1
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Pei XM, Wong HT, Ng SSM, Leung WW, Wong YN, Tsang HF, Chan AKC, Wong YKE, Yu ACS, Yim AKY, Cho WCS, Chan JKC, Wong KF, Luk JM, Tai WCS, Wong SCC. The diagnostic significance of CDH17-positive circulating tumor cells in patients with colorectal cancer. Expert Rev Mol Diagn 2023; 23:171-179. [PMID: 36744385 DOI: 10.1080/14737159.2023.2176223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Hong Kong. We tested the hypothesis that circulating tumor cell (CTC) analysis by ARB101 antibody could be used as a tool for CRC detection, progression, and therapy response. RESEARCH METHODS ARB101 antibody was used for investigation of CDH17 expression in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) of CRC patients. RESULTS Using ARB101, highest sensitivity was observed in 98/100 (98%) colorectal cancer tissue compared to 72/100 gastric cancer (72%) and 27/32 pancreatic cancer (84%). Immunoreactivity of CDH17 was significantly higher in distant metastatic (tumor-node-metastasis [TNM] stage IV) than non-distant metastatic (TNM stage I to III) CRC. ARB101 antibody also manifested the higher sensitivity than c-erbB2 (8%) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeting antibodies (37%) with the significance (p < 0.0001). ARB101 positive CTCs were detected in 64/83 (77%) TNM stage I to IV CRC patients. Furthermore, ARB101 positive CTCs detected in TNM stage I to III CRC patients before and after surgical operation are statistically significant (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS CTC detection by ARB101 antibody could serve as a potential non-invasive approach for CRC detection, progression, and monitoring of treatment response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Meng Pei
- Department of Applied Biology & Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Heong Ting Wong
- Department of Pathology, Kiang Wu Hospital, Macao, Macau Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Simon Siu Man Ng
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Wing Wa Leung
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Yee Ni Wong
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Hin Fung Tsang
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Amanda Kit Ching Chan
- Department of Pathology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Yin Kwan Evelyn Wong
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Allen Chi Shing Yu
- Department of Research and Develpment, Codex Genetics Limited, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Aldrin Kay Yuen Yim
- Department of Research and Develpment, Codex Genetics Limited, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - William Chi Shing Cho
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - John Kwok Cheung Chan
- Department of Pathology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Kwong Fai Wong
- Department of Research and Develpment Arbele Limited, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - John M Luk
- Department of Research and Develpment Arbele Limited, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - William Chi Shing Tai
- Department of Applied Biology & Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Sze Chuen Cesar Wong
- Department of Applied Biology & Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.,Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
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2
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Zheng BH, Shen S, Wong KF, Gong ZJ, Sun WT, Ni XJ, Wang JW, Hu MY, Liu H, Ni XL, Liu HB, Luk JM, Suo T. Clinical correlation of cadherin-17 marker with advanced tumor stages and poor prognosis of cholangiocarcinoma. J Surg Oncol 2021; 123:1253-1262. [PMID: 33524213 DOI: 10.1002/jso.26399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES In this retrospective study, we examined the CA17 tissue expression and analyzed its clinical significance in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). MATERIALS AND METHODS Immunohistochemistry was performed to assess CA17 expression on tissue microarrays in a training cohort enrolling 120 CCA patients and a validation cohort comprising 60 CCA patients. Image pro plus was applied to score the staining intensity and expression level of CA17 marker. Kaplan-Meier analysis, Cox's proportional hazards regression, and nomogram were applied to evaluate the prognostic significance of CA17. RESULTS CA17 cancer biomarker over-expression was significantly observed in CCA compared to their non-tumor counterparts, and positively correlated with aggressive tumor phenotypes, like lymph node metastasis. Meanwhile, patients with high expression of CA17 correlated with worse postoperative overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival. Besides, multivariate analysis identified that CA17 expression was an independent prognostic factor for cholangiocarcinoma patients, which indicated that the CA17 could be more efficient than serum CA19-9 in predicting the OS of CCA patients. Notably, the nomogram integrating CA17 expression had better prognostic performance as compared with current TNM staging systems. CONCLUSION CA17 was an independent adverse prognostic factor for CCA patients' survival, which may serve as a promising prognostic biomarker for CCA patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo-Hao Zheng
- Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Center of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Cancer Center, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Sheng Shen
- Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Center of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Cancer Center, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Zi-Jun Gong
- Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Center of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Cancer Center, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wen-Tao Sun
- Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Center of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Cancer Center, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao-Jian Ni
- Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Center of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Cancer Center, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ji-Wen Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Center of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Cancer Center, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mei-Yu Hu
- Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Center of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Cancer Center, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Han Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Center of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Cancer Center, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao-Ling Ni
- Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Center of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Cancer Center, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hou-Bao Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Center of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Cancer Center, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - John M Luk
- Arbele Limited, Biotech Center, Hong Kong, China
| | - Tao Suo
- Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Center of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Cancer Center, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Biliary Tract Disease Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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Abstract
In cancer photodynamic therapy (PDT), a photosensitizer taken up by cancer cells can generate reactive oxygen species upon near-infrared light activation to induce cancer cell death. To increase PDT potency and decrease its adverse effect, one approach is to conjugate the photosensitizer with an antibody that specifically targets cancer cells. In the present study, IR700, a hydrophilic phthalocyanine photosensitizer, was conjugated to the humanized monoclonal antibody ARB102, which binds specifically cadherin-17 (CDH17 aka CA17), a cell surface marker highly expressed in gastrointestinal cancer to produce ARB102-IR700. Photoimmunotherapy (PIT) of gastrointestinal cancer cell lines was conducted by ARB102-IR700 treatment and near-infrared light irradiation. The results showed that ARB102-IR700 PIT could induce cell death in CDH17-positive cancer cells with high potency. In a co-culture model, CDH17-negative and CDH17-overexpressing SW480 cells were labeled with distinct fluorescent dyes and cultured together prior to PIT treatment. The results confirmed that ARB102-IR700 PIT could kill CDH17-positive cells specifically, while leaving the adjacent CDH17-negative cells unaffected. An in vivo efficacy study was conducted using a pancreatic adenocarcinoma AsPC-1 xenograft tumor model in nude mice. Fluorescence scanning indicated that ARB102-IR700 accumulated specifically in the tumor sites. To perform PIT, at 24 and 48 h postinjection, mice were irradiated with a 680 nm laser at the tumor site to activate the photosensitizer. It was shown that ARB102-IR700 PIT could inhibit tumor growth significantly. In summary, this study demonstrated that the novel ARB102-IR700 is a promising agent for PIT in gastrointestinal cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yick-Liang Lum
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong, China
| | - John M Luk
- Arbele Limited, Shatin N.T., Hong Kong, China
| | | | - Dennis K P Ng
- Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong, China
| | - Wing-Ping Fong
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong, China
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4
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Tsoi H, Wong KF, Luk JM, Staunton D. Clinical utility of CDH17 biomarker in tumor tissues and liquid biopsies for detection and prognostic staging of colorectal cancer (CRC). J Glob Oncol 2019. [DOI: 10.1200/jgo.2019.5.suppl.53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
53 Background: Cancer surveillance using blood-based biomarker tests allows for early cancer detection and more effective prompt treatment. Immunohistochemical staining of tumor-specific antigens can also provide valuable prognostic information and contribute to the design of treatment strategy. Our early studies and work from other investigators have identified cadherin-17 (CDH17) as a promising biomarker in both tumor tissues and liquid biopsies. CDH17 overexpression in cancer tissue was found predictive of poor prognosis in patients with gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and ovarian cancer. Plasma CDH17 was elevated in patients with gastric cancer when compared to healthy subjects. However, despite the diagnostic and prognostic value of CDH17, robust and accurate assays for CDH17 detection in liquid and tumor biopsies have yet to be developed. Methods: In order to establish CDH17 immunoassays, we have first generated a proprietary library of more than 300 antibodies against CDH17, and from this library, isolated a panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) exhibiting specific and high-affinity binding to the different extracellular domains of CDH17. Results: The immunohistochemical staining of CRC tissues with one of our mAbs revealed a stepwise increase in CDH17 with the progression of cancer from early to late CRC. A sandwich-ELISA was also developed to show significantly elevated plasma CDH17 in patients with CRC when compared to healthy individuals. Like CDH17 expression in CRC tissues, plasma CDH17 also showed a gradual increase with progression to more advanced stages of CRC. The newly developed ELISA also demonstrated that the number of CDH17-containing exosomes was significantly higher in blood isolated from patients with CRC. Notably, our mAbs could also enumerate CDH17-positive circulating tumor cells (CTCs), of which the level was associated with tumor stage. Conclusions: All these findings clearly indicate the clinical utility of CDH17 in tumor tissues and liquid biopsies for detection and prognostic staging of CRC. Further validation of our proprietary CDH17 immunoassays are being conducted in multiple independent CRC cohorts.
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5
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Wong KF, Tai WCS, Chow K, Luk JM, Staunton D. Pharmacologic studies of CDH17/CD3 bispecific antibodies to treat colorectal and pancreatic cancers. J Glob Oncol 2019. [DOI: 10.1200/jgo.2019.5.suppl.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
116 Background: Immunotherapy has emerged as a new hope for cancer patients who do not respond to conventional therapies. In addition to the widely investigated immune checkpoint inhibitors such as PD-L1 antibody, bispecific T cell redirecting antibodies have also drawn much attention from pharmaceutical companies. The popularity of bispecific T cell engager has been increasing since the US FDA’s accelerated approval of blinatumomab for treatment of haematological malignancies. The clinical efficacy of such engagers in solid tumors have however remained to be demonstrated. Cadherin-17 (CDH17) is a promising immunotherapeutic target for gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. It is a highly tumor-specific antigen with restricted expression limited to the tight junction of intestine that is normally inaccessible to biologics. CDH17 overexpression correlates with tumor burden and poor prognosis. Methods: Fully humanized CDH17/CD3 bispecific antibodies were generated. T cell-mediated cytotoxicity was tested in vitro and in vivo. Safety was addressed in cynomolgus monkeys with intestinal CDH17 level equivalent to that of human. Results: One lead antibody, ARB202 exhibited high-affinity binding to CDH17 and CD3. In the presence of CDH17-positive pancreatic cancer cells, ARB202 stimulated in vitro IL-2 release in CD3/CD28-expanded PBMC. In the absence of tumor cells ARB202 stimulated cytokine production in PBMCs required over 600-fold greater concentrations. ARB202 specifically directed in vitro T cell killing of GI cancer cells expressing CDH17, but not of cells lacking CDH17 expression. In mouse xenograft models reconstituted with human immune cells, ARB202 demonstrated significant tumor growth inhibition with concomitant IL-2 response. No dose-dependent toxicities on cynomolgus monkeys were observed over a 3-log dose range. ARB202 displayed favourable in vivo pharmacokinetic profiles in mice and monkeys. ARB202 is a stable bispecific antibody retaining functional activity after incubation for a month at 37°C at pH6.0. Conclusions: ARB202 is a promising candidate for clinical trials. A proprietary cell line is generated for the pilot manufacturing of ARB202 for IND enabling studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - William Chi-shing Tai
- Department of Applied Biology & Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
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6
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McMahon M, Contreras A, Holm M, Uechi T, Forester CM, Pang X, Jackson C, Calvert ME, Chen B, Quigley DA, Luk JM, Kelley RK, Gordan JD, Gill RM, Blanchard SC, Ruggero D. A single H/ACA small nucleolar RNA mediates tumor suppression downstream of oncogenic RAS. eLife 2019; 8:48847. [PMID: 31478838 PMCID: PMC6776443 DOI: 10.7554/elife.48847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are a diverse group of non-coding RNAs that direct chemical modifications at specific residues on other RNA molecules, primarily on ribosomal RNA (rRNA). SnoRNAs are altered in several cancers; however, their role in cell homeostasis as well as in cellular transformation remains poorly explored. Here, we show that specific subsets of snoRNAs are differentially regulated during the earliest cellular response to oncogenic RASG12V expression. We describe a novel function for one H/ACA snoRNA, SNORA24, which guides two pseudouridine modifications within the small ribosomal subunit, in RAS-induced senescence in vivo. We find that in mouse models, loss of Snora24 cooperates with RASG12V to promote the development of liver cancer that closely resembles human steatohepatitic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). From a clinical perspective, we further show that human HCCs with low SNORA24 expression display increased lipid content and are associated with poor patient survival. We next asked whether ribosomes lacking SNORA24-guided pseudouridine modifications on 18S rRNA have alterations in their biophysical properties. Single-molecule Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) analyses revealed that these ribosomes exhibit perturbations in aminoacyl-transfer RNA (aa-tRNA) selection and altered pre-translocation ribosome complex dynamics. Furthermore, we find that HCC cells lacking SNORA24-guided pseudouridine modifications have increased translational miscoding and stop codon readthrough frequencies. These findings highlight a role for specific snoRNAs in safeguarding against oncogenic insult and demonstrate a functional link between H/ACA snoRNAs regulated by RAS and the biophysical properties of ribosomes in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary McMahon
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Adrian Contreras
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Mikael Holm
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, United States
| | - Tamayo Uechi
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Craig M Forester
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,Division of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology & Bone Marrow Transplantation, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Xiaming Pang
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Cody Jackson
- Gladstone Histology and Light Microscopy Core, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, United States
| | - Meredith E Calvert
- Gladstone Histology and Light Microscopy Core, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, United States
| | - Bin Chen
- Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, United States.,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, United States
| | - David A Quigley
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - John M Luk
- Arbele Corporation, Seattle, United States
| | - R Kate Kelley
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - John D Gordan
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Ryan M Gill
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Scott C Blanchard
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, United States
| | - Davide Ruggero
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
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7
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Wong KF, Liu AM, Hong W, Xu Z, Luk JM. Integrin α2β1 inhibits MST1 kinase phosphorylation and activates Yes-associated protein oncogenic signaling in hepatocellular carcinoma. Oncotarget 2018; 7:77683-77695. [PMID: 27765911 PMCID: PMC5363613 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.12760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 09/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Hippo pathway regulates the down-stream target Yes-associated protein (YAP) to maintain organ homeostasis, which is commonly inactivated in many types of cancers. However, how cell adhesion dysregulates the Hippo pathway activating YAP oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. Our findings demonstrate that α2β1 integrin (but not other β1 integrins) expressed in HCC cells, after binding to collagen extracellular matrix, could inhibit MST1 kinase phosphorylation and activate YAP pro-oncogenic activities. Knockdown of integrin α2 gene (ITGA2) suppressed YAP targeted gene expression in vitro. α2β1 and collagen binding resulted in suppressing Hippo signaling of mammalian sterile 20-like kinase 1 (MST1) and Large tumor suppressor homolog 1 (LATS1) with concomitant activation of YAP-mediated connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) gene expression. In vitro kinase assay showed that MST1 is an immediate downstream target of integrin α2 with S1180 residue as the critical phosphorylation site. Clinical correlational analysis using a gene expression dataset of 228 HCC tumors revealed that ITGA2 expression was significantly associated with tumor progression, and co-expression with YAP targeted genes (AXL receptor tyrosine kinase, CTGF, cyclin D1, glypican 3, insulin like growth factor 1 receptor, and SRY-box 4) correlated with survivals of HCC patients. In conclusion, α2β1 integrin activation through cellular adhesion impacts the Hippo pathway in solid tumors and modulates MST1-YAP signaling cascade. Targeting integrin α2 holds promises for treating YAP-positive HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwong-Fai Wong
- Department of Pharmacology, National University Health System, Singapore.,Department of Surgery, National University Health System, Singapore
| | - Angela M Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, National University Health System, Singapore.,Department of Surgery, National University Health System, Singapore
| | - Wanjin Hong
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Biopolis, Singapore
| | - Zhi Xu
- Department of Oncology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - John M Luk
- Department of Pharmacology, National University Health System, Singapore.,Department of Surgery, National University Health System, Singapore.,Department of Pathology, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Department of Translational and Clinical Medicine, Arbele Limited, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, Hong Kong
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8
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Shek FH, Luo R, Lam BYH, Sung WK, Lam TW, Luk JM, Leung MS, Chan KT, Wang HK, Chan CM, Poon RT, Lee NP. Serine peptidase inhibitor Kazal type 1 (SPINK1) as novel downstream effector of the cadherin-17/β-catenin axis in hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2017. [PMID: 28631187 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-017-0332-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer worldwide. Previously, we reported that cadherin-17 (CDH17) and its related CDH17/β-catenin axis may be responsible for inducing HCC in a subset of patients exhibiting CDH17 over-expression. Here we aimed at obtaining a better understanding of the CDH17-related HCC biology and to obtain further indications for the design of targeted therapies in CDH17 over-expressing HCC patients. RESULTS We found that SPINK1 acts as a downstream effector of the CDH17/β-catenin axis in HCC. In addition, we found that SPINK1 expression exhibited a positive correlation with CDH17 expression in human HCCs and was over-expressed in up to 70% of the tumors. We identified SPINK1 as a downstream effector of the CDH17/β-catenin axis using a spectrum of in vitro assays, including gene expression modulation and inhibitor assays, bioinformatics analyses and luciferase reporter assays. These in vitro results were validated in primary human HCCs, including the observation that alteration in β-catenin expression (a core component of the CDH17/β-catenin axis) in tumors affects SPINK1 serum levels in HCC patients. Similar to CDH17, SPINK1 expression in HCC cells was found to be associated with specific tumor-related properties via activating the c-Raf/MEK/ERK pathway. CONCLUSIONS Our current data substantiate our knowledge on the role of CDH17 in the biology of HCC and suggest that components of the CDH17/β-catenin axis may serve as therapeutic targets in CDH17 over-expressing HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix H Shek
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Medicine Building, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Ruibang Luo
- Department of Computer Science, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Brian Y H Lam
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Wing Kin Sung
- School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Computational and Systems Biology, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore, 138672, Singapore
| | - Tak-Wah Lam
- Department of Computer Science, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - John M Luk
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Medicine Building, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Ming Sum Leung
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Medicine Building, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Kin Tak Chan
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Medicine Building, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Hector K Wang
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Medicine Building, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Chung Man Chan
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Medicine Building, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Ronnie T Poon
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Medicine Building, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Nikki P Lee
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Medicine Building, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong. .,Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
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9
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Xu Z, Chen J, Luk JM, De W. Abstract 157: LncRNA ANRIL indicates a potential prognostic biomarker in gastric cancer and promotes tumor growth by silencing of miR-99a/miR-449a. Cancer Res 2015. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2015-157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs are involved in several kinds of cancers. Here, we reported that ANRIL (CDKN2B-AS1), a 3.8-kb long noncoding RNA, recruiting and binding to PRC2, was generally upregulated in human gastric cancer (GC) tissues. In a cohort of 120 GC patients, the higher expression of ANRIL was significantly correlated with higher TNM stages (P = 0.041) and larger tumor sizes (P = 0.001). Multivariate analyses revealed that ANRIL expression served as an independent predictor for overall survival (OS) (P = 0.036). Further experiments revealed that the knockdown of ANRIL significantly repressed the proliferation of GC cell lines both in vitro and in vivo. We also showed that E2F1 could induce ANRIL and ANRIL-mediated growth promotion is partly due to epigenetic repression of miR-99a/miR-449a in Trans (controlling the targets_mTOR and CDK6/E2F1 pathway) by binding to PRC2, thus forming a positive feedback loop, continuing to promote GC cell proliferation. To our knowledge, this is the first report which showed that the role of ANRIL in the progression of GC and ANRIL could crosstalk with microRNAs in epigenetic level. Our results suggest that ANRIL, as a growth regulator, may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker and target for new therapies in human GC.
Citation Format: Zhi Xu, Jinfei Chen, John M. Luk, Wei De. LncRNA ANRIL indicates a potential prognostic biomarker in gastric cancer and promotes tumor growth by silencing of miR-99a/miR-449a. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 157. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-157
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Xu
- 1Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing, China
| | - Jinfei Chen
- 1Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing, China
| | - John M. Luk
- 1Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing, China
| | - Wei De
- 2Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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10
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Lu WJ, Saxena N, Luk JM, Kaul SC, Wadhwa R. Circulating mortalin autoantibody--a new serological marker of liver cirrhosis. Cell Stress Chaperones 2015; 20:715-9. [PMID: 25905813 PMCID: PMC4463917 DOI: 10.1007/s12192-015-0592-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2015] [Revised: 04/02/2015] [Accepted: 04/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Mortalin is a stress chaperone belonging to the Hsp70 family of proteins. Frequently enriched in cancers, it is a multifunctional protein and regulates cell proliferation, apoptosis, mitochondrial functions, and the activity of tumor suppressor protein p53. In the present study, we investigated circulating mortalin and its autoantibody in normal, cirrhosis, and cancerous liver. We found that although mortalin is enriched in liver cancer cells and tumors, it is not detected in the serum of either the liver cirrhosis or cancer patients. In contrast, mortalin autoantibody was detected in patients' sera and showed significant correlation with the occurrence of cirrhosis. It is suggested as a potential noninvasive marker for liver cirrhosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Jing Lu
- />Asian Liver Center, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
- />Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Nishant Saxena
- />Drug Discovery and Assets Innovation, DBT-AIST International Laboratory for Advanced Biomedicine (DAILAB), Biomedical Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - John M. Luk
- />Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Sunil C. Kaul
- />Drug Discovery and Assets Innovation, DBT-AIST International Laboratory for Advanced Biomedicine (DAILAB), Biomedical Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- />National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305 8562 Japan
| | - Renu Wadhwa
- />Drug Discovery and Assets Innovation, DBT-AIST International Laboratory for Advanced Biomedicine (DAILAB), Biomedical Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- />National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305 8562 Japan
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11
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Xu Z, Chen Y, Gu D, Lee NP, Sun S, Gong W, Tan Y, Luk JM, Chen J. SOD2 rs4880 CT/CC genotype predicts poor survival for Chinese gastric cancer patients received platinum and fluorouracil based adjuvant chemotherapy. Am J Transl Res 2015; 7:401-410. [PMID: 25901207 PMCID: PMC4399103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2014] [Accepted: 12/25/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Adjuvant chemotherapy is a standard therapy for gastric cancer patients, however, treatment response is quite heterogeneous. Molecular biomarkers will be highly valuable to guide the therapy and predict the response and prognosis in these patients. The antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) and glutathione S-transferase pi 1 (GSTP1) are involved in oxidative stress and drug detoxification, which modulate the efficacy of anticancer drugs. Here, we investigated the clinical associations of two functional single nucleotide polymorphisms of SOD2 and GSTP1 in stage II-III postoperative gastric cancer patients. SOD2 rs4880 and GSTP1 rs1695 were genotyped in 207 patients received postoperative platinum and fluorouracil based chemotherapy and 304 patients who did not. SOD2 rs4880 CT/CC significantly associated with decreased median overall survival time of 23 months when compared to the TT genotype (mean overall survival time of 65.2 months, P=0.002) only for patients received adjuvant chemotherapy. Stratification analysis showed SOD2 rs4880 CT/CC affected most significantly the clinical outcome for patients with tumor arising at gastric body (HR, 5.707, P=0.002), well to moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma (HR, 4.900, P<0.001), tumor of intestinal type (HR, 4.398, P<0.001), or tumor size less or equal to 5 cm (HR, 2.490, P=0.004); while GSTP1 rs1695 GA/GG was significant decreased overall survival time among patients with tumor arising at fundus or cardia (HR, 3.001, P=0.004), or mucinous or signet-ring cell carcinoma (HR, 4.750, P=0.042). The present study suggested the two polymorphisms would affect the adjuvant chemotherapy outcome in specific subtype of gastric cancer. SOD2 rs4880 could be used as a biomarker to predict the prognosis and response to therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Xu
- Department of Oncology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjing 210006, China
| | - Yi Chen
- Department of Oncology, Nanjing Pukou Central HospitalNanjing 211800, China
| | - Dongying Gu
- Department of Oncology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjing 210006, China
| | - Nikki P Lee
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong KongHong Kong
| | - Stella Sun
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong KongHong Kong
| | - Weida Gong
- Department of Surgery, Yixing Cancer HospitalYixing, China
| | - Yongfei Tan
- Department of Surgery, Yixing People’s HospitalYixing, China
| | - John M Luk
- Department of Oncology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjing 210006, China
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 61 Biopolis Drive, ProteosSingapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Jinfei Chen
- Department of Oncology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjing 210006, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjing 210029, China
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12
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Kim JH, Sohn BH, Lee HS, Kim SB, Yoo JE, Park YY, Jeong W, Lee SS, Park ES, Kaseb A, Kim BH, Kim WB, Yeon JE, Byun KS, Chu IS, Kim SS, Wang XW, Thorgeirsson SS, Luk JM, Kang KJ, Heo J, Park YN, Lee JS. Genomic predictors for recurrence patterns of hepatocellular carcinoma: model derivation and validation. PLoS Med 2014; 11:e1001770. [PMID: 25536056 PMCID: PMC4275163 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2014] [Accepted: 11/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Typically observed at 2 y after surgical resection, late recurrence is a major challenge in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to develop a genomic predictor that can identify patients at high risk for late recurrence and assess its clinical implications. METHODS AND FINDINGS Systematic analysis of gene expression data from human liver undergoing hepatic injury and regeneration revealed a 233-gene signature that was significantly associated with late recurrence of HCC. Using this signature, we developed a prognostic predictor that can identify patients at high risk of late recurrence, and tested and validated the robustness of the predictor in patients (n = 396) who underwent surgery between 1990 and 2011 at four centers (210 recurrences during a median of 3.7 y of follow-up). In multivariate analysis, this signature was the strongest risk factor for late recurrence (hazard ratio, 2.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-3.7; p = 0.002). In contrast, our previously developed tumor-derived 65-gene risk score was significantly associated with early recurrence (p = 0.005) but not with late recurrence (p = 0.7). In multivariate analysis, the 65-gene risk score was the strongest risk factor for very early recurrence (<1 y after surgical resection) (hazard ratio, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-2.6; p = 0.01). The potential significance of STAT3 activation in late recurrence was predicted by gene network analysis and validated later. We also developed and validated 4- and 20-gene predictors from the full 233-gene predictor. The main limitation of the study is that most of the patients in our study were hepatitis B virus-positive. Further investigations are needed to test our prediction models in patients with different etiologies of HCC, such as hepatitis C virus. CONCLUSIONS Two independently developed predictors reflected well the differences between early and late recurrence of HCC at the molecular level and provided new biomarkers for risk stratification. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Hoon Kim
- Department of Systems Biology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Kleberg Center for Molecular Markers, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Bo Hwa Sohn
- Department of Systems Biology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Kleberg Center for Molecular Markers, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Hyun-Sung Lee
- Department of Systems Biology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Kleberg Center for Molecular Markers, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Sang-Bae Kim
- Department of Systems Biology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Kleberg Center for Molecular Markers, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jeong Eun Yoo
- Department of Pathology and Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Yun-Yong Park
- ASAN Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical Center, Department of Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Woojin Jeong
- Department of Life Sciences, Division of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center for Cell Signaling and Drug Discovery Research, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sung Sook Lee
- Department of Hematology-Oncology, Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital, Busan, Korea
| | - Eun Sung Park
- Institute for Medical Convergence, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Ahmed Kaseb
- Department of GI Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Baek Hui Kim
- Department of Pathology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Wan Bae Kim
- Department of Surgery, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jong Eun Yeon
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Kwan Soo Byun
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - In-Sun Chu
- Korean Bioinformation Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, Korea
| | - Sung Soo Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical Research Center and Biomedical Science Institute, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Xin Wei Wang
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Snorri S. Thorgeirsson
- Laboratory of Experimental Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - John M. Luk
- Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Koo Jeong Kang
- Department of Surgery, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea
| | - Jeonghoon Heo
- Departments of Molecular Biology and Immunology, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea
| | - Young Nyun Park
- Department of Pathology and Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Ju-Seog Lee
- Department of Systems Biology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Kleberg Center for Molecular Markers, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical Research Center and Biomedical Science Institute, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea
- * E-mail:
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13
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Zhou Z, Hu T, Xu Z, Lin Z, Zhang Z, Feng T, Zhu L, Rong Y, Shen H, Luk JM, Zhang X, Qin N. Targeting Hippo pathway by specific interruption of YAP-TEAD interaction using cyclic YAP-like peptides. FASEB J 2014. [PMID: 25384421 DOI: 10.1096/fj.14-262980.] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Hippo signaling pathway is emerging as a novel target for anticancer therapy because it plays key roles in organ size control and tumorigenesis. As the downstream effectors, Yes-associated protein (YAP)-transcriptional enhancer activation domain family member (TEAD) association is essential for YAP-driven oncogenic activity, while TEAD is largely dispensable for normal tissue growth. We present the design of YAP-like peptides (17mer) to occupy the interface 3 on TEAD. Introducing cysteines at YAP sites 87 and 96 can induce disulfide formation, as confirmed by crystallography. The engineered peptide significantly improves the potency in disrupting YAP-TEAD interaction in vitro. To confirm that blocking YAP-TEAD complex formation by directly targeting on TEAD is a valid approach, we report a significant reduction in tumor growth rate in a hepatocellular carcinoma xenograft model after introducing the dominant-negative mutation (Y406H) of TEAD1 to abolish YAP-TEAD interaction. Our results suggest that targeting TEAD is a promising strategy against YAP-induced oncogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Zhou
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Taishan Hu
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiheng Xu
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhaohu Lin
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhisen Zhang
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Teng Feng
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Liangcheng Zhu
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiping Rong
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Hong Shen
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - John M Luk
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiongwen Zhang
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Ning Qin
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
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14
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Zhou Z, Hu T, Xu Z, Lin Z, Zhang Z, Feng T, Zhu L, Rong Y, Shen H, Luk JM, Zhang X, Qin N. Targeting Hippo pathway by specific interruption of YAP-TEAD interaction using cyclic YAP-like peptides. FASEB J 2014; 29:724-32. [PMID: 25384421 DOI: 10.1096/fj.14-262980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Hippo signaling pathway is emerging as a novel target for anticancer therapy because it plays key roles in organ size control and tumorigenesis. As the downstream effectors, Yes-associated protein (YAP)-transcriptional enhancer activation domain family member (TEAD) association is essential for YAP-driven oncogenic activity, while TEAD is largely dispensable for normal tissue growth. We present the design of YAP-like peptides (17mer) to occupy the interface 3 on TEAD. Introducing cysteines at YAP sites 87 and 96 can induce disulfide formation, as confirmed by crystallography. The engineered peptide significantly improves the potency in disrupting YAP-TEAD interaction in vitro. To confirm that blocking YAP-TEAD complex formation by directly targeting on TEAD is a valid approach, we report a significant reduction in tumor growth rate in a hepatocellular carcinoma xenograft model after introducing the dominant-negative mutation (Y406H) of TEAD1 to abolish YAP-TEAD interaction. Our results suggest that targeting TEAD is a promising strategy against YAP-induced oncogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Zhou
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Taishan Hu
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiheng Xu
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhaohu Lin
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhisen Zhang
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Teng Feng
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Liangcheng Zhu
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiping Rong
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Hong Shen
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - John M Luk
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiongwen Zhang
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Ning Qin
- *Discovery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Discovery Oncology, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
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15
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Xu Z, Liu A, Lee N, Chen J, Luk JM. Abstract 3352: miR-122 targets pyruvate kinase M2 and affects metabolism of hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Res 2014. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2014-3352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
In contrast to normal differentiated cells that depend on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation for energy production, cancer cells have evolved to utilize aerobic glycolysis (Warburg's effect), with benefit of providing intermediates for biomass production. MicroRNA-122 (miR-122) is highly expressed in normal liver tissue regulating a wide variety of biological processes including cellular metabolism, but is reduced in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Overexpression of miR-122 was shown to inhibit cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and increase chemosensitivity, but its functions in cancer metabolism remains unknown. The present study aims to identify the miR-122 targeted genes and to investigate the associated regulatory mechanisms in HCC metabolism. We found the ectopic overexpression of miR-122 affected metabolic activities of HCC cells, evidenced by the reduced lactate production and increased oxygen consumption. Integrated gene expression analysis in a cohort of 94 HCC tissues revealed miR-122 level tightly associated with a battery of glycolytic genes, in which pyruvate kinase (PK) gene showed the strongest anti-correlation coefficient (Pearson r = -0.6938, p = <0.0001). In addition, reduced PK level was significantly associated with poor clinical outcomes of HCC patients. We found isoform M2 (PKM2) is the dominant form highly expressed in HCC and is a direct target of miR-122, as overexpression of miR-122 reduced both the mRNA and protein levels of PKM2, whereas PKM2 re-expression abrogated the miR-122-mediated glycolytic activities. The present study demonstrated the regulatory role of miR-122 on PKM2 in HCC, having an implication of therapeutic intervention targeting cancer metabolic pathways.
Citation Format: Zhi Xu, Angela Liu, Nikki Lee, Jinfei Chen, John M. Luk. miR-122 targets pyruvate kinase M2 and affects metabolism of hepatocellular carcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3352. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3352
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Xu
- 1Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Angela Liu
- 2Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nikki Lee
- 3Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Jinfei Chen
- 1Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - John M. Luk
- 1Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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16
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Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the most common malignancies worldwide, ranking as the third leading cause of cancer-related death. With recent advances in understanding HCC biology, progress has been made in early detection and management of HCC; however, its prognosis remains dismal. Novel biomarkers for HCC that are acceptable for clinical utility are urgently in need. Recently, miRNA has emerged as an important class of gene regulator that controls various cellular processes including cancer development. In HCC, miRNAs are frequently dysregulated, and studies have shown great promises of miRNAs as biomarkers for tumor classification, diagnosis and prognosis. Given miRNAs are highly stable in blood plasma and serum, they are suggested as a new class of noninvasive biomarker for detection of HCC. In this article, we provide an up-to-date review of the recent findings of the use of miRNAs in molecular classification of HCC tumors, diagnosis and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - John M Luk
- Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong.,Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong
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17
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Jhunjhunwala S, Jiang Z, Stawiski EW, Gnad F, Liu J, Mayba O, Du P, Diao J, Johnson S, Wong KF, Gao Z, Li Y, Wu TD, Kapadia SB, Modrusan Z, French DM, Luk JM, Seshagiri S, Zhang Z. Diverse modes of genomic alteration in hepatocellular carcinoma. Genome Biol 2014; 15:436. [PMID: 25159915 PMCID: PMC4189592 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-014-0436-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2013] [Accepted: 08/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a heterogeneous disease with high mortality rate. Recent genomic studies have identified TP53, AXIN1, and CTNNB1 as the most frequently mutated genes. Lower frequency mutations have been reported in ARID1A, ARID2 and JAK1. In addition, hepatitis B virus (HBV) integrations into the human genome have been associated with HCC. RESULTS Here, we deep-sequence 42 HCC patients with a combination of whole genome, exome and transcriptome sequencing to identify the mutational landscape of HCC using a reasonably large discovery cohort. We find frequent mutations in TP53, CTNNB1 and AXIN1, and rare but likely functional mutations in BAP1 and IDH1. Besides frequent hepatitis B virus integrations at TERT, we identify translocations at the boundaries of TERT. A novel deletion is identified in CTNNB1 in a region that is heavily mutated in multiple cancers. We also find multiple high-allelic frequency mutations in the extracellular matrix protein LAMA2. Lower expression levels of LAMA2 correlate with a proliferative signature, and predict poor survival and higher chance of cancer recurrence in HCC patients, suggesting an important role of the extracellular matrix and cell adhesion in tumor progression of a subgroup of HCC patients. CONCLUSIONS The heterogeneous disease of HCC features diverse modes of genomic alteration. In addition to common point mutations, structural variations and methylation changes, there are several virus-associated changes, including gene disruption or activation, formation of chimeric viral-human transcripts, and DNA copy number changes. Such a multitude of genomic events likely contributes to the heterogeneous nature of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suchit Jhunjhunwala
- />Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
| | - Zhaoshi Jiang
- />Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
| | - Eric W Stawiski
- />Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
- />Department of Molecular Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
| | - Florian Gnad
- />Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
| | - Jinfeng Liu
- />Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
| | - Oleg Mayba
- />Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
| | - Pan Du
- />Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
| | - Jingyu Diao
- />Department of Infectious diseases, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
| | - Stephanie Johnson
- />Department of Pathology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
| | - Kwong-Fai Wong
- />Department of Surgery, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Zhibo Gao
- />BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083 China
| | | | - Thomas D Wu
- />Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
| | - Sharookh B Kapadia
- />Department of Infectious diseases, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
| | - Zora Modrusan
- />Department of Molecular Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
| | - Dorothy M French
- />Department of Pathology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
| | - John M Luk
- />Department of Surgery, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
- />Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117597 Singapore
- />Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore, 138673 Singapore
| | - Somasekar Seshagiri
- />Department of Molecular Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
| | - Zemin Zhang
- />Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
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18
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Xu Z, Wang M, Luk JM, Chen J. Single nucleotide polymorphism of SOD2 to predict survival for Chinese gastric cancer patients received platinum/fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy. J Clin Oncol 2014. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2014.32.15_suppl.e15035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Xu
- Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Meilin Wang
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Cancer Center, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - John M. Luk
- Natl Univ of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jinfei Chen
- Department of Oncology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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Abstract
The prognosis for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains dismal due to the lack of diagnostic markers for early detection. This review will discuss the clinical potential of the dickkopf (DKK) family members as diagnostic and/or prognostic markers for HCC. In comparison to serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) level, which remains the gold standard for HCC diagnosis, high serum DKK1 levels have higher diagnostic value for HCC, especially for AFP-negative HCC, and can distinguish HCC from non-malignant chronic liver diseases. Additionally, the combination of serum DKK1 and AFP levels enhances diagnostic accuracy for HCC compared to serum DKK1 or AFP levels alone. Although DKK1 offers potential for its use in HCC diagnosis this review will discuss the challenges facing DKK1 and also shed some light on recent developments on the remaining DKK family members: DKK2, DKK3 and DKK4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarwat Fatima
- School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
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20
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Sethi G, Chatterjee S, Rajendran P, Li F, Shanmugam MK, Wong KF, Kumar AP, Senapati P, Behera AK, Hui KM, Basha J, Natesh N, Luk JM, Kundu TK. Inhibition of STAT3 dimerization and acetylation by garcinol suppresses the growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in vivo. Mol Cancer 2014; 13:66. [PMID: 24655440 PMCID: PMC3998115 DOI: 10.1186/1476-4598-13-66] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2013] [Accepted: 03/12/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Constitutive activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) has been linked with proliferation, survival, invasion and angiogenesis of a variety of human cancer cells, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Thus, novel agents that can suppress STAT3 activation have potential for both prevention and treatment of HCC. Here we report, garcinol, a polyisoprenylated benzophenone, could suppress STAT3 activation in HCC cell lines and in xenografted tumor of HCC in nude mice model. Experimental design Different HCC cell lines have been treated with garcinol and the inhibition of STAT3 activation, dimerization and acetylation have been checked by immunoblotting, immuno-fluorescence, and DNA binding assays. Xenografted tumor model has been generated in nude mice using HCC cell line and effect of garcinol in the inhibition of tumor growth has been investigated. Results Garcinol could inhibit both constitutive and interleukin (IL-6) inducible STAT3 activation in HCC cells. Computational modeling showed that garcinol could bind to the SH2 domain of STAT3 and suppress its dimerization in vitro. Being an acetyltransferase inhibitor, garcinol also inhibits STAT3 acetylation and thus impairs its DNA binding ability. The inhibition of STAT3 activation by garcinol led to the suppression of expression of various genes involved in proliferation, survival, and angiogenesis. It also suppressed proliferation and induced substantial apoptosis in HCC cells. Remarkably, garcinol inhibited the growth of human HCC xenograft tumors in athymic nu/nu mice, through the inhibition of STAT3 activation. Conclusion Overall, our results suggest that garcinol exerts its anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects through suppression of STAT3 signaling in HCC both in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - John M Luk
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore.
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21
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Liu AM, Xu Z, Shek FH, Wong KF, Lee NP, Poon RT, Chen J, Luk JM. miR-122 targets pyruvate kinase M2 and affects metabolism of hepatocellular carcinoma. PLoS One 2014; 9:e86872. [PMID: 24466275 PMCID: PMC3900676 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2013] [Accepted: 12/16/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In contrast to normal differentiated cells that depend on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation for energy production, cancer cells have evolved to utilize aerobic glycolysis (Warburg's effect), with benefit of providing intermediates for biomass production. MicroRNA-122 (miR-122) is highly expressed in normal liver tissue regulating a wide variety of biological processes including cellular metabolism, but is reduced in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Overexpression of miR-122 was shown to inhibit cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and increase chemosensitivity, but its functions in cancer metabolism remains unknown. The present study aims to identify the miR-122 targeted genes and to investigate the associated regulatory mechanisms in HCC metabolism. We found the ectopic overexpression of miR-122 affected metabolic activities of HCC cells, evidenced by the reduced lactate production and increased oxygen consumption. Integrated gene expression analysis in a cohort of 94 HCC tissues revealed miR-122 level tightly associated with a battery of glycolytic genes, in which pyruvate kinase (PK) gene showed the strongest anti-correlation coefficient (Pearson r = -0.6938, p = <0.0001). In addition, reduced PK level was significantly associated with poor clinical outcomes of HCC patients. We found isoform M2 (PKM2) is the dominant form highly expressed in HCC and is a direct target of miR-122, as overexpression of miR-122 reduced both the mRNA and protein levels of PKM2, whereas PKM2 re-expression abrogated the miR-122-mediated glycolytic activities. The present study demonstrated the regulatory role of miR-122 on PKM2 in HCC, having an implication of therapeutic intervention targeting cancer metabolic pathways.
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MESH Headings
- Apoptosis
- Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics
- Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism
- Blotting, Western
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/metabolism
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/mortality
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology
- Carrier Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors
- Carrier Proteins/genetics
- Carrier Proteins/metabolism
- Cell Proliferation
- Female
- Gene Expression Profiling
- Glycolysis
- Humans
- Immunoenzyme Techniques
- Lactic Acid/metabolism
- Liver Neoplasms/genetics
- Liver Neoplasms/metabolism
- Liver Neoplasms/mortality
- Liver Neoplasms/pathology
- Male
- Membrane Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors
- Membrane Proteins/genetics
- Membrane Proteins/metabolism
- MicroRNAs/genetics
- Middle Aged
- Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/genetics
- Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/metabolism
- Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/mortality
- Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/pathology
- Neoplasm Staging
- Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
- Oxygen Consumption
- Prognosis
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- RNA, Small Interfering/genetics
- Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Survival Rate
- Thyroid Hormones/genetics
- Thyroid Hormones/metabolism
- Tumor Cells, Cultured
- Thyroid Hormone-Binding Proteins
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M. Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong
| | - Zhi Xu
- Department of Oncology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Felix H. Shek
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong
| | - Kwong-Fai Wong
- Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nikki P. Lee
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong
| | - Ronnie T. Poon
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong
| | - Jinfei Chen
- Department of Oncology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - John M. Luk
- Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Surgery, National University Health System, Singapore
- Department of Oncology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong
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22
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Jhunjhunwala S, Jiang Z, Stawiski EW, Gnad F, Liu J, Mayba O, Du P, Diao J, Johnson S, Wong KF, Gao Z, Li Y, Wu TD, Kapadia SB, Modrusan Z, French DM, Luk JM, Seshagiri S, Zhang Z. Diverse modes of genomic alterations in hepatocellular carcinoma. Genome Biol 2014. [DOI: 10.1186/preaccept-1790146428112469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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23
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Wang Y, Shek FH, Wong KF, Liu LX, Zhang XQ, Yuan Y, Khin E, Hu MY, Wang JH, Poon RTP, Hong W, Lee NP, Luk JM. Anti-cadherin-17 antibody modulates beta-catenin signaling and tumorigenicity of hepatocellular carcinoma. PLoS One 2013; 8:e72386. [PMID: 24039755 PMCID: PMC3770615 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2013] [Accepted: 07/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cadherin-17 (CDH17) is an oncofetal molecule associated with poor prognostic outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), for which the treatment options are very limited. The present study investigates the therapeutic potential of a monoclonal antibody (Lic5) that targets the CDH17 antigen in HCC. In vitro experiments showed Lic5 could markedly reduce CDH17 expression in a dose-dependent manner, suppress β-catenin signaling, and induce cleavages of apoptotic enzymes caspase-8 and -9 in HCC cells. Treatment of animals in subcutaneous HCC xenograft model similarly demonstrated significant tumor growth inhibition (TGI) using Lic5 antibody alone (5 mg/kg, i.p., t.i.w.; ca.60–65% TGI vs. vehicle at day 28), or in combination with conventional chemotherapy regimen (cisplatin 1 mg/kg; ca. 85–90% TGI). Strikingly, lung metastasis was markedly suppressed by Lic5 treatments. Immunohistochemical and western blot analyses of xenograft explants revealed inactivation of the Wnt pathway and suppression of Wnt signaling components in HCC tissues. Collectively, anti-CDH17 antibody promises as an effective biologic agent for treating malignant HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonggang Wang
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated 6th People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
- Department of Radiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Felix H. Shek
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Kwong F. Wong
- Department of Pharmacology and Department of Surgery, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ling Xiao Liu
- Department of Radiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao Qian Zhang
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yi Yuan
- Department of Pharmacology and Department of Surgery, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ester Khin
- Department of Pharmacology and Department of Surgery, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mei-yu Hu
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated 6th People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian Hua Wang
- Department of Radiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ronnie T. P. Poon
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Wanjin Hong
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nikki P. Lee
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
- * E-mail: (NPL); (JML)
| | - John M. Luk
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
- Department of Pharmacology and Department of Surgery, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR Singapore, Singapore
- * E-mail: (NPL); (JML)
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Kan Z, Zheng H, Liu X, Li S, Barber TD, Gong Z, Gao H, Hao K, Willard MD, Xu J, Hauptschein R, Rejto PA, Fernandez J, Wang G, Zhang Q, Wang B, Chen R, Wang J, Lee NP, Zhou W, Lin Z, Peng Z, Yi K, Chen S, Li L, Fan X, Yang J, Ye R, Ju J, Wang K, Estrella H, Deng S, Wei P, Qiu M, Wulur IH, Liu J, Ehsani ME, Zhang C, Loboda A, Sung WK, Aggarwal A, Poon RT, Fan ST, Wang J, Hardwick J, Reinhard C, Dai H, Li Y, Luk JM, Mao M. Whole-genome sequencing identifies recurrent mutations in hepatocellular carcinoma. Genome Res 2013; 23:1422-33. [PMID: 23788652 PMCID: PMC3759719 DOI: 10.1101/gr.154492.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 378] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most deadly cancers worldwide and has no effective treatment, yet the molecular basis of hepatocarcinogenesis remains largely unknown. Here we report findings from a whole-genome sequencing (WGS) study of 88 matched HCC tumor/normal pairs, 81 of which are Hepatitis B virus (HBV) positive, seeking to identify genetically altered genes and pathways implicated in HBV-associated HCC. We find beta-catenin to be the most frequently mutated oncogene (15.9%) and TP53 the most frequently mutated tumor suppressor (35.2%). The Wnt/beta-catenin and JAK/STAT pathways, altered in 62.5% and 45.5% of cases, respectively, are likely to act as two major oncogenic drivers in HCC. This study also identifies several prevalent and potentially actionable mutations, including activating mutations of Janus kinase 1 (JAK1), in 9.1% of patients and provides a path toward therapeutic intervention of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengyan Kan
- Pfizer Oncology, San Diego, California 92121, USA
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25
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Yong KJ, Gao C, Lim JSJ, Yan B, Yang H, Dimitrov T, Kawasaki A, Ong CW, Wong KF, Lee S, Ravikumar S, Srivastava S, Tian X, Poon RT, Fan ST, Luk JM, Dan YY, Salto-Tellez M, Chai L, Tenen DG. Oncofetal gene SALL4 in aggressive hepatocellular carcinoma. N Engl J Med 2013; 368:2266-76. [PMID: 23758232 PMCID: PMC3781214 DOI: 10.1056/nejmoa1300297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 183] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In the heterogeneous group of hepatocellular carcinomas, those with characteristics of embryonic stem-cell and progenitor-cell gene expression are associated with the worst prognosis. The oncofetal gene SALL4, a marker of a subtype of hepatocellular carcinoma with progenitor-like features, is associated with a poor prognosis and is a potential target for treatment. METHODS We screened specimens obtained from patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma for the expression of SALL4 and carried out a clinicopathological analysis. Loss-of-function studies were then performed to evaluate the role of SALL4 in hepatocarcinogenesis and its potential as a molecular target for therapy. To assess the therapeutic effects of a peptide that targets SALL4, we used in vitro functional and in vivo xenograft assays. RESULTS SALL4 is an oncofetal protein that is expressed in the human fetal liver and silenced in the adult liver, but it is reexpressed in a subgroup of patients who have hepatocellular carcinoma and an unfavorable prognosis. Gene-expression analysis showed the enrichment of progenitor-like gene signatures with overexpression of proliferative and metastatic genes in SALL4-positive hepatocellular carcinomas. Loss-of-function studies confirmed the critical role of SALL4 in cell survival and tumorigenicity. Blocking SALL4-corepressor interactions released suppression of PTEN (the phosphatase and tensin homologue protein) and inhibited tumor formation in xenograft models in vivo. CONCLUSIONS SALL4 is a marker for a progenitor subclass of hepatocellular carcinoma with an aggressive phenotype. The absence of SALL4 expression in the healthy adult liver enhances the potential of SALL4 as a treatment target in hepatocellular carcinoma. (Funded by the Singapore National Medical Research Council and others.).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kol Jia Yong
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, the National University of Singapore Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, Singapore
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26
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27
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Shanmugam MK, Chatterjee S, Peramaiyan R, Li F, Senapati P, Wong KF, Wong KF, Kumar AP, Kumar AP, Kumar AP, Luk JM, Luk JM, Luk JM, Hui KM, Hui KM, Sethi G, Sethi G, Kundu TK. Abstract 4711: Targeted inhibition of STAT3 dimerization by garcinol suppresses the growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in vivo. Cancer Res 2013. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2013-4711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignancy worldwide and the third cause of global cancer mortality. Activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is commonly encountered in tumor cells and is a critical mediator of oncogenic signaling in HCC and controls the expression of several genes involved in proliferation, survival, metastasis and angiogenesis. Current drug-targeted therapies, besides being expensive, are associated with serious side effects and morbidity. Thus, novel agents that can suppress STAT3 activation have potential for both prevention and treatment of HCC. In the present report, we investigated whether the potent HAT/KAT inhibitor, garcinol, (a polyisoprenylated benzophenone), could suppress STAT3 activation in HCC cells and nude mice model. We found that garcinol could inhibit constitutive STAT3 activation in a dose- and time-dependent manner both by inhibiting STAT3 phosphorylation and acetylation in HCC cells. When investigated for molecular mechanism(s), we found that garcinol interferes with the dimer formation of STAT3 thereby inhibits its nuclear localization. Computational modeling showed that garcinol could bind to the SH2 domain of STAT3 and suppresses its dimerization in vitro. To understand the cellular mechanism(s) of inhibition of STAT3 function by garcinol, we observed that upon inhibition of STAT3 dimerization by garcinol, STAT3 DNA binding ability gets repressed. The inhibition of STAT3 activation by garcinol led to the suppression of various gene products involved in proliferation, survival, and angiogenesis. Finally, when administered i.p., garcinol inhibited the growth of human HCC xenograft tumors in male athymic nu/nu mice. In conclusion, results from in vitro and in vivo studies suggest that garcinol exerts its anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects through suppression of STAT3 signaling cascade in HCC by inhibiting its phosphorylation, acetylation and ultimately dimerization.
Citation Format: Muthu K. Shanmugam, Snehajyoti Chatterjee, Rajendran Peramaiyan, Feng Li, Parijat Senapati, Kwong Fai Wong, Kwong Fai Wong, Alan Prem Kumar, Alan Prem Kumar, Alan Prem Kumar, John M. Luk, John M. Luk, John M. Luk, Kam M. Hui, Kam M. Hui, Gautam Sethi, Gautam Sethi, Tapas K. Kundu. Targeted inhibition of STAT3 dimerization by garcinol suppresses the growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in vivo. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4711. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4711
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Snehajyoti Chatterjee
- 2Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Transcription and Disease Laboratory, Jakkur P.O., Bangalore, India
| | | | - Feng Li
- 1National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Parijat Senapati
- 2Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Transcription and Disease Laboratory, Jakkur P.O., Bangalore, India
| | | | - Kwong Fai Wong
- 3Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Alan Prem Kumar
- 3Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Alan Prem Kumar
- 4School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Western Australia, Australia
| | - John M. Luk
- 3Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - John M. Luk
- 1National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - John M. Luk
- 5Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kam M. Hui
- 6Division of Cellular and Molecular Research, Humphrey Oei Institute of Cancer Research, National Cancer Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kam M. Hui
- 5Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Gautam Sethi
- 1National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Gautam Sethi
- 3Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Tapas K. Kundu
- 2Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Transcription and Disease Laboratory, Jakkur P.O., Bangalore, India
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Huo X, Zhang Q, Liu AM, Tang C, Gong Y, Bian J, Luk JM, Xu Z, Chen J. Overexpression of Yes-associated protein confers doxorubicin resistance in hepatocellullar carcinoma. Oncol Rep 2012; 29:840-6. [PMID: 23232767 DOI: 10.3892/or.2012.2176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2012] [Accepted: 11/21/2012] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most aggressive malignancies worldwide and is highly resistant to chemotherapy. Yes-associated protein (YAP) is the downstream effector of the Hippo signaling pathway, which is frequently overexpressed in many types of cancers. Amplification of the YAP gene and overexpression of YAP in HCC have previously been reported to contribute to hepatocyte malignant transformation and tumor progression. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential role of YAP in HCC chemoresistance. Overexpression of YAP resulted in resistance against doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in HCC cell lines, whereas suppression of the endogenous YAP expression by RNA interference demonstrated the reverse effect. Western blotting revealed that, following exposure to doxorubicin, YAP-overexpressing cells exhibited decreased cleaved PARP, increased phosphorylation of Akt and ERK1/2, and elevated Bcl-xL expression in comparison to the vector control. Inhibition of YAP expression sensitized HCC cells to doxorubicin, by exhibiting increased cleaved PARP, decreased levels of phosphorylated Akt, phosphorylated ERK1/2 and Bcl-xL expression. In addition, pretreatment with the MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126 but not the PI3-K inhibitor LY294002 significantly enhanced doxorubicin-induced apoptosis and decreased Bcl-xL expression in YAP-overexpressing HCC cells. Our data provide evidence that overexpression of YAP plays an important role in conferring doxorubicin resistance to HCC, which is at least partially mediated by YAP-induced activation of the MAP kinase pathway. Targeting YAP may be a promising adjunct for overcoming doxorubicin resistance in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinying Huo
- Department of Oncology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210006, PR China
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Cao DX, Li ZJ, Jiang XO, Lum YL, Khin E, Lee NP, Wu GH, Luk JM. Osteopontin as potential biomarker and therapeutic target in gastric and liver cancers. World J Gastroenterol 2012; 18:3923-30. [PMID: 22912540 PMCID: PMC3419986 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i30.3923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2012] [Revised: 05/11/2012] [Accepted: 05/26/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastric cancer and liver cancer are among the most common malignancies and the leading causes of death worldwide, due to late detection and high recurrence rates. Today, these cancers have a heavy socioeconomic burden, for which a full understanding of their pathophysiological features is warranted to search for promising biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Osteopontin (OPN) is overexpressed in most patients with gastric and liver cancers. Over the past decade, emerging evidence has revealed a correlation of OPN level and clinicopathological features and prognosis in gastric and liver cancers, indicating its potential as an independent prognostic indicator in such patients. Functional studies have verified the potential of OPN knockdown as a therapeutic approach in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, OPN mediates multifaceted roles in the interaction between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment, in which many details need further exploration. OPN signaling results in various functions, including prevention of apoptosis, modulation of angiogenesis, malfunction of tumor-associated macrophages, degradation of extracellular matrix, activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase-Akt and nuclear factor-κB pathways, which lead to tumor formation and progression, particularly in gastric and liver cancers. This editorial aims to review recent findings on alteration in OPN expression and its clinicopathological associations with tumor progression, its potential as a therapeutic target, and putative mechanisms in gastric and liver cancers. Better understanding of the implications of OPN in tumorigenesis might facilitate development of therapeutic regimens to benefit patients with these deadly malignancies.
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Srivastava S, Wong KF, Ong CW, Huak CY, Yeoh KG, Teh M, Luk JM, Salto-Tellez M. A morpho-molecular prognostic model for hepatocellular carcinoma. Br J Cancer 2012; 107:334-9. [PMID: 22713659 PMCID: PMC3394972 DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2012.230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third common cause of cancer-related deaths and its prognostication is still suboptimal. The aim of this study was to establish a new prognostication algorithm for HCC. Methods: In all, 13 biomarkers related to the etiopathogenesis of HCC were evaluated by immunohistochemistry using tissue microarrays containing 121 primary HCC resection cases, and validated in subsequent cohort of 85 HCC cases. The results were compared with Affymetrix Gene Chip Human Genome U133Plus microarray data in a separate cohort of 228 HCC patients. Results: On immunohistochemical evaluation and multivariate Cox regression analysis p53, alpha fetaprotein (AFP), CD44 and CD31, tumour size and vascular invasion, were significant predictors for worse survival in HCC patients. A morpho-molecular prognostic model (MMPM) was constructed and it was a significant independent predictor for overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) (P<0.000). The OS and RFS of HCClow was higher (104 and 78 months) as compared with HCChigh (73 and 43 months) (P<0.0001for OS and RFS). Hepatocellular carcinoma patients with higher stage (III+IV), >5 cm tumour size, positive vascular invasion and satellitosis belonged to HCChigh group. The validation group reproduced the same findings. Gene expression analysis confirmed that 7 of the 12 biomarkers were overexpressed in >50% of tumour samples and significant overexpression in tumour samples was observed in AFP, CD31, CD117 and Ki-67 genes. Conclusion: The MMPM, based on the expression of selected proteins and clinicopathological parameters, can be used to classify HCC patients between good vs poor prognosis and high vs low risk of recurrence following hepatic resection.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Srivastava
- Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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Liu AM, Wong KF, Jiang X, Qiao Y, Luk JM. Regulators of mammalian Hippo pathway in cancer. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2012; 1826:357-64. [PMID: 22683405 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2012.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2012] [Revised: 05/30/2012] [Accepted: 05/31/2012] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Hippo pathway, originally discovered in Drosophila, is responsible for organ size control. The pathway is conserved in mammals and has a significant role in restraining cancer development. Regulating the Hippo pathway thus represents a potential therapeutic approach to treat cancer, which however requires deep understanding of the targeted pathway. Despite our limited knowledge on the pathway, there are increasing discoveries of new molecules that regulate and modulate the Hippo downstream signaling particularly in various solid malignancies, from extracellular stimuli or via pathway crosstalk. Herein, we discuss the roles of newly identified and key regulators that connect with core components (MST1/2, LATS1/2, SAV1, and MOB1) and downstream effector (YAP) in the Hippo pathway having an important role in cancer development and progression. Understanding of the mammalian Hippo pathway regulation may shed new insights to allow us selecting the right oncogenic targets and designing effective drugs for cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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Sung WK, Zheng H, Li S, Chen R, Liu X, Li Y, Lee NP, Lee WH, Ariyaratne PN, Tennakoon C, Mulawadi FH, Wong KF, Liu AM, Poon RT, Fan ST, Chan KL, Gong Z, Hu Y, Lin Z, Wang G, Zhang Q, Barber TD, Chou WC, Aggarwal A, Hao K, Zhou W, Zhang C, Hardwick J, Buser C, Xu J, Kan Z, Dai H, Mao M, Reinhard C, Wang J, Luk JM. Genome-wide survey of recurrent HBV integration in hepatocellular carcinoma. Nat Genet 2012; 44:765-9. [PMID: 22634754 DOI: 10.1038/ng.2295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 660] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2012] [Accepted: 04/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
To survey hepatitis B virus (HBV) integration in liver cancer genomes, we conducted massively parallel sequencing of 81 HBV-positive and 7 HBV-negative hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and adjacent normal tissues. We found that HBV integration is observed more frequently in the tumors (86.4%) than in adjacent liver tissues (30.7%). Copy-number variations (CNVs) were significantly increased at HBV breakpoint locations where chromosomal instability was likely induced. Approximately 40% of HBV breakpoints within the HBV genome were located within a 1,800-bp region where the viral enhancer, X gene and core gene are located. We also identified recurrent HBV integration events (in ≥ 4 HCCs) that were validated by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and Sanger sequencing at the known and putative cancer-related TERT, MLL4 and CCNE1 genes, which showed upregulated gene expression in tumor versus normal tissue. We also report evidence that suggests that the number of HBV integrations is associated with patient survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wing-Kin Sung
- Department of Surgery, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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Hui MKC, Lai KKY, Chan KW, Luk JM, Lee NP, Chung Y, Cheung LCM, Srivastava G, Tsao SW, Tang JC, Law S. Clinical correlation of nuclear survivin in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Med Oncol 2012; 29:3009-16. [PMID: 22528514 PMCID: PMC3505527 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-012-0225-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2012] [Accepted: 03/19/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
To examine the correlation of survivin (both total and nuclear survivin) with clinicopathological parameters of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients. Tumors and non-tumor tissues near the proximal resection margins were resected from ESCC patients undergone esophagectomy. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed to detect survivin mRNA expression level in the 10 paired tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissues. To confirm with the clinical situation, survivin mRNA and protein expression were measured by qPCR and immunoblot, respectively, in 5 ESCC cell lines and a non-neoplastic esophageal epithelial cell line. Immunohistochemistry was employed to reveal the cellular localization of survivin in tumor tissues isolated from the 64 ESCC patients undergone surgery alone. Up-regulation of survivin mRNA and protein was found in 5 ESCC lines (HKESC-1, HKESC-2, HKESC-3, HKESC-4, and SLMT-1) when compared to a non-neoplastic esophageal epithelial cell line NE-1. In particular, HKESC-3, HKESC-4, and SLMT-1 cells demonstrated ~50-fold increase in survivin mRNA. High level of survivin mRNA in tumor tissues when compared to non-tumor tissues was found in 70 % (7 of 10) of clinical cases. The increase in expression ranged from ~twofold to ~16-fold. Immunohistochemistry results showed that survivin was found at the cell nuclei in all specimens examined. Nuclear expression of survivin was inversely associated with the likelihood of developing nodal metastasis (p = 0.021) and significantly associated with early-stage ESCC (p = 0.039). Nuclear survivin could serve as a marker for indicating disease status in ESCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco K. C. Hui
- Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kenneth K. Y. Lai
- Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kwok Wah Chan
- Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - John M. Luk
- Department of Oncology, Roche R&D Center, pRED China, Shanghai, China
| | - Nikki P. Lee
- Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yvonne Chung
- Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Leo C. M. Cheung
- Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Gopesh Srivastava
- Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Sai Wah Tsao
- Department of Anatomy, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Johnny C. Tang
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Simon Law
- Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
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Xu Z, Zhu H, Luk JM, Wu D, Gu D, Gong W, Tan Y, Zhou J, Tang J, Zhang Z, Wang M, Chen J. Clinical significance of SOD2 and GSTP1 gene polymorphisms in Chinese patients with gastric cancer. Cancer 2012; 118:5489-96. [PMID: 22517484 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.27599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2011] [Revised: 03/13/2012] [Accepted: 03/19/2012] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation is a common phenomenon in carcinogenesis. However, the rationale behind ROS involvement in gastric cancer is unclear. In this study, the authors investigated the clinical significance of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of 2 ROS metabolic process-related genes: superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) and glutathione S-transferase π (GSTP1). METHODS In total of 929 patients with gastric cancer who had definitive clinicopathologic and follow-up data were collected. SOD2 reference SNP 4880 (rs4880) and GSTP1 rs1695 genotyping were examined in DNA samples extracted from paraffin-embedded tumor tissue. Association of the 2 SNPs with each clinicopathologic feature was analyzed using the Pearson chi-square test and the independent Student t test. Gastric cancer-specific overall survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests. Multivariate Cox regression analyses of these SNPs also were performed. RESULTS The SOD2 rs4880 CT + CC genotypes were significantly associated with a high level of lymph node metastasis (P = .023), whereas the GSTP1 rs1695 GA + GG genotypes were significantly associated with larger tumor size (>5 cm long; P = .048). Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression data indicated that the SOD2 rs4880 CT + CC genotypes alone (hazard ratio, 1.299; 95% confidence interval, 1.053-1.603; P = .015) and the GSTP1 rs1695 GA + GG combined genotypes (hazard ratio, 1.496; 95% CI, 1.078-2.074; P = .016) were independent predictors for overall survival. CONCLUSIONS The current data, based on a large cohort (n = 929) of Chinese patients with gastric cancer, suggested that the presence of SOD2 rs4880 and GSTP1 rs1695 genotypes may contribute to cancer progression as well as tumor aggressiveness. The components of ROS metabolism pathways may be potential therapeutic targets for this aggressive malignancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Xu
- Department of Oncology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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Rajendran P, Li F, Shanmugam MK, Kannaiyan R, Goh JN, Wong KF, Wang W, Khin E, Tergaonkar V, Kumar AP, Luk JM, Sethi G. Celastrol suppresses growth and induces apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma through the modulation of STAT3/JAK2 signaling cascade in vitro and in vivo. Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 2012; 5:631-43. [PMID: 22369852 DOI: 10.1158/1940-6207.capr-11-0420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cumulative evidences(s) have established that the constitutive activation of STAT3 plays a pivotal role in the proliferation, survival, metastasis, and angiogenesis and thus can contribute directly to the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Thus, novel agents that can inhibit STAT3 activation have potential for both prevention and treatment of HCCs. The effect of celastrol on STAT3 activation, associated protein kinases, STAT3-regulated gene products, cellular proliferation, and apoptosis was investigated. The in vivo effect of celastrol on the growth of human HCC xenograft tumors in athymic nu/nu mice was also examined. We observed that celastrol inhibited both constitutive and inducible STAT3 activation, and the suppression was mediated through the inhibition of activation of upstream kinases c-Src, as well as Janus-activated kinase-1 and -2. Vanadate treatment reversed the celastrol-induced modulation of STAT3, suggesting the involvement of a tyrosine phosphatase. The inhibition of STAT3 activation by celastrol led to the suppression of various gene products involved in proliferation, survival, and angiogenesis. Celastrol also inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis in HCC cells. Finally, when administered intraperitoneally, celastrol inhibited STAT3 activation in tumor tissues and the growth of human HCC xenograft tumors in athymic nu/nu mice without any side effects. Overall, our results suggest for the first time that celastrol exerts its antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects through suppression of STAT3 signaling in HCC both in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peramaiyan Rajendran
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
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Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive malignancy with approximately half a million cases diagnosed each year. Although strategies in surgical interventions have been investigated and applied, the prognosis is still poor. Novel chemotherapy for advanced stage HCC patients is still greatly in need. Hippo-Yes-associated protein (YAP) signaling pathway controls organ size by regulating both cell proliferation and apoptosis during normal development. The pathway also has a prominent role in suppressing tumor growth, with the most evident contribution in HCC. In recent years, regulators of this pathway have gradually been revealed, providing new information for understanding this complex yet important growth-control signaling. This knowledge provides a basis for rational design of therapeutics against cancer that depends upon Hippo-YAP signaling for growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M Liu
- Department of Oncology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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Fatima S, Lee NP, Tsang FH, Kolligs FT, Ng IOL, Poon RTP, Fan ST, Luk JM. Dickkopf 4 (DKK4) acts on Wnt/β-catenin pathway by influencing β-catenin in hepatocellular carcinoma. Oncogene 2012; 31:4233-44. [PMID: 22249261 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2011.580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Deregulation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway is a hallmark of major gastrointestinal cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The oncogenic role of β-catenin is well defined but reasons for its accumulation in HCC remain unclear. Dickkopf 4 (DKK4) acts as a negative regulator of Wnt/β-catenin pathway but its functional role in liver carcinogenesis has not been studied. We investigated the role of DKK4 in β-catenin regulation in HCC. Reduced expression of DKK4 was found in 47% (38/81) of HCC, as measured by quantitative real time PCR. Ectopic expression of DKK4 in two HCC cell lines, PLC/PRF/5 (PLC) and MHCC97L (97L), attenuated β-catenin responsive luciferase activity, and decreased both β-catenin and cyclin D1 protein levels. To study the effect of DKK4 on cell growth and tumourigenicity, two stable HCC cell lines were established from PLC and 97L cells. Functional assays demonstrated that overexpression of DKK4 hampered cell proliferation, reduced colony formation and retarded cell migration. When DKK4-expressing 97L stable cells were used to induce tumour xenografts in nude mice (n=8), reduction in tumour sizes was observed (P=0.027). Furthermore, immunohistochemical studies showed that decreased expression of DKK4 was associated with β-catenin accumulation in HCC tissues. Additionally, inhibition of the proteasome using specific inhibitor in DKK4-expressing 97L stable cells masked the effect of β-catenin. Our findings suggest a potential tumour suppressive role of DKK4 as well as that of an important regulator of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Fatima
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
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Liu AM, Yao TJ, Wang W, Wong KF, Lee NP, Fan ST, Poon RTP, Gao C, Luk JM. Circulating miR-15b and miR-130b in serum as potential markers for detecting hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study. BMJ Open 2012; 2:e000825. [PMID: 22403344 PMCID: PMC3308260 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2012-000825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) is the most commonly used biomarker for screening hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but fails to detect about half of the patients. Thus, we investigated if circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) could outperform AFP for HCC detection. DESIGN A retrospective cohort study. SETTING Two clinical centres in China. PARTICIPANTS The exploration phase included 96 patients with HCC who received primary curative hepatectomy, and the validation phase included 29 hepatitis B carriers, 57 patients with HCC and 30 healthy controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Expression of miRNAs was measured by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR. Areas under receiver operating characteristic curves were used to determine the feasibility of using serum miRNA concentration as a diagnostic marker for defining HCC. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate performances of combined serum miRNAs. RESULTS In the exploration phase, miRNA profiling on resected tumour/adjacent non-tumour tissues identified miR-15b, miR-21, miR-130b and miR-183 highly expressed in tumours. These miRNAs were also detectable in culture supernatants of HCC cell lines and in serum samples of patients. Remarkably, these serum miRNAs were markedly reduced after surgery, indicating the tumour-derived source of these circulating miRNAs. In a cross-centre validation study, combined miR-15b and miR-130b demonstrated as a classifier for HCC detection, yielding a receiver operating characteristic curve area of 0.98 (98.2% sensitivity and 91.5% specificity). The detection sensitivity of the classifier in a subgroup of HCCs with low AFP (<20 ng/ml) was 96.7%. The classifier also identified early-stage HCC cases that could not be detected by AFP. CONCLUSION The combined miR-15b and miR-130b classifier is a serum biomarker with clinical value for HCC screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M Liu
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Surgery, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Tzy-Jyun Yao
- Clinical Trials Center, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kwong-Fai Wong
- Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nikki P Lee
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Sheung Tat Fan
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Ronnie T P Poon
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Chunfang Gao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - John M Luk
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Surgery, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Roche R&D Center (China) Ltd., Department of Oncology, Shanghai, China
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Abstract
The recent advancements in proteomic technologies have reconstituted our research strategies over different type of liver diseases including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Combined analyses on HCC proteome and clinicopathological data of patients have allowed identification of many promising biomarkers that can be further developed into noninvasive diagnostic assays for cancer surveillance. Capitalizing our established proteomic platform primarily based on two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2DE) and MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry, our groups have identified lamin B1 (LMNB1) and vimentin (VIM) as promising biomarkers for detection of early HCC. Protein levels of both biomarkers were significantly elevated in cancerous tissues when compared to the controls in disease-free and cirrhotic liver subjects. Further investigation of the circulating LMNB1 mRNA level in patients' blood samples by standard PCR showed 76% sensitivity and 82% specificity for detection of early HCC. In parallel, an ELISA assay for measuring circulating vimentin level in patients' serum samples could detect small HCC at 40.91% sensitivity and 87.5% specificity. The candidate biomarkers were evaluated with the diagnostic performance of α-fetoprotein (AFP) for HCC. In this article, we address the current protocols for HCC biomarker discovery, ranging from clinical sample preparation, 2DE proteomic profiling and informatics analysis, and assay development and clinical validation study. Focus is emphasized on the methods for sample preservation and low-abundance protein enrichment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwong-Fai Wong
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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41
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Ivanovska I, Zhang C, Liu AM, Wong KF, Lee NP, Lewis P, Philippar U, Bansal D, Buser C, Scott M, Mao M, Poon RTP, Fan ST, Cleary MA, Luk JM, Dai H. Gene signatures derived from a c-MET-driven liver cancer mouse model predict survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. PLoS One 2011; 6:e24582. [PMID: 21949730 PMCID: PMC3174972 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2011] [Accepted: 08/14/2011] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Biomarkers derived from gene expression profiling data may have a high false-positive rate and must be rigorously validated using independent clinical data sets, which are not always available. Although animal model systems could provide alternative data sets to formulate hypotheses and limit the number of signatures to be tested in clinical samples, the predictive power of such an approach is not yet proven. The present study aims to analyze the molecular signatures of liver cancer in a c-MET-transgenic mouse model and investigate its prognostic relevance to human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Tissue samples were obtained from tumor (TU), adjacent non-tumor (AN) and distant normal (DN) liver in Tet-operator regulated (TRE) human c-MET transgenic mice (n = 21) as well as from a Chinese cohort of 272 HBV- and 9 HCV-associated HCC patients. Whole genome microarray expression profiling was conducted in Affymetrix gene expression chips, and prognostic significances of gene expression signatures were evaluated across the two species. Our data revealed parallels between mouse and human liver tumors, including down-regulation of metabolic pathways and up-regulation of cell cycle processes. The mouse tumors were most similar to a subset of patient samples characterized by activation of the Wnt pathway, but distinctive in the p53 pathway signals. Of potential clinical utility, we identified a set of genes that were down regulated in both mouse tumors and human HCC having significant predictive power on overall and disease-free survival, which were highly enriched for metabolic functions. In conclusions, this study provides evidence that a disease model can serve as a possible platform for generating hypotheses to be tested in human tissues and highlights an efficient method for generating biomarker signatures before extensive clinical trials have been initiated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irena Ivanovska
- Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Inc., Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Merck Research Laboratories, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail: (II) (II); (JML) (JL); (HD) (HD)
| | - Chunsheng Zhang
- Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Inc., Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Merck Research Laboratories, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Angela M. Liu
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Pharmacology, Department of Surgery, and Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kwong F. Wong
- Department of Pharmacology, Department of Surgery, and Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nikki P. Lee
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Patrick Lewis
- Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Inc., Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Ulrike Philippar
- Merck Research Laboratories, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Dimple Bansal
- Merck Research Laboratories, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Carolyn Buser
- Molecular Profiling and Pharmacology, Merck & Co., Inc., North Wales, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Martin Scott
- Merck Research Laboratories, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Mao Mao
- Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Inc., Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Ronnie T. P. Poon
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Sheung Tat Fan
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Michele A. Cleary
- Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Inc., Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - John M. Luk
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Pharmacology, Department of Surgery, and Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- * E-mail: (II) (II); (JML) (JL); (HD) (HD)
| | - Hongyue Dai
- Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Inc., Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Merck Research Laboratories, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail: (II) (II); (JML) (JL); (HD) (HD)
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Abstract
Liver cancer is the fifth and seventh most common cause of cancer in men and women, respectively. Wnt/β-catenin signalling has emerged as a critical player in both the development of normal liver as well as an oncogenic driver in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Based on the current understanding, this article summarizes the possible mechanisms for the aberrant activation of this pathway with specific focus on HCC. Furthermore, we will discuss the role of dickkopfs (DKKs) in regulating Wnt/β-catenin signalling, which is poorly understood and understudied. DKKs are a family of secreted proteins that comprise at least four members, namely DKK1-DKK4, which act as inhibitors of Wnt/β-catenin signalling. Nevertheless, not all members antagonize Wnt/β-catenin signalling. Their functional significance in hepatocarcinogenesis remains to be further characterized for which these studies should provide new insights into the regulatory role of DKKs in Wnt/β-catenin signalling in hepatic carcinogenesis. Because of the important oncogenic roles, there are an increasing number of therapeutic molecules targeting β-catenin and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway for potential therapy of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarwat Fatima
- Sarwat Fatima, Nikki P Lee, Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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43
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Luk JM, Burchard J, Zhang C, Liu AM, Wong KF, Shek FH, Lee NP, Fan ST, Poon RT, Ivanovska I, Philippar U, Cleary MA, Buser CA, Shaw PM, Lee CN, Tenen DG, Dai H, Mao M. DLK1-DIO3 genomic imprinted microRNA cluster at 14q32.2 defines a stemlike subtype of hepatocellular carcinoma associated with poor survival. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:30706-30713. [PMID: 21737452 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.229831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a heterogeneous and highly aggressive malignancy, for which there are no effective cures. Identification of a malignant stemlike subtype of HCC may offer patients with a dismal prognosis a potential targeted therapy using c-MET and Wnt pathway inhibitors. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) show promise as diagnostic and prognostic tools for cancer detection and stratification. Using a TRE-c-Met-driven transgenic HCC mouse model, we identified a cluster of 23 miRNAs that is encoded within the Dlk1-Gtl2 imprinted region on chromosome 12qF1 overexpressed in all of the isolated liver tumors. Interestingly, this region is conserved among mammalian species and maps to the human DLK1-DIO3 region on chromosome 14q32.2. We thus examined the expression of the DLK1-DIO3 miRNA cluster in a cohort of 97 hepatitis B virus-associated HCC patients and identified a subgroup (n = 18) of patients showing strong coordinate overexpression of miRNAs in this cluster but not in other cancer types (breast, lung, kidney, stomach, and colon) that were tested. Expression levels of imprinted gene transcripts from neighboring loci in this 14q32.2 region and from a subset of other imprinted sites were concomitantly elevated in human HCC. Interestingly, overexpression of the DLK1-DIO3 miRNA cluster was positively correlated with HCC stem cell markers (CD133, CD90, EpCAM, Nestin) and associated with a high level of serum α-fetoprotein, a conventional biomarker for liver cancer, and poor survival rate in HCC patients. In conclusion, our findings suggest that coordinate up-regulation of the DLK1-DIO3 miRNA cluster at 14q32.2 may define a novel molecular (stem cell-like) subtype of HCC associated with poor prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Luk
- Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, 117597, Singapore; Departments of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, 117597, Singapore; Surgery, National University of Singapore, 117597, Singapore.
| | - Julja Burchard
- Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Seattle, Washington 98109; Sirna Therapeutics, Inc., Merck & Co., San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Chunsheng Zhang
- Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Seattle, Washington 98109; Merck Research Laboratories, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Angela M Liu
- Departments of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, 117597, Singapore; Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kwong F Wong
- Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, 117597, Singapore
| | - Felix H Shek
- Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Nikki P Lee
- Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Sheung Tat Fan
- Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ronnie T Poon
- Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Irena Ivanovska
- Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Seattle, Washington 98109; Merck Research Laboratories, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | | | - Michele A Cleary
- Sirna Therapeutics, Inc., Merck & Co., San Francisco, California 94158; Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486
| | | | - Peter M Shaw
- Merck & Co., Inc., Upper Gwynedd, Pennsylvania 19454
| | - Chuen-Neng Lee
- Surgery, National University of Singapore, 117597, Singapore
| | - Daniel G Tenen
- Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, 117597, Singapore; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Hongyue Dai
- Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Seattle, Washington 98109; Merck Research Laboratories, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
| | - Mao Mao
- Rosetta Inpharmatics LLC, Merck & Co., Seattle, Washington 98109.
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Li J, Lau GKK, Chen L, Dong SS, Lan HY, Huang XR, Li Y, Luk JM, Yuan YF, Guan XY. Interleukin 17A promotes hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis via NF-kB induced matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 expression. PLoS One 2011; 6:e21816. [PMID: 21760911 PMCID: PMC3131399 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0021816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2011] [Accepted: 06/13/2011] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND IL-17A is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays important role in inflammatory disease pathology and tumor microenvironment. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of IL-17A on the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDING Expression pattern of IL-17A in clinical HCC samples (n = 43) was determined by immunohistochemistry staining. Transcript levels of MMP2, MMP9 and IL-17A were measured in another 50 pairs (including tumor and related non-tumor tissues) HCC samples. Cell growth, focus formation, cell migration, invasion and western blot assays were used to characterize the functional and signaling mechanisms in IL-17A-treated HCC. Association study was used to identify clinical significance of IL-17A in HCC. Compared with paired non-tumor tissue, higher frequency of IL-17A-positive cells was detected in tumor tissues in HCCs with metastasis, and the frequency of IL-17A-positive cells was also significantly associated with poor prognosis of HCC (P = 0.01). Functional study found that IL-17A could promote HCC cell migration and invasion. Further molecular analysis also showed that IL-17A could upregulate MMP2 and MMP9 expression via NF-κB signaling activation. CONCLUSIONS IL-17A could promote HCC metastasis by the upregulation of MMP2 and MMP9 expression via activating NF-κB signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Li
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - George Ka-Kit Lau
- Department of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Leilei Chen
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- State Key Laboratory for Liver Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Sui-sui Dong
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- State Key Laboratory for Liver Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Hui-Yao Lan
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics and Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong China
| | - Xiao-Ru Huang
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics and Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong China
| | - Yan Li
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- State Key Laboratory for Liver Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - John M. Luk
- Department of Pharmacology and Department of Surgery, Cancer Science Institute, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yun-Fei Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xin-yuan Guan
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- State Key Laboratory for Liver Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
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Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor of liver that causes approximately half a million deaths each year, of which over half of the cases are diagnosed in China. Because of its asymptomatic nature, HCC is usually diagnosed at late and advanced stages, for which there are no effective therapies. Thus, biomarkers for early detection and molecular targets for treating HCC are urgently needed. With the advent of high-throughput omics technologies, we have begun to mine the genomics and proteomics information of HCC, and most importantly, these data can be integrated with clinical annotations of the patients. Such new horizons of integrated profiling informatics have allowed us to search for and better identify clinically useful biomarkers and therapeutic targets for cancers including HCC. Capitalizing the large clinical samples cohort (over 100 pairs of tumor and matched adjacent nontumor tissues of HCC), we herein discuss the use of proteomics approach to identify biomarkers that are potentially useful for (1) discrimination of tumorous from nonmalignant tissues, (2) detection of small-sized and early stage of HCC, and (3) prediction of early disease relapse after hepatectomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Luk
- Department of Pharmacology, Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
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46
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Boutz DR, Collins PJ, Suresh U, Lu M, Ramírez CM, Fernández-Hernando C, Huang Y, Abreu RDS, Le SY, Shapiro BA, Liu AM, Luk JM, Aldred SF, Trinklein ND, Marcotte EM, Penalva LOF. Two-tiered approach identifies a network of cancer and liver disease-related genes regulated by miR-122. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:18066-78. [PMID: 21402708 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m110.196451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs function as important regulators of gene expression and are commonly linked to development, differentiation, and diseases such as cancer. To better understand their roles in various biological processes, identification of genes targeted by microRNAs is necessary. Although prediction tools have significantly helped with this task, experimental approaches are ultimately required for extensive target search and validation. We employed two independent yet complementary high throughput approaches to map a large set of mRNAs regulated by miR-122, a liver-specific microRNA implicated in regulation of fatty acid and cholesterol metabolism, hepatitis C infection, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The combination of luciferase reporter-based screening and shotgun proteomics resulted in the identification of 260 proteins significantly down-regulated in response to miR-122 in at least one method, 113 of which contain predicted miR-122 target sites. These proteins are enriched for functions associated with the cell cycle, differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. Among these miR-122-sensitive proteins, we identified a large group with strong connections to liver metabolism, diseases, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Additional analyses, including examination of consensus binding motifs for both miR-122 and target sequences, provide further insight into miR-122 function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R Boutz
- Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
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Lu WJ, Lee NP, Kaul SC, Lan F, Poon RT, Wadhwa R, Luk JM. Induction of mutant p53-dependent apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting stress protein mortalin. Int J Cancer 2011; 129:1806-14. [DOI: 10.1002/ijc.25857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2010] [Accepted: 11/08/2010] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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48
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Liu AM, Zhang C, Burchard J, Fan ST, Wong KF, Dai H, Poon RT, Luk JM. Global regulation on microRNA in hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma. OMICS 2011; 15:187-91. [PMID: 21319996 DOI: 10.1089/omi.2010.0098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Recent work has revealed the causative links between deregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) and cancer development. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), aberrant expression of miRNAs has been observed, but the molecular mechanisms that contribute to such changes remains to be elucidated. Here, we reported the analysis of miRNA expression in 94 pairs of tumor and adjacent nontumor tissues from HBV-associated HCC in Chinese patients. We found miRNAs were aberrantly expressed in HCC tissues. To investigate the cause of such deregulation, we detected changes in DNA copy number by measuring locus-specific hybridization intensity, and found changes in expression of several miRNAs are correlated with genomic amplification or deletion. For example, the genomic regions of miR-30d and miR-151 were amplified in ∼50% of HCC tumor tissues, and the expressions of these miRNAs are significantly correlated with DNA copy number. We also employed cDNA microarray data, and provide evidence that key regulators of the miRNA biosynthetic pathway, including DROSHA, DGCR8, AGO1, and AGO2, are frequently overexpressed in HCC. This study provides molecular clues that may contribute to the global changes of miRNA expression in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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Abstract
E-cadherin is a well-documented tumor suppressor with downregulated expression in many cancer types. Upon proteolytic cleavage, a soluble form of 80-kDa degradation fragment, known as soluble E-cadherin (s-Ecad), is present in circulation; its level in sera of cancer patients is significantly associated with metastasis, recurrence, and prognosis in some malignancies. The present study investigated the association of s-Ecad with clinicopathological characteristics of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and its prognostic significance. A cohort of 97 patients who underwent surgery alone (n= 56) or neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy and surgery (CRT) (n= 41) was recruited for this study. Serum samples were collected at operation (surgery group) and pre- and post-CRT treatment (CRT group) for measurement of s-Ecad protein by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Serum s-Ecad levels were correlated with clinicopathological parameters as well as survival. Univariate analysis showed no significant relationship between serum s-Ecad level and clinicopathological parameters for all sets of samples. Survival analysis showed that in patients who had surgical resection only, those with s-Ecad levels equal to or below the median value survived significantly longer than those with levels above the median (median survival 25.6 vs. 14.1 months, P= 0.012). Multivariate analysis showed that pathological N stage, M stage, R category, and serum s-Ecad level were significant independent prognostic factors for ESCC patients who underwent surgery only. The hazard ratio for s-Ecad was 1.104 (95% CI: 1.026-1.187) and P= 0.008. Serum s-Ecad was detected in ESCC patients and its potential as an independent prognostic marker requires further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Chung
- Department of Surgery, Division of Esophageal and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong
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Chan W, Lin S, Sun S, Liu H, Luk JM, Cai Z. Metabolomics Analysis of the Responses to Partial Hepatectomy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.4236/ajac.2011.22016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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