ER-α36 is involved in calycosin inhibition of IL-6 production in macrophages

The tumour microenvironment (TME) is crucial for tumour development and progression. Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) in the TME can promote tumour progression and metastasis by releasing cytokines, such as IL-6. Calycosin, a phytoestrogen that is one of the active compounds in Radix Astragali, has been shown to inhibit tumour growth and metastasis. However, the underlying mechanism by which calycosin inhibits tumour growth remains unclear. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effect of calycosin on IL-6 production in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)- and THP-1-derived macrophages and explore its potential mechanisms using co-immunoprecipitation, western blotting, immunofluorescence, chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase assays. We found that calycosin treatment substantially upregulated the expression of ER-α36, a variant of the ER, and reduced IL-6 production in macrophages. Mechanistically, ER-α36 physically interacted with NF-κBp65 and retained p65 in the cytoplasm to attenuate NF-κB function as an IL-6 transcriptional inducer. In conclusion, our result indicated that calycosin inhibited IL-6 production by enhancing ER-α36 expression and its interaction with p65, which attenuated NF-κB function as an IL-6 inducer. Therefore, calycosin can be developed as an effective agent for cancer therapy by targeting TAMs.

Involvement of the OTUB1-YAP1 axis in driving malignant behaviors of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Comprehending the molecular mechanisms underlying head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is vital for the development of effective treatment strategies. Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), which regulate ubiquitin-dependent pathways, are potential targets for cancer therapy because of their structural advantages. Here we aimed to identify a potential target for HNSCC treatment among DUBs.

METHODS

A screening process was conducted using RNA sequencing data and clinical information from HNSCC patients in the TCGA database. A panel of 88 DUBs was analyzed to identify those associated with poor prognosis. Subsequently, HNSCC cells were modified to overexpress specific DUBs, and their effects on cell proliferation and invasion were evaluated. In vivo experiments were performed to validate the findings.

RESULTS

In HNSCC patients, USP10, USP14, OTUB1, and STAMBP among the screened DUBs were associated with a poor prognosis. Among them, OTUB1 showed the most aggressive characteristics in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Additionally, OTUB1 regulated the stability and nuclear localization of YAP1, a substrate involved in cell proliferation and invasion. Notably, OTUB1 expression exhibited a positive correlation with the HNSCC-YAP score in HNSCC cells.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the critical role of OTUB1 in HNSCC progression via modulating YAP1. Targeting the OTUB1-YAP1 axis holds promise as a potential therapeutic strategy for HNSCC treatment.

Combined effects of vitamin D and neferine on the progression and metastasis of colorectal cancer

PURPOSE

To investigate the synergistic effect of vitamin D and neferine on the growth and metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC).

METHODS

The synergistic effect of biologically active form of vitamin D, VD3 and neferine on the treatment of CRC was investigated by bliss analysis. Colony formation and wound healing ability, migration and invasion ability, and epithelial mesenchymal transition of HCT-116 cells, as a response to the combination treatment with VD3 and neferine were evaluated.

RESULTS

VD3 and neferine showed a synergistic effect on CRC cell growth at a relatively low dose. The wound healing and colony formation capacity, cell migration and invasion abilities were all decreased by combination use of VD3 and neferine, compared to the VD3 or neferine treated single group. Furthermore, VD3 and neferine significantly decreased the expressions of N-cadherin, vimentin, snail, and slug in HCT-116 cells.

CONCLUSION

These data suggest that neferine enhances the anticancer capability of VD3 and reduces the dose dependency of VD3. The combination of vitamin D with neferine appears to be a potential therapeutic strategy for CRC.

[Retracted] Expression of USP22 and Survivin is an indicator of malignant behavior in hepatocellular carcinoma

Subsequently to the publication of the above article, an interested reader drew to the authors' attention that a pair of data panels showing the results of immunohistochemical staining experiments in Fig. 1 on p. 2210 had already appeared in a previously published paper (Zhang Y, Li Y, Lin C, Ding J, Liao G and Tang B: Aberrant upregulation of 14‑3‑3σ and EZH2 expression serves as an inferior prognostic biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma. PLos ONE 9: e107251, 2014).  Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article had already been published prior to its submission to International Journal of Oncology, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. The authors were asked for an explanation to account for these concerns, but the Editorial Office did not receive a satisfactory reply. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [International Journal of Oncology 47: 2208‑2216, 2015; DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2015.3214].

Depletion of PARP10 inhibits the growth and metastatic potential of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Although poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase family member 10 (PARP10) has been implicated in the progression of multiple cancer types, its role in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains unknown. This study aimed to examine the function of PARP10 in OSCC and investigate the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: The expression of PARP10 in OSCC was investigated in OSCC patient cohorts. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis was performed to assess the association between PARP10 and prognosis in OSCC. Correlation between PARP10 expression and the related variables was analyzed by χ² test. CKK-8, transwell assay, western blot, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and bioinformatic analysis, were applied to clarify the role of PARP10 in OSCC.

Results: PARP10 was found to be markedly elevated in OSCC tissues. The upregulation of PARP10 predicted shorter overall survival and disease-specific survival and was significantly correlated with several malignant features. Moreover, depletion of PARP10 markedly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OSCC cells, and promoted OSCC cell apoptosis, and resulted in alterations of relevant proteins. Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between the expression of PARP10 and Ki67, PARP1, MMP2, and VEGF. In addition, depletion of PARP10 impaired the PI3K-AKT and MAPK signaling pathways.

Conclusion: PARP10 is involved in the progression of OSCC via regulation of PI3K-AKT and MAPK signaling pathways.

The role of IL-33/ST2 signaling in the tumor microenvironment and Treg immunotherapy

Interleukin (IL)-33 is a tissue-derived nuclear cytokine belonging to the IL-1 family. Stimulation-2 (ST2) is the only known IL-33 receptor. ST2 signals mostly on immune cells found within tissues, such as regulatory T cells (Treg cells), CD8+ T cells, and natural killer (NK) cells. Therefore, the IL-33/ST2 signaling pathway is important in the immune system. IL-33 deficiency impairs Treg cell function. ST2 signaling is also increased in active Treg cells, providing a new approach for Treg-related immunotherapy. The IL-33/ST2 signaling pathway regulates multiple immune-related cells by activating various intracellular kinases and factors in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Here, we review the latest studies on the role of the IL-33/ST2 signaling pathway in TME and Treg immunotherapy.

Expression of Ubiquitin-specific protease 7 in oral squamous cell carcinoma promotes tumor cell proliferation and invasion

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant cancer affecting oral cavity. Recent studies have demonstrated that Ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7) was upregulated in several types of cancers. USP7 expression was associated with various proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. However, USP7 expression level and its functional role in OSCC is unclear. In the current study, we showed that USP7 expression in OSCC tissues was generally upregulated compared to normal adjacent tissues by using IHC. Furthermore, statistical analysis uncovered that USP7 expression was positively correlated with Ki-67, MMP2, VEGF in OSCC tissues. Importantly, high USP7 expression was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis and histological differentiation in OSCC patients. So, our hypothesis is that USP7 plays a tumor-promoting role in OSCC. Knocking down of USP7 in tumor cells not only suppressed HSC3 cells proliferation, migration and invasion, but also promoted cell apoptosis. Moreover, USP7 siRNA blocked the activation of Akt/ERK signaling pathway. In conclusion, data presented here suggests that USP7 promotes the progression of OSCC. USP7 may be used as a new therapeutic target for OSCC diagnosis and treatment.

Regulatory T cells: A potential weapon to combat COVID-19?

Since the end of December 2019, a novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 began to spread, an infection disease termed COVID-19. The virus has spread throughout the world in a short period of time, resulting in a pandemic. The number of reported cases in global reached 5 695 596 including 352 460 deaths, as of May 27, 2020. Due to the lack of effective treatment options for COVID-19, various strategies are being tested. Recently, pathologic studies conducted by two teams in China revealed immunopathologic abnormalities in lung tissue. These results have implications for immunotherapy that could offer a novel therapy strategy for combating lethal viral pneumonia. This review discusses the clinical and pathological features of COVID-19, the roles of immune cells in pathological processes, and the possible avenues for induction of immunosuppressive T regulatory cells attenuating lung inflammation due to viral infection. It is our hope that these proposals may both be helpful in understanding the novel features of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia as well as providing new immunological strategies for treating the severe sequelae of disease manifestations seen in people infected with SARS-CoV-2.

PARP6 suppresses the proliferation and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma by degrading XRCC6 to regulate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway

PARP6 belongs to the mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase family and has been shown to be involved in the genesis and development of some tumours. However, the role of PARP6 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development remains to be fully elucidated. In the current study, we demonstrated that PARP6 was expressed at a low level in HCC cells and was negatively related to the degree of tumour differentiation. Additionally, silencing PARP6 led to an increase in the proliferation, invasion and migration ability of HCC cells in both in vitro and in vivo assays. Conversely, an elevation in the PARP6 expression level had the opposite effect. Through gene chip analysis combined with experimental verification, we confirmed that PARP6 can inhibit the expression of XRCC6 by inducing degradation and thus affect the Wnt/β-Catenin signalling pathway, which contributes to the suppression of HCC. Further mechanistic investigation demonstrated that the ubiquitin ligase HDM2 can interact with PARP6 and XRCC6, and mediated the regulatory effect of PARP6 on XRCC6 degradation. Taking together, PARP6 appears to inhibit HCC progression through the XRCC6/Wnt/β-catenin signal axis and could be used as a biomarker for the clinical monitoring of HCC development.

Human gingiva-derived mesenchymal stem cells are therapeutic in lupus nephritis through targeting of CD39-CD73 signaling pathway

Cell specific and cytokine targeted therapeutics have underperformed in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a novel therapy to address the dysregulation in autoimmune diseases but also have limitations. Human gingiva derived MSCs (GMSCs) are superior in regulating immune responses. Here, we demonstrate that the adoptive transfer of GMSCs homes to and maintains in the kidney and has a robust therapeutic effect in a spontaneous lupus nephritis model. Specifically, GMSCs limits the development of autoantibodies as well as proteinuria, decreases the frequency of plasma cells and lupus nephritis histopathological scores by directly suppressing B cells activation, proliferation and differentiation. The blockage of CD39^-CD73 pathway dramatically abrogates the suppressive capacities of GMSCs in vitro and in vivo and highlights the significance of this signaling pathway in SLE. Collectively, manipulation of GMSCs provides a promising strategy for the treatment of patients with SLE and other autoimmune diseases.

Blended learning in basic medical laboratory courses improves medical students' abilities in self-learning, understanding, and problem solving

Blended learning, is a teaching approach that integrates online self-learning and classroom teaching. When designed well, blended learning courses in medicine can facilitate students to improve themselves in self-learning, understanding, and problem solving, ultimately enhancing their learning efficiency. However, blended teaching methods are usually used in only a single course, so it is unclear whether these methods can work well in a variety of basic medical courses. The goal of this study is to explore students' perceptions of whether blended laboratory courses are helpful for them in overcoming the difficulties they experience. Blended laboratory courses were taken by medical students at Guilin Medical University. Approximately 71.1% of the students agreed that online lecture courses improved their understanding of threshold concepts and the underlying theories. The majority of the students (63.01%) held the opinion that the blended laboratory courses were more effective than other types of courses in achieving the knowledge goals. The majority of the teachers believed that students' interest in experimentation operations, hands-on abilities, confidence, and other factors were greatly improved compared with those of students taught using the traditional teaching model (face to face). In addition, the average scores for the quizzes of laboratory courses were significantly improved in the blended learning method compared with the traditional learning method. Blended laboratory courses are successful and welcomed by both students and teachers in undergraduate laboratory courses.

PMPCB Silencing Sensitizes HCC Tumor Cells to Sorafenib Therapy

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors invariably develop resistance to cytotoxic and targeted agents, resulting in failed treatment and tumor recurrence. Previous in vivo short hairpin RNA (shRNA) screening evidence revealed mitochondrial-processing peptidase (PMPC) as a leading gene contributing to tumor cell resistance against sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor used to treat advanced HCC. Here, we investigated the contributory role of the β subunit of PMPC (PMPCB) in sorafenib resistance. Silencing PMPCB increased HCC tumor cell susceptibility to sorafenib therapy, decreased liver tumor burden, and improved survival of tumor-bearing mice receiving sorafenib. Moreover, sorafenib + PMPCB shRNA combination therapy led to attenuated liver tumor burden and improved survival outcome for tumor-bearing mice, and it reduced colony formation in murine and human HCC cell lines in vitro. Additionally, PMPCB silencing enhanced PINK1-Parkin signaling and downregulated the anti-apoptotic protein MCL-1 in sorafenib-treated HCC cells, which is indicative of a healthier pro-apoptotic phenotype. Higher pre-treatment MCL-1 expression was associated with inferior survival outcomes in sorafenib-treated HCC patients. Elevated MCL-1 expression was present in sorafenib-resistant murine HCC cells, while MCL-1 knockdown sensitized these cells to sorafenib. In conclusion, our findings advocate combination regimens employing sorafenib with PMPCB knockdown or MCL-1 knockdown to circumvent sorafenib resistance in HCC patients.

Expression of USP22 and the chromosomal passenger complex is an indicator of malignant progression in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Oral cancer is a common cancer of the head and neck. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) represents almost 90% of the total cases of head and neck cancer. Ubiquitin-specific protease 22 (USP22) is a deubiquitinating hydrolase, and it is highly expressed in various types of cancer, which also typically have a poor prognosis. Aurora-B and Survivin, which belong to the chromosomal passenger complex, are also highly expressed in a number of types of cancer. In the present study, USP22 expression and its associations with Aurora-B and Survivin, and the clinicopathological features in OSCC were explored. USP22 is highly expressed in OSCC. Overexpression of USP22 is associated with lymph node metastasis and histological grade (P<0.01). Additionally, the expression of USP22 was positively associated with Aurora-B (P<0.01), Survivin (P<0.01), and Ki-67 (P<0.01). Furthermore, USP22 small interfering RNA inhibited cell growth and reduced the expression levels of Aurora-B, Survivin and Cyclin B, together with the upregulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (p21). These data suggest that USP22, Aurora-B and Survivin promote the OSCC development and may represent novel targets for OSCC diagnosis and treatment in the future.

Role of Vitamin A in the Immune System

Vitamin A (VitA) is a micronutrient that is crucial for maintaining vision, promoting growth and development, and protecting epithelium and mucus integrity in the body. VitA is known as an anti-inflammation vitamin because of its critical role in enhancing immune function. VitA is involved in the development of the immune system and plays regulatory roles in cellular immune responses and humoral immune processes. VitA has demonstrated a therapeutic effect in the treatment of various infectious diseases. To better understand the relationship between nutrition and the immune system, the authors review recent literature about VitA in immunity research and briefly introduce the clinical application of VitA in the treatment of several infectious diseases.

Aurora Kinase Inhibitors in Head and Neck Cancer

Aurora kinases are a group of serine/threonine kinases responsible for the regulation of mitosis. In recent years, with the increase in Aurora kinase-related research, the important role of Aurora kinases in tumorigenesis has been gradually recognized. Aurora kinases have been regarded as a new target for cancer therapy, resulting in the development of Aurora kinase inhibitors. The study and application of these small-molecule inhibitors, especially in combination with chemotherapy drugs, represent a new direction in cancer treatment. This paper reviews studies on Aurora kinases from recent years, including studies of their biological function, their relationship with tumor progression, and their inhibitors.

Roles and Mechanisms of Human Cathelicidin LL-37 in Cancer

LL-37, the C-terminal peptide of human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP, hCAP18), reportedly increases resistance to microbial invasion and exerts important physiological functions in chemotaxis, promotion of wound closure, and angiogenesis. Accumulating evidence indicates that LL-37 also plays a significant role in human cancer. LL-37 induces tumorigenic effects in cancers of the ovary, lung, breast, prostate, pancreas, as well as in malignant melanoma and skin squamous cell carcinoma. In contrast, LL-37 displays an anti-cancer effect in colon cancer, gastric cancer, hematologic malignancy and oral squamous cell carcinoma. Mechanistically, LL-37-induced activation of membrane receptors and subsequent signaling pathways lead to alteration of cellular functions. Different membrane receptors on various cancer cells appear to be responsible for the tissue-specific effects of LL-37. Meanwhile, the findings that vitamin D-dependent induction of cathelicidin in human macrophages activates the anti-cancer activity of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and enhances antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) support critical roles of vitamin D-dependent induction of cathelicidin in cancer progression. This review describes novel advances involving the roles and mechanisms of human cathelicidin LL-37 in cancer.

Invasion-Related Factors as Potential Diagnostic and Therapeutic Targets in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma-A Review

It is well recognized that the presence of cervical lymph node metastasis is the most important prognostic factor in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In solid epithelial cancer, the first step during the process of metastasis is the invasion of cancer cells into the underlying stroma, breaching the basement membrane (BM)—the natural barrier between epithelium and the underlying extracellular matrix (ECM). The ability to invade and metastasize is a key hallmark of cancer progression, and the most complicated and least understood. These topics continue to be very active fields of cancer research. A number of processes, factors, and signaling pathways are involved in regulating invasion and metastasis. However, appropriate clinical trials for anti-cancer drugs targeting the invasion of OSCC are incomplete. In this review, we summarize the recent progress on invasion-related factors and emerging molecular determinants which can be used as potential for diagnostic and therapeutic targets in OSCC.

DNA methylation directly downregulates human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide gene (CAMP) promoter activity

LL-37, the active product of human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP) has a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity. LL-37 also has important physiological functions in immune regulation, angiogenesis and in modulating apoptosis. The roles of LL-37 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are still not clear. The correlation between DNA methylation and human CAMP expression is also unknown. Here human CAMP/LL-37 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in normal and OSCC tissues. The results indicated that low expression of CAMP/LL-37 correlated with histological differentiation and lymph node metastasis and also promoted tumor progression. A cell-specific methylation pattern in the promoter region of human CAMP was detected. Treatment with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine, a DNA demethylation reagent can increase human CAMP expression in epithelial cancer cells. The reporter assay showed that unmethylated human CAMP promoter activity was significantly higher than methylated promoter activity. Taken together, these results suggested that human CAMP/LL-37 might act as a tumor-suppressor in OSCC and DNA methylation might play roles during carcinogenesis via directly downregulating human CAMP promoter activity.

Inhibition of DMH-DSS-induced colorectal cancer by liposomal bovine lactoferrin in rats

Bovine lactoferrin (bLF) is a multifunctional protein with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-tumour and immunoregulatory effects. The present study was conducted to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour effects of liposomal bLF (LbLF) in a 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)/dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced model of carcinogenesis in F344 rats. F344 rats were randomly divided into three groups: Control (water), 500 or 1,000 mg/kg/day LbLF; additionally, the rats were injected with DMH (20 mg/kg) once per week for 8 consecutive weeks, after one week of drinking water containing 1% DSS. All rats were sacrificed at 25 weeks. The tissues were examined for the presence of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and subjected to histopathological analysis. Additionally, human colon cancer cells were utilised to investigate the effect of LbLF on proliferation and inflammation. Rats from the 500 and 1,000 mg/kg/day LbLF groups harboured significantly fewer colon ACF, adenomas and adenocarcinomas than the rats from the control group. Lastly, it was demonstrated that LbLF inhibits cell growth and TNF-α mRNA expression. These data support the hypothesis that LbLF affects colorectal carcinogenesis by suppressing inflammation and cell proliferation in rats.

Expression of survivin, MUC2 and MUC5 in colorectal cancer and their association with clinicopathological characteristics

Survivin is a bifunctional protein that suppresses apoptosis and regulates cell division, and is highly expressed in various cancer types. Mucins are high-molecular-weight, heavily glycosylated proteins. In the present study, the association between survivin, mucin 2 (MUC2) and MUC5 expression, and the clinicopathological features of colorectal cancer (CRC) were investigated. The immunohistochemistry and western blotting results demonstrated that survivin was highly expressed in CRC tissues and rarely expressed in normal colon tissues. Moreover, the overexpression of survivin and MUC5 was strongly associated with lymph node metastasis, poor cellular differentiation, advanced tumor stage and a poor prognosis in CRC. By contrast, low expression of MUC2 was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis, poor cellular differentiation and an advanced tumor stage in CRC. The results of the present study suggest that survivin, MUC2 and MUC5 levels may be associated with tumor progression and could be used to aid the early diagnosis and clinical characterization of CRC.

PARP6 acts as a tumor suppressor via downregulating Survivin expression in colorectal cancer

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) are enzymes that transfer ADP-ribose groups to target proteins and are involved in a variety of biological processes. PARP6 is a novel member, and our previous findings suggest that PARP6 may act as a tumor suppressor via suppressing cell cycle progression. However, it is still unclear that PARP6 function besides growth suppression in colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we examined tumor suppressive roles of PAPR6 in CRC cells both in vitro and in vivo. We found that PARP6 inhibited colony formation, invasion and migration as well as cell proliferation. Moreover, ectopic overexpression of PARP6 decreased Survivin expression, which acts as an oncogene and is involved in apoptosis and mitosis. We confirmed the inverse correlation between PARP6 and Survivin expression in CRC cases by immunohistochemistry. Importantly, CRC cases with downregulation of PARP6 and upregulation of Survivin showed poor prognosis. In summary, PARP6 acts as a tumor suppressor via downregulating Survivin expression in CRC. PARP6 can be a novel diagnostic and therapeutic target together with Survivin for CRC.

Upregulation of Akt/NF-κB-regulated inflammation and Akt/Bad-related apoptosis signaling pathway involved in hepatic carcinoma process: suppression by carnosic acid nanoparticle

Primary liver cancer is globally the sixth most frequent cancer, and the second leading cause of cancer death and its incidence is increasing in many countries, becoming a serious threat to human health. Many researches focused on the treatment and prevention of liver cancer. However, due to the underlying molecular mechanism of liver cancer still not fully understood, the studies and development of treatments were forced to be delayed. Akt has been suggested to play an essential role in the progression of inflammation response and apoptosis. Hence, in this study, Akt-knockout mice and cells of liver cancer were used as a model to investigate the molecular mechanism of Akt-associated inflammatory and apoptotic signaling pathway linked with NF-κB and Bcl-2-associated death promoter (Bad) for the progression of liver cancer. Carnosic acid (CA), as a phenolic diterpene with anticancer, antibacterial, antidiabetic, as well as neuroprotective properties, is produced by many species from Lamiaceae family. Administration of CA nanoparticles was sufficient to lead to considerable inhibition of liver cancer progression. The results indicated that, compared to the normal liver cells, the expression of Akt was significantly higher in liver cancer cell lines. Also, we found that Akt-knockout cancer cell lines modulated inflammation response and apoptosis via inhibiting NF-κB activation and inducing apoptotic reaction. Our results indicated that the downstream signals, including cytokines regulated by NF-κB and caspase-3-activated apoptosis affected by Bad, were re-modulated for knockout of Akt. And CA nanoparticles, acting as Akt-knockout, could inhibit inflammation and accelerate apoptosis in liver cancer by altering NF-κB activation and activating caspase-3 through Bad pathway. These findings demonstrated that the nanoparticulate drug CA performed its effective role owing to its ability to reduce inflammatory action and enhance apoptosis for the overexpression of NF-κB and Bad via Akt signaling pathway, playing a direct role in liver cancer progression. Thus, nanoparticle CA might be an important and potential choice for the clinical treatment in the future.

Cinnamic Acid (CINN) Induces Apoptosis and Proliferation in Human Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cells

Background/Aims: CINN is the main ingredient of the traditional Chinese medicine cinnamon. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of CINN on the proliferation and apoptosis of NPC cells and to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Materials and Methods: CNE2 human NPC cells were treated with various CINN concentrations. The effects of CINN on the proliferation and apoptosis of CNE2 NPC cells were examined using the MTT assay and flow cytometric analysis. Additionally, western blotting was performed to analyze the expression of a number of cell cycle- and apoptosis-related proteins. Results: The proliferation of CNE2 cells was significantly inhibited after treatment with different CINN concentrations for various lengths of time. The inhibitory effect of CINN was concentration-and time-dependent. Flow cytometric analysis showed that 2 mmol/L CINN displayed a significant apoptosis-inducing effect. The western blot analysis results showed that KLF6, Fas-L, Bax, P53 and caspase-3 protein expression was drastically increased in the CNE2 cells after treatment with 2 mmol/L CINN, whereas Bcl-2 and cyclin D1 protein expression was markedly reduced. Conclusion: CINN inhibits the proliferation and induces the apoptosis of CNE2 cells. Therefore, CINN possesses a potential anti-tumor effect.

Aberrant JMJD3 Expression Upregulates Slug to Promote Migration, Invasion, and Stem Cell-Like Behaviors in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The Jumonji domain-containing chromatin remodeling factor JMJD3 has important roles in development and cancer. Here, we report a pivotal role for JMJD3 in sustaining the phenotype of aggressive hepatocellular carcinomas. Expression levels of JMJD3 in clinical specimens of hepatocellular carcinoma correlated inversely with patient survival. In hepatocellular carcinoma cells, we found that enforcing its overexpression induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasive migration, stem cell-like traits, and metastatic properties. Conversely, silencing JMJD3 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells overexpressing it inhibited these aggressive phenotypes. Mechanistically, JMJD3 modulated H3K27me3 in the SLUG gene promoter, a histone mark associated with active SLUG transcription. SLUG silencing blocked JMJD3-induced EMT, stemness, and metastasis. Furthermore, SLUG expression in hepatocellular carcinoma clinical specimens correlated positively with JMJD3 expression. Our results establish JMJD3 as a critical driver of hepatocellular carcinoma stem cell-like and metastatic behaviors, with implications for prognosis and treatment. Cancer Res; 76(22); 6520-32. ©2016 AACR.

Antagonizing effect of CLPABP on the function of HuR as a regulator of ARE-containing leptin mRNA stability and the effect of its depletion on obesity in old male mouse

Cardiolipin and phosphatidic acid-binding protein (CLPABP) is a pleckstrin homology domain-containing protein and is localized on the surface of mitochondria of cultured cells as a large protein-RNA complex. To analyze the physiological functions of CLPABP, we established and characterized a CLPABP knockout (KO) mouse. Although expression levels of CLPABP transcripts in the developmental organs were high, CLPABP KO mice were normal at birth and grew normally when young. However, old male mice presented a fatty phenotype, similar to that seen in metabolic syndrome, in parallel with elevated male- and age-dependent CLPABP gene expression. One of the reasons for this obesity in CLPABP KO mice is dependence on increases in leptin concentration in plasma. The leptin transcripts were also upregulated in the adipose tissue of KO mice compared with wild-type (WT) mice. To understand the difference in levels of the transcriptional product, we focused on the effect of CLPABP on the stability of mRNA involving an AU-rich element (ARE) in its 3'UTR dependence on the RNA stabilizer, human antigen R (HuR), which is one of the CLPABP-binding proteins. Increase in stability of ARE-containing mRNAs of leptin by HuR was antagonized by the expression of CLPABP in cultured cells. Depletion of CLPABP disturbed the normal subcellular localization of HuR to stress granules, and overexpression of CLPABP induced instability of leptin mRNA by inhibiting HuR function. Consequently, leptin levels in old male mice might be regulated by CLPABP expression, which might lead to body weight control.

HOXA7 plays a critical role in metastasis of liver cancer associated with activation of Snail

BACKGROUND

Liver cancer is one of the main causes of cancer-related death in human. HOXA7 has been proved to be related with several cancers.

METHOD

The expression levels of HOXA7 were examined by Western blot, qRT-PCR or ICH. MTT was used to detect the proliferative rate of liver cancer cells. The invasive abilities were examined by matrigel and transwell assay. The metastatic abilities of liver cancer cells were revealed in BALB/c nude mice.

RESULTS

In this report, we revealed that HOXA7 promoted metastasis of HCC patients. First, increased levels of HOXA7 were examined in liver cancer especially in metastatic liver cancer. Moreover, higher expression level of HOXA7 was associated with poorer prognosis of liver cancer patients. Overexpression of HOXA7 significantly enhanced proliferation, migration, invasion in vitro and tumor growth and metastasis in vivo meanwhile silencing HOXA7 significantly inhibited the aboves abilities of liver cancer cells. In this research, we identified that HOXA7 performed its oncogenic characteristics through activating Snail.

CONCLUSION

Collectively, we identify the critical role and possible mechanism of HOXA7 in metastasis of liver cancer which suggest that HOXA7 may be a potential therapeutic target of liver cancer patients.

MicroRNA-155-3p promotes hepatocellular carcinoma formation by suppressing FBXW7 expression

BACKGROUND

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs frequently dysregulated in human malignant tumors. In the present study, we analyzed the role miR-155-3p plays in Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which has been reported participation in some other types of cancer.

METHODS

qRT-PCR was used to measure the levels of miR-155-3p in HCC specimens and HCC cell lines. Overexpression of miR-155-3p and miR-155-3p inhibitor were transfected into HCC cell lines to investigate its role in HCC. Colony formation assay and 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium (MTT) assays were used to analyses cell proliferation in vitro. In vivo tumor formation assays were performed in BALB/c nude mice. Luciferase reporter assay was carried out to measure the translation of F-Box and WD repeat romain containing 7 (FBXW7).

RESULTS

We found that miR-155-3p was remarkably upregulated both in HCC tissue and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-155-3p enhanced HCC cell proliferation in vitro and tumorigenesis in vivo. In addition, overexpression of miR-155-3p is correlated with decreased levels FBXW7 mainly through inhibiting the expression of FBXW7.

CONCLUSIONS

Our studies suggest that miR-155-3p plays an important role in the pathogenesis of HCC and implicates its potential applications in the treatment of HCC cancer.

Overexpression of CTNND1 in hepatocellular carcinoma promotes carcinous characters through activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling

Background

Increasing evidence supports the association of CTNND1 with tumor development and progression. However, the mechanism and clinical significance of CTNND1 deregulation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. In this study, we aim to investigate the role of CTNND1 in HCC.

Methods

qRT-PCR and immunohistochemical analyses were used to measure the levels of CTNND1 in HCC specimens and HCC cell lines. CTNND1 and shCTNND1 were transfected into HCC cell lines to investigate its role in HCC. Cell migration and invasion were measured by Transwell and Matrigel analyses in vitro. In vivo metastasis assays were performed in SCID mice.

Results

In clinical HCC samples, we found that CTNND1 expression was significantly up-regulated in cancer lesions compared with paired normal liver tissues. By silencing or overexpressing CTNND1 in HCC cells, we found that CTNND1 could promote cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. An in-vivo assay showed that CTNND1 dramatically promoted HCC cell tumor formation and metastasis. Moreover, CTNND1 promoted HCC metastasis, at least in part, by indirectly enhancing Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Consistent with these results, the expression of CTNND1 was positively correlated with β-catenin, WNT11, Cyclin D1, and BMP7 expression in human HCC specimens.

Conclusions

Our study provides evidence that CTNND1 functions as a novel tumor oncogene in HCC, and may be a potential therapeutic target for HCC management.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13046-016-0344-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

JARID1B promotes metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition via PTEN/AKT signaling in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

JARID1B is a member of the family of JmjC domain-containing proteins that removes methyl residues from methylated lysine 4 on histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4). JARID1B has been proposed as an oncogene in many types of tumors; however, its role and underlying mechanisms in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unknown. Here we show that JARID1B is elevated in HCC and its expression level is positively correlated with metastasis. In addition Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that high expression of JARID1B was associated with decreased overall survival of HCC patients. Overexpression of JARID1B in HCC cells increased proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, migration and invasion in vitro, and enhanced tumorigenic and metastatic capacities in vivo. In contrast, silencing JARID1B in aggressive and invasive HCC cells inhibited these processes. Mechanistically, we found JARID1B exerts its function through modulation of H3K4me3 at the PTEN gene promoter, which was associated with inactive PTEN transcription. PTEN overexpression blocked JARID1B-driven proliferation, EMT, and metastasis. Our results, for the first time, portray a pivotal role of JARID1B in stimulating metastatic behaviors of HCC cells. Targeting JARID1B may thus be a useful strategy to impede HCC cell invasion and metastasis.

The Effect of Hippocampal Cognitive Impairment and XIAP on Glucose and Lipids Metabolism in Rats

BACKGROUND/AIMS

To investigate the effect of cognitive impairment and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) on glucolipid metabolism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

β-amyloid (Aβ 1-42) was injected into the hippocampus of rats to establish a cognitive impairment model. Trans-activator of transcription (TAT)-XIAP fusion protein (the TAT-XIAP group), PBS (the model group), or XIAP antisense oligonucleotides (the ASODN group) was injected into the lateral ventricles of the rats to increase and decrease the activity of XIAP in the hippocampus. To determine the level of blood glucose and lipids, adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) expression of liver and hipppocamual neuronal apoptosis.

RESULTS

The levels of FPG, TG, TC and LDL were significantly higher in the TAT-XIAP group, the model group and the ASODN group than in the blank group (P < 0.05); however, the HDL level showed no significant change in all groups of rats. The apoptosis indexes of the rat hippocampal CA1 neuron were 68.44 ± 4.31%, 13.21 ± 2.30%, 56.68 ± 4.771%, and 87.51 ± 6.63% in the model group, the blank group, the TAT-XIAP group and the ASODN group, respectively. Gastrointestinal motility was less frequent (per time unit) in the model group, the ASODN group and the TAT-XIAP group than in the blank group. Compared with the model group, gastrointestinal motility was significantly less frequent in the ASODN group and was significantly more frequent in the TAT-XIAP group. Compared with the blank group, the model group had a significantly lower gastric emptying rate and intestinal propulsive rate. Compared with the model group, the gastric emptying rate and intestinal propulsive rate were significantly lower in the ASODN group and were significantly higher in the TAT-XIAP group. Compared with the blank group, the expressions of AMPK mRNA, and AMPK protein were significantly reduced in the model group, the TAT-XIAP group, and the ASODN group. AMPK expression was significantly increased in the TAT-XIAP group and was significantly decreased in the ASODN group than in the model group.

CONCLUSION

Cognitive impairment and hippocampal neuron apoptosis can cause glucose and lipids metabolic abnormalities, possibly by regulating gastrointestinal motility and AMPK expression in the liver. The changes in the function of XIAP, which is an anti-apoptotic protein in the hippocampus, may affect the metabolism of glucose and lipids.

Effect of different luteal support schemes on clinical outcome in frozen-thawed embryos transfer cycles

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical outcome of frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) when using different luteal support schemes.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective analysis of FET cycles was performed from June 2013 and December 2013. Infertile women, who underwent FET cycles utilizing embryos cryopreserved on day 3 post-insemination following an initial fresh IVF cycle. Patients were divided into three groups according to the luteal support scheme. Grade A (oral administration of progesterone, n=156), Group B (vaginal administration of progesterone, n=345), Group C (dissolved progesterone in oil with intramuscular infection, n=885), and group C was divided into two subgroups according to with (subgroup Cl, n=521) or without (subgroup C2 ,n=364) human chorionic gonadotrophi (hCG) injected intramuscularly. The authors compared patients' characteristics and the pregnancy outcomes of each group.

RESULTS

There was no difference in the patient characteristics of each group. There was no difference in the implantation rate or clinical and ongoing pregnancy rate among oral, vaginal, and intramuscular progesterone groups. The abortion and ectopic pregnancy rates were not significantly different among the three groups.

CONCLUSION

Oral progesterone in the FET cycles is convenient and has similar pregnancy outcomes compared with intramuscular or vaginal administration.

Expression of USP22 and Survivin is an indicator of malignant behavior in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignant liver tumor type, ranking as the third leading cause of all cancer-related deaths in the world. The post-surgical 5-year survival rate is low, largely due to the high recurrence rate. Therefore, the identification of target molecules that control the biological characteristics of HCC is of great importance. Ubiquitin-specific protease 22 (USP22) is a newly discovered deubiquitinating enzyme and is a cancer stem cell marker that plays a role in tumorigenesis, therapy resistance and cell cycle progression. Survivin is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family and is known to function either as an inhibitor for apoptosis or as a regulator of cell division. Levels of survivin are correlated with the aggressiveness of tumors and a poor prognosis in various cancers including HCC. In the present study, we examined the USP22 expression and its association with survivin expression and clinicopathological features in HCC. First, we examined the expression of USP22 and survivin in 151 HCC cases by immunohistochemistry. High expression of USP22 and survivin was frequently observed in HCC cases, in comparison with normal adjacent liver tissues. Expression of USP22 and survivin was well correlated with malignant behavior including tumor size, stage and differentiation in HCC cases. Importantly, HCC patients with high expression of USP22 and survivin showed poor prognosis. USP22 expression was well correlated with survivin expression in HCC cases. This correlation was confirmed in HCC cell lines and tissues by RT-PCR and western blot analysis. Next, to investigate the biological role of USP22 in HCC, we examined the effect of USP22 knockdown on the cell growth and the expression of cell cycle-related protein including survivin in HCC cells. USP22 siRNA suppressed cell growth. Moreover, USP22 siRNA decreased survivin expression together with upregulation of CDK inhibitor, p21 and downregulation of cyclin B. These findings suggest that USP22 may be involved in HCC progression in cooperation with survivin. We suggest that USP22 can be useful as a new prognostic marker and therapeutic target in HCC patients.

Effects of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF) exposure on B6C3F1 mice

OBJECTIVE

Long-term exposure study was conducted to investigate the effects of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field on the tumor promotion process and fertility.

METHODS

Ten pregnant C57BL/6NCrj mice were exposed to 50 Hz field 500 mG for 1 week (12 h per day), and 24 male and 42 female B6C3F1mice born from them were further exposed up to 15.5 months. As a control group, 10 pregnant mice were bred without exposure, and 30 produced male and 32 female mice were observed without exposure for the same period.

RESULTS

Mean body weights of exposed groups of male and female mice were decreased significantly than those of the control groups. In exposed mice, there was no increased incidence of liver and lung tumor. In female mice, the incidence of chronic myeloid leukemia [3/42 (7%)] in the exposed group was significantly greater than in the control group. The size of seminiferous tubules in the EMF exposed groups were significantly less than the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

These data support the hypothesis that long-term exposure of 50 Hz magnetic fields is a significant risk factor for neoplastic development and fertility in mice.

CO₂ sorption kinetics of scaled-up polyethylenimine-functionalized mesoporous silica sorbent

Two CO2 solid sorbents based on polyethylenimine, PEI (M(n) ∼ 423 and 10K), impregnated into mesoporous silica (MPS) foam prepared in kilogram quantities via a scale-up process were synthesized and systematically characterized by a range of analytical and surface techniques. The mesoporous silica sorbent impregnated with lower molecular weight PEI, PEI-423/MPS, showed higher capacity toward CO2 sorption than the sorbent functionalized with the higher molecular weight PEI (PEI-10K/MPS). On the other hand, PEI-10K/MPS exhibited higher thermal stability than PEI-423/MPS. The kinetics of CO2 adsorption on both PEI/MPS fitted well with a double-exponential model. According to this model CO2 adsorption can be divided into two steps: the first is fast and is attributed to CO2 adsorption on the sorbent surface; the second is slower and can be related to the diffusion of CO2 within and between the mesoporous particles. In contrast, the desorption process obeyed first-order kinetics with activation energies of 64.3 and 140.7 kJ mol(-1) for PEI-423/MPS and PEI-10K/MPS, respectively. These studies suggest that the selection of amine is critical as it affects not only sorbent capacity and stability but also the energy penalty associated with sorbent regeneration.

Bio-inspired laminated graphite nanosheets/copper composites

Bio-inspired laminated graphite nanosheets/copper composites with modified mechanical properties.

Aged garlic extract inhibits 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced colon tumor development by suppressing cell proliferation

Garlic and its constituents are reported to have a preventive effect against colorectal cancer in animal models. Aged garlic extract (AGE), which is produced by natural extraction from fresh garlic for more than 10 months in aqueous ethanol, also has reputed chemopreventive effects on colon carcinogenesis, but has never been studied for its effects on colon cancer development. We investigated the antitumor effects of AGE in rats with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced carcinogenesis, and the mechanism of AGE in human colon cancer cell proliferation. F344 rats randomly divided into three groups were administered DMH (20 mg/kg weight) subcutaneously once a week for 8 weeks in a basal diet. After the last injection, one group of rats was then moved onto a basal diet containing 3% wt/wt AGE, and rats were sacrificed at 8 or 31 weeks. The number of aberrant crypt foci (ACF), histological type of tumor and proliferative activity of the tumor lesions were analyzed by macroscopic, pathological and immunohistochemical methods. DLD-1 human colon cancer cells were utilized to investigate the effect of AGE on anti-cell proliferation. AGE decreased the number of ACF but had no effect on gross tumor pathology. AGE showed a lower number of adenoma and adenocarcinoma lesions by histological analysis. Immunohistochemical staining indicated that AGE suppressed the proliferative activity in adenoma and adenocarcinoma lesions, but showed no effect on normal colon mucosa. Moreover, we demonstrated that AGE delayed cell cycle progression by downregulating cyclin B1 and cdk1 expression via inactivation of NF-κB in the human colorectal cancer cells but did not induce apoptosis. These findings suggest that AGE has an antitumor effect through suppression of cell proliferation.

KDM5B is overexpressed in gastric cancer and is required for gastric cancer cell proliferation and metastasis

Epigenetic alterations such as aberrant expression of histone-modifying enzymes have been implicated in tumorigenesis. KDM5B (also known as JARID1B) is a newly identified histone demethylase that regulates chromatin structure or gene expression by removing methyl residues from trimethylated lysine 4 on histone H3. Recent observations have shown oncogenic activity of KDM5B. However, the role of KDM5B in gastric cancer carcinogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of KDM5B in gastric cancer. Immunohistochemical analysis, western blotting, and qRT-PCR were used to measure the levels of KDM5B in gastric cancer cell lines, 45 pairs of gastric cancer tissues and the adjacent nonneoplastic tissues. KDM5B and shKDM5B were transfected into gastric cancer cells to investigate its role on regulating cell proliferation which was measured by MTT and colony formation assay. Cell's migration and invasion were measured by Transwell and Matrigel analysis in vitro. PCNA expression was measured by immunofluorescence staining and immunohistochemical analysis. The in vivo tumorigenesis and metastasis assays were performed in SCID mice. In clinical gastric cancer samples, we found that KDM5B expression was significantly up-regulated in cancer lesions compared with paired normal gastric tissues. By silencing or overexpressing KDM5B in gastric cancer cells, we found that KDM5B could promote cell growth and metastasis in vitro. An in vivo assay showed that KDM5B not only dramatically promoted gastric cancer cell xenograft formation and growth but also promoted gastric cancer cell metastasis in a liver metastasis model. Moreover, we demonstrated that KDM5B promoted gastric cancer metastasis via regulation of the Akt pathway. Our study provided evidence that KDM5B functions as a novel tumor oncogene in gastric cancer and may be a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer management.

tRNA modifying enzymes, NSUN2 and METTL1, determine sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil in HeLa cells

Nonessential tRNA modifications by methyltransferases are evolutionarily conserved and have been reported to stabilize mature tRNA molecules and prevent rapid tRNA decay (RTD). The tRNA modifying enzymes, NSUN2 and METTL1, are mammalian orthologs of yeast Trm4 and Trm8, which are required for protecting tRNA against RTD. A simultaneous overexpression of NSUN2 and METTL1 is widely observed among human cancers suggesting that targeting of both proteins provides a novel powerful strategy for cancer chemotherapy. Here, we show that combined knockdown of NSUN2 and METTL1 in HeLa cells drastically potentiate sensitivity of cells to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) whereas heat stress of cells revealed no effects. Since NSUN2 and METTL1 are phosphorylated by Aurora-B and Akt, respectively, and their tRNA modifying activities are suppressed by phosphorylation, overexpression of constitutively dephosphorylated forms of both methyltransferases is able to suppress 5-FU sensitivity. Thus, NSUN2 and METTL1 are implicated in 5-FU sensitivity in HeLa cells. Interfering with methylation of tRNAs might provide a promising rationale to improve 5-FU chemotherapy of cancer.

The cellular mechanisms for sensing and responding to stress on nucleic acid metabolism or to genotoxic stress are the fundamental and ancient evolutionary biological activities with conserved and diverse biological functions. In yeast, hypomodified mature tRNA species are rapidly decayed under heat stress by the RTD pathway. Yet, it has been shown that tRNA-specific methyltransferases Trm4 and Trm8 protect from tRNA decay. 5-FU, a pyrimidine analog used for cancer treatment, is generally known to act as a thymidylate synthase inhibitor although other ways for the mechanisms of action are suggested. We studied NSUN2 and METTL1, the human orthologs of Trm4 and Trm8 in yeast, and demonstrated that these RTD-related tRNA modifying enzymes are involved in 5-FU sensitivity in cervical cancer HeLa cells. We conclude that the evolutionarily conserved regulation of tRNA modifications is a potential mechanism of chemotherapy resistance in cancer cells.

Enhanced performance configuration for fast-switching deformed helix ferroelectric liquid crystal continuous tunable Lyot filter

In this paper, we present a novel design configuration of double DHFLC wave plate continuous tunable Lyot filter, which exhibits a rapid response time of 185 μs, while the high-contrast ratio between the passband and stop band is maintained throughout a wide tunable range. A DHFLC tunable filter with a high-contrast ratio is attractive for realizing high-speed optical processing devices, such as multispectral and hyperspectral imaging systems, real-time remote sensing, field sequential color display, and wavelength demultiplexing in the metro network. In this work, an experimental prototype for a single-stage DHFLC Lyot filter of this design has been fabricated using photoalignment technology. We have demonstrated that the filter has a continuous tunable range of 30 nm for a blue wavelength, 45 nm for a green wavelength, and more than 50 nm for a red wavelength when the applied voltage gradually increases from 0 to 8 V. Within this tunable range, the contrast ratio of the proposed double wave plate configuration is maintained above 20 with small deviation in the transmittance level. Simulation and experimental results showed the proposed double DHFLC wave plate configuration enhances the contrast ratio of the tunable filter and, thus, increases the tunable range of the filter when compared with the Lyot filter using a single DHFLC wave plate. Moreover, we have proposed a polarization insensitive configuration for which the efficiency of the existing prototype can theoretically be doubled by the use of polarization beam splitters.

Frequent increased gene copy number and high protein expression of tRNA (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase (NSUN2) in human cancers

NSUN2, also known as SAKI or MISU, is a methyltransferase which catalyses (cytosine-5-)-methylation of tRNA. The human NSUN2 gene is located on chromosome 5p15.31-33. We show that NSUN2 gene copy number is increased in oral and colorectal cancers. Protein expression levels of NSUN2 were determined by immunoblot using novel polyclonal antibodies raised against a synthetic peptide corresponding to the C-terminal region of the protein. In most normal tissues, NSUN2 expression levels were extremely low. On the other hand, oral and colorectal cancers typically expressed high levels of NSUN2. The level of NSUN2 was similar in interphase and mitotic cells, and immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated strong staining for NSUN2 in oral and colon cancer tissues when compared with normal tissues, providing a distinct diagnostic significance for NSUN2 in comparison with Ki-67, a widely used marker of actively proliferating cells. In addition, elevated protein expression of NSUN2 was confirmed by immunohistochemical analysis of various cancers including esophageal, stomach, liver, pancreas, uterine cervix, prostate, kidney, bladder, thyroid, and breast cancers. NSUN2 is regulated by Aurora-B, a newly developed molecular target for cancer therapy, leading us to propose that NSUN2 might become a valuable target for cancer therapy and a cancer diagnostic marker.

MMP-10/stromelysin-2 promotes invasion of head and neck cancer

Background

Periostin, IFN-induced transmembrane protein 1 (IFITM1) and Wingless-type MMTV integration site family, member 5B (Wnt-5b) were previously identified as the invasion promoted genes of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) by comparing the gene expression profiles between parent and a highly invasive clone. We have previously reported that Periostin and IFITM1 promoted the invasion of HNSCC cells. Here we demonstrated that Wnt-5b overexpression promoted the invasion of HNSCC cells. Moreover, stromelysin-2 (matrix metalloproteinase-10; MMP-10) was identified as a common up-regulated gene among Periostin, IFITM1 and Wnt-5b overexpressing HNSCC cells by using microarray data sets. In this study, we investigated the roles of MMP-10 in the invasion of HNSCC.

Methods and Findings

We examined the expression of MMP-10 in HNSCC cases by immunohistochemistry. High expression of MMP-10 was frequently observed and was significantly correlated with the invasiveness and metastasis in HNSCC cases. Next, we examined the roles of MMP-10 in the invasion of HNSCC cells in vitro. Ectopic overexpression of MMP-10 promoted the invasion of HNSCC cells, and knockdown of MMP-10 suppressed the invasion of HNSCC cells. Moreover, MMP-10 knockdown suppressed Periostin and Wnt-5b-promoted invasion. Interestingly, MMP-10 overexpression induced the decreased p38 activity and MMP-10 knockdown induced the increased p38 activity. In addition, treatment with a p38 inhibitor SB203580 in HNSCC cells inhibited the invasion.

Conclusions

These results suggest that MMP-10 plays an important role in the invasion and metastasis of HNSCC, and that invasion driven by MMP-10 is partially associated with p38 MAPK inhibition. We suggest that MMP-10 can be used as a marker for prediction of metastasis in HNSCC.