CDCA2 promotes tumorigenesis and induces radioresistance in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells

Cell division cycle‑associated 2 (CDCA2) overexpression has been demonstrated to serve a significant role in tumorigenesis in certain types of cancer. Nevertheless, its role in tumour proliferation and radioresistance in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains to be elucidated. Thus, the present study aimed to elucidate these roles. Data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to compare the gene expression profiles. The expression of CDCA2 was higher in ESCC tissues compared with normal tissues. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed based on the ESCC cohorts in TCGA database. This demonstrated that higher expression of CDCA2 was significantly associated with the expression of related components of the cell cycle phase transition and G2/M phase transition pathways. Collectively, the results revealed that CDCA2 could serve as an underlying target to regulate tumour growth and radioresistance among patients with ESCC.

Visualizing Cell Cycle Phase Organization and Control During Neural Lineage Elaboration

In neural precursors, cell cycle regulators simultaneously control both progression through the cell cycle and the probability of a cell fate switch. Precursors act in lineages, where they transition through a series of cell types, each of which has a unique molecular identity and cellular behavior. Thus, investigating links between cell cycle and cell fate control requires simultaneous identification of precursor type and cell cycle phase, as well as an ability to read out additional regulatory factor expression or activity. We use a combined FUCCI-EdU labelling protocol to do this, and then applied it to the embryonic olfactory neural lineage, in which the spatial position of a cell correlates with its precursor identity. Using this integrated model, we find the CDKi p27KIP1 has different regulation relative to cell cycle phase in neural stem cells versus intermediate precursors. In addition, Hes1, which is the principle transcriptional driver of neural stem cell self-renewal, surprisingly does not regulate p27KIP1 in this cell type. Rather, Hes1 indirectly represses p27KIP1 levels in the intermediate precursor cells downstream in the lineage. Overall, the experimental model described here enables investigation of cell cycle and cell fate control linkage from a single precursor through to a lineage systems level.

Methadone enhances the effectiveness of 5-aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy for squamous cell carcinoma and glioblastoma in vitro

Although having shown promising clinical outcomes, the effectiveness of 5-aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and glioblastoma remains to be improved. The analgesic drug methadone is able to sensitize various tumors to chemotherapy. In this in vitro study, the influence of methadone to the effectiveness of ALA-PDT for SCC (FADU) and glioblastoma (A172) was investigated on the protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) fluorescence, survival rates, apoptosis, and cell cycle phase, each with or without the presence of methadone. The production of PpIX was increased by methadone in FADU cells while it was decreased in A172 cells. The survival rates of both cell lines treated by ALA-PDT were significantly reduced by the combination with methadone (P < .05). Methadone also significantly increased the percentage of apoptotic cells and improved the effect of ALA-PDT on the cell cycle phase arrest in the G0/G1 phase (P < .05). This study demonstrates the potential of methadone to influence the cytotoxic effect of ALA-PDT for both SCC and glioblastoma cell lines.

Single-cell transcriptomes reveal the mechanism for a breast cancer prognostic gene panel

The clinical benefits of the MammaPrint® signature for breast cancer is well documented; however, how these genes are related to cell cycle perturbation have not been well determined. Our single-cell transcriptome mapping (algorithm) provides details into the fine perturbation of all individual genes during a cell cycle, providing a view of the cell-cycle-phase specific landscape of any given human genes. Specifically, we identified that 38 out of the 70 (54%) MammaPrint® signature genes are perturbated to a specific phase of the cell cycle. The MammaPrint® signature panel derived its clinical prognosis power from measuring the cell cycle activity of specific breast cancer samples. Such cell cycle phase index of the MammaPrint® signature suggested that measurement of the cell cycle index from tumors could be developed into a prognosis tool for various types of cancer beyond breast cancer, potentially improving therapy through targeting a specific phase of the cell cycle of cancer cells.

In vitro evaluation of 3-arylcoumarin derivatives in A549 cell line

Coumarins are naturally-occurring compounds with diverse and interesting biological activities. In the present study, we evaluated the in vitro cytotoxic effect of 8-(acetyloxy)-3-[4-(acetyloxy)phenyl]-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl acetate (6); 8-(acetyloxy)-3-(4-methanesulfonyl phenyl)-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl acetate (7); 4-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)phenyl acetate (8); 3-(4-methanesulfonylphenyl)-2H-chromen-2-one (9); 4-(4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)phenyl acetate (10); 3-(4-methanesulfonylphenyl)-4-methyl-2H-chromen-2-one (11); 8-(acetyloxy)-3-[4-(acetyloxy)phenyl]-4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl acetate (12); and 5-(acetyloxy)-3-[4-(acetyloxy) phenyl]-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl acetate (13) in human lung (A549) cancer and normal lung (MRC-9) cell lines at different concentrations for 48 h using crystal violet dye binding assay. The cytotoxic effect of these coumarin derivatives were compared to the standard drug, docetaxel. Furthermore, the effect of the most active compound on the cell-cycle using propidium iodide, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) using tetramethyl rhodamine methyl ester (rhodamine-123) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production using 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (PCFDA) were also evaluated.

RESULTS

Compound 7: had the greatest cytotoxic effect (cytotoxic concentration, CC50=24 μM) and selectivity (MRC-9; CC50>100 μM; inactive) in the A549 cell line, and caused cells to arrest in the S phase of the cell cycle, loss of MMP and increased ROS production in a concentration-dependent manner.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that compound 7: could serve as a new lead for the development of novel synthetic compounds with enhanced anticancer activity.

Cytotoxic activity of N, N'-Bis (2-hydroxybenzyl) ethylenediamine derivatives in human cancer cell lines

BACKGROUND

Compounds containing ethylenediamine (-NCH2CH2N-) moiety are known to exhibit antimicrobial, -fungal, -bacterial, -tuberculosis and -cancer activities.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In the present study, we evaluated the in vitro cytotoxic activity of N,N'-bis(2-hydroxybenzyl)- (6), N,N'-bis(5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzyl)- (7) and N,N'-bis(5-chloro-2-hydroxybenzyl) (8)- ethylenediamine dihydrochlorides; and N,N'-bis(2-hydroxybenzyl)- (9), N,N'-bis(5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzyl)- (10) and N,N'-bis(5-chloro-2-hydroxybenzyl) (11)- ethylenediamine toward human lung (A549), breast (MDA-MB-231) and prostate (PC3) cancer cell lines after 24-h treatment using crystal violet dye binding assay. Effects on the cell cycle the using flow cytometry, and mitochondrial membrane potential using rhodamine-123 florescent dye were also evaluated.

RESULTS

Compounds 7 and 8 exhibit cytotoxic activity, causing cell arrest at different phases of the cell cycle and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential in the above cancer cell lines.

CONCLUSION

These findings clearly demonstrate, to our knowledge for the first time, that ethylenediamine dihydrochloride salts-compounds 7 and 8-exhibit concentration-dependent cytotoxic activity towards A549, MDA-MB-231 and PC3 cancer cell lines, which may serve as a basis for future work on novel therapeutic agents.