CTI-2 Inhibits Metastasis and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Breast Cancer Cells by Modulating MAPK Signaling Pathway

Hypericin-mediated photodynamic therapy inhibits metastasis and EMT of colorectal cancer cells by regulating RhoA-ROCK1 signaling pathway

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is significantly contributed to global cancer mortality rates. Treating CRC is particularly challenging due to metastasis and drug resistance. There is a pressing need for new treatment strategies against metastatic CRC. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) offers a well-established, minimally invasive treatment option for cancer with limited side effects. Hypericin (HYP), a potent photosensitizer for PDT, has been documented to induce cytotoxicity and apoptosis in various types of cancers. However, there are few reports on the inhibitory effects of HYP-mediated PDT on the metastatic ability of CRC cells. Here, we evaluate the inhibitory effects of HYP-mediated PDT against metastatic CRC cells and define its underlying mechanisms. Wound-healing and Transwell assays show that HYP-mediated PDT suppresses migration and invasion of CRC cells. F-actin visualization assays indicate HYP-mediated PDT decreases F-actin formation in CRC cells. TEM assays reveal HYP-mediated PDT disrupts pseudopodia formation of CRC cells. Mechanistically, immunofluorescence and western blotting results show that HYP-mediated PDT upregulates E-cadherin and downregulates N-cadherin and Vimentin. HYP-mediated PDT also suppresses key EMT regulators, including Snail, MMP9, ZEB1 and α-SMA. Additionally, the expressions of RhoA and ROCK1 are downregulated by HYP-mediated PDT. Together, these findings suggest that HYP-mediated PDT inhibits the migration and invasion of HCT116 and SW620 cells by modulating EMT and RhoA-ROCK1 signaling pathway. Thus, HYP-mediated PDT presents a potential therapeutic option for CRC.

Harnessing function of EMT in hepatocellular carcinoma: From biological view to nanotechnological standpoint

Management of cancer metastasis has been associated with remarkable reduction in progression of cancer cells and improving survival rate of patients. Since 90% of mortality are due to cancer metastasis, its suppression can improve ability in cancer fighting. The EMT has been an underlying cause in increasing cancer migration and it is followed by mesenchymal transformation of epithelial cells. HCC is the predominant kind of liver tumor threatening life of many people around the world with poor prognosis. Increasing patient prognosis can be obtained via inhibiting tumor metastasis. HCC metastasis modulation by EMT and HCC therapy by nanoparticles are discussed here. First of all, EMT happens during progression and advanced stages of HCC and therefore, its inhibition can reduce tumor malignancy. Moreover, anti-cancer compounds including all-trans retinoic acid and plumbaging, among others, have been considered as inhibitors of EMT. The EMT association with chemoresistance has been evaluated. Moreover, ZEB1/2, TGF-β, Snail and Twist are EMT modulators in HCC and enhancing cancer invasion. Therefore, EMT mechanism and related molecular mechanisms in HCC are evaluated. The treatment of HCC has not been only emphasized on targeting molecular pathways with pharmacological compounds and since drugs have low bioavailability, their targeted delivery by nanoparticles promotes HCC elimination. Moreover, nanoparticle-mediated phototherapy impairs tumorigenesis in HCC by triggering cell death. Metastasis of HCC and even EMT mechanism can be suppressed by cargo-loaded nanoparticles.

Identifying liver metastasis-related hub genes in breast cancer and characterizing SPARCL1 as a potential prognostic biomarker

Background

The liver is the third most common metastatic site for advanced breast cancer (BC), and liver metastases predict poor prognoses. However, the characteristic biomarkers of BC liver metastases and the biological role of secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine-like 1 (SPARCL1) in BC remain unclear. The present study aimed to identify potential biomarkers for liver metastasis of BC and to investigate the effect of SPARCL1 on BC.

Methods

The publicly available GSE124648 dataset was used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between BC and liver metastases. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were conducted to annotate these DEGs and understand the biological functions in which they are involved. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to identify metastasis-related hub genes and further validated in a second independent dataset (GSE58708). Clinicopathological correlation of hub gene expression in patients with BC was determined. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to explore DEG-related signaling pathways. SPARCL1 expression in BC tissues and cell lines was verified by RT-qPCR. Further in vitro experiments were performed to investigate the biological functions of SPARCL1 in BC cells.

Results

We identified 332 liver metastasis-related DEGs from GSE124648 and 30 hub genes, including SPARCL1, from the PPI network. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses of liver-metastasis-related DEGs revealed several enriched terms associated with the extracellular matrix and pathways in cancer. Clinicopathological correlation analysis of SPARCL1 revealed that its expression in BC was associated with age, TNM stage, estrogen receptor status, progesterone receptor status, histological type, molecular type, and living status of patients. GSEA results suggested that low SPARCL1 expression in BC was related to the cell cycle, DNA replication, oxidative phosphorylation, and homologous recombination. Lower expression levels of SPARCL1 were detected in BC tissues compared to adjacent tissues. The in vitro experiments showed that SPARCL1 knockdown significantly increased the proliferation and migration of BC cells, whereas the proliferation and migration were suppressed after elevating the expression of SPARCL1.

Conclusion

We identified SPARCL1 as a tumor suppressor in BC, which shows potential as a target for BC and liver metastasis therapy and diagnosis.

Marine-Derived Stichloroside C2 Inhibits Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition and Induces Apoptosis through the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signalling Pathway in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells

Background

Triterpenoid saponins from sea cucumbers exhibit significant antitumour, antifungal, and antibacterial activities. However, the associated molecular mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. In this study, we screened and explored the antitumour activity and underlying mechanisms of triterpenoid saponins isolated from Thelenota ananas.

Methods

We isolated and purified sea cucumber saponins, determined their chemical structures, and confirmed their function in vitro. We also screened and explored the antitumour activity and underlying mechanisms of triterpenoid saponins isolated from Thelenota ananas.

Results

Four saponins were discovered from sea cucumber Thelenota ananas collected from the South China Sea. We found that stichloroside C2 (STC2) inhibited the proliferation and clonogenesis of the human triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell line MDA-MB-231 and mouse TNBC cell line 4 T1 in a dose-dependent manner and induced apoptosis and cycle arrest in these two TNBC cell lines. STC2 induced DNA damage in two TNBC cell lines and significantly increased the protein expression level of the DNA double-strand break marker γ-H2AX. STC2 downregulated the protein expression levels of phosphorylated cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), cyclin B1, CDK2, and cyclin A2 in MDA-MB-231 and 4 T1 cells. STC2 upregulated Bax and cleaved PARP protein expression in two types of breast cancer cells. In addition, STC2 promoted E-cadherin expression; inhibited vimentin expression; upregulated the phosphorylation levels of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway-related proteins p38, JNK, and ERK1/2; and downregulated Akt phosphorylation.

Conclusions

STC2 exerts anti-TNBC activity, inhibits epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), and induces apoptosis by regulating the cell cycle, EMT-related proteins, and MAPK signalling pathway.

Mechanisms of Cell Adhesion Molecules in Endocrine-Related Cancers: A Concise Outlook

Chemotherapy is a critical treatment for endocrine-related cancers; however, chemoresistance and disease recurrence remain a challenge. The interplay between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment via cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) promotes drug resistance, known as cell adhesion-mediated drug resistance (CAM-DR). CAMs are cell surface molecules that facilitate cell-to-cell or cell-to-extracellular matrix binding. CAMs exert an adhesion effect and trigger intracellular signaling that regulates cancer cell stemness maintenance, survival, proliferation, metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and drug resistance. To understand these mechanisms, this review focuses on the role of CD44, cadherins, selectins, and integrins in CAM-DR in endocrine-related cancers.