Knockdown of CHPF suppresses cell progression of non-small-cell lung cancer

Chondroitin polymerizing factor promotes development and progression of colorectal cancer via facilitating transcription of VEGFB

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a highly prevalent malignancy affecting the digestive system on a global scale. This study aimed to explore the previously unexplored role of CHPF in the progression of CRC. Our results revealed a significant upregulation of CHPF expression in CRC tumour tissues compared to normal tissues, with its levels correlating with tumour malignancy. In vitro experiments using CRC cell lines demonstrated that inhibiting CHPF expression suppressed cell proliferation, colony formation and cell migration, while promoting apoptosis. Conversely, overexpressing CHPF had the opposite effect. Additionally, our xenograft models in mice confirmed the inhibitory impact of CHPF knockdown on CRC progression using various cell models. Mechanistic investigations unveiled that CHPF may enhance VEGFB expression through E2F1-mediated transcription. Functionally, suppressing VEGFB expression successfully mitigated the oncogenic effects induced by CHPF overexpression. Collectively, these findings suggest that CHPF may act as a tumour promoter in CRC, operating in a VEGFB-dependent manner and could be a potential target for therapeutic interventions in CRC treatment.

MiR-214-3p overexpression-triggered chondroitin polymerizing factor (CHPF) inhibition modulates the ferroptosis and metabolism in colon cancer

Colon cancer is a common cancer with high mortality globally. The role of chondroitin polymerizing factor (CHPF) has been elucidated in various cancers. However, its role and mechanism remain unknown in colon cancer. CHPF expression was examined by GEPIA database, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot. The relationship between CHPF expression and the clinicopathologic characteristics as well as miR-214-3p level was determined in colon cancer patients. The role and mechanism of CHPF in the growth, ferroptosis, and glycolysis of colon cancer cells were evaluated by cell counting kit-8, biochemical detections, luciferase, and western blot experiments. Additionally, the role of CHPF was explored in xenografted mice. CHPF expression was increased and was related to advanced TNM stage, poor differentiation and shorter overall survival in patients with colon cancer. Knockdown of CHPF inhibited colon cancer cell growth, and downregulated the expression of proteins involving in ferroptosis and glycolysis both in vitro and in vivo. Besides, CHPF silencing increased the levels of ferrous iron and ROS, but decreased glucose uptake, lactate product, and ATP level in vitro. Mechanically, miR-214-3p directly targeted CHPF and negatively regulated its expression. Upregulation of miR-214-3p reduced cell viability, glucose uptake, lactate product, and ATP level, but increased the levels of ferrous iron and ROS, which were reversed by the overexpression of CHPF. Upregulation of CHPF predicted poor prognosis, and miR-214-3p/CHPF axis inhibited growth, downregulated the levels of glycolysis-related indexes, and promoted ferroptosis in colon cancer cells.

Activation of CHPF by transcription factor NFIC promotes NLRP3 activation during the progression of colorectal cancer

Given the role of chondroitin polymerizing factor (CHPF) in several cancers, we investigated its role in the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) and its association with NLRP3 inflammasome activation. High expression of CHPF in CRC predicted poor patient prognosis. Using colony formation, EdU staining, wound healing, Transwell invasion, and flow cytometry assays, we revealed that the downregulation of CHPF inhibited the malignant behavior of CRC cells. CHPF promoted NLRP3 inflammasome activation by inducing the MAPK signaling pathway, as evidenced by enhanced expression of Phos-ERK1/2, Phos-MEK1, Phos-MEK2, and NLRP3. Additionally, nuclear factor 1 C-type (NFIC) was revealed as a potential upstream transcription factor of CHPF in the modulation of CRC, and the anti-tumor effects elicited through its knockdown were compromised by CHPF in vitro and in vivo. In summary, we demonstrated that NFIC promoted NLRP3 activation to support CRC development via the CHPF-mediated MAPK signaling.

The HNF4A-CHPF pathway promotes proliferation and invasion through interactions with MAD1L1 in glioma

Chondroitin polymerizing factor (CHPF) is an important glycosyltransferases that participates in the biosynthesis of chondroitin sulfate (CS). Our previous study showed that silencing CHPF expression inhibited glioma cell proliferation in vitro, but the molecular mechanisms by which CHPF contributes to development of glioma have not been characterized. In this study, we found that CHPF was up-regulated in glioma tissues and was positively correlated with malignant clinical pathological characteristics of patients with glioma. Silencing CHPF expression inhibited proliferation, colony formation, migration, and cell cycle of glioma cells. Moreover, silencing CHPF suppressed glioma malignance in vivo. Immunoprecipitation, co-immunoprecipitation, GST pulldown, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assays were used to verify the interaction between CHPF and Mitotic arrest deficient 1-like 1 (MAD1L1). In addition, Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-PCR analysis showed that HNF4A bound to the CHPF promoter region, which indicated that the transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor 4A (HNF4A) could regulate the expression of CHPF in glioma cells.

Chondroitin polymerizing factor predicts a poor prognosis and promotes breast cancer progression via the upstream TGF-β1/SMAD3 and JNK axis activation

Aberrant composition of glycans in the tumor microenvironment (TME) contributes to tumor progression and metastasis. Chondroitin polymerizing factor (CHPF) is a glycosyltransferase that catalyzes the biosynthesis of chondroitin sulfate (CS). It is also correlated to transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) expression, a crucial mediator in the interaction of cancer cells with TME. In this study, we investigated the association of CHPF expression with the clinicopathological features of breast cancer (BRCA), as well the oncogenic effect and the underling mechanisms of CHPF upon BRCA cells. We found that CHPF expression is significantly increased in human BRCA tissues, and it is positively associated with TGF-β expression (r = 0.7125). The high-expression of CHPF predicts a poor prognosis and is positively correlated with tumor mass, lymph node metastasis, clinical staging and HER-2 negative-expression. The mechanistic study revealed that it promotes BRCA cell proliferation, migration and invasion through TGF-β1-induced SMAD3 and JNK activation in vitro, JNK (SP600125) or SMAD3 (SIS3) inhibitor can remove the promotion of CHPF upon cell proliferation, migration and invasion in MDA-MB-231 cells, which is derived from triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Collectively, our finding suggested CHPF may function as an oncogene and is highly expressed in human BRCA tissues. Pharmacological blockade of the upstream of JNK or SMAD3 signaling may provide a novel therapeutic target for refractory TNBC patients with CHPF abnormal high-expression.

Bioinformatics and Experimental Analysis of the Prognostic and Predictive Value of the CHPF Gene on Breast Cancer

Background

Recent studies in the United States have shown that breast cancer accounts for 30% of all new cancer diagnoses in women and has become the leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. Chondroitin Polymerizing Factor (CHPF), is an enzyme involved in chondroitin sulfate (CS) elongation and a novel key molecule in the poor prognosis of many cancers. However, its role in the development and progression of breast cancer remains unclear.

Methods

The transcript expression of CHPF in the Cancer Genome Atlas-Breast Cancer (TCGA-BRCA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was analyzed separately using the limma package of R software, and the relationship between CHPF transcriptional expression and CHPF DNA methylation was investigated in TCGA-BRCA. Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted using the Survival package to further assess the prognostic impact of CHPF DNA methylation/expression. The association between CHPF transcript expression/DNA methylation and cancer immune infiltration and immune markers was investigated using the TIMER and TISIDB databases. We also performed gene ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis with the clusterProfiler package. Western blotting and RT-PCR were used to verify the protein level and mRNA level of CHPF in breast tissue and cell lines, respectively. Small interfering plasmids and lentiviral plasmids were constructed for transient and stable transfection of breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and SUM1315, respectively, followed by proliferation-related functional assays, such as CCK8, EDU, clone formation assays; migration and invasion-related functional assays, such as wound healing assay and transwell assays. We also conducted a preliminary study of the mechanism.

Results

We observed that CHPF was significantly upregulated in breast cancer tissues and correlated with poor prognosis. CHPF gene transcriptional expression and methylation are associated with immune infiltration immune markers. CHPF promotes proliferation, migration, invasion of the breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and SUM1315, and is significantly enriched in pathways associated with the ECM-receptor interaction and PI3K-AKT pathway.

Conclusion

CHPF transcriptional expression and DNA methylation correlate with immune infiltration and immune markers. Upregulation of CHPF in breast cancer promotes malignant behavior of cancer cells and is associated with poorer survival in breast cancer, possibly through ECM-receptor interactions and the PI3K-AKT pathway.

Four Immune-Related Genes (FN1, UGCG, CHPF2 and THBS2) as Potential Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers for Carbon Nanotube-Induced Mesothelioma

Background

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), a highly aggressive cancer, was mainly attributed to asbestos exposure. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) share similar negative features to asbestos, provoking concerns about their contribution to MPM. This study was used to identify genes associated with CNT-induced MPM.

Methods

Microarray datasets were available in the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The limma method was used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in CNT-exposed MeT5A cells (GSE48855) or mice (GSE51636). Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network construction were conducted to screen hub DEGs. The mRNA expression levels of hub DEGs were validated on MPM samples of GSE51024, GSE2549 and GSE42977 datasets, and their diagnostic efficacy was determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The prognostic values of hub DEGs were assessed using online tools based on The Cancer Genome Atlas data. Their functions were annotated by Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) enrichment and correlation with immune cells and markers.

Results

WGCNA identified that two modules were associated with disease status. Thirty-one common DEGs in the GSE48855 and GSE51636 datasets were overlapped with the genes in these two modules. Twenty of them had a high degree centrality (≥4) in the PPI network. Four DEGs (FN1, fibronectin 1; UGCG, UDP-glucose ceramide glucosyltransferase; CHPF2, chondroitin polymerizing factor 2; and THBS2, thrombospondin 2) could predict the overall survival, and they were confirmed to be upregulated in MPM samples compared with controls. Also, they could effectively predict the MPM risk, with an overall accuracy of >0.9. DAVID analysis revealed FN1, CHPF2 and THBS2 functioned in cell-ECM interactions; UGCG influenced glycosphingolipid metabolism. All genes were positively associated with infiltrating levels of immune cells (macrophages or dendritic cells) and the expression of the dendritic cell marker (NRP1, neuropilin 1).

Conclusion

These four immune-related genes represent potential biomarkers for monitoring CNT-induced MPM and predicting the prognosis.

Identification of chondroitin polymerizing factor (CHPF) as tumor promotor in cholangiocarcinoma through regulating cell proliferation, cell apoptosis and cell migration

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a variety of biliary epithelial tumors involving intrahepatic, perihilar and distal bile duct. It is the most common malignant bile duct tumor in the liver and the second most common primary liver cancer, whose molecular mechanism not fully understood. Specifically, the relationship between CCA and chondroitin polymerizing factor (CHPF) is still not clear. In this study, detection of clinical specimens was performed to preliminarily study the role of CHPF in CCA. CCA cells with CHPF knockdown were constructed for in vitro study, which was also used in the construction of mice xenograft model for investigating the role of CHPF in the development of CCA. The results demonstrated that CHPF was significantly upregulated in CCA tissues compared with normal tissues. High expression of CHPF was correlated with more advanced tumor grade. Moreover, knockdown of CHPF significantly inhibited cell proliferation, cell migration, promoted cell apoptosis and arrest cell cycle in G2 phase in vitro, as well as suppressed tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, CHPF was identified as a tumor promotor in the development and metastasis of CCA, which may provide a novel therapeutic target for the targeted therapy against CCA.

Chondroitin polymerizing factor promotes breast carcinoma cell proliferation, invasion and migration and affects expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related markers

Chondroitin polymerizing factor (CHPF) plays an important role in the development of certain malignant tumors. However, the role of CHPF in breast carcinoma (BRCA) and its underlying mechanism are still not fully elucidated. Expression profiles for CHPF in BRCA tissues were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas database and used for prognostic analysis. Cell viability, invasion and migration were measured in vitro using MCF7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cell lines upon knockdown or over‐expression of CHPF. Bioinformatic analysis showed that CHPF was substantially upregulated in BRCA tissues, and a quantitative reverse transcriptase‐PCR was performed to confirm its upregulation in BRCA cells. High expression of CHPF was observed to be significantly associated with pathologic stage, metastasis and worse prognosis. We also observed that depletion of CHPF significantly inhibited cell proliferative, invasive and migratory abilities, whereas overexpression of CHPF exerted the opposite effects. Furthermore, analysis of the GEPIA database revealed that CHPF expression is positively correlated with the epithelial–mesenchymal transition‐related markers vimentin, Snail, Slug and motion‐related protein matrix metallopeptidase 2; these findings were confirmed via western blotting. Our data suggest that CHPF may contribute to BRCA progression by modulating epithelial–mesenchymal transition‐related markers and matrix metallopeptidase 2 expression.