Glypican-3 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition of hepatocellular carcinoma cells through ERK signaling pathway

Curcumin and its Derivatives Targeting Multiple Signaling Pathways to Elicit Anticancer Activity: A Comprehensive Perspective

The uncontrolled growth and spread of aberrant cells characterize the group of disorders known as cancer. According to GLOBOCAN 2022 analysis of cancer patients in either developed countries or developing countries the main concern cancers are breast cancer, lung cancer, and liver cancer which may rise eventually. Natural substances with dietary origins have gained interest for their low toxicity, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects. The evaluation of dietary natural products as chemopreventive and therapeutic agents, the identification, characterization, and synthesis of their active components, as well as the enhancement of their delivery and bioavailability, have all received significant attention. Thus, the treatment strategy for concerning cancers must be significantly evaluated and may include the use of phytochemicals in daily lifestyle. In the present perspective, we discussed one of the potent phytochemicals, that has been used over the past few decades known as curcumin as a panacea drug of the "Cure-all" therapy concept. In our review firstly we included exhausted data from in vivo and in vitro studies on breast cancer, lung cancer, and liver cancer which act through various cancer-targeting pathways at the molecular level. Now, the second is the active constituent of turmeric known as curcumin and its derivatives are enlisted with their targeted protein in the molecular docking studies, which help the researchers design and synthesize new curcumin derivatives with respective implicated molecular and cellular activity. However, curcumin and its substituted derivatives still need to be investigated with unknown targeting mechanism studies in depth.

Biological and clinical significance of the glypican-3 gene in human lung adenocarcinoma: An in silico analysis

Glypican-3 (GPC3), a membrane-bound heparan sulfate proteoglycan, has long been found to be dysregulated in human lung adenocarcinomas (LUADs). Nevertheless, the function, mutational profile, epigenetic regulation, co-expression profile, and clinicopathological significance of the GPC3 gene in LUAD progression are not well understood. In this study, we analyzed cancer microarray datasets from publicly available databases using bioinformatics tools to elucidate the above parameters. We observed significant downregulation of GPC3 in LUAD tissues compared to their normal counterparts, and this downregulation was associated with shorter overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS). Nevertheless, no significant differences in the methylation pattern of GPC3 were observed between LUAD and normal tissues, although lower promoter methylation was observed in male patients. GPC3 expression was also found to correlate significantly with infiltration of B cells, CD8+, CD4+, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells in LUAD. In addition, a total of 11 missense mutations were identified in LUAD patients, and ~1.4% to 2.2% of LUAD patients had copy number amplifications in GPC3. Seventeen genes, mainly involved in dopamine receptor-mediated signaling pathways, were frequently co-expressed with GPC3. We also found 11 TFs and 7 miRNAs interacting with GPC3 and contributing to disease progression. Finally, we identified 3 potential inhibitors of GPC3 in human LUAD, namely heparitin, gemcitabine and arbutin. In conclusion, GPC3 may play an important role in the development of LUAD and could serve as a promising biomarker in LUAD.

The extracellular matrix in hepatocellular carcinoma: Mechanisms and therapeutic vulnerability

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is influenced by a "disorganized" extracellular matrix (ECM) that sensitizes cancer cells toward mechanical stress, signaling, and structural alterations. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), lack of knowledge about key ECM proteins driving the TME refractory to targeted therapies poses a barrier to the identification of new therapeutic targets. Herein, we discuss the contributions of various ECM components that impact hepatocytes and their surrounding support network during tumorigenesis. In addition, the underpinnings by which ECM proteins transduce mechanical signals to the liver TME are detailed. Finally, in view of the bidirectional feedback between the ECM, transformed hepatocytes, and immune cells, we highlight the potential role of the ECM disorganization process in shaping responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies. Our comprehensive characterization of these ECM components may provide a roadmap for innovative therapeutic approaches to restrain HCC.

Proteoglycans Determine the Dynamic Landscape of EMT and Cancer Cell Stemness

Proteoglycans (PGs) are pivotal components of extracellular matrices, involved in a variety of processes such as migration, invasion, morphogenesis, differentiation, drug resistance, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Cellular plasticity is a crucial intermediate phenotypic state acquired by cancer cells, which can modulate EMT and the generation of cancer stem cells (CSCs). PGs affect cell plasticity, stemness, and EMT, altering the cellular shape and functions. PGs control these functions, either by direct activation of signaling cascades, acting as co-receptors, or through regulation of the availability of biological compounds such as growth factors and cytokines. Differential expression of microRNAs is also associated with the expression of PGs and their interplay is implicated in the fine tuning of cancer cell phenotype and potential. This review summarizes the involvement of PGs in the regulation of EMT and stemness of cancer cells and highlights the molecular mechanisms.

Proteoglycans in Cancer: Friends or Enemies? A Special Focus on Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Simple Summary

Proteoglycans affect multiple molecular and cellular processes during the progression of solid tumors with a highly desmoplastic stroma, such as HCC. Due to their role in enhancing or limiting the traits of cancer cells underlying their aggressiveness, such as proliferation, angiogenesis, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), and stemness, these macromolecules could be exploited as molecular targets or therapeutic agents. Proteoglycans, such as biglycan, versican, syndecan-1, glypican-3, and agrin, promote HCC cell proliferation, EMT, and angiogenesis, while endostatin and proteoglycan 4 were shown to impair cancer neovascularization or to enhance the sensitivity of HCC cells to drugs, such as sorafenib and regorafenib. Based on this evidence, interventional strategies involving the use of humanized monoclonal antibodies, T cells engineered with chimeric antigen receptors, or recombinant proteins mimicking potentially curative proteoglycans, are being employed or may be adopted in the near future for the treatment of HCC.

Abstract

Proteoglycans are a class of highly glycosylated proteins expressed in virtually all tissues, which are localized within membranes, but more often in the pericellular space and extracellular matrix (ECM), and are involved in tissue homeostasis and remodeling of the stromal microenvironment during physiological and pathological processes, such as tissue regeneration, angiogenesis, and cancer. In general, proteoglycans can perform signaling activities and influence a range of physical, chemical, and biological tissue properties, including the diffusivity of small electrolytes and nutrients and the bioavailability of growth factors. While the dysregulated expression of some proteoglycans is observed in many cancers, whether they act as supporters or limiters of neoplastic progression is still a matter of controversy, as the tumor promoting or suppressive function of some proteoglycans is context dependent. The participation of multiple proteoglycans in organ regeneration (as demonstrated for the liver in hepatectomy mouse models) and in cancer suggests that these molecules actively influence cell growth and motility, thus contributing to key events that characterize neoplastic progression. In this review, we outline the main roles of proteoglycans in the physiology and pathology of cancers, with a special mention to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), highlighting the translational potential of proteoglycans as targets or therapeutic agents for the treatment of this disease.

The chemoprevention of spirulina platensis and garlic against diethylnitrosamine induced liver cancer in rats via amelioration of inflammatory cytokines expression and oxidative stress

Natural antioxidant products play a vital role in the treatment and prevention of cancer disease because they have no side effects. This study aimed to compare the chemoprotective effect of Spirulina platensis (SP) and garlic against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats. This study was being done by using 60 male Wistar rats and divided into four groups. Group (I): normal group. Group (II): HCC group induced by injection of a single dose of DEN (200 mg/kg/I.P) and after 14 days injected CCl4 (1 mg/kg/I.P) 3 times/week/six weeks. Group (III): HCC group received SP orally at a dose (500 mg/kg). Group (IV): HCC group received garlic (250 mg/kg) orally. The results revealed that the Spirulina and garlic treatment have a significant decrease in Glutamate pyruvate transaminase, Glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, GGT, LDH, and the Malondialdehyde (MDA) activity, and furthermore, a significant increase in the total protein level, the superoxide dismutase (SOD), and Catalase (CAT) activity nearly to normal activity. Furthermore, the hepatic expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), inducible nitric oxide synthase, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β1), Heat Shock Protein glycoprotein 96 (HSPgp96), and Glypican 3 (GP3) were down regulated by the Spirulina and garlic treatment in comparison with those in HCC group. All findings reported that the chemoprotective of both Spirulina and garlic that have nearly the same effect may be due to antioxidant activity and inhibition of lipid peroxidation, amelioration of pro-inflammatory cytokine, HSPgp96, and GP3.

Antitumor and Antioxidant Activity of S-Methyl Methionine Sulfonium Chloride against Liver Cancer Induced in Wistar Albino Rats by Diethyl Nitrosamine and Carbon Tertrachloride

Liver disease, especially liver cancer, has become a threat facing the world. Now, antioxidant products are garnering great attention for the treatment and prevention of many diseases. S-Methyl methionine sulfonium chloride (MMSC) is a methionine derivative and is present in many vegetables and has anti-inflammatory effects and antioxidants. This is the first study aiming to investigate the antitumor activity of the MMSC. This study was carried out on 60 male Wistar albino rats (4–6 weeks old age) and divided into four groups, with the first group as normal control, second group as hepatocarcinoma induced by diethyl nitrosamine and carbon tetrachloride (DEN/CCL4) group, third group as normal rats treated with MMSC, and fourth group as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) induced rats treated with MMSC. Our findings revealed that MMSC administration after HCC induction significantly improved (p < 0.05) the liver function biomarkers, including AST, GGT, albumin, globulin, and albumin/globulin ratio (A/G), in comparison with those in the HCC group. Moreover, the histopathological changes of the liver tissue in the HCC group were improved by MMSC treatment. Likewise, the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), transforming growth factor (TGF-1β), and glypican 3 (GP3) were downregulated by MMSC treatment after HCC induction in comparison with those in the HCC-induced group. In conclusion, MMSC showed antitumor activity against HCC induction by DEN/CCl4 through decreasing lipid peroxide formation, the expression level of an inflammatory cytokines such as (TNF-α), immunoregulatory cytokines such as (TGF-1β), induced nitric oxide synthase, and glypican 3.

Current Trends in Non-Invasive Imaging of Interactions in the Liver Tumor Microenvironment Mediated by Tumor Metabolism

Simple Summary

Deregulated tumor metabolism is known to shape the tumor microenvironment and directly affect the local immune response, promoting tumor growth, metastasis, and resistance to treatment. However, the metabolic profile or tumor cells, and therefore, the composition of their microenvironment, are highly variable among patients and even within the same tumor, resulting in heterogeneous response rates to oncologic therapies, making patient selection a key issue. This review article focuses on non-invasive imaging techniques that aim to visualize the crosstalk between tumor cells and their microenvironment in liver cancer mediated by tumor metabolism. In addition to improved tumor detection, such imaging tools may be able to provide a more accurate characterization of the individual tumor and ultimately improve understanding, as well as guide personalized treatment regimens for patients with liver cancer.

Abstract

With the increasing understanding of resistance mechanisms mediated by the metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells, there is a growing clinical interest in imaging technologies that allow for the non-invasive characterization of tumor metabolism and the interactions of cancer cells with the tumor microenvironment (TME) mediated through tumor metabolism. Specifically, tumor glycolysis and subsequent tissue acidosis in the realms of the Warburg effect may promote an immunosuppressive TME, causing a substantial barrier to the clinical efficacy of numerous immuno-oncologic treatments. Thus, imaging the varying individual compositions of the TME may provide a more accurate characterization of the individual tumor. This approach can help to identify the most suitable therapy for each individual patient and design new targeted treatment strategies that disable resistance mechanisms in liver cancer. This review article focuses on non-invasive positron-emission tomography (PET)- and MR-based imaging techniques that aim to visualize the crosstalk between tumor cells and their microenvironment in liver cancer mediated by tumor metabolism.

Therapeutic effect of curcumin in gastrointestinal cancers: A comprehensive review

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers with a high global prevalence are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Accordingly, there is a great need to develop efficient therapeutic approaches. Curcumin, a naturally occurring agent, is a promising compound with documented safety and anticancer activities. Recent studies have demonstrated the activity of curcumin in the prevention and treatment of different cancers. According to systematic studies on curcumin use in various diseases, it can be particularly effective in GI cancers because of its high bioavailability in the gastrointestinal tract. Nevertheless, the clinical applications of curcumin are largely limited because of its low solubility and low chemical stability in water. These limitations may be addressed by the use of relevant analogues or novel delivery systems. Herein, we summarize the pharmacological effects of curcumin against GI cancers. Moreover, we highlight the application of curcumin's analogues and novel delivery systems in the treatment of GI cancers.

Prognostic Nomogram for Sorafenib Benefit in Hepatitis B Virus-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Partial Hepatectomy

Background

Predicting the long-term prognosis of individuals who experienced sorafenib treatment following partial hepatectomy due to hepatitis B virus (HBV) related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is difficult. This work aims to create an effective prognostic nomogram for HBV related HCC patients who are receiving sorafenib treatment as adjuvant therapy after surgery.

Methods

A total of 233 HBV-related HCC patients treated with or without sorafenib following partial hepatectomy at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital from 2008 to 2013 were matched with propensity score matching analysis. The optimal cut-off point of the overall survival (OS) factor level was determined by x-tile. The selection of indicators was based on clinical findings. The Cox regression model with an interaction term was employed for evaluating the predictive value. Using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model, a nomogram was subsequently formulated to analyze 111 patients treated with sorafenib. The nomogram's discriminative ability and predictive accuracy were determined using the concordance index (C-index), calibration, and ROC curve.

Results

The matched sorafenib cohort of 111 patients and control cohort of 118 patients were analyzed. Subgroup analysis revealed that low GPC3, pERK, pAKT, serum AFP levels, without MVI, under 50 years old, male, TNM stage I/II and BCLC stage 0/A were significantly associated with a better OS in patients subjected to sorafenib treatment compared to those without sorafenib treatment after surgery. Multivariate analysis of the sorafenib cohort revealed GPC3, pERK, pAKT, serum AST, and BCLC stage as independent factors for OS, and all were included in the nomogram. The survival probability based on the calibration curve showed that the prediction of the nomogram was in good agreement with the actual observation. The C-index of the nomogram for predicting survival was 0.73(95% CI, 0.67-0.78). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the nomogram to predict the survival for 1, 3, and 5-year was 0.726, 0.816, and 0.823, respectively.

Conclusion

This proposed nomogram shows the potential to make a precise prediction regarding the prognosis of HBV-related HCC patients and may help to stratify patients for personalized therapy following partial hepatectomy.

Identification of the atypical cadherin FAT1 as a novel glypican-3 interacting protein in liver cancer cells

Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan that is being evaluated as an emerging therapeutic target in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). GPC3 has been shown to interact with several extracellular signaling molecules, including Wnt, HGF, and Hedgehog. Here, we reported a cell surface transmembrane protein (FAT1) as a new GPC3 interacting protein. The GPC3 binding region on FAT1 was initially mapped to the C-terminal region (Q14517, residues 3662-4181), which covered a putative receptor tyrosine phosphatase (RTP)-like domain, a Laminin G-like domain, and five EGF-like domains. Fine mapping by ELISA and flow cytometry showed that the last four EGF-like domains (residues 4013-4181) contained a specific GPC3 binding site, whereas the RTP domain (residues 3662-3788) and the downstream Laminin G-2nd EGF-like region (residues 3829-4050) had non-specific GPC3 binding. In support of their interaction, GPC3 and FAT1 behaved concomitantly or at a similar pattern, e.g. having elevated expression in HCC cells, being up-regulated under hypoxia conditions, and being able to regulate the expression of EMT-related genes Snail, Vimentin, and E-Cadherin and promoting HCC cell migration. Taken together, our study provides the initial evidence for the novel mechanism of GPC3 and FAT1 in promoting HCC cell migration.

Glypican-3: A molecular marker for the detection and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma☆

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor with a fairly poor prognosis (5-year survival of less than 50%). Using sorafenib, the only food and drug administration (FDA)-approved drug, HCC cannot be effectively treated; it can only be controlled at most for a couple of months. There is a great need to develop efficacious treatment against this debilitating disease. Glypican-3 (GPC3), a member of the glypican family that attaches to the cell surface by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor, is overexpressed in HCC cases and is elevated in the serum of a large proportion of patients with HCC. GPC3 expression contributes to HCC growth and metastasis. Furthermore, several different types of antibodies targeting GPC3 have been developed. The aim of this review is to summarize the current literatures on the GPC3 expression in human HCC, molecular mechanisms of GPC3 regulation and antibodies targeting GPC3.

Generation of fully human anti-GPC3 antibodies with high-affinity recognition of GPC3 positive tumors

The acceleration of therapeutic antibody development has been motivated by the benefit to and their demand for human health. In particular, humanized transgenic antibody discovery platforms, combined with immunization, hybridoma fusion and/or single cell DNA sequencing are the most reliable and rapid methods for mining the human monoclonal antibodies. Human GPC3 protein is an oncofetal antigen, and it is highly expressed in most hepatocellular carcinomas and some types of squamous cell carcinomas. Currently, no fully human anti-GPC3 therapeutic antibodies have been reported and evaluated in extensive tumor tissues. Here, we utilized a new humanized transgenic mouse antibody discovery platform (CAMouse) that contains large V(D)J -regions and human gamma-constant regions of human immunoglobulin in authentic configurations to generate fully human anti-GPC3 antibodies. Our experiments resulted in four anti-GPC3 antibodies with high-specific binding and cytotoxicity to GPC3 positive cancer cells, and the antibody affinities are in the nanomolar range. Immunohistochemistry analysis demonstrated that these antibodies can recognize GPC3 protein on many types of solid tumors. In summary, the human anti-human GPC3 monoclonal antibodies described here are leading candidates for further preclinical studies of cancer therapy, further, the CAMouse platform is a robust tool for human therapeutic antibody discovery.

The possible role of Sirtuins and microRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma therapy

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer. Sirtuins are NAD+-dependent histone deacetylases that regulate many cellular processes such as proliferation, apoptosis, and metabolism. SIRT (silent information regulator)-1, 5, 6 and 7, members of the mammalian Sirtuin family of proteins (SIRT1-SIRT7), are involved in carcinogenesis, prognosis, metastasis, and chemical resistant of HCC. These proteins act through the deacetylation of tumor suppressor or oncogenic factors. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small non-coding RNAs that down regulate gene expression by targeting the 3'-untranslated region of miRNAs. MiRNAs can function as tumor suppressors or as oncogenes and are involved in progression, differentiation, apoptosis and drug resistance of tumor cells. The focus of this review is to delineate the relationship between some microRNAs and their target, Sirtuins, and to present an overview of their function in HCC as currently understood.

Glypican-3: A New Target for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type. The pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma is concealed, its progress is rapid, its prognosis is poor, and the mortality rate is high. Therefore, novel molecular targets for hepatocellular carcinoma early diagnosis and development of targeted therapy are critically needed. Glypican-3, a cell-surface glycoproteins in which heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan chains are covalently linked to a protein core, is overexpressed in HCC tissues but not in the healthy adult liver. Thus, Glypican-3 is becoming a promising candidate for liver cancer diagnosis and immunotherapy. Up to now, Glypican-3 has been a reliable immunohistochemical marker for hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis, and soluble Glypican-3 in serum has becoming a promising marker for liquid biopsy. Moreover, various immunotherapies targeting Glypican-3 have been developed, including Glypican-3 vaccines, anti- Glypican-3 immunotoxin and chimeric-antigen-receptor modified cells. In this review, we summarize and analyze the structure and physicochemical properties of Glypican-3 molecules, then review their biological functions and applications in clinical diagnosis, and explore the diagnosis and treatment strategies based on Glypican-3.

Cell Surface Proteins in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: From Bench to Bedside

Cell surface proteins act as the go-between in carrying the information from the extracellular environment to the intracellular signaling proteins. However, these proteins are often deregulated in neoplastic diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma. This review discusses several recent studies that have investigated the role of cell surface proteins in the occurrence and progression of HCC, highlighting the possibility to use them as biomarkers of the disease and/or targets for vaccines and therapeutics.

Glypican-3 Enhances Reprogramming of Glucose Metabolism in Liver Cancer Cells

Glypican-3(GPC3) is a transmembrane protein which has been found to be frequently overexpressed on the surfaces of liver cancer (LC) cells, which contributes to both the growth and metastasis of LC cells. Recently, the expression of GPC3 has been reported to be inversely associated with glucose metabolism activity in LC patients, suggesting that GPC3 may play a role in the regulation of glucose metabolism in LC. However, the role of GPC3 in glucose metabolism reprogramming, as well as in LC cell growth and metastasis, is unknown. Here, we found that GPC3 significantly contributed to the reprogramming of glucose metabolism in LC cells. On the one hand, GPC3 enhanced the glycolysis of LC cells through upregulation of the glycolytic genes of Glut1, HK2, and LDH-A. On the other hand, GPC3 repressed mitochondrial respiration through downregulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α), which has been well known as a crucial regulator in mitochondrial biogenesis. Mechanistic investigations revealed that HIF-1α was involved in both GPC3-regulated upregulation of glycolytic genes of HK2, PKM2, and Glut1 and downregulation of mitochondrial biogenesis regulator PGC-1α in LC cells. Additionally, GPC3-regulated reprogramming of glucose metabolism played a critical role in the growth and metastasis of LC cells. Conclusion. Our findings demonstrate that GPC3 is a critical regulator of glucose metabolism reprogramming in LC cells, which provides a strong line of evidence for GPC3 as an important therapeutic target to normalize glucose metabolic aberrations responsible for LC progression.

The miR-200 family as prognostic markers in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

microRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression by mRNA cleavage or translational repression. The miR-200 family is involved in the regulation of various tumor biologic processes including apoptosis, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. They function mainly as tumor suppressors. In this study, we aim to validate the prognostic significance of miR-200 family using large cohort of primary clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and matched normal tissue and to explore the role of miR-200 family in RCC pathogenesis and progression.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We analyzed the expression of 3 members of the miR-200 family; miR-141, miR-200b, and miR-200c, between primary ccRCC, matched normal renal tissues, and nonmatched metastatic RCC. We compared clinicopathologic parameter including disease-free survival to miR-200 family expression. Additionally, we validated our results using The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset. We explored functional role of these miRNAs by bioinformatics analyses.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Expression of miR-200 family significantly decreased in cancer compared to non-neoplastic tissues. miR-141 and miR-200b were significantly down-regulated in metastatic than primary tumors. There was statistically significant negative association between all 3 miRNAs and tumor size and stage. As binary variables, univariate analyses revealed that miR-141, miR-200b, and miR-200c-positive ccRCC patients have a statistically significant lower chance of disease-recurrence or relapse and multivariate analyses showed miR-200b and miR-200c-positive patients have longer disease-free survival. We could predict disease-free survival better when 2 or more miRNAs were used as a combination. Overall survival analysis using The Cancer Genome Atlas data revealed that miR-200b-positive patients have significantly better survival. These results suggest that miR-141, miR-200b, and miR-200c are independent prognostic markers for ccRCC. Targets of these miRNAs are associated with pathways related to cancer invasion and metastasis, including TRAIL pathway, VEGF and VEGFR signaling network, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

SIRT1 in the Development and Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Current treatment options for inoperable HCCs have decreased therapeutic efficacy and are associated with systemic toxicity and chemoresistance. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide–dependent enzyme that is frequently overexpressed in HCC, where it promotes tumorigenicity, metastasis, and chemoresistance. SIRT1 also maintains the tumorigenic and self-renewal proprieties of liver cancer stem cells. Multiple tumor-suppressive microRNAs (miRNAs) are downregulated in HCC and, as a consequence, permit SIRT1-induced tumorigenicity. However, either directly targeting SIRT1, combining conventional chemotherapy with SIRT1 inhibitors, or upregulating tumor-suppressive miRNAs may improve therapeutic efficacy and patient outcomes. Here, we present the interaction between SIRT1, miRNAs, and liver cancer stem cells and discuss the consequences of their interplay for the development and treatment of HCC.

Glypican 3-Targeted Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Glypican-3 (GPC3) is an oncofetal glycoprotein attached to the cell membrane by a glycophosphatidylinositol anchor. GPC3 is overexpressed in some kinds of tumors, particularly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The prognostic significance of serum GPC3 levels and GPC3 immunoreactivity in tumor cells has been defined in patients with HCC. In addition to its usefulness as a biomarker, GPC3 has attracted attention as a novel therapeutic target molecule, and clinical trials targeting GPC3 are in progress. The major mechanism of anti-GPC3 antibody (GPC3Ab) against cancer cells is antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and/or complement-dependent cytotoxicity. Since GPC3Ab is associated with immune responses, a combination of protocols with immune checkpoint inhibitors has also been investigated. Moreover, some innovative approaches for GPC3-targeting therapy have emerged in recent years. This review introduces the results of recent clinical trials targeting GPC3 in HCC and summarizes the latest knowledge regarding the role of GPC3 in HCC progression and clinical application targeting GPC3.

Glypican 6 is a putative biomarker for metastatic progression of cutaneous melanoma

Due to the poor prognosis of advanced metastatic melanoma, it is crucial to find early biomarkers that help identify which melanomas will metastasize. By comparing the gene expression data from primary and cutaneous melanoma samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we identified GPC6 among a set of genes whose expression levels can distinguish between primary melanoma and regional cutaneous/subcutaneous metastases. Glypicans are thought to play a role in tumor growth by regulating the signaling pathways of Wnt, Hedgehogs, fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). We showed that GPC6 expression was up-regulated in a melanoma cell line compared to normal melanocytes and in metastatic melanoma compared to primary melanoma. Furthermore, GPC6 expression was positively correlated with genes largely involved in cell adhesion and migration in both melanoma samples and in RNA-seq samples from other TCGA tumors. Our results suggest that GPC6 may play a role in tumor metastatic progression. In TCGA melanoma samples, we also showed that GPC6 expression was negatively correlated with miR-509-3p, which has previously been shown to function as a tumor suppressor in various cancer cell lines. We overexpressed miR-509-3p in A375 melanoma cells and showed that GPC6 expression was significantly suppressed. This result suggested that GPC6 was a putative target of miR-509-3p in melanoma. Together, our findings identified GPC6 as an early biomarker for melanoma metastatic progression, one that can be regulated by miR-509-3p.

Immunotherapy: Current Status and Future Perspectives

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has an increasing incidence and dismal prognosis, with few systemic treatments approved, including several small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The application of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) to HCC has resulted in durable activity, and further evaluation is ongoing. In this review, we discuss the immunologic principles and the mechanism of action of the ICIs and present the relevant clinical data. Furthermore, we provide an overview of the current and emerging immunotherapeutic approaches for HCC, such as combination treatments, vaccines, and cellular therapies.

Both glypican-3/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and autophagy contributed to the inhibitory effect of curcumin on hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of glypican-3(GPC3)/wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and autophagy in the regulation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) growth mediated by curcumin.

METHODS

HepG2 cells were treated with various concentrations of curcumin and/or GPC3-targeting siRNA in the presence or absence of 3-MA. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were determined by MTT and TUNEL assay, respectively. Expression of GPC3, β-catenin, c-myc, LC3, and Beclin1 was determined by western blotting. In addition, curcumin was tested in tumor xenografts mice model, Caliper IVIS Lumina II was used to monitor the tumor growth, and GPC3/wnt/β-catenin signaling proteins were determined by western blotting.

RESULTS

Curcumin treatment led to proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction in HepG2 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, and suppressed HCC tumor growth in vivo. Further analysis showed that curcumin treatment inactivated Wnt/β-catenin signaling and decreased GPC3 expression, silencing of GPC3 expression promoted the effects of curcumin on Wnt/β-catenin signaling. In addition, inhibiting autophagy by 3-MA relieved curcumin-dependent down-regulation of GPC3.

CONCLUSION

Curcumin suppressed HCC tumor growth through down-regulating GPC3/wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which was partially mediated by activation of autophagy.

Current frontline approaches in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma: the evolving role of immunotherapy

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide and is expected to rise. Patients with early-stage disease may have a good prognosis with a 5-year survival rate of greater than 70%. However, the majority of patients are diagnosed with late-stage disease with a dismal overall survival rate of less than 16%. Therefore, there is a great need for advances in the treatment of advanced HCC, which for approximately the past decade, has been sorafenib. Immunotherapy is an evolving cancer treatment and has shown promise in treating patients with advanced HCC. In this review, we discuss the current standard of care for advanced HCC and then discuss the evolving role of immunotherapies.

Influence of Glypican-3 as Anewly Diagnostic Biomarker in Earlydetection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma among Saudi Patients

In Saudi Arabia AFP considered the main serum marker for diagnostic Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), due to the continuous detection of HCC in Saudi Arabia, using new biomarkers for early surveillance are essential to control in prevalence of HCC. The present study depend on compare the significant between serum and mRNA Glypican-3 (GPC-3) as newly identified diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for HCC between study cases. And combined sensitivity of AFP and GPC-3. Three hundred study cases, divided into: 250 blood samples were 145 samples from HCC , 105 samples from chronic liver cirrhosis (CLC) and 50 normal controls were investigated for serum GPC-3 (sGPC-3) by Sandwich ELISA. Glypican-3 mRNA from whole blood cells was detected by quantitative RT-PCR. The comparison between two techniques was by sensitivity and specificity. The results of sGPC-3 showed higher significant in HCC group than CLC and normal controls (p<0.001). sGPC-3 sensitivity was 95% and specificity was 100%, while in GPC-3 mRNA were 100% and 94% respectively. The combination of sensitivity between AFP and sGPC-3 was 80% and 95% respectively. The data demonstrated that, can depend on sGPC-3 and Glypican-3 mRNA as tumor biomarkers for detection and surveillance of Hepatocellular carcinoma in Saudi patients. The sensitivity of Reverse Transcriptase-PCR is high accurate (100%) than estimating sGPC-3 by ELISA (95%).

Proteoglycans Are Attractive Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Proteoglycans, which consist of a protein core and glycosaminoglycan chains, are major components of the extracellular matrix and play physiological roles in maintaining tissue homeostasis. In the carcinogenic tissue microenvironment, proteoglycan expression changes dramatically. Altered proteoglycan expression on tumor and stromal cells affects cancer cell signaling pathways, which alters growth, migration, and angiogenesis and could facilitate tumorigenesis. This dysregulation of proteoglycans has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diseases such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the underlying mechanism has been studied extensively. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the roles of proteoglycans in the genesis and progression of HCC. It focuses on well-investigated proteoglycans such as serglycin, syndecan-1, glypican 3, agrin, collagen XVIII/endostatin, versican, and decorin, with particular emphasis on the potential of these factors as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in HCC regarding the future perspective of precision medicine toward the "cure of HCC".

Twist Expression in Circulating Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Predicts Metastasis and Prognoses

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading malignancies worldwide. Enumeration of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) has been demonstrated to be a prognostic indicator in HCC. Twist plays a critical role in metastasis and has been proposed as a biomarker for epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, links between the expression of Twist in CTCs and HCC clinical parameters are still unclear. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between Twist expression in CTCs and clinicohistopathological risk factors of HCC. Between June 2015 and July 2017, 80 HCC patients and 10 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. CTCs were isolated and analyzed by the optimized CanPatrol™ CTC-enrichment technique. Our analysis showed that Twist+ CTCs were detected in 54 of the 80 (67.5%) HCC patients. The positive ratios of Twist+ CTCs correlated with portal vein tumor thrombi, TNM staging, AFP, cirrhosis, tumor number, tumor size, and microvascular invasion. Meanwhile, the follow-up results of the 33 HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy showed that the positive ratios of Twist+ CTCs were closely correlated with the rate of metastasis or recurrence and the mortality rate. The ROC curve analyses suggested that the prognostic evaluation of Twist+ CTCs outperforms CTCs alone. Twist+ CTCs showed higher expression in Glypican-3 protein. In conclusion, Twist expression in CTCs could serve as a biomarker for evaluating HCC metastasis and prognosis.

Polyclonal antibody production against rGPC3 and their application in diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Glypican-3 (GPC3) is an integral membrane proteoglycan, which contains a core protein anchored to the cytoplasmic membrane through a glycosylphosphatidylinositol linkage. The glypican-3 can regulate the signaling pathways, thereby enhances cell division, growth, and apoptosis in certain cell types. It is almost nonexistent on the surface of the human normal cell membrane and highly expresses on the membrane of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. It has been well established that GPC3 provides a useful diagnostic marker. For generating the polyclonal antibody of GPC3, we expected that GPC3 N-terminal region (amino acid sequence 26-358) could be expressed in Escherichia coli system, however, no active expression was observed after IPTG induction. Interestingly, after deletion of six proline residues from position 26 to 31 in the N-terminus, expression of recombinant GPC3 was clearly detected. We further analyzed the expressed protein deprived of six prolines, to immunize the New Zealand male rabbits for production of active antibodies. The binding affinity of antibody was analyzed by immunofluorescence analysis, immunohistochemical detection, and western blotting. The functional GPC3 N-terminal protein recombinant development, expression, purification, and the polyclonal antibody have been generated provide the basis for the diagnosis of HCC in cancer therapy.

Glypican-3 induces a mesenchymal to epithelial transition in human breast cancer cells

Breast cancer is the disease with the highest impact on global health, being metastasis the main cause of death. To metastasize, carcinoma cells must reactivate a latent program called epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), through which epithelial cancer cells acquire mesenchymal-like traits.Glypican-3 (GPC3), a proteoglycan involved in the regulation of proliferation and survival, has been associated with cancer. In this study we observed that the expression of GPC3 is opposite to the invasive/metastatic ability of Hs578T, MDA-MB231, ZR-75-1 and MCF-7 human breast cancer cell lines. GPC3 silencing activated growth, cell death resistance, migration, and invasive/metastatic capacity of MCF-7 cancer cells, while GPC3 overexpression inhibited these properties in MDA-MB231 tumor cell line. Moreover, silencing of GPC3 deepened the MCF-7 breast cancer cells mesenchymal characteristics, decreasing the expression of the epithelial marker E-Cadherin. On the other side, GPC3 overexpression induced the mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) of MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells, which re-expressed E-Cadherin and reduced the expression of vimentin and N-Cadherin. While GPC3 inhibited the canonical Wnt/β-Catenin pathway in the breast cancer cells, this inhibition did not have effect on E-Cadherin expression. We demonstrated that the transcriptional repressor of E-Cadherin - ZEB1 - is upregulated in GPC3 silenced MCF-7 cells, while it is downregulated when GPC3 was overexpressed in MDA-MB231 cells. We presented experimental evidences showing that GPC3 induces the E-Cadherin re-expression in MDA-MB231 cells through the downregulation of ZEB1.Our data indicate that GPC3 is an important regulator of EMT in breast cancer, and a potential target for procedures against breast cancer metastasis.

Role of Glycanation and Convertase Maturation of Soluble Glypican-3 in Inhibiting Proliferation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Glypican 3 (GPC3) is a complex heparan sulfate proteoglycan associated with the outer surface of the plasma membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. It is also N-glycosylated and processed by a furin-like convertase. GPC3 has numerous biological functions. Although GPC3 is undetectable in normal liver tissue, it is abnormally and highly overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Interestingly, proliferation of HCC cells such as HepG2 and HuH7 is inhibited when they express a soluble form of GPC3 after lentiviral transduction. To obtain more insight into the role of some of its post-translational modifications, we designed a mutant GPC3, sGPC3m, without its GPI anchor, convertase cleavage site, and glycosaminoglycan chains. The highly pure sGPC3m protein strongly inhibited HuH7 and HepG2 cell proliferation in vitro and induced a significant increase in their cell doubling time. It changed the morphology of HuH7 cells but not that of HepG2. It induced the enlargement of HuH7 cell nuclear area and the restructuration of adherent cell junctions. Unexpectedly, for both cell types, the levels of apoptosis, cell division, and β-catenin were not altered by sGPC3m, although growth inhibition was very efficient. Overall, our data show that glycanation and convertase maturation are not required for sGPC3m to inhibit HCC cell proliferation.

Proteoglycans remodeling in cancer: Underlying molecular mechanisms

Extracellular matrix is a highly dynamic macromolecular network. Proteoglycans are major components of extracellular matrix playing key roles in its structural organization and cell signaling contributing to the control of numerous normal and pathological processes. As multifunctional molecules, proteoglycans participate in various cell functions during morphogenesis, wound healing, inflammation and tumorigenesis. Their interactions with matrix effectors, cell surface receptors and enzymes enable them with unique properties. In malignancy, extensive remodeling of tumor stroma is associated with marked alterations in proteoglycans' expression and structural variability. Proteoglycans exert diverse functions in tumor stroma in a cell-specific and context-specific manner and they mainly contribute to the formation of a permissive provisional matrix for tumor growth affecting tissue organization, cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions and tumor cell signaling. Proteoglycans also modulate cancer cell phenotype and properties, the development of drug resistance and tumor stroma angiogenesis. This review summarizes the proteoglycans remodeling and their novel biological roles in malignancies with particular emphasis to the underlying molecular mechanisms.

T-cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 as a potential inducer of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in hepatocellular carcinoma

T-cell immunoglobulin mucin (TIM)-3 is an important member of the TIM gene family, which was thought to contribute to the progression of numerous types of cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, the mechanism underlying TIM-3 functions in HCC progression has not yet been extensively investigated. The present study aimed to investigate the function of TIM-3 in the metastasis of HCC and to determine whether the alteration of TIM-3 expression levels regulated the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) occurrence of HCC, using epithelial (E)-cadherin, neuronal (N)-cadherin, matrix metallopeptidase-9 (MMP-9), Twist 1, Slug, Snail, and Smad as EMT biomarkers. The results demonstrated that upregulation of TIM-3 using TIM-3 lentiviral activation particles (5 µl) increased cell migration and invasion, which was decreased in TIM-3 short interfering RNA-infected cells (10 µM, 3 µl) correspondingly. SMMC-7721 HCC cells were used as the control. EMT was aggravated in TIM-3 upregulated SMMC-7721 cells, which was attenuated in the TIM-3 interference group, accompanied by an alteration of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, MMP-9, Twist 1, Slug, Snail and Smad expression levels. The data presented suggests that TIM-3 serves an essential role in the metastasis of HCC, the mechanism of which was associated with EMT occurrence. Interference of TIM-3 is expected to be an effective means to prevent and control EMT, and further the metastasis of HCC.

Role of the extracellular matrix in cancer-associated epithelial to mesenchymal transition phenomenon

The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) program is a crucial component in the processes of morphogenesis and embryonic development. The transition of epithelial to mesenchymal phenotype is associated with numerous structural and functional changes, including loss of cell polarity and tight cell-cell junctions, the acquisition of invasive abilities, and the expression of mesenchymal proteins. The switch between the two phenotypes is involved in human pathology and is crucial for cancer progression. Extracellular matrices (ECMs) are multi-component networks that surround cells in tissues. These networks are obligatory for cell survival, growth, and differentiation as well as tissue organization. Indeed, the ECM suprastructure, in addition to its supportive role, can process and deliver a plethora of signals to cells, which ultimately regulate their behavior. Importantly, the ECM derived signals are critically involved in the process of EMT during tumorigenesis. This review discusses the multilayer interaction between the ECM and the EMT process, focusing on contributions of discrete mediators, a strategy that may identify novel potential target molecules. Developmental Dynamics 247:368-381, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Development of an Affimer-antibody combined immunological diagnosis kit for glypican-3

Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a promising new marker for hepatocellular carcinoma, but the reported values for serum GPC3 differ markedly between currently available kits. Here we isolated Affimer non-antibody binding proteins against GPC3 by phage display and developed a new sandwich chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) combining an Affimer with a monoclonal antibody (Affimer-MAb CLIA). The proposed CLIA assay demonstrated a wide linear range  0.03–600 ng/mL) with a good linear correlation coefficient (0.9999), a high detection limitation (0.03 ng/mL) and specificity (0–0.002%) for detection of GPC3. The accuracy, hook effect and stability were demonstrated to be satisfactory. The mean level of GPC3 in serum was higher (>8.5 fold, P < 0.001) in hepatocellular carcinoma patients compared to healthy and other liver disease individuals. A poor correlation (correlation coefficients ranged from −0.286 to 0.478) was observed through pairwise comparison within different kits. However, only this newly developed CLIA test showed high specificity and correlated with the “gold standard” GPC3-immunohistochemistry. This study indicates that Affimer-MAb CLIA can be used to generate a sensitive immunodiagnostic kit, which offers the potential for a highly specific clinically-relevant detection system.

Cellular glycosylation senses metabolic changes and modulates cell plasticity during epithelial to mesenchymal transition

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a developmental program reactivated by tumor cells that leads to the switch from epithelial to mesenchymal phenotype. During EMT, cells are transcriptionally regulated to decrease E-cadherin expression while expressing mesenchymal markers such as vimentin, fibronectin, and N-cadherin. Growing body of evidences suggest that cells engaged in EMT undergo a metabolic reprograming process, redirecting glucose flux toward hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP), which fuels aberrant glycosylation patterns that are extensively observed in cancer cells. HBP depends on nutrient availability to produce its end product UDP-GlcNAc, and for this reason is considered a metabolic sensor pathway. UDP-GlcNAc is the substrate used for the synthesis of major types of glycosylation, including O-GlcNAc and cell surface glycans. In general, the rate limiting enzyme of HBP, GFAT, is overexpressed in many cancer types that present EMT features as well as aberrant glycosylation. Moreover, altered levels of O-GlcNAcylation can modulate cell morphology and favor EMT. In this review, we summarize some of the current knowledge that correlates glucose metabolism, aberrant glycosylation and hyper O-GlcNAcylation supported by HBP that leads to EMT activation. Developmental Dynamics 247:481-491, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Glypican-3: A promising biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis and treatment

Liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type. Therefore, molecular targets are urgently required for the early detection of HCC and the development of novel therapeutic approaches. Glypican-3 (GPC3), an oncofetal proteoglycan anchored to the cell membrane, is normally detected in the fetal liver but not in the healthy adult liver. However, in HCC patients, GPC3 is overexpressed at both the gene and protein levels, and its expression predicts a poor prognosis. Mechanistic studies have revealed that GPC3 functions in HCC progression by binding to molecules such as Wnt signaling proteins and growth factors. Moreover, GPC3 has been used as a target for molecular imaging and therapeutic intervention in HCC. To date, GPC3-targeted magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and near-infrared imaging have been investigated for early HCC detection, and various immunotherapeutic protocols targeting GPC3 have been developed, including the use of humanized anti-GPC3 cytotoxic antibodies, treatment with peptide/DNA vaccines, immunotoxin therapies, and genetic therapies. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge regarding the structure, function, and biology of GPC3 with a focus on its clinical potential as a diagnostic molecule and a therapeutic target in HCC immunotherapy.

Downregulated connexin32 promotes EMT through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway by targeting Snail expression in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the common malignances in the world and is associated with high mortality and poor prognosis, partly due to early invasion and metastasis. Cx32 has been indicated to be involved in the progression of many cancers including HCC, but its relationship with tumor invasion and metastasis is still controversial. In the present study, the downregulated Cx32 in HCC tissue was found negatively correlated with histological grade and lymph node metastasis. Cx32 regulated HCC migration and invasion in vitro and inhibited tumor metastasis in xenograft models in vivo. We subsequently identified that Cx32 mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by regulating Snail expression, and the enhanced Snail was due to activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in response to Cx32 inhibition. Finally, decreased expression of Cx32 showed strong correlation with loss/reduction of E-cadherin, higher expression of Snail, and nuclear accumulation of β-catenin in HCC tissues. Taken together, our results suggest that Cx32 inhibits HCC invasion and metastasis through Snail-mediated EMT, Cx32 and this signaling pathway molecules may offer potential targets for HCC cancer therapy.

GPC-3 in hepatocellular carcinoma: current perspectives

Glypican-3 (GPC3), a member of heparan sulfate proteoglycans, attaches to the cell membrane and is frequently observed to be elevated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, GPC3 is not detected in normal liver tissues and benign liver lesions. Consequently, GPC3 is currently being used as a diagnostic biomarker and HCC-specific positron emission computed tomography probe to identify HCCs in normal liver tissues and benign liver lesions. The overexpression of GPC-3 in serum or liver tissue also predicts poor prognosis for HCC patients. In addition, GPC3 promotes HCC growth and metastasis by activating the canonical Wnt and other signaling pathways. Targeting of GPC3, including GC33, HN3 and YP7, might offer new immunotherapeutic tools for HCC treatment.

KLHL21, a novel gene that contributes to the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has very high prevalence and associated-mortality. However, targeted therapies that are currently used in clinical practice for HCC have certain limitations, in part because of the lack of reliable and clinically applicable biomarkers that can be used for diagnosis and prognosis assessments and for the surveillance of treatment effectiveness.

METHODS

Meta-analysis was used to analyze the integrated microarray data for global identification of a set of robust biomarkers for HCC. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to validate the expression levels of selected genes. Gene expression was inhibited by siRNA. CellTiter 96^® AQueous One Solution Cell Proliferation assays were used to determine cell proliferation, and Transwell assays were used to determine cell migration and invasion potential.

RESULTS

Meta-analysis of the expression data provided a gene expression signature from a total of 1525 patients with HCC, showing 1529 up-regulated genes and 478 down-regulated genes in cancer samples. The expression levels of genes having strong clinical significance were validated by qRT-PCR using primary HCC tissues and the paired adjacent noncancerous liver tissues. Up-regulation of VPS45, WIPI1, TTC1, IGBP1 and KLHL21 genes and down-regulation of FCGRT gene were confirmed in clinical HCC samples. KLHL21 was the most promising gene for potential use as a bioclinical marker in this analysis. Abrogating expression of it significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggests that KLHL21 is a potential target for therapeutic intervention. Our findings also provide novel candidate genes on a genome-wide scale, which may have significant impact on the design and execution of effective therapy of HCC patients.

MicroRNA-133b inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma cell progression by targeting Sirt1

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that function as critical gene regulators by targeting mRNAs for translational repression or degradation. In this study, we showed that the expression level of miR-133b was decreased, while Sirt1 mRNA expression levels were increased in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cell lines, and we identified Sirt1 as a novel direct target of miR-133b. The over-expression of miR-133b suppressed Sirt1 expression. In addition, miR-133b over-expression resulted in attenuating HCC cell proliferation and invasion together with apoptosis increase in vitro. HepG2 cell transplantation revealed that up-regulation of miR-133b could inhibit HCC tumor genesis in vivo. Forced expression of Sirt1 partly rescued the effect of miR-133b in vitro. Furthermore, our study showed that miR-133b over-expression or Sirt1 down-regulation elevated E-cadherin expression, and repressed glypican-3 (GPC3) and the anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1) expression. The inhibition of GPC3 expression repressed Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1 expression, and elevated E-cadherin expression. Moreover, the Sirt1 up-regulation resulted in increases in HCC cell proliferation and invasion together with decreases apoptosis, and increases in the cytosolic accumulation and nuclear translocation of the transcription factor β-catenin in vitro. But the effect of Sirt1 up-regulation was partly reversed by GPC3 down-regulation in vitro. Taken together, these findings provide insight into the role and mechanism of miR-133b in regulating HCC cell proliferation, invasion and apoptosis via the miR-133b/Sirt1/GPC3/Wnt β-catenin axis, and miR-133b may serve as a potential therapeutic target in HCC in the future.

TCR gene-modified T cells can efficiently treat established hepatitis C-associated hepatocellular carcinoma tumors

The success in recent clinical trials using T cell receptor (TCR)-genetically engineered T cells to treat melanoma has encouraged the use of this approach toward other malignancies and viral infections. Although hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is being treated with a new set of successful direct anti-viral agents, potential for virologic breakthrough or relapse by immune escape variants remains. Additionally, many HCV+ patients have HCV-associated disease, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which does not respond to these novel drugs. Further exploration of other approaches to address HCV infection and its associated disease are highly warranted. Here, we demonstrate the therapeutic potential of PBL-derived T cells genetically engineered with a high-affinity, HLA-A2-restricted, HCV NS3:1406-1415-reactive TCR. HCV1406 TCR-transduced T cells can recognize naturally processed antigen and elicit CD8-independent recognition of both peptide-loaded targets and HCV+ human HCC cell lines. Furthermore, these cells can mediate regression of established HCV+ HCC in vivo. Our results suggest that HCV TCR-engineered antigen-reactive T cells may be a plausible immunotherapy option to treat HCV-associated malignancies, such as HCC.

Glypican-3 is a prognostic factor and an immunotherapeutic target in hepatocellular carcinoma

Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a cell surface oncofetal proteoglycan that is anchored by glycosylphosphatidylinositol. Whereas GPC3 is abundant in fetal liver, its expression is hardly detectable in adult liver. Importantly, GPC3 is overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and several immunohistochemical studies reported that overexpression predicts a poorer prognosis for HCC patients. Therefore, GPC3 would serve as a useful molecular marker for HCC diagnosis and also as a target for therapeutic intervention in HCC. Indeed, some immunotherapy protocols targeting GPC3 are under investigations; those include humanized anti-GPC3 cytotoxic antibody, peptide vaccine and immunotoxin therapies. When considering the clinical requirements for GPC3-targeting therapy, companion diagnostics to select the appropriate HCC patients are critical, and both immunohistochemical analysis of tissue sections and measurement of serum GPC3 level have been suggested for this purpose. This review summarizes current knowledge regarding the clinical implication of GPC3 detection and targeting in the management of patients with HCC.

Proteoglycans in liver cancer

Proteoglycans are a group of molecules that contain at least one glycosaminoglycan chain, such as a heparan, dermatan, chondroitin, or keratan sulfate, covalently attached to the protein core. These molecules are categorized based on their structure, localization, and function, and can be found in the extracellular matrix, on the cell surface, and in the cytoplasm. Cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans, such as syndecans, are the primary type present in healthy liver tissue. However, deterioration of the liver results in overproduction of other proteoglycan types. The purpose of this article is to provide a current summary of the most relevant data implicating proteoglycans in the development and progression of human and experimental liver cancer. A review of our work and other studies in the literature indicate that deterioration of liver function is accompanied by an increase in the amount of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans. The alteration of proteoglycan composition interferes with the physiologic function of the liver on several levels. This article details and discusses the roles of syndecan-1, glypicans, agrin, perlecan, collagen XVIII/endostatin, endocan, serglycin, decorin, biglycan, asporin, fibromodulin, lumican, and versican in liver function. Specifically, glypicans, agrin, and versican play significant roles in the development of liver cancer. Conversely, the presence of decorin could potentially provide protective effects.

Downregulation of glypican-3 expression increases migration, invasion, and tumorigenicity of human ovarian cancer cells

Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a membrane of heparan sulfate proteoglycan family involved in cell proliferation, adhesion, migration, invasion, and differentiation during the development of the majority of mesodermal tissues and organs. GPC3 is explored as a potential biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma screening. However, as a tumor-associated antigen, its role in ovarian cancer remains elusive. In this report, the expression levels of GPC3 in the various ovarian cancer cells were determined with quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and GPC3 expression in ovarian cancer UCI 101 and A2780 cells was knocked down by siRNA transfection, and the effects of GPC3 knockdown on in vitro cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were respectively analyzed by 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and Transwell migration assay. Additionally, the effect of GPC3 knockdown on in vivo tumorigenesis were investigated in athymic nude mice. The results indicated that GPC3 knockdown significantly promoted cell proliferation and increased cell migration and invasion by upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 expression and downregulation of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 expression. Additionally, GPC3 knockdown also increased in vivo tumorigenicity of UCI 101 and A2780 cells and final tumor weights and volumes after subcutaneous cell injection in the nude mice. The results of immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting both demonstrated a lower expression of GPC3 antigen in the tumors of GPC3 knockdown groups than that of negative control groups. Moreover, transforming growth factor-β2 protein expression in the tumors of GPC3 knockdown groups was significantly increased, which at least contributed to tumor growth in the nude mice. Taken together, these findings suggest that GPC3 knockdown promotes the progression of human ovarian cancer cells by increasing their migration, invasion, and tumorigenicity, and suggest that GPC3 is a potential therapeutic target for ovarian cancer patients.