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Kuo CY, Hsu YC, Liu CL, Li YS, Chang SC, Cheng SP. SOX4 is a pivotal regulator of tumorigenesis in differentiated thyroid cancer. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2023; 578:112062. [PMID: 37673293 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2023.112062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
The SOX family consists of about 20 transcription factors involved in embryonic development, reprogramming, and cell fate determination. In this study, we demonstrated that SOX4 was significantly upregulated in differentiated thyroid cancer. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that high SOX4 expression was associated with papillary histology, extrathyroidal extension, lymph node metastasis, and advanced disease stage. Patients whose tumors exhibited high SOX4 expression had a shorter recurrence-free survival, though significance was lost in multivariate Cox regression analysis. SOX4 silencing in thyroid cancer cells slowed cell growth, attenuated clonogenicity, and suppressed anoikis resistance. Additionally, SOX4 knockdown impeded xenograft tumor growth in nude mice. Knockdown of SOX4 expression was accompanied by reduced phosphorylation of AKT and ERK. Furthermore, CRABP2 expression correlated with SOX4 expression, and SOX4 silencing decreased CRABP2 expression and its downstream effectors such as integrin β1 and β4. These results indicate that SOX4 has both prognostic and therapeutic implications in differentiated thyroid cancer, and targeting SOX4 may modulate tumorigenic processes in the thyroid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Yu Kuo
- Department of Surgery, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Chiung Hsu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Liang Liu
- Department of Surgery, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Syuan Li
- Department of Medical Research, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shao-Chiang Chang
- Department of Medical Research, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Ping Cheng
- Department of Surgery, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan; Department of Medical Research, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Biomedical Sciences, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan; Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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Huang SS, Tsai CH, Kuo CY, Li YS, Cheng SP. ACLY inhibitors induce apoptosis and potentiate cytotoxic effects of sorafenib in thyroid cancer cells. Endocrine 2022; 78:85-94. [PMID: 35761130 DOI: 10.1007/s12020-022-03124-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY) is a critical enzyme at the intersection of glucose and lipid metabolism. ACLY is often upregulated or activated in cancer cells to accelerate lipid synthesis and promote tumor progression. In this study, we aimed to explore the possibility of utilizing ACLY inhibition as a new strategy in the treatment of thyroid cancer. METHODS Bioinformatics analysis of the public datasets was performed. Thyroid cancer cells were treated with two different ACLY inhibitors, SB-204990 and NDI-091143. RESULTS Bioinformatics analysis revealed that ACLY expression was increased in anaplastic thyroid cancer. In thyroid cancer cell lines FTC-133 and 8505C, ACLY inhibitors suppressed monolayer cell growth and clonogenic ability in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. Flow cytometry analysis showed that ACLY inhibitors increased the proportion of sub-G1 cells in the cell cycle and the number of annexin V-positive cells. Immunoblotting confirmed caspase-3 activation and PARP1 cleavage following treatment with ACLY inhibitors. Compromised cell viability could be partially rescued by co-treatment with the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK. Additionally, we showed that ACLY inhibitors impeded three-dimensional growth and cell invasion in thyroid cancer cells. Isobolograms and combination index analysis indicated that ACLY inhibitors synergistically potentiated the cytotoxicity rendered by sorafenib. CONCLUSIONS Targeting ACLY holds the potential for being a novel therapeutic strategy for thyroid cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shou-Sen Huang
- Department of Surgery, Taitung MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taitung, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Hsin Tsai
- Department of Surgery, MacKay Memorial Hospital and MacKay Medical College, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Yu Kuo
- Department of Surgery, MacKay Memorial Hospital and MacKay Medical College, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Syuan Li
- Department of Surgery, MacKay Memorial Hospital and MacKay Medical College, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Ping Cheng
- Department of Surgery, MacKay Memorial Hospital and MacKay Medical College, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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