JWA suppresses the invasion of human breast carcinoma cells by downregulating the expression of CXCR4

PRAF2 is an oncogene acting to promote the proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells

Prenylated rab acceptor 1 domain family member 2 (PRAF2) acts as an oncogene and is closely related to the occurrence and development of various tumors. The present study aimed to clarify the functional relevance of PRAF2 in the biological behaviors of breast cancer by determining the expression of PRAF2 in breast cancer tissues and the corresponding adjacent tissues. The gene phenotypes of PRAF2 in patients with breast cancer in The Cancer Genome Atlas database were predicted using a cancer data online analysis website: The University of Alabama at Birmingham Cancer Data Analaysis Portal (UALCAN). The mRNA and protein expression of PRAF2 was further examined in 37 pairs of fresh frozen breast cancer tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blotting. High expression of PRAF2 was verified by RT-qPCR in the breast cancer cell line, MCF-7, and small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology was used to silence PRAF2. In the in vitro cell functional experiment, three groups were used: Negative control (NC) group, siRNA-NC group and siRNA-PRAF2 group. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays were conducted to analyze the effect of downregulation of PRAF2 on the proliferation of breast cancer cells. Transwell invasion and cell scratch assays were performed to examine the effect of downregulation of PRAF2 on the invasion and migration of breast cancer cells. UALCAN analysis results indicated that PRAF2 expression was upregulated in breast cancer compared with normal tissue samples (P<0.001). High expression of PRAF2 in breast cancer was associated with TNM stage and regional lymph node metastasis. RT-qPCR results showed increased mRNA expression of PRAF2 in clinical tissue samples from 37 patients with breast cancer, compared with normal adjacent tissues (P<0.001). Protein expression of PRAF2 was also shown to be higher in the breast cancer MCF-7 cells than in the MDA-MB-231 cells. Western blotting analysis combined with ImageJ software quantification showed that the relative expression of PRAF2 protein was significantly higher in clinical tissue samples from 37 patients with breast cancer (1.9750±0.0103) than that in normal adjacent tissues (0.9818±0.0140) (P<0.001). Western blotting analysis results indicated that transfection with siRNA PRAF2 in MCF-7 cells decreased PRAF2 expression (P<0.001). The results of CCK-8 and colony formation assays revealed that downregulation of PRAF2 expression suppressed the proliferation of MCF-7 cells (P<0.05 and P<0.001, respectively). In addition, Transwell invasion and cell scratch assay results showed that downregulation of PRAF2 expression in MCF-7 cells repressed invasion and migration of cancer cells (P<0.001). Overall, PRAF2 expression was significantly higher in breast cancer tissues than normal adjacent tissues, and was closely related to TNM stage and regional lymph node metastasis in breast cancer. PRAF2 was found to act as an oncogene that is able to promote breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion. Thus, PRAF2 may be a potential prognostic factor in patients with breast cancer and a potential target for the treatment of breast cancer metastasis.

Targeting JWA for Cancer Therapy: Functions, Mechanisms and Drug Discovery

Simple Summary

JWA has been identified as a potential therapeutic target for several cancers. In this review, we summarize the tumor suppressive functions of the JWA gene and its role in anti-cancer drug development. The focus is on elucidating the key regulatory proteins up and downstream of JWA and their signaling networks. We also discuss current strategies for targeting JWA (JWA peptides, small molecule agonists, and JWA-targeted Pt (IV) prodrugs).

Abstract

Tumor heterogeneity limits the precision treatment of targeted drugs. It is important to find new tumor targets. JWA, also known as ADP ribosylation factor-like GTPase 6 interacting protein 5 (ARL6IP5, GenBank: AF070523, 1998), is a microtubule-associated protein and an environmental response gene. Substantial evidence shows that JWA is low expressed in a variety of malignancies and is correlated with overall survival. As a tumor suppressor, JWA inhibits tumor progression by suppressing multiple oncogenes or activating tumor suppressor genes. Low levels of JWA expression in tumors have been reported to be associated with multiple aspects of cancer progression, including angiogenesis, proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and chemotherapy resistance. In this review, we will discuss the structure and biological functions of JWA in tumors, examine the potential therapeutic strategies for targeting JWA and explore the directions for future investigation.

JAC1 targets YY1 mediated JWA/p38 MAPK signaling to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in TNBC

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a type of breast cancer with poor prognosis, and has no ideal therapeutic target and ideal medicine. Downregulation of JWA is closely related to the poor overall survival in many cancers including TNBC. In this study, we reported at the first time that JWA gene activating compound 1 (JAC1) inhibited the proliferation of TNBC in vitro and in vivo experimental models. JAC1 specifically bound to YY1 and eliminated its transcriptional inhibition of JWA gene. The rescued JWA induced G1 phase arrest and apoptosis in TNBC cells through the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. JAC1 also promoted ubiquitination and degradation of YY1. In addition, JAC1 disrupted the interaction between YY1 and HSF1, and suppressed the oncogenic role of HSF1 in TNBC through p-Akt signaling pathway. In conclusion, JAC1 suppressed the proliferation of TNBC through the JWA/P38 MAPK signaling and YY1/HSF1/p-Akt signaling. JAC1 maybe a potential therapeutic agent for TNBC.

JWA suppresses proliferation in trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer by downregulating CDK12

Breast cancer is the most common cancer worldwide. JWA is a microtubule-associated protein that has been identified as a tumor suppressor, and its downregulation in tumors is an independent adverse prognostic factor. The objective of this study was to explore the expression, regulation, and mechanism of JWA in trastuzumab-resistant breast cancers. In this study, we found that JWA expression was lower in trastuzumab-resistant breast cancers than that in trastuzumab-sensitive breast cancers. Furthermore, it was confirmed that overexpression of JWA inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis in trastuzumab-resistant breast cancers both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the low expression of JWA in trastuzumab-resistant breast cancers is associated with a poor prognosis. Combining RNA-sequence datasets and next-generation sequencing, it was found that JWA negatively regulated CDK12, and was involved in the G1-to-S transition of the cell cycle. It has been reported that CDK12 drives breast cancer initiation and induces trastuzumab resistance. Taken together, high expression of JWA could inhibit the growth of trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer, and JWA is a potential predictive marker for trastuzumab resistance. In addition, targeted therapy with JWA may be a novel therapeutic strategy to improve the survival rate of trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer.

JAC1 suppresses proliferation of breast cancer through the JWA/p38/SMURF1/HER2 signaling

The overexpression of HER2 is associated with a malignant proliferation of breast cancer. In this study, we developed a non-cytotoxic JWA gene activating compound 1 (JAC1) to inhibit the proliferation of HER2-positive breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo experimental models. JAC1 increased the ubiquitination of HER2 at the K716 site through the E3 ubiquitin ligase SMURF1 which was due to the decreased expression of NEDD4, the E3 ubiquitin ligase of SMURF1. In conclusion, JAC1 suppresses the proliferation of HER2-positive breast cancer cells through the JWA triggered HER2 ubiquitination signaling. JAC1 may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for HER2-positive breast cancer.

Identification of CXCR4 and CXCL10 as Potential Predictive Biomarkers in Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)

BACKGROUND Efficacious therapy for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) continues to be a profound clinical challenge, but the key driven genes and convoluted signaling pathways are still unknown. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 223 samples (163 TNBC and 60 healthy breast tissues) were taken and deeply integrated analyzed by R software from 4 expression profiles in the study, including GSE53752, GSE45827, GSE65194, and GSE38959. We examined differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and screen for critical genes and pathways enrichment. The protein‑protein interaction (PPI) network of DEGs-associated was built through the STRING Version: 11.0 database and Cytoscape software to filter the hub gene. Then, we verified hug gene expression levels through the Oncomine database. Also, we analyzed the prognostic value of TNBC patient's hub genes using the Kaplan-Meier plotter database. RESULTS In our study, we filter out 365 DEGs, including 212 upregulated genes and 153 downregulated genes. Then, 10 hub genes were picked out by the intersection of 12 algorithms. At the same time, we discovered that CXCR4 and CXCL10 overexpression are favorable prognostic factors for recurrence-free survival of TNBC through the Kaplan-Meier plotter database. CONCLUSIONS Our research found that CXCR4 and CXCL10 overexpressed, and they were a favorable prognostic factor in patients with TNBC. CXCR4 and CXCL10 might be effective targets for TNBC therapy.