MiR-200c/FUT4 axis prevents the proliferation of colon cancer cells by downregulating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway

Discovery of Cytotoxic Nitric Oxide-Releasing Piperlongumine Derivatives Targeting Wnt/β-Catenin in Colon Cancer Cells

Piperlongumine (1) increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and induces apoptosis in cancer cells through various pathways. Nitric oxide (NO) donors have demonstrated potent anticancer activities with exogenous NO being oxidized by ROS in the tumor microenvironment to form highly reactive N-oxides (RNOS). This amplifies oxidative stress cascade reactions, ultimately inducing cancer cell apoptosis. To exploit this synergy, a series of NO-releasing piperlongumine derivatives (2-5) were designed and synthesized. These compounds were expected to release NO in cancer cells, simultaneously generating piperlongumine derivative fragments to enhance the anticancer effects. Compound 6, structurally similar to compounds 2-5 but not releasing NO, served as a control. Among these derivatives, compound 5 exhibited the most potent antiproliferative activity against HCT-116 cells and efficiently released NO in this cell line. Further investigation revealed that compound 5 inhibited colon cancer cell proliferation by modulating β-catenin expression, which is a pivotal protein in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. These findings highlight compound 5 as a promising candidate for colon cancer treatment targeting the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Silencing FUT4 Inhibits the Progression of Osteosarcoma through Activation of FOXO1

BACKGROUND

It has been reported that inhibition of Fucosyltransferase4 (FUT4) to activate Forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) can lead to apoptosis of cancer cells, however, the mechanism in osteosarcoma is still unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the biological significance of the connection between FUT4 and FOXO1 in osteosarcoma growth.

METHODS

In vitro tests were conducted using the human osteoblast cell line and the osteosarcoma cell lines. QRT-PCR assay as well as western blot assay were used to ascertain the relative expression levels of FUT4 and FOXO1 in the cells. By using the CCK-8 assay, colony assay, EDU assay, wound healing assay and Transwell assay, osteosarcoma cells' ability to proliferate, migrate and invade were examined in relation to si- FUT4. TUNEL test was used to evaluate Si-impact FUT4's on KHOS and U2OS apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells. Western blot assay was used to identify the expression of proliferative, migrating and apoptosis-related protein markers in osteosarcoma cells KHOS and U2OS and the expression of important proteins in the Wnt/ β-catenin signaling pathway.

RESULTS

In comparison with osteoblasts, osteosarcoma cells expressed more FUT4. The osteosarcoma cells' capacities to proliferate, invade, and migrate were markedly inhibited by the inhibition of FUT4 expression, which also increased osteosarcoma cell apoptosis. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was blocked by upregulating FOXO1 expression, which was in turn inhibited by inhibiting FUT4 expression.

CONCLUSION

Osteosarcoma cells express more FUT4. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway has a significant effect on osteosarcoma cell death, and inhibition of FUT4 expression may target FOXO1 activation to decrease osteosarcoma cells' ability to proliferate, invade, and migrate.

High miR-200c expression is associated with suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition, TGF-β signaling and better survival despite enhanced cell proliferation in gastric cancer patients

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that epigenetically regulate gene expression. MiR-200c is a known tumor suppressive microRNA found in many types of cancer, and its high expression has been associated with improved prognosis. However, the association between miR-200c expression and its clinical relevance in gastric cancer (GC) patients remains controversial. Here, we hypothesized that gastric cancer patients with high miR-200c gene expression translated to better overall survival. A total of 372 GC patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were analyzed. The top three quartiles were defined as a high miR-200c expression group. High miR-200c expression was associated with decreased invasion, favorable histological type, and improved overall survival in gastric cancer patients. Unexpectedly, high miR-200c expression GC was also associated with enhanced cell proliferation, shown by MKi67 expression, proliferation score, and enrichment of Hallmark cell proliferation-related gene sets (E2F targets, G2M checkpoints, MYC targets v1 and v2) by gene set enrichment assay (GSEA). High miR-200c GC was also associated with a high mutation rate and homologous recombination deficiency. Despite the association with elevated neoantigens, high miR-200c GC was associated with significantly low infiltration of anti-cancer immune cells, decreased immune response, and with suppressed IL2, TNF-α, and IFN-γ pathways. On the other hand, GC with low miR-200c expression significantly enriched hypoxia, angiogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and TGF-β signaling gene sets, all of which promote cancer progression and metastasis in GSEA. In conclusion, patients with high miR-200c expression GC had better survival despite association with aggressive tumor biology, such as high mutation rates, cell proliferation, and low cancer immunity. Given that low miR-200c GC was associated with hypoxia, angiogenesis, EMT and TGF-β signaling, we cannot help but speculate that the difference in survival by miR-200c expression may be at least partly due to the association between low miR-200c expression and aggressive biology.

Non-coding RNA-based therapeutics in cancer therapy: An emphasis on Wnt/β-catenin control

Non-coding RNA transcripts are RNA molecules that have mainly regulatory functions and they do not encode proteins. microRNAs (miRNAs), lncRNAs and circRNAs are major types of this family and these epigenetic factors participate in disease pathogenesis, especially cancer that their abnormal expression may lead to cancer progression. miRNAs and lncRNAs possess a linear structure, whereas circRNAs possess ring structures and high stability. Wnt/β-catenin is an important factor in cancer with oncogenic function and it can increase growth, invasion and therapy resistance in tumors. Wnt upregulation occurs upon transfer of β-catenin to nucleus. Interaction of ncRNAs with Wnt/β-catenin signaling can determine tumorigenesis. Wnt upregulation is observed in cancers and miRNAs are able to bind to 3'-UTR of Wnt to reduce its level. LncRNAs can directly/indirectly regulate Wnt and in indirect manner, lncRNAs sponge miRNAs. CircRNAs are new emerging regulators of Wnt and by its stimulation, they increase tumor progression. CircRNA/miRNA axis can affect Wnt and carcinogenesis. Overall, interaction of ncRNAs with Wnt can determine proliferation rate, migration ability and therapy response of cancers. Furthermore, ncRNA/Wnt/β-catenin axis can be utilized as biomarker in cancer and for prognostic applications in patients.

The Mutual Relationship between Glycosylation and Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer and Other Physio-Pathological Conditions

Glycosylation, which consists of the enzymatic addition of sugars to proteins and lipids, is one of the most important post-co-synthetic modifications of these molecules, profoundly affecting their activity. Although the presence of carbohydrate chains is crucial for fine-tuning the interactions between cells and molecules, glycosylation is an intrinsically stochastic process regulated by the relative abundance of biosynthetic (glycosyltransferases) and catabolic (glycosidases) enzymes, as well as sugar carriers and other molecules. Non-coding RNAs, which include microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs and circRNAs, establish a complex network of reciprocally interacting molecules whose final goal is the regulation of mRNA expression. Likewise, these interactions are stochastically regulated by ncRNA abundance. Thus, while protein sequence is deterministically dictated by the DNA/RNA/protein axis, protein abundance and activity are regulated by two stochastic processes acting, respectively, before and after the biosynthesis of the protein axis. Consequently, the worlds of glycosylation and ncRNA are closely interconnected and mutually interacting. In this paper, we will extensively review the many faces of the ncRNA-glycosylation interplay in cancer and other physio-pathological conditions.

A Regulatory Loop Involving miR-200c and NF-κB Modulates Mortalin Expression and Increases Cisplatin Sensitivity in an Ovarian Cancer Cell Line Model

Ovarian cancer is currently the most lethal gynecological cancer. At present, primary debulking surgery combined with platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard treatment strategy for ovarian cancer. Although cisplatin-based chemotherapy has greatly improved the prognosis of patients, the subsequent primary or acquired drug resistance of cancer cells has become an obstacle to a favorable prognosis. Mortalin is a chaperone that plays an important role in multiple cellular and biological processes. Our previous studies have found that mortalin is associated with the proliferation and migration of ovarian cancer cells and their resistance to cisplatin-based chemotherapy. In this study, microRNA (miR)-200b/c downregulated mortalin expression and inhibited the proliferation and migration of the paired cisplatin-sensitive (A2780S) and cisplatin-resistant (A2780CP) epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines. Moreover, miR-200c increased the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin treatment by regulating mortalin levels. Nuclear factor (NF)-κB directly regulated mortalin and miR-200b/c expression levels, while NF-κB and miR-200b/c jointly regulated the expression of mortalin. The combination of cisplatin and miR-200c significantly enhanced the therapeutic effects on ovarian cancer in vivo, suggesting that miR-200c may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for ovarian cancer.

Sodium butyrate in both prevention and supportive treatment of colorectal cancer

Accumulating evidence suggests that selected microbiota-derived metabolites play a significant role in both tumor prevention and supportive treatment of cancer. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), i.e., mainly acetate, proprionate, and butyrate, are one of them. Nowadays, it is known that butyrate is a key microbial metabolite. Therefore, in the current review, we focused on butyrate and sodium butyrate (NaB) in the context of colorectal cancer. Notably, butyrate is characterized by a wide range of beneficial properties/activities. Among others, it influences the function of the immune system, maintains intestinal barrier integrity, positively affects the efficiency of anti-cancer treatment, and may reduce the risk of mucositis induced by chemotherapy. Taking into consideration these facts, we analyzed NaB (which is a salt of butyric acid) and its impact on gut microbiota as well as anti-tumor activity by describing molecular mechanisms. Overall, NaB is available as, for instance, food with special medical purposes (depending on the country's regulation), and its administration seems to be a promising option for colorectal cancer patients.

Zuo Jin Wan Reverses the Resistance of Colorectal Cancer to Oxaliplatin by Regulating the MALAT1/miR-200s/JNK Signaling Pathway

Background

Oxaliplatin (L-OHP) is a common chemotherapy drug used in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). Our previous work showed that Zuo Jin Wan (ZJW), a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, could improve sensitivity to L-OHP in the treatment of CRC, but the detailed mechanism is not clear. In previous mechanistic studies, we found that the miR-200s expression in CRC is associated with L-OHP sensitivity through regulation of MDR1/p-gp and the downstream c-JunN-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway. Moreover, lncRNA-MALAT1 offers great potential in the regulation of drug resistance by interacting with miR-200s. Therefore, in this work, we explored whether ZJW could reverse L-OHP resistance in CRC by regulating MALAT1, miR-200s, and the downstream signaling pathway.

Methods

Cell Counting Kit-8 and flow cytometry were used to detect the effects of ZJW combined with L-OHP on chemotherapy tolerance and cell apoptosis of HCT116/L-OHP cells. Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) were used to detect the activation of the JNK signaling pathway and the protein and mRNA expression levels of the drug resistance-related MDR1/ABCB1 gene in HCT116/L-OHP cells treated with ZJW. The binding sites of MALAT1 and miR-200s were predicted by bioinformatics tools and confirmed by qRT-PCR. qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of miR-200s and MALAT1 in HCT116/L-OHP cells treated with ZJW. A xenograft model of CRC in nude mice was established to observe the effect of ZJW combined with L-OHP on the growth of subcutaneously transplanted tumors. Apoptosis in tumor cells was detected by TUNEL staining. The activation of the JNK signaling pathway and the expression of drug resistance-related proteins were detected by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of miR-200s and the MALAT1 gene in the tumors.

Results

Our study showed that ZJW could significantly decrease the proliferation and promote apoptosis of HCT116/L-OHP cells treated with L-OHP. We further proved that ZJW could reverse the drug resistance of HCT116/L-OHP cells by reducing MALAT1, indirectly upregulating miR-200s, alleviating the activation of the JNK signaling axis, and downregulating the expression of resistance proteins such as MDR1/ABCB1 and ABCG2. ZJW combined with L-OHP inhibited the growth of subcutaneously transplanted tumors and induced apoptosis in nude mice. ZJW reduced the expression of MALAT1 and upregulated the expression of miR-200s in transplanted tumors. In addition, ZJW also alleviated the activation of the JNK signaling pathway while reducing the expression of MDR1/ABCB1 and ABCG2.

Conclusions

Our study identified that MALAT1 promotes colorectal cancer resistance to oxaliplatin by reducing the miR-200s expression. ZJW may reverse chemoresistance by inhibiting the expression of MALAT1 and regulating the miR-200s/JNK pathway, providing an experimental basis for the clinical application of ZJW in relieving chemotherapy resistance.

β-catenin correlates with the progression of colon cancers and berberine inhibits the proliferation of colon cancer cells by regulating the β-catenin signaling pathway

INTRODUCTION

Berberine was one of the active components in Chinese herb and exerted tumor suppressive role in cancer progression, but the exact antitumor mechanism is still not clearly clarified. In the present study, bioinformatics analysis was performed on COAD patients from TCGA, HPA database, UALCAN and GEPIA 2 platform. We also explored the role of berberine on progression of human colon cancers in vitro and in vivo and clarified weather the antitumor effects of berberine was mediated by Wnt/beta-catenin pathway.

METHODS

Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. The protein levels were tested by western blotting and the distribution of β-catenin was observed by confocal microscope.

RESULTS

The results showed the levels of CTNNB1 mRNA was increased in colon cancer patients than normal controls. The diagnostic value of CTNNB1 was AUC = 0.882 (CI:0.854-0.911) with sensitivity of 1.000 and specificity of 0.777. The promoter methylation level of CTNNB1 in COAD patients was significantly decreased. Moreover, univariate analysis and multivariate analysis results showed the expression of CTNNB1 in COAD patients was associated with T stage (p = 0.010), pathological stage (p = 0.025) and perineural invasion (p = 0.025). Furthermore, the in vitro assay results showed β-catenin signaling was highly activated in human colon cancer cells and berberine inhibited the cell viability of colon cancer cells in vitro and in vivo in a dose-and time-dependent manner. Moreover, berberine induced the translocation of β-catenin to cytoplasm from nucleus.

CONCLUSION

The levels of CTNNB1 mRNA was increased in colon cancer patients than normal controls. Berberine inhibited the proliferation of colon cancer cells by regulating the beta-catenin signaling pathway.

MicroRNAs Are Key Molecules Involved in the Gene Regulation Network of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common types of cancer and one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play central roles in normal cell maintenance, development, and other physiological processes. Growing evidence has illustrated that dysregulated miRNAs can participate in the initiation, progression, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance that confer miRNAs to serve as clinical biomarkers and therapeutic targets for CRC. Through binding to the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of target genes, miRNAs can lead to target mRNA degradation or inhibition at a post-transcriptional level. During the last decade, studies have found numerous miRNAs and their potential targets, but the complex network of miRNA/Targets in CRC remains unclear. In this review, we sought to summarize the complicated roles of the miRNA-target regulation network (Wnt, TGF-β, PI3K-AKT, MAPK, and EMT related pathways) in CRC with up-to-date, high-quality published data. In particular, we aimed to discuss the downstream miRNAs of specific pathways. We hope these data can be a potent supplement for the canonical miRNA-target regulation network.

The miR-200 family in normal mammary gland development

The miR-200 family of microRNAs plays a significant role in inhibiting mammary tumor growth and progression, and its members are being investigated as therapeutic targets. Additionally, if future studies can prove that miR-200s prevent mammary tumor initiation, the microRNA family could also offer a preventative strategy. Before utilizing miR-200s in a therapeutic setting, understanding how they regulate normal mammary development is necessary. No studies investigating the role of miR-200s in embryonic ductal development could be found, and only two studies examined the impact of miR-200s on pubertal ductal morphogenesis. These studies showed that miR-200s are expressed at low levels in virgin mammary glands, and elevated expression of miR-200s have the potential to impair ductal morphogenesis. In contrast to virgin mammary glands, miR-200s are expressed at high levels in mammary glands during late pregnancy and lactation. miR-200s are also found in the milk of several mammalian species, including humans. However, the relevance of miR-200s in milk remains unclear. The increase in miR-200 expression in late pregnancy and lactation suggests a role for miR-200s in the development of alveoli and/or regulating milk production. Therefore, studies investigating the consequence of miR-200 overexpression or knockdown are needed to identify the function of miR-200s in alveolar development and lactation.