Secreted TRAIL gene-modified adipose-derived stem cells exhibited potent tumor-suppressive effect in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Cytochalasin B-Induced Membrane Vesicles from TRAIL-Overexpressing Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induce Extrinsic Pathway of Apoptosis in Breast Cancer Mouse Model

Tumor-necrosis-factor-associated apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is one of the most promising therapeutic cytokines that selectively induce apoptosis in tumor cells. It is known that membrane vesicles (MVs) can carry the surface markers of parental cells. Therefore, MVs are of interest as a tool for cell-free cancer therapy. In this study, membrane vesicles were isolated from TRAIL-overexpressing mesenchymal stem cells using cytochalasin B treatment (CIMVs). To evaluate the antitumor effect of CIMVs-TRAIL in vivo, a breast cancer mouse model was produced. The animals were intratumorally injected with 50 µg of native CIMVs or CIMVs-TRAIL for 12 days with an interval of two days. Then, tumor growth rate, tumor necrotic area, the expression of the apoptosis-related genes CASP8, BCL-2, and BAX and the level of CASP8 protein were analyzed. A 1.8-fold increase in the CAS8 gene mRNA and a 1.7-fold increase in the CASP8 protein level were observed in the tumors injected with CIMVs-TRAIL. The expression of the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 gene in the CIMV-TRAIL group remained unchanged, while the mRNA level of the pro-apoptotic BAX gene was increased by 1.4 times, which indicated apoptosis activation in the tumor tissue. Thus, CIMVs-TRAIL were able to activate the extrinsic apoptosis pathway and induce tumor cell death in the breast cancer mouse model.

The inhibitory effect of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells expressing anti-HAAH scFv-sTRAIL fusion protein on glioma

Glioma is the most common malignant intracranial tumor with low 5-year survival rate. In this study, we constructed a plasmid expressing anti-HAAH single-chain antibody and sTRAIL fusion protein (scFv-sTRAIL), and explored the effects of the double gene modified human umbilical cord mesenchyreal stem cells (hucMSCs) on the growth of glioma in vitro and in vivo. The isolated hucMSCs were identified by detecting the adipogenic differentiation ability and the osteogenic differentiation ability. The phenotypes of hucMSCs were determined by the flow cytometry. The hucMSCs were infected with lentivirus expression scFv-sTRAIL fusion protein. The expression of sTRAIL in hucMSCs were detected by immunofluorescence staining, western blot and ELISA. The tropism of hucMSCs toward U87G cells was assessed by transwell assay. The inhibitory effect of hucMSCs on U87G cells were explored by CCK8 and apoptosis assay. The xenograft tumor was established by subcutaneously injection of U87G cells into the back of mice. The hucMSCs were injected via tail veins. The inhibitory effect of hucMSCs on glioma in vivo was assessed by TUNEL assay. The hucMSCs migrated into the xenograft tumor were revealed by detecting the green fluorescent. The results showed that the scFv-sTRAIL expression did not affect the phenotypes of hucMSCs. The scFv-sTRAIL expression promoted the tropism of hucMSCs toward U87G cells, enhanced the inhibitory effect and tumor killing effect of hucMSCs on U87G cells. The in vivo study showed that hucMSCs expressing scFv-sTRAIL demonstrated significantly higher inhibitory effect and tumor killing effect than hucMSCs expressing sTRAIL. The green fluorescence intensity in the mice injected with hucMSCs expressing scFv-sTRAIL was significantly higher than that injected with hucMSCs expressing sTRAIL. These data suggested that the scFv conferred the targeting effect of hucMSCs tropism towards the xenograft tumor. In conclusion, the hucMSCs expressing scFv-sTRAIL fusion protein gained the capability to target and kill gliomas cells in vitro and in vivo. These findings shed light on a potential therapy for glioma treatment.

Chemo-Sensitization of CD133+ Cancer Stem Cell Enhances the Effect of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Expressing TRAIL in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cell Lines

Simple Summary

The anti-tumor properties of mesenchymal stem cell (MSCs) expressing TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) or MSC-TRAIL have been well documented by several reports. However, some tumors are resistant to TRAIL due to the existence of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Chemo-sensitization of tumors and their CSCs has been reported to enhance TRAIL-mediated inhibition. In this study, we examined the effect of pre-treatment using first-line chemotherapies on MSC-TRAIL-induced inhibition in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs)–derived CSCs. We found that these chemotherapies were able to induce a chemo-sensitization effect to the CSC, thus improving the MSC-TRAIL-induced inhibition. We also noticed that the effect of chemo-sensitization was cell type specific and selecting chemotherapies for the right NSCLC subtypes might help in inducing a more meaningful combinatory effect. As such, this study has proven that chemo-sensitization of the CSCs was able to enhance the MSC-TRAIL-induced inhibition in NSCLC cell lines.

Abstract

Pre-clinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) expressing tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) or MSC-TRAIL against several tumors. However, due to the existence of cancer stem cells (CSCs), some tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), exhibit TRAIL resistance. This study was designed to evaluate the capacity of using first-line chemotherapies including cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and vinorelbine to act as a chemo-sensitizer on CD133+ (prominin-1 positive) CSCs derived from NSCLC cell lines (A549, H460 and H2170) for the purpose of MSC-TRAIL-induced inhibition. We showed that MSC-TRAIL was resistant to all three chemotherapies compared to the NSCLC cell lines, suggesting that the chemotherapies had little effect on MSC-TRAIL viability. Pre-treatment using either cisplatin or 5-FU, but not with vinorelbine, was able to increase the efficacy of MSC-TRAIL to kill the TRAIL-resistant A549-derived CSCs. The study also demonstrated that both 5-FU and vinorelbine were an effective chemo-sensitizer, used to increase the anti-tumor effect of MSC-TRAIL against H460- and H2170-derived CSCs. Furthermore, pre-treatment using cisplatin was noted to enhance the effect of MSC-TRAIL in H460-derived CSCs; however, this effect was not detected in the H2170-derived CSCs. These findings suggest that a pre-treatment using certain chemotherapies in NSCLC could enhance the anti-tumor effect of MSC-TRAIL to target the CSCs, and therefore the combination of chemotherapies and MSC-TRAIL may serve as a novel approach for the treatment of NSCLC.

Regulation of Cancer Metastasis by TRAIL/Death Receptor Signaling

Death ligands such as tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL; TNFSF10) and their corresponding death receptors (e.g., DR5) not only initiate apoptosis through activation of the extrinsic apoptotic pathway but also exert non-apoptotic biological functions such as regulation of inflammation and cancer metastasis. The involvement of the TRAIL/death receptor signaling pathway in the regulation of cancer invasion and metastasis is complex as both positive and negative roles have been reported. The underlying molecular mechanisms are even more complicated. This review will focus on discussing current knowledge in our understanding of the involvement of TRAIL/death receptor-mediated signaling in the regulation of cancer cell invasion and metastasis.

Secreted TRAIL gene-modified adipose-derived stem cells exhibited potent tumor-suppressive effect in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Objective

Considering the potential of adipose‐derived stem cells (ADSCs) migrating towards cancer cells, this study was performed to explore the function of tumor necrosis factor‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL) modified ADSCs on the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

ADSCs were extracted from human adipose tissues and identified through immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. Oil red staining and alizarin red staining were performed to clarify the differentiation potential of ADSCs. AAV‐CMV‐sTRAIL was transfected into ADSCs before Western blot and Transwell measurements. sTRAIL‐ADSCs were cocultured with HCC cells to explore its effect on the proliferation and apoptosis of HCC cells. The possible effect of sTRAIL‐ADSCs or ADSCs on tumor growth and metastasis was determined in vivo using xenograft nude mouse models.

Results

ADSCs were successfully extracted from adipose tissues, which were confirmed by cell morphology and positive expressions of CD44 and CD105. ADSCs were found with differentiation potential. After transfection, TRAIL was stably expressed in sTRAIL‐ADSCs. Both ADSCs and sTRAIL‐ADSCs can migrate towards HCC cells. In addition, sTRAIL‐ADSCs can promote the cell apoptosis and inhibit cell proliferation in vitro, on parallel it can also suppress epithelial‐mesenchymal transition, tumor growth, and metastasis in vivo.

Conclusion

TRAIL modified ADSCs can migrate towards HCC cells to inhibit tumor growth and the metastasis of implanted HCC tumors, which hints TRAIL modified ADSCs may be a new therapeutic approach for HCC treatment.