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Chen X, Wang L, Yang M, Zhao W, Tu J, Liu B, Yuan X. RUNX transcription factors: biological functions and implications in cancer. Clin Exp Med 2024; 24:50. [PMID: 38430423 PMCID: PMC10908630 DOI: 10.1007/s10238-023-01281-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Runt-related transcription factors (RUNX) are a family of transcription factors that are essential for normal and malignant hematopoietic processes. Their most widely recognized role in malignancy is to promote the occurrence and development of acute myeloid leukemia. However, it is worth noting that during the last decade, studies of RUNX proteins in solid tumors have made considerable progress, suggesting that these proteins are directly involved in different stages of tumor development, including tumor initiation, progression, and invasion. RUNX proteins also play a role in tumor angiogenesis, the maintenance of tumor cell stemness, and resistance to antitumor drugs. These findings have led to the consideration of RUNX as a tumor biomarker. All RUNX proteins are involved in the occurrence and development of solid tumors, but the role of each RUNX protein in different tumors and the major signaling pathways involved are complicated by tumor heterogeneity and the interacting tumor microenvironment. Understanding how the dysregulation of RUNX in tumors affects normal biological processes is important to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which RUNX affects malignant tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyi Chen
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jie Fang Road 1095, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
| | - Lu Wang
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jie Fang Road 1095, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
| | - Mu Yang
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jie Fang Road 1095, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
| | - Weiheng Zhao
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jie Fang Road 1095, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
| | - Jingyao Tu
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jie Fang Road 1095, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
| | - Bo Liu
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jie Fang Road 1095, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
| | - Xianglin Yuan
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jie Fang Road 1095, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
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Xiao Z, Feng X, Zhou Y, Li P, Luo J, Zhang W, Zhou J, Zhao J, Wang D, Wang Y, Tian Z, Zhao X. Exosomal miR-10527-5p Inhibits Migration, Invasion, Lymphangiogenesis and Lymphatic Metastasis by Affecting Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling via Rab10 in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Int J Nanomedicine 2023; 18:95-114. [PMID: 36636641 PMCID: PMC9831078 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s391173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Cancer cell-derived exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) play critical role in orchestrating intercellular communication between tumor cells and tumor microenvironmental factors, including lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs). Nevertheless, the functions and underlying mechanisms of exosomal miRNAs in lymphatic metastasis and lymphangiogenesis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remain unclear. Methods Small RNA sequencing, Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) analysis and qRT‒PCR were performed to identify the candidate exosomal miRNAs involved in ESCC metastasis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic potential of exosomal miR-10527-5p in predicting lymph node metastasis (LNM) status. An in vitro coculture system was used to investigate the effects of exosomal miR-10527-5p on ESCC cells and human LECs (HLECs), followed by a popliteal LNM assay in vivo. The relationship between miR-10527-5p and Rab10 was identified by dual-luciferase reporter, fluorescence in situ hybridization and qRT‒PCR assays. Then, a series of rescue assays were performed to further investigate whether Rab10 is involved in exosomal miR-10527-5p mediated ESCC metastasis. Results MiR-10527-5p was found to be notably reduced in both the plasma exosomes and tumor tissues of ESCC patients with LNM, and plasma exosomal miR-10527-5p had a high sensitivity and specificity for discrimination of LNM status. Moreover, exosome-shuttled miR-10527-5p suppressed the migration, invasion and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of ESCC cells as well as the migration and tube formation of HLECs via Wnt/β-catenin signaling in vitro and in vivo. Further investigation revealed that Rab10 was a direct target of miR-10527-5p, and re-expression of Rab10 neutralized the inhibitory effects of exosomal miR-10527-5p. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that exosomal miR-10527-5p had a strong capability to predict preoperative LNM status and anti-lymphangiogenic effect. Exosomal miR-10527-5p inhibited lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis of ESCC in a vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C)-independent manner, showing potential as a therapeutic target for ESCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaohua Xiao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xumei Feng
- Health Management Center, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yongjia Zhou
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, People’s Republic of China
| | - Peiwei Li
- Institute of Medical Sciences, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Junwen Luo
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wenhao Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jie Zhou
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiangfeng Zhao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, People’s Republic of China
| | - Dong Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yongjie Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266000, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhongxian Tian
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, People’s Republic of China,Key Laboratory of Chest Cancer, Shandong University, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, People’s Republic of China,Correspondence: Zhongxian Tian; Xiaogang Zhao, Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-17660082365; +86-053185875009, Email ;
| | - Xiaogang Zhao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, People’s Republic of China,Key Laboratory of Chest Cancer, Shandong University, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, People’s Republic of China
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RUNX Proteins as Epigenetic Modulators in Cancer. Cells 2022; 11:cells11223687. [PMID: 36429115 PMCID: PMC9688118 DOI: 10.3390/cells11223687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
RUNX proteins are highly conserved in metazoans and perform critical functions during development. Dysregulation of RUNX proteins through various molecular mechanisms facilitates the development and progression of various cancers, where different RUNX proteins show tumor type-specific functions and regulate different aspects of tumorigenesis by cross-talking with different signaling pathways such as Wnt, TGF-β, and Hippo. Molecularly, they could serve as transcription factors (TFs) to activate their direct target genes or interact with many other TFs to modulate chromatin architecture globally. Here, we review the current knowledge on the functions and regulations of RUNX proteins in different cancer types and highlight their potential role as epigenetic modulators in cancer.
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Ungefroren H, Braun R, Lapshyna O, Konukiewitz B, Wellner UF, Lehnert H, Marquardt JU. Suppressive Role of ACVR1/ALK2 in Basal and TGFβ1-Induced Cell Migration in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cells and Identification of a Self-Perpetuating Autoregulatory Loop Involving the Small GTPase RAC1b. Biomedicines 2022; 10:2640. [PMID: 36289908 PMCID: PMC9599656 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10102640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells are known for their high invasive/metastatic potential, which is regulated in part by the transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1). The involvement of at least two type I receptors, ALK5 and ALK2, that transmit downstream signals of the TGFβ via different Smad proteins, SMAD2/3 and SMAD1/5, respectively, poses the issue of their relative contribution in regulating cell motility. Real-time cell migration assays revealed that the selective inhibition of ALK2 by RNAi or dominant-negative interference with a kinase-dead mutant (ALK2-K233R) strongly enhanced the cells' migratory activity in the absence or presence of TGFβ1 stimulation. Ectopic ALK2-K233R expression was associated with an increase in the protein levels of RAC1 and its alternatively spliced isoform, RAC1b, both of which are implicated in driving cell migration and invasion. Conversely, the RNAi-mediated knockdown or CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of RAC1b resulted in the upregulation of the expression of ALK2, but not that of the related BMP type I receptors, ALK3 or ALK6, and elevated the phosphorylation of SMAD1/5. PDAC is a heterogeneous disease encompassing tumors with different histomorphological subtypes, ranging from epithelial/classical to extremely mesenchymal. Upon treatment of various established and primary PDAC cell lines representing these subtypes with the ALK2 inhibitor, LDN-193189, well-differentiated, epithelial cell lines responded with a much stronger increase in the basal and TGFβ1-dependent migratory activity than poorly differentiated, mesenchymal ones. These data show that (i) ALK2 inhibits migration by suppressing RAC1/RAC1b proteins, (ii) ALK2 and RAC1b act together in a self-perpetuating the autoregulatory negative feedback loop to mutually control their expression, and (iii) the ALK2 antimigratory function appears to be particularly crucial in protecting epithelial subtype cells from becoming invasive, both spontaneously and in a TGFβ-rich tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hendrik Ungefroren
- First Department of Medicine, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, D-23538 Lübeck, Germany
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, D-24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Rüdiger Braun
- Clinic for Surgery, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, D-23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Olha Lapshyna
- Clinic for Surgery, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, D-23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Björn Konukiewitz
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, D-24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Ulrich F. Wellner
- Clinic for Surgery, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, D-23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | | | - Jens-Uwe Marquardt
- First Department of Medicine, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, D-23538 Lübeck, Germany
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MicroRNA-20a-5p regulates the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of human hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting RUNX3. Chin Med J (Engl) 2022; 135:2089-2097. [PMID: 35143426 PMCID: PMC9746768 DOI: 10.1097/cm9.0000000000001975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND MicroRNA-20a (miR-20a) is dysregulated in many types of malignancies, including human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its expression level and functional significance in HCC are still disputed. We aimed to study the role of miR-20a-5p in HCC and its downstream molecular mechanisms. METHODS We used real-time polymerase chain reaction to detect the expression of miR-20a-5p and runt-related transcription factor 3 ( RUNX3 ) in HCC and paraneoplastic tissue, transfected Huh7 and highly metastatic human hepatocellular carcinoma (MHCC97H) cells. A live cell workstation was used to observe the proliferation and migration of transfected cells. The invasiveness of transfected cells was verified by Transwell assay. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. The expression levels of proteins after transfection were measured using simple western immunoblot measurements. Gene expression profiles between HCC and normal samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment results were processed by the database for annotation, visualization and integrated discovery. Potential target genes of miR-20a-5p were predicted to further investigate how miR-20a-5p regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in HCC. RESULTS MiR-20a-5p was significantly highly expressed in HCC tissues, and overexpression of miR-20a-5p significantly promoted HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and inhibited apoptosis in vitro. The protein expression of E-cadherin was decreased and that of vimentin was increased after overexpression of miR-20a-5p in HCC cells. We discovered the intersection of genes from miRDB, miR TarBase, and TargetScan, obtained 397 target genes and finally focused on RUNX3. RUNX3 was not only reduced in HCC specimens but also drastically reduced in HCC cells overexpressing miR-20a-5p. RUNX3 expression decreased with elevated miR-20a-5p, which activated downstream EMT signaling and promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. CONCLUSIONS Since RUNX3 is involved in EMT in HCC, as proven by previous research, our findings provide further evidence for a novel regulatory pathway comprising the miR-20a/RUNX3/EMT axis that upregulates EMT signaling and enhances the migration of HCC cells.
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Balinth S, Fisher ML, Hwangbo Y, Wu C, Ballon C, Sun X, Mills AA. EZH2 regulates a SETDB1/ΔNp63α axis via RUNX3 to drive a cancer stem cell phenotype in squamous cell carcinoma. Oncogene 2022; 41:4130-4144. [PMID: 35864175 PMCID: PMC10132824 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-022-02417-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) and SET domain bifurcated 1 (SETDB1, also known as ESET) are oncogenic methyltransferases implicated in a number of human cancers. These enzymes typically function as epigenetic repressors of target genes by methylating histone H3 K27 and H3-K9 residues, respectively. Here, we show that EZH2 and SETDB1 are essential to proliferation in 3 SCC cell lines, HSC-5, FaDu, and Cal33. Additionally, we find both of these proteins highly expressed in an aggressive stem-like SCC sub-population. Depletion of either EZH2 or SETDB1 disrupts these stem-like cells and their associated phenotypes of spheroid formation, invasion, and tumor growth. We show that SETDB1 regulates this SCC stem cell phenotype through cooperation with ΔNp63α, an oncogenic isoform of the p53-related transcription factor p63. Furthermore, EZH2 is upstream of both SETDB1 and ΔNp63α, activating these targets via repression of the tumor suppressor RUNX3. We show that targeting this pathway with inhibitors of EZH2 results in activation of RUNX3 and repression of both SETDB1 and ΔNp63α, antagonizing the SCC cancer stem cell phenotype. This work highlights a novel pathway that drives an aggressive cancer stem cell phenotype and demonstrates a means of pharmacological intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seamus Balinth
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA.,Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | | | - Yon Hwangbo
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Caizhi Wu
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Carlos Ballon
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Xueqin Sun
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Alea A Mills
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA.
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Liu Y, Feng Z, Chen H. Integrated analysis of the expression, involved functions, and regulatory network of RUNX3 in melanoma. Comb Chem High Throughput Screen 2021; 25:1552-1564. [PMID: 34397327 DOI: 10.2174/1386207324666210816121833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As a tumor suppressor or oncogenic gene, abnormal expression of RUNX family transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) has been reported in various cancers. <p> Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the role of RUNX3 in melanoma. <p> Methods: The expression level of RUNX3 in melanoma tissues was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and the Oncomine database. Based on microarray datasets GSE3189 and GSE7553, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in melanoma samples were screened, followed by functional enrichment analysis. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was performed for RUNX3. DEGs that co-expressed with RUNX3 were analyzed, and the transcription factors (TFs) of RUNX3 and its co-expressed genes were predicted. The protein-protein interactions (PPIs) for RUNX3 were analyzed utilizing the GeneMANIA database. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) that could target RUNX3 expression, were predicted. <p> Results: RUNX3 expression was significantly up-regulated in melanoma tissues. GSEA showed that RUNX3 expression was positively correlated with melanogenesis and melanoma pathways. Eleven DEGs showed significant co-expression with RUNX3 in melanoma, for example, TLE4 was negatively co-expressed with RUNX3. RUNX3 was identified as a TF that regulated the expression of both itself and its co-expressed genes. PPI analysis showed that 20 protein-encoding genes interacted with RUNX3, among which 9 genes were differentially expressed in melanoma, such as CBFB and SMAD3. These genes were significantly enriched in transcriptional regulation by RUNX3, RUNX3 regulates BCL2L11 (BIM) transcription, regulation of I-kappaB kinase/NF-kappaB signaling, and signaling by NOTCH. A total of 31 miRNAs could target RUNX3, such as miR-326, miR-330-5p, and miR-373-3p. <p> Conclusion: RUNX3 expression was up-regulated in melanoma and was implicated in the development of melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanxin Liu
- Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250021, China
| | - Zhang Feng
- Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250021, China
| | - Huaxia Chen
- Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250021, China
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