot analysis revealed increased levels of phosphorylated ERK1/2 in hepatoma cells overexpressing p62 and decreased levels in p62 knockdown experiments. When p62-overexpressing cells were treated with ERK1/2 inhibitors, the apoptosis-protecting effect of p62 was completely abrogated. Our data demonstrate that p62 exerts IGF2-independent antiapoptotic action, which is facilitated via phosphorylation of ERK1/2. Furthermore, p62 might serve as a new prognostic marker in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja M Kessler
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Biology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
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Amit D, Gofrit ON, Matouk I, Birman T, Hochberg A. Use of preclinical models to assess the therapeutic potential of new drug candidates for bladder cancer. Semin Oncol 2012; 39:534-42. [PMID: 23040250 DOI: 10.1053/j.seminoncol.2012.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to demonstrate a successful use of preclinical models of bladder cancer to confirm the therapeutic potential of new promising drug candidates. The bladder has long been thought to be an ideal target for investigating therapies. When developing a new antineoplastic pharmaceutical agent, the bladder should be considered for use as an experimental model demonstrating initial proof of concept that if successful can be later assessed in further cancer indications. Non-muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma can be removed by transurethral resection but these cancers tend to recur in most patients. Conventional treatments decrease the recurrence rate but are associated with side effects and frequent failures. Thus, there is an obvious need for the development of highly effective targeted therapies with limited side effects. Accordingly, a double-promoter vector was developed, expressing diphtheria toxin A (DTA) under control of two different regulatory promoter sequences, H19 and IGF2. This vector was then used to transfect and to eradicate tumor cells in bladder cancer models, effectively destroying tumor cells without affecting normal cells. Our studies demonstrate the potential efficacy of the therapeutic vector and should be a solid base for future clinical studies. These models illuminate the path for future investigations of new drug candidates for bladder cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doron Amit
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
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Abstract
This article reviews progress in epigenetic therapies that hope to improve the treatment of cancer. Tumors show widespread, aberrant epigenetic changes, leading to changes in the expression of genes involved in all the hallmarks of cancer. These epigenetic changes can potentially be reversed using small-molecule inhibitors of enzymes involved in maintenance of the epigenetic state. DNA-demethylating agents and histone deacetylase inhibitors have shown anti-tumor activity against certain hematological malignancies; however, their activity in solid tumors remains more uncertain. Major challenges remain in delivery of epigenetic therapy, maintenance of a pharmacodynamic response and achievement of a therapeutic index. We believe histone lysine methyl transferases are a highly promising epigenetic target, which has yet to be clinically exploited. Crystallographic studies on histone lysine methyl transferases provide insights into their mechanism and specificity crucial for the design and development of small-molecule inhibitors.
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Cell-specific DNA methylation patterns of retina-specific genes. PLoS One 2012; 7:e32602. [PMID: 22403679 PMCID: PMC3293830 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2011] [Accepted: 01/27/2012] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Many studies have demonstrated that epigenetic mechanisms are important in the regulation of gene expression during embryogenesis, gametogenesis, and other forms of tissue-specific gene regulation. We sought to explore the possible role of epigenetics, specifically DNA methylation, in the establishment and maintenance of cell type-restricted gene expression in the retina. To assess the relationship between DNA methylation status and expression level of retinal genes, bisulfite sequence analysis of the 1000 bp region around the transcription start sites (TSS) of representative rod and cone photoreceptor-specific genes and gene expression analysis were performed in the WERI and Y79 human retinoblastoma cell lines. Next, the homologous genes in mouse were bisulfite sequenced in the retina and in non-expressing tissues. Finally, bisulfite sequencing was performed on isolated photoreceptor and non-photoreceptor retinal cells isolated by laser capture microdissection. Differential methylation of rhodopsin (RHO), retinal binding protein 3 (RBP3, IRBP) cone opsin, short-wave-sensitive (OPN1SW), cone opsin, middle-wave-sensitive (OPN1MW), and cone opsin, long-wave-sensitive (OPN1LW) was found in the retinoblastoma cell lines that inversely correlated with gene expression levels. Similarly, we found tissue-specific hypomethylation of the promoter region of Rho and Rbp3 in mouse retina as compared to non-expressing tissues, and also observed hypomethylation of retinal-expressed microRNAs. The Rho and Rbp3 promoter regions were unmethylated in expressing photoreceptor cells and methylated in non-expressing, non-photoreceptor cells from the inner nuclear layer. A third regional hypomethylation pattern of photoreceptor-specific genes was seen in a subpopulation of non-expressing photoreceptors (Rho in cones from the Nrl −/− mouse and Opn1sw in rods). These results demonstrate that a number of photoreceptor-specific genes have cell-specific differential DNA methylation that correlates inversely with their expression level. Furthermore, these cell-specific patterns suggest that DNA methylation may play an important role in modulating photoreceptor gene expression in the developing mammalian retina.
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Luk JM, Burchard J, Zhang C, Liu AM, Wong KF, Shek FH, Lee NP, Fan ST, Poon RT, Ivanovska I, Philippar U, Cleary MA, Buser CA, Shaw PM, Lee CN, Tenen DG, Dai H, Mao M. DLK1-DIO3 genomic imprinted microRNA cluster at 14q32.2 defines a stemlike subtype of hepatocellular carcinoma associated with poor survival. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:30706-30713. [PMID: 21737452 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.229831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a heterogeneous and highly aggressive malignancy, for which there are no effective cures. Identification of a malignant stemlike subtype of HCC may offer patients with a dismal prognosis a potential targeted therapy using c-MET and Wnt pathway inhibitors. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) show promise as diagnostic and prognostic tools for cancer detection and stratification. Using a TRE-c-Met-driven transgenic HCC mouse model, we identified a cluster of 23 miRNAs that is encoded within the Dlk1-Gtl2 imprinted region on chromosome 12qF1 overexpressed in all of the isolated liver tumors. Interestingly, this region is conserved among mammalian species and maps to the human DLK1-DIO3 region on chromosome 14q32.2. We thus examined the expression of the DLK1-DIO3 miRNA cluster in a cohort of 97 hepatitis B virus-associated HCC patients and identified a subgroup (n = 18) of patients showing strong coordinate overexpression of miRNAs in this cluster but not in other cancer types (breast, lung, kidney, stomach, and colon) that were tested. Expression levels of imprinted gene transcripts from neighboring loci in this 14q32.2 region and from a subset of other imprinted sites were concomitantly elevated in human HCC. Interestingly, overexpression of the DLK1-DIO3 miRNA cluster was positively correlated with HCC stem cell markers (CD133, CD90, EpCAM, Nestin) and associated with a high level of serum α-fetoprotein, a conventional biomarker for liver cancer, and poor survival rate in HCC patients. In conclusion, our findings suggest that coordinate up-regulation of the DLK1-DIO3 miRNA cluster at 14q32.2 may define a novel molecular (stem cell-like) subtype of HCC associated with poor prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Luk
- Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, 117597, Singapore; Departments of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, 117597, Singapore; Surgery, National University of Singapore, 117597, Singapore.
| | - Julja Burchard
- Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Seattle, Washington 98109; Sirna Therapeutics, Inc., Merck & Co., San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Chunsheng Zhang
- Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Seattle, Washington 98109; Merck Research Laboratories, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Angela M Liu
- Departments of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, 117597, Singapore; Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kwong F Wong
- Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, 117597, Singapore
| | - Felix H Shek
- Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Nikki P Lee
- Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Sheung Tat Fan
- Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ronnie T Poon
- Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Irena Ivanovska
- Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Seattle, Washington 98109; Merck Research Laboratories, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | | | - Michele A Cleary
- Sirna Therapeutics, Inc., Merck & Co., San Francisco, California 94158; Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486
| | | | - Peter M Shaw
- Merck & Co., Inc., Upper Gwynedd, Pennsylvania 19454
| | - Chuen-Neng Lee
- Surgery, National University of Singapore, 117597, Singapore
| | - Daniel G Tenen
- Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, 117597, Singapore; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Hongyue Dai
- Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Seattle, Washington 98109; Merck Research Laboratories, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
| | - Mao Mao
- Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Seattle, Washington 98109.
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The effect of methylated oligonucleotide targeting Ki-67 gene in human 786-0 renal carcinoma cells. Tumour Biol 2011; 32:863-72. [PMID: 21598043 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-011-0187-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2011] [Accepted: 04/29/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To investigate the effect of methylated oligonucleotide (MON) targeting Ki-67 promoter on the expression of Ki-67 gene and the proliferation and apoptosis of the human 786-0 renal carcinoma cells, human 786-0 cells were transfected with MON. The activity of Ki-67 promoter was detected by dual-luciferase reporter assay system. Among the five methylated oligonucleotides (MON(1)-MON(5)), MON(4) is the best excellent one in the inhibition of the Ki-67 promoter activity. The activity of Ki-67 promoter is decreased to 77.88% in 40-nM group, 50.07% in 80-nM group, 35.63% in 120-nM group, 26.09% in 160-nM group, and 16.98% in 200-nM group compared with 0-nM group. The activity of Ki-67 promoter in MON group is decreased to 61.96% at 8 h, 48.93% at 12 h, 15.97% at 24 h, 26.00% at 36 h, 35.01% at 48 h, 46.08% at 72 h, and 66.12% at 96 h compared with pGLBK235 group. These results show that the effect of MON is time- and dose-dependent. The activity of Ki-67 in MON group is decreased to 16.73% compared with pGLBK235 group, while the control groups have no significant difference. The expression of Ki-67 gene in 786-0 cells was detected by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The expression of Ki-67 mRNA is decreased to 61.04% and that of Ki-67 protein is decreased to 32.07% in MON group compared with the blank group. The proliferation of 786-0 cells was determined by WST-8. The cell proliferation in MON group is decreased to 61.02% at 24 h, 73.78% at 48 h, 79.72% at 72 h, and 91.53% at 96 h compared with the blank group. The cell apoptosis was measured by annexin V and propidium iodide. The number of apoptosis cells in MON group is 2.42 times of that in the blank group at earlier period and 2.57 times at mid-anaphase. We detected the effect of MON on the expression of bax and p53 by Western blot. Compared with the blank group, the expression of bax protein in MON group is increased by 66.12%, while the expression of p53 is decreased to 67.31%. Our study demonstrates that the methylated oligonucleotide targeting Ki-67 promoter has a remarkable effect on the inhibition of Ki-67 expression and the proliferation of the human 786-0 renal carcinoma cells and can induce apoptosis of the 786-0 cells.
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Tybl E, Shi FD, Kessler SM, Tierling S, Walter J, Bohle RM, Wieland S, Zhang J, Tan EM, Kiemer AK. Overexpression of the IGF2-mRNA binding protein p62 in transgenic mice induces a steatotic phenotype. J Hepatol 2011; 54:994-1001. [PMID: 21145819 PMCID: PMC3079004 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2010.08.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2010] [Revised: 08/04/2010] [Accepted: 08/23/2010] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS The insulin-like growth-factor 2 (IGF2) mRNA binding protein p62 is highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma tissue. Still, its potential role in liver disease is largely unknown. In this study, we investigated pathophysiological implications of p62 overexpression in mice. METHODS We generated mice overexpressing p62 under a LAP-promotor. mRNA expression levels and stability were examined by real-time RT-PCR. Allele-specific expression of Igf2 and H19 was assessed after crossing mice with SD7 animals. The Igf2 downstream mediators pAKT and PTEN were determined by Western blot. RESULTS Hepatic p62 overexpression neither induced inflammatory processes nor liver damage. However, 2.5week old transgenic animals displayed a steatotic phenotype and improved glucose tolerance. p62 overexpression induced the expression of the imprinted genes Igf2 and H19 and their transcriptional regulator Aire (autoimmune regulator). Neither monoallelic expression nor mRNA stability of Igf2 and H19 was affected. Investigating Igf2 downstream signalling pathways showed increased AKT activation and attenuated PTEN expression. CONCLUSIONS The induction of a steatotic phenotype implies that p62 plays a role in hepatic pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Tybl
- Saarland University, Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Biology, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Fu-Dong Shi
- Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph´ s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, USA
| | - Sonja M. Kessler
- Saarland University, Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Biology, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Sascha Tierling
- Saarland University, Institute of Genetics/Epigenetics, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Jörn Walter
- Saarland University, Institute of Genetics/Epigenetics, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Rainer M. Bohle
- Department of Pathology, Saarland University, Homburg/Saar, Germany
| | - Stefan Wieland
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, La Jolla, USA
| | - Jianying Zhang
- University of Texas El Paso, Department of Biology, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Eng M. Tan
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, La Jolla, USA
| | - Alexandra K. Kiemer
- Saarland University, Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Biology, Saarbrücken, Germany,To whom correspondence should be addressed, Alexandra K. Kiemer, Ph.D., Saarland University, P.O. box 15 11 50, 66041 Saarbrücken, Germany, phone: +49-681-302 57301, fax: +49-681-302 57302,
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Kane AJ, Sughrue ME, Rutkowski MJ, Tihan T, Parsa AT. The molecular pathology of central neurocytomas. J Clin Neurosci 2011; 18:1-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jocn.2010.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2010] [Accepted: 06/09/2010] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Ma AN, Lu J, Zhou XJ, Wang YX. Histone deacetylation directs DNA methylation in survivin gene silencing. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2011; 404:268-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2010.11.105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2010] [Accepted: 11/24/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Amit D, Hochberg A. Development of targeted therapy for bladder cancer mediated by a double promoter plasmid expressing diphtheria toxin under the control of H19 and IGF2-P4 regulatory sequences. J Transl Med 2010; 8:134. [PMID: 21162716 PMCID: PMC3016259 DOI: 10.1186/1479-5876-8-134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2010] [Accepted: 12/16/2010] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The human IGF2-P4 and H19 promoters are highly active in a variety of human cancers (including bladder cancer), while existing at a nearly undetectable level in the surrounding normal tissue.Single promoter vectors expressing diphtheria toxin A-fragment (DTA) under the control regulation of IGF2-P4 or H19 regulatory sequences (IGF2-P4-DTA and H19-DTA) were previously successfully used in cell lines, animal models and recently in human patients with superficial cell carcinoma of the bladder (treated with H19-DTA). However this targeted medicine approach could be limited, as not all cancer patients express high levels of H19. Hence, a double promoter DTA-expressing vector was created, carrying on a single construct two separate genes expressing the diphtheria toxin A-fragment (DTA), from two different regulatory sequences, selected from the cancer-specific promoters H19 and IGF2-P4. METHODS H19 and IGF2-P4 gene expression was tested in samples of Transitional Cell Carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder by in-situ hybridization (ISH) and by quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR). The therapeutic potential of the double promoter toxin vector H19-DTA-IGF2-P4-DTA was tested in TCC cell lines and in heterotopic and orthotopic animal models of bladder cancer. RESULTS Nearly 100% of TCC patients highly expressed IGF2-P4 and H19, as determined by ISH and by qRT-PCR. The double promoter vector exhibited superior tumor growth inhibition activity compared to the single promoter expression vectors, in cell lines and in heterotopic and orthotopic bladder tumors. CONCLUSIONS Our findings show that bladder tumors may be successfully treated by intravesical instillation of the double promoter vector H19-DTA-P4-DTA.Overall, the double promoter vector exhibited enhanced anti-cancer activity relative to single promoter expression vectors carrying either gene alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doron Amit
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Biological Chemistry, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
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Abstract
Epigenetics refers to stable alterations in gene expression with no underlying modifications in the genetic sequence and is best exemplified by differentiation, in which multiple cell types diverge physiologically despite a common genetic code. Interest in this area of science has grown over the past decades, especially since it was found to play a major role in physiologic phenomena such as embryogenesis, imprinting, and X chromosome inactivation, and in disease states such as cancer. The latter had been previously thought of as a disease with an exclusive genetic etiology. However, recent data have demonstrated that the complexity of human carcinogenesis cannot be accounted for by genetic alterations alone, but also involves epigenetic changes in processes such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNA expression. In turn, these molecular alterations lead to permanent changes in the expression of genes that regulate the neoplastic phenotype, such as cellular growth and invasiveness. Targeting epigenetic modifiers has been referred to as epigenetic therapy. The success of this approach in hematopoietic malignancies validates the importance of epigenetic alterations in cancer, not only at the therapeutic level but also with regard to prevention, diagnosis, risk stratification, and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolphe Taby
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Dransfield DT, Cohen EH, Chang Q, Sparrow LG, Bentley JD, Dolezal O, Xiao X, Peat TS, Newman J, Pilling PA, Phan T, Priebe I, Brierley GV, Kastrapeli N, Kopacz K, Martik D, Wassaf D, Rank D, Conley G, Huang Y, Adams TE, Cosgrove L. A human monoclonal antibody against insulin-like growth factor-II blocks the growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines in vitro and in vivo. Mol Cancer Ther 2010; 9:1809-19. [PMID: 20515953 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-09-1134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Elevated expression of insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) is frequently observed in a variety of human malignancies, including breast, colon, and liver cancer. As IGF-II can deliver a mitogenic signal through both IGF-IR and an alternately spliced form of the insulin receptor (IR-A), neutralizing the biological activity of this growth factor directly is a potential alternative option to IGF-IR-directed agents. Using a Fab-displaying phage library and a biotinylated precursor form of IGF-II (1-104 amino acids) as a target, we isolated Fabs specific for the E-domain COOH-terminal extension form of IGF-II and for mature IGF-II. One of these Fabs that bound to both forms of IGF-II was reformatted into a full-length IgG, expressed, purified, and subjected to further analysis. This antibody (DX-2647) displayed a very high affinity for IGF-II/IGF-IIE (K(D) value of 49 and 10 pmol/L, respectively) compared with IGF-I (approximately 10 nmol/L) and blocked binding of IGF-II to IGF-IR, IR-A, a panel of insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins, and the mannose-6-phosphate receptor. A crystal complex of the parental Fab of DX-2647 bound to IGF-II was resolved to 2.2 A. DX-2647 inhibited IGF-II and, to a lesser extent, IGF-I-induced receptor tyrosine phosphorylation, cellular proliferation, and both anchorage-dependent and anchorage-independent colony formation in various cell lines. In addition, DX-2647 slowed tumor progression in the Hep3B xenograft model, causing decreased tumoral CD31 staining as well as reduced IGF-IIE and IGF-IR phosphorylation levels. Therefore, DX-2647 offers an alternative approach to targeting IGF-IR, blocking IGF-II signaling through both IGF-IR and IR-A.
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Zhang X, Wu M, Xiao H, Lee MT, Levin L, Leung YK, Ho SM. Methylation of a single intronic CpG mediates expression silencing of the PMP24 gene in prostate cancer. Prostate 2010; 70:765-76. [PMID: 20054818 PMCID: PMC2857536 DOI: 10.1002/pros.21109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We previously demonstrated that a putative anti-tumor gene, peroxisomal membrane protein 4, 24 kDa (PMP24 or PXMP4), is silenced via DNA methylation of a CpG island in its 5' flanking region (5'-CGI) in prostate cancer (PCa) cells. METHODS To identify demethylation hypersensitive site(s) in PMP24 5'-CGI, PC-3 cells with methylated 5'-CGI were treated with a low-dose of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC) just sufficient to reactivate gene expression, referred as the limited demethylation approach. Gel shift assays and promoter analyzes were performed to demonstrate the role of the hypersensitive site in PMP24 gene regulation. Transfection of a methylated oligonucleotide corresponding to the hypersensitive site was conducted to determine the effect of site-specific methylation on the gene expression. Bisulfite sequencing analysis was performed to reveal the methylation status of PMP24 promoter in cultured cells and microdissected samples. In situ hybridization was applied to determine expression positivity of PMP24 mRNA. RESULTS A 5-aza-dC hypersensitive site encompasses two CpG dinucleotides in intron 1 was identified. Methylation of the first, but not the second, CpG dinucleotide of this site disrupted DNA-protein interactions and suppressed the gene expression. Using archival specimens, we found the first CpG dinucleotide of the hypersensitive site is hypermethylated with a loss of PMP24 mRNA expression in microdissected PCa cells when compared to normal prostatic epithelial cells. CONCLUSIONS These findings support a critical role for a single intronic CpG dinucleotide in PMP24 gene regulation through DNA methylation. The data suggest that methylation-mediated silencing of PMP24 is a molecular event associated with prostate carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Zhang
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Center for Environmental Genetics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Cincinnati Cancer Consortium, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | | | - Hong Xiao
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Ming-Tsung Lee
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Linda Levin
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Center for Environmental Genetics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Yuet-Kin Leung
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Center for Environmental Genetics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Cincinnati Cancer Consortium, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Shuk-Mei Ho
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Center for Environmental Genetics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Cincinnati Cancer Consortium, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Correspondence to: Shuk-Mei Ho, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Kettering Laboratory, Suite 128, 3223 Eden Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45267. Telephone: (513)-558-5701. Fax: (513)-558-0071.
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Chemotherapeutic drug-induced ABCG2 promoter demethylation as a novel mechanism of acquired multidrug resistance. Neoplasia 2010; 11:1359-70. [PMID: 20019844 DOI: 10.1593/neo.91314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2009] [Revised: 09/11/2009] [Accepted: 09/14/2009] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
ABCG2 is an efflux transporter conferring multidrug resistance (MDR) on cancer cells. However, the initial molecular events leading to its up-regulation in MDR tumor cells are poorly understood. Herein, we explored the impact of drug treatment on the methylation status of the ABCG2 promoter and consequent reactivation of ABCG2 gene expression in parental tumor cell lines and their MDR sublines. We demonstrate that ABCG2 promoter methylation is common in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) lines, also present in primary T-ALL lymphoblast specimens. Furthermore, drug selection with sulfasalazine and topotecan induced a complete demethylation of the ABCG2 promoter in the T-ALL and ovarian carcinoma model cell lines CCRF-CEM and IGROV1, respectively. This resulted in a dramatic induction of ABCG2 messenger RNA levels (235- and 743-fold, respectively) and consequent acquisition of an ABCG2-dependent MDR phenotype. Quantitative genomic polymerase chain reaction and ABCG2 promoter-luciferase reporter assay did not reveal ABCG2 gene amplification or differential transcriptional trans-activation, which could account for ABCG2 up-regulation in these MDR cells. Remarkably, mimicking cytotoxic bolus drug treatment through 12- to 24-hour pulse exposure of ABCG2-silenced leukemia cells, to clinically relevant concentrations of the chemotherapeutic agents daunorubicin and mitoxantrone, resulted in a marked transcriptional up-regulation of ABCG2. Our findings establish that antitumor drug-induced epigenetic reactivation of ABCG2 gene expression in cancer cells is an early molecular event leading to MDR. These findings have important implications for the emergence, clonal selection, and expansion of malignant cells with the MDR phenotype during chemotherapy.
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Induced epigenetic modifications of the promoter chromatin silence survivin and inhibit tumor growth. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2010; 393:592-7. [PMID: 20152814 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2010.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2010] [Accepted: 02/05/2010] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Anti-apoptotic survivin is over-expressed in a variety of human carcinomas and is considered as a therapeutic target in cancers. Suppression of survivin mRNA by RNAi and anti-sense nucleotides has proved to be a powerful anti-tumor therapy in both animal models and human investigations. In this communication, we tested an alternative approach to silence survivin by knocking down its gene transcription through a short methylated oligonucleotide (SurKex) that is complementary to the survivin gene promoter. Treatment of NCI-H460 cells with SurKex significantly suppressed the production of survivin mRNA and its oncoprotein. DNA bisulfite sequencing showed that SurKex induced site-specific de novo CpG methylation in the complementary region of survivin promoter. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay also demonstrated that SurKex induced histone hypermethylation at histone H3K9 and H3K27 as well as deacetylation of histone H4 in the same regulatory region. SurKex remarkably inhibited tumor growth in nude mice bearing xenograft tumors. This study demonstrates that the synthetic methylated oligonucleotide SurKex inhibits tumor growth by silencing the survivin gene using a mechanism of altering the epigenotype in the survivin promoter. Thus, targeted epigenetic modification in the gene promoter may offer a new general strategy to silence tumor-related genes in tumor therapy.
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Induction of apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer by a methylated oligonucleotide targeting survivin gene. Cancer Gene Ther 2010; 17:441-6. [PMID: 20094073 DOI: 10.1038/cgt.2009.82] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Survivin overexpression is closely linked to lung oncogenesis. Silencing of survivin gene by molecular antagonists has shown promise as novel anticancer strategies. DNA methylation is a critical epigenetic modification that silences gene transcription. In this study, we used a new methylated oligonucleotide, which mediates sequence-specific DNA methylation in cell, as a strategic alternative to survivin-targeting treatment, and investigated its efficacy in suppressing survivin expression and the consequent apoptotic induction potential in NCI-H460 cells. SurKex1, a methylated sense oligonucleotide, was shown to reduce specifically survivin mRNA expression and induce cell apoptosis. In addition, it has been supposed that the methylated oligonucleotide exerts its effect of gene silencing through the activation of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT1), but the exact mechanism is still unknown. Our data suggest for the first time that the SurKex1 exerts its down-regulatory effects on survivin expression through the activation of DNMT1.
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Desbois-Mouthon C, Baron A, Blivet-Van Eggelpoël MJ, Fartoux L, Venot C, Bladt F, Housset C, Rosmorduc O. Insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor inhibition induces a resistance mechanism via the epidermal growth factor receptor/HER3/AKT signaling pathway: rational basis for cotargeting insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor and epidermal growth factor receptor in hepatocellular carcinoma. Clin Cancer Res 2009; 15:5445-56. [PMID: 19706799 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-08-2980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling axis is frequently dysregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Therefore, we investigated whether the specific targeting of the IGF type 1 receptor (IGF-1R) might represent a new therapeutic approach for this tumor. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Total and phosphorylated levels of IGF-1R were measured in 21 paired samples of human HCCs and adjacent nontumoral livers using ELISA. The antineoplastic potency of a novel anti-IGF-1R antibody, AVE1642, was examined in five human hepatoma cell lines. RESULTS Overexpression of IGF-1R was detected in 33% of HCCs and increased activation of IGF-1R was observed in 52% of tumors. AVE1642 alone had moderate inhibitory effects on cell viability. However, its combination with gefitinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor, induced supra-additive effects in all cell lines that were associated with cell cycle blockage and inhibition of AKT phosphorylation. The combination of AVE1642 with rapamycin also induced a synergistic reduction of viability and of AKT phosphorylation. Of marked interest, AVE1642 alone up-regulated the phosphorylated and total levels of HER3, the main partner of EGFR, and AVE1642-induced phosphorylation of HER3 was prevented by gefitinib. Moreover, the down-regulation of HER3 expression with siRNA reduced AKT phosphorylation and increased cell sensitivity to AVE1642. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that hepatoma cells overcome IGF-1R inhibition through HER3 activation in an EGFR-dependent mechanism, and that HER3 represents a critical mediator in acquired resistance to anti-IGF-1R therapy. These results provide a strong rational for targeting simultaneously EGFR and IGF-1R in clinical trials for HCC].
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Sekine S, Ogawa R, Ito R, Hiraoka N, Mcmanus MT, Kanai Y, Hebrok M. Disruption of Dicer1 induces dysregulated fetal gene expression and promotes hepatocarcinogenesis. Gastroenterology 2009; 136:2304-2315.e1-4. [PMID: 19272382 PMCID: PMC3167383 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2009.02.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2008] [Revised: 12/30/2008] [Accepted: 02/19/2009] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Growing evidence suggests that microRNAs coordinate various biological processes in the liver. We describe experiments to address the physiologic roles of these new regulators of gene expression in the liver that are as of yet largely undefined. METHODS We disrupted Dicer, an enzyme essential for the processing of microRNAs, in hepatocytes using a conditional knockout mouse model to elucidate the consequences of loss of microRNAs. RESULTS The conditional knockout mouse livers showed the efficient disruption of Dicer1 at 3 weeks after birth. This resulted in prominent steatosis and the depletion of glycogen storage. Dicer1-deficient liver exhibited increased growth-promoting gene expression and the robust expression of fetal stage-specific genes. The consequence of Dicer elimination included both increased hepatocyte proliferation and overwhelming apoptosis. Over time, Dicer1-expressing wild-type hepatocytes that had escaped Cre-mediated recombination progressively repopulated the entire liver. Unexpectedly, however, two thirds of the mutant mice spontaneously developed hepatocellular carcinomas derived from residual Dicer1-deficient hepatocytes at 1 year of age. CONCLUSIONS Dicer and microRNAs have critical roles in hepatocyte survival, metabolism, developmental gene regulation, and tumor suppression in the liver. Loss of Dicer primarily impairs hepatocyte survival but can promote hepatocarcinogenesis in cooperation with additional oncogenic stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeki Sekine
- Pathology Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Reiko Ogawa
- Pathology Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Rie Ito
- Pathology Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nobuyoshi Hiraoka
- Pathology Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Michael T Mcmanus
- Diabetes Center, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Yae Kanai
- Pathology Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Matthias Hebrok
- Diabetes Center, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
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Orfanelli U, Wenke AK, Doglioni C, Russo V, Bosserhoff AK, Lavorgna G. Identification of novel sense and antisense transcription at the TRPM2 locus in cancer. Cell Res 2008; 18:1128-40. [PMID: 18957938 DOI: 10.1038/cr.2008.296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been proposed that in cancer, where the bulk of the genome becomes hypomethylated, there is an increase in transcriptional noise that might lead to the generation of antisense transcripts that could affect the function of key oncosuppressor genes, ultimately leading to malignant transformation. Here, we describe the computational identification of a melanoma-enriched antisense transcript, TRPM2-AS, mapped within the locus of TRPM2, an ion channel capable of mediating susceptibility to cell death. Analysis of the TRPM2-AS genomic region indicated the presence in the same region of another tumor-enriched TRPM2 transcript, TRPM2-TE, located across a CpG island shared with TRPM2-AS. Quantitative PCR experiments confirmed that TRPM2-AS and TRPM2-TE transcripts were up-regulated in melanoma, and their activation was consistent with the methylation status of the shared CpG island. Functional knock-out of TRPM2-TE, as well as over-expression of wild-type TRPM2, increased melanoma susceptibility to apoptosis and necrosis. Finally, expression analysis in other cancer types indicated that TRPM2-AS and TRPM2-TE over-expression might have an even wider role than anticipated, reinforcing the relevance of our computational approach in identifying new potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ugo Orfanelli
- DIBIT-San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
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Zhang H, Wang H, Zhang J, Qian G, Niu B, Fan X, Lu J, Hoffman AR, Hu JF, Ge S. Enhanced therapeutic efficacy by simultaneously targeting two genetic defects in tumors. Mol Ther 2008; 17:57-64. [PMID: 19018252 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2008.236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Targeting tumor-specific gene abnormalities has become an attractive approach in developing therapeutics to treat cancer. Overexpression of Bcl2 and mutations of p53 represent two of the most common molecular defects in tumors. In the nucleus, p53 induces cell cycle arrest, while it interacts with Bcl2 outside of the nucleus to regulate signal pathways involved in apoptosis. To potentiate antitumor activity, we tested a "double target" approach to antitumor therapy by combining H101, a recombinant oncolytic adenovirus that targets the inactive p53 in tumors, with a small interfering RNA (siBCL2) that targets Bcl2. In cell culture, the combined treatment significantly enhanced apoptosis and cytotoxicity as compared with treatment with either H101 or siBCL2 alone. In animals carrying tumor xenographs, combined H101 and siBCL2 treatment significantly inhibited tumor growth and prolonged survival. At the end of the study, all animals in the combined therapy group survived and two of the five animals showed complete eradication of their tumors. Interestingly, siBCL2 treatment increased H101 viral replication in both treated cells and tumor tissues. Simultaneously targeting two tumor-specific gene abnormalities using an oncolytic adenovirus and siRNA potentiates total antitumor activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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Zhai RL, Wang GB, Cai KL, Tao KX, Xu F, Zhang WL, Wang ZY. Transcriptional inactivation of ERbeta gene is mediated by the induction of promoter hypermethylation in a rat colonic epithelial cell model. J Surg Res 2008; 155:306-10. [PMID: 19520385 DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2008.09.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2008] [Revised: 09/22/2008] [Accepted: 09/30/2008] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To construct a primary rat colonic epithelial cell model for treatment with specific methylated oligonucleotides (MOs) and to determine whether the transcriptional inactivation of ERbeta mRNA is mediated by the induction of hypermethylation of the ERbeta gene promoter. METHODS Suckling rat colonic epithelial cells were cultured in DMEM. Two methylated oligonucleotides complementary to the promoter regions of ERbeta were synthesized and applied to the cultured cells to induce promoter hypermethylation of the ERbeta gene. Methylation-specific PCR (MSP) was used to determine the methylation status of the ERbeta promoter in the cultured cells. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to quantify the expression of ERbeta mRNA after treatment with MOs. RESULTS Suckling rat colonic epithelial cells were successfully cultured in vitro. The MOs and unmethylated oligonucleotides (UMOs) we designed, synthesized, successfully transfected into the colonic epithelial cells, and assembled in the nuclei of the cells, which had extremely elevated proliferative activity. RT-PCR demonstrated that the expression of ERbeta mRNA was significantly suppressed in the cells treated with MOs, whereas its expression in the control cells treated with UMOs was not. MSP analysis showed that the promoter of ERbeta in the cells treated with MOs was hypermethylated compared with that of the control cells. CONCLUSION The transcriptional inactivation of ERbeta mRNA in rat colonic epithelial cells may be mediated by the hypermethylation of the ERbeta gene promoter. Our model markedly simulates the epigenetic modification of the ERbeta gene in colonic cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Lin Zhai
- Department of General Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
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Couvert P, Carrié A, Pariès J, Vaysse J, Miroglio A, Kerjean A, Nahon P, Chelly J, Trinchet JC, Beaugrand M, Ganne-Carrié N. Liver insulin-like growth factor 2 methylation in hepatitis C virus cirrhosis and further occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma. World J Gastroenterol 2008; 14:5419-27. [PMID: 18803353 PMCID: PMC2744164 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.14.5419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM: To assess the predictive value of the insulin-like growth factor 2 (Igf2) methylation profile for the occurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) in hepatitis C (HCV) cirrhosis.
METHODS: Patients with: (1) biopsy-proven compensated HCV cirrhosis; (2) available baseline frozen liver sample; (3) absence of detectable HCC; (4) regular screening for HCC; (5) informed consent for genetic analysis were studied. After DNA extraction from liver samples and bisulfite treatment, unbiased PCR and DHPLC analysis were performed for methylation analysis at the Igf2 locus. The predictive value of the Igf2 methylation profile for HCC was assessed by Kaplan-Meier and Cox methods.
RESULTS: Among 94 included patients, 20 developed an HCC during follow-up (6.9 ± 3.2 years). The methylation profile was hypomethylated, intermediate and hypermethylated in 13, 64 and 17 cases, respectively. In univariate analysis, two baseline parameters were associated with the occurrence of HCC: age (P = 0.01) and prothrombin (P = 0.04). The test of linear tendency between the three ordered levels of Igf2 methylation and probability of HCC occurrence was significant (Log Rank, P = 0.043; Breslow, P = 0.037; Tarone-Ware, P = 0.039).
CONCLUSION: These results suggest that hypome-thylation at the Igf2 locus in the liver could be predictive for HCC occurrence in HCV cirrhosis.
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Skvortsova TE, Vlassov VV, Laktionov PP. Binding and Penetration of Methylated DNA into Primary and Transformed Human Cells. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2008; 1137:36-40. [DOI: 10.1196/annals.1448.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Smith AE, Hurd PJ, Bannister AJ, Kouzarides T, Ford KG. Heritable Gene Repression through the Action of a Directed DNA Methyltransferase at a Chromosomal Locus. J Biol Chem 2008; 283:9878-85. [DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m710393200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
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Abstract
Targeting DNA methylation for cancer therapy has had a rocky history. The first reports on DNA methylation changes in cancer described global loss of methylation, which has been suggested to drive tumorigenesis through activation of oncogenic proteins or induction of chromosomal instability. In this context, reducing DNA methylation was viewed as a tumor-promoting event rather than a promising cancer therapy. The idea of inhibiting DNA methylation therapeutically emerged from subsequent studies showing that, in parallel to global decreases in methylation, several genes (including many critical to the tumor phenotype) displayed gains of methylation in their promoters during tumorigenesis, a process associated with epigenetic silencing of expression and loss of protein function. This led to revival of interest in drugs discovered decades ago to be potent inhibitors of DNA methyltransferases. These drugs have now been approved for clinical use in the United States in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome, thus opening the floodgate for a whole new approach to cancer therapy--epigenetic therapy.
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Sato N, Goggins M. The role of epigenetic alterations in pancreatic cancer. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007; 13:286-95. [PMID: 16858539 DOI: 10.1007/s00534-005-1057-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2005] [Accepted: 09/01/2005] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The past several years have witnessed an explosive increase in our knowledge about epigenetic features in human cancers. It has become apparent that pancreatic cancer is an epigenetic disease, as it is a genetic disease, characterized by widespread and profound alterations in DNA methylation. The introduction of genome-wide screening techniques has accelerated the discovery of a growing list of genes with abnormal methylation patterns in pancreatic cancer, and some of these epigenetic events play a role in the neoplastic process. The detection and quantification of DNA methylation alterations in pancreatic juice is likely a promising tool for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. The potential reversibility of epigenetic changes in genes involved in tumor progression makes them attractive therapeutic targets, but the efficacy of epigenetic therapies in pancreatic cancer, such as the use of DNA methylation inhibitors, remains undetermined. In this review, we briefly summarize recent research findings in the field of pancreatic cancer epigenetics and discuss their biological and clinical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norihiro Sato
- Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, The Sol Goldman Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, 342 Cancer Research Building 2, 1550 Orleans St., Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Widschwendter
- Department of Gynaecological Oncology, UCL Elizabeth Garrett Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
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