Modified Banxiaxiexin decoction benefitted chemotherapy in treating gastric cancer by regulating multiple targets and pathways

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Chemotherapy tolerance weakened efficacy of chemotherapy drugs in the treating gastric cancer (GC). Banxiaxiexin decoction (BXXXD) was widely used in digestive diseases for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In order to better treat GC, three other herbs were added to BXXXD to create a new prescription named Modified Banxiaxiexin decoction (MBXXXD). Although MBXXXD potentially treated GC by improving chemotherapy tolerance, the possible mechanisms were still unknown.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To explore the therapeutic effect of MBXXXD on GC patients and explore the possible anti-cancer mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A randomized controlled trial (n = 146) was conducted to evaluate the clinical efficacy between MBXXXD + chemotherapy (n = 73) and placebo + chemotherapy (n = 73) in GC patients by testing overall survival, progression free survival, clinical symptoms, quality of life score, tumor markers, T cell subpopulation, and adverse reactions. Network pharmacology was conducted to discover the potential mechanism of MBXXXD in treating GC. Metabolic activity assay, cell clone colony formation and mitochondrial apoptosis were detected in human GC cell lines including AGS cell, KNM-45 cell and SGC7901 cell treated by MBXXXD. Multiple pathways including P53, AKT, IκB, P65, P38, ERK, JNK p-AKT, p-P65, p-P38, p-ERK and p-JNK in AGS cell, KNM-45 cell and SGC7901 cell treated by MBXXXD and GC patients treated by MBXXXD + chemotherapy were also detected.

RESULTS

MBXXXD + chemotherapy promoted overall survival and progression free survival, improved clinical symptoms and quality of life score, increased T4 lymphocyte ratio and T8 lymphocyte ratio as well as T4/T8 lymphocyte ratio, and alleviated adverse reactions in GC patients. Network pharmacology predicted multiple targets and pathways of MBXXXD in treating GC including apoptosis, P53 pathway, AKT pathway, MAPK pathway. MBXXXD inhibited cell viability, decreased cell clone colony formation, and promoted mitochondrial apoptosis by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS), promoting mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) and the cleavage of pro-caspase-3 and pro-caspase-9, and decreasing mito-tracker red Chloromethyl-X-rosamine (CMXRos) in AGS cell, KNM-45 cell and SGC7901 cell. MBXXXD up-regulated the expression of P53 and IκB, and down-regulated the expression of p-AKT, p-P65, p-P38, p-ERK, p-JNK, AKT, P65, P38, ERK and JNK AGS cell, KNM-45 cell and SGC7901 cell treated by MBXXXD and GC patients treated by MBXXXD + chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

MBXXXD benefitted chemotherapy for GC by regulating multiple targets and pathways.

Nanogel enhances the efficacy of MLN8237 in treating hepatocellular carcinoma

MLN8237, a specific inhibitor of Aurora-A kinase, is proved to be a potential treatment strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nanogels improve the efficacy of doxorubicin. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the increase in the effect of nanogels on MLN8237 in inhibiting HCC. Doxorubicin or MLN8237 was used as an anti-tumor drug models which were packaged by organic solvent volatilization method to obtain the doxorubicin-loaded nanogel and the MLN8237-loaded nanogel. Subsequently, CCK8 assay, cell cycle assay, apoptosis assay, real-time PCR, western blotting assay and animal experiments were used to detect the effects of MLN8237 nanogel on the proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, tumor growth, mRNA and protein levels of aurora-A and PUMA, and AKT phosphorylation levels in HCC cell lines. The results show that the nanogels can realize pH-regulated hydrophobicity reversal, have certain stability, and can realize lysosomal escape. Moreover, the MLN8237-loaded nanogel has a stronger ability to inhibit HCC cell proliferation, block cell cycle, promote apoptosis and inhibit tumor growth than free MLN8237 by suppressing aurora-A and AKT phosphorylation. In short, nanogel can enhance the efficacy of MLN8237.

Androgen dihydrotestosterone promotes bladder cancer cell proliferation and invasion via EPPK1-mediated MAPK/JUP signalling

The incidence of bladder cancer (BLCA) in men is higher than that in women. Differences in androgen levels between men and women are considered the main causes of incidence rate differences. In this study, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) significantly increased the proliferation and invasion of BLCA cells. In addition, BLCA formation and metastatic rates were higher in N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine (BBN)-treated male mice than in female and castrated male mice in vivo. However, immunohistochemistry showed that androgen receptor (AR) was expressed at low levels in normal and BLCA tissues of men and women. The classical AR pathway considers that DHT binds to AR and induces it to enter the nucleus, where it functions as a transcription factor. Here, a non-AR combination pathway of androgen that promoted BLCA development was investigated. The EPPK1 protein was bombarded with DHT, as determined by biotinylated DHT-binding pull-down experiments. EPPK1 was highly expressed in BLCA tissues, and EPPK1 knockdown significantly inhibited BLCA cell proliferation and invasion promoted by DHT. Moreover, JUP expression was elevated in DHT-treated high-EPPK1 expressing cells, and JUP knockdown inhibited cell proliferation and invasion. EPPK1 overexpression increased tumour growth and JUP expression in nude mice. Furthermore, DHT increased the expression of the MAPK signals p38, p-p38, and c-Jun, and c-Jun could bind to the JUP promoter. However, the promotion of p38, p-p38, and c-Jun expression by DHT was not observed in EPPK1 knockdown cells, and a p38 inhibitor suppressed the DHT-induced effects, indicating that p38 MAPK may be involved in the regulation of DHT-dependent EPPK1-JUP-promoted BLCA cell proliferation and invasion. The growth of bladder tumours in BBN-treated mice was inhibited by the addition of the hormone inhibitor goserelin. Our findings indicated the potential oncogenic role and mechanism of DHT in BLCA pathogenesis through a non-AR pathway, which may serve as a novel therapeutic target for BLCA.

Yupingfeng San exhibits anticancer effect in hepatocellular carcinoma cells via the MAPK pathway revealed by HTS2 technology

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Yupingfeng San (YPFS) is a classic rousing prescription in Chinese medicine, with widly clinical application and remarkably curative effect. It consists of three herbs named Astragalus mongholicus Bunge (Huangqi), Atractylodes rubra Dekker (Baizhu) and Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk. (Fangfeng), and has a variety of pharmacological activities including immune regulation, antioxidant, anti-tumor, regulation of cytokines, etc. AIM OF THE STUDY: It has been proved that YPFS exerts its anti-tumor effect through enhancing the systemic and local immune responses in tumor patients, moreover, it has the direct tumor-suppressing effect and can reduce the adverse reactions caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy drugs. Therefore, in this study, we explored the potential anti-HCC mechanism of YPFS based on HTS² technology and systems pharmacology, aiming to provide a scientific basis for the clinical application of YPFS and a new strategy for Chinese medicine research.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, systems pharmacology plus high throughput sequencing-based high throughput screening (HTS²) technology, and experimental validation were used to investigate the therapeutic mechanisms and the chemical basis of YPFS in HCC treatment. Firstly, the potential therapeutic targets and signaling pathways of YPFS in the treatment of HCC were obtained through systems pharmacology. Subsequently, HTS² technology combined with PPI network analysis were used to reveal potential therapeutic targets. Finally, the anti-HCC effects and underlying mechanisms of YPFS were further verified in vitro in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. Moreover, the possible chemical basis was explored by drug target verification and molecular docking technology.

RESULTS

In total, 183 active ingredients were predicted by YPFS screening and 49 anti-HCC targets were further identified. Most of these targets were enriched into the "MAPK pathway", and the expression of 37 genes was significantly changed after herb treatment. Among them, 5 key targets, including VEGFA, GRB2, JUN, PDGFRB and CDC42, were predicted by protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. According to our results, YPFS inhibited the proliferation, induced the apoptosis and caused cell cycle arrest of HCC cells. In addition, YPFS significantly reduced P38 gene expression. Fangfeng, one of the three herbs in YPFS, significantly down-regulated the expression of more target genes than that of the other two herbs. Lastly, as revealed by molecular docking analysis, 4'-O-glucosyl-5-O-methylvisamminol, an active ingredient identified in Fangfeng, showed a high affinity for P38.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, this study shows that YPFS possesses the activities of anti-proliferation and pro-apoptosis in treating HCC, which are achieved by inhibiting the MAPK signaling pathway. P38 is one of the critical targets of YPFS in treating HCC, which may be directly bound and inhibited by 4'-O-glucosyl-5-O-methylvisamminol, a compound derived from YPFS.

Signaling pathways and therapeutic interventions in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer (GC) ranks fifth in global cancer diagnosis and fourth in cancer-related death. Despite tremendous progress in diagnosis and therapeutic strategies and significant improvements in patient survival, the low malignancy stage is relatively asymptomatic and many GC cases are diagnosed at advanced stages, which leads to unsatisfactory prognosis and high recurrence rates. With the recent advances in genome analysis, biomarkers have been identified that have clinical importance for GC diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Modern molecular classifications have uncovered the vital roles that signaling pathways, including EGFR/HER2, p53, PI3K, immune checkpoint pathways, and cell adhesion signaling molecules, play in GC tumorigenesis, progression, metastasis, and therapeutic responsiveness. These biomarkers and molecular classifications open the way for more precise diagnoses and treatments for GC patients. Nevertheless, the relative significance, temporal activation, interaction with GC risk factors, and crosstalk between these signaling pathways in GC are not well understood. Here, we review the regulatory roles of signaling pathways in GC potential biomarkers, and therapeutic targets with an emphasis on recent discoveries. Current therapies, including signaling-based and immunotherapies exploited in the past decade, and the development of treatment for GC, particularly the challenges in developing precision medications, are discussed. These advances provide a direction for the integration of clinical, molecular, and genomic profiles to improve GC diagnosis and treatments.

The functional role of p38 MAPK pathway in malignant brain tumors

Gliomas are extremely debilitating malignant brain tumors with very limited response to therapies. The initiation and progression of gliomas can be attributed to several molecular abnormalities, such as mutations in important regulatory networks. In this regard, the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) arise as key signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation. MAPK pathway has been altered in most glial tumors. In glioma cells, the activation of p38 MAPK contributes to tumor invasion and metastasis and is positively correlated with tumor grade, being considered a potential oncogenic factor contributing to brain tumorigenesis and chemotherapy resistance. Hence, a better understanding of glioma pathogenesis is essential to the advancement of therapies that provide extended life expectancy for glioma patients. This review aims to explore the role of the p38 MAPK pathway in the genesis and progression of malignant brain tumors.

Intravenous Immunoglobulin Inhibits Liver Cancer Progression by Promoting p38MAPK-Associated Apoptosis

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to explore the effect of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) on the development of rat hepatocellular carcinoma and its possible molecular mechanism.

METHODS

Sixty adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into three groups: control, diethylnitrosamine(DEN) + normal saline(NS), and DEN + IVIG groups, with 20 rats in each group. The  rats in the DEN + NS group and DEN + IVIG group were given DEN 0.2 g/kg intraperitoneal injection once on day 1 and then 0.05% DEN aqueous solution in drinking water to establish a rat liver cancer model. Immunoglobulin (IgG) was injected intraperitoneally into the DEN + IVIG group twice a week at the dose of 100 mg/kg, and saline was administered intraperitoneally into the control group at a 50 mg/kg dosage. The body weight of each group of rats was recorded twice a week. All treatments were maintained continuously for 12 weeks. After the intervention, the liver function indexes of rats were measured by a fully automated biochemical analysis instrument. The liver histopathology was observed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect c-myc protein expression, and Western blotting was used to determine p38MAPK and p-p38MAPK protein expressions, as well as apoptosis-related proteins such as Bcl-2, Bax, and cleaved caspase-3.

RESULTS

Compared with the rats in the DEN + NS group, rats in the DEN + IVIG group showed substantially higher body mass (P < 0.05), higher survival rate (P < 0.05), and lower liver function indexes (P < 0.05). Few focal necrosis of cancer cells and few nuclear division were observed in the rats in the DEN + IVIG group. The rats in the DEN + NS group showed lamellar necrosis of cancer foci, destruction of normal liver lobular structure, and hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Immunohistochemical analysis results revealed that the expression of c-myc was reduced in the DEN + IVIG group (P < 0.05), and Western blotting confirmed that the Bcl-2 expression was decreased (P < 0.05), while Bax, p38 MAPK, p-p38 MAPK, and cleaved caspase-3 protein expressions were increased (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

IVIG prophylactic injection can delay tumor development and induce apoptosis in primary hepatocellular carcinoma in rats. The mechanism is connected to the activation of the p38MAPK signaling pathway by upregulating the level of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax proteins while downregulating the level of Bcl-2 and c-myc proteins.

Combined treatment with inhibitors of ErbB Receptors and Hh signaling pathways is more effective than single treatment in reducing the growth of malignant mesothelioma both in vitro and in vivo

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a rare orphan aggressive neoplasia with low survival rates. Among the other signaling pathways, ErbB receptors and Hh signaling are deregulated in MM. Thus, molecules involved in these signaling pathways could be used for targeted therapy approaches. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of inhibitors of Hh- (GANT-61) and ErbB receptors (Afatinib)-mediated signaling pathways, when used alone or in combination, on growth, cell cycle, cell death and autophagy, modulation of molecules involved in transduction pathways, in three human MM cell lines of different histotypes. The efficacy of the combined treatment was also evaluated in a murine epithelioid MM cell line both in vitro and in vivo. This study demonstrated that combined treatment with two inhibitors counteracting the activation of two different signaling pathways involved in neoplastic transformation and progression, such as those activated by ErbB and Hh signaling, is more effective than the single treatments in reducing MM growth in vitro and in vivo. This study may have clinical implications for the development of targeted therapy approaches for MM.

Re-establishing the comprehension of phytomedicine and nanomedicine in inflammation-mediated cancer signaling

Recent mounting evidence has revealed extensive genetic heterogeneity within tumors that drive phenotypic variation affecting key cancer pathways, making cancer treatment extremely challenging. Diverse cancer types display resistance to treatment and show patterns of relapse following therapy. Therefore, efforts are required to address tumor heterogeneity by developing a broad-spectrum therapeutic approach that combines targeted therapies. Inflammation has been progressively documented as a vital factor in tumor advancement and has consequences in epigenetic variations that support tumor instigation, encouraging all the tumorigenesis phases. Increased DNA damage, disrupted DNA repair mechanisms, cellular proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and its incursion are a few pro-cancerous outcomes of chronic inflammation. A clear understanding of the cellular and molecular signaling mechanisms of tumor-endorsing inflammation is necessary for further expansion of anti-cancer therapeutics targeting the crosstalk between tumor development and inflammatory processes. Multiple inflammatory signaling pathways, such as the NF-κB signaling pathway, JAK-STAT signaling pathway, MAPK signaling, PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling, Wnt signaling cascade, and TGF-β/Smad signaling, have been found to regulate inflammation, which can be modulated using various factors such as small molecule inhibitors, phytochemicals, recombinant cytokines, and nanoparticles in conjugation to phytochemicals to treat cancer. Researchers have identified multiple targets to specifically alter inflammation in cancer therapy to restrict malignant progression and improve the efficacy of cancer therapy. siRNA-and shRNA-loaded nanoparticles have been observed to downregulate STAT3 signaling pathways and have been employed in studies to target tumor malignancies. This review highlights the pathways involved in the interaction between tumor advancement and inflammatory progression, along with the novel approaches of nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems currently used to target inflammatory signaling pathways to combat cancer.

How vitamin E and its derivatives regulate tumour cells via the MAPK signalling pathway?'

In tumour cells, vitamin E and its derivatives play a critical role in the regulation of multiple signalling pathways through their oxidative and nonoxidative functions. To date, there are 8 known natural vitamin E forms and many kinds of derivatives, among which VES and α-TEA have excellent anticancer activities. The MAPK pathway consists of a complex cascade of proteins that control the proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of tumour cells. The MAPK pathway includes four subfamilies, ERK1/2, JNK1/2, p38 MAPK, and ERK5. Most of the proteins in these subfamilies interact with each other in a complex manner. The anticancer function of vitamin E and its derivatives is closely related to the MAPK cascade. Studies have shown that in tumour cells, α-T/γ-T/γ-T3/δ-T3/VES/α-TEA regulated ERK1/2, prevent tumorigenesis, inhibit tumour cell growth and metastasis and induce cell differentiation, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest; γ-T3/δ-T3/VES/α-TEA regulates JNK1/2, induce apoptosis, reduce ceramide synthesis and inhibit proliferation; and γ-T3/δ-T3/VES regulate p38 MAPK and induce apoptosis. This paper reviews the role of vitamin E and its derivatives in the MAPK cascade, and tumour cells are used as a model in an attempt to explore the mechanism of their interactions.

Pharmacological Effects of Centella asiatica on Skin Diseases: Evidence and Possible Mechanisms

The medicinal herb Centella asiatica (L.) Urban known as gotu kola has been reported to exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities. In particular, a significant body of scientific research exists on the therapeutic properties of preparations of C. asiatica or its triterpenes in the treatment of skin diseases. The present study is aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the beneficial effects of C. asiatica on skin diseases. Peer-reviewed articles on the potent dermatological effects of C. asiatica were acquired from PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and SciFinder. This review provides an understanding of pharmacological studies which confirm the potent dermatological effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of C. asiatica. This medicinal plant and its triterpenes include asiaticoside, madecassoside, and their aglycones, asiatic acid and madecassic acid. These compounds exert therapeutic effects on dermatological diseases such as acne, burns, atopic dermatitis, and wounds via NF-κB, TGF-β/Smad, MAPK, Wnt/β-catenin, and STAT signaling in in vitro and in vivo studies. However, additional rigorously controlled long-term clinical trials will be necessary to confirm the full potential of C. asiatica as a therapeutic agent.

Low-doses of aspirin promote the growth of human PC-9 lung cancer cells through activation of the MAPK family

Aspirin has been reported for its anti-tumor activity, however, there are few studies on its effects in lung cancer. The present study found that aspirin had a dual role in the proliferation of human lung cancer PC-9 (formerly known as PC-14) and A549 cells, and in human colon cancer HCT116 cells. The cells were treated with 0, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 mM aspirin for 24-72 h or 7-12 days and cell proliferation was examined by MTT and colony formation assay. In order to explore the relationship between the proliferation-enhancing effect of low-dose aspirin and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling activation, PC-9 cells were pretreated with 10 µM PD98059 (a specific inhibitor of ERK), SB203580 (a specific inhibitor of p38) and SP600125 (a specific inhibitor of JNK) for 30 min respectively. Western blot assay was performed to detect the activation of MAPK members in PC-9 cells. Cellular apoptosis was detected using flow cytometer-based Annexin V/propidium iodide dual staining. An assessment of MAPK inhibitors was performed to further validate the role of JNK, p38 and ERK in aspirin-promoted PC-9 cell growth. It was demonstrated that aspirin could promote the growth of human PC-9 lung cancer cells and induced MAPK activation at low concentrations. All the MAPK inhibitors tested (PD98059, SB203580 and SP600125) were able to inhibit the aspirin-induced proliferation of PC-9 cells.

Zinc(II) niflumato complex effects on MMP activity and gene expression in human endometrial cell lines

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease which increasingly affects young women under 35 years of age and leads to subfertility even infertility. Analysis of the cytotoxic effect of zinc(II) niflumato complex with neocuproine ([Zn(neo)(nif)2] or Zn-Nif) on immortalized human endometriotic cell line (12Z) and on control immortalized human endometrial stromal cell line (hTERT) was performed using xCELLigence technology for approximately 72 h following the treatment with Zn-Nif as well as cell viability Trypan Blue Assay. 12Z cell line proliferated more slowly compared to unaffected cells, whereas hTERT cells did not show similar behavior after treatment. The complex probably reduces the effect of pro-inflammatory pathways due to the effect of NSAID, while presence of zinc might reduce the level of ROS and regulate ER2 levels and MMP activity. The observed effects and high selectivity for rapidly proliferating cells with increased inflammatory activity suggest a good prognosis of successful decrease of endometriosis stage with this complex.

A novel intronic circular RNA, circGNG7, inhibits head and neck squamous cell carcinoma progression by blocking the phosphorylation of heat shock protein 27 at Ser78 and Ser82

Background

There is increasing evidence that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a significant role in pathological processes including tumorigenesis. In contrast to exonic circRNAs, which are the most frequently reported circRNAs in cancer so far, the studies of intronic circRNAs have been greatly lagged behind. Here, we aimed to investigate the regulatory role of intronic circRNAs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Methods

We conducted whole‐transcriptome sequencing with four pairs of primary tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues from HNSCC patients. Then, we characterized circGNG7 expression in HNSCC tissues and cell lines and explored its association with the prognosis of HNSCC patients. We also identified interactions between circGNG7 and functional proteins, which alter downstream signaling that regulate HNSCC progression.

Results

In this study, we identified a new intronic circRNA, circGNG7, and validated its functional roles in HNSCC progression. CircGNG7 was predominately localized to the cytoplasm, and its expression was downregulated in both HNSCC tissues andCAL27, CAL33, SCC4, SCC9, HN6, and HN30 cells. Low expression of circGNG7 was significantly correlated with poor prognosis in HNSCC patients. Consistent with this finding, overexpression of circGNG7 strongly inhibited tumor cell proliferation, colony formation, in vitro migration, and in vivo tumor growth. Mechanistically, the expression of circGNG7 in HNSCC cells was regulated by the transcription factor SMAD family member 4 (SMAD4). Importantly, we discovered that circGNG7 could bind to serine residues 78 and 82 of the functional heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), occupying its phosphorylation sites and hindering its phosphorylation, which reduced HSP27‐JNK/P38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) oncogenic signaling. Downregulation of circGNG7 expression in HNSCC increased HSP27‐JNK/P38 MAPK signaling and promoted tumor progression.

Conclusions

Our results revealed that a new intronic circRNA, circGNG7, functions as a strong tumor suppressor and that circGNG7/HSP27‐JNK/P38 MAPK signaling is a novel mechanism by which HNSCC progression can be controlled.

FGF9/FGFR1 promotes cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, M2 macrophage infiltration and liver metastasis of lung cancer

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FGF9 induced cell proliferation, EMT, migration, and invasion of mouse Lewis lung cancer (LLC) cells, in vitro.

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FGF9 interacted with FGFR1 and activated FAK, AKT, and ERK/MAPK signal pathways, induced the expression of EMT key proteins (N-cadherin, vimentin, snail, MMP2, MMP3 and MMP13) and reduced the expression of E-cadherin.

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FGF9 promoted liver metastasis of subcutaneous inoculated LLC tumor with tumor growth, angiogenesis, EMT and M2-macrophage infiltration in the tumor microenvironment.

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The FGF9/LLC syngeneic animal model provides a useful tool for the mechanism studies of liver metastasis which is the worst prognostic factor for lung cancer patients with distant organ metastasis.

Fibroblast growth factors 9 (FGF9) modulates cell proliferation, differentiation and motility for development and repair in normal cells. Abnormal activation of FGF9 signaling is associated with tumor progression in many cancers. Also, FGF9 may be an unfavorable prognostic indicator for non-small cell lung cancer patients. However, the effects and mechanisms of FGF9 in lung cancer remain elusive. In this study, we investigated the FGF9-induced effects and signal activation profiles in mouse Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) in vitro and in vivo. Our results demonstrated that FGF9 significantly induced cell proliferation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenomena (migration and invasion) in LLC cells. Mechanism-wise, FGF9 interacted with FGFR1 and activated FAK, AKT, and ERK/MAPK signal pathways, induced the expression of EMT key proteins (N-cadherin, vimentin, snail, MMP2, MMP3 and MMP13), and reduced the expression of E-cadherin. Moreover, in the allograft mouse model, intratumor injection of FGF9 to LLC-tumor bearing C57BL/6 mice enhanced LLC tumor growth which were the results of increased Ki67 expression and decreased cleaved caspase-3 expression compared to control groups. Furthermore, we have a novel finding that FGF9 promoted liver metastasis of subcutaneous inoculated LLC tumor with angiogenesis, EMT and M2-macrophage infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. In conclusion, FGF9 activated FAK, AKT, and ERK signaling through FGFR1 with induction of EMT to stimulate LLC tumorigenesis and hepatic metastasis. This novel FGF9/LLC allograft animal model may therefore be useful to study the mechanism of liver metastasis which is the worst prognostic factor for lung cancer patients with distant organ metastasis.

CircFAT1 facilitates cervical cancer malignant progression by regulating ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK pathway through miR-409-3p/CDK8 axis

Circular RNA FAT atypical cadherin 1 (circFAT1) has been reported to play vital roles in the progression of some cancers. However, the regulatory role and underlying mechanisms of circFAT1 in cervical cancer (CC) remain largely unknown. The expression of circFAT1, microRNA (miR)-409-3p and cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) was detected using qRT-PCR and Western blot assays. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion in vitro were investigated using cell counting kit-8, colony formation, flow cytometry, and transwell assays, respectively. Western blot assay was used to determine the activation of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK pathway. The interaction miR-409-3p and circFAT1 or CDK8 was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter, pull-down or RIP assays. The effects of circFAT1 in vivo were determined using xenograft models. CircFAT1 was highly expressed in CC, and closely associated with poor prognosis. CircFAT1 knockdown resulted in the suppression of proliferation, migration and invasion, and promotion of apoptosis in CC cells via the inactivation of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK pathway; also, circFAT1 silencing could inactivate this pathway and repressed CC tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistic analysis showed that circFAT1 directly sponged miR-409-3p and then relieved the repressive effect of miR-409-3p on its target CDK8. Furthermore, miR-409-3p inhibition reversed the effects of circFAT1 silencing on CC cells. Whereas, miR-409-3p overexpression impeded CC cell growth and motility, which was attenuated by CDK8. CircFAT1 promoted CC progression via activating ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK pathway through the miR-409-3p/CDK8 axis, suggesting a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for CC.

Coiled-coil domain-containing 68 promotes non-small cell lung cancer cell proliferation in vitro

Coiled-coil domain-containing 68 (CCDC68) is a novel secretory protein that acts as a tumor suppressor gene in several types of malignant tumors. However, the role of CCDC68 in the development of lung cancer has not been extensively studied. In the present study, to explore the biological functions of CCDC68 in NSCLC, we performed cell proliferation, viability and apoptosis assays on human lung cancer cell lines upon CCDC68 gene silencing with short hairpin RNA. The results demonstrated that following knockdown of CCDC68 expression, cell proliferation was decreased and the apoptotic rates were increased in A549 and H1299 cells. The role and mechanism of CCDC68 in malignant tumors, particularly in lung cancer, should be further explored, and CCDC68 may serve as a novel target for treatment of lung cancer.

The Differential Effect of Carbon Dots on Gene Expression and DNA Methylation of Human Embryonic Lung Fibroblasts as a Function of Surface Charge and Dose

This study presents a toxicological evaluation of two types of carbon dots (CD), similar in size (<10 nm) but differing in surface charge. Whole-genome mRNA and miRNA expression (RNAseq), as well as gene-specific DNA methylation changes, were analyzed in human embryonic lung fibroblasts (HEL 12469) after 4 h and 24 h exposure to concentrations of 10 and 50 µg/mL (for positive charged CD; pCD) or 10 and 100 µg/mL (for negative charged CD, nCD). The results showed a distinct response for the tested nanomaterials (NMs). The exposure to pCD induced the expression of a substantially lower number of mRNAs than those to nCD, with few commonly differentially expressed genes between the two CDs. For both CDs, the number of deregulated mRNAs increased with the dose and exposure time. The pathway analysis revealed a deregulation of processes associated with immune response, tumorigenesis and cell cycle regulation, after exposure to pCD. For nCD treatment, pathways relating to cell proliferation, apoptosis, oxidative stress, gene expression, and cycle regulation were detected. The expression of miRNAs followed a similar pattern: more pronounced changes after nCD exposure and few commonly differentially expressed miRNAs between the two CDs. For both CDs the pathway analysis based on miRNA-mRNA interactions, showed a deregulation of cancer-related pathways, immune processes and processes involved in extracellular matrix interactions. DNA methylation was not affected by exposure to any of the two CDs. In summary, although the tested CDs induced distinct responses on the level of mRNA and miRNA expression, pathway analyses revealed a potential common biological impact of both NMs independent of their surface charge.

Circ_0032821 acts as an oncogene in cell proliferation, metastasis and autophagy in human gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo through activating MEK1/ERK1/2 signaling pathway

Background

Circular RNA (circRNA) is increasingly attracting attention in gastric cancer (GC). Hsa_circ_0032821 (circ_0032821) has been declared to be upregulated in human GC tissues. However, the biological role of circ_0032821 remains undisclosed in GC cells.

Methods

Expression of circ_0032821 was measured by real-time quantitative PCR. Cell proliferation, autophagy, Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration, and invasion were evaluated by Cell counting kit-8 assay, western blotting or transwell assays. Expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), Matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), MMP9, Light chain 3 (LC3), p62, total and phosphorylated Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and Mitogen-activated protein kinase’s kinase 1 (MEK1) was evaluated by western blotting. Xenograft tumor model was established to measure tumor growth in vivo.

Results

Circ_0032821 was significantly upregulated in human GC tumors and cells. Moreover, circ_0032821 might be a biomarker for the advanced Tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage, lymphoid node metastasis and poor prognosis in gastric cancer. Knockdown of circ_0032821 by transfection induced decrease of cell proliferation, EMT, migration and invasion, but increase of autophagy of AGS and HGC-27 cells in vitro, as well as induced tumor growth inhibition in vivo. Besides, overexpression of circ_0032821 by transfection functioned the opposite effects in human GC cells. Mechanically, the MEK1/ERK1/2 signaling pathway was activated when circ_0032821 upregulation, whereas inhibited when circ_0032821 silencing.

Conclusion

Circ_0032821 expression induced cell proliferation, EMT, migration, invasion, and autophagy inhibition in human GC cells in vitro and in vivo through activating MEK1/ERK1/2 signaling pathway, suggesting circ_0032821 as an oncogenic role in GC.

Tumor promoting effects of glucagon receptor: a promising biomarker of papillary thyroid carcinoma via regulating EMT and P38/ERK pathways

Glucagon is a crucial hormone involved in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis. Large efforts to define the role of glucagon receptor (GCGR) have been continuously made in recent years, but it is still incomplete about its function and mechanism. We performed this study to verify its potential impacts on papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) progression. Correlation between GCGR expression and PTC was elaborated using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the connection between GCGR expression and prognosis of PTC patients. GCGR expression was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot analysis; simultaneously, cell viability was elucidated using cell proliferation and colony formation assays following siRNAs strategy. Transwell analyses were conducted to measure the invasion and migration of PTC cells. Flow cytometry analysis was conducted to examine apoptotic ability. The cAMP ELISA kit was employed to measure the cAMP level in PTC cells. Our data determined that the expression level of GCGR was increased in PTC tissues and cells in contrast to normal tissues and Nthy-ori 3-1, respectively. Up-regulated GCGR expression was linked with the lower survival rate in patients with PTC. Functional analysis in vitro suggested that GCGR knockdown attenuated PTC cell proliferation, colony formation, invasion, and migration whilst intensified apoptosis. Down-regulated GCGR was able to increase cAMP level. Furthermore, reduction of GCGR could result in the inactivation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and P38/ERK pathways. In conclusion, the findings of this study disclosed that GCGR promoted PTC cell behaviors by mediating the EMT and P38/ERK pathways, serving as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker as well as therapeutic target for PTC.

Inhibition of Colorectal Cancer Cell Proliferation by Regulating Platelet-Derived Growth Factor B Signaling with a DNA Aptamer

Background:

Overexpression of platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) is associated with colorectal carcinogenesis. PDGF-BB plays a role in the autocrine growth stimulation of cancer cells. Aptamers are short single-stranded oligonucleotides that can bind to cellular targets with high affinity and specificity and offer the advantage of non-immunogenicity, non-toxicity and high stability. Thus, they receive interest as potential therapeutic agents.

Methods:

The endogenous level of PDGF-BB in Caco-2 and SW480, colorectal cancer (CRC) cells, was evaluated using ELISA. The effect of the PDGF-BB aptamer on cell proliferation was investigated in two CRC cell lines and CCD841 CoN, normal colon cells. The effective molar ratio between PDGF-BB and PDGF-BB aptamer was further explored. Cell viability in all experiments was analyzed using MTS assay. Western blotting was performed to examine the alteration of relevant signaling pathways.

Results:

Caco-2 and SW480 cells endogenously synthesized and secreted PDGF-BB to stimulate their growth. Cells treated with the PDGF-BB aptamer proliferated at a slower rate, but CCD841 CoN did not. Pre-incubation of PDGF-BB with the corresponding aptamer at the molar ratio 1:1 could significantly silence its proliferative effect on CRC cells. Western blot analysis revealed that the phosphorylation level of ERK1/2, a key component in PDGF downstream signaling pathway, was down-regulated by the aptamer, indicating the underlying mechanism of inhibition of CRC cell proliferation.

Conclusions:

This study demonstrated that using a DNA aptamer to interfere with the binding of PDGF-BB to its receptor suppressed CRC cell proliferation in part via down-regulation of the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway. It raised the possibility that the PDGF-BB-specific aptamer could be a promising therapeutic agent for CRC targeted therapy.

Genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation in endometriosis using Illumina Human Methylation 450 K BeadChips

Endometriosis is a common chronic gynecologic disorder characterized by the presence and growth of endometrial-like tissue outside of the uterine cavity. Although the exact etiology remains unclear, epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, are thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Here, we used the Illumina Human Methylation 450 K BeadChip Array to analyze the genome-wide DNA methylation profiles of six endometriotic lesions and six eutopic endometria from patients with ovarian endometriosis and six endometria of women without endometriosis. Compared with the eutopic endometria of women with endometriosis, 12,159 differentially methylated CpG sites and 375 differentially methylated promoter regions were identified in endometriotic lesions. GO analyses showed that these putative differentially methylated genes were primarily associated with immune response, inflammatory response, response to steroid hormone stimulus, cell adhesion, negative regulation of apoptosis, and activation of the MAPK activity. In addition, the expression levels of DNMT1, DNMT3A, DNMT3B, and MBD2 in endometriotic lesions and eutopic endometria were significantly decreased compared with control endometria. Our findings suggest that aberrant DNA methylation status in endometriotic lesions may play a significant role in the pathogenesis and progression of endometriosis.

Effect of the BH3 Mimetic Polyphenol (-)-Gossypol (AT-101) on the in vitro and in vivo Growth of Malignant Mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a primary tumor arising from mesothelial cells. The survival of MM patients following traditional chemotherapy is poor, thus innovative treatments for MM are needed. (-)-gossypol (AT-101) is a BH3 mimetic compound which possesses anti-tumoral activity by targeting multiple signaling transduction pathways. Several clinical trials employing AT-101 have been performed and some of them are still ongoing. Accordingly, we investigated the in vitro effects of AT-101 on cell proliferation, cell cycle regulation, pro-survival signaling pathways, apoptosis and autophagy of human (MM-B1, H-Meso-1, and MM-F1) and mouse (#40a) MM cell lines. In addition, we explored the in vivo anti-tumor activities of AT-101 in a mouse model, in which the transplantation of MM cells induces ascites in the peritoneal space. AT-101 inhibited in vitro MM cells survival in a dose- and time-dependent manner and triggered autophagy, but the process was then blocked and was coincident with apoptosis activation. To confirm the effect of AT-101 in inducing the apoptosis of MM cells, MM cells were simultaneously treated with AT-101 and with the caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-FMK. Z-VAD-FMK was able to significantly reduce the number of cells in the subG1 phase compared to the treatment with AT-101 alone. This result corroborates the induction of cell death by apoptosis following treatment with AT-101. Indeed, Western blotting results showed that AT-101 increases Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, modulates p53 expression, activates caspase 9 and the cleavage of PARP-1. In addition, the treatment with AT-101 was able to: (a) decrease the ErbB2 protein expression; (b) increase the EGFR protein expression; (c) affect the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38 and AKT; (d) stimulate JNK1/2 and c-jun phosphorylation. Our in vivo results showed that the intraperitoneal administration of AT-101 increased the median survival of C57BL/6 mice intraperitoneally transplanted with #40a cells and reduced the risk of developing tumors. Our findings may have important implications for the design of MM therapies by employing AT-101 as an anticancer agent in combination with standard therapies.

FGF9/FGFR2 increase cell proliferation by activating ERK1/2, Rb/E2F1, and cell cycle pathways in mouse Leydig tumor cells

Fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9) promotes cancer progression; however, its role in cell proliferation related to tumorigenesis remains elusive. We investigated how FGF9 affected MA‐10 mouse Leydig tumor cell proliferation and found that FGF9 significantly induced cell proliferation by activating ERK1/2 and retinoblastoma (Rb) phosphorylations within 15 minutes. Subsequently, the expressions of E2F1 and the cell cycle regulators: cyclin D1, cyclin E1 and cyclin‐dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) in G₁ phase and cyclin A1, CDK2 and CDK1 in S‐G₂/M phases were increased at 12 hours after FGF9 treatment; and cyclin B1 in G₂/M phases were induced at 24 hours after FGF9 stimulation, whereas the phosphorylations of p53, p21 and p27 were not affected by FGF9. Moreover, FGF9‐induced effects were inhibited by MEK inhibitor PD98059, indicating FGF9 activated the Rb/E2F pathway to accelerate MA‐10 cell proliferation by activating ERK1/2. Immunoprecipitation assay and ChIP‐quantitative PCR results showed that FGF9‐induced Rb phosphorylation led to the dissociation of Rb‐E2F1 complexes and thereby enhanced the transactivations of E2F1 target genes, Cyclin D1, Cyclin E1 and Cyclin A1. Silencing of FGF receptor 2 (FGFR2) using lentiviral shRNA inhibited FGF9‐induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation and cell proliferation, indicating that FGFR2 is the obligate receptor for FGF9 to bind and activate the signaling pathway in MA‐10 cells. Furthermore, in a severe combined immunodeficiency mouse xenograft model, FGF9 significantly promoted MA‐10 tumor growth, a consequence of increased cell proliferation and decreased apoptosis. Conclusively, FGF9 interacts with FGFR2 to activate ERK1/2, Rb/E2F1 and cell cycle pathways to induce MA‐10 cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo.

A Novel Aurora-A Inhibitor (MLN8237) Synergistically Enhances the Antitumor Activity of Sorafenib in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Currently, sorafenib-based therapy is the standard treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and there is a strong rationale for investigating its use in combination with other agents to achieve better therapeutic effects. Aurora-A, a member of a family of mitotic serine/threonine kinases, is frequently overexpressed in human cancers and therefore represents a target for therapy. Here, we investigated a novel Aurora-A inhibitor, MLN8237, together with sorafenib in HCC cells in vitro and in vivo, and elucidated the possible molecular mechanism. Here, it was found that MLN8237 was strongly synergistic with sorafenib in inhibition of HCC progression by altering cell growth, cell-cycle regulation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis. Mechanism dissection suggests that the combination of MLN8237 and sorafenib led to significant inhibition of the activation of phospho-Akt (p-Akt) and phospho-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p-p38 MAPK) and their downstream genes including CDK4, cyclinD1, and VEGFA. The activators of p-Akt and p-p38 MAPK signaling partially reversed the synergistic inhibitory effects of sorafenib and MLN8237 on HCC progression. Subsequent in vivo studies further confirmed the synergistic effects of sorafenib and MLN8237. Collectively, the newly developed sorafenib-MLN8237 combination may be a novel therapy to better inhibit HCC progression.

The role of p38 MAPK pathway in p53 compromised state and telomere mediated DNA damage response

There is an intricate balance of DNA damage response and repair which determines the homeostasis of human genome function. p53 protein is widely known for its role in cell cycle regulation and tumor suppressor activity. In case of several cancers where function of p53 gene gets compromised either by mutation or partial inactivation, the role of p53 in response to DNA damage needs to be supplemented by another molecule or pathway. Due to sedentary lifestyle and exposure to genotoxic agents, genome is predisposed to chronic stress, which ultimately leads to unrepaired or background DNA damage. p38 MAPK signaling pathway is strongly activated in response to various environmental and cellular stresses. DNA damage response and the repair options have crucial links with chromosomal integrity. Telomere that regulates integrity of genome is protected by a six member shielding unit called shelterin complex which communicates with other pathways for functionality of telomeres. There are evidences that p38 gets activated through ATM in response to DNA damage. Dysfunctional telomere leads to activation of ATM which subsequently activates p38 suggesting a crosstalk between p38, ATM and shelterin complex. This review focuses on activation of p38 in response to genotoxic stress induced DNA damage in p53 mutated or compromised state and its possible cross talk with telomere shelterin proteins. Thus p38 may act as an important target to treat various diseases and in majority of cancers in p53 mutated state.

Effects of microRNA-129 and its target gene c-Fos on proliferation and apoptosis of hippocampal neurons in rats with epilepsy via the MAPK signaling pathway

This study aims to investigate the effect of microRNA-129 (miR-129) on proliferation and apoptosis of hippocampal neurons in epilepsy rats by targeting c-Fos via the MAPK signaling pathway. Thirty rats were equally classified into a model group (successfully established as chronic epilepsy models) and a normal group. Expression of miR-129, c-Fos, bax, and MAPK was detected by RT-qPCR and Western blotting. Hippocampal neurons were assigned into normal, blank, negative control (NC), miR-129 mimic, miR-129 inhibitor, siRNA-c-Fos, miR-129 inhibitor+siRNA-c-Fos groups. The targeting relationship between miR-129 and c-Fos was predicted and verified by bioinformatics websites and dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Cell proliferation after transfection was measured by MTT assay, and cell cycle and apoptosis by flow cytometry. c-Fos is a potential target gene of miR-129. Compared with the normal group, the other six groups showed a decreased miR-129 expression; increased expression of expression of c-Fos, Bax, and MAPK; decreased proliferation; accelerated apoptosis; more cells arrested in the G1 phase; and fewer cells arrested in the S phase. Compared with the blank and NC groups, the miR-129 mimic group and the siRNA-c-Fos group showed decreased expression of c-Fos, Bax, and MAPK, increased cells proliferation, and decreased cell apoptosis, fewer cells arrested in the G1 phase and more cells arrested in the S phase. However, the miR-129 inhibitor groups showed reverse consequences. This study suggests that miR-129 could inhibit the occurrence and development of epilepsy by repressing c-Fos expression through inhibiting the MAPK signaling pathway.

Inhibitory effects of CP on the growth of human gastric adenocarcinoma BGC-823 tumours in nude mice

Objective

To investigate the potential antitumour effects of [2-(6-amino-purine-9-yl)-1-hydroxy-phosphine acyl ethyl] phosphonic acid (CP) against gastric adenocarcinoma.

Methods

Human BGC-823 xenotransplants were established in nude mice. Animals were randomly divided into control and CP groups, which were administered NaHCO₃ vehicle alone or CP dissolved in NaHCO₃ (200 µg/kg body weight) daily, respectively. Tumour volume was measured weekly for 6 weeks. Resected tumours were assayed for proliferative activity with anti-Ki-67 or anti-proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) antibodies. Cell apoptosis was examined using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) assays and with caspase-3 immunostaining. Proteins were measured by Western blotting.

Results

There was a significant reduction in tumour volume and a reduced percentage of Ki-67-positive or PCNA-positive cells in the CP group compared with the control group. The percentage of TUNEL-positive or caspase 3-positive cells significantly increased following CP treatment compared with the control group. Tumours from the CP group had higher levels of phosphorylated-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) and phosphorylated-AKT (p-AKT) compared with control tumours.

Conclusion

CP treatment inhibited tumour growth and induced tumour cell apoptosis in a nude mouse model of BGC-823 gastric adenocarcinoma. Activation of the AKT and ERK signalling pathways may mediate this antitumour activity.

SORBS1 suppresses tumor metastasis and improves the sensitivity of cancer to chemotherapy drug

Tumor metastasis and invasion are both hallmarks of cancer malignancy and the leading cause of cancer death. Here we show that the adaptor protein SORBS1 (Sorbin and SH3 domain-containing protein 1, also known as CAP/ponsin) is expressed at low levels in clinical cancer samples. In addition, low-level expression of SORBS1 was significantly associated with poor clinical outcomes and the increased tumor cell invasive capacity in breast cancer patients. We demonstrate that depletion of SORBS1 increases protrusions and filopodium-like protrusions (FLPs) formation, as well as the migratory and invasive abilities of cancer cells, via activation of JNK/cJun. Furthermore, silencing of SORBS1 promotes the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and attenuates chemical drug sensitivity especially that to cisplatin, by inhibition of p53 in breast cancer cells. Thus, we illustrate that SORBS1 is a potential inhibitor of metastasis in cancer and may be a promising target in chemotherapy.

Ribosomal protein L34 promotes the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells

Ribosomal proteins (RPs) are the main components of ribosomes and participate in the self-assembly of ribosomes and protein synthesis. Recent advance has shown that RPs play important roles in the tumorigenesis and drug resistance of various cancers. However, the expression status and function of RPL34 in pancreatic cancer (PC) remains unclear. In this study, we find that RPL34 is overexpressed in PC tissues and cell lines, which is correlated with decreased methylation of its promoter. Knockdown of RPL34 effectively suppresses the proliferation, colony formation, migration and drug-resistance of PC cells, which are accompanied by cell cycle arrest at the G2 phase and induction of apoptosis. In vivo assays demonstrate that RPL34 silencing inhibits PC tumor growth and metastasis. Moreover, gene expression profiling revealed that RPL34 silencing results in alteration of the MAPK and p53 signaling pathways. Clinically, our data indicate a positive association of RPL34 expression with tumor stage and metastasis in PCs. We revealed that RPL34 acts as a potential onco-protein in PC, and RPL34 may be a promising biomarker for prognosis prediction and a potential target for the treatment of PC.

Interleukin-37: A crucial cytokine with multiple roles in disease and potentially clinical therapy

Interleukin (IL)-37, a new IL-1 family member, has received increasing attention in recent years. In the past decade, it has been determined that IL-37 is expressed in various normal cells and tissues and is regulated by inflammatory stimuli and pro-cytokines via different signal transduction pathways. Recently, it has been found that IL-37 is expressed in a variety of cancers, chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, and exerts anti-inflammatory effects. Moreover, a growing body of literature demonstrates that IL-37 plays a vital role in inhibiting both innate and adaptive immune responses as well as inflammatory reactions. In addition, IL-37 may prove to be a new and potentially useful target for effective cytokine therapy. Further evidence is needed to clarify in more detail the effects of IL-37 in experimental and clinical studies. Based on an extensive summary of published data, the aim of this review is to outline the current knowledge of IL-37, including the location, structure, expression, regulation and function, as well as the potential clinical applications of this cytokine.

Nobiletin inhibits human osteosarcoma cells metastasis by blocking ERK and JNK-mediated MMPs expression

Nobiletin, a polymethoxyflavone, has a few pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammation and anti-cancer effects. However, its effect on human osteosarcoma progression remains uninvestigated. Therefore, we examined the effectiveness of nobiletin against cellular metastasis of human osteosarcoma and the underlying mechanisms. Nobiletin, up to 100 μM without cytotoxicity, significantly decreased motility, migration and invasion as well as enzymatic activities, protein levels and mRNA expressions of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 in U2OS and HOS cells. In addition to inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), the inhibitory effect of nobiletin on the DNA-binding activity of the transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), and specificity protein 1 (SP-1) in U2OS and HOS cells. Co-treatment with ERK and JNK inhibitors and nobiletin further reduced U2OS cells migration and invasion. These results indicated that nobiletin inhibits human osteosarcoma U2OS and HOS cells motility, migration and invasion by down-regulating MMP-2 and MMP-9 expressions via ERK and JNK pathways and through the inactivation of downstream NF-κB, CREB, and SP-1. Nobiletin has the potential to serve as an anti-metastatic agent for treating osteosarcoma.

Genome-wide genetic analyses highlight mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling in the pathogenesis of endometriosis

STUDY QUESTION

Do genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for endometriosis provide insight into novel biological pathways associated with its pathogenesis?

SUMMARY ANSWER

GWAS analysis uncovered multiple pathways that are statistically enriched for genetic association signals, analysis of Stage A disease highlighted a novel variant in MAP3K4, while top pathways significantly associated with all endometriosis and Stage A disease included several mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-related pathways.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

Endometriosis is a complex disease with an estimated heritability of 50%. To date, GWAS revealed 10 genomic regions associated with endometriosis, explaining <4% of heritability, while half of the heritability is estimated to be due to common risk variants. Pathway analyses combine the evidence of single variants into gene-based measures, leveraging the aggregate effect of variants in genes and uncovering biological pathways involved in disease pathogenesis.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

Pathway analysis was conducted utilizing the International Endogene Consortium GWAS data, comprising 3194 surgically confirmed endometriosis cases and 7060 controls of European ancestry with genotype data imputed up to 1000 Genomes Phase three reference panel. GWAS was performed for all endometriosis cases and for Stage A (revised American Fertility Society (rAFS) I/II, n = 1686) and B (rAFS III/IV, n = 1364) cases separately. The identified significant pathways were compared with pathways previously investigated in the literature through candidate association studies.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

The most comprehensive biological pathway databases, MSigDB (including BioCarta, KEGG, PID, SA, SIG, ST and GO) and PANTHER were utilized to test for enrichment of genetic variants associated with endometriosis. Statistical enrichment analysis was performed using the MAGENTA (Meta-Analysis Gene-set Enrichment of variaNT Associations) software.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

The first genome-wide association analysis for Stage A endometriosis revealed a novel locus, rs144240142 (P = 6.45 × 10⁻⁸, OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.23–2.37), an intronic single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within MAP3K4. This SNP was not associated with Stage B disease (P = 0.086). MAP3K4 was also shown to be differentially expressed in eutopic endometrium between Stage A endometriosis cases and controls (P = 3.8 × 10⁻⁴), but not with Stage B disease (P = 0.26). A total of 14 pathways enriched with genetic endometriosis associations were identified (false discovery rate (FDR)-P < 0.05). The pathways associated with any endometriosis were Grb2-Sos provides linkage to MAPK signaling for integrins pathway (P = 2.8 × 10⁻⁵, FDR-P = 3.0 × 10⁻³), Wnt signaling (P = 0.026, FDR-P = 0.026) and p130Cas linkage to MAPK signaling for integrins pathway (P = 6.0 × 10⁻⁴, FDR-P = 0.029); with Stage A endometriosis: extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1 ERK2 MAPK (P = 5.0 × 10⁻⁴, FDR-P = 5.0 × 10⁻⁴) and with Stage B endometriosis: two overlapping pathways that related to extracellular matrix biology—Core matrisome (P = 1.4 × 10⁻³, FDR-P = 0.013) and ECM glycoproteins (P = 1.8 × 10⁻³, FDR-P = 7.1 × 10⁻³). Genes arising from endometriosis candidate gene studies performed to date were enriched for Interleukin signaling pathway (P = 2.3 × 10⁻¹²), Apoptosis signaling pathway (P = 9.7 × 10⁻⁹) and Gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor pathway (P = 1.2 × 10⁻⁶); however, these pathways did not feature in the results based on GWAS data.

LARGE SCALE DATA

Not applicable.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

The analysis is restricted to (i) variants in/near genes that can be assigned to pathways, excluding intergenic variants; (ii) the gene-based pathway definition as registered in the databases; (iii) women of European ancestry.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

The top ranked pathways associated with overall and Stage A endometriosis in particular involve integrin-mediated MAPK activation and intracellular ERK/MAPK acting downstream in the MAPK cascade, both acting in the control of cell division, gene expression, cell movement and survival. Other top enriched pathways in Stage B disease include ECM glycoprotein pathways important for extracellular structure and biochemical support. The results highlight the need for increased efforts to understand the functional role of these pathways in endometriosis pathogenesis, including the investigation of the biological effects of the genetic variants on downstream molecular processes in tissue relevant to endometriosis. Additionally, our results offer further support for the hypothesis of at least partially distinct causal pathophysiology for minimal/mild (rAFS I/II) vs. moderate/severe (rAFS III/IV) endometriosis.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

The genome-wide association data and Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) were generated through funding from the Wellcome Trust (WT084766/Z/08/Z, 076113 and 085475) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia (241944, 339462, 389927, 389875, 389891, 389892, 389938, 443036, 442915, 442981, 496610, 496739, 552485 and 552498). N.R. was funded by a grant from the Medical Research Council UK (MR/K011480/1). A.P.M. is a Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow in Basic Biomedical Science (grant WT098017). All authors declare there are no conflicts of interest.

Aeroallergen Der p 2 promotes motility of human non-small cell lung cancer cells via toll-like receptor-mediated up-regulation of urokinase-type plasminogen activator and integrin/focal adhesion kinase signaling

House dust mite (HDM) allergens are one of the major causes leading to respiratory hypersensitiveness and airway remodeling. Here we hypothesized that a major HDM allergen Der p 2 could increase cell motility and invasiveness of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Our results showed that low dose (1 and 3 μg/mL) recombinant Der p 2 protein (DP2) enhanced the migration and invasiveness of human NSCLC cell A549, H1299 and CL1-5, but nonsignificantly altered their growth. Further investigation revealed that integrin αV level was increased and its downstream signaling including focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and paxillin were activated in A549 cells exposed to DP2. In parallel, DP2 also activated the FAK-associated signaling effectors such as Src, phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase (PI3K), AKT, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (P38), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Our findings also revealed that DP2 increased expression level of urokinase type plasminogen-activated kinase (uPA) and uPA receptor (uPAR), and subsequently enhanced the binding of uPAR to integrin αV. Moreover, the involvement of toll-like receptor 2/4 (TLR2/4)-triggered ERK1/2 activation in the increased expression of uPA and uPAR was also demonstrated. Collectively, these findings indicate that DP2 can enhance cell motility and invasiveness of NSCLC cells, attributing to TLR2/4-ERK1/2 activation, increased uPA and uPAR expression, enhanced binding of uPAR to integrin αV, and the consequent FAK signaling cascades. Thus, we suggest that DP2 may exacerbate NSCLC via promoting metastatic ability of carcinoma cell.

RNA-based ovarian cancer research from 'a gene to systems biomedicine' perspective

Ovarian cancer remains the leading cause of death from a gynecologic malignancy, and treatment of this disease is harder than any other type of female reproductive cancer. Improvements in the diagnosis and development of novel and effective treatment strategies for complex pathophysiologies, such as ovarian cancer, require a better understanding of disease emergence and mechanisms of progression through systems medicine approaches. RNA-level analyses generate new information that can help in understanding the mechanisms behind disease pathogenesis, to identify new biomarkers and therapeutic targets and in new drug discovery. Whole RNA sequencing and coding and non-coding RNA expression array datasets have shed light on the mechanisms underlying disease progression and have identified mRNAs, miRNAs, and lncRNAs involved in ovarian cancer progression. In addition, the results from these analyses indicate that various signalling pathways and biological processes are associated with ovarian cancer. Here, we present a comprehensive literature review on RNA-based ovarian cancer research and highlight the benefits of integrative approaches within the systems biomedicine concept for future ovarian cancer research. We invite the ovarian cancer and systems biomedicine research fields to join forces to achieve the interdisciplinary caliber and rigor required to find real-life solutions to common, devastating, and complex diseases such as ovarian cancer.

ABBREVIATIONS

CAF: cancer-associated fibroblasts; COG: Cluster of Orthologous Groups; DEA: disease enrichment analysis; EOC: epithelial ovarian carcinoma; ESCC: oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma; GSI: gamma secretase inhibitor; GO: Gene Ontology; GSEA: gene set enrichment analyzes; HAS: Hungarian Academy of Sciences; lncRNAs: long non-coding RNAs; MAPK/ERK: mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinases; NGS: next-generation sequencing; ncRNAs: non-coding RNAs; OvC: ovarian cancer; PI3K/Akt/mTOR: phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin; RT-PCR: real-time polymerase chain reaction; SNP: single nucleotide polymorphism; TF: transcription factor; TGF-β: transforming growth factor-β.

Moscatilin induces apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells via reactive oxygen species and the JNK/SAPK pathway

Moscatilin is a bibenzyl derivative extracted from the Dendrobium aurantiacum var. denneanum, which has traditionally been used as an immunomodulatory treatment in China. The present study was designed to determine whether moscatilin is a pro‑apoptotic agent in pancreatic cancer, and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. The apoptotic and anti‑proliferative effects of moscatilin on pancreatic cancer cells were determined in vitro using biochemical assays, such as the MTT assay, colony formation assay, Hoechst staining and DNA fragmentation assay, and in vivo using Panc‑1 pancreatic cancer xenografts. Western blotting was also conducted to evaluate the expression levels of B‑cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2), Bcl2‑associated X protein (Bax), Bcl2 homologous antagonist killer (Bak), caspase 3, cleaved‑caspase 3, poly (ADP‑ribose) polymerase, p‑c‑Jun N‑terminal kinase (JNK)/stress‑activated protein kinases (SAPK) and JNK/SAPK in response to moscatilin. We used DCFH‑DA to detect the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by moscatilin. The present study demonstrated that moscatilin markedly inhibited pancreatic cancer cell viability and induced cell apoptosis in a concentration‑dependent manner. Conversely, moscatilin did not affect the cell viability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells at the comparable dosage. Treatment with moscatilin suppressed clonogenicity of Panc‑1 cells in a concentration‑dependent manner. Furthermore, a decrease in Bcl2 expression, and an increase in the expression levels of Bak and Bax, was detected following treatment with moscatilin, resulting in an increase in the proapoptotic/anti‑apoptotic expression ratio (Bax/Bcl2) in Panc‑1 cells. Moscatilin also induced activation of the caspase‑dependent mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. In addition, moscatilin enhanced cellular ROS production and induced activation of JNKSAPK signaling pathway. Conversely, pretreatment with the ROS scavenger N‑acetylcysteine or the JNK/SAPK‑specific inhibitor SP600125 prevented moscatilin‑mediated reductions in cell viability. Furthermore, moscatilin inhibited tumor growth in nude mice bearing Panc‑1 cells, without apparent toxicity. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that moscatilin may induce pancreatic cell apoptosis, and therefore may be considered a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

α-Tocopheryl Succinate Affects Malignant Cell Viability, Proliferation, and Differentiation

The widespread occurrence of malignant tumors motivates great attention to finding and investigating effective new antitumor preparations. Such preparations include compounds of the vitamin E family. Among them, α-tocopheryl succinate (vitamin E succinate (VES)) has the most pronounced antitumor properties. In this review, various targets and mechanisms of the antitumor effect of vitamin E succinate are characterized. It has been shown that VES has multiple intracellular targets and effects, and as a result VES is able to induce apoptosis in tumor cells, inhibit their proliferation, induce differentiation, prevent metastasizing, and inhibit angiogenesis. However, VES has minimal effects on normal cells and tissues. Due to the variety of targets and selectivity of action, VES is a promising agent against malignant neoplasms. More detailed studies in this area can contribute to development of effective and safe chemotherapeutic preparations.

A regulatory BMI1/let-7i/ERK3 pathway controls the motility of head and neck cancer cells

Extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 3 (ERK3) is an atypical mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK), whose biological activity is tightly regulated by its cellular abundance. Recent studies have revealed that ERK3 is upregulated in multiple cancers and promotes cancer cell migration/invasion and drug resistance. Little is known, however, about how ERK3 expression level is upregulated in cancers. Here, we have identified the oncogenic polycomb group protein BMI1 as a positive regulator of ERK3 level in head and neck cancer cells. Mechanistically, BMI1 upregulates ERK3 expression by suppressing the tumor suppressive microRNA (miRNA) let‐7i, which directly targets ERK3 mRNA. ERK3 then acts as an important downstream mediator of BMI1 in promoting cancer cell migration. Importantly, ERK3 protein level is positively correlated with BMI1 level in head and neck tumor specimens of human patients. Taken together, our study revealed a molecular pathway consisting of BMI1, miRNA let‐7i, and ERK3, which controls the migration of head and neck cancer cells, and suggests that ERK3 kinase is a potential new therapeutic target in head and neck cancers, particularly those with BMI1 overexpression.

DIFFERENTIAL PATHWAY DEPENDENCY DISCOVERY ASSOCIATED WITH DRUG RESPONSE ACROSS CANCER CELL LINES

The effort to personalize treatment plans for cancer patients involves the identification of drug treatments that can effectively target the disease while minimizing the likelihood of adverse reactions. In this study, the gene-expression profile of 810 cancer cell lines and their response data to 368 small molecules from the Cancer Therapeutics Research Portal (CTRP) are analyzed to identify pathways with significant rewiring between genes, or differential gene dependency, between sensitive and non-sensitive cell lines. Identified pathways and their corresponding differential dependency networks are further analyzed to discover essentiality and specificity mediators of cell line response to drugs/compounds. For analysis we use the previously published method EDDY (Evaluation of Differential DependencY). EDDY first constructs likelihood distributions of gene-dependency networks, aided by known genegene interaction, for two given conditions, for example, sensitive cell lines vs. non-sensitive cell lines. These sets of networks yield a divergence value between two distributions of network likelihoods that can be assessed for significance using permutation tests. Resulting differential dependency networks are then further analyzed to identify genes, termed mediators, which may play important roles in biological signaling in certain cell lines that are sensitive or non-sensitive to the drugs. Establishing statistical correspondence between compounds and mediators can improve understanding of known gene dependencies associated with drug response while also discovering new dependencies. Millions of compute hours resulted in thousands of these statistical discoveries. EDDY identified 8,811 statistically significant pathways leading to 26,822 compound-pathway-mediator triplets. By incorporating STITCH and STRING databases, we could construct evidence networks for 14,415 compound-pathway-mediator triplets for support. The results of this analysis are presented in a searchable website to aid researchers in studying potential molecular mechanisms underlying cells' drug response as well as in designing experiments for the purpose of personalized treatment regimens.

Effects of 17β-estradiol and tamoxifen on gastric cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis and ER-α36 expression

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of 17β-estradiol and tamoxifen, an agonist and inhibitor of the estrogen receptor (ER), respectively, on the proliferation and apoptosis of gastric cancer cells, as well as the messenger (m)RNA expression levels of ER-α36. Nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed that ER-α36 was expressed in the BGC823, MKN45 and SGC7901 human gastric cancer cell lines. Subsequently, the BGC823 cell line was stimulated with various concentrations of 17β-estradiol or tamoxifen for 24 or 48 h, and the proliferation, apoptosis and mRNA expression levels of ER-α36 were determined by water-soluble tetrazolium (WST)-1 assay, flow cytometry and RT-quantitative PCR, respectively. The activity of BGC823 cells was significantly increased following treatment with 10⁻¹² mol/l 17β-estradiol for 24 h (P=0.013), as compared with the control, and reached a peak at 48 h (P=0.002). Notably, the activity of BGC823 cells was decreased with increasing concentrations of 17β-estradiol, although it remained higher compared with that of the control. In the tamoxifen-treated groups, the cell activity decreased as the drug concentration increased. The apoptosis rate was markedly reduced in the 17β-estradiol group after 24 h (10⁻¹² mol/l, P=0.013; 10⁻¹¹ mol/l, P=0.023; and 10⁻¹⁰ mol/l, P=0.017) and after 48 h (10⁻¹² mol/l, P=0.002; 10⁻¹¹ mol/l, P=0.011; and 10⁻¹⁰ mol/l, P=0.033), whereas the rate of apoptosis increased as the tamoxifen concentration increased (24 h: 5×10⁻⁶ mol/l, P=0.002; and 10⁻⁵ mol/l, P=0.001; and 48 h: 5×10⁻⁶ mol/l, P=0.014 and 10⁻⁵ mol/l, P=0.0021), as compared with the control group. The mRNA expression levels of ER-α36 were significantly increased after 24 h of treatment with 10⁻¹² mol/l (P=0.024), 10⁻¹¹ mol/l (P=0.0113) and 10⁻¹⁰ mol/l (P=0.0037) 17β-estradiol compared with the control group when the concentration of 17β-estradiol was low, and the same was observed after 48 h of treatment 10⁻¹² mol/l (P=0.0164), 10⁻¹¹ mol/l (P=0.0342) and 10⁻¹⁰ mol/l (P=0.0198) 17β-estradiol. The mRNA expression levels of ER-α36 were significantly decreased with increasing concentrations of tamoxifen after 24 h (5×10⁻⁶ mol/l, P=0.0233; and 10⁻⁵ mol/l, P=0.007) and after 48 h (5×10⁻⁶ mol/l, P=0.001; and 10⁻⁵ mol/l, P=0.0153). In addition, the ability of tamoxifen to inhibit the growth of gastric cancer cells was concentration-dependent. The results of the present study suggested that gastric cancer cells were sensitive to the effects of 17β-estradiol and tamoxifen, and that tamoxifen is able to induce gastric cancer cell apoptosis. The expression levels of ER-α36 were upregulated, and the growth of gastric cancer cells was increased, following treatment with 17β-estradiol, thus suggesting that gastric cancer tumors are stimulated by estrogen.

EGFR-dependent signalling reduced and p38 dependent apoptosis required by Gallic acid in Malignant Mesothelioma cells

The unrestrained EGFR signalling contributes to malignant phenotype in a number of cancers including Malignant Mesotheliomas. Present study was designed to evaluate EGFR-dependent anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of Gallic acid in transformed Mesothelial (MeT-5A) and Malignant Mesothelioma (SPC212) cells. Gallic acid reduced the viability of Malignant Mesothelioma cells in a concentration and time-dependent manner. However, viability of mesothelial cells reduced only at high concentration and longer time periods. Gallic acid restrained the activation of EGFR, ERK1/2 and AKT proteins and down regulated expression of Cyclin D and Bcl-2 genes, but upregulated the expression of p21 gene in EGF-induced SPC212 cells. GA-induced transitory G1 arrest and triggered mitochondrial and death receptor mediated apoptosis, which requires p38MAPK activation. The data provided here indicate that GA is able to inhibit EGFR dependent proliferation and survival signals and induces p38 pathway dependent apoptosis in Malignant Mesothelioma cells. On the basis of these experimental findings it is worthwhile to investigate further the biological activity of Gallic acid on other Mesothelioma cell lines harbouring aberrant EGFR signals.

Erythropoietin Receptor Activation Protects the Kidney From Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Apoptosis by Activating ERK/p53 Signal Pathway

BACKGROUND

Apoptosis plays an important role in renal ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury. Evidence has shown that erythropoietin (EPO) has an antiapoptotic effect. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effect and potential mechanism of EPO in renal IR injury.

METHODS

Kidney IR injury in rats was established by clamping the left renal artery for 30 minutes followed by 24 hours of reperfusion, along with contralateral nephrectomy. Renal function, renal histology, and expression of EPOR, p-EPOR, ERK, p-ERK, p-p53, p53, Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, Bad, and Bax were examined.

RESULTS

Pretreatment with EPO significantly reduced renal dysfunction, pathologic change, and expression of Bad and Bax. Furthermore, EPO treatment enhanced the expression of p-ERK, p-p53, Bcl-2, and Bcl-xl with no influence on the expression of EPOR, ERK, and p53.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings demonstrated that EPO pretreatment can attenuate renal IR injury by inhibiting apoptosis by promoting activation of the ERK/p53 signaling.