Overexpression of EMMPRIN isoform 2 is associated with head and neck cancer metastasis

Extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer expression in histological grades of oral squamous cell carcinoma - An immunohistochemical study

Background:

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type of head-and-neck cancer. It is a complex and relentless malignancy prone to local invasion and dissemination. An insight into the molecular alterations associated with metastasis will provide critical insights into the fundamental mechanisms underlying its progression and further contribute to improvements in the clinical management of H and N cancer patients. Hence, identifying specific biomarkers would pave the way for early detection and prognosis of OSCC. Extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) is a membrane-bound glycoprotein found on the surface of tumor cells. It plays a central role in the promotion of tumor invasion, progression and metastasis as it upregulates matrix metalloproteinases secreted from adjacent fibroblasts. There is a paucity of studies on the expression of EMMPRIN in OSCC.

Objectives:

The aim is to assess the immunohistochemical expression of EMMPRIN in OSCC and to compare it with the clinicopathological parameters and histological grades of OSCC.

Materials and Methods:

Thirty histopathologically diagnosed cases of OSCC were included in the study. The slides were immunohistochemically analyzed for EMMPRIN expression and correlated with the clinicopathological parameters and histological grades of OSCC.

Results:

EMMPRIN expression was noted in all 30 cases of OSCC. Strong EMMPRIN expression was noted in the advanced clinical stages of OSCC. Higher histological grades of OSCC exhibited strong EMMPRIN expression.

Conclusion:

EMMPRIN overexpression indicates that this protein could be used as an important biological prognostic marker to identify high-risk OSCC patients.

Copy number variation in progression of inverted papilloma to squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal cavity

Inverted papilloma (IP) is a benign tumor occurring in nasal cavity. It can recur or progress to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The molecular mechanism of their biologic behavior is not fully revealed. Copy number variation (CNV) may contribute to progression of IP. We performed microarray comparative genome hybridization (aCGH). Five cases of IP, 2 cases of IP with dysplasia, 7 cases of SCC arising in a background of IP were submitted. The average numbers of somatic CNVs and copy number variable regions (CNVRs) were 991.9 and 866.9, respectively. Gain of 19p13.3, including 30 protein-coding genes, was observed in 2 IP and 7 SCC cases. Among those genes, BSG encoding the extracellular matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inducer (EMMPRIN)/CD147 may play more important role in the progression of IP to SCC. Further study for validation of the aCGH result is necessary.

S100-A9 protein in exosomes from chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells promotes NF-κB activity during disease progression

Plasma-derived exosomes from patients with CLL exhibit different protein cargo compositions depending on disease status and progression. S100-A9 protein is overexpressed and S100-A9 cargo in exosomes activates NF-κB pathway in patients with CLL during disease progression.

Upregulation of CD147 Promotes Metastasis of Cholangiocarcinoma by Modulating the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transitional Process

CD147 is a transmembrane protein that can induce the expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Expression of CD147 has been shown to potentiate cell migration, invasion, and metastasis of cancer. In this study, the critical role of CD147 in metastasis was elucidated using CD147-overexpressing cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cells in vitro and in vivo. The molecular mechanism, demonstrated herein, supported the hypothesis that metastasis increased in CD147-overexpressing cells. Five CD147-overexpressing clones (Ex-CD147) were established from a low CD147-expressing CCA cell line, KKU-055, using lentivirus containing pReceiver-Lenti-CD147. The metastatic capability was determined using the tail vein injection mouse model and an in vitro 3D invasion assay. Liver colonization was assessed using anti-HLA class I immunohistochemistry. Adhesion abilities, cytoskeletal arrangements, MMP activities, the expressions of adhesion molecules, and epithelial-mesenchymal transitional markers were analyzed. All Ex-CD147 clones exhibited a high CD147 expression and high liver colonization in the tail vein-injected mouse model, whereas parental cells lacked this ability. Ex-CD147 clones exhibited metastatic phenotypes (i.e., an increase in F-actin rearrangement) and cell invasion and a decrease in cell adhesion. The molecular mechanisms were shown to be via the induction of MMP-2 activity and enhancement of epithelial-mesenchymal transitions. An increase in mesenchymal markers Slug, vimentin, and N-cadherin, and a decrease in epithelial markers E-cadherin and claudin-1, together with suppression of the adhesion molecule ICAM-1, were observed in the Ex-CD147 clones. Moreover, suppression of CD147 expression using siCD147 in two CCA cell lines with high CD147 expression significantly decreased cell migration and invasion of these CCA cells. These findings emphasize the essential role of CD147 in CCA metastasis and suggest CD147 as a promising target for the effective treatment of CCA.

Cancer stem cell markers in patterning differentiation and in prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Differentiation is a major histological parameter determining tumor aggressiveness and prognosis of the patient; cancer stem cells with their slow dividing and undifferentiated nature might be one of the factors determining the same. This study aims to correlate cancer stem cell markers (CD44 and CD147) with tumor differentiation and evaluate their subsequent effect on prognosis. Immunohistochemical analysis in treatment naïve oral cancer patients (n = 53) indicated that the expression of CD147 was associated with poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma and moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (p < 0.01). Furthermore, co-expression analysis showed that 45% each of moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma and poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma patients were CD44^high/CD147^high as compared to only 10% of patients with well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. A three-way analysis indicated that differentiation correlated with recurrence and survival (p < 0.05) in only the patients with CD44^high/CD147^high cohort. Subsequently, relevance of these cancer stem cell markers in patterning the differentiation characteristics was evaluated in oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines originating from different grades of oral cancer. Flowcytometry-based analysis indicated an increase in CD44⁺/CD147⁺ cells in cell lines of poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (94.35 ± 1.14%, p < 0.001) and moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma origin (93.49 ± 0.47%, p < 0.001) as compared to cell line of well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma origin (23.12% ± 0.49%). Expression profiling indicated higher expression of cancer stem cell and epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers in SCC029B (poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma originated; p ≤ 0.001), which was further translated into increased spheroid formation, migration, and invasion (p < 0.001) as compared to cell line of well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma origin. This study suggests that CD44 and CD147 together improve the prognostic efficacy of tumor differentiation; in vitro results further point out that these markers might be determinant of differentiation characteristics, imparting properties of increased self-renewal, migration, and invasion.

Implications of cancer stem cells in developing therapeutic resistance in oral cancer

Conventional therapeutics are often frequented with recurrences, refraction and regimen resistance in oral cavity cancers which are predominantly manifested by cancer stem cells (CSCs). During oncoevolution, cancer cells may undergo structural and functional reprogramming wherein they evolve as highly tolerant CSC phenotypes with greater survival advantages. The CSCs possess inherent and exclusive properties including self-renewal, hierarchical differentiation, and tumorigenicity that serve as the basis of chemo-radio-resistance in oral cancer. However, the key mechanisms underlying the CSC-mediated therapy resistance need to be further elucidated. A spectrum of dysfunctional cellular pathways including the developmental signaling, apoptosis, autophagy, cell cycle regulation, DNA damage responses and epigenetic regulations protect the CSCs from conventional therapies. Moreover, tumor niche shelters CSCs and creates an immunosuppressive environment favoring the survival of CSCs. Maintenance of lower redox status, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), metabolic reprogramming and altered drug responses are the accessory features that aid in the process of chemo-radio-resistance in oral CSCs. This review deals with the functional and molecular basis of cancer cell pluripotency-associated resistance highlighting the abrupt fundamental cellular processes; targeting these events may hold a great promise in the successful treatment of oral cancer.

Prognostic significance of monocarboxylate transporter expression in oral cavity tumors

BACKGROUND

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common type of cancer. The majority of patients present advanced stage disease and has poor survival. Therefore, it is imperative to search for new biomarkers and new alternative and effective treatment options. Most cancer cells rely on aerobic glycolysis to generate energy and metabolic intermediates. This phenotype is a hallmark of cancer, characterized by an increase in glucose consumption and production of high amounts of lactate. Consequently, cancer cells need to up-regulate many proteins and enzymes related with the glycolytic metabolism. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterize metabolic phenotype of oral cavity cancers (OCC) by assessing the expression pattern of monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) 1, 2 and 4 and other proteins related with the glycolytic phenotype.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of MCT1, MCT4, CD147, GLUT1 and CAIX in 135 human samples of OCC and investigated the correlation with clinicopathological parameters and the possible association with prognosis.

RESULTS

We observed that all proteins analyzed presented significantly higher plasma membrane expression in neoplastic compared to non-neoplastic samples. MCT4 was significantly associated with T-stage and advanced tumoral stage, while CD147 was significantly correlated with histologic differentiation. Interestingly, tumors expressing both MCT1 and MCT4 but negative for MCT2 were associated with shorter overall survival.

CONCLUSION

Overexpression of MCT1/4, CD147, GLUT1 and CAIX, supports previous findings of metabolic reprograming in OCC, warranting future studies to explore the hyper-glycolytic phenotype of these tumors. Importantly, MCT expression revealed to have a prognostic value in OCC survival.

miR-22 regulates cell invasion, migration and proliferation in vitro through inhibiting CD147 expression in tongue squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is the most common type of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in China, and its survival rate remains unsatisfactory. miR-22 has been identified as a tumor suppressor in many human cancers, and high expression of CD147 occurs in many tumors. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression and function of miR-22 in TSCC and its relationship with the expression of CD147.

METHODS

TCA8113 cells were transiently transfected with a miR-22 mimic/inhibitor. Subsequently, a validation with Real-time RT-PCR was performed to analyze the miR-22 expression level, and a CCK-8 proliferation assay and transwell migration and invasion assays were carried out. Cotransfections using As-miR-22/si-CD147 mRNA or a miR-22/CD147 overexpression vector were applied, and we investigated the biological effects on cotranscribed TCA8113 cells.

RESULTS

qRT-PCR confirmed that miR-22 or As-miR-22 were successfully transfected into TCA8113 cells. Suppressing miR-22 resulted in a promotion of cell proliferation and motility and an up-regulation of CD147 in TCA8113 cells in vitro. In contrast, increasing miR-22 inhibited cell proliferation and motility and down-regulated CD147. Furthermore, the reduction or overexpression of CD147 can reverse the promoting or suppressive effects of miR-22, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The down-expression of miR-22 can regulate cell growth and motility in TSCC cells, which indicates that miR-22 acts as a tumor suppressor in TSCC. Additionally, CD147 is subsequently up-regulated when miR-22 inhibited. Taken together, the findings of this research defined a novel relationship between the down-regulation of miR-22 and the up-regulation of CD147 and demonstrated that CD147 is a downstream factor of miR-22.

A Review: Proteomics in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Although radiotherapy is generally effective in the treatment of major nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), this treatment still makes approximately 20% of patients radioresistant. Therefore, the identification of blood or biopsy biomarkers that can predict the treatment response to radioresistance and that can diagnosis early stages of NPC would be highly useful to improve this situation. Proteomics is widely used in NPC for searching biomarkers and comparing differentially expressed proteins. In this review, an overview of proteomics with different samples related to NPC and common proteomics methods was made. In conclusion, identical proteins are sorted as follows: Keratin is ranked the highest followed by such proteins as annexin, heat shock protein, 14-3-3σ, nm-23 protein, cathepsin, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins, enolase, triosephosphate isomerase, stathmin, prohibitin, and vimentin. This ranking indicates that these proteins may be NPC-related proteins and have potential value for further studies.

Mechanisms of Invasion in Head and Neck Cancer

CONTEXT

The highly invasive properties demonstrated by head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are often associated with locoregional recurrence and lymph node metastasis in patients and is a key factor leading to an expected 5-year survival rate of approximately 50% for patients with advanced disease. It is important to understand the features and mediators of HNSCC invasion so that new treatment approaches can be developed.

OBJECTIVES

To provide an overview of the characteristics, mediators, and mechanisms of HNSCC invasion.

DATA SOURCES

A literature review of peer-reviewed articles in PubMed on HNSCC invasion.

CONCLUSIONS

Histologic features of HNSCC tumors can help predict prognosis and influence clinical treatment decisions. Cell surface receptors, signaling pathways, proteases, invadopodia function, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, microRNAs, and tumor microenvironment are all involved in the regulation of the invasive behavior of HNSCC cells. Identifying effective HNSCC invasion inhibitors has the potential to improve outcomes for patients by reducing the rate of spread and increasing responsiveness to chemoradiation.

EMMPRIN in gynecologic cancers: pathologic and therapeutic aspects

The highly glycosylated transmembrane protein extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) is associated with several pathological conditions, including various types of cancers. In different gynecological malignancies, such as ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers, EMMPRIN plays significant roles in cell adhesion modulation, tumor growth, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis by inducing the production of various molecules, including matrix metalloproteinases and vascular endothelial growth factor. Because of its high level of expression, EMMPRIN can possibly be used as a diagnostic marker of gynecological cancers. Recent studies have showed that targeting EMMPRIN, especially by RNA interference (RNAi) technology, has promising therapeutic potential in basic research on gynecological cancer treatments, which make a platform for the future clinical success. This review study focused on the association of EMMPRIN in gynecological cancers in the perspectives of pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapeutics.

Downregulation of MACC1 inhibits invasion, migration and proliferation, attenuates cisplatin resistance and induces apoptosis in tongue squamous cell carcinoma

The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression and function of metastasis-associated in colon cancer 1 (MACC1) in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) and its relationship with the expression of extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) (CD147). Levels of MACC1 and EMMPRIN expression were analyzed in 65 paraffin‑embedded tissue specimens of TSCC and in the adjacent non-cancerous tissues using immunohistochemistry (IHC). MACC1 expression was highly associated with lymphatic metastasis and EMMPRIN expression. Overexpression of MACC1 was significantly correlated with poor overall patient survival. A small interfering RNA (siRNA) was delivered into TSCCA cells to downregulate MACC1 expression. The CCK-8 assay showed that TSCCA cell proliferation was markedly reduced and that cisplatin resistance was attenuated. The suppression of MACC1 promoted the apoptosis of the TSCCA cell line. A Transwell experiment demonstrated that the migration and invasion abilities of the TSCCA cells were extremely downregulated. An ELISA experiment and western blotting revealed that the secretion of urokinase-type plasminogen activator system (uPA) in the supernatant of the culture medium and uPA expression were significantly reduced. Experiments revealed that the secretion of metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) in the supernatant of the culture medium and MMP2 expression were not affected. MACC1 may serve as a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for TSCC.

The biological function and clinical utilization of CD147 in human diseases: a review of the current scientific literature

CD147 or EMMPRIN is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily in humans. It is widely expressed in human tumors and plays a central role in the progression of many cancers by stimulating the secretion of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and cytokines. CD147 regulates cell proliferation, apoptosis, and tumor cell migration, metastasis and differentiation, especially under hypoxic conditions. CD147 is also important to many organ systems. This review will provide a detailed overview of the discovery, characterization, molecular structure, diverse biological functions and regulatory mechanisms of CD147 in human physiological and pathological processes. In particular, recent studies have demonstrated the potential application of CD147 not only as a phenotypic marker of activated regulatory T cells but also as a potential diagnostic marker for early-stage disease. Moreover, CD147 is recognized as an effective therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and other cancers, and exciting clinical progress has been made in HCC treatment using CD147-directed monoclonal antibodies.