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Sun L, Hui F, Tang GY, Shen HL, Cao XL, Gao JX, Li LF. Selective degradation of PL2L60 by metabolic stresses‑induced autophagy suppresses multi‑cancer growth. Oncol Rep 2024; 51:41. [PMID: 38624021 PMCID: PMC10823339 DOI: 10.3892/or.2024.8700] [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: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
It has been reported that PL2L60 proteins, a product of PIWIL2 gene which might be activated by an intragenic promoter, could mediate a common pathway specifically for tumorigenesis. In the present study, it was further identified by using western blot assay that the PL2L60 proteins could be degraded in cancer cells through a mechanism of selective autophagy in response to oxidative stress. The PL2L60 was downregulated in various types of cancer cells under the hypoxic condition independently of HIF‑1α, resulting in apoptosis of cancer cells. Inhibition of autophagy by small interfering RNA targeting of either Beclin‑1 (BECN1) or Atg5 resulted in restoration of PL2L60 expression in hypoxic cancer cell. The hypoxic degradation of PL2L60 was also blocked by the attenuation of the autophagosome membrane protein Atg8/microtubule‑associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) or autophagy cargo protein p62 expression. Surprisingly, Immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated that LC3 could be directly bound to PL2L60 and was required for the transport of PL2L60 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm for lysosomal flux under basal or activated autophagy in cancer cells. Moreover, flow cytometric analysis displayed that knocking down of PL2L60 mRNA but not PIWIL2 mRNA effectively inhibited cancer cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis of cancer cells. The similar results were obtained from in vivo tumorigenic experiment, in which PL2L60 downregulation in necroptosis areas was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. These results suggested that various cancer could be suppressed by promoting autophagy. The present study revealed a key role of autophagic degradation of PL2L60 in hypoxia‑induced cancer cell death, which could be used as a novel therapeutic target of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Sun
- The State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, and The Laboratory of Tumorigenesis and Immunity, Renji-Med X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, PuDong, Shanghai 200127, P.R. China
- Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, Shandong 261000, P.R. China
| | - Fu Hui
- Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, Shandong 261000, P.R. China
| | - Gao-Yan Tang
- Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, Shandong 261000, P.R. China
| | - Hai-Lian Shen
- Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity of Aging Studies, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78292, USA
| | - Xue-Lei Cao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Qi Lu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China
| | - Jian-Xin Gao
- The State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, and The Laboratory of Tumorigenesis and Immunity, Renji-Med X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, PuDong, Shanghai 200127, P.R. China
| | - Lin-Feng Li
- The State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, and The Laboratory of Tumorigenesis and Immunity, Renji-Med X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, PuDong, Shanghai 200127, P.R. China
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Hammad G, Mamdouh S, Seoudi DM, Seleem MI, Safwat G, Mohamed RH. Elevated expression patterns of P-element Induced Wimpy Testis (PIWI) transcripts are potential candidate markers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancer Biomark 2024; 39:95-111. [PMID: 38043006 PMCID: PMC11002723 DOI: 10.3233/cbm-230134] [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: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND P-Element-induced wimpy testis (PIWI) proteins, when in combination with PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA), are engaged in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression in germline cells. Different types of tumour cells have been found to exhibit abnormal expression of piRNA, PIWIL-mRNAs, and proteins. We aimed to determine the mRNA expression profiles of PIWIL1, PIWIL2, PIWIL3, & PIWIL4, in hepatocellular carcinoma patients, and to associate their expression patterns with clinicopathological features. METHODS The expression patterns of PIWIL1, PIWIL2, PIWIL3, PIWIL4 mRNA, was assessed via real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-QPCR), on tissue and serum samples from HCC patients, their impact for diagnosis was evaluated by ROC curves, prognostic utility was determined, and In Silico analysis was conducted for predicted variant detection, association with HCC microRNAs and Network Analysis. RESULTS Expression levels were significantly higher in both HCC tissue and serum samples than in their respective controls (p< 0.001). Additionally, the diagnostic performance was assessed, Risk determination was found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSION PIWIL mRNAs are overexpressed in HCC tissue and serum samples, the expression patterns could be valuable molecular markers for HCC, due to their association with age, tumour grade and pattern. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to report the expression levels of all PIWIL mRNA and to suggest their remarkable values as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, in addition to their correlation to HCC development. Additionally, a therapeutic opportunity might be also suggested through in silico miRNA prediction for HCC and PIWIL genes through DDX4 and miR-124-3p.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gehan Hammad
- Faculty of Biotechnology, October University for Modern Sciences & Arts (MSA), Giza, Egypt
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Samah Mamdouh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Dina Mohamed Seoudi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Ismail Seleem
- Department of Surgery, National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Gehan Safwat
- Faculty of Biotechnology, October University for Modern Sciences & Arts (MSA), Giza, Egypt
| | - Rania Hassan Mohamed
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
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Lu HM, Fu YJ, Liu N, Xia WY, Chen HY, Liu MY, Li LF, Gao JX. A novel tumor-specific broad-spectral monoclonal antibody to PL2L60 is highly effective for the treatment of various types of cancers from human and mouse. Am J Cancer Res 2022; 12:265-279. [PMID: 35141017 PMCID: PMC8822270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
There are numerous antibodies used for cancer therapy in clinic, but they are essentially less efficacy than expected. None of them has tumor-specific and broad-spectral properties. PIWIL2-like (PL2L) protein 60 (PL2L60) is a product of alienated activation of PIWIL2 gene, and has been found to be specifically and widely expressed in various types of cancers, including hematopoietic and solid ones. Current study aims to investigate whether a monoclonal antibody (mAb) to PL2L60 has both tumor-specific and broad-spectral properties, which can be used universally to treat various types of cancers. The expression of PL2L60 protein in the cell surface and cytoplasm were determined in a panel of human and mouse tumor cell lines by flow cytometry, immunofluorescent microscopy and Western Blotting. The apoptosis and the cell cycle arrest of the tumor cells treated with mAb KAO3 were evaluated by flow cytometry. The tumorigenesis of the mAb KAO3-pretreated tumor cells was determined by tumor incidence and tumor size, and the efficacy of mAb KAO3 treatment on tumor growth in tumors-bearing mice were kinetically evaluated. Complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) assay was used to determine the capacity of mAb KAO3 to kill tumor cells. Treatment of human or mouse tumor cells from hematopoietic or solid tumors with mAb KAO3 at the time of inoculation efficiently inhibited tumorigenesis in the severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. Moreover, injection of mAb KAO3 into established tumors significantly inhibited their growth, and prolonged survival of the tumor-bearing mice, including lymphoma, breast cancer, lung cancer and cervical cancer. The efficacy of mAb KAO3 treatment is likely associated with its binding to PL2L60 expressed on tumor cell surface, which may lead to cancer cell death through blocking cell cycling and/or activation of complement. In conclusion, we have identified a tumor-specific mAb to PL2L60 (KAO3), which may be used potentially to treat all the types of human cancers including from both hematopoietic and solid ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Min Lu
- The State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, and The Laboratory of Tumorigenesis and Immunity, Renji-Med X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai 200127, China
- Department of Oncology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineShanghai 200127, China
| | - Yu-Jie Fu
- The State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, and The Laboratory of Tumorigenesis and Immunity, Renji-Med X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai 200127, China
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineShanghai 200127, China
| | - Ning Liu
- The State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, and The Laboratory of Tumorigenesis and Immunity, Renji-Med X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai 200127, China
| | - Wu-Yan Xia
- The State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, and The Laboratory of Tumorigenesis and Immunity, Renji-Med X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai 200127, China
| | - Hai-Yan Chen
- The State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, and The Laboratory of Tumorigenesis and Immunity, Renji-Med X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai 200127, China
| | - Meng-Yao Liu
- The State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, and The Laboratory of Tumorigenesis and Immunity, Renji-Med X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai 200127, China
| | - Lin-Feng Li
- The State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, and The Laboratory of Tumorigenesis and Immunity, Renji-Med X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai 200127, China
| | - Jian-Xin Gao
- The State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, and The Laboratory of Tumorigenesis and Immunity, Renji-Med X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai 200127, China
- Shanghai Evac Biotechnology Inc.Shanghai 200233, China
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Biopathological Significance of PIWI-piRNA Pathway Deregulation in Invasive Breast Carcinomas. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12102833. [PMID: 33008024 PMCID: PMC7600338 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12102833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The PIWI-piRNA ribonucleoproteic complexes are pivotal regulators of genome integrity, differentiation and homeostasis and their dysregulation has recently been implicated in carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to analyze the four PIWILs gene expression in invasive breast carcinomas (IBC) at RNA level using quantitative RT-PCR and protein level using immunohistochemistry. In normal breast tissue, PIWILs 2 and 4 were solely expressed, whereas an abnormal emergence of PIWIL1 and 3 was observed in respectively 30% and 6% of IBCs. Conversely, PIWIL2 was underexpressed in 48.3% and PIWIL4 downregulated in 43.3% of IBCs. Similar patterns of PIWIL deregulation were observed in a multitumoral panel, suggesting a generic mechanism in most cancers. PIWIL2 underexpression was significantly associated with DNA methylation and strong cytotoxic immune response. Characterization of the newly recognized PIWIL-piRNA pathway in IBCs opens interesting therapeutic perspectives using piRNAs, hypomethylating drugs, checkpoints immunotherapies and anti-PIWIL 1–3 antibodies. Abstract The PIWI proteins emerging in the development of human cancers, edify PIWI-piRNA ribonucleoproteic complexes acting as pivotal regulators of genome integrity, differentiation and homeostasis. The aim of this study is to analyze the four PIWILs gene expression in invasive breast carcinomas (IBCs): at RNA level using quantitative RT-PCR (n = 526) and protein level using immunohistochemistry (n = 150). In normal breast tissue, PIWILs 2 and 4 were solely expressed, whereas an abnormal emergence of PIWIL1 and 3 was observed in respectively 30% and 6% of IBCs. Conversely, PIWIL2 was underexpressed in 48.3% and PIWIL4 downregulated in 43.3% of IBCs. Significant positive associations were observed between PIWIL4 underexpression, HR+ status and HR+ ERBB2+ molecular subtype and PIWIL2 underexpression, PR- status, ERBB2- status and molecular subtype. Similar patterns of PIWIL deregulation were observed in a multitumoral panel, suggesting a generic mechanism in most cancers. PIWIL2-4 underexpression was mainly regulated at epigenetic or post-transcriptional levels. PIWIL2 underexpression was significantly associated with DNA methylation and strong cytotoxic immune response. PIWIL2-4 were mainly associated with genes implicated in cell proliferation. As a result of this study, characterization of the PIWIL-piRNA pathway in IBCs opens interesting therapeutic perspectives using piRNAs, hypomethylating drugs, checkpoints immunotherapies and anti-PIWIL 1–3 antibodies.
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Giebler M, Greither T, Behre HM. Differential Regulation of PIWI-LIKE 2 Expression in Primordial Germ Cell Tumor Cell Lines by Promoter Methylation. Front Genet 2018; 9:375. [PMID: 30294341 PMCID: PMC6158399 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00375] [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: 04/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
PIWI-LIKE 2, a member of the ARGONAUTE protein family, is exclusively expressed in pre-pachytene and pachytene stages of spermatogenesis. PIWI-LIKE 2 acts in the germ cell development and the silencing of retrotransponsons to maintain the genomic integrity and stem cell character. In the present study we investigated DNA methylation as potential mechanism for the regulation of human PIWI-LIKE 2 expression in cell lines related to spermatozoa precursor cells. We detected a high methylation of the PIWI-LIKE 2 promoter in TCam-2 cells, while in NT2/D1 cells the promoter was hypomethylated. Concordantly, PIWI-LIKE 2 expression is higher in NT2/D1 cells than in TCam-2 cells. By demethylation of the promoter with 5'-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine, PIWI-LIKE 2 expression in TCam-2 was increased, while in NT2/D1 no alterations in PIWI-LIKE 2 expression could be detected. In conclusion, we analyzed the DNA methylation driving PIWI-LIKE 2 expression in undifferentiated germ cell tumors and demonstrated an epigenetic basis for PIWI-LIKE 2 expression in this cell type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Giebler
- Center for Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Thomas Greither
- Center for Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Hermann M Behre
- Center for Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
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