Cultured endothelial cells display endogenous activation of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway and express multiple ligands, receptors, and secreted modulators of Wnt signaling.

A growing body of evidence implicates Wnt signaling in the control of angiogenesis. To better understand the role of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway in endothelial cells (EC), we examined endogenous signaling activity and signaling component expression in vascular cells. We observed stabilization of cytosolic beta-catenin and activation of a T-cell factor (TCF) -luciferase promoter, hallmarks of canonical Wnt signaling activity, in cultured EC. This activity was increased in subconfluent EC, which are known to display characteristics of angiogenic EC, compared with confluent EC, which have a more differentiated phenotype. Endogenous TCF activity was inhibited by transfection with a secreted inhibitor of canonical Wnt signaling. A systematic analysis of Wnt, Fzd, SFRP, and Dkk gene expression in human EC (cultured and freshly isolated), smooth muscle cells (cultured), and aorta demonstrated that numerous Wnt signaling components are expressed by vascular cells. We conclude that Wnt signaling components are expressed and active in cultured EC.     

Lovastatin protects human neurons against Abeta-induced toxicity and causes activation of beta-catenin-TCF/LEF signaling

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive decline due to excess amyloid beta peptide (Abeta), neurofibrillary tangles, and neuronal loss. Abeta promotes neuronal apoptosis in AD by activating glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta), leading to degradation of beta-catenin and inactivation of Wnt signaling. beta-Catenin interacts with the T-cell factor (TCF)/Lymphoid enhancer factor (LEF)-nuclear complex to mediate Wnt signaling and cell survival. Statins are associated with decreased prevalence of AD. Lovastatin has been shown to decrease the production of Abeta and to promote neuronal survival. The mechanisms of how statins promote neuronal survival are unclear. We propose that the neuroprotective effect of lovastatin may be due to inactivation of GSK-3beta activity, resulting in induction of Wnt signaling. Here, we report that lovastatin prevented Abeta-induced apoptosis in human SK-NSH cells. This was accompanied by reduction in active GSK-3beta, and increased nuclear translocation of beta-catenin, TCF-3, and LEF-1. Lovastatin treatment induced an increase in TCF/LEF-chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene reporter activity. More importantly, beta-catenin and TCF were required for the neuroprotective function of lovastatin. Our results suggest that lovastatin protects neuronal cells from Abeta-induced apoptosis and causes reduction in GSK-3beta activity, resulting in activation of Wnt signaling.     

Wnt/β-catenin信号因子在HepG2以及L02细胞中的表达

目的:比较Wnt/β-catenin信号分子在HepG2和L02细胞中的表达,探讨Wnt/β-catenin信号转导通路在肝癌发生中的作用机制,为肝癌的防治提供新的思路。方法:选取Wnt/β-catenin信号转导通路中上下游关键因子Wnt1、Wnt4、β-catenin、cyclin D1以及c-myc等,应用RT-PCR的方法观察他们在正常肝脏L02细胞和肝癌HepG2细胞中的转录水平。用免疫细胞化学染色方法和Western blot检测研究Wnt/β-catenin信号转导通路中最关键的成员β-catenin在上述2个细胞株中的定位和定量表达。结果:在正常的L02肝细胞中,用RT-PCR的方法未检测到Wnt1、Wnt4、cyclin D1以及c-myc的mRNA转录,只有β-catenin的基因被转录表达。同时用免疫细胞化学染色观察到β-catenin在L02细胞膜处存在表达。而在HepG2肿瘤细胞中,不仅检测到β-catenin的基因转录,同时也检测到Wnt1、cyclin D1以及c-myc的mRNA转录,只有Wnt4未转录。用免疫细胞化学的方法观察β-catenin在肿瘤细胞中的表达明显增强,表现为胞膜着色减弱而胞质甚至是胞核的阳性染色。采用Western blot检测也验证了β-catenin蛋白在肿瘤细胞中的表达水平明显高于正常细胞。结论:Wnt/β-catenin信号转导通路在人的肝癌细胞HepG2中存在异常活性,Wnt1可能是导致信号通路激活的始动因素之一。     

长链非编码BANCR通过激活Wnt/β-catenin信号通路调控黑色素瘤细胞迁移和侵袭行为

目的：探究长链非编码BANCR调控黑色素瘤细胞迁移和侵袭行为及其相关机制。方法：qPCR检测BANCR在黑色素瘤患者中的表达和临床病理特征间的关系。Kaplan-Meier法分析BANCR的表达与黑色素瘤患者生存之间的关系;Transwell侵袭实验检测BANCR对黑色素瘤细胞侵袭能力的影响;划痕愈合实验检测BANCR对黑色素瘤细胞迁移能力的影响;Western blot检测抑制BANCR后Wnt/β-catenin信号通路蛋白的表达情况。结果：BANCR在黑色素瘤中高表达,而且在淋巴结转移或病理分期越高的患者中越显著;BANCR的表达越高,黑色素瘤患者生存越差;抑制BANCR表达可以降低黑色素瘤细胞的侵袭和迁移能力;沉默BANCR后,Wnt/β-catenin信号通路中β-catenin和c-myc蛋白表达下调。结论：长链非编码BANCR在黑色素瘤患者中普遍存在高表达,而且与患者生存时间呈负相关,同时它也能通过激活Wnt/β-catenin信号通路调控黑色素瘤细胞迁移和侵袭能力。     

穿心莲内酯对骨肉瘤143B细胞的抑制作用及其机制

目的:探究穿心莲内脂(AG)对人骨肉瘤143B细胞的抑制作用及其潜在的机制。方法:体外培养人骨肉瘤143B细胞,使用不同浓度(0～20μmol/L)的AG处理143B细胞,分别用结晶紫染色、MTT法和集落形成实验来检测AG对143B细胞增殖的影响。划痕愈合实验检测骨肉瘤143B细胞的迁移能力。Transwell小室实验检测骨肉瘤143B细胞的侵袭能力。Hoechst 33258染色实验和流式细胞术检测AG对骨肉瘤细胞凋亡的影响。不同浓度AG处理后,使用Western blot检测骨肉瘤细胞增殖、迁移侵袭和凋亡相关蛋白的水平。应用Western blot进一步检测Wnt信号通路中的β-catenin及其相关分子c-Myc的表达量。结果:与空白组相比,AG处理组中143B骨肉瘤细胞的增殖、迁移和侵袭能力明显受到抑制(P<0. 05),且呈浓度依赖性。迁移侵袭相关蛋白基质金属蛋白酶9(MMP-9)、波形蛋白(vimentin)和Snail蛋白的水平均下调(均P<0. 05),抗凋亡蛋白Bcl-2表达量升高,凋亡相关蛋白caspase-3的蛋白水平下降而cleaved caspas...     

不同浓度Dlll4调节绒毛外滋养细胞的生物学功能

背景：早孕时期绒毛外滋养细胞功能的正常发挥对妊娠有着至关重要的影响,绒毛外滋养细胞功能异常时将导致子痫前期、胎儿生长受限及胎盘植入等多种妊娠期疾病。 目的：探讨Notch信号家族配体Dll4对绒毛外滋养细胞的生物学功能的影响。 方法：以不同质量浓度外源性Dll4(0,0.125,0.25,0.5,1.0 mg/L)处理人绒毛外滋养细胞系HTR-8/SVneo,以CCK-8试验检测细胞活性,Transwell实验检测细胞迁移、侵袭能力的改变。 结果与结论：Dll4可明显促进绒毛外滋养细胞迁移与侵袭能力,而对细胞活性不产生显著影响;Dlll4对绒毛外滋养细胞侵袭功能的影响具有浓度依赖性。结果提示Dll4可通过调节绒毛外滋养细胞生物学功能,在妊娠过程很中发挥重要作用。  中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：组织构建;骨细胞;软骨细胞;细胞培养;成纤维细胞;血管内皮细胞;骨质疏松;组织工程     

Silencing of WISP3 suppresses gastric cancer cell proliferation and metastasis and inhibits Wnt/β-catenin signaling

CCN6/Wnt1-inducible signaling protein-3 (CCN6/WISP3) is a cysteine-rich protein that belongs to the CCN (Cyr61, CTGF, Nov) family of matricellular proteins, which are often dysregulated in cancers. However, the functional role and clinical significance of WISP3 in gastric cancer remain unclear. In this study, we found that silencing of WISP3 suppressed gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Cell adhesion to collagens (collagen I and IV), but not to fibronectin, were significantly inhibited by silencing of WISP3. Furthermore, silencing of WISP3 prevented β-catenin transferring from cell cytoplasm to nuclear, and suppressed canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling and its downstream target genes, cyclin D1 and TCF-4. By immunohistochemical analysis of 379 patients, we found that the expression of WISP3 is closely associated with gastric cancer size and tumor invasion, and indicates a poor prognosis in both test cohort (253 patients) and validation cohort (126 patients). Moreover, the expression of WISP3 was positively correlated with the expression of cyclin D1 and TCF-4 in gastric cancer tissues. Taken together, our data suggests that WISP3 might be a promising prognostic factor and WISP3-Wnt/β-catenin axis may be a new therapeutic target for the intervention of gastric cancer growth and metastasis.     

Beta-catenin is a promising key factor in the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis on metastasis of pancreatic cancer

Metastasis is recently the most fearsome of cancer. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death. Morbidity and mortality from pancreatic cancer is conspicuously associated with metastasis. However, the mechanism of metastasis is not well described. Early studies mostly focus on the "soil and seed" hypothesis. Recently, the chemotaxis hypothesis has been paid more attention. Cancer cell with high expression of chemokine receptor will spread to the specific sites where the ligand is highly secreted. It has been demonstrated that SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling, one of the most important chemokine receptor-ligand complexes, was considered to play a critical role in pancreatic cancer organ-specific metastasis through some possible pathways. However, studies do not clarify the mechanism of SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling on pancreatic cancer progression. Beta-catenin, an important factor in canonical Wnt signaling pathway, also makes great contributions on cancer invasion and metastasis. It seems that Wnt/beta-catenin has a significant role in pancreatic cancer progression through interactions with different protein complexes. In the previous study of neural development, the relationship between SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling and beta-catenin has been described. It gave a clue to describe the correlation between SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling and Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. According to this, we postulate that beta-catenin is a promising key factor of SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling to regulate the metastasis of pancreatic cancer. With the stimulation of SDF-1 on highly metastatic pancreatic cancer cells, beta-catenin will separate from different complexes, translocate into the nucleus, trigger the expression of target genes and finally promote the migration of pancreatic cancer cells to specific sites. Through the observation of this crosstalk, it is possible to understand more clearly about the pancreatic cancer specific metastasis and to make some contributions on gene therapy of pancreatic cancer.     

Osteopontin facilitates invasion in human trophoblastic cells via promoting matrix metalloproteinase-9 in vitro

Successful implantation of embryo and placentation depend on proper trophoblast proliferation and differentiated into specialized invasive trophoblast. However, little is known about the regulatory factors and mechanisms in trophoblast proliferation and differentiation. Osteopontin (OPN) is a member of the small integrin-binding ligand N-linked glycoprotein family and participates in cell adhesion and invasion. It has been identified that OPN is highly expressed in invasive trophoblasts in human placenta. In this study, we demonstrated that OPN is constitutively expressed in highly invasive phenotype of human choriocarcinoma cell lines of JAR and JEG-3 cells, and OPN could promote trophoblast proliferation and invasion, partly through promoting MMP-9 secretion. Inhibition of OPN will compromise the abilities of proliferation and invasion in JAR and JEG-3 cell lines. Our data showed that the expression of OPN in trophoblast may participate in placentation, OPN expression defects may be involved in gestational trophoblastic diseases.     

Wnt signaling regulates transendothelial migration of monocytes

The Wnt-signaling pathway plays a critical role in directing cell fate during embryogenesis. Several lines of evidence also suggest a role in inflammatory processes. Here, we analyzed whether Wnt signaling plays a role in leukocyte inflammatory responses. Monocytes from healthy donors expressed different Frizzled receptors, which are ligands for the Wnt molecules. Activation of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway by LiCl or Wnt3a increased beta-catenin protein levels in monocytes but not in granulocytes. It is interesting that the activation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling via Wnt3a in monocytes resulted in a decrease in migration through an endothelial layer (human dermal microvascular endothelial cell-1). Further experiments revealed that the decrease in transendothelial migration was associated with specific monocyte adherence to endothelial cells after Wnt exposure. The specificity was verified by a lack of Wnt3a-induced adhesion to fibronectin, laminin, or collagen compared with endothelial interaction. Analysis of the distribution of beta-catenin revealed a Wnt3a-induced increase of beta-catenin in the cytoplasm. Wnt3a exposure did not result in any activation of the classical Wnt-target gene c-myc or a Wnt-target gene involved in cell adhesion (Connexin43). Our study implicates for the first time a role of canonical Wnt signaling in inflammatory processes in monocytes.     

Expression of uPAR in human trophoblast and its role in trophoblast invasion

Placental trophoblast cells differentiate into invasive trophoblasts or syncytiotrophoblasts. Abnormal trophoblast invasion results in pregnancy-associated disease and abortion. uPAR is a cell membrane-bound glycosylated protein, involved in physiological and pathological processes. However, uPAR expression in villi during threatened abortion and its role in trophoblast differentiation are unclear. We determined that, uPAR expression in the villi was reduced in threatened abortion patients than that in normal pregnancy. uPARsiRNA inhibited the potential for trophoblast migration and invasion in explants culture and HTR8/SVneo cells. It also enhanced forskolin-induced fusion of HTR8/SVneo cells. Overall, this study provides a possible reason for abortion.     

Cyclosporin A promotes proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression and migration of human cytotrophoblast cells via the mitgen-activated protein kinase-3/1-mediated nuclear factor-κB signaling pathways

Our previous studies have demonstrated that cyclosporin A (CsA) promotes the proliferation and migration of human trophoblasts via the mitgen-activated protein kinase-3/1 (MAPK3/1) pathway. In the present study, we further investigated the role of nuclear factor (NF)-κB in the CsA-induced trophoblast proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression and migration, and its relationship to MAPK3/1 signal. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the expression of PCNA in trophoblasts. The migration of human primary trophoblasts was determined by wound-healing assay and transwell migration assay. Western blot analysis was performed to evaluate the activation of NF-κB p65 and NF-κB inhibitory protein I-κB in human trophoblasts. We found that treatment with CsA promotes PCNA expression and migration of human trophoblast in a dose-associated manner. Blocking of the MAPK3/1 signal abrogated the enhanced PCNA expression and migration in trophoblasts by CsA. In addition, CsA increased the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 and the inhibitor I-κB in human trophoblasts in a time-related manner. Pretreatment with MAPK3/1 inhibitor U0126 abrogated the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 and I-κB. Accordingly, the CsA-induced enhancement of PCNA expression and migration in trophoblasts was also decreased. This CsA-induced enhancement in the expression and migration of trophoblasts was abolished by pretreatment with pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, a specific NF-κB inhibitor. Thus, our results suggest that CsA promotes PCNA expression and migration of human trophoblasts via MAPK-mediated NF-κB activation.