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Turyova E, Mikolajcik P, Grendar M, Kudelova E, Holubekova V, Kalman M, Marcinek J, Hrnciar M, Kovac M, Miklusica J, Laca L, Lasabova Z. Expression of OCT4 isoforms is reduced in primary colorectal cancer. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1166835. [PMID: 37409260 PMCID: PMC10319064 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1166835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. The carcinogenesis of CRC is indeed complex, and there are many different mechanisms and pathways that contribute to the development of malignancy and the progression from primary to metastatic tumors. The OCT4A, encoded by the POU5F1 gene, is a transcription factor responsible for the phenotype of stem cells, maintaining pluripotency and regulation of differentiation. The POU5F1 gene is made up of five exons that can create numerous isoforms through alternative promoter or alternative splicing. In addition to OCT4A, other isoforms called OCT4B are also translated into protein; however, their role in cells has been unclear. The aim of our work was to investigate the expression patterns of OCT4 isoforms in primary and metastatic CRC, providing us with useful information about their role in the development and progression of CRC. Methods Surgical specimens from a total of 78 patients were collected and isolated from primary tumors (n = 47) and metastases (n = 31). The relative gene expression of OCT4 isoforms was investigated using the RT-qPCR method together with the TaqMan probes for particular OCT4 isoforms. Results Our results suggest significantly downregulated expression of the OCT4A and OCT4Bs isoforms in both primary (p = 0.0002 and p < 0.0001, respectively) and metastatic tumors (p = 0.0006 and p = 0.00051, respectively) when compared with the control samples. We also observed a correlation between reduced expression of all OCT4 isoforms and both primary and left-sided tumors (p = 0.001 and p = 0.030, respectively). On the other hand, the expression of all OCT4 isoforms was significantly upregulated in metastases compared with primary tumors (p < 0.0001). Discussion Unlike previous reports, we found out that the expression of OCT4A, OCT4Bs, and all OCT4 isoforms was significantly reduced in primary tumors and metastases compared with control samples. On the other hand, we supposed that the expression rate of all OCT4 isoforms may be related to the cancer type and side, as well as to liver metastases. However, further studies are required to investigate the detailed expression patterns and significance of individual OCT4 isoforms in carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Turyova
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genomics, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Peter Mikolajcik
- Clinic of Surgery and Transplant Center, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin and University Hospital Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Marian Grendar
- Biomedical Centre Martin, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Eva Kudelova
- Clinic of Surgery and Transplant Center, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin and University Hospital Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Veronika Holubekova
- Biomedical Centre Martin, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Michal Kalman
- Department of Pathological Anatomy, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin and University Hospital Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Juraj Marcinek
- Department of Pathological Anatomy, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin and University Hospital Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Matej Hrnciar
- Department of Informatics, Information Systems and Software Engineering, Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies, Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Michal Kovac
- Department of Informatics, Information Systems and Software Engineering, Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies, Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Juraj Miklusica
- Clinic of Surgery and Transplant Center, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin and University Hospital Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Ludovit Laca
- Clinic of Surgery and Transplant Center, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin and University Hospital Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Zora Lasabova
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genomics, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia
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Liu Y, Yang Y, Suo Y, Li C, Chen M, Zheng S, Li H, Tang C, Fan N, Lan T, Zhou J, Li Y, Wang J, Chen H, Zou Q, Lai L. Inducible caspase-9 suicide gene under control of endogenous oct4 to safeguard mouse and human pluripotent stem cell therapy. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2022; 24:332-341. [PMID: 35229007 PMCID: PMC8851157 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2022.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are promising in regenerative medicine. A major challenge of PSC therapy is the risk of teratoma formation because of the contamination of undifferentiated stem cells. Constitutive promoters or endogenous SOX2 promoters have been used to drive inducible caspase-9 (iCasp9) gene expression but cannot specifically eradicate undifferentiated PSCs. Here, we inserted iCasp9 gene into the endogenous OCT4 locus of human and mouse PSCs without affecting their pluripotency. A chemical inducer of dimerization (CID), AP1903, induced iCasp9 activation, which led to the apoptosis of specific undifferentiated PSCs in vitro and in vivo. Differentiated cell lineages survived because of the silence of the endogenous OCT4 gene. Human and mouse PSCs were controllable when CID was administrated within 2 weeks after PSC injection in immunodeficient mice. However, an interval longer than 2 weeks caused teratoma formation and mouse death because a mass of somatic cells already differentiated from the PSCs. In conclusion, we have developed a specific and efficient PSC suicide system that will be of value in the clinical applications of PSC-based therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, Jiangmen 529020, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Yang Yang
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yangyang Suo
- Joint School of Life Science, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academic and Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511495, China
| | - Chuan Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, Jiangmen 529020, China
| | - Min Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, Jiangmen 529020, China
| | - Shuwen Zheng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, Jiangmen 529020, China
| | - Hao Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Chengcheng Tang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, Jiangmen 529020, China
| | - Nana Fan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Ting Lan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Jizeng Zhou
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yingying Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Jiaowei Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Huangyao Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Qingjian Zou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, Jiangmen 529020, China
| | - Liangxue Lai
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, Jiangmen 529020, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China.,Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou 510005, China.,Research Unit of Generation of Large Animal Disease Models, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2019RU015), Guangzhou 510530, China
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Mehravar M, Ghaemimanesh F, Poursani EM. Exon and intron sharing in opposite direction-an undocumented phenomenon in human genome-between Pou5f1 and Tcf19 genes. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:718. [PMID: 34610795 PMCID: PMC8493703 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-08039-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Overlapping genes share same genomic regions in parallel (sense) or anti-parallel (anti-sense) orientations. These gene pairs seem to occur in all domains of life and are best known from viruses. However, the advantage and biological significance of overlapping genes is still unclear. Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) analysis enabled us to uncover an overlapping gene pair in the human genome. RESULTS By using in silico analysis of previous experimental documentations, we reveal a new form of overlapping genes in the human genome, in which two genes found on opposite strands (Pou5f1 and Tcf19), share two exons and one intron enclosed, at the same positions, between OCT4B3 and TCF19-D splice variants. CONCLUSIONS This new form of overlapping gene expands our previous perception of splicing events and may shed more light on the complexity of gene regulation in higher organisms. Additional such genes might be detected by ESTs analysis also of other organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Majid Mehravar
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Development and Stem Cells Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Fatemeh Ghaemimanesh
- Monoclonal Antibody Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ensieh M Poursani
- Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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