Periostin mediates epithelial-mesenchymal transition through the MAPK/ERK pathway in hepatoblastoma

Indole-3-carbinol alleviates allergic skin inflammation via periostin/thymic stromal lymphopoietin suppression in atopic dermatitis

BACKGROUND

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic multifactorial inflammatory skin disorder with a complex etiology. Despite its increasing prevalence, treatment of AD is still limited. Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) is found in cruciferous vegetables and is formed when these vegetables are cut, chewed, or cooked; it exerts diverse pharmacological activities.

METHODS

HaCaT keratinocytes stimulated with tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ mixture and NC/Nga mice stimulated with 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzen (DNCB) were used for AD models, in vitro and in vivo, respectively.

RESULTS

The results showed that I3C reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), and periostin in in vitro model. Oral administration of I3C alleviated AD-like skin inflammatory symptoms, including serum IgE levels, epidermal thickening, inflammatory cell infiltration, transepidermal water loss, and scratching behavior. Moreover, I3C decreased the expression of TSLP and periostin and recovered the expression of skin barrier proteins by regulating Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor and inhibiting the mitogen-activated protein kinase and nuclear factor-κB pathways in the skin of DNCB-induced AD mice.

CONCLUSIONS

I3C is suggested as a potential therapeutic alternative for the treatment of AD by repressing allergic inflammatory pathways.

Role of Gut Microbial Metabolites in the Pathogenesis of Primary Liver Cancers

Hepatobiliary malignancies, which include hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), are the sixth most common cancers and the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Hepatic carcinogenesis is highly stimulated by chronic inflammation, defined as fibrosis deposition, and an aberrant imbalance between liver necrosis and nodular regeneration. In this context, the gut-liver axis and gut microbiota have demonstrated a critical role in the pathogenesis of HCC, as dysbiosis and altered intestinal permeability promote bacterial translocation, leading to chronic liver inflammation and tumorigenesis through several pathways. A few data exist on the role of the gut microbiota or bacteria resident in the biliary tract in the pathogenesis of CCA, and some microbial metabolites, such as choline and bile acids, seem to show an association. In this review, we analyze the impact of the gut microbiota and its metabolites on HCC and CCA development and the role of gut dysbiosis as a biomarker of hepatobiliary cancer risk and of response during anti-tumor therapy. We also discuss the future application of gut microbiota in hepatobiliary cancer management.

PTX3 activates POSTN and promotes the progression of glioblastoma via the MAPK/ERK signalling axis

BACKGROUND

Intrinsic brain tumours such as glioblastoma (GBM) are believed to develop from neuroglial stem or progenitor cells. GBM accounts for approximately half of gliomas. GBM has a poor prognosis and a low 5-year survival rate. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is overexpressed in GBM, but the potential mechanism is unclear.

METHODS

Glioblastoma data from the TCGA and CGGA databases were used to analyse PTX3 expression. Subsequently, in vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted to verify the effect of PTX3 silencing in glioma cells on EMT like process and GSC maintenance. The JASPAR database was used to predict the downstream genes of PTX3. POSTN is a novel target gene of PTX3 in gliomas, and this finding was validated using a luciferase reporter gene assay. Western blotting and KEGG enrichment analysis were used to predict the downstream pathway of POSTN, and it was found that the MAPK/ERK pathway might be related to the function of POSTN.

RESULTS

GBM tissues have higher levels of PTX3 expression than normal brain tissues (NBTs). In functional tests, PTX3 promoted the EMT like process of GBM cells while maintaining the stem cell characteristics of GBM stem cells and enhancing their self-renewal. Moreover, we performed a dual luciferase reporter experiment to confirm that PTX3 binds to the POSTN promoter region. In addition, the expression of key proteins in the MAPK/ERK signalling pathway was increased after PTX3 overexpression.

CONCLUSION

POSTN is a direct target of PTX3 that promotes GBM growth via the MAPK/ERK signalling pathway.

Autophagy Inhibition Contributes to Apoptosis of PLK4 Downregulation-induced Dormant Cells in Colorectal Cancer

Dormant cancer cells account for cancer recurrence, distant metastasis and drug resistance which lead to poor prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms regulating tumor cell dormancy and how to eliminate dormant cancer cells. Recent studies indicate autophagy affects dormant tumor cell survival. Here, we found that polo-like kinases 4 (PLK4), a central regulator of the cell cycle and proliferation, plays a crucial role in regulating CRC cells dormancy both in vitro and in vivo. Downregulation of PLK4 induced dormancy and inhibited migration and invasion in different CRC cell lines. Clinically, PLK4 expression was correlated with the dormancy markers (Ki67, p-ERK, p-p38) and late recurrence in CRC tissues. Mechanistically, downregulation of PLK4 induced autophagy contributed to restoring phenotypically aggressive tumor cells to a dormant state through the MAPK signaling pathway, and inhibition of autophagy would trigger apoptosis of dormant cells. Our findings reveal that downregulation of PLK4-induced autophagy contributes to tumor dormancy and autophagy inhibition leads to apoptosis of CRC dormant cells. Our study is the first to report that downregulation PLK4 induced autophagy is an early event in CRC dormancy and highlights autophagy inhibitor as a potential therapeutic target for dormant cell elimination.

The impact of decreased expression of SVEP1 on abnormal neovascularization and poor prognosis in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Introduction: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is one of the most highly heterogeneous malignant solid tumors; it is generally insensitive to clinical treatment and has a poor prognosis. Evidence suggests that abnormal neovascularization in the tumor microenvironment is an important cause of treatment resistance as well as recurrence and metastasis, but the key regulatory molecules are still largely unknown and should be identified. Method: We assessed the novel extracellular matrix protein (ECM) Sushi, von Willebrand factor type A, EGF and pentraxin containing 1 (SVEP1) expression pattern in the ICC by using immunohistochemistry. Multiplex immunofluorescence and Kaplan-Meier analysis were applied to explore the correlation between the low expression of SVEP1 and abnormal blood vessels and the clinical prognosis of ICC. Results: Our study showed that the expression of SVEP1 in most ICC samples was relatively lower than in the adjacent tissues. Statistical analysis suggested that patients with decreased SVEP1 expression always had shorter overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Moreover, the expression of SVEP1 was negatively correlated with the proportion of abnormal neovascularization in the tumor microenvironment of the ICC. Consistently, the key molecule of promoting vascular normalization, Ang-1, is positively correlated with the SVEP1 expression and prognosis in the ICC. In addition, the proportion of high Ki-67 expression was higher in the ICC samples with low SVEP1 expression, suggesting that the SVEP1 low expressed sample is in a malignant phenotype with high proliferation. Conclusion: This study reveals that SVEP1 is a promising prognostic biomarker for ICC and provides fresh insight into the role and potential new mechanism of abnormal neovascularization in ICC progression.

Periostin: an emerging activator of multiple signaling pathways

Matricellular proteins are responsible for regulating the microenvironment, the behaviors of surrounding cells, and the homeostasis of tissues. Periostin (POSTN), a non-structural matricellular protein, can bind to many extracellular matrix proteins through its different domains. POSTN usually presents at low levels in most adult tissues but is highly expressed in pathological sites such as in tumors and inflamed organs. POSTN can bind to diverse integrins to interact with multiple signaling pathways within cells, which is one of its core biological functions. Increasing evidence shows that POSTN can activate the TGF-β, the PI3K/Akt, the Wnt, the RhoA/ROCK, the NF-κB, the MAPK and the JAK pathways to promote the occurrence and development of many diseases, especially cancer and inflammatory diseases. Furthermore, POSTN can interact with some pathways in an upstream and downstream relationship, forming complicated crosstalk. This article focuses on the interactions between POSTN and different signaling pathways in diverse diseases, attempting to explain the mechanisms of interaction and provide novel guidelines for the development of targeted therapies.

Synergistic effects of sodium butyrate and cisplatin against cervical carcinoma in vitro and in vivo

BACKGROUNDS

Cisplatin-based chemotherapy has been considered as the pivotal option for treating cervical cancer. However, some patients may present a poor prognosis due to resistance to chemotherapy. As a metabolite of natural products, sodium butyrate (NaB) could inhibit the proliferation of several malignant cells, but little is known about its combination with cisplatin in the treatment of cervical cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Flow cytometry, CCK-8 assay, and Transwell assay were utilized to analyze the cellular apoptosis, viability, cellular migration and invasion upon treating with NaB and/or cisplatin. The allograft mice model was established, followed by evaluating the tumor volume and necrotic area in mice treated with NaB and/or cisplatin. Western blot was performed for detecting protein expression involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the expression of MMPs. Immunohistochemical staining was conducted with the tumor sections. The transcription, expression, and cellular translocation of β-catenin were determined using luciferase reporter gene assay, Real-Time PCR, Western blot, and confocal laser scanning microscope, respectively.

RESULTS

NaB combined with cisplatin inhibited cell viability by promoting apoptosis of cervical cancer cells. In vivo experiments indicated that NaB combined with cisplatin could inhibit tumor growth and induce cancer cell necrosis. Single application of NaB activated the Wnt signaling pathway and induced partial EMT. NaB alone up-regulated MMP2, MMP7 and MMP9 expression, and promoted the migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells. The combination of cisplatin and NaB inhibited cellular migration and invasion by abrogating the nuclear transition of β-catenin, reverse EMT and down-regulate MMP2, MMP7 and MMP9. Immunohistochemical staining indicated that NaB combined with cisplatin up-regulated the expression of E-cadherin and reverse the EMT phenotype in the mice model.

CONCLUSIONS

NaB serves as a sensitizer for cisplatin, which may be a promising treatment regimen for cervical cancer when combined both. NaB alone should be utilized with caution for treating cervical cancer as it may promote the invasion and migration of cervical cancer cells.

Integrated Analysis Reveals the Gut Microbial Metabolite TMAO Promotes Inflammatory Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Upregulating POSTN

Liver cancer has a high mortality rate. Chronic inflammation is one of the leading causes of hepatocellular carcinoma. Recent studies suggested high levels of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) may correlate with increased risk of inflammatory-induced liver cancer. However, the mechanisms by which TMAO promotes liver cancer remain elusive. Here, we established a model of inflammatory-induced liver cancer by treating Hepa1-6 cells and Huh7 cells with TNF-α. TMAO synergistically increased the proliferation, migration and invasion of Hepa1-6 cells and Huh7 cells in the presence of TNF-α. We conducted bulk RNA-Seq of the TMAO-treated cell model of inflammatory Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and evaluated the influence of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) on clinical prognosis using Kaplan-Meier Plotter Database and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses of tumor microenvironment and DEGs were performed using Timer2.0. Upregulation of POSTN, LAYN and HTRA3 and downregulation of AANAT and AFM were positively related to poorer overall survival in human liver cancer. Moreover, higher expression of POSTN and HTRA3 positively correlated with infiltration of neutrophils, which can promote tumor progression. In vitro experiments showed TMAO activates ILK/AKT/mTOR signaling via POSTN, and knocking down POSTN significantly reduced ILK/AKT/mTOR signaling and the tumorigenicity of Hepa1-6 cells and Huh7 cells. Collectively, our results suggest the gut microbial metabolite TMAO and POSTN may represent potential therapeutic targets for liver cancer.

Periostin promotes the proliferation and metastasis of osteosarcoma by increasing cell survival and activates the PI3K/Akt pathway

BACKGROUND

Silencing of the periostin gene (POSTN) can inhibit the biological process of several different cancers, and this inhibition may be related to down-regulation of PI3K/AKT signaling. However, the effect of POSTN on the progression, proliferation, and invasion of osteosarcoma (OS) remain unclear.

METHODS

We used the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to screen datasets on in situ OS and lung metastases to identify core genes and potential pathways. We used additional bioinformatics tools to identify protein-protein interactions (PPIs) and gene networks, and selected the top seven genes whose expression had the strongest correlations with other genes.

RESULTS

The results indicated that POSTN was a major hub gene. Subsequent analysis of gene expression profiles showed that POSTN was highly expressed in 262 cases with sarcoma and expression was closely related to poor prognosis. We also performed enrichment analysis to identify differentially expressed genes and used real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry analyses to measure POSTN expression in cells and tissues. Transfection of a POSTN-shRNA plasmid into cultured OS cells (Saos-2) effectively inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of these cells. Taken together, our results suggest that POSTN may play a role in promoting the proliferation and metastasis of OS by activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results provide a preliminary characterization of the mechanism by which POSTN may regulate the migration and invasion of OS cells and also provide a theoretical basis for identifying biomarkers that have potential use for the diagnosis and treatment of OS.

Copy Number Alterations in Hepatoblastoma: Literature Review and a Brazilian Cohort Analysis Highlight New Biological Pathways

Hepatoblastoma (HB) is a rare embryonal tumor, although it is the most common pediatric liver cancer. The aim of this study was to provide an accurate cytogenomic profile of this type of cancer, for which information in cancer databases is lacking. We performed an extensive literature review of cytogenetic studies on HBs disclosing that the most frequent copy number alterations (CNAs) are gains of 1q, 2/2q, 8/8q, and 20; and losses at 1p and 4q. Furthermore, the CNA profile of a Brazilian cohort of 26 HBs was obtained by array-CGH; the most recurrent CNAs were the same as shown in the literature review. Importantly, HBs from female patients, high-risk stratification tumors, tumors who developed in older patients (> 3 years at diagnosis) or from patients with metastasis and/or deceased carried a higher diversity of chromosomal alterations, specifically chromosomal losses at 1p, 4, 11q and 18q. In addition, we distinguished three major CNA profiles: no detectable CNA, few CNAs and tumors with complex genomes. Tumors with simpler genomes exhibited a significant association with the epithelial fetal subtype of HBs; in contrast, the complex genome group included three cases with epithelial embryonal histology, as well as the only HB with HCC features. A significant association of complex HB genomes was observed with older patients who developed high-risk tumors, metastasis, and deceased. Moreover, two patients with HBs exhibiting complex genomes were born with congenital anomalies. Together, these findings suggest that a high load of CNAs, mainly chromosomal losses, particularly losses at 1p and 18, increases the tendency to HB aggressiveness. Additionally, we identified six hot-spot chromosome regions most frequently affected in the entire group: 1q31.3q42.3, 2q23.3q37.3, and 20p13p11.1 gains, besides a 5,3 Mb amplification at 2q24.2q24.3, and losses at 1p36.33p35.1, 4p14 and 4q21.22q25. An in-silico analysis using the genes mapped to these six regions revealed several enriched biological pathways such as ERK Signaling, MicroRNAs in Cancer, and the PI3K-Akt Signaling, in addition to the WNT Signaling pathway; further investigation is required to evaluate if disturbances of these pathways can contribute to HB tumorigenesis. The analyzed gene set was found to be associated with neoplasms, abnormalities of metabolism/homeostasis and liver morphology, as well as abnormal embryonic development and cytokine secretion. In conclusion, we have provided a comprehensive characterization of the spectrum of chromosomal alterations reported in HBs and identified specific genomic regions recurrently altered in a Brazilian HB group, pointing to new biological pathways, and relevant clinical associations.

lncRNA Profiles Enable Prognosis Prediction and Subtyping for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as useful prognostic markers in many tumors. In this study, we investigated the potential application of lncRNA markers for the prognostic prediction of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We identified ESCC-associated lncRNAs by comparing ESCC tissues with normal tissues. Subsequently, Kaplan–Meier (KM) method in combination with the univariate Cox proportional hazards regression (UniCox) method was used to screen prognostic lncRNAs. By combining the differential and prognostic lncRNAs, we developed a prognostic model using cox stepwise regression analysis. The obtained prognostic prediction model could effectively predict the 3- and 5-year prognosis and survival of ESCC patients by time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (area under curve = 0.87 and 0.89, respectively). Besides, a lncRNA-based classification of ESCC was generated using k-mean clustering method and we obtained two clusters of ESCC patients with association with race and Barrett’s esophagus (BE) (both P < 0.001). Finally, we found that lncRNA AC007128.1 was upregulated in both ESCC cells and tissues and associated with poor prognosis of ESCC patients. Furthermore, AC007128.1 could promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of ESCC cells by increasing the activation of MAPK/ERK and MAPK/p38 signaling pathways. Collectively, our findings indicated the potentials of lncRNA markers in the prognosis, molecular subtyping, and EMT of ESCC.

miR-876 Inhibits EMT and Liver Fibrosis via POSTN to Suppress Metastasis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background

The asymptomatic onset, frequent recurrence, and poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prompted us to identify new therapeutic targets or predictive markers of HCC diagnosis or prognosis.

Methods

In this study, bioinformatics analysis was used to screen for target miRNAs from the open-access TCGA database. Transwell assays, Western blotting, and qRT-PCR analyses were used to detect cellular functions and gene expression in HCC cells and samples. A nude mouse tumorigenesis model was established to facilitate the observation of HCC progression. Other assays included luciferase reporter assays, IHC, and survival analysis.

Results

We found that the identified miR-876 from TCGA was expressed at low levels in HCC cell lines and that low miR-876 expression was corrected with liver cirrhosis, tumor thrombus, and TNM stage. Further research revealed that miR-876 regulated cell invasion, EMT, and collagen expression by targeting POSTN expression. miR-876 and POSTN were inversely correlated in HCC samples and associated with EMT status and liver fibrosis in clinical HCC tissues. miR-876 inhibited the liver cancer progression in in vivo animal assays. Finally, both miR-876 and POSTN were risk factors for HCC survival, and HCC patients with combined low miR-876 and high POSTN expression had worse prognosis.

Conclusions

miR-876 inhibited HCC EMT and fibrosis by targeting POSTN, thus affecting HCC progression and prognosis. miR-876 and POSTN may be useful therapeutic targets or prognostic markers of HCC.

Pan-cancer analysis reveals the role of long non-coding RNA LINC01614 as a highly cancer-dependent oncogene and biomarker

Long intergenic non-coding RNA 1614 (LINC01614) is highly expressed in several malignant tumor types, suggesting that it may act as an oncogene. However, the specific roles of LINC01614 in malignant tumors have remained elusive. To examine the expression pattern of LINC01614 in various malignancies, a comprehensive pan-cancer analysis was performed using public databases, including 53 normal tissue types and 32 cancer datasets with samples from 9,091 patients. The results were validated using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR analysis of tissue specimens from patients. LINC01614 expression was upregulated in most malignant tumors, thus demonstrating diagnostic potential. Furthermore, upregulation of LINC01614 was associated with poor overall survival in the majority of cases. However, the association with clinical outcome was highly cancer-dependent; LINC01614 appeared to be an oncogene and diagnostic/prognostic biomarker in cancers of the digestive, respiratory, nervous and endocrine systems, as well as breast and head and neck cancer, but not in the cancers of the reproductive system or some of the urinary system. High LINC01614 expression was also markedly associated with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and associated signaling pathways. Overall, the present results suggest that LINC01614 is an EMT-associated oncogene that influences the metastasis and prognosis of several cancers, thus highlighting its potential as a novel diagnostic and prognostic marker.

Functional and genomic characterization of three novel cell lines derived from a metastatic gallbladder cancer tumor

Background

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is the most common tumor of the biliary tract. The incidence of GBC shows a large geographic variability, being particularly frequent in Native American populations. In Chile, GBC represents the second cause of cancer-related death among women. We describe here the establishment of three novel cell lines derived from the ascitic fluid of a Chilean GBC patient, who presented 46% European, 36% Mapuche, 12% Aymara and 6% African ancestry.

Results

After immunocytochemical staining of the primary cell culture, we isolated and comprehensively characterized three independent clones (PUC-GBC1, PUC-GBC2 and PUC-GBC3) by short tandem repeat DNA profiling and RNA sequencing as well as karyotype, doubling time, chemosensitivity, in vitro migration capability and in vivo tumorigenicity assay. Primary culture cells showed high expression of CK7, CK19, CA 19-9, MUC1 and MUC16, and negative expression of mesothelial markers. The three isolated clones displayed an epithelial phenotype and an abnormal structure and number of chromosomes. RNA sequencing confirmed the increased expression of cytokeratin and mucin genes, and also of TP53 and ERBB2 with some differences among the three cells lines, and revealed a novel exonic mutation in NF1. The PUC-GBC3 clone was the most aggressive according to histopathological features and the tumorigenic capacity in NSG mice.

Conclusions

The first cell lines established from a Chilean GBC patient represent a new model for studying GBC in patients of Native American descent.

The Matrix Revolution: Matricellular Proteins and Restructuring of the Cancer Microenvironment

The extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding cells is indispensable for regulating their behavior. The dynamics of ECM signaling are tightly controlled throughout growth and development. During tissue remodeling, matricellular proteins (MCP) are secreted into the ECM. These factors do not serve classical structural roles, but rather regulate matrix proteins and cell-matrix interactions to influence normal cellular functions. In the tumor microenvironment, it is becoming increasingly clear that aberrantly expressed MCPs can support multiple hallmarks of carcinogenesis by interacting with various cellular components that are coupled to an array of downstream signals. Moreover, MCPs also reorganize the biomechanical properties of the ECM to accommodate metastasis and tumor colonization. This realization is stimulating new research on MCPs as reliable and accessible biomarkers in cancer, as well as effective and selective therapeutic targets.

The Emerging Roles of Cancer Stem Cells and Wnt/Beta-Catenin Signaling in Hepatoblastoma

Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common form of primary liver malignancy found in pediatric populations. HB is considered to be clonal and arises from hepatoblasts, or embryonic liver progenitor cells. These less differentiated tumor-initiating progenitor cells, or cancer stem cells (CSCs), may contribute to tumor recurrence and resistance to therapies, and have high metastatic abilities. Phenotypic heterogeneity, undesired genetic and epigenetic alterations, and dysregulated signaling pathways provide CSCs with a survival advantage over current therapies. The molecular and cellular basis of HB and the mechanism of CSC induction are not fully understood. The Wnt/beta-catenin pathway is one of the major developmental pathways and is believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of HB and CSC formation. This review summarizes the cellular and molecular characteristics of HB with a specific emphasis on CSCs and Wnt/beta-catenin signaling.