The roles of HOXB8 through activating Wnt/β-catenin and STAT3 signaling pathways in the growth, migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cells

Comprehensive analysis illustrating the role of HOXB8 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: evidence from multi-omics analysis and experiments validation

BACKGROUND

HOXB8 is implicated in various cancers. However, the effect pattern of HOXB8 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unclear.

METHODS

Open-access transcriptional profiles, clinical information, and mutational data were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas database. R software was used for all analysis based on public data through specific R packages. Western blot and real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the protein and RNA level of HOXB8, respectively. In vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted to explore the effect of HOXB8 on HNSCC cells.

RESULTS

Here, we discovered that HOXB8 was upregulated in HNSCC tissue and associated with worse clinical outcomes (clinical stage and prognosis). Results indicated that HOXB8 was primarily distributed in the nucleoplasm. Results of cell lines indicated that HOXB8 is upregulated in HNSCC cells. Further experiments, both in vitro and in vivo, revealed that the suppression of HOXB8 can markedly curb the proliferation, invasion, and migration capabilities of HNSCC cells. Results of biological enrichment and western blot indicated that HOXB8 can regulate the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and EMT pathways. It also came to our attention that HOXB8 could modulate the tumor microenvironment in HNSCC. We observed that patients with high HOXB8 expression had lower infiltration levels of CD8 + T cells but higher infiltration levels of M2 macrophages. Finally, we developed a prognostic model based on molecules derived from HOXB8 (ADD2, SYT1, PXYLP1, MRPL33).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study contributes to the existing knowledge on HOXB8 in HNSCC, which may inform future research directions.

SYT7 as a Potential Prognostic Marker Promotes the Metastasis of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Cells by Activating the STAT3 Pathway

The study aimed to investigate the impact of synaptotagmin 7 (SYT7) on the metastasis of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and its potential mechanisms. This was achieved through the analysis of SYT7 expression levels and clinical relevance in EOC using bioinformatics analysis from TCGA. Additionally, the study examined the influence of SYT7 on the migration and invasion of EOC cells, as well as explored its molecular mechanisms using in vitro EOC cell lines and in vivo mouse xenograft models. Our research revealed that human EOC tissues exhibit significantly elevated levels of SYT7 compared to normal ovarian tissues, and that SYT7 expression is inversely correlated with overall survival. Suppression of SYT7 effectively impeded the migratory and invasive capabilities of CAOV3 cells, whereas overexpression of SYT7 notably accelerated tumor progression in A2780 cells. Mechanistic investigations demonstrated that SYT7 upregulates p-STAT3 and MMP2 in EOC cells. Importantly, treatment with the STAT3 inhibitor niclosamide effectively counteracted the oncogenic effects of SYT7 in EOC. The inhibition of SYT7 was found to significantly reduce in vivo tumor metastasis in a nude mouse xenograft model. Our findings suggest that the upregulation of SYT7 in EOC is associated with a negative prognosis, as it enhances tumor migration and invasion by activating the STAT3 signaling pathway. Thus, SYT7 might be utilized as a EOC prognostic marker and treatment target.

Antitumor Activity of Ferulic Acid Against Ehrlich Solid Carcinoma in Rats via Affecting Hypoxia, Oxidative Stress and Cell Proliferation

Background Ferulic acid is a natural compound commonly found in fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, sweet corn, rice bran, and dong quai. It has various beneficial effects on the body, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective properties. Aims We conducted a study to investigate the antitumor activity of ferulic acid against Ehrlich solid carcinoma (ESC), specifically by affecting hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and its subsequent effects on other factors like nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), cellular Myc (cMyc), cyclin D1, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). Materials and methods The study involved implanting rats with ESC cells and administering 50 mg/kg of ferulic acid orally daily for eight days. Sections of the muscles with ESC were stained with toluidine blue or immunostained with anti-HIF-1α antibodies. The tumor samples were used to evaluate the expression of HIF-1α, Nrf2, HO-1, cMyc, cyclin D1, mTOR, and STAT3. Results Ferulic acid increased mean survival time, reduced tumor volume and weight, and improved the appearance of the tumor tissue. Furthermore, ferulic acid significantly elevated the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1, while reducing the expression of HIF-1α, Nrf2, HO-1, cMyc, cyclin D1, mTOR, and STAT3. Conclusions Ferulic acid can reduce tumor size and weight while improving the structure of muscle cells, suggesting it may have antineoplastic activity against ESC. Further investigation revealed that ferulic acid downregulates HIF-1α, increasing the expression of antioxidant proteins Nrf2 and HO-1. Additionally, ferulic acid decreases the expression of proliferation markers cMyc and cyclin D1 and downregulates cellular regulators mTOR and STAT3.

Short peptide domains of the Wnt inhibitor sFRP4 target ovarian cancer stem cells by neutralizing the Wnt β-catenin pathway, disrupting the interaction between β-catenin and CD24 and suppressing autophagy

AIMS

One of the hallmarks of cancer stem cells (CSC) is hyperactive Wnt β-catenin signaling due to the decreased presence of Wnt antagonists such as secreted frizzled related protein 4 (SFRP4). Cysteine-rich domain (CRD) and netrin-like domain (NLD) are the two functional domains of SFRP4 having anti-tumor properties. In this study, we have explored the effectiveness of short micropeptides SC-301 (from CRD) and SC-401 (from NLD) on CSC properties, EMT, apoptosis and autophagy in ovarian CSCs enriched from PA-1 and SKOV-3 cell lines.

MAIN METHODS

Gene expression analysis, Western blot and immunocytochemistry were performed on ovarian CSCs to evaluate the inhibitory potential of micropeptides to various CSC associated oncogenic properties. Co-immunoprecipitation was performed to detect the binding of CD24 to β-catenin protein complex. CYTO-ID Autophagy Detection Kit 2.0 was used to monitor autophagic flux in peptide treated CSCs.

KEY FINDINGS

It is clearly seen that the micropeptides derived from both the domains inhibit Wnt pathway, initiate apoptosis, inhibit migration and chemosensitize CSCs. Specifically, CD24, a defining marker of ovarian CSC was suppressed by peptide treatment. Notably, interaction between CD24 and β-catenin was disrupted upon peptide treatment. SFRP4 peptide treatment also suppressed the autophagic process which is crucial for CSC survival.

SIGNIFICANCE

The study demonstrated that although both peptides have inhibitory effects, SC-401 was emphatically more effective in targeting CSC properties and down regulating the Wnt β-catenin machinery.

Wnt Signaling Pathway: A Comprehensive Review

Wnt signaling is an evolutionary cell-to-cell coordination mechanism and it is highly critical for a variety of physiological processes of an organism's body, including stem cell regeneration, proliferation, division, migration, polarity of a cell, determining fate of the cell and specification of neural crest, neural symmetry and morphogenesis. Wnts are extracellular secreted glycol proteins, consisted of a family of 19 human proteins that represent the complex nature of the regulatory structure and physiological efficiency of signaling. Moreover, a Wnt/β-catenin-dependent pathway and the β-catenin-independent pathway that is further classified into the Planar Cell Polarity and Wnt/Ca²⁺ pathways have been established as key signaling nodes downstream of the frizzled (Fz/Fzd) receptor, and these nodes are extensively analyzed at biochemical and molecular levels. Genetic and epigenetic activities that ultimately characterize the pathway and its subsequent responses contribute to Wnt-β-catenin signaling pathway hypo or hyper-activation and is associated with the variety of human disorders progression most significantly cancers. Recognizing how this mechanism operates is crucial to the advancement of cancer prevention therapies or regenerative medicine methods. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.