Sulfiredoxin May Promote Cervical Cancer Metastasis via Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway

Sulfiredoxin-1 promotes the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma by inhibiting TFEB-mediated autophagy and lysosome biogenesis

Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients have poor prognosis. As an endogenous antioxidant enzyme involved in a variety of bioprocesses, sulfiredoxin-1 (SRXN1) plays an irreplaceable role in promoting the development of tumors. However, the role and working mechanism of SRXN1 in HCC remain unclear. In this study, we confirmed that SRXN1 promoted the cell proliferation of HCC at genetic and pharmacological level, respectively. Transcriptome sequencing analysis revealed SRXN1 knockdown had a significant effect on the expression of lysosome biogenesis related genes. Further experiments validated that lysosome biogenesis and autophagic flux were enhanced after SRXN1 inhibition and reduced as SRXN1 overexpression. Mechanism study revealed that ROS accumulation induced TFEB nuclear translocation, followed by increased autophagy. Following this rationale, the combination of SRXN1 inhibitor and sorafenib demonstrated noticeable synergistic antitumor effect through the boost of ROS both in vivo and in vitro. Taken together, SRXN1 could be a potential therapeutic target for HCC therapy.

Unraveling the role of sulfiredoxin-1 in early-onset preeclampsia: A key player in trophoblast ferroptosis

Preeclampsia (PE) significantly contributes to obstetric complications and maternal mortality, yet its pathogenesis and mechanisms are not well understood. Sulfiredoxin-1 (SRXN1) is known for its antioxidant activity and its role in defending against oxidative stress; it is also linked to various cancers. However, the role of SRXN1 in PE remains unclear. Our study found a significant decrease in SRXN1 levels in the serum and placental tissues of patients with early-onset preeclampsia (EOPE). Similarly, a PE-like mouse model showed reduced SRXN1 expression. Our in vitro experiments showed that reducing SRXN1 impaired trophoblast viability, decreased invasion and migration, and led to cell death, primarily through ferroptosis. These results are consistent with analyses of placental tissues from EOPE patients. In summary, lower SRXN1 levels during pregnancy contribute to trophoblast ferroptosis, potentially affecting the development and progression of EOPE.

HECW1 restrains cervical cancer cell growth by promoting DVL1 ubiquitination and downregulating the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling

HECW1 belongs to ubiquitin ligase (E3) HECT family, and is found to be involved in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. However, the function of HECW1 in cervical cancer (CC) remains unknown. Clinical analysis showed that HECW1 is significantly decreased in CC tumor tissues. Ectopic expression of HECW1 suppressed cell growth, promoting cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in CC cells, while downregulation of HECW1 reversed these trends, impeded proliferation and accelerated cell cycle progression of CC cells. Overexpressing of HECW1 reduced mitochondrial membrane potential and the protein expression of voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1). In addition, upregulation of HECW1 inhibited nuclear β-catenin accumulation, downregulated β-catenin/TCF/LEF-mediated transcriptional activity and the expression of downstream gene c-Myc, whereas inhibition of HECW1 received opposite results. Further results confirmed HECW1 affects the protein expression of dishevelled-1 (DVL1), a potent activator of Wnt/β-catenin, and inhibition of HECW1 inhibited the ubiquitination of DVL1, upregulating its expression. Inhibition of DVL1 restrained the promotion effect of HECW1 suppression on cell proliferation. In vivo experiments also verified that HECW1 suppression promoted the tumor formation of CC cells. Summary, we demonstrated that HECW1 inhibits CC cell proliferation and tumor formation by downregulating DVL1 induced Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway activation.

CircABCA13 acts as a miR-4429 sponge to facilitate esophageal squamous cell carcinoma development by stabilizing SRXN1

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a pivotal role in the tumorigenesis and progression of various cancers. However, the role and mechanisms of circABCA13 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) are largely unknown. Here, we reported that circABCA13, a novel circular RNA generated by back-splicing of the intron of the ABCA13 gene, is highly expressed in ESCC tumor tissues and cell lines. Upregulation of circABCA13 correlated with TNM stage and a poor prognosis in ESCC patients. While knockdown of circABCA13 in ESCC cells significantly reduced cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and anchorage-independent growth, overexpression of circABCA13 facilitated tumor growth both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, circABCA13 directly binds to miR-4429 and sequesters miR-4429 from its endogenous target, SRXN1 mRNA, which subsequently upregulates SRXN1 and promotes ESCC progression. Consistently, overexpression of miR-4429 or knockdown of SRXN1 abolished malignant behavior promotion of ESCC results from circABCA13 overexpression in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our study uncovered the oncogenic role of circABCA13 and its mechanism in ESCC, suggesting that circABCA13 could be a potential therapeutic target and a predictive biomarker for ESCC patients.

Apigenin Induced Apoptosis by Downregulating Sulfiredoxin Expression in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second carcinoma in nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Sulfiredoxin (Srx) is an antioxidant protein with a role in maintaining redox homeostasis. And Srx has an oncogenic role in skin tumorigenesis. In the current study, we found that apigenin, as a natural flavonoid, downregulated the expression of Srx protein in cSCC cell lines. Apigenin also inhibited the ability of cell proliferation and migration and induced apoptosis in cSCC cell lines. Our results also showed that apigenin induced apoptosis via the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, as well as downregulated Srx expression in cSCC cell lines. Importantly, the effect of downregulation Srx by apigenin has been rescued with the inhibitor of the MAPK signaling pathway intervention. And induced apoptosis by apigenin was partially attenuated by the addition of MAPK inhibitor, Binimetinib. Our research revealed that apigenin induced apoptosis by downregulation of Srx expression through regulating the MAPK signaling pathway in cSCC cells, thus providing evidence of its applicability as a potentially effective therapeutic agent for cSCC treatment.

DDX19A Promotes Metastasis of Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Inducing NOX1-Mediated ROS Production

The major obstacle to treat cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is the high prevalence of metastasis, which severely affects 5-year survival rate and quality of life for cancer patients. The DEAD-box helicase family has been reported to be a critical mediator in the development and metastasis of various cancers. DEAD-box helicase 19A (DDX19A) is a member of the DEAD-box helicase family; however, its functional role in CSCC is unclear. In this study, bioinformatics analysis of clinical samples from public databases demonstrated that the expression of DDX19A was elevated in CSCC tissues and that high expression of DDX19A was positively correlated with metastasis and poor clinical outcome. Functionally, we found that DDX19A promoted CSCC cell migration and invasion in vitro and lung metastasis in vivo. Mechanistically, overexpression of DDX19A increased NADPH oxidase 1 (NOX1) expression, enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and induced the migration and invasion of CSCC cells. Rescue experiments revealed that DDX19A-induced CSCC functional alterations were dependent on NOX1 and that DDX19A-promoted CSCC metastasis was abrogated upon the inhibition of ROS. Our results demonstrated that DDX19A could promote CSCC metastasis by inducing NOX1-mediated ROS production and that blockage of the NOX1/ROS axis might serve as a potential therapeutic target for patients with DDX19A-overexpressed CSCC.

Ultrasound-Targeted Microbubble Destruction Enhances the Inhibitive Efficacy of miR-21 Silencing in HeLa Cells

BACKGROUND Previous studies have shown that miR-21 upregulation is related to the aggressive development of cervical cancer. Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) is a method that increases the absorption of targeted genes or drugs by cells. We focus on the role of UTMD-mediated miR-21 transfection in HeLa cells, a cervical cancer cell line. MATERIAL AND METHODS The effects of different ultrasound intensities on the transfection efficiency of miR-21-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and miR-21 inhibitor-EGFP plasmids were determined by flow cytometry. The effects of UTMD-mediated miR-21 transfection on HeLa cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were measured by CCK-8, flow cytometry, wound healing experiments, and transwell migration assay, respectively. Western blot and real-time quantitative PCR were used to detect the expression of tumor-related genes. RESULTS When the ultrasound intensity was 1.5 W/cm², the miR-21 plasmid had the highest transfection efficiency. Exogenous miR-21 promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and inhibited cell apoptosis in HeLa cells. Treatment of cells with UTMD further enhanced the effects of miR-21-EGFP and miR-21 inhibitor-EGFP. In addition, miR-21 overexpression significantly increased the expression of p-Akt, Akt, Bcl-2, Wnt, ß-catenin, matrix metalloprotein-9 (MMP-9), and epidermal growth factor (EGFR) levels, and decreased Bax expression. The regulatory role of miR-21 inhibitor-EGFP was opposite to that of miR-21-EGFP. After UTMD, miR-21-EGFP and miR-21 inhibitor-EGFP had more significant regulatory effects on these genes. CONCLUSIONS Our research revealed that an ultrasound intensity of 1.5 W/cm² is the best parameter for miR-21 transfection. UTMD can enhance the biological function of miR-21 in HeLa cells, and alter the effect of miR-21 on apoptosis, metastasis, and phosphorylation genes.

Clinico-pathological and prognostic implications of Srx, Nrf2, and PROX1 expression in gastric cancer and adjacent non-neoplastic mucosa - an immunohistochemical study

Introduction

Sulfiredoxin (Srx), which is an endogenous antioxidant substance which could, regulate the signaling pathways of reactive oxygen species. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is Cap-N-collar (CNC) transcription factors family member that have essential roles in regulation of antioxidant response. The transcription factor PROX1 is a transcription factor and a key regulatory protein in cancer development.

Aim of the study

To analyze levels of tissue expression of Srx, Nrf2, and PROX1 in gastric cancer and adjacent non-neoplastic gastric mucosa to clarify the relationship between their expression levels, clinical, pathological parameters and patients’ outcome. The results might lead to discovering novel targeted therapies to gastric cancers.

Material and methods

We included 70 paraffin-embedded samples: 50 specimens from gastric carcinomas and 20 specimens from adjacent non-neoplastic gastric mucosa. All samples are stained with Srx, Nrf2, and PROX1 using immunohistochemistry, correlated their expression with clinicopathological and prognostic parameters of patients.

Results

High levels of Srx and Nrf2 expression were positively associated with higher cancer grade (p = 0.006, 0.031 respectively), advanced stage (p < 0.001, 0.02 respectively), higher incidence of distant metastases (p = 0.029, 0.03 respectively) and dismal outcome (p < 0.001). High levels of PROX1 expression were associated with lower cancer grade (p = 0.005), absence of lymph nodes metastases (p = 0.023), early stage (p = 0.003), absence of relapse (p = 0.004), and favorable outcome (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Srx and Nrf2 expression increase gastric cancer invasiveness, suggesting their utility as poor prognostic markers, but PROX1 serves as a favorable prognostic marker of gastric cancer patients.

Sulfiredoxin-1 is a promising novel prognostic biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma

Identifying novel prognostic biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and then, develop an effective individualized treatment strategy remain extremely warranted. The prognostic role of sulfiredoxin-1(SRXN1), an antioxidant enzyme, remains unknown in HCC. This study aimed to explore the prognostic implications of SRXN1 in HCC patients after partial hepatectomy. The expression of SRXN1 in HCC and normal tissue were analyzed using the patients from the public databases and Zhongshan Hospital. The Cox regression, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves were performed to identify the predictive role of SRXN1 expression on HCC patients. A prognostic nomogram based on SRXN1 expression was constructed and validated to further confirm the predictive power of SRXN1 as a prognostic biomarker. Finally, functional enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction network analysis of SRXN1 and its associated genes were conducted. The results showed that SRXN1 was upregulated in HCC samples compared with the normal liver tissues. Patients with SRXN1 upregulation had shorter survival time. SRXN1 overexpression was significantly correlated with advanced clinicopathological parameters. The prognostic nomogram based on SRXN1 expression was proved to be more accurate than routine staging systems for the prediction of overall survival. Protein-protein interaction network analysis demonstrated the first neighbor genes of SRXN1 mainly participated in response to oxidative stress. In brief, SRXN1 could be a prognostic biomarker for the management of HCC.

SRXN1 stimulates hepatocellular carcinoma tumorigenesis and metastasis through modulating ROS/p65/BTG2 signalling

Sulfiredoxin 1 (SRXN1) is a pivotal regulator of the antioxidant response in eukaryotic cells. However, the role of SRXN1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is far from clear. The present study aims to elucidate whether SRXN1 participates in tumorigenesis and metastasis of HCC and to determine the molecular mechanisms. We found that SRXN1 expression was up-regulated in HCC tissue samples and correlated with poor prognosis in HCC patients. We also observed that SRXN1 knockdown by transient siRNA transfection inhibited HCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Overexpression of SRXN1 increased HCC cell migration and invasion. B-cell translocation gene 2 (BTG2) was identified as a downstream target of SRXN1. Mechanistic studies revealed that SRXN1-depleted reactive oxygen species (ROS) modulated migration and invasion of HCC cells. In addition, the ROS/p65/BTG2 signalling hub was found to regulate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which mediates the pro-metastasis role of SRXN1 in HCC cells. In vivo experiments showed SRXN1 promotes HCC tumour growth and metastasis in mouse subcutaneous xenograft and metastasis models. Collectively, our results revealed a novel pro-tumorigenic and pro-metastatic function of SRXN1 in HCC. These findings demonstrate a rationale to exploit SRXN1 as a therapeutic target effectively preventing metastasis of HCC.

Wnt Signaling in Gynecologic Malignancies

Gynecologic malignancies, including ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, and cervical cancer, affect hundreds of thousands of women worldwide every year. Wnt signaling, specifically Wnt/β-catenin signaling, has been found to play an essential role in many oncogenic processes in gynecologic malignancies, including tumorigenesis, metastasis, recurrence, and chemotherapy resistance. As such, the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway has the potential to be a target for effective treatment, improving patient outcomes. In this review, we discuss the evidence supporting the importance of the Wnt signaling pathways in the development, progression, and treatment of gynecologic malignancies.

Integrated data analysis reveals significant associations of KEAP1 mutations with DNA methylation alterations in lung adenocarcinomas

KEAP1 regulates the cytoprotection induced by NRF2 and has been reported to be a candidate tumor suppressor. Recent evidence has shown that mutations in several driver genes cause aberrant DNA methylation patterns, a hallmark of cancer. However, the correlation between KEAP1 mutations and DNA methylation in lung cancer has still not been investigated. In this study, we systematically carried out an integrated multi-omics analysis to explore the correlation between KEAP1 mutations and DNA methylation and its effect on gene expression in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). We found that most of the DNA aberrations associated with KEAP1 mutations in LAUD were hypomethylation. Surprisingly, we found several NRF2-regulated genes among the genes that showed differential DNA methylation. Moreover, we identified an 8-gene signature with altered DNA methylation pattern and elevated gene expression levels in LUAD patients with mutated KEAP1, and evaluated the prognostic value of this signature in various clinical datasets. These results establish that KEAP1 mutations are associated with DNA methylation changes capable of shaping regulatory network functions. Combining both epigenomic and transcriptomic changes along with KEAP1 mutations may provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms associated with the progression of lung cancer and may help to provide better therapeutic approaches.

Gefitinib suppresses cervical cancer progression by inhibiting cell cycle progression and epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Cervical cancer (CC) is the second most common malignant cancer among women. Gefitinib was one of the first-generation epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors in clinical trials. However, the underlying mechanism of gefitinib in regulating CC progression remains unknown. In the current study, two CC cell lines, HeLa and Siha, were used to investigate the effects of gefitinib. Cell counting kit-8 assays demonstrated that treatment with gefitinib exerted strong cytotoxicity in HeLa and Siha cells. Flow cytometry was used to examine cell cycle progression and apoptosis. Treatment with gefitinib enhanced the number of cells in the G₀/G₁ phase and increased apoptosis in HeLa and Siha cells. Furthermore, treatment with gefitinib decreased the protein expression level of Bcl-2 and increased the protein expression level of Bax. Taken together, these results suggest that gefitinib may suppress CC cell proliferation and induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The current study also demonstrated that treatment with gefitinib suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) as the expression level of the epithelial marker, E-cadherin was increased, while the expression level of the mesenchymal marker, vimentin was decreased. The current study demonstrated that treatment with gefitinib decreased the protein expression levels of phosphorylated-GSK3β and β-catenin, which suggests that gefitinib may be a potential novel therapeutic strategy in CC by suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and EMT to inhibit tumor metastasis in CC cells. In conclusion, gefitinib may suppress the EMT process during cell invasion and induce cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest via inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

An 8‑gene signature predicts the prognosis of cervical cancer following radiotherapy

Gene expression and DNA methylation levels affect the outcomes of patients with cancer. The present study aimed to establish a multigene risk model for predicting the outcomes of patients with cervical cancer (CerC) treated with or without radiotherapy. RNA sequencing training data with matched DNA methylation profiles were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Patients were divided into radiotherapy and non‑radiotherapy groups according to the treatment strategy. Differently expressed and methylated genes between the two groups were identified, and 8 prognostic genes were identified using Cox regression analysis. The optimized risk model based on the 8‑gene signature was defined using the Cox's proportional hazards model. Kaplan‑Meier survival analysis indicated that patients with higher risk scores exhibited poorer survival compared with patients with lower risk scores (log‑rank test, P=3.22x10‑7). Validation using the GSE44001 gene set demonstrated that patients in the high‑risk group exhibited a shorter survival time comprared with the low‑risk group (log‑rank test, P=3.01x10‑3). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values for the training and validation sets were 0.951 and 0.929, respectively. Cox regression analyses indicated that recurrence and risk status were risk factors for poor outcomes in patients with CerC treated with or without radiotherapy. The present study defined that the 8‑gene signature was an independent risk factor for the prognosis of patients with CerC. The 8‑gene prognostic model had predictive power for CerC prognosis.

LncRNA CASC11 promotes the cervical cancer progression by activating Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Studies have shown that cancer susceptibility candidate 11 (CASC11), a newly discovered long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), was aberrantly overexpressed in hepatic carcinoma, gastric cancer and colorectal cancer. However, its effects on cervical cancer has been kept unknown up to now. The present study was aimed to investigate the relationship between lncRNA CASC11 and cervical cancer and further explore the mechanism of CASC11 effect on cervical cancer progression.

MATERIALS

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expressions of CASC11 in cancerous and adjacent normal tissues of patients with cervical cancer as well as in cell lines. The proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis were assayed after transfecting the cell with si-CASC11 or pcDNA3.1-CASC11. TOP/FOP-Flash luciferase reporter assay and western blot were used to analysis the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Si-CASC11-transfected HeLa cells were subcutaneously inoculated into male athymic (nude) mice to investigate the effect of CASC11 on the tumor formation.

RESULTS

We discovered that CASC11, the expression of which was positively associated with the tumor size and the FIGO staging and negatively related to the patients' survival rate, was up-regulated in the cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. Silencing CASC11 inhibited the proliferation, migration as well as invasion and promoted the cell apoptosis. Conversely, overexpression of CASC11 facilitated the cancer cell's proliferation, migration and invasion ability and suppressed the apoptosis. Further study showed that CASC11 promoted the migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and silencing CASC11 inhibited the tumor growth in vivo.

CONCLUSION

Our study demonstrated that CASC11 promoted the cervical cancer progression by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway for the first time, which provides a new target or a potential diagnostic biomarker of the treatment for cervical cancer.

Oxidative stress in cervical cancer pathogenesis and resistance to therapy

Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the most common cancers among females, and it is most notable in developing countries. The exact etiology of CC is poorly understood; but, smoking, oral contraceptives, immunosuppression, and infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) may increase the risk of CC. There is also an association between CC and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is caused by a disturbed oxidant-antioxidant balance in favor of the former, leading to an excessive generation of free radicals, particularly reactive oxygen species (ROS), and subsequently to biological damages. Thus, redox enzymatic and nonenzymatic regulators are required to maintain the redox homeostasis. Dysregulated antioxidants system and the pathogenic role of oxidative stress in CC have been investigated in several clinical and preclinical studies. In this study, we reviewed studies that have addressed the cross-talk between oxidative stress and CC pathogenesis and resistance to therapy.

The role of miRNAs in the invasion and metastasis of cervical cancer

Cervical cancer (CC) with early metastasis of the primary tumor results in poor prognosis and poor therapeutic outcomes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNA molecules that play a substantial role in regulating gene expression post-transcriptionally and influence the development and progression of tumors. Numerous studies have discovered that miRNAs play significant roles in the invasion and metastasis of CC by affecting specific pathways, including Notch, Wnt/β-catenin, and phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K)-Akt pathways. miRNAs also effectively modulate the process of epithelial–mesenchymal transition. Many studies provide new insights into the role of miRNAs and the pathogenesis of metastatic CC. In this review, we will offer an overview and update of our present understanding of the potential roles of miRNAs in metastatic CC.

Increased Sulfiredoxin Expression in Gastric Cancer Cells May Be a Molecular Target of the Anticancer Component Diallyl Trisulfide

Sulfiredoxin (Srx) is a newly discovered antioxidant enzyme playing a role in the catalytic reduction of oxidative modifications. Srx is overexpressed in a variety of cancers. It may promote carcinogenesis as well as tumor progression. In this study, we report for the first time that Srx expression might be positively associated with the development of gastric cancer and tumor malignancy. Immunohistochemistry showed that, compared to normal tissues (42%, 20/47), Srx expression in gastric tumors (85%, 40/47) was much more common (chi-square test, p<0.01). In addition, the staining of Srx was stronger in poorly differentiated gastric cancer than in well-differentiated gastric cancer. Western blotting showed that, in the gastric tumor cell line BGC823, the Srx protein was upregulated in response to H₂O₂ treatment, although it was inadequate to counteract the increased oxidative stress, as indicated by the gradually increasing level of malondialdehyde (MDA). In addition, Srx expression, MDA levels, and ROS levels in BGC823 cells were markedly inhibited upon treatment with diallyl trisulfide (DATS), a major constituent of garlic oil with proven anticancer effects. These results suggest that Srx may be an oxidative stress marker. Antioxidation may account for the anticancer potential of garlic.

Nucleolar and spindle associated protein 1 promotes metastasis of cervical carcinoma cells by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling

Background

The primary obstacle to treat cervical cancer is its high prevalence of metastasis, which severely affects patients’ quality of life and survival time. Nucleolar and spindle associated protein 1 (NUSAP1) has been implicated in the development, progression, and metastasis in several types of cancer. However, its oncogenic role in cervical cancer remains unclear.

Methods

Western blot assay and immunohistochemistry were used to determine the expression of NUSAP1 in 21 clinical fresh Cervical cancer tissues and 233 clinicopathologically characterized cervical cancer specimens. The biological roles of NUSAP1 in the metastasis of cervical cancer were investigated both in vitro by EMT, Side population analysis and Transwell assays and so on, and in vivo using a mouse 4w model of hematogenous metastasis and lymph node metastasis. Bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter analysis, immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting of nuclear and cytoplasmic cellular fractions were applied to discern and examine the relationshipbetween NUSAP1 and its potential targets.

Results

The results demonstrated that NUSAP1 was upregulated in cervical cancer cells and tissues, correlated positively with metastasis and poor clinical outcome of patients. High expression of NUSAP1 promoted metastasis by enhancing cancer stem cell (CSC) traits and epithelial-mesenchyme transition (EMT) progression, while silencing of NUSAP1 reduced CSC traits and EMT progression. Mechanistically, upregulation of NUSAP1 induced SUMOylation of TCF4 via interacting with SUMO E3 ligase Ran-binding protein 2 (RanBP2) and hyperactivated Wnt/β-catenin signaling in cervical cancer cells. Additionally, NUSAP1-induced cervical cancer cells metastasis and the cancer stem cell phenotype were abrogated with the Wnt/β-catenin signaling inhibitor XAV-939 treatment. Importantly, co-therapy of conventional treatment and XAV-939 will provide a novel and effective treatment for NUSAP1-ovexpressed cervical cancer patients.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate thatNUSAP1 upregulation contributes to metastasis of cervical cancer by promoting CSC properties and EMT via Wnt/β-catenin signaling and XAV-939 might serve as a potential tailored therapeutic option for patients with NUSAP1-ovexpressed cervical cancer.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13046-019-1037-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B accelerates tumorigenesis of cervical cancer in vitro by regulating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers among women around the world. However, the underlying mechanism involved in cervical cancer progression is incompletely known. In the present study, we determined the role of glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B (GPNMB) in tumorigenesis of cervical cancer. According to the GEO database, we found that GPNMB expression was significantly higher in cervical cancer than in normal cervix epithelium. A similar pattern was observed in GPNMB expression in cultured cervical cancer cells and normal cervical epithelial cells. Compared with the control, GPNMB knockdown significantly decreased the proliferation and migration capacity, but enhanced the apoptosis capacity of SiHa and HeLa cells. Additionally, the activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were aberrantly increased in SiHa and HeLa cells compared with normal cervical epithelial cells, whereas their activities were strongly inhibited by GPNMB siRNA. Furthermore, Wnt/β-catenin signaling was activated by GPNMB in SiHa and HeLa cells. Increased MMP-2/MMP-9 expression was suppressed by Dkk-1, inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, while it was enhanced by stimulator BIO. The proliferation, migration, and apoptosis capacity of HeLa cells were found to be affected by Dkk-1 and BIO to different extents. In conclusion, we demonstrated that GPNMB contributed to the tumorigenesis of cervical cancer, at least in part, by regulating MMP-2/MMP-9 activity in tumor cells via activation of canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling. This might be a potential therapeutic target for treating human cervical cancer.

The Multifaceted Impact of Peroxiredoxins on Aging and Disease

SIGNIFICANCE

Peroxiredoxins (Prxs), a family of thiol-associated peroxidases, are purported to play a major role in sensing and managing hydrogen peroxide concentrations and transducing peroxide-derived signals. Recent Advances: Prxs can act as detoxifying factors and impart effects to cells that can be either sparing or suicidal. Advances have been made to address the qualitative changes in Prx function in response to quantitative changes in the signal level and to understand how Prx activity could be affected by their own substrates. Here we rationalize the basis for both positive and negative effects on signaling pathways and cell physiology, summarizing data from model organisms, including invertebrates.

CRITICAL ISSUES

Resolving the relationship between the promiscuous behavior of reactive oxygen species and the specificity of Prxs toward different targets in redox-sensitive signaling pathways is a key area of research. Attempts to understand Prx function and underlying mechanisms were conducted in vitro or in vivo under nonphysiological conditions, leaving the physiological relevance yet to be defined. Other issues: Why despite the high degree of homology and similarities in subcellular and tissue distribution between Prxs do they display differential effects on signaling? How is the specificity of post-translational protein modifications determined? Other than chaperone-like activity, how do hyperoxidized Prxs function?

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Genetic models with mutated catalytic and resolving cysteines should be further exploited to dissect the functional significance of individual Prxs in their different states together with their alternative reducing partners. Such an analysis may then be extended to help identify Prx-specific targets.

Role of lncRNA and EZH2 Interaction/Regulatory Network in Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-protein-coding transcripts and longer than 200 nucleotides. LncRNAs have been demonstrated to modulate gene expression at transcriptional, post-transcriptional, as well as epigenetic levels in lung cancer. Interestingly, compelling studies have revealed that lncRNAs participated in the EZH2 oncogenic regulatory network. EZH2 plays an important role in the initiation, progression and metastasis of cancer. On one hand, lncRNAs can directly bind to EZH2, recruit EZH2 to the promoter region of genes and repress their expression. On the other hand, lncRNAs can also serve as EZH2 effectors or regulators. In this review, we summarized the types of lncRNA-EZH2 interaction and regulatory network identified till date and discussed their influence on lung cancer. Better understanding regarding the interaction and regulatory network will provide new insights on lncRNA- or EZH2-based therapeutic development in lung cancer.

Wnt signaling in cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer (CC) is the second most common malignant cancer in women. CC is difficult to diagnose, has a high recurrence rate, and is resistant to systemic therapies; as a result, CC patients have a relatively poor prognosis. One potential link to CC is the Wnt signaling pathway and its downstream effectors, which regulate cell differentiation, proliferation, migration, and fate. The aberrant activation of Wnt signaling is associated with various cancers, including CC. Recent studies have shown that activating or inhibiting the intracellular signal transduction in this pathway can regulate cancer cell growth and viability. This review will summarize the experimental evidence supporting the significance of the Wnt signaling pathway in CC, and will also discuss the current clinical role of Wnt signaling in CC diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis.

Thymoquinone Inhibits the Migration and Invasive Characteristics of Cervical Cancer Cells SiHa and CaSki In Vitro by Targeting Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition Associated Transcription Factors Twist1 and Zeb1

Cervical cancer is one of the most common gynecological malignant tumors worldwide, for which chemotherapeutic strategies are limited due to their non-specific cytotoxicity and drug resistance. The natural product thymoquinone (TQ) has been reported to target a vast number of signaling pathways in carcinogenesis in different cancers, and hence is regarded as a promising anticancer molecule. Inhibition of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulators is an important approach in anticancer research. In this study, TQ was used to treat the cervical cancer cell lines SiHa and CaSki to investigate its effects on EMT-regulatory proteins and cancer metastasis. Our results showed that TQ has time-dependent and dose-dependent cytotoxic effects, and it also inhibits the migration and invasion processes in different cervical cancer cells. At the molecular level, TQ treatment inhibited the expression of Twist1, Zeb1 expression, and increased E-Cadherin expression. Luciferase reporter assay showed that TQ decreases the Twist1 and Zeb1 promoter activities respectively, indicating that Twist1 and Zeb1 might be the direct target of TQ. TQ also increased cellular apoptosis in some extent, but apoptotic genes/proteins we tested were not significant affected. We conclude that TQ inhibits the migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells, probably via Twist1/E-Cadherin/EMT or/and Zeb1/E-Cadherin/EMT, among other signaling pathways.

Human papillomavirus E6-regulated microRNA-20b promotes invasion in cervical cancer by targeting tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection alone is not sufficient for development of cervical cancer and further risk factors are involved, however, the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. The authors previously used a microarray assay to reveal microR‑20b (miR‑20b) as a key node in the miRNA‑mRNA network of cervical carcinoma. The present study demonstrated an increased expression of miR‑20b in cervical carcinoma tissue. MiR‑20b was regulated by HPV E6 oncoprotein in cervical cancer. Furthermore, miR‑20b overexpression with mimics induced cell morphological alterations and the epithelial‑mesenchymal transition. Treating cervical cancer cells with the miR‑20b inhibitor decreased the migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells. Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP‑2), a possible antagonist of matrix metalloproteinase 2, is a metastasis suppressor and predicted to be a potential target of miR‑20b. Fluorescence signals were decreased on transducing HeLa cells with a TIMP‑2 3'‑untranslated region plasmid and miR‑20b mimics compared with control. Finally, TIMP‑2 was identified as a novel target of miR‑20b and was demonstrated to be regulated by the HPV oncoprotein. In addition, miR‑20b and TIMP‑2 were involved in cell invasion regulated by HPV E6. The present study demonstrated a novel pathway of HPV/miR‑20b/TIMP‑2 during the process of invasion in cervical cancer cells.