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Ye H, Zhou X, Zhu B, Xiong T, Huang W, He F, Li H, Chen L, Tang L, Ren Z. Toxoplasma gondii suppresses proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells by regulating their transcriptome. Cancer Cell Int 2024; 24:144. [PMID: 38654350 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-024-03333-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) has shown anticancer activity in breast cancer mouse models, and exerted beneficial effect on the survival of breast cancer patients, but the mechanism was unclear. METHODS The effect of tachyzoites of T. gondii (RH and ME49 strains) on human breast cancer cells (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells) proliferation and migration was assessed using cell growth curve and wound healing assays. Dual RNA-seq was performed for T. gondii-infected and non-infected cells to determine the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and Protein-Protein Interaction Networks analysis (PPI) were performed to explore the related signaling pathway and hub genes. Hub genes were validated using the Kaplan-Meier plotter database, and Pathogen Host Interaction (PHI-base) database. The results were verified by qRT-PCR. RESULTS The tachyzoites of T. gondii decreased the expression of Ki67 and increased the expression of E-cadherin, resulting in suppressing the proliferation and migration of infected human breast cancer cells. The inhibitory effect of T. gondii on breast cancer cells showed a significant dose-response relationship. Compared with the control group, 2321 genes were transcriptionally regulated in MCF-7 cells infected with T. gondii, while 169 genes were transcriptionally regulated in infected MDA-MB-231 cells. Among these genes, 698 genes in infected MCF-7 cells and 67 genes in infected MDA-MB-231 cells were validated by the publicly available database. GO and KEGG analyses suggested that several pathways were involved in anticancer function of T. gondii, such as ribosome, interleukin-17 signaling, coronavirus disease pathway, and breast cancer pathway. BRCA1, MYC and IL-6 were identified as the top three hub genes in infected-breast cancer cells based on the connectivity of PPI analysis. In addition, after interacting with breast cancer cells, the expression of ROP16 and ROP18 in T. gondii increased, while the expression of crt, TgIST, GRA15, GRA24 and MIC13 decreased. CONCLUSIONS T. gondii transcriptionally regulates several signaling pathways by altering the hub genes such as BRCA1, MYC and IL-6, which can inhibit the breast tumor growth and migration, hinting at a potential therapeutic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hengming Ye
- The School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, 74 Zhongshan 2nd Rd, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangzhou, China
- Public Health Service Center of Bao'an District, Shenzhen, 518102, China
| | - Xiaotao Zhou
- Public Health Service Center of Bao'an District, Shenzhen, 518102, China
| | - Bike Zhu
- Public Health Service Center of Bao'an District, Shenzhen, 518102, China
| | - Tiantian Xiong
- Public Health Service Center of Bao'an District, Shenzhen, 518102, China
| | - Weile Huang
- Public Health Service Center of Bao'an District, Shenzhen, 518102, China
| | - Feng He
- Public Health Service Center of Bao'an District, Shenzhen, 518102, China
| | - Hui Li
- Public Health Service Center of Bao'an District, Shenzhen, 518102, China
| | - Lihua Chen
- Shenzhen Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (Futian), Shenzhen, 518034, China
| | - Luying Tang
- The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Zefang Ren
- The School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, 74 Zhongshan 2nd Rd, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangzhou, China.
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Unida V, Mangano E, Camboni T, Consolandi C, Desideri A, Severgnini M, Cifola I, Biocca S. Insights on the molecular mechanisms of cytotoxicity induced by AS1411 linked to folate-functionalized DNA nanocages in cancer cells. NANOMEDICINE : NANOTECHNOLOGY, BIOLOGY, AND MEDICINE 2023; 54:102710. [PMID: 37734452 DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2023.102710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Self-assembled multivalent DNA nanocages are an emerging class of molecules useful for biomedicine applications. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of cytotoxicity induced by AS1411 free aptamer, AS1411-linked nanocages (Apt-NCs) and nanocages harboring both folate and AS1411 functionalization (Fol-Apt-NCs) in HeLa and MDA-MB-231 cancer cell lines. The three treatments showed different cytotoxic efficacy and Fol-Apt-NCs resulted the most effective in inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptotic pathways and ROS activation in both HeLa and MDA-MB-231 cells. RNA-seq analysis allowed to identify biological functions and genes altered by the various treatments, depending on the AS1411 route of intracellular entry, highlighting the different behavior of the two cancer cell lines. Notably, Fol-Apt-NCs altered the expression of a subset of genes associated to cancer chemoresistance in MDA-MB-231, but not in HeLa cells, and this may explain the increased chemosensitivity to drugs delivered through DNA nanocages of the triple-negative breast cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Unida
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | - Eleonora Mangano
- Institute for Biomedical Technologies (ITB), National Research Council (CNR), via F.lli Cervi 93, 20054 Segrate, Milan, Italy.
| | - Tania Camboni
- Institute for Biomedical Technologies (ITB), National Research Council (CNR), via F.lli Cervi 93, 20054 Segrate, Milan, Italy.
| | - Clarissa Consolandi
- Institute for Biomedical Technologies (ITB), National Research Council (CNR), via F.lli Cervi 93, 20054 Segrate, Milan, Italy.
| | - Alessandro Desideri
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | - Marco Severgnini
- Institute for Biomedical Technologies (ITB), National Research Council (CNR), via F.lli Cervi 93, 20054 Segrate, Milan, Italy.
| | - Ingrid Cifola
- Institute for Biomedical Technologies (ITB), National Research Council (CNR), via F.lli Cervi 93, 20054 Segrate, Milan, Italy.
| | - Silvia Biocca
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy.
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Maurya VK, Szwarc MM, Fernandez-Valdivia R, Lonard DM, Song Y, Joshi N, Fazleabas AT, Lydon JP. Early growth response 1 transcription factor is essential for the pathogenic properties of human endometriotic epithelial cells. Reproduction 2022; 164:41-54. [PMID: 35679138 PMCID: PMC9339520 DOI: 10.1530/rep-22-0123] [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] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Although a non-malignant gynecological disorder, endometriosis displays some pathogenic features of malignancy, such as cell proliferation, migration, invasion and adaptation to hypoxia. Current treatments of endometriosis include pharmacotherapy and/or surgery, which are of limited efficacy and often associated with adverse side effects. Therefore, to develop more effective therapies to treat this disease, a broader understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms that underpin endometriosis needs to be attained. Using immortalized human endometriotic epithelial and stromal cell lines, we demonstrate that the early growth response 1 (EGR1) transcription factor is essential for cell proliferation, migration and invasion, which represent some of the pathogenic properties of endometriotic cells. Genome-wide transcriptomics identified an EGR1-dependent transcriptome in human endometriotic epithelial cells that potentially encodes a diverse spectrum of proteins that are known to be involved in tissue pathologies. To underscore the utility of this transcriptomic data set, we demonstrate that carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA9), a homeostatic regulator of intracellular pH, is not only a molecular target of EGR1 but is also important for maintaining many of the cellular properties of human endometriotic epithelial cells that are also ascribed to EGR1. Considering therapeutic intervention strategies are actively being developed for EGR1 and CAIX in the treatment of other pathologies, we believe EGR1 and its transcriptome (which includes CA9) will offer not only a new conceptual framework to advance our understanding of endometriosis but will also furnish new molecular vulnerabilities to be leveraged as potential therapeutic options in the future treatment of endometriosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vineet K. Maurya
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Maria M. Szwarc
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - David M. Lonard
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Yong Song
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Biology, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan
| | - Niraj Joshi
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Biology, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan
| | - Asgerally T. Fazleabas
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Biology, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan
| | - John P. Lydon
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA,Correspondence should be addressed to JP Lydon;
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Saha SK, Islam SMR, Saha T, Nishat A, Biswas PK, Gil M, Nkenyereye L, El-Sappagh S, Islam MS, Cho SG. Prognostic role of EGR1 in breast cancer: a systematic review. BMB Rep 2021. [PMID: 34488929 PMCID: PMC8560464 DOI: 10.5483/bmbrep.2021.54.10.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
EGR1 (early growth response 1) is dysregulated in many cancers and exhibits both tumor suppressor and promoter activities, making it an appealing target for cancer therapy. Here, we used a systematic multiomics analysis to review the expression of EGR1 and its role in regulating clinical outcomes in breast cancer (BC). EGR1 expression, its promoter methylation, and protein expression pattern were assessed using various publicly available tools. COSMIC-based somatic mutations and cBioPortal-based copy number alterations were analyzed, and the prognostic roles of EGR1 in BC were determined using Prognoscan and Kaplan-Meier Plotter. We also used bc-GenEx-Miner to investigate the EGR1 co-expression profile. EGR1 was more often downregulated in BC tissues than in normal breast tissue, and its knockdown was positively correlated with poor survival. Low EGR1 expression levels were also associated with increased risk of ER+, PR+, and HER2-BCs. High positive correlations were observed among EGR1, DUSP1, FOS, FOSB, CYR61, and JUN mRNA expression in BC tissue. This systematic review suggested that EGR1 expression may serve as a prognostic marker for BC patients and that clinicopathological parameters influence its prognostic utility. In addition to EGR1, DUSP1, FOS, FOSB, CYR61, and JUN can jointly be considered prognostic indicators for BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subbroto Kumar Saha
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
| | - S. M. Riazul Islam
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Korea
| | - Tripti Saha
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
| | - Afsana Nishat
- Department of Microbiology & Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Polash Kumar Biswas
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
| | - Minchan Gil
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
| | - Lewis Nkenyereye
- Department of Computer and Information Security, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Korea
| | - Shaker El-Sappagh
- Centro Singular de Investigación en Tecnoloxías Intelixentes (CiTIUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Md. Saiful Islam
- School of Information and Communication Technology, Griffith University, QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Ssang-Goo Cho
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
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