Overexpression of centromere protein K (CENP-K) gene in hepatocellular carcinoma promote cell proliferation by activating AKT/TP53 signal pathway

Recent updates of centromere proteins in hepatocellular carcinoma: a review

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with approximately 800,000 deaths worldwide each year. Owing to the atypical early symptoms and characteristics of HCC, over 80% of HCC patients cannot receive curative treatment. The treatment of HCC is facing a bottleneck, and new treatment methods are urgently needed. Since the pathogenesis of HCC is not yet clear, identifying the molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets related to it is crucial. Centromeres are considered special deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences with highly repetitive sequences that are physically connected to the spindle during cell division, ensuring equal division of genetic material between daughter cells. The numerous proteins that aggregate on this sequence during cell division are called centromere proteins (CENPs). Currently, numerous studies have shown that CENPs are abnormally expressed in tumor cells and are associated with patient prognosis. The abnormal expression of CENPs is a key cause of chromosomal instability. Furthermore, chromosomal instability is a common characteristic of the majority of tumors. Chromosomal instability can lead to uncontrolled and sustained division and proliferation of malignant tumors. Therapeutic plans targeting CENPs play important roles in the treatment of HCC. For example, small ribonucleic acid (RNA) can silence CENP expression and prevent the occurrence and development of liver cancer. In recent years, studies of HCC-targeting CENPs have gradually increased but are still relatively novel, requiring further systematic elaboration. In this review, we provide a detailed introduction to the characteristics of CENPs and discuss their roles in HCC. In addition, we discuss their application prospects in future clinical practice.

Centromere protein K enhances the activation of YAP1/TAZ signal cascade to drive the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Centromere protein K (CENPK) is a newly identified malignancy-related gene that exhibits differential expression in various cancers and plays a crucial role in carcinogenesis. However, it remains uncertain whether CENPK is involved in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). This work aimed to unveil the expression, clinical significance, biological functions, and regulatory mechanisms of CENPK in ccRCC. Through analysis of RNA-seq data obtained from TCGA, a high expression pattern of CENPK was identified in ccRCC, which was found to be associated with pathologic stage, histologic grade, and clinical outcome. The enrichment of CENPK in ccRCC was further verified through the analysis of clinical samples. By conducting cellular functional experiments, we showed an inhibitory effect of CENPK knockdown on the malignant behavior of ccRCC cells. GSEA revealed a close relationship between CENPK and the Hippo-YAP1/TAZ signal cascade. The following experiments demonstrated that the activation of YAP1/TAZ was strongly inhibited by CENPK knockdown, and this change was accompanied by a decrease in the levels of CTGF and CYR61. Blockade of the MST1/2-LATS1/2 axis reversed the suppressive impact of CENPK knockdown on YAP1/TAZ. The tumor-promoting impact observed upon CENPK overexpression was diminished in YAP1 knockout cells. Notably, ccRCC cells with reduced CENPK expression exhibited a diminished capability to form tumors in nude mice. This report highlights the importance of CENPK in ccRCC and sheds new light on the underlying mechanism of this cancer type. Therefore, CENPK has the potential to serve as a viable candidate target for treating ccRCC.

A Whole-Transcriptomic Analysis of Canine Oral Melanoma: A Chance to Disclose the Radiotherapy Effect and Outcome-Associated Gene Signature

Oral melanoma (OM) is the most common malignant oral tumour among dogs and shares similarities with human mucosal melanoma (HMM), validating the role of canine species as an immunocompetent model for cancer research. In both humans and dogs, the prognosis is poor and radiotherapy (RT) represents a cornerstone in the management of this tumour, either as an adjuvant or a palliative treatment. In this study, by means of RNA-seq, the effect of RT weekly fractionated in 9 Gray (Gy), up to a total dose of 36 Gy (4 weeks), was evaluated in eight dogs affected by OM. Furthermore, possible transcriptomic differences in blood and biopsies that might be associated with a longer overall survival (OS) were investigated. The immune response, glycosylation, cell adhesion, and cell cycle were the most affected pathways by RT, while tumour microenvironment (TME) composition and canonical and non-canonical WNT pathways appeared to be modulated in association with OS. Taking these results as a whole, this study improved our understanding of the local and systemic effect of RT, reinforcing the pivotal role of anti-tumour immunity in the control of canine oral melanoma (COM).

CENPK orchestrates ovarian cancer progression via GOLPH3-Mediated activation of mTOR signaling

Ovarian cancer stands as a formidable clinical challenge, with limited therapeutic options. This investigation delves into the intricate molecular mechanisms governing ovarian cancer progression and uncovers Centromere Protein K (CENPK) as a central figure in disease pathogenesis. Elevated CENPK levels within ovarian cancer tissues conspicuously align with adverse clinical outcomes, positioning CENPK as a promising prognostic biomarker. Deeper exploration reveals a direct transcriptional connection between CENPK and the E2F1 transcription factor and clearly establishes E2F1's role as the master regulator of CENPK expression in ovarian cancer. Our inquiry revealing a suppression of tumor-promoting signaling pathways, most notably the mTOR pathway, upon CENPK silencing. Intriguingly, CENPK renders ovarian cancer cells more responsive to the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin, introducing a promising avenue for therapeutic intervention. In summation, our study unravels the multifaceted role of CENPK in ovarian cancer progression. It emerges as a prognostic indicator, a pivotal mediator of cell proliferation and tumorigenicity, and a regulator of the mTOR pathway, shedding light on potential therapeutic avenues for this formidable disease.

The roles of m6A methylation in cervical cancer: functions, molecular mechanisms, and clinical applications

Cervical cancer (CC) is a gynecological neoplasm with the highest incidence rate, primarily attributed to the persistent infection of high-risk Human papillomavirus (HPV). Despite extensive research, the pathogenesis of CC remains unclear. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation, the most prevalent form of epigenetic modification in RNA, is intricately linked to cell proliferation, metastasis, metabolism, and therapeutic resistance within the tumor microenvironment (TME) of CC. The involvement of the writer, reader, and eraser in m6A modification impacts the advancement of tumors through the regulation of RNA stability, nuclear export, translation efficiency, and RNA degradation. Here, we discuss the biogenesis of m6A, the atypical expressions of m6A regulators, the mechanisms of molecular interactions, and their functions in CC. Furthermore, we elucidate m6A modification of non-coding RNA. In the context of precision medicine, and with the advancements of genomics, proteomics, and high-throughput sequencing technologies, we summarize the application of m6A in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of CC. Additionally, new perspectives on detection methods, immune regulation, and nano-drug development are presented, which lay the foundation for further research of m6A and provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of CC.

CENPA functions as a transcriptional regulator to promote hepatocellular carcinoma progression via cooperating with YY1

The centromere proteins (CENPs), a critical mitosis-related protein complexes, are involved in the kinetochore assembly and chromosome segregation. In this study, we identified that CENPA was significantly up-regulated in HCC and highly expressed CENPA correlated with poor prognosis for HCC patients. Knockdown of CENPA inhibited HCC cell proliferation and tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, CENPA transcriptionally activated and cooperated with YY1 to drive the expression of cyclin D1 (CCND1) and neuropilin 2 (NRP2). Moreover, we identified that CENPA can be lactylated at lysine 124 (K124). The lactylation of CENPA at K124 promotes CENPA activation, leading to enhanced expression of its target genes. In summary, CENPA function as a transcriptional regulator to promote HCC via cooperating with YY1. Targeting the CENPA-YY1-CCND1/NRP2 axis may provide candidate therapeutic targets for HCC.

The inhibition of centromere protein K causes anticancer effects in breast carcinoma via effects on the FAK/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway

The overexpression of centromere protein K (CENPK) is a major contributor to the malignant progression of numerous cancers. To date, the detailed functions and mechanisms of CENPK in breast carcinoma are not fully elucidated. The goals of this project were to comprehensively address the relevance of CENPK in breast carcinoma. The initial investigation by TCGA analysis revealed a high expression level of CENPK in breast carcinoma. Subsequently, an immunoblotting assay confirmed that CENPK is highly expressed in the clinical samples of breast carcinoma. In vitro experiments elucidated that the inhibition of CENPK produced substantial anticancer effects, including a reduction of proliferation, the inhibition of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, the induction of cell cycle arrest and chemosensitivity. Mechanism research unveiled a role for CENPK in mediating the focal adhesion kinase (FAK1)/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Inhibiting the FAK/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was able to reverse CENPK-elicited cancer-promoting effects. Additionally, CENPK-silenced breast carcinoma cells exhibited low tumorigenicity in vivo. In summary, our data demonstrated that CENPK inhibition provided an excellent anticancer effect for breast carcinoma by regulating FAK/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. This work illustrates a novel molecular mechanism for CENPK in breast carcinoma and suggests CENPK inhibition as a promising targeted therapy for breast carcinoma.

Centromeric protein K (CENPK) promotes gastric cancer proliferation and migration via interacting with XRCC5

BACKGROUND

CENPK is a novel oncogene which is aberrantly expression in some malignant tumors. However, the role and mechanisms of CENPK in gastric cancer have not been explored.

METHODS

In this study, we use RT-PCR and IHC to study CENPK expression in gastric cancer cells and tissues. In addition, we constructed the two kinds of CENPK siRNA lentivirus to knock down CENPK. Then, we use High content living cell imaging System, Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation, wound healing and Transwell assays to demonstrate the function of CENPK on gastric cancer cells AGS and MKN45. Meanwhile, we use flow cytometry assay to study CENPK function on gastric cancer cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Subcutaneous tumorigenesis in nude mice was also performed to confirm CENPK function on gastric cancer. Finally, we use Co-IP, LC-MS and function rescue assay to study the downstream interaction molecular of CENPK.

RESULTS

We demonstrated that CENPK expression were up-regulated in GC cell lines. Poor differentiation and III-IV stage had more percentages of high CENPK expression. Knocking down CENPK could significantly suppress GC cells proliferation, migration and invasion, and induce GC cells apoptosis and G1/S phase transition arrest. Subcutaneous tumorigenesis confirmed the tumor-promoting effects of CENPK in vivo. Remarkably, we found for the first time that XRCC5 might be interacted with CENPK through Co-IP, LC-MS and rescue study.

CONCLUSION

CENPK promotes GC cell proliferation and migration via interacting with XRCC5 and may be a novel prognostic factor or therapeutic target for CENPK.

N6-methyladenosine modification of CENPK mRNA by ZC3H13 promotes cervical cancer stemness and chemoresistance

BACKGROUND

Stemness and chemoresistance contribute to cervical cancer recurrence and metastasis. In the current study, we determined the relevant players and role of N6-methyladenine (m6A) RNA methylation in cervical cancer progression.

METHODS

The roles of m6A RNA methylation and centromere protein K (CENPK) in cervical cancer were analyzed using bioinformatics analysis. Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation was adopted to detect m6A modification of CENPK mRNA. Human cervical cancer clinical samples, cell lines, and xenografts were used for analyzing gene expression and function. Immunofluorescence staining and the tumorsphere formation, clonogenic, MTT, and EdU assays were performed to determine cell stemness, chemoresistance, migration, invasion, and proliferation in HeLa and SiHa cells, respectively. Western blot analysis, co-immunoprecipitation, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and luciferase reporter, cycloheximide chase, and cell fractionation assays were performed to elucidate the underlying mechanism.

RESULTS

Bioinformatics analysis of public cancer datasets revealed firm links between m6A modification patterns and cervical cancer prognosis, especially through ZC3H13-mediated m6A modification of CENPK mRNA. CENPK expression was elevated in cervical cancer, associated with cancer recurrence, and independently predicts poor patient prognosis [hazard ratio = 1.413, 95% confidence interval = 1.078 - 1.853, P = 0.012]. Silencing of CENPK prolonged the overall survival time of cervical cancer-bearing mice and improved the response of cervical cancer tumors to chemotherapy in vivo (P < 0.001). We also showed that CENPK was directly bound to SOX6 and disrupted the interactions of CENPK with β-catenin, which promoted β-catenin expression and nuclear translocation, facilitated p53 ubiquitination, and led to activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, but suppression of the p53 pathway. This dysregulation ultimately enhanced the tumorigenic pathways required for cell stemness, DNA damage repair pathways necessary for cisplatin/carboplatin resistance, epithelial-mesenchymal transition involved in metastasis, and DNA replication that drove tumor cell proliferation.

CONCLUSIONS

CENPK was shown to have an oncogenic role in cervical cancer and can thus serve as a prognostic indicator and novel target for cervical cancer treatment.

miR-381 Reverses Multidrug Resistance by Negative Regulation of the CTNNB1/ABCB1 Pathway in HepG2/Dox Cells, and the Diagnostic and Prognostic Values of CTNNB1/ABCB1 Are Identified in Patients with LIHC

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the biggest challenge in cancer therapy. In this study, we explored the molecular mechanism of MDR in human liver cancer and explored the related diagnostic and prognostic values of the targeted genes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. We constructed a multidrug-resistant liver cancer cell line, HepG2/Dox, using the parental subline HepG2. The (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) (MTT) assay was used to test the viability of the liver cancer cells. Western blotting was performed to test the expression of ABCB1, β-catenin, and β-actin. Luciferase assays were performed to confirm the relationship between miR-381 and its target genes. The diagnostic and prognostic values of target genes were analyzed using publicly available data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The Mann-Whitney U test and logistic regression were performed to evaluate the association between ABCB1 or CTNNB1 expression and clinical features in patients with liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). Finally, Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were performed to test the effect of ABCB1 or CTNNB1 expression on the overall survival of patients with LIHC. ABCB1 expression was upregulated in HepG2/Dox cells. ABCB1 was found to be a direct target of hsa-miR-381 and was negatively regulated by has-miR-381. Moreover, hsa-miR-381 directly targeted the CTNNB1 3' UTR and decreased the luciferase activity of CTNNB1. Transfection with miR-183 partially reversed chemotherapeutic drug resistance by downregulating the expression of ABCB1 and CTNNB1 in HepG2/Dox cells. Spearman's analysis results showed that CTNNB1 and ABCB1 were positively correlated in patients with liver cancer, and increased CTNNB1 and ABCB1 expression occurred in patients with liver cancer. High expression of ABCB1 and CTNNB1 indicated poor prognosis in patients with liver cancer; however, neither ABCB1 nor CTNNB1 expression was an independent diagnostic factor in patients with LIHC. Overexpression of hsa-miR-381 partially reversed the MDR of HepG2 cells by directly targeting and negatively regulating the expression of CTTNB1 and ABCB1. Moreover, high expression of ABCB1 or CTNNB1 indicated poor prognosis in patients with liver cancer.

Overexpression of centromere protein K (CENPK) gene in Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma promote cell Proliferation and Migration

Differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) is one of the most common malignant tumors. Increasing evidence indicates that centromere protein K(CENPK) may play a key role in promoting carcinogenesis. The expression, biological functions, and clinical significance of CENPK in DTC are still unclear. The CENPK expression in the DTC specimen was confirmed using quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot. The expression of CENPK was silenced and promoted by lentivirus-mediated transfection with shRNA sequences or CENPK plasmid targeting CENPK in TPC1 and FTC-133 cells, respectively. Colony formation, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), Transwell invasion, and scratch assays were performed to assess the malignant biological properties of FTC-133 and TPC1 cells. Tumorigenicity assay was performed using C57BL/6 mice to explore the influence of CENPK on the growth of TPC1. The present work suggested that the expression of CENPK remarkably increased in follicular thyroid cancer and papillary thyroid cancer  tissue samples at the mRNA level. Immunohistochemical staining also showed consistent results at the protein level. In addition, CENPK mRNA expression level showed great value in diagnosis of DTC. Knockdown of CENPK significantly inhibited the invasion and migration of TPC1 and FTC-133 cells. In contrast, CENPK overexpression promoted invasion and migration of TPC1 and FTC-133 cells. Knockdown and overexpression of CENPK showed consistent effect on DTC tumor growth and expression of Ki-67 invivo. Our results indicated that CENPK was evidently upregulated in DTC. Knocking down CENPK suppressed TPC1 cell proliferation, invasion and migration. Targeting the CENPK may be anovel therapeutic method for DTC.

High mRNA Expression of CENPL and Its Significance in Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients

Centromere proteins (CENPs) are the main constituent proteins of kinetochore, which are essential for cell division. In recent years, several studies have revealed that several CENPs were aberrantly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, numerous centromere proteins have not been studied in HCC. In this study, we used databases of Oncomine, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), the Kaplan-Meier Plotter, cBioPortal, the Human Protein Atlas (HPA), and TIMER (Tumor Immune Estimation Resource) and immunohistochemical staining of clinical specimens to investigate the expression of 15 major centromere proteins in HCC to evaluate their potential prognostic value. We found that the mRNA levels of 4 out of 15 centromere proteins (CENPL, CENPQ, CENPR, and CENPU) were significantly higher in HCC than in normal tissues, and their mRNA levels were associated with the tumor stages (p values < 0.01). Patients with higher mRNA levels of CENPL had poorer overall survival, progression-free survival, relapse-free survival, and disease-specific survival (p values < 0.05). Furthermore, the higher levels of CENPL mRNA were associated with worse overall survival in males without hepatitis virus infection (p values < 0.05). The protein expression level of CENPL in human HCC tissue was higher than that in normal liver tissue. In addition, the expression of CENPL was positively correlated with the levels of the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. The results suggest that the high mRNA expression of CENPL may be a potential predictor of prognosis in HCC patients.

In Silico Identification of Crucial Genes and Specific Pathways in Hepatocellular Cancer

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Patients suffering from HCC are usually diagnosed during an advanced stage, which limits the effectiveness of treatment. This phenomenon has led to an urgent need to discover promising HCC diagnostic biomarkers and to identify novel targets for HCC treatment. Materials and Methods: In this study, the gene expression profiles of the GSE45436 participants were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The HCC differentially expressed genes (HCC_DEGs) were identified through a comparison with healthy controls. The Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses were performed by DAVID, a free website used for annotating genes. Next, we used STRING, an online website, to identify likely protein-protein interactions among the DEGs. Cytoscape software was utilized to construct a protein-protein interaction network. MCODE, a plug-in of the Cytoscape software, was used for a module analysis. Finally, we used the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis website to determine the module genes' effects on overall survival. Results: A total of 313 genes were identified as differentially expressed, which comprised 118 upregulated genes and 195 downregulated genes. We used these data to identify 67 module genes. These were further verified using The Cancer Genome Atlas database resulting in 57 that remained statistically significant. Foremost, we identified one significant gene, DEP domain-containing protein 1B (DEPDC1B), which should be investigated for its usefulness as a new biomarker for diagnoses and prognoses. Conclusion: To our knowledge, DEPDC1B has not previously been reported as being associated with HCC. These results suggest that in silico methods, such as those employed, can provide valuable and even unique candidate biomarkers for further evaluation.

Bioinformatics analysis combined with experiments predicts CENPK as a potential prognostic factor for lung adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer is the most common malignant tumor. Identification of novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for lung cancer is a key research imperative. The role of centromere protein K (CENPK) in cancer is an emerging research hotspot. However, the role of CENPK in the progression of lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) is not well characterized.

METHODS

In this study, we identified CENPK as a potential new gene for lung cancer based on bioinformatics analysis. In addition, in vitro experiments were performed to verify the function of this gene. We investigated the expression of CENPK in LAC by analyses of datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Differential expression analyses, gene ontology (GO) enrichment, Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were conducted to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic relevance of CENPK. Then, for evaluating the biological behavior and role of CENPK in lung cancer cells, we did a series of vitro experiments, such as immunohistochemistry analysis, Western blot analysis, CCK8 assay, transwell assay, flow cytometry, and wound healing assay.

RESULTS

We demonstrated overexpression of CENPK in LAC; in addition, increased expression of CENPK was associated with clinical progression. Moreover, CENPK was found to be an independent risk factor in patients with LAC. Furthermore, we observed activation of CENPK-related signaling pathways in patients with LAC.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate a potential role of CENPK in promoting tumor proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. It may serve as a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in patients with LAC.

Transcriptional characterization of conjunctival melanoma identifies the cellular tumor microenvironment and prognostic gene signatures

This study characterizes the transcriptome and the cellular tumor microenvironment (TME) of conjunctival melanoma (CM) and identifies prognostically relevant biomarkers. 12 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded CM were analyzed by MACE RNA sequencing, including six cases each with good or poor clinical outcome, the latter being defined by local recurrence and/or systemic metastases. Eight healthy conjunctival specimens served as controls. The TME of CM, as determined by bioinformatic cell type enrichment analysis, was characterized by the enrichment of melanocytes, pericytes and especially various immune cell types, such as plasmacytoid dendritic cells, natural killer T cells, B cells and mast cells. Differentially expressed genes between CM and control were mainly involved in inhibition of apoptosis, proteolysis and response to growth factors. POU3F3, BIRC5 and 7 were among the top expressed genes associated with inhibition of apoptosis. 20 genes, among them CENPK, INHA, USP33, CASP3, SNORA73B, AAR2, SNRNP48 and GPN1, were identified as prognostically relevant factors reaching high classification accuracy (area under the curve: 1.0). The present study provides new insights into the TME and the transcriptional profile of CM and additionally identifies new prognostic biomarkers. These results add new diagnostic tools and may lead to new options of targeted therapy for CM.

Co-expression analysis and ceRNA network reveal eight novel potential lncRNA biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer in the world, with a high degree of malignancy and recurrence. The influence of the ceRNA network in tumor on the biological function of liver cancer is very important, It has been reported that many lncRNA play a key role in liver cancer development. In our study, integrated data analysis revealed potential eight novel lncRNA biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma.

METHODS

Transcriptome data and clinical data were downloaded from the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data portal. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was performed to identify the expression pattern of genes in liver cancer. Then, the ceRNA network was constructed using transcriptome data.

RESULTS

The integrated analysis of miRNA and RNAseq in the database show eight novel lncRNAs that may be involved in important biological pathways, including TNM and disease development in liver cancer. We performed function enrichment analysis of mRNAs affected by these lncRNAs.

CONCLUSIONS

By identifying the ceRNA network and the lncRNAs that affect liver cancer, we showed that eight novel lncRNAs play an important role in the development and progress of liver cancer.

Downregulation of CENPK suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma malignant progression through regulating YAP1

Background

Several studies have found that centromere protein K (CENPK) is overexpressed in several tumour types and promotes tumor progression. However, there has been little research on the role of CENPK in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Materials and methods

The expression of CENPK in HCC tissues was quantified by Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR. Cells were transfected with lentiviral plasmids containing shRNA sequences targeting CENPK and YAP1 to silence the expression of CENPK and YAP1. Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, colony formation assay, wound healing assay, and transwell invasion assay were performed to evaluate cell growth, migration, and invasion of HCC cells. Tumorigenicity assay was used to detect the effect of CENPK on the growth of HCC cells. Western blot assay was performed to investigate the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and YAP1.

Results

Compared to that in adjacent non-tumor tissues, CENPK was aberrantly upregulated in HCC tumor tissues. Furthermore, CENPK knockdown significantly inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT progression in HCC cells. Mechanistically, we identified that YAP1 was responsible for the tumor-suppressive effects of CENPK knockdown in the HCC cells. The inhibitory effects of CENPK silencing on cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT were partially reversed by the restoration of YAP1 expression.

Conclusion

Our results suggested that the CENPK-YAP1-EMT axis plays a critical role in regulating HCC malignant progression, indicating the role of this axis as a potential therapeutic target for HCC.

The association between methylation patterns of DNAH17 and clinicopathological factors in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignancy with poor prognosis. Complex genetic and epigenetic alterations are the two primary causes of HCC. The aim of the study was mainly to explore the correlation between the methylation status of DNAH17 and HCC.

Methods

We evaluated the methylation levels of DNAH17 in 163 HCC samples and their paired normal tissue using Sequenom EpiTYPER assays and performed the TaqMan copy number assay to assess the copy number status of DNAH17 in HCC samples.

Results

The mean methylation levels were significantly decreased in the tumor tissues compared to the paired normal tissues in both selected regions of DNAH17 (amplicon 1:58.7% vs 84.5%, P < 0.0001; amplicon 2:69.9% vs 84.5%, P = 0.0060). Contrarily，both RNA‐seq and immunohistochemistry indicated the expression of DNAH17 was increased in tumor tissues (P < 0.05). DNMT inhibitor decitabine treatment could increase the expression of DNAH17 in HCC cell lines. DNAH17 gene amplification always companied with hypomethylation status. Moreover, hypomethylation status was associated with several clinical characteristics, such as male patients, higher AFP values, higher age of onset, fibrous capsules, tumor necrosis, liver cirrhosis, and tumor thrombus (P < 0.05). Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated the methylation levels of DNAH17 could efficiently predict the existence of the fibrous capsule (AUC = 0.695) and tumor thrombus (AUC = 0.806).

Conclusions

These findings suggested that aberrant methylation of DNAH17 was associated with comprehensive HCC clinicopathological factors and could be a promising biomarker for tumor thrombosis in HCC patients.

CENPI is overexpressed in colorectal cancer and regulates cell migration and invasion

Centromere protein I (CENPI),an important member of centromere protein family, has been suggest to serve as a oncogene in breast cancer, but the clinical significance and biological function of CENPI in colorectal cancer (CRC) is still unclear. In our results, we found CENPI was overexpressed in CRC tissues and cells, and associated with clinical stage, tumor depth, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and differentiation in CRC patients. However, there was no significant association between CENPI protein expression and overall survival time in colon cancer patients and rectal cancer patients through analyzing TCGA survival data. Moreover, CENPI mRNA and protein were increased in metastatic lymph nodes compared with primary CRC tissues. Down-regulation of CENPI expression suppresses CRC cell migration, invasion and epithelial mesenchymal transition process. In conclusion, CENPI is overexpressed in CRC and functions as oncogene in modulating CRC cell migration, invasion and EMT process.

HAX-1 Protects Glioblastoma Cells from Apoptosis through the Akt1 Pathway

Glioblastoma is the most common malignant tumor in central nervous system (CNS), and it is still insurmountable and has a poor prognosis. The proliferation and survival mechanism of glioma cells needs to be explored further for the development of glioma treatment. Hematopoietic-substrate-1 associated protein X-1 (HAX-1) has been reported as an anti-apoptosis protein that plays an important role in several malignant tumors. However, the effect and mechanism of HAX-1 in glioblastomas remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effect of HAX-1 in glioblastoma cells and explore the mechanism. The results of clone formation and Edu proliferation assay showed slower multiplication in HAX-1 knock-out cells. Flow cytometry showed cell cycle arrest mainly in G0/G1 phase. Apoptosis due to oxidative stress was increased after HAX-1 was knocked out. Western-blot assay exhibited that the levels of p21, Bax, and p53 proteins were significantly raised, and that the activation of the caspase cascade was enhanced in the absence of HAX-1. The degradation rate and ubiquitination of p53 declined because of the decrease in phosphorylation of proteins MDM2 and Akt1. Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and immunefluorescent co-localization assays were performed to test the influence of HAX-1 on the interaction between Akt1 and Hsp90, which is crucial for the activity of Akt1. In conclusion, this novel study suggested that HAX-1 could affect the Akt1 pathway through Hsp90. The knock-out of HAX-1 leads to the inactivity of the Ak1t/MDM2 axis, which leads to increased levels of p53, and finally generates cell cycle arrest and results in the apoptosis of glioblastoma cells.