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Park DJ, Sung PS, Kim JH, Lee GW, Jang JW, Jung ES, Bae SH, Choi JY, Yoon SK. EpCAM-high liver cancer stem cells resist natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity by upregulating CEACAM1. J Immunother Cancer 2020; 8:jitc-2019-000301. [PMID: 32221015 PMCID: PMC7206970 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2019-000301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Natural killer (NK) cells can recognize and kill cancer cells directly, but their activity can be attenuated by various inhibitory molecules expressed on the surface. The expression of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), a potential marker for cancer stem cells (CSCs), is known to be strongly associated with poor clinical outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). NK cells targeting CSCs may be a promising strategy for anti-tumor therapy, but little is known about how they respond to EpCAMhigh CSCs in HCC. Methods EpCAM expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 280 human HCC tissues obtained from curative surgery. To investigate the functional activity of NK cells against liver CSCs, EpCAMhigh and EpCAMlow Huh-7 cells were sorted by flow cytometry. The functional role of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1), which is related to NK cells, was determined by in vitro co-culture of NK cells and hepatoma cells using Hepa1–6 mouse hepatoma cells, as well as in vivo experiments using C57/BL6 mice. Results The frequency of recurrence after curative surgery was higher in patients with positive EpCAM expression than in those with negative EpCAM expression. In subsequent analysis based on the anatomical location of EpCAM expression, patients with peritumoral EpCAM expression showed worse prognosis than those with pantumoral EpCAM expression. Co-culture experiments demonstrated that CEACAM1 was upregulated on the surface of EpCAMhigh HCC cells, resulting in resistance to NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Inversely, silencing CEACAM1 restored cytotoxicity of NK cells against EpCAMhigh Huh-7 cells. Moreover, neutralizing CEACAM1 on the NK cell surface enhanced killing of Huh-7 cells, suggesting that homophilic interaction of CEACAM1 is responsible for attenuated NK cell–mediated killing of CEACAM1high cells. In mouse experiments with Hepa1–6 cells, EpCAMhigh Hepa1–6 cells formed larger tumors and showed higher CEACAM1 expression after NK cell depletion. NK-mediated cytotoxicity was enhanced after blocking CEACAM1 expression using the anti-CEACAM1 antibody, thereby facilitating tumor regression. Moreover, CEACAM1 expression positively correlated with EpCAM expression in human HCC tissues, and serum CEACAM1 levels were also significantly higher in patients with EpCAM+ HCC. Conclusion Our data demonstrated that EpCAMhigh liver CSCs resist NK cell–mediated cytotoxicity by upregulation of CEACAM1 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Jun Park
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Pil Soo Sung
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung-Hee Kim
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Gil Won Lee
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Won Jang
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Sun Jung
- Department of Hospital Pathology, College of Medicine, Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Si Hyun Bae
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Young Choi
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung Kew Yoon
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Xu M, Wang J, Xu Z, Li R, Wang P, Shang R, Cigliano A, Ribback S, Solinas A, Pes GM, Evert K, Wang H, Song X, Zhang S, Che L, Pascale RM, Calvisi DF, Liu Q, Chen X. SNAI1 Promotes the Cholangiocellular Phenotype, but not Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, in a Murine Hepatocellular Carcinoma Model. Cancer Res 2019; 79:5563-5574. [PMID: 31383647 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-18-3750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2018] [Revised: 06/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer and has limited treatment options. Snail family transcriptional repressor 1 (SNAI1) is a master regulator of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and has been implicated in HCC initiation and progression. However, the precise role of SNAI1 and the way it contributes to hepatocarcinogenesis have not been investigated in depth, especially in vivo. Here, we analyzed the functional relevance of SNAI1 in promoting hepatocarcinogenesis in the context of the AKT/c-Met-driven mouse liver tumor model (AKT/c-Met/SNAI1). Overexpression of SNAI1 did not accelerate AKT/c-Met-induced HCC development or induce metastasis in mice. Elevated SNAI1 expression rather led to the formation of cholangiocellular (CCA) lesions in the mouse liver, a phenotype that was paralleled by increased activation of Yap and Notch. Ablation of Yap strongly inhibited AKT/c-Met/SNAI-induced HCC and CCA development, whereas inhibition of the Notch pathway specifically blocked the CCA-like phenotype in mice. Intriguingly, overexpression of SNAI1 failed to induce EMT, indicated by strong E-cadherin expression and lack of vimentin expression by AKT/c-Met/SNAI tumor cells. SNAI1 mRNA levels strongly correlated with the expression of CCA markers, including SOX9, CK19, and EPCAM, but not with EMT markers such as E-CADHERIN and ZO-1, in human HCC samples. Overall, our findings suggest SNAI1 regulates the CCA-like phenotype in hepatocarcinogenesis via regulation of Yap and Notch. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings report a new function of SNAI1 to promote cholangiocellular transdifferentiation instead of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Xu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, P. R. China.,Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, P. R. China.,Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Jingxiao Wang
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California.,School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, PR China
| | - Zhong Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Medical College of Guizhou University, Guiyang, P. R. China
| | - Rong Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, P. R. China
| | - Pan Wang
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California.,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering
| | - Runze Shang
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California.,Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xi'jing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University, Xi'an, P. R. China
| | - Antonio Cigliano
- Institute of Pathology, University Clinic of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Silvia Ribback
- Institute of Pathology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Antonio Solinas
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Giovanni Mario Pes
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Katja Evert
- Institute of Pathology, University Clinic of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Haichuan Wang
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California.,Liver Transplantation Division, Department of Liver Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China
| | - Xinhua Song
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Shu Zhang
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California.,Department of Radiation Oncology and Department of Head and Neck Oncology, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Li Che
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Rosa Maria Pascale
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Diego Francesco Calvisi
- Institute of Pathology, University Clinic of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany. .,Institute of Pathology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Qingguang Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, P. R. China.
| | - Xin Chen
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California
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Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers with high mortality rate. It is a heterogeneous cancer with diverse inter- and intra-heterogeneity, also in terms of histology, prognosis, and molecular profiles. A rapidly growing evidence has demonstrated that some HCCs, if not all, were caused by the activation of the cancer stem cells (CSC), a small population within the cancer that is responsible for the initiation and maintenance of cancer growth. Until now, various populations of hepatic CSC with more than ten different phenotypical protein markers, such as CD133, CD90, EpCAM, CD24, and CD13, have been identified and validated in xenotransplantation models. They are associated with risk factors, prognosis, chemo-resistance, and metastasis. This chapter summarizes available data on different hepatic CSC markers for the development of potential future therapy.
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Uslu S, Alaca N, Kilic KD, Uysal A, Kurtel H. The effects of aerobic exercise frequencies on liver fibrosis, α-fetoprotein and cytokeratin 19 in experimental type 2 diabetes-induced rats: an immunohistochemistry study. Biotech Histochem 2018; 93:615-622. [DOI: 10.1080/10520295.2018.1517898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- S. Uslu
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Medeniyet University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - N. Alaca
- Department of Physiotherapy, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - K. D. Kilic
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Ege University School of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
| | - A. Uysal
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Ege University School of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
| | - H. Kurtel
- Department of Physiology, Marmara University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
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