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Papadakos S, Issa H, Alamri A, Alamri A, Semlali A. Rapamycin as a Potential Alternative Drug for Squamous Cell Gingiva Carcinoma (Ca9-22): A Focus on Cell Cycle, Apoptosis and Autophagy Genetic Profile. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:131. [PMID: 38276004 PMCID: PMC10818555 DOI: 10.3390/ph17010131] [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: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 01/01/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Oral cancer is considered as one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Its conventional treatment primarily involves surgery with or without postoperative adjuvant therapy. The targeting of signaling pathways implicated in tumorigenesis is becoming increasingly prevalent in the development of new anticancer drug candidates. Based on our recently published data, Rapamycin, an inhibitor of the mTOR pathway, exhibits selective antitumor activity in oral cancer by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing cancer cell apoptosis, autophagy, and cellular stress. In the present study, our focus is on elucidating the genetic determinants of Rapamycin's action and the interaction networks accountable for tumorigenesis suppression. To achieve this, gingival carcinoma cell lines (Ca9-22) were exposed to Rapamycin at IC50 (10 µM) for 24 h. Subsequently, we investigated the genetic profiles related to the cell cycle, apoptosis, and autophagy, as well as gene-gene interactions, using QPCR arrays and the Gene MANIA website. Overall, our results showed that Rapamycin at 10 µM significantly inhibits the growth of Ca9-22 cells after 24 h of treatment by around 50% by suppression of key modulators in the G2/M transition, namely, Survivin and CDK5RAP1. The combination of Rapamycin with Cisplatin potentializes the inhibition of Ca9-22 cell proliferation. A P1/Annexin-V assay was performed to evaluate the effect of Rapamycin on cell apoptosis. The results obtained confirm our previous findings in which Rapamycin at 10 μM induces a strong apoptosis of Ca9-22 cells. The live cells decreased, and the late apoptotic cells increased when the cells were treated by Rapamycin. To identify the genes responsible for cell apoptosis induced by Rapamycin, we performed the RT2 Profiler PCR Arrays for 84 apoptotic genes. The blocked cells were believed to be directed towards cell death, confirmed by the downregulation of apoptosis inhibitors involved in both the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways, including BIRC5, BNIP3, CD40LG, DAPK1, LTA, TNFRSF21 and TP73. The observed effects of Rapamycin on tumor suppression are likely to involve the autophagy process, evidenced by the inhibition of autophagy modulators (TGFβ1, RGS19 and AKT1), autophagosome biogenesis components (AMBRA1, ATG9B and TMEM74) and autophagy byproducts (APP). Identifying gene-gene interaction (GGI) networks provided a comprehensive view of the drug's mechanism and connected the studied tumorigenesis processes to potential functional interactions of various kinds (physical interaction, co-expression, genetic interactions etc.). In conclusion, Rapamycin shows promise as a clinical agent for managing Ca9-22 gingiva carcinoma cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Papadakos
- Groupe de Recherche en Écologie Buccale, Faculté de Médecine Dentaire, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; (S.P.); (H.I.)
| | - Hawraa Issa
- Groupe de Recherche en Écologie Buccale, Faculté de Médecine Dentaire, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; (S.P.); (H.I.)
| | - Abdulaziz Alamri
- Biochemistry Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.A.); (A.A.)
| | - Abdullah Alamri
- Biochemistry Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.A.); (A.A.)
| | - Abdelhabib Semlali
- Groupe de Recherche en Écologie Buccale, Faculté de Médecine Dentaire, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; (S.P.); (H.I.)
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Xiao F, Shen J, Zhou L, Fang Z, Weng Y, Zhang C, Zhang L, Huang X, Zhan R. ZNF395 facilitates macrophage polarization and impacts the prognosis of glioma. Am J Cancer Res 2022; 12:4312-4325. [PMID: 36225626 PMCID: PMC9548007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The immune microenvironment of glioma attributes to the initiation and development of glioma; however, the underlying mechanisms of tumor microenvironment formation have not been fully understood. In this study, we revealed that Zinc Finger Protein 395 (ZNF395), a member of the Kruppel C2H2-type zinc-finger protein family and also known as a common transcription factor, was aberrantly overexpressed in glioma and positively associated with the poor clinicopathological features and the prognosis of patients with glioma based on the analyses of TCGA, CGGA and other datasets. Further in vitro experimental data demonstrated that the upregulation of ZNF395 promoted the proliferation of glioma cells. In addition, functional enrichment analysis showed that ZNF395 was involved in immune processes and correlated with macrophage infiltration and polarization. Moreover, C-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 20 (CCL20), one of the ZNF395 co-expressed genes, was validated as the downstream factor under the transcriptional regulation of ZNF395. Importantly, cell co-culture experiments confirmed that ZNF395 upregulated both the intracellular and secreted CCL20 level of glioma cells and induced M2 macrophage polarization which is known to promote the malignant progression of glioma. Taken together, our findings suggested that ZNF395 might play an essential role in glioma development, and inhibition of ZNF395 might be a plausible strategy for glioma therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Xiao
- Department of Neurosurgery, The 1st Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jie Shen
- Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lihui Zhou
- Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zebin Fang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The 1st Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuxiang Weng
- Department of Neurosurgery, The 1st Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chao Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The 1st Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Luyuan Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The 1st Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xin Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The 1st Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Renya Zhan
- Department of Neurosurgery, The 1st Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Ashekyan O, Abdallah S, Shoukari AA, Chamandi G, Choubassy H, Itani ARS, Alwan N, Nasr R. Spotlight on Exosomal Non-Coding RNAs in Breast Cancer: An In Silico Analysis to Identify Potential lncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-Target Axis. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158351. [PMID: 35955480 PMCID: PMC9369058 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) has recently become the most common cancer type worldwide, with metastatic disease being the main reason for disease mortality. This has brought about strategies for early detection, especially the utilization of minimally invasive biomarkers found in various bodily fluids. Exosomes have been proposed as novel extracellular vesicles, readily detectable in bodily fluids, secreted from BC-cells or BC-tumor microenvironment cells, and capable of conferring cellular signals over long distances via various cargo molecules. This cargo is composed of different biomolecules, among which are the novel non-coding genome products, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and the recently discovered circular RNA (circRNA), all of which were found to be implicated in BC pathology. In this review, the diverse roles of the ncRNA cargo of BC-derived exosomes will be discussed, shedding light on their primarily oncogenic and additionally tumor suppressor roles at different levels of BC tumor progression, and drug sensitivity/resistance, along with presenting their diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarker potential. Finally, benefiting from the miRNA sponging mechanism of action of lncRNAs and circRNAs, we established an experimentally validated breast cancer exosomal non-coding RNAs-regulated target gene axis from already published exosomal ncRNAs in BC. The resulting genes, pathways, gene ontology (GO) terms, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis could be a starting point to better understand BC and may pave the way for the development of novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ohanes Ashekyan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon;
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon; (S.A.); (G.C.); (H.C.)
| | - Samira Abdallah
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon; (S.A.); (G.C.); (H.C.)
| | - Ayman Al Shoukari
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Immunology, and Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon;
| | - Ghada Chamandi
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon; (S.A.); (G.C.); (H.C.)
- INSERM U976, HIPI, Pathophysiology of Breast Cancer Team, Université de Paris, 75010 Paris, France
| | - Hayat Choubassy
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon; (S.A.); (G.C.); (H.C.)
- Faculty of Sciences, Lebanese University, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon
| | - Abdul Rahman S. Itani
- Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany;
- Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine (HI-STEM gGmbH), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Inflammatory Stress in Stem Cells, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ) and DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nisreen Alwan
- College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi 59911, United Arab Emirates
- Correspondence: (N.A.); (R.N.); Tel.: +971-2-5015647 (N.A.); +961-1-350000 (ext. 4812) (R.N.)
| | - Rihab Nasr
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon; (S.A.); (G.C.); (H.C.)
- Correspondence: (N.A.); (R.N.); Tel.: +971-2-5015647 (N.A.); +961-1-350000 (ext. 4812) (R.N.)
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Chen C, Zhou H, Liu Z, Ma X. Dysregulation of Zinc Finger Protein 395 Contributes to the Pathogenesis of Chondrosarcoma. Onco Targets Ther 2021; 14:3545-3553. [PMID: 34113121 PMCID: PMC8183675 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s310164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction The transcription factor zinc finger protein 395 (ZNF395) is involved in several cellular responses and tumorigenesis. However, the potential role and clinical significance of ZNF395 in chondrosarcoma are not well investigated. This study determines the expression profile, prognostic value and biological function of ZNF395 in human chondrosarcoma. Methods The mRNA and protein expressions of ZNF395 in fresh chondrosarcomas and the matched adjacent non-tumor tissues were assessed using real-time PCR and immunoblotting, respectively. The protein expression of ZNF395 in chondrosarcoma specimens was evaluated by immunohistochemistry, and the relationships among its protein level, clinicopathological parameters and prognosis were further detected. Cell viability, colony formation, migration, invasion and apoptosis assay were evaluated in chondrosarcoma cells with depletion of ZNF395. Results The mRNA and protein expressions of ZNF395 in chondrosarcoma tissues were significantly higher than those in the matched adjacent non-tumor tissues and benign cartilage tumors. Clinical analysis displayed that ZNF395 was expressed at higher levels in chondrosarcoma patients with higher histological grade and advanced MSTS stage. Furthermore, we demonstrated that high expression of ZNF395 correlated with a worse overall survival of chondrosarcoma patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that ZNF395 was an independent prognostic marker in chondrosarcoma patients. Functional studies revealed that depletion of ZNF395 markedly inhibited cell viability, colony formation, migration and invasion, and promoted apoptosis in chondrosarcoma. Conclusion These findings suggest that dysregulation of ZNF395 contributes to chondrosarcoma development, and ZNF395 may act as a potent oncogene and serve as a independently prognostic factor, highlight the potential of ZNF395 as a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for chondrosarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changbao Chen
- Department of Spinal Surgery, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, 300211, People's Republic of China
| | - Hua Zhou
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhongjun Liu
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinlong Ma
- Department of Spinal Surgery, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, 300211, People's Republic of China
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Kurogi S, Hijiya N, Hidano S, Sato S, Uchida T, Tsukamoto Y, Nakada C, Yada K, Hirashita T, Inomata M, Murakami K, Takahashi N, Kobayashi T, Moriyama M. Downregulation of ZNF395 Drives Progression of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma through Enhancement of Growth Potential. Pathobiology 2021; 88:374-382. [PMID: 33794543 DOI: 10.1159/000514593] [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: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Progression of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) to invasive carcinoma is a critical factor impacting the prognosis of patients with pancreatic tumors. However, the molecular mechanisms involved are not fully understood. We have reported that the process frequently involves loss of chromosome 8p, causing downregulation of DUSP4, thus conferring invasive ability on cancer cells. Here, we focus on ZNF395, whose expression was also found to be decreased by 8p loss and was predicted to be a growth suppressor gene. METHODS Pancreatic cancer cell lines inducibly expressing ZNF395 were established to assess the functional significance of ZNF395 in pancreatic carcinogenesis. Immunohistochemistry was also performed to analyze the expression levels of ZNF395 in pancreatic cancer tissues. RESULTS Induction of ZNF395 in pancreatic cancer cells resulted in marked activation of JNK and suppression of their proliferation through a delay in cell cycle progression. Immunohistochemistry revealed that ZNF395 was expressed ubiquitously in both normal pancreatic ducts and PanINs but was significantly reduced in invasive cancers, especially those showing poor differentiation. CONCLUSION ZNF395 acts as a novel tumor suppressor gene. Its downregulation caused by 8p loss in intraepithelial cells accelerates their proliferation through dysregulation of the cell cycle, leading to progression to invasive cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shusaku Kurogi
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu, Japan
| | - Naoki Hijiya
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu, Japan
| | - Shinya Hidano
- Department of Infectious Disease Control, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu, Japan
| | | | - Tomohisa Uchida
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu, Japan
| | - Yoshiyuki Tsukamoto
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu, Japan
| | - Chisato Nakada
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Yada
- Department of Gastroenterological and Pediatric Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu, Japan
| | - Teijiro Hirashita
- Department of Gastroenterological and Pediatric Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu, Japan
| | - Masafumi Inomata
- Department of Gastroenterological and Pediatric Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu, Japan
| | - Kazunari Murakami
- Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu, Japan
| | - Naohiko Takahashi
- Department of Cardiology and Clinical Examination, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu, Japan
| | - Takashi Kobayashi
- Department of Infectious Disease Control, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu, Japan
| | - Masatsugu Moriyama
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu, Japan
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Li D, Toji S, Watanabe K, Torigoe T, Tsukahara T. Identification of novel human leukocyte antigen-A*11:01-restricted cytotoxic T-lymphocyte epitopes derived from osteosarcoma antigen papillomavirus binding factor. Cancer Sci 2019; 110:1156-1168. [PMID: 30767336 PMCID: PMC6447853 DOI: 10.1111/cas.13973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteosarcoma is the most common malignancy of bone that affects young people. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery have significantly improved the prognosis. However, the prognosis of non-responders to chemotherapy is still poor. To develop peptide-based immunotherapy for osteosarcoma, we previously identified CTL epitopes derived from papillomavirus binding factor (PBF) in the context of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A2, HLA-A24 and HLA-B55. In the present study, we identified two novel CTL epitopes, QVT (QVTVWLLEQK) and LSA (LSALPPPLHK), in the context of HLA-A11 using a sequence of screenings based on the predicted affinity of peptides, in vitro folding ability of peptide/HLA-A11 complex, reactivity of peptide/HLA-A11 tetramer and interferon (IFN)-γ production of T cells that was induced by mixed lymphocyte peptide culture under a limiting dilution condition. CTL clones directed to QVT and LSA peptides showed specific cytotoxicity against HLA-A11+ PBF+ osteosarcoma (HOS-A11) cells. In contrast, another epitope, ASV (ASVLSRRLGK), could highly induce cognate tetramer-positive CTL. This might be because the ASV peptide mimics the peptide ASV (R6Q) (ASVLSQRLGK) derived from bacterial polypeptides, ROK family proteins. However, ASV-induced CTL did not show cytokine production against the cognate peptide. In conclusion, the CTL epitopes QVT and LSA peptides might be useful for the development of immunotherapy targeting PBF for patients with osteosarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongliang Li
- Ina Laboratory, Medical & Biological Laboratories Co., LtdInaJapan
| | - Shingo Toji
- Ina Laboratory, Medical & Biological Laboratories Co., LtdInaJapan
| | - Kazue Watanabe
- Ina Laboratory, Medical & Biological Laboratories Co., LtdInaJapan
| | - Toshihiko Torigoe
- Department of PathologySapporo Medical University School of MedicineSapporoJapan
| | - Tomohide Tsukahara
- Department of PathologySapporo Medical University School of MedicineSapporoJapan
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