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Lu X, Zhao H, Yuan H, Chu Y, Zhu X. High nuclear expression of APE1 correlates with unfavorable prognosis and promotes tumor growth in hepatocellular carcinoma. J Mol Histol 2021; 52:219-231. [PMID: 33392892 DOI: 10.1007/s10735-020-09939-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
APE1 is a multifunctional protein that plays important roles in cancer development. However, the association between APE1 expression and the clinicopathological parameters of HCC patients has not been fully characterized. In this study, bioinformatics analysis of APE1 was performed in several databases, including the TCGA, GeneCard, Human Protein Atlas and Ualcan databases. The relationship between APE1 mRNA expression and several attributes of liver cancer patients in TCGA was investigated. Then, the protein expression of APE1 was detected by IHC analysis in 95 HCC samples and the association between APE1 expression and the clinicopathological parameters of HCC patients was explored. GSEA-KEGG analysis was performed to predict the potential signaling pathways that associated with APE1 expression. Then the siRNA-mediated knockdown model of APE1 was constructed in HCC cell line to further detect the detailed function of APE1 in HCC development in vitro and in vivo. The results of the bioinformatics analysis showed that APE1 expression was primarily located in the cell nucleus. APE1 mRNA expression was substantially correlated with pathological grade and T status in TCGA database. Elevated APE1 expression was observed in HCC samples and was associated with unfavorable survival time in liver cancer patients. IHC data demonstrated that the nuclear expression of APE1 in HCC tissues was significantly higher than that in noncancerous tissues. The expression level of the APE1 protein in HCC was strongly associated with tumor diameter and overall survival. Survival analysis indicated that APE1 nuclear expression is an independent prognostic marker for the overall survival of HCC patients. GSEA-KEGG results confirmed that APE1 associated with the base excision repair signaling pathway. The data of phenotypic experiments indicated that APE1 remarkably promoted tumor growth both in HCC cells and xenografts. The findings firstly imply that nuclear expression of APE1 is a valuable prognostic marker for HCC. APE1 significantly facilitate HCC development and targeting APE1 may be a promising strategy for HCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohua Lu
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
| | - Hui Zhao
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
| | - Hongxin Yuan
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
| | - Yushan Chu
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
| | - Xiaoqing Zhu
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China.
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Hydrogen peroxide and Helicobacter pylori extract treatment combined with APE1 knockdown induce DNA damage, G2/M arrest and cell death in gastric cancer cell line. DNA Repair (Amst) 2020; 96:102976. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2020.102976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Bazzani V, Barchiesi A, Radecka D, Pravisani R, Guadagno A, Di Loreto C, Baccarani U, Vascotto C. Mitochondrial apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 enhances mtDNA repair contributing to cell proliferation and mitochondrial integrity in early stages of hepatocellular carcinoma. BMC Cancer 2020; 20:969. [PMID: 33028238 PMCID: PMC7542375 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-020-07258-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the leading cause of primary liver cancers. Surveillance of individuals at specific risk of developing HCC, early diagnostic markers, and new therapeutic approaches are essential to obtain a reduction in disease-related mortality. Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1) expression levels and its cytoplasmic localization have been reported to correlate with a lower degree of differentiation and shorter survival rate. The aim of this study is to fully investigate, for the first time, the role of the mitochondrial form of APE1 in HCC. METHODS As a study model, we analyzed samples from a cohort of patients diagnosed with HCC who underwent surgical resection. Mitochondrial APE1 content, expression levels of the mitochondrial import protein Mia40, and mtDNA damage of tumor tissue and distal non-tumor liver of each patient were analyzed. In parallel, we generated a stable HeLa clone for inducible silencing of endogenous APE1 and re-expression of the recombinant shRNA resistant mitochondrially targeted APE1 form (MTS-APE1). We evaluated mtDNA damage, cell growth, and mitochondrial respiration. RESULTS APE1's cytoplasmic positivity in Grades 1 and 2 HCC patients showed a significantly higher expression of mitochondrial APE1, which accounted for lower levels of mtDNA damage observed in the tumor tissue with respect to the distal area. In the contrast, the cytoplasmic positivity in Grade 3 was not associated with APE1's mitochondrial accumulation even when accounting for the higher number of mtDNA lesions measured. Loss of APE1 expression negatively affected mitochondrial respiration, cell viability, and proliferation as well as levels of mtDNA damage. Remarkably, the phenotype was efficiently rescued in MTS-APE1 clone, where APE1 is present only within the mitochondrial matrix. CONCLUSIONS Our study confirms the prominent role of the mitochondrial form of APE1 in the early stages of HCC development and the relevance of the non-nuclear fraction of APE1 in the disease progression. We have also confirmed overexpression of Mia40 and the role of the MIA pathway in the APE1 import process. Based on our data, inhibition of the APE1 transport by blocking the MIA pathway could represent a new therapeutic approach for reducing mitochondrial metabolism by preventing the efficient repair of mtDNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Bazzani
- Department of Medical Area, University of Udine, P.le Massimiliano Kolbe 4, 33100, Udine, Italy
| | - Arianna Barchiesi
- Department of Medical Area, University of Udine, P.le Massimiliano Kolbe 4, 33100, Udine, Italy
| | - Dorota Radecka
- Department of Medical Area, University of Udine, P.le Massimiliano Kolbe 4, 33100, Udine, Italy
| | - Riccardo Pravisani
- Department of Medicine, General Surgery and Transplantation, Academic Hospital (ASUIUD), University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Antonio Guadagno
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Pathology, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.,Pathology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico "San Martino", Genoa, Italy
| | - Carla Di Loreto
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Pathology, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Umberto Baccarani
- Department of Medicine, General Surgery and Transplantation, Academic Hospital (ASUIUD), University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Carlo Vascotto
- Department of Medical Area, University of Udine, P.le Massimiliano Kolbe 4, 33100, Udine, Italy.
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Deng X, Zhen P, Niu X, Dai Y, Wang Y, Zhou M. APE1 promotes proliferation and migration of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. J Dermatol Sci 2020; 100:67-74. [PMID: 32951990 DOI: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2020.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease 1 (APE1/REF-1/HAP1) is a multifunction protein involved in the progression of cancer. But the role of APE1 in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is unclear. OBJECTIVE This study is aimed to investigate the basic modulatory mechanism of APE1 in cSCC development and offer a novel potential target for clinical treatment. METHODS The expression of APE1 in cSCC tissues was detected by western blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. The function of APE1 and miR-27a in cSCC cells was investigated by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assays, colony formation assays and transwell migration assays. Western blot was used to determine the expression of APE1 in cSCC and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in HSC-1 and HSC-5 cells with APE1 knockdown or overexpression. Double luciferase reporter assays were performed to confirm the interaction of miR-27a and APE1. RESULTS We identified that APE1 was significantly upregulated in human cSCC tissues and cSCC cells and its overexpression promoted cell proliferation, migration and the expression of EMT markers in cSCC cells. Mechanistically, miR-27a was predicted and confirmed as the upstream of APE1. Its downregulation also enhanced the proliferation and migration of cSCC cells. Rescue experiments demonstrated that restoration of APE1 expression significantly abolished the inhibition of cell proliferation and migration mediated by miR-27a. CONCLUSION As a direct gene of miR-27a, APE1 improved cell proliferation and migration to promote the progression of cSCC, which could be considered as a potential therapeutic target for cSCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuyi Deng
- Department of Radiation Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangdong, China
| | - Peilin Zhen
- Jiangmen Central Hospital, Affiliated Jiangmen Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong, China
| | - Xinli Niu
- Department of Radiation Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangdong, China
| | - Yu Dai
- Department of Dermatology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangdong, China
| | - Yinghui Wang
- Department of Radiation Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangdong, China; Jiangmen Central Hospital, Affiliated Jiangmen Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong, China.
| | - Meijuan Zhou
- Department of Radiation Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangdong, China.
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Lu H, Bhat AA, Peng D, Chen Z, Zhu S, Hong J, Maacha S, Yan J, Robbins DJ, Washington MK, Belkhiri A, El-Rifai W. APE1 Upregulates MMP-14 via Redox-Sensitive ARF6-Mediated Recycling to Promote Cell Invasion of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma. Cancer Res 2019; 79:4426-4438. [PMID: 31308045 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-19-0237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Revised: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is an aggressive malignancy with poor clinical outcome. The incidence of EAC has been rising rapidly in the past three decades. Here, we showed that apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease (APE1) is overexpressed in EAC cell lines, and patients' samples of dysplasia and EAC. Downregulation of APE1 or inhibition of its redox function significantly repressed invasion. Overexpression of a redox-defective mutant, C65A, abrogated the proinvasive phenotype of APE1. APE1 regulated invasion via upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase 14 (MMP-14), which subsequently activated MMP-2, leading to degradation of the extracellular matrix in a redox-dependent manner. Downregulation of APE1 or inhibition of its redox function decreased the rate of endocytosis and recycling of MMP-14 protein. APE1 interacted with ARF6, a key regulator of MMP-14 recycling, which maintained ARF6 activity in an APE1-redox-dependent manner, promoting its ability to regulate MMP-14 recycling to the cell surface. In summary, these findings identify a novel redox-sensitive APE1-ARF6-MMP-14 signaling axis that mediates cellular invasion in esophageal carcinogenesis. SIGNIFICANCE: This study demonstrates the association between oxidative stress and the development and metastatic behavior of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Lu
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
| | - Ajaz A Bhat
- Division of Translational Medicine, Research Branch, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Dunfa Peng
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
| | - Zheng Chen
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.,Department of Veterans Affairs, Miami Healthcare System, Miami, Florida
| | - Shoumin Zhu
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
| | - Jun Hong
- Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Selma Maacha
- Division of Translational Medicine, Research Branch, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Jin Yan
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangshu, China
| | - David J Robbins
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
| | - M Kay Washington
- Department of Pathology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Abbes Belkhiri
- Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Wael El-Rifai
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida. .,Department of Veterans Affairs, Miami Healthcare System, Miami, Florida.,Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
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Guerreiro PS, Corvacho E, Costa JG, Saraiva N, Fernandes AS, Castro M, Miranda JP, Oliveira NG. The APE1 redox inhibitor E3330 reduces collective cell migration of human breast cancer cells and decreases chemoinvasion and colony formation when combined with docetaxel. Chem Biol Drug Des 2017; 90:561-571. [DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.12979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2016] [Revised: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia S. Guerreiro
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa); Faculty of Pharmacy; Universidade de Lisboa; Lisbon Portugal
| | - Eduardo Corvacho
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa); Faculty of Pharmacy; Universidade de Lisboa; Lisbon Portugal
| | - João G. Costa
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa); Faculty of Pharmacy; Universidade de Lisboa; Lisbon Portugal
- CBIOS; Universidade Lusófona Research Center for Biosciences & Health Technologies; Lisbon Portugal
| | - Nuno Saraiva
- CBIOS; Universidade Lusófona Research Center for Biosciences & Health Technologies; Lisbon Portugal
| | - Ana S. Fernandes
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa); Faculty of Pharmacy; Universidade de Lisboa; Lisbon Portugal
- CBIOS; Universidade Lusófona Research Center for Biosciences & Health Technologies; Lisbon Portugal
| | - Matilde Castro
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa); Faculty of Pharmacy; Universidade de Lisboa; Lisbon Portugal
| | - Joana P. Miranda
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa); Faculty of Pharmacy; Universidade de Lisboa; Lisbon Portugal
| | - Nuno G. Oliveira
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa); Faculty of Pharmacy; Universidade de Lisboa; Lisbon Portugal
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STC2 as a novel mediator for Mus81-dependent proliferation and survival in hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Lett 2016; 388:177-186. [PMID: 27939696 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2016.11.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2016] [Revised: 11/29/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Methyl methansulfonate and UV sensitive gene clone 81 (Mus81) is a critical DNA repair gene that has been implicated in development of several cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, whether Mus81 can affect proliferation and survival of HCC remains unknown. In the present study, we demonstrated that the knockdown of Mus81 was associated with suppressed proliferation and elevated apoptosis of HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Multilayered screenings, including DNA microarray, high content screen, and real-time PCR validation, identified STC2 as a proliferation-facilitating gene significantly down-regulated in HCC cells upon Mus81 knockdown. STC2 expression was also closely correlated to Mus81 expression in HCC tissues. More importantly, the restoration of STC2 expression recovered the compromised cell proliferation and survival in Mus81 depleted HCC cells. Furthermore, Mus81 knockdown was associated with the activation of APAF1, APC, and PTEN pathways and concurrent inhibition of MAPK pathway through decreasing STC2 expression. In conclusion, Mus81 knockdown suppresses proliferation and survival of HCC cells likely by downregulating STC2 expression, implicating Mus81 as a therapeutic target for HCC.
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