FOXM 1 induces Vasculogenic mimicry in esophageal cancer through β-catenin /Tcf4 signaling

Gemfibrozil-Platinum(IV) Precursors for New Enhanced-Starvation and Chemotherapy In Vitro and In Vivo

A brand-new enhanced starvation is put forward to trigger sensitized chemotherapy: blocking tumor-relation blood vessel formation and accelerating nutrient degradation and efflux. Following this concept, two cisplatin-like gemfibrozil-derived Pt(IV) prodrugs, GP and GPG, are synthesized. GP and GPG had nanomolar IC50 against A2780 cells and higher selectivity against normal cells than cisplatin. Bioactivity results confirmed that GP and GPG highly accumulated in cells and induced DNA damage, G2-phase arrest, and p53 expression. Besides, they could increase ROS and MDA levels and reduce mitochondrial membrane potential and Bcl-2 expression to promote cell apoptosis. In vivo, GP showed superior antitumor activity in A2780 tumor-bearing mice with no observable tissue damage. Mechanistic studies suggested that highly selective chemotherapy could be due to the new enhanced starvation effect: blocking vasculature formation via inhibiting the CYP2C8/EETs pathway and VEGFR2, NF-κB, and COX-2 expression and cholesterol efflux and degradation acceleration via increasing ABCA1 and PPARα.

Decreased APOC1 expression inhibited cancer progression and was associated with better prognosis and immune microenvironment in esophageal cancer

Several studies have demonstrated the involvement of apolipoprotein C1 (APOC1) in multiple cancers. However, the role of APOC1 in esophageal cancer (ESCA) has not been elucidated. Hence, we examined the expression of APOC1 in ESCA tissues acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and clinical samples from our hospital. An investigation of the association of APOC1 with the clinicopathological characteristics, prognosis, and diagnosis of ESCA was carried out on the basis of survival, receiver operating characteristics, and correlation analyses. Gene ontology, KEGG analysis, and protein-protein interaction network showed that co-expressed APOC1 genes were involved in the functions, mechanisms, and action network. The effects of APOC1 expression on ESCA cells were explored using CCK-8, migration and invasion assays. The relationship between APOC1 expression and ESCA immune-infiltrating cells and cell markers were examined using correlation analysis. We found that APOC1 was overexpressed in TCGA ESCA tissues and the same was validated in clinical ESCA tissues, with the area under the curve for APOC1 being 0.887. Overexpression of APOC1 was associated with short overall survival, disease-specific survival, progression-free interval, T stage, pathological stage, body mass index, and histological grade. Inhibition of APOC1 expression significantly reduced the proliferation, migration, and invasion of ESCA cells. Furthermore, APOC1 expression positively correlated with the ESTIMATE, immune, and stromal scores in ESCA. Overexpression of APOC1 correlated with the tumor purity, B cells, T helper cells, natural killer cells, cytotoxic cells, and other immune cells. Moreover, APOC1 was involved in ESCA progression via T cell receptor, B cell receptor, and other immune signaling pathways. Thus, APOC1 overexpression is expected to be a biomarker for dismal prognosis and diagnosis of ESCA. Inhibition of APOC1 expression significantly reduced the proliferation, migration, and invasion of ESCA cells. Overexpression of APOC1 was associated with the immune microenvironment in ESCA. Thus, APOC1 may be an efficient biomarker for proper prognosis and diagnosis of ESCA.

Fbxo45 promotes the malignant development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by targeting GGNBP2 for ubiquitination and degradation

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common and deadly cancers. Fbxo45, a substrate recognition subunit of E3 ligase, is critically involved in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. However, the function of Fbxo45 and the underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated in ESCC. We used cellular and molecular methods to explore the molecular basis of Fbxo45-mediated ESCC development. We found that ectopic overexpression of Fbxo45 promoted the growth of Kyse-150, Kyse30 and ECA-109 cells and inhibited the apoptosis. Moreover, overexpression of Fbxo45 promoted the migration and invasion of ESCC cells. Consistently, knockdown of Fbxo45 exhibited the opposite effects on ESCC cells. Mechanistically, we observed that Fbxo45 binds to GGNBP2 via its SPRY domain and targets GGNBP2 for ubiquitination and degradation. GGNBP2 overexpression exhibited anticancer activity in ESCC cells. Furthermore, Fbxo45 exerted its functions by regulating GGNBP2 stability in ESCC cells. Notably, overexpression of Fbxo45 facilitated tumor growth in mice. Strikingly, Fbxo45 was highly expressed in ESCC tissues, and GGNBP2 had a lower expression in ESCC specimens. High expression of Fbxo45 and low expression of GGNBP2 were associated with poor prognosis in ESCC patients. Fbxo45 was negatively correlated with GGNBP2 expression in ESCC tissues. Therefore, Fbxo45 serves as an oncoprotein to promote ESCC tumorigenesis by targeting the stability of the tumor suppressor GGNBP2 in ESCC.

CACNA1C-AS2 inhibits cell proliferation and suppresses cell migration and invasion via targeting FBXO45 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways in glioma

Glioma is the most common brain cancer with a poor prognosis, and its underlying molecular mechanisms still needs to be further explored. In the current study, we discovered that an antisense lncRNA, CACNA1C-AS2, suppressed growth, migration and invasion of glioma cells, suggesting that CACNA1C-AS2 functions as a tumor suppressor. Furthermore, we found that CACNA1C-AS2 negatively regulated Fbxo45 protein expression in glioma cells. Impressively, extensive experimental results revealed that Fbxo45 accelerated growth, migration and invasion of glioma cells. Clinically, increased Fbxo45 expression was observed in 75 human glioma tissue samples. Moreover, in vivo experiments also demonstrated that Fbxo45 overexpression enhanced tumor growth in mice. Especially, we further identified that Fbxo45 activated mTORC1 rather than mTORC2 through PI3K/AKT signaling to promote cell growth and motility in glioma cells. Rescue experiments also exhibited that CACNA1C-AS2 inhibited cell growth and motility partly through down-regulating Fbxo45 expression in glioma. Our results provide the novel insights into the critical role of CACNA1C-AS2/Fbxo45/mTOR axis involved in regulating glioma tumorigenesis and progression, and further indicate that CACNA1C-AS2 and Fbxo45 may be the potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for glioma.

Immunotherapy checkpoints in ovarian cancer vasculogenic mimicry: Tumor immune microenvironments, and drugs

Vasculogenic mimicry (VM), a vessel-like structure independent of endothelial cells, commonly exists in solid tumors which requires blood vessels to grow. As a special source of blood supply for tumor progression to a more aggressive state, VM has been observed in a variety of human malignant tumors and is tightly associated with tumor proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and poor patient prognosis. So far, various factors, including immune cells and cytokines, were reported to regulate ovarian cancer progression by influencing VM formation. Herein, we review the mechanisms that regulate VM formation in ovarian cancer and the effect of cells, cytokines, and signaling molecules in the tumor microenvironment on VM formation, Furthermore, we summarize the current clinical application of drugs targeting VM formation.

Orchestrated expression of vasculogenic mimicry and laminin-5γ2 is an independent prognostic marker in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Vasculogenic mimicry (VM), an endothelial cell-independent alternative mechanism of blood supply to the malignant tumour, has long been considered as an adverse prognostic factor in many cancers. The correlation of VM with laminin-5γ2 and the assessment of their harmonized expression as an independent risk factor have not been elucidated yet in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). CD31/PAS staining stratified 116 clinically diagnosed OSCC specimens into VM+ and VM- cohorts. The expression pattern of laminin-5γ2 and its upstream modulator MMP2 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. The Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were performed to assess the survival and prognostic implications. The presence of VM demonstrated a significant correlation with the expression of laminin-5γ2 (p < .001) and MMP2 (p < .001). This pattern was mirrored by the significant upregulation of laminin-5γ2 and MMP2 in VM+ cohorts compared with the VM- ones. Furthermore, co-expression of VM and laminin-5γ2 was significantly associated with tumour grade (p = .010), primary tumour size (p < .001), lymph node metastasis (p = .001) and TNM stages (p < .001) but not with patients' age, gender, tobacco and alcohol consumption habit. Vasculogenic mimicry and laminin-5γ2 double-positive cohort displayed a significantly poorer disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Vasculogenic mimicry, laminin-5γ2 and their subsequent dual expression underlie a significant prognostic value for DFS [hazard ratio (HR) = 9.896, p = .028] and OS [HR = 21.401, p = .033] in OSCC patients. Together, our findings imply that VM along with laminin-5γ2 is strongly linked to the malignant progression in OSCC and VM and laminin-5γ2 coordination emerges as a critical prognostic biomarker for OSCC.

Folic Acid Inhibited Vasculogenic Mimicry in Esophageal Cancer Cell Line Eca-109, the One Target Was EphA2

The degree of vasculogenic mimicry(VM) is correlated with the prognosis of esophageal cancer, and folic acid supplementation could decrease esophagus cancer deaths among populations. This study aimed to explore the effect of folic acid on VM formation of esophageal cancer cell, and the target. Human esophageal squamous cancer cell lines(Eca-109) were cultured with different concentrations of folic acid (0,1,10,100,200,400, 600,800 μg/ml). A cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to measure the cell proliferation. Then, the amount of VM under the effect of different concentrations of folic acid was observed. Target genes were screened out from several possible targets genes including MMP2, MMP9, EphA2, VE-cad or Ln-5γ2 by employing reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR). Finally, western blot analysis was used to verify the target proteins. In conclusion, this study found that folic acid inhibited the formation of VM in Eca-109 cells, and the one target protein was EphA2.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress inhibits 3D Matrigel-induced vasculogenic mimicry of breast cancer cells via TGF-β1/Smad2/3 and β-catenin signaling

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is a cellular stress condition involving disturbance in the folding capacity of the ER caused by endogenous and exogenous factors. ER stress signaling pathways affect tumor malignant growth, angiogenesis and progression, and promote the antitumor effects of certain drugs. However, the impact of ER stress on the vasculogenic mimicry (VM) phenotype of cancer cells has not been well addressed. VM is a phenotype that mimics vasculogenesis by forming patterned tubular networks, which are related to stemness and aggressive behaviors of cancer cells. In this study, we used tunicamycin (TM), the unfolded protein response (UPR)-activating agent, to induce ER stress in aggressive triple-negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, which exhibit a VM phenotype in 3D Matrigel cultures. TM-induced ER stress was able to inhibit the VM phenotype. In addition to the tumor spheroid phenotype observed upon inhibiting the VM phenotype, we observed alterations in glycosylation of integrin β1, loss of VE-cadherin and a decrease in stem cell marker Bmi-1. Further study revealed decreased activated transforming growth factor β1, Smad2/3, Phospho-Smad2 and β-catenin. β-Catenin knockdown markedly inhibited the VM phenotype and resulted in the loss of VE-cadherin. The data suggest that the activation of ER stress inhibited VM phenotype formation of breast cancer cells via both the transforming growth factor β1/Smad2/3 and β-catenin signaling pathways. The discovery of prospective regulatory mechanisms involved in ER stress and VM in breast cancer could lead to more precisely targeted therapies that inhibit vessel formation and affect tumor progression.

LncRNA MCF2L-AS1 aggravates proliferation, invasion and glycolysis of colorectal cancer cells via the crosstalk with miR-874-3p/FOXM1 signaling axis

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate a series of biological processes, and their anomalous expression exerts critical roles in progression of multiple malignancies, including colorectal cancer (CRC). The present study was designed to provide new ideas and perspectives for the role of lncRNA MCF2L-AS1 and disclose the underlying mechanism in CRC. Herein, we observed that MCF2L-AS1 expression was enriched in CRC tissues and cell lines. Additionally, silencing of MCF2L-AS1 dramatically impeded cell proliferation, invasion and migration capacities of CRC, and distinctly attenuated the expression of invasion associated targets MMP-2 and MMP-9. Moreover, depletion of MCF2L-AS1 apparently restricted the glucose consumption and lactate production, and downregulated GLUT1 and LDHA expression. More importantly, we predicted and verified that MCF2L-AS1 acted as a molecular sponge for miR-874-3p and inversely regulated miR-874-3p expression. Interesting, FOXM1 was identified as direct target of miR-874-3p, and positively modulated by MCF2L-AS1 through sponging miR-874-3p. Mechanistically, MCF2L-AS1 accelerated cell proliferation, invasion and glycolysis through competitively binding to miR-874-3p, leading to enhance FOXM1 expression. Collectively, these outcomes highlighted that MCF2L-AS1 acted as a motivator by modulating the miR-874-3p/FOXM1 axis, thereby aggravating tumorigenesis and glycolysis progress of CRC, disclosing that MCF2L-AS1 may serve as a valuable and promising therapeutic strategy for CRC.