Modulating malignant epithelial tumor cell adhesion, migration and mechanics with nanorod surfaces

Upregulation of Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 (NCAM1) by hsa-miR-141-3p Suppresses Ameloblastoma Cell Migration

Background

Neural cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1; CD56) and E-cadherin are both involved in cell-cell adhesion and cell development processes, and their dysregulation is associated with various tumors. We hypothesized that dysregulated NCAM1 could suppress the invasive behavior of ameloblastoma (AB), and its expression was regulated by miR-141-3p.

Material/Methods

Real-time qPCR was performed to examine differences in miR-141-3p expression between AB tissues and normal oral tissues (NOMs). The potential target NCAM1 of miR-141-3p was predicted by bioinformatics analysis, which was validated through dual-luciferase assay. The mRNA and protein levels of NCAM1 were detected by real-time qPCR and Western blot, respectively. Furthermore, the expression and distribution of NCAM1 in AB were investigated through immunohistochemical staining, and immunohistochemical staining of E-cadherin was also performed. After overexpression of NCAM1, the migration of AM-1 cells was examined using wound-healing assay.

Results

Real-time qPCR results confirmed that miR-141-3p was significantly downregulated in AB tissues. According to bioinformatics analysis, NCAM1 was a target of miR-141-3p, which was confirmed by dual luciferase assay. We found that NCAM1 was significantly upregulated in AB tissues at the mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, NCAM1 and E-cadherin were mainly expressed on the cell membrane of AB. Downregulation of E-cadherin was found in AB tissues. As shown in wound-healing assay results, NCAM1 overexpression significantly inhibited the invasiveness of AM-1 cells.

Conclusions

In this study, highly expressed NCAM1 was found in AB, and it suppressed the migration of AB cells and was regulated by miR-141-3p, suggesting its potential value as a therapeutic target for AB.

Biophysical and morphological effects of nanodiamond/nanoplatinum solution (DPV576) on metastatic murine breast cancer cells in vitro

Nanoparticles have recently gained increased attention as drug delivery systems for the treatment of cancer due to their minute size and unique chemical properties. However, very few studies have tested the biophysical changes associated with nanoparticles on metastatic cancer cells at the cellular and sub-cellular scales. Here, we investigated the mechanical and morphological properties of cancer cells by measuring the changes in cell Young's Modulus using AFM, filopodial retraction (FR) by time lapse optical light microscopy imaging and filopodial disorganization by high resolution AFM imaging of cells upon treatment with nanoparticles. In the current study, nanomechanical changes in live murine metastatic breast cancer cells (4T1) post exposure to a nanodiamond/nanoplatinum mixture dispersed in aqueous solution (DPV576), were monitored. Results showed a decrease in Young's modulus at two hours post treatment with DPV576 in a dose dependent manner. Partial FR at 20 min and complete FR at 40 min were observed. Moreover, analysis of the retraction distance (in microns) measured over time (minutes), showed that a DPV576 concentration of 15%v/v yielded the highest FR rate. In addition, DPV576 treated cells showed early signs of filopodial disorganization and disintegration. This study demonstrates the changes in cell stiffness and tracks early structural alterations of metastatic breast cancer cells post treatment with DPV576, which may have important implications in the role of nanodiamond/nanoplatinum based cancer cell therapy and sensitization to chemotherapy drugs.

Graphene oxide assisted synthesis of GaN nanostructures for reducing cell adhesion

We report a general approach for the synthesis of large-scale gallium nitride (GaN) nanostructures by the graphene oxide (GO) assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. A modulation effect of GaN nanostructures on cell adhesion has been observed. The morphology of the GaN surface can be controlled by GO concentrations. This approach, which is based on the predictable choice of the ratio of GO to catalysts, can be readily extended to the synthesis of other materials with controllable nanostructures. Cell studies show that GaN nanostructures reduced cell adhesion significantly compared to GaN flat surfaces. The cell-repelling property is related to the nanostructure and surface wettability. These observations of the modulation effect on cell behaviors suggest new opportunities for novel GaN nanomaterial-based biomedical devices. We believe that potential applications will emerge in the biomedical and biotechnological fields.