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Chaudhuri AG, Samanta S, Dey M, Raviraja NS, Dey S. Role of Alpha-Fetoprotein in the Pathogenesis of Cancer. J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol 2024; 43:57-76. [PMID: 38505913 DOI: 10.1615/jenvironpatholtoxicoloncol.2023049145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) belongs to the albuminoid protein family and is considered as the fetal analog of serum albumin. This plasma protein is initially synthesized in the fetal liver and yolk sac and shows a maximum peak near the end of the first trimester. Later, concentrations begin to decline prenatally and drop precipitously after birth. This protein has three key ligand-binding pockets for interactions with various biomolecules. It contains multiple phosphorylation and acetylation sites for the regulation of physiological and pathophysiological states. High serum AFP titer is an established biomarker for yolk sac, embryonal and hepatocellular carcinoma. The present review critically analyzes the chemical nature, receptors, clinical implications, and therapeutic aspects of AFP, underpinning the development of different types of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alok Ghosh Chaudhuri
- Department of Physiology, Vidyasagar College, Kolkata 700 006, West Bengal, India
| | - Saptadip Samanta
- Department of Physiology, Midnapore College, Midnapore, Paschim Medinipur 721101, West Bengal, India
| | - Monalisha Dey
- Department of Physiology, Vidyasagar College, Kolkata 700 006, West Bengal, India
| | - N S Raviraja
- Manipal Centre for Biotherapeutics Research, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576 104, Karnataka, India
| | - Souvik Dey
- Manipal Centre for Biotherapeutics Research, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576 104, Karnataka, India
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Gautam SK, Khan P, Natarajan G, Atri P, Aithal A, Ganti AK, Batra SK, Nasser MW, Jain M. Mucins as Potential Biomarkers for Early Detection of Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:1640. [PMID: 36980526 PMCID: PMC10046558 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15061640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Early detection significantly correlates with improved survival in cancer patients. So far, a limited number of biomarkers have been validated to diagnose cancers at an early stage. Considering the leading cancer types that contribute to more than 50% of deaths in the USA, we discuss the ongoing endeavors toward early detection of lung, breast, ovarian, colon, prostate, liver, and pancreatic cancers to highlight the significance of mucin glycoproteins in cancer diagnosis. As mucin deregulation is one of the earliest events in most epithelial malignancies following oncogenic transformation, these high-molecular-weight glycoproteins are considered potential candidates for biomarker development. The diagnostic potential of mucins is mainly attributed to their deregulated expression, altered glycosylation, splicing, and ability to induce autoantibodies. Secretory and shed mucins are commonly detected in patients' sera, body fluids, and tumor biopsies. For instance, CA125, also called MUC16, is one of the biomarkers implemented for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer and is currently being investigated for other malignancies. Similarly, MUC5AC, a secretory mucin, is a potential biomarker for pancreatic cancer. Moreover, anti-mucin autoantibodies and mucin-packaged exosomes have opened new avenues of biomarker development for early cancer diagnosis. In this review, we discuss the diagnostic potential of mucins in epithelial cancers and provide evidence and a rationale for developing a mucin-based biomarker panel for early cancer detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shailendra K. Gautam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Parvez Khan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Gopalakrishnan Natarajan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Pranita Atri
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Abhijit Aithal
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Apar K. Ganti
- Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
- Division of Oncology-Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, VA Nebraska Western Iowa Health Care System, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
| | - Surinder K. Batra
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
- Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Mohd W. Nasser
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
- Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Maneesh Jain
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
- Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
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Shi H, Zhang W, Hu B, Wang Y, Zhang Z, Sun Y, Mao G, Li C, Lu S. Whole-exome sequencing identifies a set of genes as markers of hepatocellular carcinoma early recurrence. Hepatol Int 2022; 17:393-405. [PMID: 36550350 DOI: 10.1007/s12072-022-10457-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by a high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. In recent years, the therapeutic regimen of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody combined with multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (mTKIs) has achieved better results in the clinical application of hepatocellular carcinoma. Whole-exome sequencing can reflect the mutational characteristics of patients' exons and guide the clinical selection of molecular targeting drugs more accurately, which is in line with the concept of precision medicine. METHODS We performed exome sequencing on 63 patients with HCC treated with radical surgery at our hospital and collected their clinical indexes and postoperative follow-up data. Using machine learning, a prediction model for recurrence within 1 year was constructed and the model was presented in a nomogram. Patients treated with PD-1 antibodies in combination with mTKIs after relapse were grouped by prognosis, and the valuable mutated genes were screened according to whole-exome sequencing data. The tumor tissue immune cells were analyzed using the UCSC Xena database. The expressions of target proteins were verified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively, on commercial HCC cell lines and pathological specimens of hepatocellular carcinoma collected clinically. RESULTS The proportion of patients who relapsed within a year was 41% and the prognosis of those patients was poor. The characteristic exon mutation profile with a high frequency of variants in multiple mucin genes was present in Chinese HCC patients. Multiple nidi and 30 exon variants were brought into the prediction model with an area under the curve (AUC) = 0.94. MUC6 gene mutation was obvious in patients with an early recurrence, and MUC3A and MUC4 gene mutations were evident in patients with poorer responses to PD-1 antibodies combined with mTKIs. Those three mucins were negatively correlated with immune infiltrating cells. CONCLUSIONS We depicted the exon characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma in the Chinese population and established a predictive model for recurrence within 1 year after radical surgical treatment. Moreover, we found that mucins were worthy targets of hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huizhong Shi
- Medical School of China PLA, Beijing, China
- The First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Wenwen Zhang
- The First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Bingyang Hu
- The First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Yafei Wang
- The First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA, Beijing, China
- Medical College of Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Ze Zhang
- Medical School of China PLA, Beijing, China
- The First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Sun
- GenomiCare Biotechnology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | - Guankun Mao
- The First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Chonghui Li
- The First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Shichun Lu
- The First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China.
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China.
- Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA, Beijing, China.
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Guizhen Z, Guanchang J, Liwen L, Huifen W, Zhigang R, Ranran S, Zujiang Y. The tumor microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma and its targeting strategy by CAR-T cell immunotherapy. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:918869. [PMID: 36093115 PMCID: PMC9452721 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.918869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the major subtype of liver cancer, which ranks sixth in cancer incidence and third in mortality. Although great strides have been made in novel therapy for HCC, such as immunotherapy, the prognosis remains less than satisfactory. Increasing evidence demonstrates that the tumor immune microenvironment (TME) exerts a significant role in the evolution of HCC and has a non-negligible impact on the efficacy of HCC treatment. In the past two decades, the success in hematological malignancies made by chimeric antigen receptor-modified T (CAR-T) cell therapy leveraging it holds great promise for cancer treatment. However, in the face of a hostile TME in solid tumors like HCC, the efficacy of CAR-T cells will be greatly compromised. Here, we provide an overview of TME features in HCC, discuss recent advances and challenges of CAR-T immunotherapy in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhang Guizhen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Presion Medicine Cencter Gene Hospital of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, China
- Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ji Guanchang
- Department of Urology People’s Hospital of Puyang, Puyang, China
| | - Liu Liwen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Presion Medicine Cencter Gene Hospital of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, China
- Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Wang Huifen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Presion Medicine Cencter Gene Hospital of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, China
- Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ren Zhigang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Sun Ranran
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yu Zujiang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Presion Medicine Cencter Gene Hospital of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, China
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5
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Bose M, Grover P, Sanders AJ, Zhou R, Ahmad M, Shwartz S, Lala P, Nath S, Yazdanifar M, Brouwer C, Mukherjee P. Overexpression of MUC1 Induces Non-Canonical TGF-β Signaling in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:821875. [PMID: 35237602 PMCID: PMC8883581 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.821875] [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: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is one of the most lethal human cancers. Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGF-β) is a cytokine that switches from a tumor-suppressor at early stages to a tumor promoter in the late stages of tumor development, by yet unknown mechanisms. Tumor associated MUC1 is aberrantly glycosylated and overexpressed in >80% of PDAs and is associated with poor prognosis. MUC1 expression is found in the early stages of PDA development with subsequent increase in later stages. Analysis of human PDA samples from TCGA database showed significant differences in gene expression and survival profiles between low and high MUC1 samples. Further, high MUC1 expression was found to positively correlate to TGF-βRII expression and negatively correlate to TGF-βRI expression in PDA cell lines. We hypothesized that MUC1 overexpression induces TGF-β mediated non-canonical signaling pathways which is known to be associated with poor prognosis. In this study, we report that MUC1 overexpression in PDA cells directly activates the JNK pathway in response to TGF-β, and leads to increased cell viability via up-regulation and stabilization of c-Myc. Conversely, in low MUC1 expressing PDA cells, TGF-β preserves its tumor-suppressive function and inhibits phosphorylation of JNK and stabilization of c-Myc. Knockdown of MUC1 in PDA cells also results in decreased phosphorylation of JNK and c-Myc in response to TGF-β treatment. Taken together, the results indicate that overexpression of MUC1 plays a significant role in switching the TGF-β function from a tumor-suppressor to a tumor promoter by directly activating JNK. Lastly, we report that high-MUC1 PDA tumors respond to TGF-β neutralizing antibody in vivo showing significantly reduced tumor growth while low-MUC1 tumors do not respond to TGF-β neutralizing antibody further confirming our hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukulika Bose
- Department of Biological Sciences, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Priyanka Grover
- Department of Biological Sciences, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Alexa J Sanders
- Department of Bioinformatics, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Ru Zhou
- Department of Biological Sciences, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Mohammad Ahmad
- Department of Biological Sciences, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Sophia Shwartz
- Department of Biological Sciences, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Priyanka Lala
- Department of Biological Sciences, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Sritama Nath
- Department of Biological Sciences, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | | | - Cory Brouwer
- Department of Bioinformatics, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Pinku Mukherjee
- Department of Biological Sciences, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
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Kumar AR, Devan AR, Nair B, Nair RR, Nath LR. Biology, Significance and Immune Signaling of Mucin 1 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Curr Cancer Drug Targets 2022; 22:725-740. [PMID: 35301949 DOI: 10.2174/1568009622666220317090552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Mucin 1 (MUC 1) is a highly glycosylated tumor-associated antigen (TAA) overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This protein plays a critical role in various immune-mediated signaling pathways at its transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels, leading to immune evasion and metastasis in HCC. HCC cells maintain an immune-suppressive environment with the help of immunesuppressive tumor-associated antigens, resulting in a metastatic spread of the disease. The development of intense immunotherapeutic strategies to target tumor-associated antigen is critical to overcoming the progression of HCC. MUC 1 remains the most recognized tumor-associated antigen since its discovery over 30 years ago. A few promising immunotherapies targeting MUC 1 are currently under clinical trials, including CAR-T and CAR-pNK-mediated therapies. This review highlights the biosynthesis, significance, and clinical implication of MUC 1 as an immune target in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayana R Kumar
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Health Science Campus, Kochi-682041, Kerala, India
| | - Aswathy R Devan
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Health Science Campus, Kochi-682041, Kerala, India
| | - Bhagyalakshmi Nair
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Health Science Campus, Kochi-682041, Kerala, India
| | | | - Lekshmi R Nath
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Health Science Campus, Kochi-682041, Kerala, India
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Swaminathan G, Shigna A, Kumar A, Byroju VV, Durgempudi VR, Dinesh Kumar L. RNA Interference and Nanotechnology: A Promising Alliance for Next Generation Cancer Therapeutics. FRONTIERS IN NANOTECHNOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fnano.2021.694838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a significant health hazard of the 21st century, and GLOBOCAN predicts increasing cancer incidence in the coming decades. Though several conventional treatment modalities exist, most of them end up causing off-target and debilitating effects, and drug resistance acquisition. Advances in our understanding of tumor molecular biology offer alternative strategies for precise, robust, and potentially less toxic treatment paradigms for circumventing the disease at the cellular and molecular level. Several deregulated molecules associated with tumorigenesis have been developed as targets in RNA interference (RNAi) based cancer therapeutics. RNAi, a post-transcriptional gene regulation mechanism, has significantly gained attention because of its precise multi-targeted gene silencing. Although the RNAi approach is favorable, the direct administration of small oligonucleotides has not been fruitful because of their inherent lower half-lives and instability in the biological systems. Moreover, the lack of an appropriate delivery system to the primary site of the tumor that helps determine the potency of the drug and its reach, has limited the effective medical utilization of these bio-drugs. Nanotechnology, with its unique characteristics of enhanced permeation and better tumor-targeting efficiency, offers promising solutions owing to the various possibilities and amenability for modifications of the nanoparticles to augment cancer therapeutics. Nanoparticles could be made multimodal, by designing and synthesizing multiple desired functionalities, often resulting in unique and potentially applicable biological structures. A small number of Phase I clinical trials with systemically administered siRNA molecules conjugated with nanoparticles have been completed and the results are promising, indicating that, these new combinatorial therapies can successfully and safely be used to inhibit target genes in cancer patients to alleviate some of the disease burden. In this review, we highlight different types of nano-based delivery strategies for engineering Nano-RNAi-based bio drugs. Furthermore, we have highlighted the insights gained from current research that are entering the preclinical evaluation and information about initial clinical developments, shaping the future for next generation cancer therapeutics.
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CircHECTD1 up-regulates mucin 1 expression to accelerate hepatocellular carcinoma development by targeting microRNA-485-5p via a competing endogenous RNA mechanism. Chin Med J (Engl) 2021; 133:1774-1785. [PMID: 32675746 PMCID: PMC7469999 DOI: 10.1097/cm9.0000000000000917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Non-coding RNAs have attracted considerable attention for their vital role in cancer. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of non-coding RNAs on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and reveal their regulatory mechanism in the pathophysiological process. Methods: We measured the expression of mucin 1 (MUC1) and miR-485-5p in tissues from 15 HCC patients and in liver cancer cell lines by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, screened for aberrantly expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) by miRNA microarrays. Bioinformatics tools were used to find the miRNA and circular RNA that regulated MUC1, which were validated by RNA immunoprecipitation assay and luciferase reporter assay. Cell counting kit-8, Transwell assays, and flow cytometry were used to conduct functional experiments. Proteins were examined by western blot and immunohistochemical staining assays. Significant differences between groups were estimated using the one-way analysis of variance. A P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: MUC1 was overexpressed in HCC tissues compared with that in paratumor tissues (normal vs. tumor, 1.007 ± 0.215 vs. 75.213 ± 18.403, t = 18.401, P < 0.001) while miR-485-5p was down-regulated (normal vs. tumor, 4.894 ± 0.684 vs. 1.586 ± 0.398, t = 16.191, P < 0.001). Inhibition of miR-485-5p promoted cell proliferation (73.33% ± 5.13% vs. 41.33% ± 3.51%, t = 8.913, P < 0.001), migration (102 ± 8 cells vs. 46 ± 8 cells, t = 8.681, P < 0.001), invasion (59 ± 7 cells vs. 28 ± 2 cells, t = 8.034, P < 0.01), and suppressed apoptosis (22.64% ± 6.97% vs. 36.33% ± 3.96%, t = 2.958, P < 0.05) of HepG2 cells with which MUC1 is knocked down. Mechanically, miR-485-5p binds to MUC1, while circHECTD1 binds to miR-485-5p, resulting in the indirect up-regulation of the MUC1 level. Conclusions: Our findings reveal that circHECTD1 facilitates HCC progression by sponging miR-485-5p to up-regulate MUC1.
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A cytokine in turmoil: Transforming growth factor beta in cancer. Biomed Pharmacother 2021; 139:111657. [PMID: 34243626 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.111657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer remains one of the debilitating health threats to mankind in view of its incurable nature. Many factors are complicit in the initiation, progression and establishment of cancers. Early detection of cancer is the only window of hope that allows for appreciable management and possible limited survival. However, understanding of cancer biology and knowledge of the key factors that interplay at multi-level in the initiation and progression of cancer may hold possible avenues for cancer treatment and management. In particular, dysregulation of growth factor signaling such as that of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and its downstream mediators play key roles in various cancer subtypes. Expanded understanding of the context/cell type-dependent roles of TGF-β and its downstream signaling mediators in cancer may provide leads for cancer pharmacotherapy. Reliable information contained in original articles, reviews, mini-reviews and expert opinions on TGF-β, cancer and the specific roles of TGF-β signaling in various cancer subtypes were retrieved from major scientific data bases including PubMed, Scopus, Medline, Web of Science core collections just to mention but a sample by using the following search terms: TGF-β in cancer, TGF-β and colorectal cancer, TGF-β and brain cancer, TGF-β in cancer initiation, TGF-β and cell proliferation, TGF-β and cell invasion, and TGF-β-based cancer therapy. Retrieved information and reports were carefully examined, contextualized and synchronized into a coherent scientific content to highlight the multiple roles of TGF-β signaling in normal and cancerous cells. From a conceptual standpoint, development of pharmacologically active agents that exert non-specific inhibitory effects on TGF-β signaling on various cell types will undoubtedly lead to a plethora of serious side effects in view of the multi-functionality and pleiotropic nature of TGF-β. Such non-specific targeting of TGF-β could derail any beneficial therapeutic intention associated with TGF-β-based therapy. However, development of pharmacologically active agents designed specifically to target TGF-β signaling in cancer cells may improve cancer pharmacotherapy. Similarly, specific targeting of downstream mediators of TGF-β such as TGF-β type 1 and II receptors (TβRI and TβRII), receptor-mediated Smads, mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and importing proteins in cancer cells may be crucial for cancer pharmacotherapy.
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Lin B, Wang Q, Liu K, Dong X, Zhu M, Li M. Alpha-Fetoprotein Binding Mucin and Scavenger Receptors: An Available Bio-Target for Treating Cancer. Front Oncol 2021; 11:625936. [PMID: 33718192 PMCID: PMC7947232 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.625936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) entrance into cancer cells is mediated by AFP receptors (AFPRs) and exerts malignant effects. Therefore, understanding the structure of AFPRs will facilitate the development of rational approaches for vaccine design, drug delivery, antagonizing immune suppression and diagnostic imaging to treat cancer effectively. Throughout the last three decades, the identification of universal receptors for AFP has failed due to their complex carbohydrate polymer structures. Here, we focused on the two types of binding proteins or receptors that may serve as AFPRs, namely, the A) mucin receptors family, and B) the scavenger family. We presented an informative review with detailed descriptions of the signal transduction, cross-talk, and interplay of various transcription factors which highlight the downstream events following AFP binding to mucin or scavenger receptors. We mainly explored the underlying mechanisms involved mucin or scavenger receptors that interact with AFP, provide more evidence to support these receptors as tumor AFPRs, and establish a theoretical basis for targeting therapy of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Lin
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical College, Haikou, China
| | - Qiujiao Wang
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical College, Haikou, China
| | - Kun Liu
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical College, Haikou, China
| | - Xu Dong
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical College, Haikou, China
| | - Mingyue Zhu
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical College, Haikou, China
| | - Mengsen Li
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical College, Haikou, China.,Institution of Tumor, Hainan Medical College, Haikou, China
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11
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Ungefroren H. Autocrine TGF-β in Cancer: Review of the Literature and Caveats in Experimental Analysis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:977. [PMID: 33478130 PMCID: PMC7835898 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Autocrine signaling is defined as the production and secretion of an extracellular mediator by a cell followed by the binding of that mediator to receptors on the same cell to initiate signaling. Autocrine stimulation often operates in autocrine loops, a type of interaction, in which a cell produces a mediator, for which it has receptors, that upon activation promotes expression of the same mediator, allowing the cell to repeatedly autostimulate itself (positive feedback) or balance its expression via regulation of a second factor that provides negative feedback. Autocrine signaling loops with positive or negative feedback are an important feature in cancer, where they enable context-dependent cell signaling in the regulation of growth, survival, and cell motility. A growth factor that is intimately involved in tumor development and progression and often produced by the cancer cells in an autocrine manner is transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). This review surveys the many observations of autocrine TGF-β signaling in tumor biology, including data from cell culture and animal models as well as from patients. We also provide the reader with a critical discussion on the various experimental approaches employed to identify and prove the involvement of autocrine TGF-β in a given cellular response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hendrik Ungefroren
- First Department of Medicine, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, D-23538 Lübeck, Germany;
- Clinic for General Surgery, Visceral, Thoracic, Transplantation and Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, D-24105 Kiel, Germany
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12
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Abdoli Shadbad M, Hajiasgharzadeh K, Baradaran B. Cross-talk between myeloid-derived suppressor cells and Mucin1 in breast cancer vaccination: On the verge of a breakthrough. Life Sci 2020; 258:118128. [PMID: 32710947 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2020.118128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Although breast cancer is one of the leading troublesome cancers, the available therapeutic options have not fulfilled the desired outcomes. Immune-based therapy has gained special attention for breast cancer treatment. Although this approach is highly tolerable, its low response rate has rendered it as an undesirable approach. This review aims to describe the essential oncogenic pathways involved in breast cancer, elucidate the immunosuppression and oncogenic effect of Mucin1, and introduce myeloid-derived suppressor cells, which are the main culprits of anti-tumoral immune response attenuation. The various auto-inductive loops between Mucin1 and myeloid-derived suppressor cells are focal in the suppression of anti-tumoral immune responses in patients with breast cancer. These cross-talks between the Mucin1 and myeloid-derived suppressor cells can be the underlying causes of immunotherapy's impotence for patients with breast cancer. This approach can pave the road for the development of a potent vaccine for patients with breast cancer and is translated into clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Khalil Hajiasgharzadeh
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Connective Tissue Diseases Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Behzad Baradaran
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Pharmaceutical Analysis Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Neurosciences Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
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13
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Lakdawala MF, Madhu B, Faure L, Vora M, Padgett RW, Gumienny TL. Genetic interactions between the DBL-1/BMP-like pathway and dpy body size-associated genes in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mol Biol Cell 2019; 30:3151-3160. [PMID: 31693440 PMCID: PMC6938244 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e19-09-0500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathways control many developmental and homeostatic processes, including cell size and extracellular matrix remodeling. An understanding of how this pathway itself is controlled remains incomplete. To identify novel regulators of BMP signaling, we performed a forward genetic screen in Caenorhabditis elegans for genes involved in body size regulation, a trait under the control of BMP member DBL-1. We isolated mutations that suppress the long phenotype of lon-2, a gene that encodes a negative regulator that sequesters DBL-1. This screen was effective because we isolated alleles of several core components of the DBL-1 pathway, demonstrating the efficacy of the screen. We found additional alleles of previously identified but uncloned body size genes. Our screen also identified widespread involvement of extracellular matrix proteins in DBL-1 regulation of body size. We characterized interactions between the DBL-1 pathway and extracellular matrix and other genes that affect body morphology. We discovered that loss of some of these genes affects the DBL-1 pathway, and we provide evidence that DBL-1 signaling affects many molecular and cellular processes associated with body size. We propose a model in which multiple body size factors are controlled by signaling through the DBL-1 pathway and by DBL-1-independent processes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bhoomi Madhu
- Department of Biology, Texas Woman’s University, Denton, TX 76204-5799
| | - Lionel Faure
- Department of Biology, Texas Woman’s University, Denton, TX 76204-5799
| | - Mehul Vora
- Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8020
| | - Richard W. Padgett
- Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8020
- Waksman Institute of Microbiology Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8020
- Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8020
| | - Tina L. Gumienny
- Department of Biology, Texas Woman’s University, Denton, TX 76204-5799
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14
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Chen QF, Huang T, Si-Tu QJ, Wu P, Shen L, Li W, Huang Z. Analysis of competing endogenous RNA network identifies a poorly differentiated cancer-specific RNA signature for hepatocellular carcinoma. J Cell Biochem 2019; 121:2303-2317. [PMID: 31642123 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.29454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Plenty of evidence has suggested that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a vital role in competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks. Poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma (PDHCC) is a malignant phenotype. This paper aimed to explore the effect and the underlying regulatory mechanism of lncRNAs on PDHCC as a kind of ceRNA. Additionally, prognosis prediction was assessed. A total of 943 messenger RNAs (mRNAs), 86 miRNAs, and 468 lncRNAs that were differentially expressed between 137 PDHCCs and 235 well-differentiated HCCs were identified. Thereafter, a ceRNA network related to the dysregulated lncRNAs was established according to bioinformatic analysis and included 29 lncRNAs, 9 miRNAs, and 96 mRNAs. RNA-related overall survival (OS) curves were determined using the Kaplan-Meier method. The lncRNA ARHGEF7-AS2 was markedly correlated with OS in HCC (P = .041). Moreover, Cox regression analysis revealed that patients with low ARHGEF7-AS2 expression were associated with notably shorter survival time (P = .038). In addition, the area under the curve values of the lncRNA signature for 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival were 0.806, 0.741, and 0.701, respectively. Furthermore, a lncRNA nomogram was established, and the C-index of the internal validation was 0.717. In vitro experiments were performed to demonstrate that silencing ARHGEF7-AS2 expression significantly promoted HCC cell proliferation and migration. Taken together, our findings shed more light on the ceRNA network related to lncRNAs in PDHCC, and ARHGEF7-AS2 may be used as an independent biomarker to predict the prognosis of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi-Feng Chen
- Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Tao Huang
- Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Qi-Jiao Si-Tu
- Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Peihong Wu
- Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Lujun Shen
- Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Wang Li
- Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zilin Huang
- Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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15
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Contextual Regulation of TGF-β Signaling in Liver Cancer. Cells 2019; 8:cells8101235. [PMID: 31614569 PMCID: PMC6829617 DOI: 10.3390/cells8101235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary liver cancer is one of the leading causes for cancer-related death worldwide. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is a pleiotropic cytokine that signals through membrane receptors and intracellular Smad proteins, which enter the nucleus upon receptor activation and act as transcription factors. TGF-β inhibits liver tumorigenesis in the early stage by inducing cytostasis and apoptosis, but promotes malignant progression in more advanced stages by enhancing cancer cell survival, EMT, migration, invasion and finally metastasis. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning the multi-faceted roles of TGF-β in liver cancer has become a persistent pursuit during the last two decades. Contextual regulation fine-tunes the robustness, duration and plasticity of TGF-β signaling, yielding versatile albeit specific responses. This involves multiple feedback and feed-forward regulatory loops and also the interplay between Smad signaling and non-Smad pathways. This review summarizes the known regulatory mechanisms of TGF-β signaling in liver cancer, and how they channel, skew and even switch the actions of TGF-β during cancer progression.
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16
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Kasprzak A, Adamek A. Mucins: the Old, the New and the Promising Factors in Hepatobiliary Carcinogenesis. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20061288. [PMID: 30875782 PMCID: PMC6471604 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20061288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mucins are large O-glycoproteins with high carbohydrate content and marked diversity in both the apoprotein and the oligosaccharide moieties. All three mucin types, trans-membrane (e.g., MUC1, MUC4, MUC16), secreted (gel-forming) (e.g., MUC2, MUC5AC, MUC6) and soluble (non-gel-forming) (e.g., MUC7, MUC8, MUC9, MUC20), are critical in maintaining cellular functions, particularly those of epithelial surfaces. Their aberrant expression and/or altered subcellular localization is a factor of tumour growth and apoptosis induced by oxidative stress and several anti-cancer agents. Abnormal expression of mucins was observed in human carcinomas that arise in various gastrointestinal organs. It was widely believed that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) does not produce mucins, whereas cholangiocarcinoma (CC) or combined HCC-CC may produce these glycoproteins. However, a growing number of reports shows that mucins can be produced by HCC cells that do not exhibit or are yet to undergo, morphological differentiation to biliary phenotypes. Evaluation of mucin expression levels in precursors and early lesions of CC, as well as other types of primary liver cancer (PLC), conducted in in vitro and in vivo models, allowed to discover the mechanisms of their action, as well as their participation in the most important signalling pathways of liver cystogenesis and carcinogenesis. Analysis of mucin expression in PLC has both basic research and clinical value. Mucins may act as oncogenes and tumour-promoting (e.g., MUC1, MUC13), and/or tumour-suppressing factors (e.g., MUC15). Given their role in promoting PLC progression, both classic (MUC1, MUC2, MUC4, MUC5AC, MUC6) and currently tested mucins (e.g., MUC13, MUC15, MUC16) have been proposed to be important diagnostic and prognostic markers. The purpose of this review was to summarize and update the role of classic and currently tested mucins in pathogenesis of PLC, with explaining the mechanisms of their action in HCC carcinogenesis. It also focuses on determination of the diagnostic and prognostic role of these glycoproteins in PLC, especially focusing on HCC, CC and other hepatic tumours with- and without biliary differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aldona Kasprzak
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Swiecicki Street 6, 60-781 Poznań, Poland.
| | - Agnieszka Adamek
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Hepatology and Acquired Immunodeficiencies, University of Medical Sciences, Szwajcarska Street 3, 61-285 Poznań, Poland.
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17
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Molecular characterization of Na+/K+/2Cl− cotransporter 1 alpha from Trachinotus ovatus (Linnaeus, 1758) and its expression responses to acute salinity stress. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2018; 223:29-38. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2018.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2017] [Revised: 05/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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18
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Sha Z, Zhu X, Li N, Li Y, Li D. Proto-oncogenic miR-744 is upregulated by transcription factor c-Jun via a promoter activation mechanism. Oncotarget 2018; 7:64977-64986. [PMID: 27533465 PMCID: PMC5323131 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.11285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Upregulation of miR-744 is associated with poor prognosis in many types of cancer patients, but it is still unclear how miR-744 becomes elevated in these tumors. In this study, we found that ectopic c-Jun elevated miR-744 expression, whereas c-Jun attenuation reduced miR-744 expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay confirmed the direct binding of c-Jun to the promoter of miR-744. The binding site of −343 to −349 bp within the most potential promoter like sequence of miR-744 was further validated by luciferase reporter gene assays. C-Jun-induced miR-744 upregulation could significantly promote migration and invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, hence ectopic c-Jun was sufficient to rescue the migratory and invasive ability of these cells when miR-744 was knockdown. Additionally, a positive correlation between the expression levels of miR-744 and c-Jun was revealed in NSCLC samples with high (top 10%) level of miR-744 expression from the TCGA dataset. Taken together, our results demonstrated for the first time the regulatory mechanism of miR-744 transcription by c-Jun, providing a potential mechanism underlying the upregulation of miR-744 in cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhou Sha
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Xiaoxia Zhu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Na Li
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yiyi Li
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Dianhe Li
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
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19
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Li Q, Liu M, Wu M, Zhou X, Wang S, Hu Y, Wang Y, He Y, Zeng X, Chen J, Liu Q, Xiao D, Hu X, Liu W. PLAC1-specific TCR-engineered T cells mediate antigen-specific antitumor effects in breast cancer. Oncol Lett 2018; 15:5924-5932. [PMID: 29556312 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2018.8075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Placenta-specific 1 (PLAC1), a novel cancer-testis antigen (CTA), is expressed in a number of different human malignancies. It is frequently produced in breast cancer, serving a function in tumorigenesis. Adoptive immunotherapy using T cell receptor (TCR)-engineered T cells against CTA mediates objective tumor regression; however, to the best of our knowledge, targeting PLAC1 using engineered T cells has not yet been attempted. In the present study, the cDNAs encoding TCRα- and β-chains specific for human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A*0201-restricted PLAC1 were cloned from a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte, generated by in vitro by the stimulation of CD8+ T cells using autologous HLA-A2+ dendritic cells loaded with a PLAC1-specific peptide (p28-36, VLCSIDWFM). The TCRα/β-chains were linked by a 2A peptide linker (TCRα-Thosea asigna virus-TCRβ), and the constructs were cloned into the lentiviral vector, followed by transduction into human cytotoxic (CD8+) T cells. The efficiency of transduction was up to 25.16%, as detected by PLAC1 multimers. TCR-transduced CD8+ T cells, co-cultured with human non-metastatic breast cancer MCF-7 cells (PLAC1+, HLA-A2+) and triple-negative breast cancer MDAMB-231 cells (PLAC1+, HLA-A2+), produced interferon γ and tumor necrosis factor α, suggesting TCR activation. Furthermore, the PLAC1 TCR-transduced CD8+ T cells efficiently and specifically identified and annihilated the HLA-A2+/PLAC1+ breast cancer cell lines in a lactate dehydrogenase activity assay. Western blot analysis demonstrated that TCR transduction stimulated the production of mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling molecules, extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 and nuclear factor-κB, through phosphoinositide 3-kinase γ-mediated phosphorylation of protein kinase B in CD8+ T cells. Xenograft mouse assays revealed that PLAC1 TCR-transduced CD8+T cells significantly delayed the tumor progression in mice-bearing breast cancer compared with normal saline or negative control-transduced groups. In conclusion, a novel HLA-A2-restricted and PLAC1-specific TCR was identified. The present study demonstrated PLAC1 to be a potential target for breast cancer treatment; and the usage of PLAC1-specific TCR-engineered T cells may be a novel strategy for PLAC1-positive breast cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiongshu Li
- Shenzhen Beike Cell Engineering Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518057, P.R. China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy Research and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, P.R. China
| | - Muyun Liu
- Shenzhen Beike Cell Engineering Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518057, P.R. China
| | - Man Wu
- Shenzhen Beike Cell Engineering Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518057, P.R. China
| | - Xin Zhou
- Shenzhen Beike Cell Engineering Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518057, P.R. China
| | - Shaobin Wang
- Interventional and Minimally Invasive Oncology Therapy Department, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518035, P.R. China
| | - Yuan Hu
- Shenzhen Beike Cell Engineering Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518057, P.R. China
| | - Youfu Wang
- Shenzhen Beike Cell Engineering Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518057, P.R. China
| | - Yixin He
- Shenzhen Beike Cell Engineering Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518057, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoping Zeng
- Shenzhen Beike Cell Engineering Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518057, P.R. China
| | - Junhui Chen
- Interventional and Minimally Invasive Oncology Therapy Department, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518035, P.R. China
| | - Qubo Liu
- Shenzhen Beike Cell Engineering Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518057, P.R. China
| | - Dong Xiao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy Research and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, P.R. China
| | - Xiang Hu
- Shenzhen Beike Cell Engineering Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518057, P.R. China
| | - Weibin Liu
- Shenzhen Beike Cell Engineering Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518057, P.R. China
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20
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Grover P, Nath S, Nye MD, Zhou R, Ahmad M, Mukherjee P. SMAD4-independent activation of TGF-β signaling by MUC1 in a human pancreatic cancer cell line. Oncotarget 2018; 9:6897-6910. [PMID: 29467938 PMCID: PMC5805524 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.23966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDA) has a mortality rate that nearly matches its incidence rate. Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGF-β) is a cytokine with a dual role in tumor development switching from a tumor suppressor to a tumor promoter. There is limited knowledge of how TGF-β function switches during tumorigenesis. Mucin 1 (MUC1) is an aberrantly glycosylated, membrane-bound, glycoprotein that is overexpressed in >80% of PDA cases and is associated with poor prognosis. In PDA, MUC1 promotes tumor progression and metastasis via signaling through its cytoplasmic tail (MUC1-CT) and interacting with other oncogenic signaling molecules. We hypothesize that high levels of MUC1 in PDA may be partly responsible for the TGF-β functional switch during oncogenesis. We report that overexpression of MUC1 in BxPC3 human PDA cells (BxPC3.MUC1) enhances the induction of epithelial to mesenchymal transition leading to increased invasiveness in response to exogenous TGF-β1. Simultaneously, these cells resist TGF-β induced apoptosis by downregulating levels of cleaved caspases. We show that mutating the tyrosines in MUC1-CT to phenylalanine reverses the TGF-β induced invasiveness. This suggests that the tyrosine residues in MUC1-CT are required for TGF-β induced invasion. Some of these tyrosines are phosphorylated by the tyrosine kinase c-Src. Thus, treatment of BxPC3.MUC1 cells with a c-Src inhibitor (PP2) significantly reduces TGF-β induced invasiveness. Similar observations were confirmed in the Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cell line. Data strongly suggests that MUC1 may regulate TGF-β function in PDA cells and thus have potential clinical relevance in the use of TGF-β inhibitors in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Grover
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223-0001, USA
| | - Sritama Nath
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223-0001, USA
| | - Monica D Nye
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223-0001, USA
| | - Ru Zhou
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223-0001, USA
| | - Mohammad Ahmad
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223-0001, USA
| | - Pinku Mukherjee
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223-0001, USA
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21
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Wang J, Tai G. Role of C-Jun N-terminal Kinase in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development. Target Oncol 2017; 11:723-738. [PMID: 27392951 DOI: 10.1007/s11523-016-0446-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the most frequently occurring cancers and the leading causes of cancer mortality worldwide. Identification of the signaling pathways regulating liver carcinogenesis is critical for developing novel chemoprevention and targeted therapies. C-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) is a member of a larger group of serine/threonine (Ser/Thr) protein kinases known as the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family. JNK is an important signaling component that converts external stimuli into a wide range of cellular responses, including cell proliferation, differentiation, survival, migration, invasion, and apoptosis, as well as the development of inflammation, fibrosis, cancer growth, and metabolic diseases. Because of the essential roles of JNK in these cellular functions, deregulated JNK is often found to contribute to the development of HCC. Recently, the functions and molecular mechanisms of JNK in HCC development have been addressed using mouse models and human HCC cell lines. Furthermore, recent studies demonstrate that the activation of JNK by oncogenes can promote the development of cancers by regulating the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β/Smad pathway, which makes the oncogenes/JNK/Smad signaling pathway an attractive target for cancer therapy. Additionally, JNK-targeted therapy has a broad potential for clinical applications. In summary, we are convinced that promising new avenues for the treatment of HCC by targeting JNK are on the horizon, which will undoubtedly lead to better, more effective, and faster therapies in the years to come.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Wang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, 126 Xinmin Street, Jilin, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Guixiang Tai
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, 126 Xinmin Street, Jilin, Changchun, 130021, China.
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22
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Haider S, Kunihs V, Fiala C, Pollheimer J, Knöfler M. Expression pattern and phosphorylation status of Smad2/3 in different subtypes of human first trimester trophoblast. Placenta 2017; 57:17-25. [PMID: 28864007 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2017.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Revised: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION TGF-β superfamily members are thought to play a pivotal role in placental development and differentiation. However, their downstream effectors, the Smad transcription factors, have been poorly investigated in human trophoblasts. METHODS Expression and localisation of the canonical TGF-β targets Smad2/3 and their regulators (Smad4 and Smad7) were investigated in first trimester placenta and purified cytotrophoblast (CTB) subtypes using immunofluorescence, western blotting and qPCR. Canonical and non-canonical activation was analysed in nuclear/cytoplasmic extracts of trophoblast subtypes as well as in tissue sections using antibodies against Smad2/3, phosphorylated either at the C-terminus (pSmad2C/3C) or in their linker regions (pSmad2L/3L). Smad phosphorylation was also examined in differentiating extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) in the absence or presence of decidual stromal cell (DSC)-conditioned medium. RESULTS Smad2, Smad4 and Smad7 protein were uniformly expressed between 6th and 12th week placentae and the different isolated CTB subtypes. Activated pSmad2L was mainly detected in nuclei and cytoplasm of villous CTBs, whereas pSmad2C was absent from these cells. In contrast, pSmad2C could be detected in the cytoplasm of cell column trophoblasts and in the cytoplasm/nuclei of EVTs. Smad3 and its phosphorylated forms pSmad3C and pSmad3L specifically localised to EVT nuclei. During EVT differentiation autocrine activation of pSmad2C/3C and pSmad3L was observed. DSC-conditioned medium further increased Smad2/3 phosphorylation in EVTs. DISCUSSION The lack of pSmad2C in villous CTBs suggests that other mitogens than TGF-β could promote Smad2 linker phosphorylation under homeostatic conditions. Whereas autocrine signalling activates Smad2/3 in differentiating EVTs, paracrine factors contribute to Smad phosphorylation in these cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Haider
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Reproductive Biology Unit, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - V Kunihs
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Reproductive Biology Unit, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - C Fiala
- Gynmed Clinic, Vienna, Austria
| | - J Pollheimer
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Reproductive Biology Unit, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - M Knöfler
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Reproductive Biology Unit, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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23
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Wang J, Ni WH, Hu KB, Zhai XY, Xie F, Jie J, Zhang NN, Jiang LN, Yuan HY, Tai GX. Targeting MUC1 and JNK by RNA interference and inhibitor inhibit the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Sci 2017; 108:504-511. [PMID: 28012230 PMCID: PMC5378288 DOI: 10.1111/cas.13144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2016] [Revised: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 12/18/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Mucin 1 (MUC1), as an oncogene, is overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and promotes the progression and tumorigenesis of HCC through JNK/TGF-β signaling pathway. In the present study, RNA interference (RNAi) and JNK inhibitor SP600125, which target MUC1 and/or JNK, were used to treat HCC cells in vitro, and the results showed that both silencing the expression of MUC1 and blocking the activity of JNK inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells. In addition, MUC1-stable-knockdown and SP600125 significantly inhibited the growth of tumors in the subcutaneous transplant tumor models that established in BALB/c nude mice rather than MUC1 or JNK siRNAs transiently transfection. Furthermore, the results from immunohistochemical staining assays showed that the inhibitory effects of MUC1 gene silencing and SP600125 on the proliferation of HCC cells in vivo were through the JNK/TGF-β signaling pathway. These results indicate that MUC1 and JNK are attractive targets for HCC therapy and may provide new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Wang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Wei-Hua Ni
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Ke-Bang Hu
- Department of Urology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xiao-Yu Zhai
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Fei Xie
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Jing Jie
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Nan-Nan Zhang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Li-Na Jiang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Hong-Yan Yuan
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Gui-Xiang Tai
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
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Co-expression of LASS2 and TGF-β1 predicts poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma. Sci Rep 2016; 6:32421. [PMID: 27581744 PMCID: PMC5007525 DOI: 10.1038/srep32421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Longevity assurance homolog 2 of yeast LAG1 (LASS2) has been reported to act as an important tumor suppressor in the development of human cancers. However, little is known about the prognostic value of LASS2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) . In the present study, we analyzed correlation between LASS2 and TGF-β1 levels, and evaluated their prognostic values in HCC patients. We first analyzed the expression of LASS2 and TGF-β1 in two independent cohorts (test cohort: 184 HCC patients; validation cohort: 118 HCC patients) using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analyses were executed to evaluate the prognosis of HCC. The results of IHC analysis revealed a positive correlation between the expression of LASS2 and TGF-β1. HCC Patients with low expression of LASS2 and TGF-β1 had shorter overall survival (OS) and time to recurrence (TTR) than patients with high expression of LASS2 and TGF-β1. Furthermore, combination of LASS2 and TGF-β1 was an independent and significant risk factor for OS and TTR. In conclusion, low expression of LASS2 and TGF-β1 contributes to the aggressiveness and poor prognosis of HCC, and may represent a novel prognostic biomarker for HCC patients.
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25
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Chauhan R, Lahiri N. Tissue- and Serum-Associated Biomarkers of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. BIOMARKERS IN CANCER 2016; 8:37-55. [PMID: 27398029 PMCID: PMC4933537 DOI: 10.4137/bic.s34413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2016] [Revised: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 03/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the world, is offering a challenge to human beings, with the current modes of treatment being a palliative approach. Lack of proper curative or preventive treatment methods encouraged extensive research around the world with an aim to detect a vaccine or therapeutic target biomolecule that could lead to development of a drug or vaccine against HCC. Biomarkers or biological disease markers have emerged as a potential tool as drug/vaccine targets, as they can accurately diagnose, predict, and even prevent the diseases. Biomarker expression in tissue, serum, plasma, or urine can detect tumor in very early stages of its development and monitor the cancer progression and also the effect of therapeutic interventions. Biomarker discoveries are driven by advanced techniques, such as proteomics, transcriptomics, whole genome sequencing, micro- and micro-RNA arrays, and translational clinics. In this review, an overview of the potential of tissue- and serum-associated HCC biomarkers as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic targets for drug development is presented. In addition, we highlight recently developed micro-RNA, long noncoding RNA biomarkers, and single-nucleotide changes, which may be used independently or as complementary biomarkers. These active investigations going on around the world aimed at conquering HCC might show a bright light in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranjit Chauhan
- Molecular Virology and Hepatology Research Group, Division of BioMedical Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.; Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Cofunctional Subpathways Were Regulated by Transcription Factor with Common Motif, Common Family, or Common Tissue. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 2015:780357. [PMID: 26688819 PMCID: PMC4672121 DOI: 10.1155/2015/780357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2015] [Revised: 11/02/2015] [Accepted: 11/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Dissecting the characteristics of the transcription factor (TF) regulatory subpathway is helpful for understanding the TF underlying regulatory function in complex biological systems. To gain insight into the influence of TFs on their regulatory subpathways, we constructed a global TF-subpathways network (TSN) to analyze systematically the regulatory effect of common-motif, common-family, or common-tissue TFs on subpathways. We performed cluster analysis to show that the common-motif, common-family, or common-tissue TFs that regulated the same pathway classes tended to cluster together and contribute to the same biological function that led to disease initiation and progression. We analyzed the Jaccard coefficient to show that the functional consistency of subpathways regulated by the TF pairs with common motif, common family, or common tissue was significantly greater than the random TF pairs at the subpathway level, pathway level, and pathway class level. For example, HNF4A (hepatocyte nuclear factor 4, alpha) and NR1I3 (nuclear receptor subfamily 1, group I, member 3) were a pair of TFs with common motif, common family, and common tissue. They were involved in drug metabolism pathways and were liver-specific factors required for physiological transcription. In short, we inferred that the cofunctional subpathways were regulated by common-motif, common-family, or common-tissue TFs.
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Liu G, Li Q, Ni W, Zhang N, Zheng X, Wang Y, Shao D, Tai G. Cytotoxicity of various types of gold-mesoporous silica nanoparticles in human breast cancer cells. Int J Nanomedicine 2015; 10:6075-87. [PMID: 26491285 PMCID: PMC4598223 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s90887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have shown promising biological applications due to their unique electronic and optical properties. However, the potential toxicity of AuNPs remains a major hurdle that impedes their use in clinical settings. Mesoporous silica is very suitable for the use as a coating material for AuNPs and might not only reduce the cytotoxicity of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-coated AuNPs but might also facilitate the loading and delivery of drugs. Herein, three types of rod-like gold-mesoporous silica nanoparticles (termed bare AuNPs, core-shell Au@mSiO2NPs, and Janus Au@mSiO2NPs) were specially designed, and the effects of these AuNPs on cellular uptake, toxic behavior, and mechanism were then systematically studied. Our results indicate that bare AuNPs exerted higher toxicity than the Au@mSiO2NPs and that Janus Au@mSiO2NPs exhibited the lowest toxicity in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells, consistent with the endocytosis capacity of the nanoparticles, which followed the order, bare AuNPs > core-shell Au@mSiO2NPs > Janus Au@mSiO2NPs. More importantly, the AuNPs-induced apoptosis of MCF-7 cells exhibited features that were characteristic of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, activation of c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylation, an enhanced Bax-to-Bcl-2 ratio, and loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential. Simultaneously, cytochrome c was released from mitochondria, and the caspase-3/9 cascade was activated. Moreover, both ROS scavenger (N-acetylcysteine) and JNK inhibitor (SP600125) partly blocked the induction of apoptosis in all AuNPs-treated cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that all AuNPs induce apoptosis through the ROS-/JNK-mediated mitochondrial pathway. Thus, Janus Au@mSiO2NPs exhibit the potential for applications in biomedicine, thus aiding the clinical translation of AuNPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guomu Liu
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qiongshu Li
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
- Shenzhen Beike Cell Engineering Research Institute, Yuanxing Science and Technology Building, Nanshan, Shenzhe, People’s Republic of China
| | - Weihua Ni
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
| | - Nannan Zhang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiao Zheng
- Department of Pharmacology, Nanomedicine Engineering Laboratory of Jilin Province, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yingshuai Wang
- State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
| | - Dan Shao
- Department of Pharmacology, Nanomedicine Engineering Laboratory of Jilin Province, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
| | - Guixiang Tai
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
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Wang J, Liu G, Li Q, Wang F, Xie F, Zhai R, Guo Y, Chen T, Zhang N, Ni W, Yuan H, Tai G. Mucin1 promotes the migration and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via JNK-mediated phosphorylation of Smad2 at the C-terminal and linker regions. Oncotarget 2015; 6:19264-78. [PMID: 26057631 PMCID: PMC4662489 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.4267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2015] [Accepted: 05/13/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Mucin1 (MUC1), as an oncogene, plays a key role in the progression and tumorigenesis of many human adenocarcinomas. In this study, wound-healing, transwell migration and matrigel invasion assays showed that MUC1 promotes human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell migration and invasion by MUC1 gene silencing and overexpressing. Treatment with exogenous transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β)1, TGF-β type I receptor (TβRI) inhibitor, TGF-β1 siRNAs, or activator protein 1 (AP-1) inhibitor to MUC1-overexpressing HCC cells revealed that MUC1-induced autocrine TGF-β via JNK/AP-1 pathway promotes the cell migration and invasion. In addition, the migration and invasion of HCC cells were more significantly inhibited by JNK inhibitor compared with that by TβRI inhibitor or TGF-β1 siRNAs. Further studies demonstrated that MUC1-mediated JNK activation not only enhances the phosphorylation of Smad2 C-terminal at Ser-465/467 site (Smad2C) through TGF-β/TβRI, but also directly enhances the phosphorylation of Smad2 linker region at Ser-245/250/255 site (Smad2L), and then both of them collaborate to upregulate matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9-mediated cell migration and invasion of HCC. These results indicate that MUC1 is an attractive target in liver cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Wang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Guomu Liu
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Qiongshu Li
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Fei Xie
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Ruiping Zhai
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yingying Guo
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Tanxiu Chen
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Nannan Zhang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Weihua Ni
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Hongyan Yuan
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Guixiang Tai
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
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Li J, Xiang S, Zhang Q, Wu J, Tang Q, Zhou J, Yang L, Chen Z, Hann SS. Combination of curcumin and bicalutamide enhanced the growth inhibition of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells through SAPK/JNK and MEK/ERK1/2-mediated targeting NF-κB/p65 and MUC1-C. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2015; 34:46. [PMID: 25971429 PMCID: PMC4446835 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-015-0168-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 05/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignancies in men. The mucin 1 (MUC1) heterodimeric oncoprotein is overexpressed in human prostate cancers with aggressive pathologic and clinical features, resulting in a poor outcome. However, the functional role for MUC1 C-terminal domain (MUC1-C) in androgen-independent prostate cancer occurrence and development has remained unclear. Methods Cell viability was measured by MTT assays. Western blot analysis was performed to measure the phosphorylation and protein expression of SAPK/JNK and ERK1/2, and MUC1-C, NF-κB subunit p65 and p50. Exogenous expression of MUC1-C, NF-κB subunit p65 was carried out by transient and electroporated transfection assays. Results We showed that curcumin inhibited the growth of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells and a synergy was observed in the presence of curcumin and bicalutamide, the androgen receptor antagonist. To further explore the potential mechanism underlining this, we found that curcumin increased the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and SAPK/JNK, which was enhanced by bicalutamide. In addition, curcumin reduced the protein expression of MUC1-C and NF-κB subunit p65, which were abrogated in the presence of the inhibitors of MEK/ERK1/2 (PD98059) and SAPK/JNK (SP60015). A further reduction was observed in the combination of curcumin with bicalutamide. Moreover, while exogenous expression of MUC1-C had little effect on curcumin-reduced p65, the overexpression of p65 reversed the effect of curcumin on MUC1-C protein expression suggesting that p65 is upstream of MUC1-C. Intriguingly, we showed that exogenous expression of MUC1-C feedback diminished the effect of curcumin on phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and SAPK/JNK, and antagonized the effect of curcumin on cell growth. Conclusion Our results show that curcumin inhibits the growth of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells through ERK1/2- and SAPK/JNK-mediated inhibition of p65, followed by reducing expression of MUC1-C protein. More importantly, there are synergistic effects of curcumin and bicalutamide. The negative feedback regulatory loop of MUC1-C to ERK1/2 and SAPK/JNK further demonstrates the role of MUC1-C that contributes to the overall responses of curcumin. This study unveils the potential molecular mechanism by which combination of curcumin with bicalutamide enhances the growth inhibition of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Li
- Laboratory of Tumor Biology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical Collage, University of Guangzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China. .,Department of Urology Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical Collage, University of Guangzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China.
| | - SongTao Xiang
- Department of Urology Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical Collage, University of Guangzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China.
| | - QiouHong Zhang
- Department of Urology Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical Collage, University of Guangzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China.
| | - JingJing Wu
- Laboratory of Tumor Biology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical Collage, University of Guangzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China.
| | - Qing Tang
- Laboratory of Tumor Biology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical Collage, University of Guangzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China.
| | - JianFu Zhou
- Department of Urology Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical Collage, University of Guangzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China.
| | - LiJun Yang
- Laboratory of Tumor Biology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical Collage, University of Guangzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China.
| | - ZhiQiang Chen
- Department of Urology Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical Collage, University of Guangzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China.
| | - Swei Sunny Hann
- Laboratory of Tumor Biology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical Collage, University of Guangzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, China. .,Higher Education Mega Center, Panyu District, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, No. 55, Neihuan West Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510006, People's Republic of China.
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