1
|
Lin J, Huang C, Diao W, Liu H, Lu H, Huang S, Wang J. CPE correlates with poor prognosis in gastric cancer by promoting tumourigenesis. Heliyon 2024; 10:e29901. [PMID: 38694095 PMCID: PMC11058891 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29901] [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: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Aims To investigate the potential functions and mechanisms of tumourigenesis in carboxypeptidase E (CPE) and its prognostic value in gastric cancer, and to develop a predictive model for prognosis based on CPE. Results Transcriptome level variation and the prognostic value of CPE in different types of cancers were investigated using bioinformatics analyses. The association between CPE and clinicopathological characteristics was specifically explored in gastric cancer. Elevated CPE expression was associated with poor survival and recurrence prognosis and was found in cases with a later clinical stage of gastric cancer. The CPE was considered an independent prognostic factor, as assessed using Cox regression analysis. The prognostic value of CPE was further verified through immunohistochemistry and haematoxylin staining. Enrichment analysis provided a preliminary confirmation of the potential functions and mechanisms of CPE. Immune cell infiltration analysis revealed a significant correlation between CPE and macrophage infiltration. Eventually, a prognosis prediction nomogram model based on CPE was developed. Conclusion CPE was identified as an independent biomarker associated with poor prognosis in gastric cancer. This suggests that CPE overexpression promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition via the activation of the Erk/Wnt pathways, leading to proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Targeted therapeutic strategies for gastric cancer may benefit from these findings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiarui Lin
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Chengzhi Huang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Ganzhou Hospital (Ganzhou Municipal Hospital), Ganzhou, 341000, China
- School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Wenfei Diao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515000, China
| | - Haoming Liu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Hesong Lu
- Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, 510080, China
| | - Shengchao Huang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Junjiang Wang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Jiang Z, Han K, Min D, Kong W, Wang S, Gao M. Identification of the methotrexate resistance-related diagnostic markers in osteosarcoma via adaptive total variation netNMF and multi-omics datasets. Front Genet 2023; 14:1288073. [PMID: 37937197 PMCID: PMC10625916 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1288073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteosarcoma is one of the most common malignant bone tumors with high chemoresistance and poor prognosis, exhibiting abnormal gene regulation and epigenetic events. Methotrexate (MTX) is often used as a primary agent in neoadjuvant chemotherapy for osteosarcoma; However, the high dosage of methotrexate and strong drug resistance limit its therapeutic efficacy and application prospects. Studies have shown that abnormal expression and dysfunction of some coding or non-coding RNAs (e.g., DNA methylation and microRNA) affect key features of osteosarcoma progression, such as proliferation, migration, invasion, and drug resistance. Comprehensive multi-omics analysis is critical to understand its chemoresistant and pathogenic mechanisms. Currently, the network analysis-based non-negative matrix factorization (netNMF) method is widely used for multi-omics data fusion analysis. However, the effects of data noise and inflexible settings of regularization parameters affect its performance, while integrating and processing different types of genetic data is also a challenge. In this study, we introduced a novel adaptive total variation netNMF (ATV-netNMF) method to identify feature modules and characteristic genes by integrating methylation and gene expression data, which can adaptively choose an anisotropic smoothing scheme to denoise or preserve feature details based on the gradient information of the data by introducing an adaptive total variation constraint in netNMF. By comparing with other similar methods, the results showed that the proposed method could extract multi-omics fusion features more effectively. Furthermore, by combining the mRNA and miRNA data of methotrexate (MTX) resistance with the extracted feature genes, four genes, Carboxypeptidase E (CPE), LIM, SH3 protein 1 (LASP1), Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase 1 (PDK1) and Serine beta-lactamase-like protein (LACTB) were finally identified. The results showed that the gene signature could reliably predict the prognostic status and immune status of osteosarcoma patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhihan Jiang
- College of Information Engineering, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kun Han
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Daliu Min
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Kong
- College of Information Engineering, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shuaiqun Wang
- College of Information Engineering, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai, China
| | - Min Gao
- College of Information Engineering, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Chen D, Wan B, Cheng Y, Luo Y, Bai X, Guo J, Li G, Jin T, Nie J, Liu W, Wang R. Carboxypeptidase E is a prognostic biomarker co-expressed with osteoblastic genes in osteosarcoma. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15814. [PMID: 37663298 PMCID: PMC10474831 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15814] [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: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteosarcoma (OS) is a rare primary malignant bone tumor in adolescents and children with a poor prognosis. The identification of prognostic genes lags far behind advancements in treatment. In this study, we identified differential genes using mRNA microarray analysis of five paired OS tissues. Hub genes, gene set enrichment analysis, and pathway analysis were performed to gain insight into the pathway alterations of OS. Prognostic genes were screened using the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) dataset, then overlapped with the differential gene dataset. The carboxypeptidase E (CPE) gene, found to be an independent risk factor, was further validated using RT-PCR and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. Additionally, we explored the specific expression of CPE in OS tissues by reanalyzing single-cell genomics. Interestingly, CPE was found to be co-expressed with osteoblast lineage cell clusters that expressed RUNX2, SP7, SPP1, and IBSP marker genes in OS. These results suggest that CPE could serve as a prognostic factor in osteoblastic OS and should be further investigated as a potential therapeutic target.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dafu Chen
- Laboratory of Bone Tissue Engineering, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, National Center for Orthopaedics, Beijing Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ben Wan
- Laboratory of Bone Tissue Engineering, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, National Center for Orthopaedics, Beijing Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Yuning Cheng
- Laboratory of Bone Tissue Engineering, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, National Center for Orthopaedics, Beijing Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuwen Luo
- Laboratory of Bone Tissue Engineering, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, National Center for Orthopaedics, Beijing Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xueshan Bai
- Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery Department, Plastic Surgery Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jianxun Guo
- Laboratory of Bone Tissue Engineering, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, National Center for Orthopaedics, Beijing Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Guangping Li
- Laboratory of Bone Tissue Engineering, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, National Center for Orthopaedics, Beijing Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Jin
- Depatment of Orthopaedic Oncology Surgery, National Center for Orthopaedics, Beijing JiShuiTan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jingjun Nie
- Laboratory of Bone Tissue Engineering, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, National Center for Orthopaedics, Beijing Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Weifeng Liu
- Depatment of Orthopaedic Oncology Surgery, National Center for Orthopaedics, Beijing JiShuiTan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Renxian Wang
- Laboratory of Bone Tissue Engineering, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, National Center for Orthopaedics, Beijing Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- JST Sarcopenia Research Centre, National Center for Orthopaedics, Beijing Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Guo J, Tang H, Huang P, Guo J, Shi Y, Yuan C, Liang T, Tang K. Single-Cell Profiling of Tumor Microenvironment Heterogeneity in Osteosarcoma Identifies a Highly Invasive Subcluster for Predicting Prognosis. Front Oncol 2022; 12:732862. [PMID: 35463309 PMCID: PMC9020875 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.732862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumor in adolescents, and metastasis is the key reason for treatment failure and poor prognosis. Once metastasis occurs, the 5-year survival rate is only approximately 20%, and assessing and predicting the risk of osteosarcoma metastasis are still difficult tasks. In this study, cellular communication between tumor cells and nontumor cells was identified through comprehensive analysis of osteosarcoma single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and bulk RNA-seq data, illustrating the complex regulatory network in the osteosarcoma microenvironment. In line with the heterogeneity of osteosarcoma, we found subpopulations of osteosarcoma cells that highly expressed COL6A1, COL6A3 and MIF and were closely associated with lung metastasis. Then, BCDEG, a reliable risk regression model that could accurately assess the metastasis risk and prognosis of patients, was established, providing a new strategy for the diagnosis and treatment of osteosarcoma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Junfeng Guo
- Department of Orthopaedics/Sports Medicine Center, State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burn and Combined Injury, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hong Tang
- Department of Orthopaedics/Sports Medicine Center, State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burn and Combined Injury, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Pan Huang
- Department of Orthopaedics/Sports Medicine Center, State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burn and Combined Injury, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Junfeng Guo
- Department of Stomatology, The 970th Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force, Yantai, China
| | - Youxing Shi
- Department of Orthopaedics/Sports Medicine Center, State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burn and Combined Injury, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Chengsong Yuan
- Department of Orthopaedics/Sports Medicine Center, State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burn and Combined Injury, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Taotao Liang
- Department of Orthopaedics/Sports Medicine Center, State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burn and Combined Injury, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Kanglai Tang
- Department of Orthopaedics/Sports Medicine Center, State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burn and Combined Injury, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Exosomal Carboxypeptidase E (CPE) and CPE-shRNA-Loaded Exosomes Regulate Metastatic Phenotype of Tumor Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23063113. [PMID: 35328535 PMCID: PMC8953963 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Exosomes promote tumor growth and metastasis through intercellular communication, although the mechanism remains elusive. Carboxypeptidase E (CPE) supports the progression of different cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we investigated whether CPE is the bioactive cargo within exosomes, and whether it contributes to tumorigenesis, using HCC cell lines as a cancer model. Methods: Exosomes were isolated from supernatant media of cancer cells, or human sera. mRNA and protein expression were analyzed using PCR and Western blot. Low-metastatic HCC97L cells were incubated with exosomes derived from high-metastatic HCC97H cells. In other experiments, HCC97H cells were incubated with CPE-shRNA-loaded exosomes. Cell proliferation and invasion were assessed using MTT, colony formation, and matrigel invasion assays. Results: Exosomes released from cancer cells contain CPE mRNA and protein. CPE mRNA levels are enriched in exosomes secreted from high- versus low-metastastic cells, across various cancer types. In a pilot study, significantly higher CPE copy numbers were found in serum exosomes from cancer patients compared to healthy subjects. HCC97L cells, treated with exosomes derived from HCC97H cells, displayed enhanced proliferation and invasion; however, exosomes from HCC97H cells pre-treated with CPE-shRNA failed to promote proliferation. When HEK293T exosomes loaded with CPE-shRNA were incubated with HCC97H cells, the expression of CPE, Cyclin D1, a cell-cycle regulatory protein and c-myc, a proto-oncogene, were suppressed, resulting in the diminished proliferation of HCC97H cells. Conclusions: We identified CPE as an exosomal bioactive molecule driving the growth and invasion of low-metastatic HCC cells. CPE-shRNA loaded exosomes can inhibit malignant tumor cell proliferation via Cyclin D1 and c-MYC suppression. Thus, CPE is a key player in the exosome transmission of tumorigenesis, and the exosome-based delivery of CPE-shRNA offers a potential treatment for tumor progression. Notably, measuring CPE transcript levels in serum exosomes from cancer patients could have potential liquid biopsy applications.
Collapse
|
6
|
Zhang Y, Lei X, He R, Mao L, Jiang P, Ni C, Zhong X, Yin Z, Wu X, Li D, Zheng Q. Identification and preliminary validation of a four-gene signature to predict metastasis and survival in osteosarcoma. Am J Transl Res 2021; 13:12264-12284. [PMID: 34956452 PMCID: PMC8661158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Osteosarcoma is a primary malignant bone tumor that occurs frequently in children and adolescents and has a propensity for drug resistance, recurrence, and metastasis. The purpose of this study was to identify potential target genes to predict metastasis and survival in patients with osteosarcoma. We analyzed gene expression profiles and corresponding clinical data of patients with osteosarcoma in the Gene Expression Omnibus database and identified 202 genes that were differentially expressed between osteosarcoma cells and normal osteoblasts. Univariate and multivariable Cox regression analyses identified four risk genes that affected osteosarcoma prognosis: MCAM, ENPEP, LRRC1, and CPE. Independent prognostic analyses and clinical correlation studies showed that the four risk genes constituted an independent prognostic signature that correlated with survival and clinical parameters including age and distant metastasis. In a single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, risk scores based on the prognostic signature correlated with tumor infiltration by immune cells and immune functions in osteosarcoma. A subsequent analysis showed that the expression levels of the four genes in the prognostic signature were predictive of overall survival and metastasis-free survival of patients with osteosarcoma. Furthermore, Human Cancer Metastasis Database and qRT-PCR analyses demonstrated that the four risk genes are overexpressed in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines. In summary, we developed and validated a four-gene prognostic signature that may be useful in osteosarcoma diagnosis and metastasis prediction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yiming Zhang
- Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University Zhenjiang 212001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xuan Lei
- Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University Zhenjiang 212001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Rong He
- Cancer Institute, The Affiliated People's Hospital of Jiangsu University Zhenjiang 212000, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lianghao Mao
- Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University Zhenjiang 212001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Pan Jiang
- Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University Zhenjiang 212001, Jiangsu, China
- Guizhou Orthopedics Hospital Guiyang 550002, Guizhou, China
| | - Chenlie Ni
- Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University Zhenjiang 212001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xinyu Zhong
- Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University Zhenjiang 212001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhengyu Yin
- Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University Zhenjiang 212001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xuan Wu
- Department of Hematological Laboratory Science, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China
| | - Dapeng Li
- Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University Zhenjiang 212001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qiping Zheng
- Department of Hematological Laboratory Science, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China
- Shenzhen Academy of Peptide Targeting Technology at Pingshan, and Shenzhen Tyercan Bio-Pharm Co., Ltd. Shenzhen 518118, Guangdong, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Lou H, Loh YP. Silencing of Carboxypeptidase E expression inhibits proliferation and invasion of Panc-1 pancreatic cancer cells. F1000Res 2021; 10:489. [PMID: 35528956 PMCID: PMC9069412 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.53737.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading cause of cancer-related death globally. The molecular basis of this disease is complex and not fully understood. Previous studies have indicated that carboxypeptidase E (CPE) plays a role in promoting tumorigenesis in many cancer types. Here we have investigated the effect of carboxypeptidase E (CPE), including its isoform, in regulating the proliferation, migration and invasion of Panc-1 cells, a pancreatic cell line. Methods: Panc-1 cells were transfected with CPE siRNA which targets both CPE-wild type and its isoform, or scrambled siRNA, for 24 h and then assayed for proliferation by the MTT and colony formation assays, and migration and invasion by wound healing and matrigel assays, respectively. Results: CPE siRNA treatment of Panc-1 cells down-regulated the expression of CPE mRNA by 94.8%. Silencing of CPE mRNA expression resulted in a significant decrease in proliferation as revealed by the MTT assay and a 62.8% decrease in colony formation. Western blot analysis of expression of Cyclin D1 in Panc-1 cells treated with CPE siRNA showed a decrease of 32.5% compared to scr siRNA treated cells, indicating that CPE regulates proliferation through modulating this cell cycle protein. Additionally, suppression of CPE expression in Panc-1 cells significantly decreased migration and invasion. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that CPE may play an important role in regulating cell proliferation, migration and invasion to promote pancreatic cancer tumorigenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hong Lou
- Section Cellular Neurobiology, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Y Peng Loh
- Section Cellular Neurobiology, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Lou H, Loh YP. Silencing of Carboxypeptidase E expression inhibits proliferation and invasion of Panc-1 pancreatic cancer cells. F1000Res 2021; 10:489. [PMID: 35528956 PMCID: PMC9069412 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.53737.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading cause of cancer-related death globally. The molecular basis of this disease is complex and not fully understood. Previous studies have indicated that carboxypeptidase E (CPE) plays a role in promoting tumorigenesis in many cancer types. Here we have investigated the effect of carboxypeptidase E (CPE), including its isoform, in regulating the proliferation, migration and invasion of Panc-1 cells, a pancreatic cell line. Methods: Panc-1 cells were transfected with CPE siRNA which targets both CPE-wild type and its isoform, or scrambled siRNA, for 24 h and then assayed for proliferation by the MTT and colony formation assays, and migration and invasion by wound healing and matrigel assays, respectively. Results: CPE siRNA treatment of Panc-1 cells down-regulated the expression of CPE mRNA by 94.8%. Silencing of CPE mRNA expression resulted in a significant decrease in proliferation as revealed by the MTT assay and a 62.8% decrease in colony formation. Western blot analysis of expression of Cyclin D1 in Panc-1 cells treated with CPE siRNA showed a decrease of 32.5% compared to scr siRNA treated cells, indicating that CPE regulates proliferation through modulating this cell cycle protein. Additionally, suppression of CPE expression in Panc-1 cells significantly decreased migration and invasion. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that CPE may play an important role in regulating cell proliferation, migration and invasion to promote pancreatic cancer tumorigenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hong Lou
- Section Cellular Neurobiology, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Y Peng Loh
- Section Cellular Neurobiology, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Hareendran S, Yang X, Lou H, Xiao L, Loh YP. Carboxypeptidase E-∆N Promotes Proliferation and Invasion of Pancreatic Cancer Cells via Upregulation of CXCR2 Gene Expression. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E5725. [PMID: 31731578 PMCID: PMC6888591 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20225725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The molecular basis for the pathogenesis of this disease remains elusive. In this study, we have investigated the role of wild-type Carboxypeptidase E (CPE-WT) and a 40 kDa N-terminal truncated isoform, CPE-ΔN in promoting proliferation and invasion of Panc-1 cells, a pancreatic cancer cell line. Both CPE-WT and CPE-ΔN were expressed in Panc-1 and BXPC-3 pancreatic cancer cells. Immunocytochemical studies revealed that in CPE transfected Panc-1 cells, CPE-ΔN was found primarily in the nucleus, whereas CPE-WT was present exclusively in the cytoplasm as puncta, characteristic of secretory vesicles. Endogenous CPE-WT was secreted into the media. Overexpression of CPE-ΔN in Panc-1 cells resulted in enhancement of proliferation and invasion of these cells, as determined by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) cell proliferation assay and Matrigel invasion assay, respectively. In contrast, the expression of CPE-WT protein at comparable levels to CPE-ΔN in Panc-1 cells resulted in promotion of proliferation but not invasion. Importantly, there was an upregulation of the expression of CXCR2 mRNA and protein in Panc-1 cells overexpressing CPE-ΔN, and these cells exhibited significant increase in proliferation in a CXCR2-dependent manner. Thus, CPE-ΔN may play an important role in promoting pancreatic cancer growth and malignancy through upregulating the expression of the metastasis-related gene, CXCR2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Y. Peng Loh
- Section on Cellular Neurobiology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Fan S, Gao X, Chen P, Li X. Carboxypeptidase E-ΔN promotes migration, invasiveness, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition of human osteosarcoma cells via the Wnt–β-catenin pathway. Biochem Cell Biol 2019; 97:446-453. [PMID: 30508384 DOI: 10.1139/bcb-2018-0236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents, and metastatic OS is the major cause of OS-related death. Carboxypeptidase E (CPE) is known to be highly expressed in some cancer types, and its N-terminal truncated form, CPE-ΔN, is implicated in tumor metastasis and poor prognosis. In this study, we investigated the effect of CPE-ΔN on cell migration, invasiveness, and the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of OS cells, and illustrated the molecular mechanisms. We first constructed CPE-ΔN overexpressing human OS cell lines (143B and U2OS cells), and found that ectopic CPE-ΔN expression in OS cells enhanced cell migration and invasiveness, and promoted the EMT process. Further, overexpression of CPE-ΔN increased the levels of c-myc and nuclear β-catenin in OS cells, which suggested the CPE-ΔN promotes activation of the Wnt–β-catenin pathway in OS cells. Treatment with β-catenin small interfering RNA (siRNA) inhibited the migration and invasiveness of CPE-ΔN-overexpressing cells, and reduced the expression of E-cadherin. Together, these results suggest that CPE-ΔN promotes migration, invasiveness, and the EMT of OS cells via the Wnt–β-catenin signaling pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuli Fan
- Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, P. R. China
| | - Xiang Gao
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, P. R. China
| | - Peng Chen
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, P. R. China
| | - Xu Li
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Yang X, Lou H, Chen YT, Huang SF, Loh YP. A novel 40kDa N-terminal truncated carboxypeptidase E splice variant: cloning, cDNA sequence analysis and role in regulation of metastatic genes in human cancers. Genes Cancer 2019; 10:160-170. [PMID: 31798768 PMCID: PMC6872665 DOI: 10.18632/genesandcancer.193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Carboxypeptidase E (CPE), a prohormone processing enzyme, is a 476- amino acid protein with a signal peptide in its N-terminus and is expressed in the nervous and the endocrine systems. Recent evidence indicate CPE plays various non-enzymatic roles in the endocrine and nervous systems and in various cancers. Besides wild type (WT) CPE, a 40-kDa CPE protein that localizes in the nucleus and cytoplasm has been described in embryonic mouse brain. In this study we have cloned this CPE variant encoding the 40kDa CPE-ΔN protein from human cancer cells. RACE assay and sequence analysis confirmed existence of this CPE variant mRNA, which has 198 nucleotides removed within the first exon and 589 nucleotides from the 3’-UTR, respectively, compared to WT-CPE mRNA. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that this CPE variant mRNA has a shortened open reading frame, which starts coding from the 3rd ATG relative to WT-CPE mRNA and encodes a 40kDa N-terminus truncated CPE protein. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis showed that 40kDa CPE-ΔN is expressed in multiple cancer cell lines and tumor tissues. Overexpression of this 40kDa CPE-ΔN variant up-regulated expression of multiple metastatic genes encompassing different signaling pathways, suggesting potentially an important role of CPE-ΔN in tumor metastasis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuyu Yang
- Section on Cellular Neurobiology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Hong Lou
- Section on Cellular Neurobiology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ya-Ting Chen
- Institute of Molecular and Genomic Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Zhuna, Miaoli, Taiwan
| | - Shui-Feng Huang
- Institute of Molecular and Genomic Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Zhuna, Miaoli, Taiwan.,Department of Anatomical Pathology, Chung-Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Y Peng Loh
- Section on Cellular Neurobiology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Álvarez-Teijeiro S, García-Inclán C, Villaronga MÁ, Casado P, Hermida-Prado F, Granda-Díaz R, Rodrigo JP, Calvo F, Del-Río-Ibisate N, Gandarillas A, Morís F, Hermsen M, Cutillas P, García-Pedrero JM. Factors Secreted by Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts that Sustain Cancer Stem Properties in Head and Neck Squamous Carcinoma Cells as Potential Therapeutic Targets. Cancers (Basel) 2018; 10:cancers10090334. [PMID: 30227608 PMCID: PMC6162704 DOI: 10.3390/cancers10090334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Revised: 09/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
This study investigates for the first time the crosstalk between stromal fibroblasts and cancer stem cell (CSC) biology in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), with the ultimate goal of identifying effective therapeutic targets. The effects of conditioned media from cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and normal fibroblasts (NFs) on the CSC phenotype were assessed by combining functional and expression analyses in HNSCC-derived cell lines. Further characterization of CAFs and NFs secretomes by mass spectrometry was followed by pharmacologic target inhibition. We demonstrate that factors secreted by CAFs but not NFs, in the absence of serum/supplements, robustly increased anchorage-independent growth, tumorsphere formation, and CSC-marker expression. Modulators of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGFR), and platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) activity were identified as paracrine cytokines/factors differentially secreted between CAFs and NFs, in a mass spectrometry analysis. Furthermore, pharmacologic inhibition of EGFR, IGFR, and PDGFR significantly reduced CAF-induced tumorsphere formation and anchorage-independent growth suggesting a role of these receptor tyrosine kinases in sustaining the CSC phenotype. These findings provide novel insights into tumor stroma⁻CSC communication, and potential therapeutic targets to effectively block the CAF-enhanced CSC niche signaling circuit.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Saúl Álvarez-Teijeiro
- Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias; Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, University of Oviedo, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
- CIBERONC, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Cristina García-Inclán
- Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias; Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, University of Oviedo, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
| | - M Ángeles Villaronga
- Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias; Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, University of Oviedo, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
- CIBERONC, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Pedro Casado
- Cell Signalling & Proteomics Group, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK.
| | - Francisco Hermida-Prado
- Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias; Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, University of Oviedo, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
| | - Rocío Granda-Díaz
- Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias; Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, University of Oviedo, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
| | - Juan P Rodrigo
- Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias; Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, University of Oviedo, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
- CIBERONC, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Fernando Calvo
- Tumour Microenvironment Team, Division of Cancer Biology, Institute of Cancer Research, 237 Fulham Road, London SW3 6JB, UK.
| | - Nagore Del-Río-Ibisate
- Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias; Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, University of Oviedo, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
| | - Alberto Gandarillas
- Cell Cycle, Stem Cell Fate and Cancer Lab Instituto de Investigación Marqués de Valdecilla (IDIVAL), 39011 Santander, Spain.
| | - Francisco Morís
- EntreChem SL, Vivero Ciencias de la Salud, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
| | - Mario Hermsen
- Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias; Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, University of Oviedo, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
- CIBERONC, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Pedro Cutillas
- Cell Signalling & Proteomics Group, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK.
| | - Juana M García-Pedrero
- Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias; Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, University of Oviedo, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
- CIBERONC, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Xiao L, Yang X, Sharma VK, Loh YP. Cloning, gene regulation, and neuronal proliferation functions of novel N-terminal-truncated carboxypeptidase E/neurotrophic factor-αl variants in embryonic mouse brain. FASEB J 2018; 33:808-820. [PMID: 30063439 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201800359r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Carboxypeptidase E (CPE), an exopeptidase involved in proneuropeptide processing, is also a neurotrophic factor, named neurotrophic factor-α1 (NF-α1) and has important roles in neuroprotection, stem cell differentiation, and neurite outgrowth, independent of enzymatic activity. Additionally, an N-terminal-truncated CPE/NF-α1 variant, (CPE/NF-α1)-ΔN, proposed from bioinformatic analysis of GenBank (National Center for Biotechnology Information, Bethesda, MD, USA) DNA sequences and encoding a 40-kDa protein, has been found to be exclusively expressed in embryonic neurons. To investigate the function of (CPE/NF-α1)-ΔN in neurodevelopment, we first cloned (CPE/NF-α1)-ΔN transcripts from an embryonic mouse brain. A rapid amplification of cDNA ends assay, DNA sequencing, and Northern blot revealed 1.9- and 1.73-kb transcripts, which encoded 47- and 40-kDa (CPE/NF-α1)-ΔN proteins, respectively. Those proteins were expressed in embryonic mouse brain. Expression of the 2 (CPE/NF-α1)-ΔN mRNAs surged at embryonic d 10.5, correlating with the time of neurogenesis in the developing brain and also at postnatal d 1. HT22 cells, a mouse hippocampal cell line, transduced with 40 kDa (CPE/NF-α1)-ΔN up-regulated expression of genes involved in embryonic neurodevelopment: insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 ( IGFBP2), death-associated protein 1, and ephrin A1, which regulate proliferation, programmed cell death, and neuronal migration, respectively. HT22 cells and embryonic cortical neurons overexpressing 40 kDa (CPE/NF-α1)-ΔN exhibited enhanced proliferation, which was inhibited by IGFBP2 short interfering RNA treatment. Thus, 40 kDa (CPE/NF-α1)-ΔN has an important, enzymatically independent role in the regulation of genes critical for neurodevelopment.-Xiao, L., Yang, X., Sharma, V. K., Loh, Y. P. Cloning, gene regulation, and neuronal proliferation functions of novel N-terminal-truncated carboxypeptidase E/neurotrophic factor-αl variants in embryonic mouse brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lan Xiao
- Section on Cellular Neurobiology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Xuyu Yang
- Section on Cellular Neurobiology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Vinay Kumar Sharma
- Section on Cellular Neurobiology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Y Peng Loh
- Section on Cellular Neurobiology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Testero SA, Granados C, Fernández D, Gallego P, Covaleda G, Reverter D, Vendrell J, Avilés FX, Pallarès I, Mobashery S. Discovery of Mechanism-Based Inactivators for Human Pancreatic Carboxypeptidase A from a Focused Synthetic Library. ACS Med Chem Lett 2017; 8:1122-1127. [PMID: 29057062 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.7b00346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Metallocarboxypeptidases (MCPs) are involved in many biological processes such as fibrinolysis or inflammation, development, Alzheimer's disease, and various types of cancer. We describe the synthesis and kinetic characterization of a focused library of 22 thiirane- and oxirane-based potential mechanism-based inhibitors, which led to discovery of an inhibitor for the human pro-carboxypeptidase A1. Our structural analyses show that the thiirane-based small-molecule inhibitor penetrates the barrier of the pro-domain to bind within the active site. This binding leads to a chemical reaction that covalently modifies the catalytic Glu270. These results highlight the importance of combined structural, biophysical, and biochemical evaluation of inhibitors in design strategies for the development of spectroscopically nonsilent probes as effective beacons for in vitro, in cellulo, and/or in vivo localization in clinical and industrial applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián A. Testero
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Carla Granados
- Departament
de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Biociències,
and Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Daniel Fernández
- Departament
de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Biociències,
and Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Pablo Gallego
- Departament
de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Biociències,
and Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Giovanni Covaleda
- Departament
de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Biociències,
and Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - David Reverter
- Departament
de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Biociències,
and Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Josep Vendrell
- Departament
de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Biociències,
and Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Francesc X. Avilés
- Departament
de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Biociències,
and Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Irantzu Pallarès
- Departament
de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Biociències,
and Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Shahriar Mobashery
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| |
Collapse
|