Expression of urokinase-type plasminogen-activator (upa) and its receptor (upar) in human ovarian-cancer cells and in-vitro invasion capacity

Expression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), their inhibitor PAI-1 and the uPA-receptor (uPAR) was characterized in six human tumor cell lines (OV-MZ-6, -10, -13, -15, -19 and OVCAR-3) established from patients with cystadenocarcinoma of the ovary. The invasive potential of the ovarian cancer cell lines determined in an in vitro invasion assay did neither correlate with the antigen level of uPA, t-PA, PAI-1 or uPAR nor with the cell surface uPA activity, however, did correlate with the cell surface-bound plasmin activity. The in vitro invasiveness of three cancer cell lines selected displaying a different pattern of uPA and uPAR expression was significantly inhibited by a recombinant soluble truncated form of the uPAR functioning as a scavenger for uPA. Our results suggest that the interference of the uPA/uPAR interaction leads to a reduced in vitro invasiveness of human ovarian cancer cells independent of the level of uPA and uPAR expression.     

EB病毒LMP1羧基端胞浆区介导端粒酶活化

目的 探讨EB病毒LMP1羧基端胞浆区与端粒酶活化的关系。方法 利用四环素衍生物强力霉素(Dox)调控LMP1表达的鼻咽癌细胞p^Tet-on-LMP1 HNE2，检测Dox诱导时细胞表达的端粒酶活性；将野生型LMP1表达质粒及其羧基端胞浆区、CTAR1功能域和CTAR2功能域分别缺失的表达质粒分别转染LMP1阴性的鼻咽癌细胞HNE2，观察端粒酶活性的变化情况。结果 在Dox诱导下，细胞表达的端粒酶活性较强；若HNE2细胞转染LMP1基因后，端粒酶活性明显升高。将LMP1羧基端胞浆区完全缺失后，端粒酶活性明显下降；若分别缺失CTAR1功能域和CRAR2功能域，端粒酶活性分别下降了4．43倍和2．88倍。结论 EB病毒LMP1可活化端粒酶活性，这一功能与LMP1羧基端胞浆区，特别是其功能域CTAR1和CTAR2密切相关。     

EBV latent membrane protein 1 effects on plakoglobin, cell growth, and migration

Latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1), the major oncoprotein of EBV, is likely responsible for many of the altered cellular growth properties in EBV-associated cancers, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this study, the effects of LMP1 on cell growth and migration were studied in the context of the EBV-positive C666-1 NPC cell line. In the soft agar transformation and Transwell metastasis assays, LMP1 enhanced cell growth and migration through activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) signaling. Inhibitors of PI3K, Akt, and NF-kappaB signaling dramatically reduced these enhanced properties. An IkappaBalpha super-repressor also blocked these effects. However, constitutive activation of Akt alone did not alter cell growth, suggesting that both PI3K/Akt and NF-kappaB activation are required by LMP1. These enhanced effects required the full-length LMP1 encompassing both the PI3K/Akt-activating COOH-terminal activation region (CTAR) 1 and the nonredundant NF-kappaB-activating regions CTAR1 and CTAR2. LMP2A, a latent protein that is also frequently expressed in NPC, similarly activates the PI3K/Akt pathway; however, its overexpression in C666-1 cells did not affect cell growth or migration. LMP1 also decreased expression of the junctional protein plakoglobin, which was shown to be partially responsible for enhanced migration induced by LMP1. This study reveals that in epithelial cells the transforming properties of LMP1 require activation of both PI3K/Akt and NF-kappaB and shows that the loss of plakoglobin expression by LMP1 is a significant factor in the enhanced migration.     

EBV-LMP1对鼻咽癌细胞系CNE1细胞转移相关因素的影响

背景与目的:已证实EB病毒(Epstein-Barrvirus,EBV)编码的潜伏膜蛋白1(latentmembraneprotein1,LMP1)能够诱导鼻咽癌细胞中基质金属蛋白酶9(matrixmetalloproteinase-9,MMP-9)的表达。本实验的目的是观察EB病毒潜伏膜蛋白1(EBV-LMP1)对鼻咽癌细胞系CNE1细胞转移相关因素的影响,探讨LMP1在鼻咽癌侵袭、转移过程中的作用。方法:用免疫组化法及Westernblot法检测CNE1-GL(转染LMP1基因的CNE1细胞)和CNE1细胞中MMP-9的表达情况;用细胞-基质粘附实验、细胞运动实验和肿瘤细胞重组基底膜侵袭实验检测LMP1对CNE1细胞粘附、运动及侵袭能力的影响。结果:免疫组化法及Westernblot法结果均显示CNE1-GL细胞中MMP-9的表达明显高于CNE1细胞(P<0.05);肿瘤细胞-基质粘附实验结果显示,CNE1-GL的粘附能力(平均吸光度值为1.2508±0.0711),高于CNE1细胞(平均吸光度值为0.9519±0.068),两者相比差异有显著性(P<0.01)。运动实验及重组基底膜侵袭实验结果均显示,穿过游离的聚乙烯吡咯烷酮膜(polyvinylpyrroli-done-free,PVP-F)的CNE1-GL细胞数明显高于CNE1细胞(P<0.01)。结论:LMP1能够诱导CNE1细胞中MMP-9的表达,且增强CNE1细胞与基底膜的粘附能力、运动能力及侵袭能力。     

Epstein-Barr Virus latent membrane protein 1 induces Snail and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Background:

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is distinctive among head-and-neck cancers in its undifferentiated histopathology and highly metastatic character. We have recently investigated the involvement of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in NPC. In a previous study, we found a close association of expression of LMP1, the principal EBV oncoprotein, with expression of Twist and induction of EMT.

Methods:

We analysed expression of Snail in 41 NPC tissues by immunohistochemistry. The role of Twist as well as Snail in EMT of NPC was investigated by using NP69SV40T human nasopharyngeal cells.

Results:

In NPC tissues, overexpression of Snail is associated with expression of LMP1 in carcinomatous cells. In addition, expression of Snail positively correlated with metastasis and independently correlated inversely with expression of E-cadherin. Expression of Twist had no association with expression of E-cadherin. Further, in a human nasopharyngeal cell line, LMP1 induces EMT and its associated cellular motility and invasiveness. Expression of Snail is induced by LMP1 in these cells, and small hairpin RNA (shRNA) to Snail reversed the cellular changes. By contrast, Twist did not produce EMT in these nasopharyngeal cells.

Conclusions:

This study strengthens the association of EMT with the metastatic behaviour of NPC. These results suggest that induction of Snail by the EBV oncoprotein LMP1 has a pivotal role in EMT in NPC.     

EB病毒感染及抗凋亡基因Bc1—2与鼻咽癌关系的研究

作者应用免疫组化ＳＰ法观察了４６例鼻咽癌组织中抗凋亡基因Ｂｃ１－２和ＥＢ病毒潜在膜蛋白（ＬＭＰ－１）的表达。结果显示ＬＭＰ－１的表达率为５２．２％，其中以低分化癌的阳性率较高（８２．６％）；Ｂｃ１－２蛋白在鼻咽癌中出现异常高表达（阳性率为８２．６％），Ｂｃ１－２的表达率与鼻咽癌组织学分级无显著性差异（Ｐ＞０．０５）；Ｂｃ１－２表达与ＬＭＰ－１的阳性率无明显相关（Ｐ＞０．０５）。表明Ｂｃ１－２异常表达和ＥＢ病毒感染均可能与鼻咽癌发生有关。     

Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein 1 CTAR1 mediates rodent and human fibroblast transformation through activation of PI3K

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus associated with a variety of malignancies including nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The EBV-encoded latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) is considered the EBV oncogene as it is necessary for EBV-induced B-lymphocyte transformation and has been shown to transform rodent fibroblasts. LMP1 contains two signaling domains, the carboxy-terminal activating region 1 and 2 (CTAR1 and CTAR2), by which NF-kappaB, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), mitogen-activated protein kinase, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase are activated. In this study, the role of CTAR1 and CTAR2 in LMP1-mediated transformation of rodent fibroblasts was analysed. CTAR1 was found to be necessary for rodent fibroblast transformation, whereas CTAR2 was dispensable. The activation of the PI3K pathway in Rat-1 cells by LMP1 and LMP1-CTAR1 in transformed cells resulted in phosphorylated Akt and phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3beta. The role of PI3K and NF-kappaB activation in LMP1-mediated transformation was further analysed using the chemical inhibitors LY294002 and BAY 11-7085. LY294002 inhibited CTAR1-induced focus formation and anchorage-independent growth, whereas BAY 11-7085 did not inhibit focus formation or anchorage-independent growth. Similar studies in human fibroblasts confirmed that LMP1-CTAR1 also mediates aberrant growth, phosphorylation of Akt, and decreased levels of p27. These findings indicate that LMP1-mediated rodent fibroblast transformation is dependent upon activation of PI3K and Akt and is independent of activation of NF-kappaB.     

Association of latent membrane protein 1 and matrix metalloproteinase 9 with metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a highly metastatic carcinoma whose consistent association with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been established. Latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1), an EBV membrane protein expressed in latent infection, is considered to be the EBV oncoprotein. Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), one of the MMP families, degrades Type IV collagen, a major component of extracellular matrix and is believed to be crucial for cancer invasion and metastasis. Although MMP9 is reported to be expressed in a variety of cancers, no reports concerning NPC have been published to date to the authors' knowledge. Recently, the authors have shown that LMP1 induces MMP9 in vitro cell line, which suggests the possibility of a mechanism in which LMP1 of EBV contributes to the metastasis and tumorigenesis of NPC by the induction of MMP9. METHODS: The expressions of LMP1 and MMP9 were immunohistochemically examined in 38 NPC sections, and the relation of these proteins were statistically analyzed. The authors also analyzed the associations of these proteins with clinical features. RESULTS: Both LMP1 and MMP9 proteins were predominantly immunolocalized in cancer nests. The expression of MMP9 showed a significant positive correlation with the expression of LMP1 (r = 0.75; P < 0.0001). Also, the expression of MMP9 correlated with lymph node metastasis (P = 0. 0004). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the induction of MMP9 by LMP1 contributes to the metastatic potential of NPC.     

鼻咽癌尿激酶型纤溶酶原激活物及VEGF 表达与侵袭转移关系

 目的　探讨鼻咽癌 ( NPC)组织尿激酶型纤溶酶原激活物 ( u PA)及血管内皮细胞生长因子 ( VEGF)表达与癌生物学行为的关系。方法　采用免疫组织化学方法检测了 45例 NPC组织中的 u PA及 VEGF表达。结果　NPC有淋巴结转移组 u PA及 VEGF的阳性率较无淋巴结转移组高 ,复发或远处转移组与无复发组之间有显著性差异 ;u PA与 VEGF表达有相关性 ( P<0 .0 5 )。结论　u PA与 VEGF与鼻咽癌的浸润及转移密切相关 ,在鼻咽癌的发生、发展和转移过程中可能起促进作用.     

Phenotypic alterations induced by the Hong Kong-prevalent Epstein-Barr virus-encoded LMP1 variant (2117-LMP1) in nasopharyngeal epithelial cells

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is closely associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a common cancer in Hong Kong. The EBV-encoded LMP1 protein is believed to play an important role in cell transformation. We have previously identified a prevalent LMP1 variant (2117-LMP1) that is expressed in 86% of primary NPC in Hong Kong. In this study, the biologic phenotypes induced by 2117-LMP1 were compared with those of the prototypic B95.8-LMP1 in an immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelial cell line, NP69. The 2117-LMP1 could induce cell proliferation and resistance to apoptosis induced by growth factor deprivation. Expression of 2117-LMP1 also suppressed expression of p16, p21 and Bax but induced expression of CDK2 and A20. Compared with B95.8-LMP1, 2117-LMP1 could induce a higher migration ability in NP69 cells but was less efficient in inducing morphologic changes, anchorage-independent growth and cell invasion. Relatively weaker ability of 2117-LMP1 than B95.8-LMP1 in upregulation of vimentin, VEGF and MMP9 as well as in downregulation of E-cadherin was observed. 2117-LMP1 could activate higher level of NF-kappaB activity in HEK 293 cells than B95.8-LMP1. The present study supports a role of 2117-LMP1 in NPC development by enhancing cell proliferation, cell death inhibition and migration in premalignant nasopharyngeal epithelial cells. Furthermore, our study reveals significant functional differences between 2117-LMP1 and the prototypic B95.8-LMP1. Our results provide insights into the pathologic significance of this prevalent LMP1 variant, 2117-LMP1, in the development of NPC in the Hong Kong population.     

LIM kinase 1 increases tumor metastasis of human breast cancer cells via regulation of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator system

Mammalian LIM kinase 1 (LIMK1) phosphorylates and inactivates the actin-binding and -depolymerizing factor cofilin and induces actin cytoskeletal changes. LIMK1 is reported to play an important role in cell motility, but the mechanism of induction of cell motility and the role of LIMK1 in tumor growth, angiogenesis and invasion are poorly understood. Here we show that expression of LIMK1 in MDA-MB-435 human breast cancer cells enhanced cell proliferation and cell invasiveness and promoted in vitro angiogenesis. Since tumor metastasis requires degradation of the extracellular matrix by the serine protease urokinase type plasminogen activator (uPA), we examined the role of LIMK1 in the regulation of uPA/uPAR system. LIMK1 overexpression in breast cancer cells upregulated the uPA system, increased uPA promoter activity, induced uPA and uPAR mRNA and protein expression and induced uPA secretion. In contrast, cells transfected with the catalytically inactive LIMK mutant D460N-LIMK1 did not exhibit these phenotypic changes. Blocking antibodies against uPA and uPAR suppressed LIMK1-induced cell invasiveness. In addition, LIMK1 overexpression increased tumor growth in female athymic nude mice, promoted tumor angiogenesis and induced metastasis to livers and lungs, possibly by increasing uPA expression in the tumors. Finally, LIMK1 and uPAR were coordinately overexpressed in human breast tumors. These results suggested an important role for LIMK1 signaling in breast cancer tumor growth, angiogenesis and invasion and a regulatory connection between LIMK1 and the uPA system.     

Downregulation of urokinase plasminogen activator receptor expression inhibits Erk signalling with concomitant suppression of invasiveness due to loss of uPAR-beta1 integrin complex in colon cancer cells

Cancer invasion is regulated by cell surface proteinases and adhesion molecules. Interaction between specific cell surface molecules such as urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) and integrins is crucial for tumour invasion and metastasis. In this study, we examined whether uPAR and beta1 integrin form a functional complex to mediate signalling required for tumour invasion. We assessed the expression of uPAR/beta1 integrin complex, Erk signalling pathway, adhesion, uPA and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression, migration/invasion and matrix degradation in a colon cancer cell line in which uPAR expression was modified. Antisense inhibition of the cell surface expression of uPAR by 50% in human colon carcinoma HCT116 cells (A/S) suppressed Erk-MAP kinase activity by two-fold. Urokinase plasminogen activator receptor antisense treatment of HCT116 cells was associated with a 1.3-fold inhibition of adhesion, approximately four-fold suppression of HMW-uPA secretion and inhibition of pro-MMP-9 secretion. At a functional level, uPAR antisense resulted in a four-fold decline in migration/invasion and abatement of plasmin-mediated matrix degradation. In empty vector-transfected cells (mock), uPA strongly elevated basal Erk activation. In contrast, in A/S cells, uPA induction of Erk activation was not observed. Urokinase plasminogen activator receptor associated with beta1 integrin in mock-transfected cells. Disruption of uPAR-beta1 integrin complex in mock-transfected cells with a specific peptide (P25) inhibited uPA-mediated Erk-MAP kinase pathway and inhibited migration/invasion and plasmin-dependent matrix degradation through suppression of pro-MMP-9/MMP-2 expression. This novel paradigm of uPAR-integrin signalling may afford opportunities for alternative therapeutic strategies for the treatment of cancer.