G-CSF increases secretion of urokinase-typeplasminogen activator by human lung cancer cells

We reported previously that granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) can promote the invasion ofhuman lung cancer cell lines in vitro. However, the exact mechanism of its stimulatory effect on invasionremains to be elucidated. In the present study we mainly focused our attention on the components of theplasminogen activation system in human lung cancer cell lines, because of the central role that plasminogenactivators play in regulating extracellular proteolysis. We showed that G-CSF induced a dose-dependentincrease in the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) activity in the conditioned medium of a PC-9lung cancer cell line. When the amounts of uPA activity were quantitated by densitometry, we found thateven at a concentration of 0.01 mg/ml, G-CSF had a stimulatory effect on the uPA release, while highconcentrations caused a 3.6-fold increase at a maximum concentration of 1 mg/ml. A Western blot analysisof the conditioned medium confirmed the findings observed in a zymographic analysis. The observed increasein uPA protein was paralleled by a significant increase in the uPA mRNA levels after treatment withG-CSF. However, our experiments failed to identify any alteration in the plasminogen activator inhibitor(PAI) secretion caused by G-CSF. In addition, we also found the expression of G-CSF receptor by PC-9cells, suggesting the possible pathway activated by G-CSF.©Kluwer Academic Publishers     

Plasminogen activator system modulates invasivecapacity and proliferation in prostatic tumor cells

The malignant phenotype of prostatic tumor cells correlates with the expression of both uPA and itscell-membrane receptor (uPAR); however, there is little information concerning the role of cell-bound uPAin matrix degradation and invasion. Our results suggest that cell-associated uPA plays a key role in regulat-ingthe amount of plasmin present at the surface of prostatic carcinoma (PRCA) cells and show that differ-entialproduction of uPA corresponds with the capacity to bind and activate plasminogen. In addition, weprovide direct evidence that both uPA secretion and the presence of uPA-uPAR complexes characterize theinvasive phenotype of PRCA cells and suggest the existence of several pathways by which tumor cells acquireplasmin activity. LNCaP cells (which do not produce uPA but express uPAR) may activate plasmin throughexogenous uPA. In vivo, the source of uPA may be infiltrating macrophages and/or fibroblasts as observedin several other systems. PAI-1 accumulation in the conditioned medium (CM) limits plasmin action to thepericellular microenvironment. Our results indicate that MMP-9 and MMP-2 are also activated by plasmingenerated by cell-bound but not by soluble, extracellular uPA. Plasmin activation and triggering of the pro-teolyticcascade involved in Matrigel invasion is blocked by antibodies against uPA (especially by anti- A-chainof uPA which interacts with uPAR) and by PA inhibitors such as p-aminobenzamidine which mayregulate levels of cell-bound uPA. uPA may also regulate growth in PRCA cells. Indeed, antibodies againstuPA A-chain (and also p-aminobenzamidine treatment) interfere with the ATF domain and inhibit cell growthin uPA-producing PC3 and DU145 prostate cancer cell lines, whereas exogenous uPA (HMW-uPA with ATF)induces growth of LNCaP prostate tumor cell line. These data support the hypothesis that in prostatic can-cerpatients at risk of progression, uPA/plasmin blockade may be of therapeutic value by blocking both growthof the primary tumor and dissemination of metastatic cells. ©Kluwer Academic Publishers     

HE4 suppresses the expression of osteopontin in mononuclear cells and compromises their cytotoxicity against ovarian cancer cells

Ovarian cancers are known to evade immunosurveillance and to orchestrate a suppressive immune microenvironment. Here we examine the role of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), an ovarian cancer biomarker, in immune evasion. Through modified subtractive hybridization analyses we have characterized the gene targets of HE4 in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and established a preliminary mechanism for HE4‐mediated immune failure in ovarian tumours. Upon exposure of purified PMBCs to HE4, osteopontin (OPN) and dual‐specificity phosphatase 6 (DUSP6) emerged as the most suppressed and up‐regulated genes, respectively. SKOV3 and OVCAR8, human ovarian carcinoma cell lines, exhibited enhanced proliferation in conditioned media from HE4‐exposed PBMCs, an effect that was attenuated by the addition of recombinant OPN or OPN‐inducible cytokines [interleukin (IL)‐12 and interferon (IFN)‐?]. Additionally, upon co‐culture with PBMCs, HE4‐silenced SKOV3 cells were found to be more susceptible to cytotoxic cell death. The relationship between HE4 and OPN was reinforced further through the analysis of serous ovarian cancer patient samples. In these biopsy specimens, the number of OPN⁺ T cells correlated positively with progression free survival (PFS) and inversely with serum HE4 level. Taken together, these findings show that HE4 enhances ovarian cancer tumorigenesis by compromising OPN‐mediated T cell activation.     

B7-H4基因对SKOV3细胞生长功能的影响

目的： 初步探讨B7-H4基因对人卵巢癌细胞株SKOV3细胞生长和致瘤性的影响。方法：RT-PCR法扩增编码基因, 构建真核表达载体PEGFP-N1/B7-H4,以脂质体为载体将重组质粒PEGFP-N1和PEGFP-N1/B7-H4分别导入SKOV3细胞中,筛选建立高表达的细胞株。MTT法绘制体外培养细胞生长曲线,将转染前后的肿瘤细胞分别接种于SCID小鼠的腹部皮下观察其致瘤性。结果：成功构建了人B7-H4真核表达载体,SKOV3/B7-H4细胞高表达B7-H4,转染后肿瘤细胞体外生长速度明显增快。SKOV3/B7-H4细胞在小鼠体内的致瘤性较SKOV3/neo细胞和野生型SKOV3细胞明显升高。结论： B7-H4基因导入细胞后在体外和体内具有明显加快肿瘤生长的作用,可作为肿瘤基因治疗的靶向基因。     

GLIOMA INVASION IN VITRO IS MEDIATED BY CD44–HYALURONAN INTERACTIONS

Invasion is a clinically important problem contributing to mortality and morbidity in patients with gliomas, but the mechanism(s) by which glioma cells invade surrounding brain structures is poorly understood. Various experimental models have been used in attempts to elucidate the process of glioma invasion. An in vitro model which is increasingly being employed involves measurement of the rate of invasion of tumour cells through Matrigel^®—a complex mixture of extracellular matrix components derived from the Engelbroth–Holm–Swarm (EHS) sarcoma. This model has been used to examine the possibility that extracellular hyaluronan (HA) might facilitate the invasive behaviour of human glioma cells. The major component of Matrigel^® is laminin, with smaller amounts of collagen IV, heparan sulphate proteoglycans, entactin, and nidogen, but it lacks HA. In our experiments, we have incorporated HA into Matrigel^® and have measured its effect on the rate of invasion of human glioma cells in a modified Boyden chamber assay system. The incorporation of HA (50–800 mg/cm²) resulted in a dose-dependent increase in invasion. Invasion was enhanced by up to 70 per cent in comparison with HA-free Matrigel^®. Since CD44 is a major HA receptor expressed on gliomas, it might have a role in the HA-mediated facilitation of invasion. This was tested by blocking CD44 with specific antibody, which resulted in a 43 per cent reduction in invasion rate. We conclude that in an in vitro model system, HA enhances invasion of glioma cells and that the mechanism involves a CD44–HA interaction. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Retinoic acid aliphatic amide inhibits the AMPK-HIF-1α pathway in human ovarian cancer

Ovarian carcinoma the commonly observed gynecological cancers has a high mortality rate. In the present study effect of retinoic acid aliphatic amide (RACA) in ovarian cancer cells was investigated using proliferation, migration and invasion assays. Western blot was used to examine the Bcl-2, cleaved caspase 3, p-ERK, MMP-2, p-FAK, P-P38, p-AMPKα and HIF-1α protein expression. CoCl₂ was used to induce HIF-1α expression in SKOV3ip. 1 and HEY-A8 cells. The results revealed that RACA treatment prompted cell proliferation, invasion and migration but inhibited apoptosis of SKOV3ip. 1 and HEY-A8 cells. RACA treatment also induced upregulation of Bcl-2 and MMP-2, activation of p-P38, p-ERK and p-FAK, inhibition of cleaved caspase 3. RACA treatment also caused upregulatation of HIF-1α in ovarian cells with the activation of p-AMPKα. Upregulation of HIF-1α expression in CoCl₂-treated cancer cells resulted in decrease in SDHB. Thus RACA plays a key role in cell proliferation, invasion, migration and apoptosis of human ovarian carcinoma through AMPK-HIF-1α pathway.     

TGFβ1 stimulates the secretion of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and the invasive behavior in human ovarian cancer cells, which is suppressed by MMP inhibitor BB3103

The present study investigated the modulatory role of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1) on the secretion of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tested whether the altered secretion of MMPs could directly affect the invasive behavior of ovarian cancer cells. To this aim, human ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells were treated once with vehicle or various concentrations of TGFβ1 for 24 h. Gelatinase activities in conditioned media were analyzed by zymography and densitometry. TGFβ1 dose-dependently stimulated the secretion of a 68-kDa gelatinase, which was characterized as an MMP because its activity was inhibited by a metalloproteinase inhibitor 1,10-phenanthroline, and by a synthetic MMP inhibitor BB3103. In addition, we used aminophenylmercuric acetate (APMA) to activate latent gelatinases. APMA time-dependently decreased the activity of 68-kDa gelatinase, and increased the activities of 64- and 62-kDa gelatinolytic bands. The 68-kDa gelatinase was further characterized as MMP2 (gelatinase A) by immunoblotting analysis. We then tested TGFβ1 effect on the invasive potential of SKOV3 cells as assessed by the migration ability through reconstituted basement membrane, and further investigated whether TGFβ1 may act through modulating the MMP activity to affect ovarian cancer cell invasion. The results show that TGFβ1 stimulated the invasive behavior of SKOV3 cells, and that MMP inhibitor BB3103 abrogated this effect of TGFβ1. In conclusion, this study indicates that TGFβ1 may act partly through stimulating the secretion of MMP in promoting the invasive behavior of human ovarian cancer cells. Furthermore, this work supports the idea that specific MMP inhibitors of the hydroxamate class could be therapeutically useful in controlling cancer cell invasion/metastasis. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

野生型PTEN基因对卵巢癌细胞株的影响

目的： 观察转入野生型PTEN基因的卵巢癌细胞生物学行为变化，探索该基因对卵巢癌细胞周期的影响和抑制肿瘤侵袭的机制。 方法： 将野生型PTEN基因的pcDNA3.1Hygro(-)真核质粒载体转染SKOV3细胞系，潮霉素筛选稳定表达细胞株并扩增培养；采用流式细胞术检测肿瘤细胞周期变化；用MTT法检测细胞抑制率。分别用RT-PCR检测转染前后PTEN mRNA表达水平变化；采用重组基底膜侵袭模型，观察转染前后细胞侵袭力的变化。 结果： 成功转染SKOV3并稳定表达PTEN，转染PTEN可以明显改变SKOV3细胞周期，使其阻滞于S期；明显抑制肿瘤细胞的侵袭力。 结论： 提示转染外源野生型PTEN基因可使SKOV3细胞周期阻滞于S期，并且通过抑制肿瘤细胞侵袭与生长，而具有明显的抑癌作用。     

Role of hepatocyte growth factor/c-Met signaling in regulating urokinase plasminogen activator on invasiveness in human hepatocellular carcinoma: a potential therapeutic target

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), its transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor (c-Met), and urokinase type plasminogen activator (uPA) is a key protein in the plasminogen activation system, which plays a proteolytically important role in the invasion and metastasis of various types of cancers. However, the mechanisms by which HGF/c-Met signaling mediates cancer progression and metastasis are unclear. This study was designed to investigate the roles of HGF/c-Met in tumor progression and metastasis in HepG2 and Hep3B hepatoma cell lines. Treatment with HGF increased c-Met phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner. Activity of c-Met phosphorylation peaked 1–3 min after HGF treatment and then declined. HGF enhanced the protein level and the activity of uPA in HepG2 and Hep3B cells, and the uPAR protein level also increased in a HGF dose-dependent manner. HGF increased cell invasion through the Matrigel. A monoclonal antibody against human uPA receptor, mAb 3936, inhibited HGF-mediated tumor cell invasion in a dose-dependent manner. Down-regulation of uPA using uPA-shRNA induced a decrease in in vitro cell invasion. These results suggest that hepatoma cells express functional c-Met, which may provide a target for a therapeutic basis to interfere with metastases of cancer cells by inhibiting uPA system-mediated proteolysis.     

青藤碱抑制人卵巢癌SKOV3细胞活力、迁移和侵袭

目的:观察青藤碱对人卵巢癌SKOV3细胞活力、迁移和侵袭的影响,并探讨其可能的分子机制。方法:分别采用不同浓度的青藤碱处理SKOV3细胞12、24和48 h,采用CCK-8法检测细胞活力,采用流式细胞术检测细胞周期,采用Transwell实验检测细胞迁移率和侵袭率,同时采用Western blot法检测细胞周期素(cyclin)A、cyclin D1、E-cadherin和基质金属蛋白酶9(matrix metalloproteinase-9,MMP-9)的蛋白表达水平。结果 :随着青藤碱作用浓度和作用时间的增加,SKOV3和IOSE80细胞活力逐渐降低,青藤碱作用SKOV3和IOSE80细胞48 h的半数抑制浓度(IC_(50))分别为2.12 mmol/L和17.35 mmol/L;青藤碱可呈剂量依赖性地诱导SKOV3细胞发生G_0/G_1期和S期阻滞(P0.05),抑制SKOV3细胞迁移和侵袭(P0.05),下调cyclin A、cyclin D1和MMP-9蛋白水平(P0.05),并上调E-cadherin蛋白水平(P0.05)。结论 :青藤碱可在体外抑制人卵巢癌SKOV3细胞活力、迁移和侵袭,这可能与其下调cyclin D1、cyclin A和MMP-9蛋白水平,以及上调E-cadherin蛋白水平有关。     

Biological significance of focal adhesion kinase in ovarian cancer: role in migration and invasion

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase that is activated by integrin clustering. There are limited data regarding the functional role of FAK in ovarian cancer migration and invasion. In the current study, FAK expression was evaluated in ovarian cell lines (nontransformed and cancer), 12 benign ovarian samples, and in 79 invasive epithelial ovarian cancers. All three ovarian cancer cell lines overexpressed FAK compared to the nontransformed cells. The dominant-negative construct called FAK-related nonkinase (FRNK) was introduced into two ovarian cancer cell lines (SKOV3 and 222). FRNK promoted FAK dephosphorylation without changing total FAK levels in these cell lines. Furthermore, FRNK decreased the in vitro invasive ability of ovarian cancer cells by 56 to 85% and decreased migration by 52 to 68%. FRNK-transfected cells also displayed poor cell spreading. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the surface epithelium from all benign ovarian samples had weak FAK expression. In contrast, 68% of invasive ovarian cancers overexpressed FAK. FAK overexpression was significantly associated with high tumor stage, high tumor grade, positive lymph nodes and presence of distant metastasis (all P values <0.05). FAK overexpression was also associated with shorter overall survival (P = 0.008). Multivariate analysis revealed that FAK overexpression and residual disease >1 cm were independent predictors of poor survival. These data indicate that FAK is overexpressed in most invasive ovarian cancers and plays a functionally significant role in ovarian cancer migration and invasion. Thus, FAK may be an important therapeutic target in ovarian carcinoma.     

A soybean Kunitz trypsin inhibitor suppresses ovarian cancer cell invasion by blocking urokinase upregulation

We have previously reported in a series of papers that a Kunitz-type protease inhibitor, bikunin, suppresses up-regulation of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its specific receptor (uPAR) expression, phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and cancer cell invasion in vitro and peritoneal disseminated metastasis in vivo. In the present study, we investigated the effects of soy bean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI) on the net enzymatic activity of secreted, extracellular uPA, signal transduction involved in the expression of uPA and invasion in HRA human ovarian cancer cells. SBTI contains a Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (KTI) and a Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI). Here, we show 1) that KTI and BBI were purified separately from soybeans; 2) that neither KTI nor BBI effectively inhibits enzymatic activity of uPA; 3) that uPA upregulation observed in HRA cells was inhibited by preincubation of the cells with KTI with an IC50 of approximately 2 microM, whereas BBI failed to repress uPA upregulation, as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; 4) that cell invasiveness was inhibited by treatment of the cells with KTI with an IC50 of approximately 3 microM, whereas BBI failed to suppress cell invasion, as measured by an in vitro invasion assay; 5) KTI suppresses HRA cell invasion by blocking uPA up-regulation which may be mediated by a binding protein(s) other than a bikunin binding protein and/or its receptor; and 6) that transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta1)-mediated activation of ERK1/2 was significantly reduced by preincubation of the cells with KTI. In conclusion, KTI, but not BBI, could inhibit cell invasiveness at least through suppression of uPA signaling cascade, although the mechanisms of KTI may be different from those of bikunin.     

Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 suppresses the invasiveness of oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines via down-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase-2 production and activation

Increased cyclooxygenase (COX-2) expression in tumors is known to be correlated with tumor invasion, angiogenesis, resistance to apoptosis, and suppression of host immunity. We previously reported that the invasiveness of human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell lines NA and HSC-4 was suppressed by treatment with either NS-398, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, or COX-2 antisense oligonucleotide (AS). In the present study, to explore the effects of COX-2 inhibition on the interaction between cancer cells and fibroblasts, we examined the effects of these anti-COX-2 reagents on the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in fibroblast cell lines WI-38 and MRC-5. Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that NS-398 and COX-2 AS down-regulated the expression and secretion of MMP-2 and the tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) in human fibroblast cell lines. Furthermore, invasion activity of OSCC cells was down-regulated by the addition of culture supernatant from fibroblasts treated with anti-COX-2 reagents in a Matrigel^® invasion assay. These results suggest that selective COX-2 inhibition suppresses the invasion activity of OSCC cells via down-regulation of an MMP-2-activating mechanism involving TIMP-2 and production of the MMP-2 protein by an interaction between cancer cells and stromal fibroblasts. Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of COX-2 may therefore be a beneficial strategy in the treatment of OSCC.     

碱性成纤维细胞生长因子与卵巢癌的关系

目的　探讨碱性成纤维细胞生长因子 (basic fibroblast growth factor,b FGF)对卵巢癌细胞增殖、浸润和肿瘤血管生成的影响 ,及 b FGF单克隆抗体 (b FGF monoclonal antibody,b FGF- MAb)的治疗作用。　方法　将人卵巢癌细胞株 SKOV3接种于 2 4孔板 ,加入不同浓度的 b FGF,每日行结晶紫染色后测定光密度 (D4 90 )值 ,绘制细胞生长曲线 ;将 SKOV3细胞团接种于铺设有细胞外基质凝胶的 4孔板 ,每日测定癌细胞在凝胶中的浸润距离 ;建立 SKOV3细胞裸鼠皮下移植瘤模型 ,每周两次分别将 b FGF、b FGF-MAb和生理盐水注射于移植瘤周围 ,8周后测量肿瘤体积 ;对移植瘤组织切片行 因子的免疫组化染色、测定肿瘤内微血管密度 (microvessel density,MVD)。　结果　 b FGF能促进 SKOV3细胞增殖并呈浓度依赖 ,实验第 5天 ,5 ng/ml、10 ng/ml组细胞 D4 90 值是对照组的 1.0 9倍和 1.2 1倍 ;b FGF能促进 SKOV3细胞浸润并呈浓度依赖 (P<0 .0 5 ) ,第 7天 ,5 ng/ml、10 ng/ml组细胞浸润距离分别是对照组的 1.5 3倍和2 .4 5倍 ;b FGF组移植瘤体积和 MVD分别是对照组的 1.80倍和 1.4 6倍 (P<0 .0 5 ) ,b FGF- MAb组移植瘤体积和 MVD分别是对照组的 6 3.7%和 6 2 .8% (P<0 .0 5 )。　结论　b FGF能明显促进卵巢癌细胞的增殖、     

外源性骨桥蛋白对人大肠癌LS-174T细胞增殖和侵袭能力的影响

目的观察人重组骨桥蛋白(recombinated human osteopontin,rhOPN)对大肠癌LS-174T细胞增殖、侵袭及其相关基因表达的影响,探讨骨桥蛋白在大肠癌演进中的作用。方法添加不同浓度rhOPN于人大肠癌LS-174T细胞培养液中,采用四甲基偶氮唑蓝(MTT)试验检测细胞的增殖能力,重组人工基底膜实验评价细胞侵袭能力,并运用实时荧光定量RT-PCR检测大肠癌细胞中尿激酶型纤溶酶原激活物(uPA)、基质金属蛋白酶-2(MMP-2)和血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)等mRNA表达水平。结果LS-174T细胞经不同浓度rhOPN作用24h后,实验组的MTT值显著高于对照组(P<0.01),并呈剂量依赖关系。Transwell上室加入5nmol/L、30nmol/L的rhOPN后,实验组LS-174T细胞穿膜数量明显多于对照组(P<0.05)。经5nmol/L、30nmol/L的rhOPN处理24h后,实验组LS-174T细胞的uPA mRNA及VEGF mRNA的表达水平明显高于对照组(P<0.05),而MMP-2 mRNA表达水平与对照组无显著性差别(P>0.05)。结论rhOPN促进人大肠癌LS-174T细胞的增殖,并提高其侵袭能力,可能与uPA和VEGF基因表达上调有关。     

抗HER-2工程抗体chA21对人卵巢癌SKOV3裸小鼠移植瘤血管生成的影响

目的 探讨抗HER-2工程抗体chA21对过表达HER-2的人卵巢癌细胞株SKOV3裸小鼠移植瘤血管生成的影响.方法 建立人卵巢癌SKOV3裸小鼠移植瘤模型,随机分成阴性对照组和chA21组,连续5周尾静脉注射给药,观察肿瘤生长变化;5周后处死裸鼠取下瘤体,利用组织芯片及免疫组化方法结合显微图像分析系统定量检测VEGF、DLL4表达情况,并用CD31免疫组化染色比较两组微血管密度(MVD)值.结果 chA21组肿瘤组织中VEGF、DLL4的表达及MVD值均显著低于阴性对照组(P<0.05).结论 抗HER-2工程抗体chA21能显著抑制人卵巢癌SKOV3裸小鼠移植瘤的血管生成.     

Preparation and in vitro evaluation of 111In-CHX-A"-DTPA-labeled anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody bevacizumab

Bevacizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and prevents tumor angiogenesis. Radionuclide imaging using radiolabeled bevacizumab might be useful for selection of patients for anti-VEGF therapy. This study describes preparation of a potential imaging agent, 111In-CHX-A"-DTPA-bevacizumab, and evaluation of specificity of its binding to three tumor cell lines, SKOV3, LS174T and DU 145. Bevacizumab was conjugated with CHX-A"-DTPA and radiolabeled with 111In with high yield and excellent stability. Specificity of cellular binding was examined by a saturation assay using 100-fold excess of non-radiolabeled antibody. SKOV3 and LS174T tumor cell lines showed significantly specific binding, while DU 145 cells did not showed any specific binding. The specific binding is dependent to type of cell lines, which it is important for selection of tumor model for scintigraphic imaging of the VEGF expression.     

Tumor-associated macrophages promote the metastasis of ovarian carcinoma cells by enhancing CXCL16/CXCR6 expression

This study investigated the underlying mechanism by which C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 16 (CXCL16)/C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 6 (CXCR6) signaling is activated by tumor-associated macrophages and assists in regulating the metastasis of ovarian carcinoma. Specimens of ovarian carcinoma tissue and adjacent tissue were collected from 20 ovarian carcinoma patients. Human THP-1 cells were induced to differentiate into macrophages, which were then co-cultured with SKOV3 cells and low concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) to simulate the inflammatory microenvironment of ovarian carcinoma. Additionally, small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting CXCR6 was transfected into SKOV3 cells; after which, the levels of nuclear factor kappa B p65 (NF-κB p65) protein and phosphorylated PI3K and Akt were measured. The migration and invasion abilities of the SKOV3 cells were also tested. The levels of TNF-α, interluekin-6 (IL-6), NF-κB p65, CXCL16, and CXCR6 expression in the ovarian carcinoma tissues were higher than those in the precancerous tissues. CXCR6 expression was positively correlated with TNF-α, IL-6, and CXCL16 expression. Co-culture of SKOV3 cells with macrophages significantly promoted CXCL16, CXCR6, NF-κB, and p65 expression by the SKOV3 cells, increased their levels of phosphorylated PI3K and Akt, and increased the migration and invasion abilities of SKOV3 cells. Silencing of CXCR6 or blocking the PI3K/Akt signal pathway markedly attenuated the expression of NF-κB p65 and phosphorylation of PI3K and Akt, as well as the migration and invasion abilities of SKOV3 cells. These findings demonstrate that macrophages can promote the migration and invasion of ovarian carcinoma cells by affecting the CXCL16/CXCR6 pathway.     

CDH1基因启动子甲基化在上皮性卵巢癌转移方面的研究

目的探讨CDH1基因启动子甲基化对上皮性卵巢癌转移的影响。方法采用免疫组织化学方法检测38例正常卵巢上皮和80例上皮性卵巢癌组织中E-钙黏附素（E-cadherin）表达;应用甲基化特异的PCR（MSP）检测上述组织中CDH1基因启动子区甲基化;应用5-氮-2＇-脱氧胞苷（5-aza-CdR）使SKOV3细胞去甲基化,观察SKOV3细胞体外侵袭性的改变,并通过RT-PCR检测CDH1基因的改变。结果E-cadherin在正常卵巢组织中表达明显高于上皮性卵巢癌（P〈0．05）。34例CDH1基因启动子区甲基化全部出现在卵巢癌组织中,有淋巴结转移组织中甲基化明显高于无淋巴结转移者（P〈0．05）,而CDH1基因启动子区有甲基化的卵巢癌组织中E-cadherin表达明显降低（P〈0．05）。经5-Aza-CdR处理后的SKOV3细胞体外侵袭性降低（P〈0．01）,CDH1基因的表达明显上调（P〈0．01）。结论E-cadherin表达降低与上皮性卵巢癌转移关系密切,CDH1基因启动子区甲基化可能是导致E-cadherin蛋白表达减低的重要原因之一,因此启动子区甲基化与上皮性卵巢癌转移有关。     

Poricoic acid A induces apoptosis and autophagy in ovarian cancer via modulating the mTOR/p70s6k signaling axis

Due to the high mortality and rapid disease progression, ovarian cancer remains one of the most common malignancies threatening the health of women. The present study was conducted to explore the anticancer effects and the underlying mechanisms of poricoic acid A (PAA), the main components of Poria cocos, on ovarian cancer. We investigated the anticancer effects of different concentrations of PAA in the SKOV3 cell line. Cell viability and proliferation were examined by CCK-8 assay. Cellular migration and invasion were assessed by the scratch and Transwell migration assays, respectively. The effect of PPA on cell apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry and caspase-3/8/9 colorimetric assay. Western blot was performed to detect protein level changes related to apoptosis and mTOR signaling pathways. The in vivo anticancer effect of PAA was evaluated using xenograft tumorigenesis model in nude mice. Our results showed that PAA suppressed SKOV3 cellular viability, migration, and invasion in a dosage-dependent manner. Flow cytometry results demonstrated PAA treatment could induce SKOV3 cell apoptosis. In addition, increased ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I (a marker for autophagosome formation) was observed after PAA treatment, as well as inhibition of m-TOR and p70s6k phosphorylation. In nude mice, PAA treatment reduced the xenograft tumor weight by 70% (P<0.05). In conclusion, our data suggested that PAA induced apoptosis and autophagy in ovarian cancer via modulating the mTOR/p70s6k signaling axis.