TMZ regulates GBM stemness via MMP14-DLL4-Notch3 pathway

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most aggressive primary brain tumors with frequent recurrences following the standard methods of treatment—temozolomide (TMZ), ionizing radiation and surgical resection. The objective of our study was to investigate GBM resistance mediated via MMP14 (matrix metalloproteinase 14). We used multiple PDX GBM models and established glioma cell lines to characterize expression and subcellular localization of MMP14 after TMZ treatment. We performed a Kiloplex ELISA-based array to evaluate changes in cellular proteins induced by MMP14 expression and translocation. Lastly, we conducted functional and mechanistic studies to elucidate the role of DLL4 (delta-like canonical notch ligand 4) in regulation of glioma stemness, particularly in the context of its relationship to MMP14. We detected that TMZ treatment promotes nuclear translocation of MMP14 followed by extracellular release of DLL4. DLL4 in turn stimulates cleavage of Notch3, its nuclear translocation and induction of sphering capacity and stemness.     

Transforming growth factor-beta activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase is independent of Smad2 and Smad3 and regulates fibroblast responses via p21-activated kinase-2

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) stimulates cellular proliferation and transformation to a myofibroblast phenotype in vivo and in a subset of fibroblast cell lines. As the Smad pathway is activated by TGF-beta in essentially all cell types, it is unlikely to be the sole mediator of cell type-specific outcomes to TGF-beta stimulation. In the current study, we determined that TGF-beta receptor signaling activates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) in several fibroblast but not epithelial cultures independently of Smad2 and Smad3. PI3K activation occurs in the presence of dominant-negative dynamin and is required for p21-activated kinase-2 kinase activity and the increased proliferation and morphologic change induced by TGF-beta in vitro.     

Overexpression of Nodal induces a metastatic phenotype in pancreatic cancer cells via the Smad2/3 pathway

Metastasis is the major cause for the high mortality rate of pancreatic cancer. Human embryonic stem cell (hESC) associated genes frequently correlate with malignant disease progression. Recent studies have demonstrated that the embryonic protein Nodal, which plays a critical role during embryonic development, is re-expressed in several types of tumors and promotes cancers progression. However, little is known about the role of Nodal in pancreatic cancer. Here, we show that Nodal expression is upregulated in human pancreatic cancer tissues. Moreover, Nodal expression levels correlate well with the grade of pancreatic cancer differentiation. In addition, we present clear evidence that Nodal induces signal transduction through the Smad2/3-dependent pathway in vitro. Furthermore, we show that Nodal promotes pancreatic cancer cell migration and invasion, induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and enhances the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2) and CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4). Using an in vivo liver metastasis model of pancreatic cancer, we observed that blocking Nodal signaling activity with the small-molecule inhibitor SB431542 decreases the number and size of liver metastases. Taken together, our results suggest that Nodal overexpression induces a metastatic phenotype in pancreatic cancer cells, and that targeting Nodal signaling may be a promising therapeutic strategy for pancreatic cancer.     

MOB1A regulates glucose deprivation-induced autophagy via IL6-STAT3 pathway in gallbladder carcinoma

MOB kinase activator 1A (MOB1A) plays an important role in many diseases and cancers. Here, we observed that MOB1A was substantially overexpressed in gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) tissues compared with nontumor tissues. The high expression of MOB1A was closely associated with poor survival in patients with GBC at advanced TNM stages. Furthermore, our study indicated that MOB1A promoted autophagy by activating the IL6/STAT3 signaling pathway and regulating the chemosensitivity to gemcitabine under glucose deprivation conditions both in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, these findings suggested that MOB1A is critical for the development of GBC via the MOB1A-IL6/STAT3-autophagy axis.     

The adenosine-A2a receptor regulates the radioresistance of gastric cancer via PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway

International Journal of Clinical Oncology - Radiotherapy is a key strategy in gastric cancer (GC) treatment. However, radioresistance remains a serious concern. It is unclear whether the...     

胃癌细胞中COX-2通过NF-κB/Snail调控E-cadherin表达的机制

目的 探讨COX-2调控E-cadherin表达的相关信号通路及分子机制,揭示COX-2与胃癌侵袭转移的关系及作用机制.方法 采用不同浓度的选择性COX-2抑制剂塞来昔布干预人胃癌细胞株SGC-7901不同时间后,应用实时荧光定量RT-PCR法和Western blot法检测SGC-7901细胞中COX-2、NF-κB、Snail及E-cadherin mRNA和蛋白的表达情况.结果 随着塞来昔布作用剂量的增大和干预时间的延长,COX-2、NF-κB和Snail mRNA及蛋白的表达量均显著下降(P＜0.05),呈剂量和时间依赖性降低;E-cadherin mRNA及蛋白的表达量上升(P＜0.05),呈剂量和时间依赖性升高.采用Spearman相关分析,显示COX-2与NF-κB及COX-2与Snail蛋白表达呈正相关性(r =0.881,P＜0.01;r =0.839,P＜0.01);COX-2与E-cadherin蛋白表达呈负相关性(r=-0.814,P＜0.01).结论 COX-2可能通过NF-κB/Snail信号通路调控E-cadherin的表达,进而参与胃癌的浸润转移过程.     

miRNA-200c通过抑制Akt通路提高胃癌SGC7901/DDP细胞对顺铂的敏感性

目的:研究miRNA-200c对人胃癌耐药SGC7901/DDP细胞顺铂敏感性的影响及其机制。方法:Western blotting检测SGC7901/DDP及其亲代SGC7901细胞E-cadherin、PTEN、p-Akt及总Akt蛋白的表达;瞬时转染miRNA-200c前体(miR-NA-200c precursor,Pre-200c)提高SGC7901/DDP细胞miRNA-200c的表达,MTT法检测转染后SGC7901/DDP细胞对顺铂的敏感性,并分析p-Akt表达的改变;应用Akt通路抑制剂LY94002处理SGC7901/DDP细胞抑制Akt磷酸化,检测处理后细胞对顺铂的敏感性。结果:与SGC7901细胞相比,SGC7901/DDP细胞中p-Akt蛋白的表达量显著增高(1.02±0.09 vs 0.17±0.02,P<0.05),E-cadherin、PTEN蛋白的表达量显著降低(0.10±0.03 vs 0.47±0.06,0.18±0.06 vs 0.87±0.06;均P<0.05)。转染Pre-200c后,顺铂对SGC7901/DDP细胞的IC50显著低于对照组[(7.52±0.19)vs(12.18±0.29)mg/L,P<0.05],细胞中p-Akt蛋白的表达量也显著低于对照组(0.22±0.04 vs 0.69±0.09,P<0.05);LY94002处理后,SGC7901/DDP细胞p-Akt蛋白的表达显著抑制(0.18±0.06 vs 0.66±0.10,P<0.05),顺铂对细胞的IC50显著低于对照组[(6.80±0.28)vs(11.94±1.73)mg/L,P<0.05]。结论:SGC7901/DDP细胞的耐药可能与E-cadherin和PTEN蛋白的表达缺失及Akt通路的异常激活有关,而miRNA-200c提高该细胞对顺铂的敏感性可能是通过抑制Akt通路而发挥作用。     

CD133 negatively regulates tumorigenicity via AKT pathway in synovial sarcoma

Synovial sarcoma (SS) is an aggressive tumor that accounts for almost 10% of all soft tissue sarcomas. In this study, we found the expression of CD133 in human SS specimens, thus, we focused on the function of CD133 in SS. Separation of the CD133-positive and -negative subpopulations in SS cell lines clarified that the CD133-negative subpopulation exhibited enhanced growth and hyperphosphorylation of AKT. Treatment of Akt inhibitor suppressed the cell growth of CD133-negative subpopulation to the levels of CD133-positive cells. These results suggest that CD133 has negative effect on the growth of cells through AKT-dependent signalling pathway.     

Anthracenedione derivative 1403P-3 induces apoptosis in KB and KBv200 cells via reactive oxygen species-independent mitochondrial pathway and death receptor pathway

Anthracenedione derivatives are potent cytotoxic agents to tumor cells. In this study, we investigated the anticancer activities of anthracenedione derivative 1403P-3 separated from the secondary metabolites of the mangrove endophytic fungus No. 1403. Our results demonstrated that 1403P-3 showed potent cytotoxicity not only to human epidermoid carcinoma drug-sensitive parental KB cells but also to multidrug resistant (MDR) KBv200 cells and the IC50 values were 19.66 and 19.27 muM, respectively. Further research indicated that 1403P-3 induced apoptosis in KB cells and KBv200 cells confirmed by Hoechst 33258 staining, detection of DNA fragmentation and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Furthermore, apoptosis triggered by 1403P-3 was characterized by the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)), release of cytochrome c, cleavage of Bid, and activation of caspases-2, -3, -7, -8 and -9. Z-IETD-FMK, caspase-8 inhibitor could inhibit the activation of caspase-2 and cleavage of Bid induced by 1403P-3. However, activation of caspase-9 and cleavage of PARP caused by 1403P-3 were not inhibited by Z-IETD-FMK. Additionally, 1403P-3 did not influence the expression level of Bcl-2 and Bax. It is noteworthy that 1403P-3 decreased the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in KB cells and KBv200 cells. DNA binding assay exhibited that apoptosis induced by 1403P-3 was not involved in intercalating to DNA. In summary, 1403P-3 induced apoptosis of KB cells and KBv200 cells through mitochondrial pathway and death receptor pathway. Furthermore, the mitochondrial pathway was independent of reactive oxygen species and activation of caspase-8.     

p21WAF1 regulates anchorage-independent growth of HCT116 colon carcinoma cells via E-cadherin expression

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21WAF1 has been characterized as an important effector of the tumor suppressor p53 and has been linked to various growth-regulatory processes. To identify a potential role of p21 in anchorage-dependent growth control, we analyzed a pair of HCT116 human colon carcinoma cell lines that differed only in their p21 status. We found that during suspension culture, HCT116 cells (which contain wildtype p53 and p21) continued to proliferate and formed compact multicellular spheroids (MCSs). In contrast, HCT116 cells engineered to lack functional p21 (HCTp21-/-) were unable to form MCSs in suspension culture, ceased proliferation, and eventually died through apoptosis. The parental HCT116 cells underwent the same fate when treated with hyaluronidase, indicating that cell-cell contact might be required for survival in suspension culture. We established that E-cadherin was induced in HCT116 but not in HCTp21-/- cells and accounted for the formation of MCSs. Forced expression of E-cadherin or p21 in HCTp21-/- cells restored the ability to form MCSs and to grow independently of anchorage. Moreover, HCTp21-/- cells exhibited a severely reduced transformed phenotype and demonstrated greatly enhanced chemosensitivity in suspension culture. Thus, our results link an important regulator of the cell cycle machinery to the expression of a cell-cell adhesion molecule involved in tumor formation. Because our results indicate that loss of p21 severely impairs the ability of HCT cells to grow independently of anchorage, it may not be coincidental that inactivating mutations of this gene are very rarely found in tumor cells.     

miRNA-141对胃癌细胞生长的抑制调节作用

目的:研究miRNA-141在胃癌细胞中的生物学功能。方法:定量PCR检测人胃黏膜细胞GES-1,胃癌细胞株BGC823、MGC803、SGC7901中miRNA-141的表达,通过miRNA-141 inhibitor、mimics分别抑制及促进miRNA-141的表达,观察癌细胞增殖、克隆形成、侵袭能力的变化。结果:胃癌细胞BGC823、MGC803、SGC7901中miRNA-141处于低表达状态。上调miRNA-141的表达后,miRNA-141明显抑制SGC7901细胞增殖（P<0.05）,抑制肿瘤细胞克隆形成（P<0.05）及癌细胞侵袭力（P<0.05）。结论:miRNA－141对胃癌细胞SGC7901具有负性调控作用,可以作为潜在的治疗靶点。     

MiR-200b/200c/429 subfamily negatively regulates Rho/ROCK signaling pathway to suppress hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis

MiR-200 family is an important regulator of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and has been implicated in human carcinogenesis. However, their expression and functions in human cancers remain controversial. In the work presented here, we showed that miR-200 family members were frequently down-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although all five members of miR-200 family inhibited ZEB1/2 expression in HCC cell lines, we showed that overexpression only of the miR-200b/200c/429 subfamily, but not the miR-200a/141 subfamily, resulted in impeded HCC cell migration. Further investigations led to the identification of RhoA and ROCK2 as specific down-stream targets of the miR-200b/200c/429 subfamily. We demonstrated that the miR-200b/200c/429 subfamily inhibited HCC cell migration through modulating Rho/ROCK mediated cell cytoskeletal reorganization and cell-substratum adhesion. Re-expression of miR-200b significantly suppressed lung metastasis of HCC cells in an orthotopic liver implantation model in vivo. In conclusion, our findings identified the miR-200b/200c/429 subfamily as metastasis suppressor microRNAs in human HCC and highlighted the functional discrepancy among miR-200 family members.     

Smad3 regulates senescence and malignant conversion in a mouse multistage skin carcinogenesis model

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) is a growth-inhibitory cytokine for epithelial cells. In the mouse multistage skin carcinogenesis model, defects in TGF-beta 1 signaling reduce senescence in vitro and accelerate malignant progression in vivo. However, the precise postreceptor signaling pathways and specific roles played by Smad proteins in this process have not been defined. Here we show that senescence of v-ras(Ha)-transduced Smad3 null keratinocytes is delayed, whereas overexpression of Smad3, but not Smad2 or Smad4, induced senescence. The TGF-beta 1 target genes c-myc and p15(ink4b) were deregulated in the absence of Smad3. When transplanted to a graft site on nude mice, the v-ras(Ha)-transduced Smad3 null keratinocytes underwent rapid conversion from benign papilloma to malignant carcinoma, whereas wild-type keratinocytes predominantly formed papillomas. These results link Smad3-mediated regulation of growth control genes to senescence in vitro and tumor suppression in vivo.     

Aquaporin-3 positively regulates matrix metalloproteinases via PI3K/AKT signal pathway in human gastric carcinoma SGC7901 cells

Background

matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are produced by tumor cells, so they may be associated with tumor progression including invasion, migration, angiogenesis and metastasis. Aquaporin-3 (AQP3) also plays a critical role in gastric cancer cell migration and proliferation.

Methods

In this study, AQP3 was silenced or over-expressed in SGC7901 cells.

Results

We found a significant decrease in MT1-MMP, MMP-2, and MMP-9 expression after AQP3 knockdown, and a significant increase in MT1-MMP, MMP-2, and MMP-9 expression after AQP3 over-expression in SGC7901 cells. We also found that AQP3 silence led to a significant decrease of phosphorylation of ser⁴⁷³ in AKT in SGC7901 cells.

Conclusion

Our findings showed that AQP3 might positively regulate MMPs proteins expression through PI3K/AKT signal pathway in human gastric carcinoma SGC7901 cells.     

EPHA3 regulates the multidrug resistance of small cell lung cancer via the PI3K/BMX/STAT3 signaling pathway

Tumor Biology - Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major obstacle to the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). EPHA3 has been revealed to be the most frequently mutated Eph receptor gene in lung...     

miRNA-21 regulates arsenic-induced anti-leukemia activity in myelogenous cell lines

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small noncoding RNA molecules involved in modulation of cellular sensitivity to anti-cancer drugs. miRNA-21 (miR-21), one of the most prominent miRNAs in the genesis and progression of many human cancers, has been rarely characterized in myelogenous leukemia. Arsenic trioxide (ATO) was successfully used in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) etc. However, cytotoxicity or insensitivity is a major concern in the successful treatment of leukemia. Here, we used a specific precursor miRNA-21 (pre-miR-21) or anti-miRNA-21 oligonucleotide (AMO-miR-21) to study sensitivity of HL60 and K562 cells to ATO. Cell viability and cell cycle were evaluated by MTT assay and PI assay using flow cytometry, respectively. Levels of miR-21 and its target PDCD4 were quantified by real-time PCR and/or western blot. AMO-miR-21 or ATO alone led to growth inhibition, apoptosis and G1 phase arrest of cell cycle. Apoptotic cells were confirmed morphologically with Hoechst staining. Moreover, there was somewhat synergistic effect of AMO-miR-21 and ATO in growth inhibition and apoptosis promotion. Meanwhile, enforced pre-miR-21 expression increased resistance to ATO, nevertheless not affecting cell growth alone. Dual-luciferase reporter vector containing two tandem PDCD4 3′ UTR validated that PDCD4 was directly up-regulated by miR-21. Therefore, miRNA-21 by targeting PDCD4 may play a functional role in modulating ATO-induced cell death, and strategy using AMO-miR-21 and its combination with ATO may be useful as a myelogenous leukemia therapy.