Expression of cytoskeleton regulatory protein Mena in human hepatocellular carcinoma and its prognostic significance

OCT4 and MENA immunoprofiling in salivary mucoepidermoid carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) emblematizes the predominant malignant salivary gland neoplasm, characterized by its heterogeneous morphological features and diverse clinical representations. The expression patterns and prognostic significance of Octamer transcription factor 4 (OCT4) and Mammalian-enabled (MENA) protein in MEC perdure are incompletely described.

METHODS

Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on 46 archival MEC specimens and 5 normal salivary-gland controls. OCT4 and MENA staining were assessed histomorphometrically and correlated with clinicopathological parameters. Statistical analysis comprised Monte Carlo and Spearman's correlation tests.

RESULTS

OCT4 revealed selective cytoplasmic immunoreactivity in intermediate and epidermoid cells, without nuclear positivity. Strong OCT4 expression predominated in low-grade (66.7%), while high-grade MEC exhibited variable immunoreactivity, with 53% showing weak expression. No significant correlation was found between OCT4 expression and clinical or pathological data. MENA showed cytoplasmic and membranous immunolocalization, with expression patterns correlated significantly with age (p = 0.015), tumor size (p = 0.012), clinical stage (p = 0.004), and histological grading (p = 0.001). Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a weak, non-significant association between OCT4 and MENA expression (r = 0.05, p = 0.744).

CONCLUSIONS

The differential expression patterns of OCT4 and MENA in MEC prognosticate distinct regulatory mechanisms. While OCT4 cytoplasmic expression may presage early involvement in carcinogenesis, MENA cellular expression portends potentially independent molecular pathways, possibly encompassing subnetworks in the Wnt/β-catenin and TGF-β signaling cascades. MENA may serve as a biomarker for predicting the aggressive behavior of MEC.

ENAH transcriptionally activated by YY1 promotes growth and invasion of laryngocarcinoma cells through PI3K/AKT signaling

BACKGROUND

Laryngocarcinoma is a common malignancy in the upper respiratory tract. Enabled homolog (ENAH) is an actin-binding protein that is associated with the development of various cancers. However, its role and mechanism in laryngocarcinoma remain unknown.

METHODS

The ENAH level in laryngocarcinoma was examined in silico, in vitro and in vivo. The prognostic analysis of the ENAH level was assessed on laryngocarcinoma patients. Gain- and loss-of-function assays were conducted in AMC-HN-8 and TU686 cells. Sh-ENAH-containing AMC-HN-8 cells were implanted into naked mice. The role and mechanism of ENAH in laryngocarcinoma were investigated by CCK-8, transwell, immunofluorescence, dual luciferase, RT-qPCR, immunohistochemistry, and western blotting experiments.

RESULTS

The ENAH level was upregulated in laryngocarcinoma, which predicted a poor prognosis in laryngocarcinoma patients. Gain- and loss-of-function results showed that ENAH promoted proliferation, invasion and EMT of laryngocarcinoma cells. Moreover, ENAH was transcriptionally activated by YY1, and YY1/ENAH axis enhanced these malignant progresses of laryngocarcinoma cells. Besides, ENAH activated the PI3K/AKT pathway, and 740Y-P abolished the accelerative role of ENAH in proliferation, invasion and EMT of laryngocarcinoma cells. Furthermore, knockdown of ENAH reduced tumor size and weight, and the expression level of vimentin and PI3K/AKT pathway in tumor-bearing mice.

CONCLUSION

ENAH transcriptionally activated by YY1 promotes cell growth, invasion and EMT of laryngocarcinoma through the activation of PI3K/AKT signaling.

Mammalian enabled protein enhances tamoxifen sensitivity of the hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients by suppressing the AKT signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Mammalian enabled (MENA) protein is a member of the enabled/vasodilator stimulated phosphoprotein (Ena/VASP) protein family, which regulates cytoplasmic actin network assembly. It plays a significant role in breast cancer invasion, migration, and resistance against targeted therapy and chemotherapy. However, its role in the efficacy of endocrine therapy for the hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer patients is not known. This study investigated the role of MENA in the resistance against tamoxifen therapy in patients with HR+ breast cancer and the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

MENA expression levels in the clinical HR+ breast cancer samples (n = 119) were estimated using immunohistochemistry (IHC) to determine its association with the clinicopathological features, tamoxifen resistance, and survival outcomes. Western blotting (WB) and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis was performed to estimate the MENA protein and mRNA levels in the tamoxifen-sensitive and -resistant HR+ breast cancer cell lines. Furthermore, CCK8, colony formation, and the transwell invasion and migration assays were used to analyze the effects of MENA knockdown on the biological behavior and tamoxifen sensitivity of the HR+ breast cancer cell lines. Xenograft tumor experiments were performed in the nude mice to determine the tumor growth rates and tamoxifen sensitivity of the control and MENA knockdown HR+ breast cancer cells in the presence and absence of tamoxifen treatment. Furthermore, we estimated the growth rates of organoids derived from the HR+ breast cancer patients (n = 10) with high and low MENA expression levels when treated with tamoxifen.

RESULTS

HR+ breast cancer patients with low MENA expression demonstrated tamoxifen resistance and poorer prognosis compared to those with high MENA expression. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that MENA expression was an independent predictor of tamoxifen resistance in patients with HR+ breast cancer. MENA knockdown HR+ breast cancer cells showed significantly reduced tamoxifen sensitivity in the in vitro experiments and the in vivo xenograft tumor mouse model compared with the corresponding controls. Furthermore, MENA knockdown increased the in vitro invasion and migration of the HR+ breast cancer cells. HR+ breast cancer organoids with low MENA expression demonstrated reduced tamoxifen sensitivity than those with higher MENA expression. Mechanistically, P-AKT levels were significantly upregulated in the MENA-knockdown HR + breast cancer cells treated with or without 4-OHT compared with the corresponding controls.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that downregulation of MENA promoted tamoxifen resistance in the HR+ breast cancer tissues and cells by enhancing the AKT signaling pathway. Therefore, MENA is a promising prediction biomarker for determining tamoxifen sensitivity in patients with HR+ breast cancer.

Overexpression of Mena is associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma via EMT

Background

Mena, a cytoskeletal regulatory protein, is involved in actin-based regulation of cell motility and adhesion, and contributes to tumor invasion and metastasis. However, the role of Mena in oral squamous cell carcinoma remains unclear. This is the first research focusing on the prognostic value of Mena in OSCC. In this study, we aimed to investigate the correlation between Mena expression and clinicopathological significance, as well as prognostic value in OSCC.

Methods

Mena gene expression profiles of OSCC and normal tissues were collected from Oncomine, TCGA, and GEO databases. Biological function was analyzed through GO, KEGG and GSEA enrichment. Further, the expression level of Mena and tumor-related markers in 151 OSCC specimens was examined by IHC staining based on tissue microarray. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess the prognostic performance of Mena in OSCC.

Result

Mena was generally upregulation in various malignancies, especially OSCC. The functional analyses indicated that Mena was involved in the assembly and regulation of actin, cell movement, and EMT. IHC staining revealed that high expression of Mena in OSCC was correlated with Lymphatic metastasis, TNM stage, E-cadherin, Vimentin, and MMP-2, but insignificantly Ki67. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that elevated expression of Mena was significantly associated with poor overall survival and disease-free survival of OSCC patients.

Conclusion

Mena could be a novel biomarker for predicting the prognosis of OSCC patients, which supports a theoretical basis for developing molecular target therapy.

Enabled homolog (ENAH) regulated by RNA binding protein splicing factor 3b subunit 4 (SF3B4) exacerbates the proliferation, invasion and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via Notch signaling pathway

Enabled homolog (ENAH) is an actin-binding protein that implicated in multiple malignant tumors. High ENAH expression has been verified to be associated with poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to reveal the role of ENAH in HCC and the potential mechanism. ENAH expression in HCC tissues and the prognostic correlation were analyzed by GEPIA2 database. RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to test ENAH expression in HCC cells. Following ENAH silencing, cell proliferation was estimated by CCK-8 and colony formation assays. Transwell and wound healing assays were to assess cell invasion and migration. ENCORI database was to analyze the correlation between ENAH and splicing factor 3b subunit 4 (SF3B4) in HCC tissues, which was then verified by RIP and actinomycin D assay. Then, the expression of Notch signaling-related proteins was detected by Western blotting after ENAH knockdown. Afterward, Notch1 was overexpressed to validate whether ENAH impacted the biological events of HCC cells through mediating Notch signaling. Results revealed that ENAH expression was elevated in HCC tissues and cells and associated with poor prognosis. ENAH deficiency mitigated proliferation, invasion and migration of HCC cells. Mechanistically, ENAH was positively correlated with SF3B4 in HCC tissues. SF3B4 could bind to ENAH mRNA and stabilized ENAH. Besides, ENAH activated Notch signaling. Notch1 up-regulation reversed the influence of ENAH knockdown on biological events of HCC cells. Collectively, ENAH regulated by SF3B4 promoted the development of HCC through activating Notch signaling, which identified ENAH as a potent molecular target for HCC therapy and prognosis.

Detection and analysis of long noncoding RNA expression profiles related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition in keloids

BACKGROUND

The role of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the pathogenesis of keloids is currently raising increasing attention. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) govern a variety of biological processes, such as EMT, and their dysregulation is involved in many diseases including keloid disease. The aim of this study was to identify differentially expressed EMT-related lncRNAs in keloid tissues versus normal tissues and to interpret their functions.

RESULTS

Eleven lncRNAs and 16 mRNAs associated with EMT were identified to have differential expression between keloid and normal skin tissues (fold change > 1.5, P < 0.05). Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that these differentially expressed mRNAs functioned in the extracellular matrix, protein binding, the positive regulation of cellular processes, the Set1C/COMPASS complex and histone acetyltransferase activity. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis demonstrated that these mRNAs are involved in pathways in cancer. The lncRNA, XLOC_000587 may promote cell proliferation and migration by enhancing the expression of ENAH, while AF268386 may facilitate the invasive growth of keloids by upregulating DDR2.

CONCLUSIONS

We characterized the differential expression profiles of EMT-related lncRNAs and mRNAs in keloids, which may contribute to preventing the occurrence and development of keloids by targeting the corresponding signaling pathways. These lncRNAs and mRNAs may provide biomarkers for keloid diagnosis and serve as potential targets for the treatment of this disease.

Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes deliver microRNA-375 to downregulate ENAH and thus retard esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression

Background

Exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) from bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs) have emerged as promising therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment. The current study aimed to elucidate the underlying mechanism of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs)-derived exosomal miR-375 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods

After determining the expression of miR-375 and its putative target enabled homolog (ENAH) in ESCC tissues and cells, we tested effects of their altered expression on ESCC proliferation, invasion, migration, and tumorsphere formation was subsequently measured. Transfected hUCMSCs-derived exosomes (hUCMSCs-exo) were isolated and co-cultured with ESCC cells to measure the effects of miR-375 delivered by hUCMSCs-exo on ESCC development. Finally, we investigated the effect of miR-375 on tumor growth in vivo.

Results

The expression of miR-375 was reduced, while the expression of ENAH was elevated in ESCC. ENAH was identified as a target gene of miR-375. Elevated miR-375 or depleted ENAH expression inhibited ESCC cell proliferation, invasion, migration, tumorsphere formation, and promoted apoptosis. Moreover, miR-375 delivered by hUCMSCs-exo could suppress ESCC cell proliferation, invasion, migration, tumorsphere formation, but promoted apoptosis in vitro, as well as inhibiting tumor growth in vivo.

Conclusions

Taken together, hUCMSCs-exo can deliver miR-375 to suppress ENAH expression and subsequently inhibit the initiation and progression of ESCC.

Identification of novel biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma using transcriptome analysis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of death from cancer in the world. To comprehensively investigate the utility of microRNAs (miRNAs) and protein-encoding transcripts (messenger RNAs [mRNAs]) in HCC as potential biomarkers for early detection and diagnosis, we exhaustively mined genomic data from three available omics datasets (GEO, Oncomine, and TCGA), analyzed the overlaps among gene expression studies from 920 hepatocellular carcinoma samples and 508 healthy (or adjacent normal) liver tissue samples available from six laboratories, and identified 178 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with HCC. Paired with miRNA and lncRNA data, we identified 23 core genes that were targeted by nine differentially expressed miRNAs and 21 HCC-specific lncRNAs. We further demonstrated that alterations in these 23 genes were quite frequent, with five genes altered in over 5% of the population. Patients with high levels of YWHAZ, ENAH, and HMGN4 tended to have high-grade tumors and shorter overall survival, suggesting that these genes could be promising candidate biomarkers for disease and poor prognosis in patients with HCC. Our comprehensive mRNA, miRNA, and lncRNA omics analyses from multiple independent datasets identified robust molecules that may be used as biomarkers for early HCC detection and diagnosis.

Enah overexpression is correlated with poor survival and aggressive phenotype in gastric cancer

Enabled homolog (Enah), which is a member of the Ena/VASP family that also includes VASP (vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein) and Ena/VASP like, is a mammalian ortholog of Drosophila Enabled (Ena). An increasing number of studies demonstrated Enah overexpression is involved in human colorectal carcinomas, breast cancers and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the significance of Enah expression in gastric cancer (GC) is poorly elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that Enah is upregulated in GC and associated with AJCC stage, depth of invasion and poor overall survival (OS). Knockdown of Enah inhibited GC cell proliferation and metastasis and vice versa. Further experiments suggested that p-Erk1/2, p-AKT, p-p65, Vimentin and Fibronectin were downregulated and E-cadherin was upregulated after Enah silencing, implicating altered functions in GC proliferation and metastasis. Thus, our study suggests that Enah is a harmful factor for GC and a novel target for GC treatment.

Expression of the cytoskeleton regulatory protein Mena in human gastric carcinoma and its prognostic significance

The cytoskeleton regulatory protein Mena is reportedly overexpressed in breast cancer; however, data regarding its expression level and clinical significance in gastric carcinoma (GC) is limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate Mena expression levels and prognostic significance in GC. Mena mRNA expression level was determined by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction in 10 paired GC and adjacent normal tissues. The Mena protein expression level was analyzed in paraffin-embedded GC samples and adjacent normal tissues by immunohistochemistry. Statistical analyses were also performed to evaluate the clinicopathological significance of Mena. The results revealed that the mRNA expression level of Mena was significantly higher in G Ct issues compared with in adjacent normal tissues from10 paired samples. In the paraffin-embedded tissue samples, the protein expression level of Mena was higher in G Ct issues compared with in adjacent normal tissues. Compared with adjacent normal tissues, Mena overexpression was observed in 52.83% (56/106) of patients. The overexpression of Mena was significantly associated with the T stage (P=0.033), tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (P<0.001) and decreased overall survival (P<0.001). Based on a multivariate analysis, Mena expression level was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival time. In conclusion, Mena wasoverexpressed in G C tissues and significantly associated with the T stage, TNM stage and overall survival time. Mena may therefore be suitable as a prognostic indicator for patients with GC.

The significance of ENAH in carcinogenesis and prognosis in gastric cancer

The ENAH gene, which encodes a member of the enabled/vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (Ena/VASP) family of proteins, is involved in the assembly of actin filaments required for cell adhesion and motility. Recent studies show overexpressed ENAH in several cancer types, and ENAH correlates with tumor invasiveness. This study aimed to investigate the expression and function of ENAH in primary gastric adenocarcinoma, and its prognostic significance. We found significantly increased mRNA (P = 0.0283) and protein (P = 0.0301) expression of ENAH in gastric cancer tissues. ENAH expression markedly associated with tumor size (P < 0.001), T stage (P < 0.001), N stage (P = 0.001), TNM stage (P < 0.001) and prognosis (P < 0.001). Cox regression analyses revealed ENAH expression as an independent predictor of overall survival (P = 0.019). We also analyzed data of 155 gastric cancer cases from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and found that ENAH expression significantly correlated with age (P = 0.003), T stage (P = 0.023) and prognosis (P = 0.05). Furthermore, the function of ENAH in cell proliferation, colony formation, cell migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells was analyzed in vitro. Knockdown of ENAH expression suppressed cell proliferation, colony formation, cell migration and invasion in MKN45 cells. Conversely, overexpression of ENAH promoted cell proliferation, cell migration and invasion in MGC803 cells. Our research suggests that ENAH might play promoting functions in carcinogenesis and progression of gastric cancer, and may serve as a valuable prognostic marker for primary gastric adenocarcinoma patients.

Mammalian-enabled (MENA) protein enhances oncogenic potential and cancer stem cell-like phenotype in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Mammalian-enabled (MENA) protein is an actin-regulatory protein that influences cell motility and adhesion. It is known to play a role in tumorigenicity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the oncogenic potential of MENA and its capacity to regulate cancer stem cell (CSC)-like phenotypes in HCC cells. Real-time-PCR and western blot were used to assess mRNA and protein levels of target genes in human HCC tissue specimens and HCC cell lines, respectively. Stable MENA-overexpressing HCC cells were generated from HCC cell lines. Transwell cell migration and colony formation assays were employed to evaluate tumorigenicity. Ectopic expression of MENA significantly enhanced cell migration and colony-forming ability in HCC cells. Overexpression of MENA upregulated several hepatic progenitor/stem cell markers in HCC cells. A high MENA protein level was associated with high mRNA levels of MENA, CD133, cytokeratin 19 (CK19), and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) in human HCC tissues. Overexpression of MENA enhanced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) phosphorylation, and the level of β-catenin in HCC cells. This study demonstrated that overexpression of MENA in HCC cells promoted stem cell markers, EMT markers, and tumorigenicity. These effects may involve, at least partially, the ERK and β-catenin signaling pathways.

Slit-Robo Repulsive Signaling Extrudes Tumorigenic Cells from Epithelia

Cells dynamically interact throughout animal development to coordinate growth and deter disease. For example, cell-cell competition weeds out aberrant cells to enforce homeostasis. In Drosophila, tumorigenic cells mutant for the cell polarity gene scribble (scrib) are actively eliminated from epithelia when surrounded by wild-type cells. While scrib cell elimination depends critically on JNK signaling, JNK-dependent cell death cannot sufficiently explain scrib cell extirpation. Thus, how JNK executed cell elimination remained elusive. Here, we show that repulsive Slit-Robo2-Ena signaling exerts an extrusive force downstream of JNK to eliminate scrib cells from epithelia by disrupting E-cadherin. While loss of Slit-Robo2-Ena in scrib cells potentiates scrib tumor formation within the epithelium, Robo2-Ena hyperactivation surprisingly triggers luminal scrib tumor growth following excess extrusion. This extrusive signaling is amplified by a positive feedback loop between Slit-Robo2-Ena and JNK. Our observations provide a potential causal mechanism for Slit-Robo dysregulation in numerous human cancers.