Knockdown of E-cadherin induces cancer stem-cell-like phenotype and drug resistance in cervical cancer cells

Histone acetyltransferase CSRP2BP promotes the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasis of cervical cancer cells by activating N-cadherin

BACKGROUND

Dysregulated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved in cervical cancer metastasis and associated with histone acetylation. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of histone acetylation in cervical cancer EMT and metastasis are still elusive.

METHODS

We systematically investigated the expression patterns of histone acetylation genes and their correlations with the EMT pathway in cervical cancer. The expression of CSRP2BP among cervical cancer tissues and cell lines was detected using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry analyses. The effects of CSRP2BP on cervical cancer cell proliferation and tumorigenicity were examined by cell growth curve, EdU assay, flow cytometry and xenotransplantation assays. Wound healing assays, transwell migration assays and pulmonary metastasis model were used to evaluate the effects of CSRP2BP on cell invasion and metastasis of cervical cancer cells in vivo and in vitro. RNA-seq, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and luciferase reporter assays were used to uncover the molecular mechanisms of CSRP2BP in promoting cervical cancer EMT and metastasis.

RESULTS

We prioritized a top candidate histone acetyltransferase, CSRP2BP, as a key player in cervical cancer EMT and metastasis. The expression of CSRP2BP was significantly increased in cervical cancer tissues and high CSRP2BP expression was associated with poor prognosis. Overexpression of CSRP2BP promoted cervical cancer cell proliferation and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo, while knockdown of CSRP2BP obtained the opposite effects. In addition, CSRP2BP promoted resistance to cisplatin chemotherapy. Mechanistically, CSRP2BP mediated histone 4 acetylation at lysine sites 5 and 12, cooperated with the transcription factor SMAD4 to bind to the SEB2 sequence in the N-cadherin gene promotor and upregulated N-cadherin transcription. Consequently, CSRP2BP promoted cervical cancer cell EMT and metastasis through activating N-cadherin.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that the histone acetyltransferase CSRP2BP promotes cervical cancer metastasis partially through increasing the EMT and suggests that CSRP2BP could be a prognostic marker and a potential therapeutic target for combating cervical cancer metastasis.

A PDA-Functionalized 3D Lung Scaffold Bioplatform to Construct Complicated Breast Tumor Microenvironment for Anticancer Drug Screening and Immunotherapy

2D cell culture occupies an important place in cancer progression and drug discovery research. However, it limitedly models the "true biology" of tumors in vivo. 3D tumor culture systems can better mimic tumor characteristics for anticancer drug discovery but still maintain great challenges. Herein, polydopamine (PDA)-modified decellularized lung scaffolds are designed and can serve as a functional biosystem to study tumor progression and anticancer drug screening, as well as mimic the tumor microenvironment. PDA-modified scaffolds with strong hydrophilicity and excellent cell compatibility can promote cell growth and proliferation. After 96 h treatment with 5-FU, cisplatin, and DOX, higher survival rates in PDA-modified scaffolds are observed compared to nonmodified scaffolds and 2D systems. The E-cadhesion formation, HIF-1α-mediated senescence decrease, and tumor stemness enhancement can drive drug resistance and antitumor drug screening of breast cancer cells. Moreover, there is a higher survival rate of CD45+ /CD3+ /CD4+ /CD8+ T cells in PDA-modified scaffolds for potential cancer immunotherapy drug screening. This PDA-modified tumor bioplatform will supply some promising information for studying tumor progression, overcoming tumor resistance, and screening tumor immunotherapy drugs.

A novel E-cadherin/SOX9 axis regulates cancer stem cells in multiple myeloma by activating Akt and MAPK pathways

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified in multiple myeloma (MM) and are widely regarded as a key driver of MM initiation and progression. E-cadherin, in addition to its established role as a marker for epithelial-mesenchymal transition, also plays critical roles in controlling the aggressive behaviors of various tumor cells. Here, we show that depletion of E-cadherin in MM cells remarkably inhibited cell proliferation and cell cycle progression, in part through the decreased prosurvival CD138 and Bcl-2 and the inactivated Akt and MAPK pathways. CSC features, including the ability of the cells to form clonogenic colonies indicative of self-renewal and side population, were greatly suppressed upon the depletion of E-cadherin and subsequent loss of SOX9 stem-cell factor. We further provide evidence that SOX9 is a downstream target of E-cadherin-mediated CSC growth and self-renewal—ectopic re-expression of SOX9 in E-cadherin-depleted cells rescued its inhibitory effects on CSC-like properties and survival signaling. Collectively, our findings unveil a novel regulatory mechanism of MM CSCs via the E-cadherin/SOX9 axis, which could be important in understanding the long-term cell survival and outgrowth that leads to relapsed/refractory MM.

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 regulates malignant progression of cervical cancer cells

The primary regulatory gene for fatty acid synthesis, stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1), has been linked to the progression of several malignancies. Its role in cervical cancer remains unclear till now. This paper aimed to explore the role and mechanism of SCD1 in cervical cancer. The GEPIA database was used to perform a bioinformatics analysis of the role of SCD1 in cervical cancer staging and prognosis. The influences of SCD1 knockdown on cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progress were then investigated. Following transcription factor Kruppel like factor 9 (KLF9) was discovered to be negatively correlated with SCD1, the regulatory role of KLF9 in the effects of SCD1 on cervical cancer cells and the signaling pathway was evaluated. According to the GEPIA database, SCD1 level was associated with the cervical cancer stage, the overall survival level, and the disease-free survival level. Cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT progress were all hindered when its expression was knocked down. Novelty, KLF9 reversed the effects of SCD1 on cells, as well as the Akt/glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) signaling pathway. Together, SCD1 was negatively regulated by KLF9 and it activated the Akt/GSK3β signaling pathway to promote the malignant progression of cervical cancer cells. Developing SCD1 inhibitors offers novel ideas for the biological treatment of cervical cancer.

COL11A1-Driven Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Stemness of Pancreatic Cancer Cells Induce Cell Migration and Invasion by Modulating the AKT/GSK-3β/Snail Pathway

BACKGROUND

Collagen type XI α1 (COL11A1) is associated with tumorigenesis and development in many human malignancies. Previous reports indicate that COL11A1 may be a significant diagnostic marker for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC); however, its biological role in PDAC progression remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the influence of COL11A1 on the invasion and migration abilities of pancreatic cancer cells and explored its potential molecular mechanisms.

METHODS

Cell migration and invasion were assessed using Transwell assays in pancreatic cancer cells transfected with siCOL11A1 and pCNV3-COL11A1 plasmids. The protein and mRNA expression levels of N-cadherin, E-cadherin, Vimentin, cluster of differentiation (CD)-24, CD44, serine-threonine kinase (AKT), glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β, phospho (p)-AKTSer473, p-GSK-3βSer9, and Snail were analyzed using Western blotting and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The effect of COL11A1 on cell stemness was tested using flow cytometry and clone formation assays.

RESULTS

These results demonstrated that COL11A1 significantly promoted the invasion and migration abilities of PDAC cells. Furthermore, COL11A1 facilitated the occurrence of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell stemness by upregulating the expression levels of p-AKTSer473, p-GSK-3βSer9, and Snail.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that the activation of the AKT/GSK-3β/Snail signaling pathway induced by COL11A1 plays a major role in the progression of PDAC. Therefore, COL11A1 could serve as a potential target for PDAC treatment.

XPC Protein Improves Lung Adenocarcinoma Prognosis by Inhibiting Lung Cancer Cell Stemness

Objective: Xeroderma Pigmentosum Complementation Group C (XPC) is a protein involving in nucleotide excision repair (NER). XPC also plays an important role in the lung cancer occurrence with the mechanism remian unclear up to date. Studies showed that the increased stemness of lung cancer cells is related to the recurrence and metastasis of lung cancer. This study aimed to study and analyze the correlation of XPC with lung cancer stem cell biomarkers expression and the overall survival (OS) of lung adenocarcinoma patients. Methods: 140 cases of clinical lung adenocarcinoma tissue samples and 48 cases of paired paracancerous tissue samples were made into tissue microarray. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect the expression of XPC and CD133 in cancer and paracancerous tissues. Semi-quantitative analysis and statistics were performed by Pannoramic Digital Slide Scanner. The expression of XPC and CD133 in fresh tissues was verified by Western blotting assay. siXPC was used to knock down XPC in lung cancer cell lines to study the effect of XPC on the expression of lung cancer stem cell biomarkers and the ability of cell invasion. And shXPC was used to knockdown XPC in A549 and H1650 to study the effect of XPC on the expression of lung cancer stem cell biomarkers. Results: IHC and Western blotting results showed that XPC expression significantly decreased, while CD133 expression significantly increased in cancer tissues comparing to paracancerous tissues (P _XPC < 0.0001, P _CD133 = 0.0395). The high level of XPC in cancer was associated with a better prognosis (Log-rank p = 0.0577) in lung adenocarcinoma patients. Downregulation of XPC in lung cancer cells showed increased expression of cancer stem cell biomarkers and the increased cell invasion abilities. Conclusion: It is suggested that XPC can exert the ability of anti-tumor formation, tumor invasion and metastasis inhibition, and prognostic survival improvement in lung adenocarcinoma patients by regulating the stemness of lung cancer cells.