BICD1 functions as a prognostic biomarker and promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most predominant type of primary liver cancer and has a high degree of malignancy as well as mortality rate. Many drivers are involved in the development and progression of HCC. A recent study has reported that high BICD cargo adaptor 1 (BICD1) expression indicates poor prognosis of glioblastoma. But, the expression and biological function of BICD1 in HCC remain unclear. In current study, we found that the expression of BICD1 was markedly up-regulated in HCC tissues compared to adjacent nontumor tissues. GEPIA dataset and GSE datasets were consistently indicated the elevated expression of BICD1 in HCC. Furthermore, BICD1 was highly expressed in HCC cell lines including Hep3B, Huh7, MHCC97H and HCCLM3 as compared with that in LO2 cells. High BICD1 expression was positively correlated with malignant clinical features, such as tumor size ≥ 5 cm, venous infiltration and advanced tumor stages. HCC patients highly expressing BICD1 showed a significant shorter overall survival compared to BICD1 low-expression cases. Moreover, TCGA-LIHC data further demonstrated that the up-regulated BICD1 expression predicted poor prognosis of HCC patients. Next, we revealed that BICD1 knockdown prominently suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCCLM3 cells. Conversely, ectopic expression of BICD1 remarkably facilitated these malignant behaviors of Hep3B cells. Interestingly, BICD1 knockdown abolished hypoxia-induced HCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. In conclusion, we provide the first evidence to support that BICD1 functions as a predictor for the prognosis of HCC and may serve as a promising therapeutic target for further HCC treatment.     

Abnormal increase of miR-4262 promotes cell proliferation and migration by targeting large tumor suppressor 1 in gliomas

BackgroundmiRNA was recently detected as tumor suppressor or inducer in various cancers including gliomas. Due to the abnormal expression of miR-4262 in glioma cancer, we supposed that miR-4262 made efforts in proliferation and migration in glioma cancer.MethodsCCK-8, Transwell migration Assay and Wound-healing assay were appraisal assays for cell proliferation and migration. qRT-PCR and western blot were performed to test the expression of miR-4262, MMP2, MMP13 and LATS1 in glioma cancers tissues and cancer cells. The targeting detection between miR-4262 and LATS1 was detected by luciferase reporter assay.ResultsmiR-4262 expression was dramatically higher in glioma tumor tissues than in para-tumor control. Inhibition of miR-4262 in glioma cancer cells prominently inhibited cell proliferation and migration. Mechanically, downregulation of miR-4262 inhibited expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -2, -13. In addition, miR-4262 directly and negatively modulated expression of large tumor suppressor 1 (LATS1). Moreover, we discovered that overexpression of LATS1 could reverse the effects of miR-4262 on cell proliferation and migration, as well as the production of MMP-2, -13.ConclusionsIn glioma cancer, miR-4262 regulated cell proliferation and migration mediated by LATS1. This indicated that miR-4262 is a tumor inducer in glioma cancer and may be a feasible target for glioma therapy.     

miR-218 modulate hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation through PTEN/AKT/PI3K pathway and HoxA10

Purpose: To investigate the regulatory mechanism of miR-218 in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: qPCR was used to compare the expression levels miR-218 among six hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines and normal liver tissues. After transfecting MHCC97L cells with either miR-218 mimics or miR-218 inhibitor, western blotting was used to examine the expressing patterns of cyclinD1, p21, and PTEN/AKT/PI3K signaling pathway-related proteins. MTT and colony forming assay was used to assess the capability of cell proliferation. Bioinformatic method was applied to predict the binding of miR-218 on HoxA10, and western blotting was used to examine the modulatory effect of miR-218 AND HoxA10 on PTEN/AKT/PI3K pathway in HCC. Results: The expression levels of miR-218 were frequently lower in HCC cell lines than in normal liver tissues. Over-expression of miR-218 in HCC cells significantly decreased cell proliferation whereas inhibiting miR-218 promoted cancer cell proliferation. Western blotting analysis demonstrated that tumorigenesis related protein cyclin D1 and p21, as well as PTEN/AKT/PI3K signaling pathways were actively modulated by miR-218 in HCC cells. The expression of endogenous HoxA10 was also down-regulated by miR-218 over-expression, and silencing HoxA10 directly activated PTEN in HCC cells. Conclusion: Modulation of miR-218 actively affected HCC cancer cell development. The regulatory mechanism of miR-218 in HCC cells was acting through PTEN/AKT/PI3K pathway and possibly associated with HoxA10.     

FERMT2在肝癌组织中的表达及其对肝癌细胞生长的调控

目的:观察fermitin家族同源蛋白2(FERMT2)在肝细胞癌(HCC)组织中的表达,并以体外实验分析FERMT2基因敲除对肝癌细胞生长及相关调控分子表达的影响。方法:采用real-time PCR及免疫组化实验检测FERMT2在HCC及癌旁正常肝组织中的表达情况;采用CRISPR/Cas9技术构建FERMT2基因敲除的稳定MHCC97H细胞系,通过WST-1法和流式细胞术比较其与野生型MHCC97H细胞活力、细胞周期和凋亡状态的改变,并采用Western blot检测相关调控蛋白的表达变化。结果:FERMT2在HCC组织中的mRNA和蛋白表达水平均显著高于癌旁组织,且FERMT2蛋白的高表达与HCC患者术后复发有关(P0.05);成功构建了FERMT2基因敲除的稳定MHCC97H细胞系;与野生型细胞相比,FERMT2基因敲除后细胞活力明显减弱,S期细胞数量明显减少,细胞凋亡增加,且细胞内增殖细胞核抗原、细胞周期蛋白及细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶2的表达均显著降低(P0.05);细胞凋亡抑制因子survivin及Bcl2的表达也明显下降(P0.05),并可检测到cleaved caspase-3。结论:FERMT2在肝癌组织中呈高表达,它可能通过调控细胞周期调节蛋白及抗凋亡蛋白的表达影响肝癌细胞的活力、细胞周期及凋亡,进而在肝癌形成及发展过程中发挥促癌作用。     

MicroRNA-338-3p inhibits cell proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma by target forkhead box P4 (FOXP4)

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, non-coding RNAs, which have demonstrated to important gene regulators, and have critical roles in diverse biological processes including cancer cell proliferation. Previous studies suggested microRNA-338-3p (miR-338-3p) was down-regulated and play tumor suppressor roles in gastric cancer, colorectal carcinoma and lung cancer. However, the role of miR-338-3p in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unclear. In this study, we analyzed the expression of miR-338-3p in HCC tissues and HCC cell lines. We find that miR-338-3p was downregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines. Then functional studies demonstrate ectopic miR-338-3p expression significantly suppressed the in vitro proliferation and colony formation of HCC cells and cause to cell cycle arrest. Using bio-informatic method and report assay we identified a novel miR-338-3p target, FOXP4 in HCC cells. Furthermore, knockdown of FOXP4 have the similar effects in HCC corrected with miR-338-3p. These findings suggest that miR-338-3p regulates survival of HCC cells partially through the downregulation of FOXP4. Therefore, targeting with the miR-338-3p/FOXP4 axis might serve as a novel therapeutic application to treat HCC patients.     

MiR-137 suppresses migration and invasion by targeting EZH2-STAT3 signaling in human hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and aggressive human malignancies and many cell-intrinsic identities and extrinsic epigenetic factors influence the metastatic potential of HCC cells. MicroRNA-137 is often found to be acting as tumor suppressors, however, how miR-137 involved in the metastasis progression in human HCC remains unclear.

miR-107 靶向NID2 通过Notch 信号通路调控肺癌细胞的增殖侵袭

目的:miR-107 靶向NID2 调控Notch 信号通路影响肺癌的侵袭和增殖。方法:免疫组化检测NID2 在肺癌组织和正常肺组织中的表达;PCR 检测miR-107 在肺癌组织中的表达;双荧光素酶报告基因系统检测miR-107 对NID2 转录活性的影响;肿瘤细胞成球实验检测miR-107 的表达对肺癌细胞A549 的增殖能力的影响;Transwell 侵袭实验检测miR-107 的表达对肺癌A549 细胞的侵袭能力的影响;划痕试验检测miR-107 的表达对肺癌A549 细胞的迁移能力的影响;Western blot 检测过表达miR-107 后Notch 信号通路的蛋白表达水平。结果:和正常肺组织比较,NID2 在肺癌组织中表达较高;miR-107 在肺癌组织中表达明显降低;双荧光素酶报告基因系统检测结果显示,miR-107 可以直接调控NID2 的转录活性;过表达miR-107 后,肺癌细胞A549 的增殖、侵袭和迁移能力明显降低;过表达miR-107 后,Notch1、hes-1、presenilin1 蛋白表达下调。结论:miR-107靶向NID2 的表达,通过Notch 通路调控肺癌细胞的增殖和侵袭能力。     

MiR-199-3p replacement affects E-cadherin expression through Notch1 targeting in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents the second cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide and is associated with poor prognosis, due to a high recurrence rate after curative treatments and a drug resistance phenotype. In this scenario, the identification of innovative and effective therapeutic strategies is an unmet clinical need. The safety and efficacy of microRNA (miRNA) mediated approaches in preclinical models and clinical trials have been widely described in cancer. MicroRNA-199a downregulation is a common feature of HCC where its reduced expression contributes to mTOR and c-Met pathways activation. Notch1 activation is also a common event in HCC, influencing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, tumor invasion and recurrence at least in part through E-cadherin regulation. Here we identified a negative correlation between miR-199a-3p and Notch1 or E-cadherin protein levels in HCC patients and demonstrated that miR-199a-3p regulates E-cadherin expression through Notch1 direct targeting in in vitro models. Moreover, we showed that a strong correlation exists between miR-199a-5p and miR-199a-3p in HCC specimens and that miR-199a-5p contributes to E-cadherin regulation as well, underlying the complex network of interaction carried out by miR-199a and its influence on tumor aggressiveness. In conclusion, our findings suggest the restoration of miR-199a-3p physiologic levels as a possible therapeutic strategy for the treatment of HCC.     

Inhibition of glypican-3 expression via RNA interference influences the growth and invasive ability of the MHCC97-H human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line

Glypican-3 (GPC3), a membrane-bound heparan sulfate proteoglycan, is found to be overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the possible role of GPC3 in the development of HCC. In this study, RNA interference (RNAi) with a GPC3 small hairpin RNA (GPC3 shRNA) was used to identify the effects of GPC3 on the regulation of malignant behaviors of HCC. MHCC97-H, a highly metastatic human HCC cell line in which GPC3 mRNA and protein levels were detected as the highest among the 4 HCC cell lines assessed in this study, and was thus selected as a cell model for in vitro and in vivo experiments. The results showed that down-regulation of GPC3 can significantly inhibit the proliferative and invasive ability of MHCC97-H. Compared with the parental HCC cells, GPC3-silenced cells exhibited attenuated capacities in developing tumors in nude mice, while the growth of tumor xenografts derived from these cells dramatically regressed. In conclusion, our results suggest that GPC3 contributes to the proliferation and metastasis of HCC and that it may be a potential molecular target for HCC treatment.     

索拉非尼对敏感人肝癌细胞株MAPK信号通路基因表达的影响

 目的：筛选对索拉非尼敏感的人肝癌细胞株,检测索拉非尼作用于敏感细胞株后MAPK信号通路基因表达谱的变化。方法：索拉非尼作用于人肝癌细胞株Huh7、 MHCC97H、 HepG2 、SMCC7721、 HepG2.2.15和PLC,流式细胞术检测肝癌细胞凋亡,CCK-8测定细胞增殖的抑制率,筛选敏感肝癌细胞株;采用实时定量PCR基因芯片,观察索拉非尼作用于敏感细胞株前后MAPK信号通路基因的表达。结果：索拉非尼作用后,流式细胞术的结果显示,凋亡较明显的细胞株为PLC和HepG2.2.15,相对不明显的细胞株为SMCC7721和MHCC97H;CCK-8测定索拉非尼对PLC、HepG2.2.15、Huh7、HepG2、MHCC97H和SMCC7721细胞的IC50值分别为5.25 μmol/L、5.30 μmol/L、6.80 μmol/L、7.01 μmol/L、11.7 μmol/L和15.0 μmol/L。对索拉非尼相对敏感细胞株和不敏感细胞株分别为PLC和SMCC7721。索拉非尼作用敏感细胞株PLC后,MAPK信号通路表达 >2.0倍的有2个,≤0.5倍的有6个。结论：PLC为对索拉非尼相对敏感的人肝癌细胞株;索拉非尼主要导致MAPK信号通路中与调控细胞周期和活化转录因子相关的基因表达发生变化。     

miR-137对肾癌GRC-1细胞增殖与凋亡的影响

目的 研究miR-137对肾癌GRC-1细胞增殖与凋亡的影响.方法 采用miR-137模拟物转染至肾癌GRC-1细胞,实验分为未转染组(未进行miR-137模拟物转染)、miR-137对照组(转染随机序列)、miR-137转染组(进行miR-137模拟物转染).荧光定量PCR检测各组转染后48h细胞中miR-137表达水平,应用噻唑蓝细胞增殖试验(MTT)、流式细胞检测技术与免疫荧光评价miR-137对肾癌GRC-1细胞增殖和凋亡的影响.结果 转染miR-137模拟物48h后,荧光定量PCR检测发现未转染组、miR-137对照组及miR-137转染组GRC-1细胞中miR-137的相对表达量依次为(24.43±2.03)％、(26.57±2.55)％、和(73.30±3.29)％,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).MTT细胞增殖实验与流式细胞仪检测结果显示,与未转染组、miR-137对照组相比,miR-137转染组转染48h后肾癌GRC-1细胞的增殖率显著降低,凋亡率显著升高,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05),而未转染组、miR-137对照组肾癌GRC-1细胞的增殖率、凋亡率比较差异无统计学意义(P＞0.02).结论 miR-137可明显抑制肾癌GRC-1细胞增殖和促进其凋亡,故有望成为肾癌基因治疗的新靶点.     

溶血磷脂酸对肝癌细胞迁移行为的影响及其相关机制

目的研究溶血磷脂酸(lysophosphatidic acid,LPA)对肝癌细胞MHCC97H迁移行为的影响,并探究其相关的分子机制。方法采用Transwell法检测LPA处理后MHCC97H细胞迁移的变化情况,并通过Rho相关蛋白激酶(ROCK)抑制剂Y-27632检测ROCK信号通路在其中的作用,利用免疫荧光染色和免疫印迹法检测LPA对MHCC97细胞骨架F-actin表达的影响,通过原子力显微镜检测LPA作用后MHCC97H细胞弹性模量的变化。结果LPA显著促进MHCC97H的迁移,ROCK抑制剂Y-27632可阻断LPA诱导的MHCC97H细胞迁移。LPA上调MHCC97H中F-actin的表达,减小MHCC97细胞的弹性模量。结论 LPA可能主要通过ROCK/F-actin通路降低肝癌细胞MHCC97H的硬度,从而促进其迁移行为。     

microRNA-137 modulates pancreatic cancer cells tumor growth,invasion and sensitivity to chemotherapy

Background: We intended to investigate the role of microRNA 137 (miR-137) in regulating pancreatic cancer cells’ growth in vitro and tumor development in vivo. Methods: QTR-PCR was used to examine the expression of miR-137 in pancreatic cancer cell lines and tumor cells from human patients. Lentivirual vector containing miR-137 mimic was used to overexpress miR-137 in PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 cells. The effects of overexpressing miR-137 on pancreatic cancer cell invasion and chemo-sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) were examined by cell migration and survival essays in vitro. The molecular target of miR-137, pleiotropic growth factor (PTN), was down-regulated by siRNA to examine its effects on cancer cell invasion. MIA PaCa-2 cells with endogenously overexpressed miR-137 were transplanted into null mice to examine tumor growth in vivo. Results: We found miR-137 was markedly underexpressed in both pancreatic cancer cell lines and tumor cells from patients. In cancer cells, transfection of lentivirus containing miR-137 mimic was able to markedly upregulate endogenous expression of miR-137, inhibited cancer cell invasion and increased sensitivities to chemotherapy reagent 5-FU. PTN was significantly down-regulated by overexpressing miR-137 in pancreatic cancer cells, and knocking down PTN was effective to rescue the reduced cancer cell invasion ability caused by miR-137 overexpression. More importantly, overexpressing miR-137 led to significant inhibition on tumor formation, including reductions in tumor weight and tumor size in vivo. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that miR-137 played an important role in pancreatic cancer development. It may become a new therapeutic target for gene therapy in patients suffered from pancreatic cancer.     

HBV HBx 蛋白调控肝癌细胞增殖的机制研究

目的 探讨 HBV HBx 蛋白调控肝癌细胞增殖的潜在机制。 方法 过表达 HBx 后, 检测肝癌细胞 HepG2 的增殖水平。 在过表达 Flag-HBx 的肝癌细胞 HepG2 中免疫共沉淀 HBx 后进行蛋白质质谱鉴定, Score 阈值设定为大于 50, Coverage 阈值设定为大于 10。 过表达 HBx 的肝癌细胞 HepG2 中, 使用 siRNA 敲 低质谱鉴定的相应基因, 检测 HepG2 的增殖水平。 结果 过表达 Flag-HBx 后, 肝癌细胞 HepG2 的增殖水 平上升 (P< 0. 05)。 与对照组比较, 敲低 MCUR1 后肝癌细胞 HepG2 的增殖水平下降 (P< 0. 05)。 与对照 组比较, 同时过表达 MCUR1 和 HBx 能够促进肝癌细胞 HepG2 的增殖 (P< 0. 05), 而仅过表达 MCUR1 对 肝癌细胞 HepG2 的增殖无显著影响。 与过表达 HBx 组比较, 过表达 HBx 的同时敲低 MCUR1 时肝癌细胞 HepG2 的增殖水平下降 (P< 0. 05)。 与对照组比较, 过表达 HBx 后肝癌细胞 HepG2 的 ROS 水平上升 (P< 0. 05); 与对照组比较, 过表达 HBx 的同时敲低 MCUR1 时肝癌细胞 HepG2 的 ROS 水平无显著变化。 与对 照组或过表达 HBx 组比较, 同时过表达 MCUR1 和 HBx 能够增加肝癌细胞 HepG2 的 ROS 水平 (P< 0. 05)。 与过表达 HBx 组比较, 过表达 HBx 的同时敲低 MCUR1 时肝癌细胞 HepG2 的增殖水平下降 (P< 0. 05), 但 这种下降能被 H2O2恢复。 与对照组比较, 过表达 HBx 后肝癌细胞 HepG2 中转录因子 Nrf2 在细胞核中的定 位增加 (P< 0. 05), 而过表达 HBx 的同时敲低 MCRU1 后 Nrf2 在细胞核中的定位无显著变化。 与对照组比 较, 过表达 HBx 后肝癌细胞 HepG2 中转录因子 Notch 的激活形式 NICD1 在细胞核中的定位增加 ( P< 0. 05), 而过表达 HBx 的同时 Nrf2 抑制剂 ML385 处理后 NICD1 在细胞核中的定位无显著变化。 与过表达 HBx 组比较, 过表达 HBx 的同时 ML385 处理后肝癌细胞 HepG2 的增殖水平下降 (P< 0. 05)。 与过表达 HBx 组比较, 过表达 HBx 的同时 Notch 抑制剂 IMR-1 处理后肝癌细胞 HepG2 的增殖水平下降 (P< 0. 05)。 结论 HBx 促进 HepG2 细胞增殖与 MCUR1 / ROS / Nrf2 / Notch 轴有关。     

Long non-coding RNA OIP5-AS1 promotes cell proliferation and aerobic glycolysis in gastric cancer through sponging miR-186

IntroductionLong non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play vital roles in tumour initiation and progression. LncRNA OIP5-AS1 is a potential oncogene in many types of human malignancies, but its biological functions in gastric cancer (GC) remain to be further elucidated.Material and methodsThe expression levels of OIP5-AS1 and miR-186 in GC tissues and cell lines were detected by RT-qPCR analysis. CCK-8 assay and colony formation assay were performed to investigate the proliferation of GC cells in vitro, and a nude mouse tumour model was established to validate the role of OIP5-AS1 in GC tumorigenesis in vivo. The glucose consumption and lactate production of GC cells were detected by ELISA assay. Interaction between OIP5-AS1 and miR-186 was determined using dual luciferase reporter assay.ResultsThe results demonstrated that OIP5-AS1 was upregulated in GC tissues and cell lines and that its high expression was notably correlated with aggressive clinicopathological features of GC patients. Functionally, knockdown of OIP5-AS1 inhibited GC cell proliferation and enhanced cell apoptosis in vitro, and inhibited GC xenograft growth in vivo. In addition, knockdown of OIP5-AS1 reduced the glucose consumption and lactate production in GC cells. In particular, OIP5-AS1 may function as a ceRNA for miR-186, and inhibition of miR-186 blocks the effects of OIP5-AS1 knockdown on aerobic glycolysis in GC cells.ConclusionsAccordingly, our findings suggested that the OIP5-AS1/miR-186 axis might be considered as a potential therapeutic target for GC patients.     

MircoRNA-129-5p suppresses the development of glioma by targeting HOXC10

BackgroundmiR-129-5p has been reported to be abnormally expressed and plays an important role in the progression of various malignancies. However, its role in gliomas and its exact molecular mechanism need further research.Methods and materialsRT-qPCR was performed to evaluate miR-129-5p and HOXC10 mRNA expression levels in tissues and cell lines. Cell proliferation was detected via Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) and clone formation assays. Luciferase assays were used to validate the binding of seeds between miR-129-5p and HOXC10. A tumor xenograft model was developed to study the effect of miR‐129-5p on glioma growth in vivo.ResultsmiR-129-5p was expressed at low levels in glioma tissues and cell lines. miR-129-5p overexpression inhibited glioma proliferation, migration and invasion. miR-129-5p negatively and directly targeted HOXC10. At the same time, HOXC10 was upregulated in glioma cancer, and HOXC10 knockdown inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion.ConclusionmiR-129-5p inhibits glioma development by altering HOXC10 expression and may therefore serve as a new diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for glioma in the future.