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Lammert FC, Pannhausen J, Noetzel E, Friedland F, Wirtz J, Herfs Y, Leypold S, Gan L, Weiskirchen R, Schnitzler T, Knüchel R, Maurer J, Jonigk DD, Rose M, Gaisa NT. Dual role of GRHL3 in bladder carcinogenesis depending on histological subtypes. Mol Oncol 2024; 18:1397-1416. [PMID: 38429970 PMCID: PMC11164254 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The effect of grainyhead-like transcription factor 3 (GRHL3) on cancer development depends on the cancer subtypes as shown in tumor entities such as colorectal or oral squamous cell carcinomas. Here, we analyzed the subtype-specific role of GRHL3 in bladder carcinogenesis, comparing common urothelial carcinoma (UC) with squamous bladder cancer (sq-BLCA). We examined GRHL3 mRNA and protein expression in cohorts of patient samples, its prognostic role and its functional impact on tumorigeneses in different molecular and histopathological subtypes of bladder cancer. We showed for GRHL3 a reverse expression in squamous and urothelial bladder cancer subtypes. Stably GRHL3-overexpressing EJ28, J82, and SCaBER in vitro models revealed a tumor-suppressive function in squamous and an oncogenic role in the urothelial cancer cells affecting cell and colony growth, and migratory and invasive capacities. Transcriptomic profiling demonstrated highly subtype-specific GRHL3-regulated expression networks coined by the enrichment of genes involved in integrin-mediated pathways. In SCaBER, loss of ras homolog family member A (RHOA) GTPase activity was demonstrated to be associated with co-regulation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E family member 3 (EIF4E3), a potential tumor suppressor gene. Thus, our data provide for the first time a detailed insight into the role of the transcription factor GRHL3 in different histopathological subtypes of bladder cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska C. Lammert
- Institute of Pathology, University HospitalRWTH Aachen UniversityGermany
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD)Germany
| | - Julia Pannhausen
- Institute of Pathology, University HospitalRWTH Aachen UniversityGermany
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD)Germany
| | - Erik Noetzel
- Institute of Biological Information Processing 2 (IBI‐2), Mechanobiology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbHGermany
| | - Florian Friedland
- Institute of Biological Information Processing 2 (IBI‐2), Mechanobiology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbHGermany
| | - Julia Wirtz
- Institute of Pathology, University HospitalRWTH Aachen UniversityGermany
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD)Germany
| | - Yannick Herfs
- Institute of Biological Information Processing 2 (IBI‐2), Mechanobiology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbHGermany
| | - Sophie Leypold
- Institute of Pathology, University HospitalRWTH Aachen UniversityGermany
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD)Germany
| | - Lin Gan
- IZKF AachenMedical Faculty of the RWTH Aachen UniversityGermany
| | - Ralf Weiskirchen
- Institute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry (IFMPEGKC), University HospitalRWTH Aachen UniversityGermany
| | - Tician Schnitzler
- Institute of Pathology, University HospitalRWTH Aachen UniversityGermany
| | - Ruth Knüchel
- Institute of Pathology, University HospitalRWTH Aachen UniversityGermany
| | - Jochen Maurer
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyUniversity Hospital AachenGermany
| | - Danny D. Jonigk
- Institute of Pathology, University HospitalRWTH Aachen UniversityGermany
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD)Germany
- German Center for Lung Research, DZL, BREATHHanoverGermany
| | - Michael Rose
- Institute of Pathology, University HospitalRWTH Aachen UniversityGermany
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD)Germany
- Institute of Pathology, University HospitalUniversity of UlmGermany
| | - Nadine T. Gaisa
- Institute of Pathology, University HospitalRWTH Aachen UniversityGermany
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD)Germany
- Institute of Pathology, University HospitalUniversity of UlmGermany
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Guo L, Song B, Xiao J, Lin H, Chen J, Jian B. Predictive value of blood biomarkers in elderly patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. Biomark Med 2023; 17:1011-1019. [PMID: 38235564 DOI: 10.2217/bmm-2023-0723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Aim: Whether GRHL1 can be considered as a potential biomarker for screening non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still uncertain. We aimed to investigate the value of circulating blood GRHL1 on detecting NSCLC in an older population. Materials & methods: Diagnostic models from 351 older patients with NSCLC were constructed to assess the predictive value of blood GRHL1 on distinguishing NSCLC. Results: We observed that GRHL1 (odds ratio: 3.25; 95% CI: 1.70-6.91; p < 0.001) maintained a strong relationship with an elevated rate of NSCLC after adequate clinical confounding factors were controlled for. Importantly, serum GRHL1 (area under the curve: 0.725; 95% CI: 0.708-0.863; p < 0.001) had a good predictive value. Conclusion: This is the first time that circulating GRHL1 has been shown to have good value for early detection of NSCLC in an elderly population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lianghua Guo
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Mindong Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Fuan, 355000, China
| | - Bin Song
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Mindong Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Fuan, 355000, China
| | - Jianhong Xiao
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Mindong Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Fuan, 355000, China
| | - Hui Lin
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Mindong Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Fuan, 355000, China
| | - Junhua Chen
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Mindong Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Fuan, 355000, China
| | - Baoren Jian
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Mindong Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Fuan, 355000, China
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GRHL2 Enhances Phosphorylated Estrogen Receptor (ER) Chromatin Binding and Regulates ER-Mediated Transcriptional Activation and Repression. Mol Cell Biol 2022; 42:e0019122. [PMID: 36036613 PMCID: PMC9584124 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.00191-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Phosphorylation of estrogen receptor α (ER) at serine 118 (pS118-ER) is induced by estrogen and is the most abundant posttranslational mark associated with a transcriptionally active receptor. Cistromic analysis of pS118-ER from our group revealed enrichment of the GRHL2 motif near pS118-ER binding sites. In this study, we used cistromic and transcriptomic analyses to interrogate the relationship between GRHL2 and pS118-ER. We found that GRHL2 is bound to chromatin at pS118-ER/GRHL2 co-occupancy sites prior to ligand treatment, and GRHL2 binding is required for maximal pS118-ER recruitment. pS118-ER/GRHL2 co-occupancy sites were enriched at active enhancers marked by H3K27ac and H3K4me1, along with FOXA1 and p300, compared to sites where each factor binds independently. Transcriptomic analysis yielded four subsets of ER/GRHL2-coregulated genes revealing that GRHL2 can both enhance and antagonize E2-mediated ER transcriptional activity. Gene ontology analysis indicated that coregulated genes are involved in cell migration. Accordingly, knockdown of GRHL2, combined with estrogen treatment, resulted in increased cell migration but no change in proliferation. These results support a model in which GRHL2 binds to selected enhancers and facilitates pS118-ER recruitment to chromatin, which then results in differential activation and repression of genes that control estrogen-regulated ER-positive breast cancer cell migration.
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Gasperoni JG, Fuller JN, Darido C, Wilanowski T, Dworkin S. Grainyhead-like (Grhl) Target Genes in Development and Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23052735. [PMID: 35269877 PMCID: PMC8911041 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23052735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Grainyhead-like (GRHL) factors are essential, highly conserved transcription factors (TFs) that regulate processes common to both natural cellular behaviours during embryogenesis, and de-regulation of growth and survival pathways in cancer. Serving to drive the transcription, and therefore activation of multiple co-ordinating pathways, the three GRHL family members (GRHL1-3) are a critical conduit for modulating the molecular landscape that guides cellular decision-making processes during proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migration. Animal models and in vitro approaches harbouring GRHL loss or gain-of-function are key research tools to understanding gene function, which gives confidence that resultant phenotypes and cellular behaviours may be translatable to humans. Critically, identifying and characterising the target genes to which these factors bind is also essential, as they allow us to discover and understand novel genetic pathways that could ultimately be used as targets for disease diagnosis, drug discovery and therapeutic strategies. GRHL1-3 and their transcriptional targets have been shown to drive comparable cellular processes in Drosophila, C. elegans, zebrafish and mice, and have recently also been implicated in the aetiology and/or progression of a number of human congenital disorders and cancers of epithelial origin. In this review, we will summarise the state of knowledge pertaining to the role of the GRHL family target genes in both development and cancer, primarily through understanding the genetic pathways transcriptionally regulated by these factors across disparate disease contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jemma G. Gasperoni
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Microbiology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia; (J.G.G.); (J.N.F.)
| | - Jarrad N. Fuller
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Microbiology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia; (J.G.G.); (J.N.F.)
| | - Charbel Darido
- The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, 305 Grattan St, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia;
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Tomasz Wilanowski
- Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Sebastian Dworkin
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Microbiology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia; (J.G.G.); (J.N.F.)
- Correspondence:
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He Y, Gan M, Wang Y, Huang T, Wang J, Han T, Yu B. EGFR-ERK induced activation of GRHL1 promotes cell cycle progression by up-regulating cell cycle related genes in lung cancer. Cell Death Dis 2021; 12:430. [PMID: 33931584 PMCID: PMC8087693 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-021-03721-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Grainyhead-like 1 (GRHL1) is a transcription factor involved in embryonic development. However, little is known about the biological functions of GRHL1 in cancer. In this study, we found that GRHL1 was upregulated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and correlated with poor survival of patients. GRHL1 overexpression promoted the proliferation of NSCLC cells and knocking down GRHL1 inhibited the proliferation. RNA sequencing showed that a series of cell cycle-related genes were altered when knocking down GRHL1. We further demonstrated that GRHL1 could regulate the expression of cell cycle-related genes by binding to the promoter regions and increasing the transcription of the target genes. Besides, we also found that EGF stimulation could activate GRHL1 and promoted its nuclear translocation. We identified the key phosphorylation site at Ser76 on GRHL1 that is regulated by the EGFR-ERK axis. Taken together, these findings elucidate a new function of GRHL1 on regulating the cell cycle progression and point out the potential role of GRHL1 as a drug target in NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiming He
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, P. R. China.,Jiangxi Institute of Respiratory Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, P. R. China
| | - Mingxi Gan
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, P. R. China
| | - Yanan Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, P. R. China
| | - Tong Huang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, P. R. China
| | - Jianbin Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, P. R. China.
| | - Tianyu Han
- Jiangxi Institute of Respiratory Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, P. R. China.
| | - Bentong Yu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, P. R. China.
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Sundararajan V, Pang QY, Choolani M, Huang RYJ. Spotlight on the Granules (Grainyhead-Like Proteins) - From an Evolutionary Conserved Controller of Epithelial Trait to Pioneering the Chromatin Landscape. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:213. [PMID: 32974388 PMCID: PMC7471608 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.00213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Among the transcription factors that are conserved across phylogeny, the grainyhead family holds vital roles in driving the epithelial cell fate. In Drosophila, the function of grainyhead (grh) gene is essential during developmental processes such as epithelial differentiation, tracheal tube formation, maintenance of wing and hair polarity, and epidermal barrier wound repair. Three main mammalian orthologs of grh: Grainyhead-like 1-3 (GRHL1, GRHL2, and GRHL3) are highly conserved in terms of their gene structures and functions. GRHL proteins are essentially associated with the development and maintenance of the epithelial phenotype across diverse physiological conditions such as epidermal differentiation and craniofacial development as well as pathological functions including hearing impairment and neural tube defects. More importantly, through direct chromatin binding and induction of epigenetic alterations, GRHL factors function as potent suppressors of oncogenic cellular dedifferentiation program - epithelial-mesenchymal transition and its associated tumor-promoting phenotypes such as tumor cell migration and invasion. On the contrary, GRHL factors also induce pro-tumorigenic effects such as increased migration and anchorage-independent growth in certain tumor types. Furthermore, investigations focusing on the epithelial-specific activation of grh and GRHL factors have revealed that these factors potentially act as a pioneer factor in establishing a cell-type/cell-state specific accessible chromatin landscape that is exclusive for epithelial gene transcription. In this review, we highlight the essential roles of grh and GRHL factors during embryogenesis and pathogenesis, with a special focus on its emerging pioneering function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vignesh Sundararajan
- Center for Translational Medicine, Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Qing You Pang
- Center for Translational Medicine, Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mahesh Choolani
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ruby Yun-Ju Huang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Oncology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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