Upregulation of CD44 expression by interleukins 1, 4, and 13, transforming growth factor-β1, estrogen, and progestogen in human cervical adenocarcinoma cell lines

Exogenous interleukin-1 beta promotes the proliferation and migration of HeLa cells via the MEK/ERK signaling pathway

OBJECTIVE

Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) is a crucial cytokine that has been implicated in cancer and metastasis development. However, its possible mechanistic role in cervical cancer remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the functions of exogenous IL-1β in cervical cancer cell proliferation and migration.

METHODS

HeLa cell proliferation and migration were measured using MTT and Transwell assays. A lentivirus-mediated packaging system was used to construct an IL-1β overexpressing cell line. MEK/ERK signal transduction was inhibited by pretreatment with the MEK inhibitor PD98059. qRT-PCR and Western blotting were used to test the expression of relevant genes.

RESULTS

Exogenous IL-1β promoted the proliferation and migration of HeLa cells. In addition, overexpression of IL-1β in HeLa cells promoted cell proliferation. Mechanistically, exogenous IL-1β increased the phosphorylated MEK and ERK levels in HeLa cells and the expression of JUN, RELB, and NF-κB2. Alternatively, blockade of MEK inhibited the promoting proliferation effects of IL-1β and the expression of JUN, RELB, and NF-κB2.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that exogenous IL-1β regulates HeLa cell functions by regulating the MEK/ERK signaling pathway and by targeting JUN, RELB, and NF-κB2. Our study uncovered a potential association across IL-1β, cervical tumor development, and cancer progression.

CD44-Mediated Poor Prognosis in Glioma Is Associated With M2-Polarization of Tumor-Associated Macrophages and Immunosuppression

Background

Glioma is the most common primary brain tumor with a poor prognosis. Key genes that are negatively related to prognosis may provide the therapy targets to cure glioma. To clarify the role of CD44 in glioma, we explored its function at bulk-transcriptome, spatial and single-cell transcriptome levels.

Methods

In total, expression profiles with survival data of whole-grade glioma from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA), RNA-seq data with anatomic information of glioblastoma (GBM) from the Ivy Glioblastoma Atlas Project, RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data from recurrent GBM receiving adjuvant anti-PD-1 immunotherapy accessed through GSE121810, and single-cell RNA-seq data of GBM under accession GSE103224 were enrolled in this study. CD44-specific findings were further analyzed by R language.

Results

CD44 is positively correlated with WHO grade of malignancy and is negatively related to prognosis in glioma. Meanwhile, CD44 predominantly expresses in GBM mesenchymal subtype, and gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses reveal that CD44 positively coexpressed genes are closely related to glioma immunity. Moreover, CD44+ cells mainly distribute in perinecrotic region with high expression of immune factors. At single-cell resolution, only malignant tumor cells, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), and T cells express CD44 in GBM. CD44+ malignant tumor cells are in mesenchymal-1-like (MES1-like) cellular state, and CD44+ TAMs are in M2 phenotype. CD44+ T cells have high expression of both PD-1 and PD-L1. CD44 and its directly interacted inhibitory immunomodulators are upregulated in patients with nonresponder recurrent GBM treated with PD-1 blockade therapy.

Conclusion

Our work demonstrates that CD44, a new M2 TAM biomarker, is involved in immune suppressor and promote glioma progression in glioma microenvironment. These results expand our understanding of CD44-specific clinical and immune features in glioma.

[Gastric adenocarcinoma arising in giant hyperplastic polyp]

Gastric hyperplastic polyps are usually solitary, their development is supposed to be associated with excessive proliferation of foveolar cells. It is essential to differentiate hyperplastic polyps from other sporadic polyps (adenomatous and fundic gland polyps) and lesions, included in familial polyposis syndromes. The frequency of adenocarcinoma in large gastric hyperplastic polyps (more than 1-2 cm in size) is about 2,1%. This article includes case report of gastric adenocarcinoma arised in large hyperplastic polyp in a 56-year-old patient. On histological examination a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma without invasion in the peduncle was identified. Immunohistochemically cells of adenocarcinoma showed elevated expression of claudin-3, CDX2, p53 and Ki67 compared to hyperplastic glands and dysplastic areas of the polyp. Also focal expression of MUC2 was revealed in adenocarcinoma. Expression of MUC5AC, CD44 and cyclin D1 was less prominent in cancer areas compared to hyperplastic and dysplastic glands. Levels of expression of claudin-1, claudin-4 and β-catenin were equal in adenocarcinoma and hyperplastic structures. Control endoscopic examination with following morphologic examination was performed three months after surgical operation. No signs of tumor growth were identified.

Interleukin-1β-induced Reduction of CD44 Ser-325 Phosphorylation in Human Epidermal Keratinocytes Promotes CD44 Homomeric Complexes, Binding to Ezrin, and Extended, Monocyte-adhesive Hyaluronan Coats

The proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β) attracts leukocytes to sites of inflammation. One of the recruitment mechanisms involves the formation of extended, hyaluronan-rich pericellular coats on local fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and epithelial cells. In the present work, we studied how IL-1β turns on the monocyte adhesion of the hyaluronan coat on human keratinocytes. IL-1β did not influence hyaluronan synthesis or increase the amount of pericellular hyaluronan in these cells. Instead, we found that the increase in the hyaluronan-dependent monocyte binding was associated with the CD44 of the keratinocytes. Although IL-1β caused a small increase in the total amount of CD44, a more marked impact was the decrease of CD44 phosphorylation at serine 325. At the same time, IL-1β increased the association of CD44 with ezrin and complex formation of CD44 with itself. Treatment of keratinocyte cultures with KN93, an inhibitor of calmodulin kinase 2, known to phosphorylate Ser-325 in CD44, caused similar effects as IL-1β (i.e. homomerization of CD44 and its association with ezrin) and resulted in increased monocyte binding to keratinocytes in a hyaluronan-dependent way. Overexpression of wild type CD44 standard form, but not a corresponding CD44 mutant mimicking the Ser-325-phosphorylated form, was able to induce monocyte binding to keratinocytes. In conclusion, treatment of human keratinocytes with IL-1β changes the structure of their hyaluronan coat by influencing the amount, post-translational modification, and cytoskeletal association of CD44, thus enhancing monocyte retention on keratinocytes.

CD38 is highly expressed and affects the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer and the fifth most deadly malignancy in females worldwide, affecting 500,000 individuals each year. It is the leading cause of cancer mortality among women in developing countries. Dysregulated activation of genes, such as CD44, SOX9 and SKP2, plays a role in cervical cancer. CD38 is known to be involved in activities typical of cell surface receptors, such as signaling for activation and proliferation events and heterotypic cell adhesion. CD38 contributes to disease progression and relapse in certain tumors, such as acute myeloid and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. To the best of our knowledge, there is currently no report on the relationship between CD38 and cervical cancer. Using qPCR, immunohistochemistry, and western blot analysis, the expression levels of CD38 were investigated and found to be upregulated in cervical cancer. CD38 was correlated with dysregulation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway in cervical cancer tissues in vitro. At the same time, CD38 overexpression affected the expression of PI3K, Akt, MDM2 and p53 in vivo. The results of the present study suggested that CD38 is highly expressed in cervical carcinoma tissues and play an important role in dysregulation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

CD44 affects the expression level of FOS‑like antigen 1 in cervical cancer tissues

Cervical carcinoma is the second most prevalent type of malignancy in females worldwide. The crucial etiological factors involved in the development of cervical carcinoma include infection with the papillomavirus, and the structural or functional mutation of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. CD44 refers to a multifunctional family of type I transmembrane proteins. These proteins have been implicated in numerous biological processes, including cell adhesion, cell migration and metastasis. The present study examined the differences in the expression levels of ATP-binding cassette sub-family G member 2, CD24, CD44, CD133, cytokeratin (CK) 14 and CK19 between cervical cancer tissues and corresponding normal non-tumor tissues by flow cytometry. Then, the CD44+ or CD44‑ cells from cervical cancer tissues were sorted for identification and confirmation of differential expression by flow cytometry. The results demonstrated that the expression level of CD44 in cervical cancer tissues was higher than in the corresponding non-tumor normal tissues (t=3.12; P=0.0102). Compared with the CD44‑ cells, the FOS-like antigen 1 (Fra-1), nestin, nuclear receptor subfamily 4, group A, member 2, OCT4 and p63 genes were highly expressed in CD44+ cells. The fold changes were 3.55, 3.55, 2.46, 2.87 and 2.56, respectively (P<0.05). However, BMI1 polycomb ring finger oncogene, ck5, tumor protein p53 and lactotransferrin genes exhibited low expression levels in CD44+ cells. It was verified by western blot analysis and flow cytometry that Fra-1 was highly expressed in CD44+ cells. Fra-1 was a potential target of miR-19a and miR-19b. The expression of miR-19a and miR-19b was downregulated by ~50% in CD44+ cells compared with CD44‑ cells. These findings suggested that CD44 dysregulated the activation of the Fra‑1 gene. The interaction of Fra-1 and CD44 may therefore be important in cervical carcinoma.

p38 kinase is crucial for osteopontin-induced furin expression that supports cervical cancer progression

p38 kinases activated by growth factors, hormones, and environmental stresses exert diverse functions in regulating normal and malignant cell pathophysiology. Enhanced levels of activated p38 isoforms have been linked with poor prognosis in breast cancer, although the mechanistic basis for this association is poorly understood. In this study, we report that p38 activation in cervical cancer cells is driven by osteopontin (OPN), an extracellular matrix-associated cytokine that drives invasive progression. OPN regulates CD44-mediated p38 phosphorylation that induces NF-κB activation and NF-κB-dependent expression of furin, an extracellular protease implicated in human papilloma virus (HPV) processing that enhances cervical cancer cell motility. OPN induces CD44-mediated MKK3/6 phosphorylation which in turn phosphorylates p38 in these cells. OPN-induced furin expression and cell motility was impeded by blockades to MKK3/6, p38α/β or NF-κB signaling. In a mouse xenograft model of human cervical cancer, tumor growth was enhanced by OPN overexpression and blocked by short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated OPN silencing. Furin overexpression similarly augmented tumor growth in the model, whereas blocking MKK3/6, p38, or furin reduced OPN-induced cervical tumor growth. Analysis of clinical specimens revealed that enhanced expression of OPN, phosphorylated NF-κB, p65, and furin correlated with cervical cancer progression, further strengthening the in vitro and in vivo results. In summary, our findings offer a proof of concept for targeting OPN and its downstream p38 signaling as a novel therapeutic strategy to manage cervical cancer.

Fra-2 mediates oxygen-sensitive induction of transforming growth factor beta in cardiac fibroblasts

AIMS

In the ischaemia-reperfused heart, transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) proteins trigger the differentiation of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) contributing to fibrosis. Reoxygenation of the heart, in addition to being a trigger for reperfusion injury, induces tissue remodelling by hyperoxia-sensitive signalling processes involving TGFbeta. Here, we sought to characterize the molecular mechanisms responsible for the O(2)-sensitive transcriptional induction of TGFbeta in murine CF and to test the significance of such findings in the infarcted myocardium in vivo using laser capture microdissection.

METHODS AND RESULTS

All three isoforms of TGFbeta were induced in the CF-rich peri-infarct tissue as well as in CF exposed to hyperoxic challenge. Reporter studies demonstrated that TGFbeta transcription is hyperoxia inducible. Deletion of any one or both of the activating protein-1 (AP-1) binding sites in the TGFbeta reporter construct resulted in loss of O(2) sensitivity, demonstrating that AP-1 confers O(2) sensitivity to TGFbeta transcription. Fos-related AP-1 transcription factor (Fra-2) and Ask-1 (apoptosis signal-regulating kinase-1) were identified as key mediators of AP-1-dependent O(2)-sensitive TGFbeta transcription. Knockdown of Fra-2 significantly blunted O(2)-induced expression of TGFbeta1 as well as TGFbeta3 in CF. Knockdown of Ask-1 blunted hyperoxia-induced Fra-2 gene expression and nuclear localization in CF. Collectively, these observations point towards a central role of Ask-1 and Fra-2 in O(2)-inducible AP-1 activation and induction of TGFbeta.

CONCLUSION

Taken together with the observation that Fra-2-regulated genes are implicated in fibrosis, identification of Fra-2 as an O(2)-sensitive transcriptional regulator of inducible TGFbeta expression positions Fra-2 as an important player in reoxygenation-induced fibrosis.

Genetic copy number alterations and IL-13 expression differences in papillary thyroid cancers and benign nodules

Thyroid nodules were the extremely common endocrine tumors, in which papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) were the most prevalent endocrine malignancy, representing 80-90% of all thyroid malignancies. It was still a dilemma to discriminate PTCs and benign thyroid nodules. With a new molecular genetics technology of Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA), we investigated 13 PTC and 14 benign nodule tissue samples. The results showed that PTCs had more genetic copy number alteration than benign nodules (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis suggested that genomic aberrations would provide a moderate accuracy method to discriminate PTCs and benign nodules. The gain of interleukin 13 (IL-13) gene obviously identified the great difference between PTCs and benign nodules. Immunohistochemistry also confirmed significantly higher IL-13 expression in the PTCs (P < 0.001). The current study showed that MLPA should be an effective method to diagnose PTCs and benign thyroid nodules, and also provided a clue to another relationship between IL-13 and PTCs.

Sex dimorphism in wound healing: the roles of sex steroids and macrophage migration inhibitory factor

That endogenous sex steroid hormones profoundly influence the response to cutaneous injury is well established. How they and other factors combine to direct repair in male and female animals is much less well understood. Using a murine incisional wound-healing model, we investigated the roles of circulating sex steroids, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) (the mediator of delayed healing in ovariectomized animals), and hormone- and MIF-independent factors in controlling repair. We report that d 3 wounds, of comparable size in intact male and female mice, are significantly larger in ovariectomized female animals than in castrated males, suggesting that native sex hormones mask inherent underlying differences in the ways in which males and females respond to wounding. Wound MIF levels were comparable in intact male and female mice but greater in ovariectomized females than castrated males. Furthermore, wound levels of Jun activation domain-binding protein 1 (JAB1), a key factor by which MIF activates intracellular responses, were increased through ovariectomy and greater in ovariectomized females than castrated males. This difference in wound JAB1 levels may underscore the marked sex difference we observed in the responses of MIF knockout mice to the local application of MIF: healing was impaired in ovariectomized females but not castrated males. Separately, systemic treatment with androgens and estrogens yielded contrasting effects on repair in male and female animals. Collectively, the presented data indicate sex divergence in wound healing to be multifaceted, being strongly influenced by MIF and seemingly limited by the combined actions of gonadal steroids.