Clinicopathologic features and prognostic implications of NOK/STYK1 protein expression in non-small cell lung cancer

FOXO1, a tiny protein with intricate interactions: Promising therapeutic candidate in lung cancer

Nowadays, lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women globally. Despite the development of extremely efficient targeted agents, lung cancer progression and drug resistance remain serious clinical issues. Increasing knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying progression and drug resistance will enable the development of novel therapeutic methods. It has been revealed that transcription factors (TF) dysregulation, which results in considerable expression modifications of genes, is a generally prevalent phenomenon regarding human malignancies. The forkhead box O1 (FOXO1), a member of the forkhead transcription factor family with crucial roles in cell fate decisions, is suggested to play a pivotal role as a tumor suppressor in a variety of malignancies, especially in lung cancer. FOXO1 is involved in diverse cellular processes and also has clinical significance consisting of cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, DNA repair, oxidative stress, cancer prevention, treatment, and chemo/radioresistance. Based on the critical role of FOXO1, this transcription factor appears to be an appropriate target for future drug discovery in lung cancers. This review focused on the signaling pathways, and molecular mechanisms involved in FOXO1 regulation in lung cancer. We also discuss pharmacological compounds that are currently being administered for lung cancer treatment by affecting FOXO1 and also point out the essential role of FOXO1 in drug resistance. Future preclinical research should assess combination drug strategies to stimulate FOXO1 and its upstream regulators as potential strategies to treat resistant or advanced lung cancers.

Ferroptosis in lung cancer: a novel pathway regulating cell death and a promising target for drug therapy

Lung cancer is a common malignant tumor that occurs in the human body and poses a serious threat to human health and quality of life. The existing treatment methods mainly include surgical treatment, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. However, due to the strong metastatic characteristics of lung cancer and the emergence of related drug resistance and radiation resistance, the overall survival rate of lung cancer patients is not ideal. There is an urgent need to develop new treatment strategies or new effective drugs to treat lung cancer. Ferroptosis, a novel type of programmed cell death, is different from the traditional cell death pathways such as apoptosis, necrosis, pyroptosis and so on. It is caused by the increase of iron-dependent reactive oxygen species due to intracellular iron overload, which leads to the accumulation of lipid peroxides, thus inducing cell membrane oxidative damage, affecting the normal life process of cells, and finally promoting the process of ferroptosis. The regulation of ferroptosis is closely related to the normal physiological process of cells, and it involves iron metabolism, lipid metabolism, and the balance between oxygen-free radical reaction and lipid peroxidation. A large number of studies have confirmed that ferroptosis is a result of the combined action of the cellular oxidation/antioxidant system and cell membrane damage/repair, which has great potential application in tumor therapy. Therefore, this review aims to explore potential therapeutic targets for ferroptosis in lung cancer by clarifying the regulatory pathway of ferroptosis. Based on the study of ferroptosis, the regulation mechanism of ferroptosis in lung cancer was understood and the existing chemical drugs and natural compounds targeting ferroptosis in lung cancer were summarized, with the aim of providing new ideas for the treatment of lung cancer. In addition, it also provides the basis for the discovery and clinical application of chemical drugs and natural compounds targeting ferroptosis to effectively treat lung cancer.

The EGFR-STYK1-FGF1 axis sustains functional drug tolerance to EGFR inhibitors in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients harboring activating mutations in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are sensitive to therapy with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). Despite remarkable clinical responses using EGFR TKI, surviving drug tolerant cells serve as a reservoir from which drug resistant tumors may emerge. This study addresses the need for improved efficacy of EGFR TKI by identifying targets involved in functional drug tolerance against them. To this aim, a high-throughput siRNA kinome screen was performed using two EGFR TKI-sensitive EGFR-mutant NSCLC cell lines in the presence/absence of the second-generation EGFR TKI afatinib. From the screen, Serine/Threonine/Tyrosine Kinase 1 (STYK1) was identified as a target that when downregulated potentiates the effects of EGFR inhibition in vitro. We found that chemical inhibition of EGFR combined with the siRNA-mediated knockdown of STYK1 led to a significant decrease in cancer cell viability and anchorage-independent cell growth. Further, we show that STYK1 selectively interacts with mutant EGFR and that the interaction is disrupted upon EGFR inhibition. Finally, we identified fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) as a downstream effector of STYK1 in NSCLC cells. Accordingly, downregulation of STYK1 counteracted the afatinib-induced upregulation of FGF1. Altogether, we unveil STYK1 as a valuable target to repress the pool of surviving drug tolerant cells arising upon EGFR inhibition. Co-targeting of EGFR and STYK1 could lead to a better overall outcome for NSCLC patients.

WNT5A promotes the metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by activating the HDAC7/SNAIL signaling pathway

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide, with high incidence and mortality rates and low survival rates. However, the detailed molecular mechanism of ESCC progression remains unclear. Here, we first showed significantly higher WNT5A and SNAIL expression in ESCC samples than in corresponding paracancerous samples. High WNT5A and SNAIL expression levels correlated positively with lymphatic metastasis and poor prognosis for patients with ESCC based on immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of 145 paired ESCC samples. Spearman's correlation analyses confirmed the strong positive correlation between WNT5A and SNAIL expression, and patients with ESCC presenting coexpression of WNT5A and SNAIL had the worst prognosis. Then, we verified that the upregulation of WNT5A promoted ESCC cell metastasis in vivo and in vitro, suggesting that WNT5A might be a promising therapeutic target for the prevention of ESCC. Furthermore, WNT5A overexpression induced the epithelial-mesenchymal transition via histone deacetylase 7 (HDAC7) upregulation, and HDAC7 silencing significantly reversed WNT5A-induced SNAIL upregulation and ESCC cell metastasis. In addition, we used HDAC7 inhibitors (SAHA and TMP269) to further confirm that HDAC7 participates in WNT5A-mediated carcinogenesis. Based on these results, HDAC7 is involved in WNT5A-mediated ESCC progression, and approaches targeting WNT5A and HDAC7 might be potential therapeutic strategies for ESCC.

The role of ferroptosis in lung cancer

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Although medical treatment has made impressive progress in recent years, it is still one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in men and women. Ferroptosis is a type of non-apoptotic cell death modality, usually characterized by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, rather than caspase-induced protein cleavage. Excessive or lack of ferroptosis is associated with a variety of diseases, including cancer and ischaemia-reperfusion injury. Recent preclinical evidence suggests that targeting ferroptotic pathway is a potential strategy for the treatment of lung cancer. In this review, we summarize the core mechanism and regulatory network of ferroptosis in lung cancer cells, and highlight ferroptosis induction-related tumor therapies. The reviewed information may provide new insights for targeted lung cancer therapy.

Ferroptosis: A New Promising Target for Lung Cancer Therapy

Ferroptosis is a new type of regulatory cell death that differs from autophagy, apoptosis, necrosis, and pyroptosis; it is caused primarily by the accumulation of iron and lipid peroxides in the cell. Studies have shown that many classical signaling pathways and biological processes are involved in the process of ferroptosis. In recent years, investigations have revealed that ferroptosis plays a crucial role in the progression of tumors, especially lung cancer. In particular, inducing ferroptosis in cells can inhibit the growth of tumor cells, thereby reversing tumorigenesis. In this review, we summarize the characteristics of ferroptosis from its underlying basis and role in lung cancer and provide possible applications for it in lung cancer therapies.

Downregulation of GLUT3 impairs STYK1/NOK-mediated metabolic reprogramming and proliferation in NIH-3T3 cells

Serine threonine tyrosine kinase 1 (STYK1)/novel oncogene with kinase domain (NOK) has been demonstrated to promote cell carcinogenesis and tumorigenesis, as well as to strengthen cellular aerobic glycolysis, which is considered to be a defining hallmark of cancer. As the carriers of glucose into cells, glucose transporters (GLUTs) are important participants in cellular glucose metabolism and even tumorigenesis. However, to the best of our knowledge, the role of GLUTs in biological events caused by STYK1/NOK has not yet been reported. The present study assessed GLUT3 as a key transporter, and glucose consumption and lactate production assays revealed that downregulation of GLUT3 impaired STYK1/NOK-induced augmented glucose uptake and lactate production, and RT-qPCR and western blotting confirmed that GLUT3 knockdown attenuated the STYK1/NOK-induced increase in the expression levels of key enzymes implicated in glycolysis. Furthermore, MTT and Transwell assays demonstrated that STYK1/NOK-triggered cell proliferation and migration were also markedly decreased following knockdown of GLUT3. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to demonstrate that GLUT3 serves a prominent role in STYK1/NOK-driven aerobic glycolysis and cell proliferation characteristics. These findings may provide a clue for the investigation of the oncogenic activity of STYK1/NOK and for the identification of potential tumor therapy targets associated with GLUT3.

Aberrantly High Expression Of NOK/STYK1 Is Tightly Associated With The Activation Of The AKT/GSK3β/N-Cadherin Pathway In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Purpose

High metastasis is a leading risk factor for the survival of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a vital step of metastasis. The expression of novel oncogene with kinase domain (NOK) has been observed in some human malignancies, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, the biological function of NOK in NSCLC remains unclear. In the study, we explored the function of NOK in NSCLC, with an aim to elucidate the relevant underlying mechanisms.

Patients and methods

We investigate the expression of NOK, p-Akt, p-GSK-3β, E-cadherin and N-cadherin expression by immunohistochemical analysis using tissue microarrays of 72 paired NSCLC samples of cancerous and adjacent normal tissues. The associations between NOK expression and clinicopathological factors, overall survival, other proteins were assessed. Immunofluorescence analysis of NSCLC tissues was performed to study the location of NOK, Akt and GSK-3β. Up or down-regulated of NOK were conducted in two NSCLC cell lines to analyze its impact on AKT/GSK3β pathway.

Results

Statistical analysis revealed NOK expression increased in NSCLC tissues compared with normal tissues (P<0.05). It also showed that low NOK expression were associated with a higher possibility of non-lymphatic metastasis, an early pN stage and clinical stage (P<0.05). Moreover, NOK expression was positively correlated with the expression of oncogene p-Akt (Thr308), p-GSK-3β (Ser9) and N-cadherin (P<0.05). Immunofluorescence analysis of NSCLC tissues revealed that NOK is co-located with Akt and GSK-3β. Further study in NSCLC cell lines revealed that NOK overexpression can activate the AKT/GSK3β pathway. Conversely, knockdown of NOK can suppress the AKT/GSK3β pathway.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that NOK overexpression correlated significantly with lymphatic metastasis, advanced pN and clinical stage in NSCLC. And NOK may promote EMT by activating the AKT/GSK3β/N-cadherin pathway in NSCLC.

STYK1/NOK correlates with ferroptosis in non-small cell lung carcinoma

Serine Threonine Tyrosine Kinase 1 (STYK1) presents oncogenic properties in many studies, and emerging evidence suggests that ferroptosis serve as a novel tumor suppressor. However, the interplay between STYK1 and ferroptosis in NSCLC remains unclear. Our aim is to illustrate the expression of ferroptotic regulator Glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) in NSCLC and the relationship between STYK1 and ferroptosis. Herein, results based on ONCOMINE database, clinical specimens, and cellular manipulation revealed GPX4 was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines, and high GPX4 expression predicted worse prognosis. High STYK1 expression predicted worse OS and was related to high GPX4 in NSCLC tissues; overexpression of STYK1 in lung cancer cell line SW900 upregulated the expression of GPX4, promoted proliferation, and attenuated diverse mitochondrial abnormalities specific to ferroptosis, whereas knockdown of GPX4 exacerbated such attenuations without affecting cell proliferation. Taken together, ferroptosis as an anti-tumor factor is inhibited in NSCLC, and targeting ferroptosis could be a novel therapeutic strategy for the management of NSCLC; furthermore, regulating ferroptosis could be another cancerous mechanism of STYK1.

STYK1 promotes tumor growth and metastasis by reducing SPINT2/HAI-2 expression in non-small cell lung cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying NSCLC progression remains not fully understood. In this study, 347 patients with complete clinicopathologic characteristics who underwent NSCLC surgery were recruited for the investigation. We verified that elevated serine threonine tyrosine kinase 1 (STYK1) or decreased serine peptidase inhibitor Kunitz type 2 (SPINT2/HAI-2) expression significantly correlated with poor prognosis, tumor invasion, and metastasis of NSCLC patients. STYK1 overexpression promoted NSCLC cells proliferation, migration, and invasion. STYK1 also induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition by E-cadherin downregulation and Snail upregulation. Moreover, RNA-seq, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and western blot analyses confirmed that STYK1 overexpression significantly decreased the SPINT2 level in NSCLC cells, and SPINT2 overexpression obviously reversed STYK1-mediated NSCLC progression both in vitro and in vivo. Further survival analyses showed that NSCLC patients with high STYK1 level and low SPINT2 level had the worst prognosis and survival. These results indicated that STYK1 facilitated NSCLC progression via reducing SPINT2 expression. Therefore, targeting STYK1 and SPINT2 may be a novel therapeutic strategy for NSCLC.

The RTK Interactome: Overview and Perspective on RTK Heterointeractions

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) play important roles in cell growth, motility, differentiation, and survival. These single-pass membrane proteins are grouped into subfamilies based on the similarity of their extracellular domains. They are generally thought to be activated by ligand binding, which promotes homodimerization and then autophosphorylation in trans. However, RTK interactions are more complicated, as RTKs can interact in the absence of ligand and heterodimerize within and across subfamilies. Here, we review the known cross-subfamily RTK heterointeractions and their possible biological implications, as well as the methodologies which have been used to study them. Moreover, we demonstrate how thermodynamic models can be used to study RTKs and to explain many of the complicated biological effects which have been described in the literature. Finally, we discuss the concept of the RTK interactome: a putative, extensive network of interactions between the RTKs. This RTK interactome can produce unique signaling outputs; can amplify, inhibit, and modify signaling; and can allow for signaling backups. The existence of the RTK interactome could provide an explanation for the irreproducibility of experimental data from different studies and for the failure of some RTK inhibitors to produce the desired therapeutic effects. We argue that a deeper knowledge of RTK interactome thermodynamics can lead to a better understanding of fundamental RTK signaling processes in health and disease. We further argue that there is a need for quantitative, thermodynamic studies that probe the strengths of the interactions between RTKs and their ligands and between different RTKs.

SMAD3 inducing the transcription of STYK1 to promote the EMT process and improve the tolerance of ovarian carcinoma cells to paclitaxel

OBJECTIVE

To figure out the relationship between SMAD3 and serine-threonine tyrosine kinase (STYK1) in ovarian carcinoma cell's paclitaxel resistance.

METHODS

The quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactpostion and Western blot analysis were used to analyze RNA and protein content of SMAD3 and STYK1, respectively. The chromatin immunoprecipitation assay was used to confirm the binding site of SMAD3 to the STYK1 promoter region. Transwell assay was used to detect cell invasion and migration, and Western Blot was used to detect the marker proteins (vimentin and E-cadherin) of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. MTT and apoptosis assay were used to, respectively, measure cell vitality and apoptosis. In vivo experiments, rats were subcutaneously implanted with A2780 cells to establish an animal model of ovarian cancer and the survival curve was drawn.

RESULTS

Upregulating SMAD3 induced the expression of STYK1 in ovarian cancer cell lines. STYK1 is a direct transcriptional target of SMAD3. Upregulating STYK1 improved the paclitaxel resistance of ovarian carcinoma cells. Upregulating STYK1 promoted cell invasion, migration, and the EMT process, and SMAD3 had the same effect with STYK1 on cell invasion, cell migration, and the EMT process. The animal assay showed that downregulating STYK1 inhibited the EMT process and the paclitaxel resistance, further promoting the treatment of cervical cancer.

CONCLUSION

SMAD3 combined with the promoter region of STYK1 to promote the transcription process of STYK1, thereby promoting the EMT process and paclitaxel resistance of ovarian cancer cells.

Low STYK1 expression indicates poor prognosis in gastric cancer

Background

The expression of serine threonine tyrosine kinase 1 (STYK1), a member of the receptor protein tyrosine kinase (RPTK) family, is abnormal in several cancers. However, the molecular mechanism of STYK1 regulation of gastric cancer (GC) progression is unknown.

Materials and methods

We evaluated STYK1 expression in GC tissues and the corresponding normal tissues. Specimens from 93 patients with GC were examined with immunohistochemical staining. The relationship between STYK1 protein expression and the patients' clinicopathological features was assessed. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between STYK1 expression and survival.

Results

STYK1 expression was decreased in GC tissues. Low STYK1 expression was significantly associated with poor tumor differentiation (P=0.023), advanced clinical stage (P=0.021), and poor overall survival (OS; P=0.034). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that STYK1expression was an independent prognostic indicator (HR =0.53, 95% CI =0.29-0.95, P=0.039; HR =0.51, 95% CI =0.24-0.91, P=0.030, respectively).

Conclusion

Downregulated STYK1 expression correlated significantly with poor tumor differentiation, advanced clinical stage, and poor OS in GC. STYK1 might be a diagnostic and prognostic indicator in patients with GC.

Cell cycle-related and expression-elevated protein in tumor overexpression is associated with proliferation behaviors and poor prognosis in non-small-cell lung cancer

The cell cycle‐related and expression‐elevated protein in tumor (CREPT) is overexpressed in several human malignancies. However, the clinical relevance of CREPT expression and its biological role in non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. In this study, we detected the expression of CREPT in both NSCLC tissues and cell lines by immunohistochemistry, Western blot analysis, and RT‐PCR. The correlation between CREPT expression and clinicopathologic features was analyzed in 271 NSCLC patients. The prognostic value of CREPT expression was evaluated by Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis. CREPT was overexpressed in Calu‐1 cell lines by using plasmid vector and its biological function was explored both in vitro and in vivo. We found that CREPT was significantly overexpressed in NSCLC compared with paired adjacent non‐tumor tissues, and the expression level of CREPT was correlated with tumor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and clinical stage. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that the recurrence‐free survival and overall survival of high CREPT expression groups were significantly shorter than those of the low CREPT expression group. Multivariate analysis identified that CREPT might be an independent biomarker for the prediction of NSCLC prognosis. Overexpression of CREPT increased cell proliferation and enhanced the migration and invasion ability of Calu‐1 cells (a human NSCLC cell line with relative low CRPET expression) in vitro. Moreover, CREPT overexpression promoted tumor growth in a nude mice model. These results suggest that CREPT is closely relevant to the proliferation of NSCLC cells and it might be a potential prognostic marker in NSCLC patients.

STYK1 promotes cancer cell proliferation and malignant transformation by activating PI3K-AKT pathway in gallbladder carcinoma

Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is the most common malignancy of the biliary tract with extremely poor prognosis. The malignant transformation of GBC is associated with cell proliferation, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying GBC progression are poorly understood. We found that serine threonine tyrosine kinase 1 (STYK1) was elevated in GBC and was negatively correlated with clinical outcomes and prognosis. Overexpression of STYK1 in GBC cell lines gave rise to increased cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion, thus committing cells to undergoing EMT. In contrast, silence of STYK1 led to opposite effects on cell transformation. Consistent with STYK1 gene knockdown, AKT specific inhibitor MK2206 abrogated tumor promoting action induced by STYK1, suggesting that PI3K/AKT pathway is essential for the oncogenic role of STYK1 in GBC. STYK1 shRNA in GBC cells inhibited development of xenografted tumors compared with control cells. Collectively, our findings suggest that STYK1 is a critical regulator of tumor growth and metastasis, and may serve as a potential target for GBC therapy.

Aberrant expression of STYK1 and E-cadherin confer a poor prognosis for pancreatic cancer patients

Previous studies showed that aberrant Serine/threonine/tyrosine kinase 1 (STYK1, also known as NOK) or/and E-cadherin were involved in the progression of some types of human cancers. However, whether they contributed to the development of pancreatic cancer was unknown. Here, we investigated the prognostic significance of aberrant STYK1 and E-cadherin in pancreatic cancer. Our results showed that STYK1 expression increased while E-cadherin decreased in pancreatic cancer tissues compared with normal pancreas tissues. STYK1 level was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis and clinical stage in pancreatic cancer patients. E-cadherin expression was inversely correlated with STYK1 expression in pancreatic cancer tissue samples. Patients with high STYK1 and low E-cadherin expression had the worst prognosis. In addition, STYK1 knockdown in pancreatic cancer cell lines inhibited cell proliferation, enhanced cell apoptosis, induced cell cycle arrest, and prohibited cell migration, while STYK1 over-expression showed the opposite effects. Silencing STYK1 also increased E-cadherin expression and inhibited epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and p-p38 expression in vitro. Over-expression had showed the opposite trends, and treatment with p38 inhibitor, SB203580, could reverse the trends. Thus, STYK1 repressed E-cadherin expression and promoted EMT, mediated by p38 MAPK signaling pathway, which was the possible mechanism for STYK1-mediated pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and migration. In summary, our results showed that STYK1 might be a prognostic marker for pancreatic cancer patients and might be a novel strategy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

STYK1 promotes Warburg effect through PI3K/AKT signaling and predicts a poor prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

STYK1 (Serine/threonine/tyrosine kinase 1), a member of the receptor tyrosine kinase family, exhibits tumorigenicity in many types of cancers. Our study reveals the important role played by STYK1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. STYK1 is upregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues compared with para-carcinoma. Knockdown of STYK1 inhibits nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while ectopic STYK1 expression significantly promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities. In addition, we provided lines of evidence supporting the critical role of STYK1 in the regulation of glycolysis via activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT pathway. Survival analysis reveals that STYK1 level is an independent prognostic factor for nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. Our results indicate that STYK1 is a promising therapeutic target in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Knockdown of Serine Threonine Tyrosine Kinase 1 (STYK1) Inhibits the Migration and Tumorigenesis in Glioma Cells

Pediatric glioma is a devastating brain tumor. Serine threonine tyrosine kinase 1 (STYK1) is a member of the protein tyrosine kinase family and plays a significant role in the formation of several malignant tumors. However, the expression pattern and role of STYK1 in glioma are not yet clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and molecular mechanism of STYK1 in glioma. The results showed that STYK1 was highly expressed in glioma cell lines. We also found that knockdown of STYK1 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro as well as tumorigenesis in vivo. Furthermore, knockdown of STYK1 significantly decreased the expression levels of phosphorylation of PI3K and Akt in glioma cells. Taken together, our data suggest that STYK1 plays an important role in the development and progression of glioma. Therefore, STYK1 may represent a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of glioma.

Depletion of STYK1 inhibits intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma development both in vitro and in vivo

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) has been reported to be the second most common primary hepatic carcinoma worldwide, and very limited therapies are currently available. Serine threonine tyrosine kinase (STYK1), a member of the receptor tyrosine kinase family, exhibits tumorigenicity in many types of cancers and is a potential therapeutic target for ICC. In this study, STYK1 was knocked down in the ICC cell lines HCCC-9810 and RBE via a lentivirus-mediated system using short hairpin RNA (shRNA). Next, cell proliferation, colony formation, cell cycle progression, tumor formation in nude mice, migration and invasion, and the expression levels of cell cycle proteins in Lv-sh STYK1- or Lv-sh Con-infected cells were analyzed by CCK-8 assay, colony formation evaluation, flow cytometry, tumor formation evaluation, wound scratch assay, transwell assay, and western blotting. The results indicated that depletion of STYK1 inhibits ICC development both in vitro and in vivo.

Serine threonine tyrosine kinase 1 is a potential prognostic marker in colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Aberrant expression of serine threonine tyrosine kinase 1 (STYK1) has been reported in several human malignancies including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the prognostic significance of STYK1 expression in CRC remains unknown.

METHODS

STYK1 protein expression in paraffin-embedded CRC specimens was determined immunohistochemically. The correlation of STYK1 expression with clinicopathologic features was assessed in a cohort containing 353 patients with primary CRC. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between STYK1 expression and patients' survival.

RESULTS

STYK1 expression was frequently up-regulated in CRC clinical samples at the protein levels and was significantly associated with tumor differentiation grade (p = 0.030), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.004), TNM stage (p = 0.007) and patient death (p < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that patients with high intratumoral STYK1 expression had a significantly shorter disease-specific survival (DSS) than those with low expression (p < 0.001). Importantly, high levels of STYK1 protein predicted poor DSS for both stage II (p < 0.001) and stage III (p = 0.004) patients. Furthermore, multivariate analyses revealed that STYK1 protein expression was an independent prognostic indicator for both stage II (hazard ratio [HR], 2.472; p = 0.001) and stage III (HR, 2.001; p = 0.004) patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that increased STYK1 protein expression correlates with disease progression and metastasis and may serve as a predictor of poor survival in CRC.