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Ladd AD, Duarte S, Sahin I, Zarrinpar A. Mechanisms of drug resistance in HCC. Hepatology 2024; 79:926-940. [PMID: 36680397 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
HCC comprises ∼80% of primary liver cancer. HCC is the only major cancer for which death rates have not improved over the last 10 years. Most patients are diagnosed with advanced disease when surgical and locoregional treatments are not feasible or effective. Sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor targeting cell growth and angiogenesis, was approved for advanced unresectable HCC in 2007. Since then, other multikinase inhibitors have been approved. Lenvatinib was found to be noninferior to sorafenib as a first-line agent. Regorafenib, cabozantinib, and ramucirumab were shown to prolong survival as second-line agents. Advances in immunotherapy for HCC have also added hope for patients, but their efficacy remains limited. A large proportion of patients with advanced HCC gain no long-term benefit from systemic therapy due to primary and acquired drug resistance, which, combined with its rising incidence, keeps HCC a highly fatal disease. This review summarizes mechanisms of primary and acquired resistance to therapy and includes methods for bypassing resistance. It addresses recent advancements in immunotherapy, provides new perspectives on the linkage between drug resistance and molecular etiology of HCC, and evaluates the role of the microbiome in drug resistance. It also discusses alterations in signaling pathways, dysregulation of apoptosis, modulations in the tumor microenvironment, involvement of cancer stem cells, changes in drug metabolism/transport, tumor hypoxia, DNA repair, and the role of microRNAs in drug resistance. Understanding the interplay among these factors will provide guidance on the development of new therapeutic strategies capable of improving patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra D Ladd
- Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Sergio Duarte
- Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Ilyas Sahin
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Ali Zarrinpar
- Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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2
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Amin MN, El-Far YM, El-Mowafy M, Elgaml A. Tazemetostat decreases β-catenin and CD13 protein expression in HEPG-2 and Hepatitis B virus-transfected HEPG-2 with decreased cell viability. Clin Epigenetics 2023; 15:180. [PMID: 37941056 PMCID: PMC10634085 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-023-01593-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the global health concerns. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the major causes of HCC. Poor clinical outcome of HCC patients is attributed to a small population of cancer cells known as cancer stem cells (CSCs). In this work, we studied the effect of inhibiting the enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2), a histone methyltransferase known to be overexpressed in CSCs, using tazemetostat (Taz). The effect of Taz was assessed in the HCC cell line (HEPG2) and Hepatitis B virus-transfected HEPG2 (HBV/HEPG2) cells. MTT assay showed a significant decrease in HEPG2 cells viability after 48 h treatment with either 0.5, 1, 4 or 6 μM Taz. HEPG2 and HBV/HEPG2 cells were incubated with either 0.5 or 1 μM Taz for 48 h, and then, the cells and supernatants were collected for protein expression analysis of EZH2, CD13, epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) and β-catenin using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Taz showed a significant dose-dependent inhibition of EZH2, CD13 and β-catenin in HEPG2 and HBV/HEPG2 cells. Also, EpCAM protein levels were significantly decreased in HBV/HEPG2 but not in HEPG2 cell line alone. Our results indicate that Taz inhibition of EZH2 leads to downregulation of β-catenin signaling and eventually decreased expression of CD13 and EpCAM, which are characteristic for CSCs. The present study suggests that Taz could be a promising treatment for HCC including HBV-induced HCC that might be used in combination with radio/chemotherapy to target CSCs and prevent tumor relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed N Amin
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt
| | - Yousra M El-Far
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt
| | - Mohammed El-Mowafy
- Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt
| | - Abdelaziz Elgaml
- Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt.
- Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Horus University, New Damietta, 34518, Egypt.
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3
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Zhang X, Wu N, Huang H, Li S, Liu S, Zhang R, Huang Y, Lyu H, Xiao S, Ali DW, Michalak M, Chen XZ, Zhou C, Tang J. Phosphorylated PTTG1 switches its subcellular distribution and promotes β-catenin stabilization and subsequent transcription activity. Oncogene 2023; 42:2439-2455. [PMID: 37400529 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-023-02767-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
The Wnt/β-catenin signaling is usually abnormally activated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and pituitary tumor-transforming gene 1 (PTTG1) has been found to be highly expressed in HCC. However, the specific mechanism of PTTG1 pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Here, we found that PTTG1 is a bona fide β-catenin binding protein. PTTG1 positively regulates Wnt/β-catenin signaling by inhibiting the destruction complex assembly, promoting β-catenin stabilization and subsequent nuclear localization. Moreover, the subcellular distribution of PTTG1 was regulated by its phosphorylation status. Among them, PP2A induced PTTG1 dephosphorylation at Ser165/171 residues and prevented PTTG1 translocation into the nucleus, but these effects were effectively reversed by PP2A inhibitor okadaic acid (OA). Interestingly, we found that PTTG1 decreased Ser9 phosphorylation-inactivation of GSK3β by competitively binding to PP2A with GSK3β, indirectly leading to cytoplasmic β-catenin stabilization. Finally, PTTG1 was highly expressed in HCC and associated with poor patient prognosis. PTTG1 could promote the proliferative and metastasis of HCC cells. Overall, our results indicated that PTTG1 plays a crucial role in stabilizing β-catenin and facilitating its nuclear accumulation, leading to aberrant activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and providing a feasible therapeutic target for human HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuewen Zhang
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Nianping Wu
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Huili Huang
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shi Li
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shicheng Liu
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuan Huang
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Hao Lyu
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shuai Xiao
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Declan William Ali
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G2R3, Canada
| | - Marek Michalak
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G2R3, Canada
| | - Xing-Zhen Chen
- Membrane Protein Disease Research Group, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G2R3, Canada
| | - Cefan Zhou
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China.
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G2R3, Canada.
| | - Jingfeng Tang
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China.
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Zhu J, Wu Y, Lao S, Shen J, Yu Y, Fang C, Zhang N, Li Y, Zhang R. Targeting TRIM54/Axin1/β-Catenin Axis Prohibits Proliferation and Metastasis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Front Oncol 2021; 11:759842. [PMID: 34956880 PMCID: PMC8695909 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.759842] [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: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence demonstrates that dysregulation of ubiquitin-mediated degradation of oncogene or suppressors plays an important role in several diseases. However, the function and molecular mechanisms of ubiquitin ligases underlying hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain elusive. In the current study, we show that overexpression of TRIM54 was associated with HCC progression. TRIM54 overexpression facilitates proliferation and lung metastasis; however, inhibition of TRIM54 significantly suppressed HCC progression both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanically, we demonstrated that TRIM54 directly interacts with Axis inhibition proteins 1 (Axin1) and induces E3 ligase-dependent proteasomal turnover of Axin1 and substantially induces sustained activation of wnt/β-catenin in HCC cell lines. Furthermore, we showed that inhibition of the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway via small molecule inhibitors significantly suppressed TRIM54-induced proliferation. Our data suggest that TRIM54 might function as an oncogenic gene and targeting the TRIM54/Axin1/β-catenin axis signaling may be a promising prognostic factor and a valuable therapeutic target for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinrong Zhu
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drug Candidates, School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yongqi Wu
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drug Candidates, School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shaoxi Lao
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drug Candidates, School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jianfei Shen
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Linhai, China
| | - Yijian Yu
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Linhai, China
| | - Chunqiang Fang
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drug Candidates, School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Na Zhang
- Department of General Practice, Heyuan People's Hospital, Heyuan, Guangdong, China
| | - Yan Li
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drug Candidates, School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rongxin Zhang
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drug Candidates, School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
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Rahadiani N, Andhini Retnowulan I, Stephanie M, Rini Handjari D, Krisnuhoni E. β-Catenin Expression and Its Association with Prognostic Factors in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Study on Alpha-fetoprotein, Histologic Grade, and Microvascular Invasion. Open Access Maced J Med Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.3889/oamjms.2021.6123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common primary liver cancer. In addition to its high incidence, the disease burden is high due to its poor prognosis and high recurrence rate. Some of the currently known clinicopathologic prognostic factors include alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level, histologic grade, and microvascular invasion. At the molecular level, β-catenin is one of the most common driver mutation found in HCC. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway regulates cellular processes related to initiation, growth, survival, migration, differentiation, and apoptosis. Although the underlying pathogenesis of hepatocarcinogenesis is known, clinical application warrants a greater understanding of the molecular characteristics and tumor phenotype, especially for determining the prognosis. This study aims to analyze the expression of β-catenin and its association with AFP, histologic grade, and microvascular invasion. Materials and methods. Thirty-five samples of surgically resected HCCs at Cipto Mangunkusumo National Referral Hospital were examined. Diagnoses were made based on histopathological and immunohistochemical findings followed by β-catenin staining. β-catenin expression was analyzed to determine difference between variables. Results and conclusions. Here we show that β-catenin expression is significantly associated with low serum alpha-fetoprotein and well to moderate differentiation Implications. Strong nuclear β-catenin expression implies better prognosis in HCC.
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Expression and function of Smad7 in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. J Mol Med (Berl) 2021; 99:1209-1220. [PMID: 34059951 PMCID: PMC8367892 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-021-02083-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) plays a critical role in the pathological processes of various diseases. However, the signaling mechanism of TGF-β in the pathological response remains largely unclear. In this review, we discuss advances in research of Smad7, a member of the I-Smads family and a negative regulator of TGF-β signaling, and mainly review the expression and its function in diseases. Smad7 inhibits the activation of the NF-κB and TGF-β signaling pathways and plays a pivotal role in the prevention and treatment of various diseases. Specifically, Smad7 can not only attenuate growth inhibition, fibrosis, apoptosis, inflammation, and inflammatory T cell differentiation, but also promotes epithelial cells migration or disease development. In this review, we aim to summarize the various biological functions of Smad7 in autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, cancers, and kidney diseases, focusing on the molecular mechanisms of the transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of Smad7.
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7
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Nia A, Dhanasekaran R. Genomic Landscape of HCC. CURRENT HEPATOLOGY REPORTS 2020; 19:448-461. [PMID: 33816052 PMCID: PMC8015384 DOI: 10.1007/s11901-020-00553-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer related mortality in the world and it has limited treatment options. Understanding the molecular drivers of HCC is important to develop novel biomarkers and therapeutics. PURPOSE OF REVIEW HCC arises in a complex background of chronic hepatitis, fibrosis and liver regeneration which lead to genomic changes. Here, we summarize studies that have expanded our understanding of the molecular landscape of HCC. RECENT FINDINGS Recent technological advances in next generation sequencing (NGS) have elucidated specific genetic and molecular programs involved in hepatocarcinogenesis. We summarize the major somatic mutations and epigenetic changes have been identified in NGS-based studies. We also describe promising molecular therapies and immunotherapies which target specific genetic and epigenetic molecular events. SUMMARY The genomic landscape of HCC is incredibly complex and heterogeneous. Promising new developments are helping us decipher the molecular drivers of HCC and leading to new therapies.
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Hong J, Chen XZ, Peng YG, Zhang WK, Tang HB, Li YS. Nanoparticle-Encapsulated Liushenwan Could Treat Nanodiethylnitrosamine-Induced Liver Cancer in Mice by Interfering With Multiple Critical Factors for the Tumor Microenvironment. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:1052. [PMID: 32754037 PMCID: PMC7365909 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.01052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously isolated an ethanol fraction of LSW (Liushenwan pill, a traditional Chinese medicine) which has been shown to prevent and treat liver cancer induced by nanodiethylnitrosamine (nanoDEN) in mice. In the present study, we utilized a high-pressure microfluidics technique to generate LSW lipid nanoparticles (nano-LSW) to reduce its toxicity, and enhance its inhibitory effect on tumor growth, and further evaluate its therapeutic effect using a nanoDEN-induced mouse model of liver cancer. Our in vitro results indicated that nano-LSW-low could induce apoptosis in HepG2 cells, but exhibited low toxicity in L02 cells. Furthermore, the in vivo results indicated that nano-LSW-low exerted minimal or no damage to normal hepatocytes, kidney, and small intestine tissues. In addition, our results showed that at the 20th week, the inflammatory infiltration in the mice in the model group increased severely, and partial pimelosis and fibrosis occurred. In contrast, the liver tissues in the mice treated with nano-LSW exhibited only slight inflammatory infiltration, without pimelosis and fibrosis. At the 30th week, 4 out of 5 liver tissues in the model group showed hyperplastic nodules by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. However, the liver tissues in the nano-LSW treatment group did not showed hyperplastic nodules. Immunohistochemical staining showed that, in contrast to the model group, the levels of COX-2, PCNA, β-catenin, and HMGB1 protein expressions were significantly lower in the nano-LSW-low group at the 20th and 30th week. Compared to model group, the COX-2, TNF-α, Smad-2, and TGF-β1 mRNA levels obviously decreased in the liver tissue after the nano-LSW-low treatment. Taken together, nano-LSW-low may serve as a potent therapeutic agent for preventing liver cancer by interfering with multiple critical factors for the tumor microenvironment during oncogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Hong
- Laboratory of Hepatopharmacology and Ethnopharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China
| | - Xi-Zhen Chen
- Laboratory of Hepatopharmacology and Ethnopharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China
| | - You-Gong Peng
- Department of General Surgery, The Second People's Hospital of Jingmen, Jingmen, China
| | - Wei Kevin Zhang
- Laboratory of Hepatopharmacology and Ethnopharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China
| | - He-Bin Tang
- Laboratory of Hepatopharmacology and Ethnopharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China
| | - Yu-Sang Li
- Laboratory of Hepatopharmacology and Ethnopharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China
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Next-Generation Sequencing-Based Quantitative Detection of Hepatitis B Virus Pre-S Mutants in Plasma Predicts Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence. Viruses 2020; 12:v12080796. [PMID: 32722114 PMCID: PMC7472021 DOI: 10.3390/v12080796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the most common and lethal human cancers worldwide. Despite curative resection, high recurrence of HCC remains a big threat, leading to poor patient outcomes. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) pre-S mutants, which harbor deletions over pre-S1 and pre-S2 gene segments of large surface proteins, have been implicated in HCC recurrence. Therefore, a reliable approach for detection of pre-S mutants is urgently needed for predicting HCC recurrence to improve patient survival. In this study, we used a next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based platform for quantitative detection of pre-S mutants in the plasma of HBV-related HCC patients and evaluated their prognostic values in HCC recurrence. We demonstrated that the presence of deletions spanning the pre-S2 gene segment and the high percentage of pre-S2 plus pre-S1 + pre-S2 deletions, either alone or in combination, was significantly and independently associated with poor recurrence-free survival and had greater prognostic performance than other clinicopathological and viral factors in predicting HCC recurrence. Our data suggest that the NGS-based quantitative detection of pre-S mutants in plasma represents a promising approach for identifying patients at high risk for HBV-related HCC recurrence after surgical resection in a noninvasive manner.
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Marin JJ, Macias RI, Monte MJ, Romero MR, Asensio M, Sanchez-Martin A, Cives-Losada C, Temprano AG, Espinosa-Escudero R, Reviejo M, Bohorquez LH, Briz O. Molecular Bases of Drug Resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12061663. [PMID: 32585893 PMCID: PMC7352164 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12061663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The poor outcome of patients with non-surgically removable advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most frequent type of primary liver cancer, is mainly due to the high refractoriness of this aggressive tumor to classical chemotherapy. Novel pharmacological approaches based on the use of inhibitors of tyrosine kinases (TKIs), mainly sorafenib and regorafenib, have provided only a modest prolongation of the overall survival in these HCC patients. The present review is an update of the available information regarding our understanding of the molecular bases of mechanisms of chemoresistance (MOC) with a significant impact on the response of HCC to existing pharmacological tools, which include classical chemotherapeutic agents, TKIs and novel immune-sensitizing strategies. Many of the more than one hundred genes involved in seven MOC have been identified as potential biomarkers to predict the failure of treatment, as well as druggable targets to develop novel strategies aimed at increasing the sensitivity of HCC to pharmacological treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose J.G. Marin
- Experimental Hepatology and Drug Targeting (HEVEFARM) Group, University of Salamanca, IBSAL, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.I.R.M.); (M.J.M.); (M.R.R.); (M.A.); (A.S.-M.); (C.C.-L.); (A.G.T.); (R.E.-E.); (M.R.); (L.H.B.)
- Center for the Study of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases (CIBERehd), Carlos III National Institute of Health, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence: (J.J.G.M.); (O.B.); Tel.: +34-663182872 (J.J.G.M.); +34-923294674 (O.B.)
| | - Rocio I.R. Macias
- Experimental Hepatology and Drug Targeting (HEVEFARM) Group, University of Salamanca, IBSAL, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.I.R.M.); (M.J.M.); (M.R.R.); (M.A.); (A.S.-M.); (C.C.-L.); (A.G.T.); (R.E.-E.); (M.R.); (L.H.B.)
- Center for the Study of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases (CIBERehd), Carlos III National Institute of Health, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria J. Monte
- Experimental Hepatology and Drug Targeting (HEVEFARM) Group, University of Salamanca, IBSAL, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.I.R.M.); (M.J.M.); (M.R.R.); (M.A.); (A.S.-M.); (C.C.-L.); (A.G.T.); (R.E.-E.); (M.R.); (L.H.B.)
- Center for the Study of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases (CIBERehd), Carlos III National Institute of Health, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta R. Romero
- Experimental Hepatology and Drug Targeting (HEVEFARM) Group, University of Salamanca, IBSAL, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.I.R.M.); (M.J.M.); (M.R.R.); (M.A.); (A.S.-M.); (C.C.-L.); (A.G.T.); (R.E.-E.); (M.R.); (L.H.B.)
- Center for the Study of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases (CIBERehd), Carlos III National Institute of Health, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Maitane Asensio
- Experimental Hepatology and Drug Targeting (HEVEFARM) Group, University of Salamanca, IBSAL, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.I.R.M.); (M.J.M.); (M.R.R.); (M.A.); (A.S.-M.); (C.C.-L.); (A.G.T.); (R.E.-E.); (M.R.); (L.H.B.)
| | - Anabel Sanchez-Martin
- Experimental Hepatology and Drug Targeting (HEVEFARM) Group, University of Salamanca, IBSAL, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.I.R.M.); (M.J.M.); (M.R.R.); (M.A.); (A.S.-M.); (C.C.-L.); (A.G.T.); (R.E.-E.); (M.R.); (L.H.B.)
| | - Candela Cives-Losada
- Experimental Hepatology and Drug Targeting (HEVEFARM) Group, University of Salamanca, IBSAL, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.I.R.M.); (M.J.M.); (M.R.R.); (M.A.); (A.S.-M.); (C.C.-L.); (A.G.T.); (R.E.-E.); (M.R.); (L.H.B.)
| | - Alvaro G. Temprano
- Experimental Hepatology and Drug Targeting (HEVEFARM) Group, University of Salamanca, IBSAL, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.I.R.M.); (M.J.M.); (M.R.R.); (M.A.); (A.S.-M.); (C.C.-L.); (A.G.T.); (R.E.-E.); (M.R.); (L.H.B.)
| | - Ricardo Espinosa-Escudero
- Experimental Hepatology and Drug Targeting (HEVEFARM) Group, University of Salamanca, IBSAL, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.I.R.M.); (M.J.M.); (M.R.R.); (M.A.); (A.S.-M.); (C.C.-L.); (A.G.T.); (R.E.-E.); (M.R.); (L.H.B.)
| | - Maria Reviejo
- Experimental Hepatology and Drug Targeting (HEVEFARM) Group, University of Salamanca, IBSAL, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.I.R.M.); (M.J.M.); (M.R.R.); (M.A.); (A.S.-M.); (C.C.-L.); (A.G.T.); (R.E.-E.); (M.R.); (L.H.B.)
| | - Laura H. Bohorquez
- Experimental Hepatology and Drug Targeting (HEVEFARM) Group, University of Salamanca, IBSAL, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.I.R.M.); (M.J.M.); (M.R.R.); (M.A.); (A.S.-M.); (C.C.-L.); (A.G.T.); (R.E.-E.); (M.R.); (L.H.B.)
| | - Oscar Briz
- Experimental Hepatology and Drug Targeting (HEVEFARM) Group, University of Salamanca, IBSAL, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.I.R.M.); (M.J.M.); (M.R.R.); (M.A.); (A.S.-M.); (C.C.-L.); (A.G.T.); (R.E.-E.); (M.R.); (L.H.B.)
- Center for the Study of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases (CIBERehd), Carlos III National Institute of Health, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence: (J.J.G.M.); (O.B.); Tel.: +34-663182872 (J.J.G.M.); +34-923294674 (O.B.)
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11
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Chao J, Zhao S, Sun H. Dedifferentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic implications. Am J Transl Res 2020; 12:2099-2109. [PMID: 32509204 PMCID: PMC7269980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer with high morbidity and mortality. Poorer differentiation status indicates worse prognosis of HCC patients. Regain of better differentiation status may improve the prognosis. Differentiation therapy for HCC is based on the fact that agents may reverse the dedifferentiation process from hepatocytes to HCC cells and thus improve tumor differentiation status. Reversal of progenitor-like property and restoration of hepatic characteristics are main objectives of HCC differentiation therapy. Comprehending the mechanisms of HCC dedifferentiation provides ideas for drug design. Diverse dysregulated molecules and signalings cooperatively cause HCC dedifferentiation. Dysregulation of liver enriched transcription factors, especially hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α, was a critical determinant of HCC dedifferentiation. Aberrant pivotal signaling molecules such as transforming factor-β, β-catenin and Yes-associated protein caused disordered signalings, which promoted HCC dedifferentiation. Loss of epithelial morphology during epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) concurred with HCC dedifferentiation. Some EMT-related molecules exerted double-sided role in concurrently inducing EMT and HCC dedifferentiation. Besides, microRNAs (e.g. miR-122 and miR-148a) as well as some impressive proteins (i.e. KLF4, gankyrin and CHD1L) functioned in manipulating HCC differentiation status. Restoring normal expression levels of these molecules could induce HCC differentiation and inhibited malignant tumor behaviors. Based on the knowledge above, some agents have been found effective in lab, but need more data to support their reliability. Additionally, peretinoin as a potential drug is in progress of several phase III clinical trials. It's promising that differentiation therapy for HCC may be a part of options in future HCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiashuo Chao
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of MedicineShanghai 200080, China
| | - Senlin Zhao
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer CenterShanghai 200032, China
| | - Hongcheng Sun
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of MedicineShanghai 200080, China
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12
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Resaz R, Rosa F, Grillo F, Basso L, Segalerba D, Puglisi A, Bosco MC, Mastracci L, Neumaier CE, Varesio L, Eva A. Characterization of high- and low-risk hepatocellular adenomas by magnetic resonance imaging in an animal model of glycogen storage disease type 1A. Dis Model Mech 2019; 12:dmm.038026. [PMID: 30898969 PMCID: PMC6505483 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.038026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 03/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular adenomas (HCAs) are benign tumors, of which the most serious complications are hemorrhage and malignant transformation to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Among the various subtypes of HCA, the β-catenin-activated subtype (bHCA) is associated with greatest risk of malignant transformation. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important tool to differentiate benign and malignant hepatic lesions, and preclinical experimental approaches may help to develop a method to identify MRI features associated with bHCA. HCAs are associated with various pathologies, including glycogen storage disease 1a (GSD1a). Here, we utilized a mouse model for GSD1a that develops HCA and HCC, and analyzed the mice in order to distinguish low-risk from high-risk tumors. Animals were scanned by MRI using a hepato-specific contrast agent. The mice were sacrificed after MRI and their lesions were classified using immunohistochemistry. We observed that 45% of the animals developed focal lesions, and MRI identified four different patterns after contrast administration: isointense, hyperintense and hypointense lesions, and lesions with peripheral contrast enhancement. After contrast administration, only bHCA and HCC were hypointense in T1-weighted imaging and mildly hyperintense in T2-weighted imaging. Thus, high-risk adenomas display MRI features clearly distinguishable from those exhibited by low-risk adenomas, indicating that MRI is a reliable method for early diagnosis and classification of HCA, necessary for correct patient management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Resaz
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy
| | - Francesca Rosa
- Department of Science of Health (DISSAL), University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy.,Department of Radiology, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - Federica Grillo
- Pathology Unit, Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics (DISC), University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy.,Anatomic Pathology, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - Luca Basso
- Department of Science of Health (DISSAL), University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy.,Department of Radiology, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - Daniela Segalerba
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy
| | - Andrea Puglisi
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy
| | - Maria Carla Bosco
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy
| | - Luca Mastracci
- Pathology Unit, Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics (DISC), University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy.,Anatomic Pathology, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - Carlo E Neumaier
- Department of Radiology, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - Luigi Varesio
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy
| | - Alessandra Eva
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy
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13
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Zhang G, Ge M, Han Z, Wang S, Yin J, Peng L, Xu F, Zhang Q, Dai Z, Xie L, Li Y, Si J, Ma K. Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway contributes to isoflurane postconditioning against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury and is possibly related to the transforming growth factorβ1/Smad3 signaling pathway. Biomed Pharmacother 2019; 110:420-430. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.11.143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Revised: 11/24/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
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14
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Wingless modulates activator protein-1-mediated tumor invasion. Oncogene 2019; 38:3871-3885. [PMID: 30683884 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-018-0629-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Revised: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Metastasis begins with a subset of local tumor cells acquiring the potential to invade into surrounding tissues, and remains to be a major obstacle for cancer treatments. More than 90% of cancer patients died from tumor metastasis, instead of primary tumor growth. The canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays essential roles in promoting tumor formation, yet its function in regulating tumor metastasis and the underlying mechanisms remain controversial. Here we employed well-established Drosophila tumor models to investigate the regulating mechanism of Wingless (Wg) pathway in tumor invasion. Our results showed that Wg signaling is necessary and sufficient for cell polarity disruption-induced cell migration and molecular changes reminiscent of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Moreover, reducing Wg signaling suppressed lgl-/-/RasV12-induced tumor invasion, and cooperation between Arm and RasV12 is sufficient to induce tumor invasion. Mechanistically, we found that cell polarity disruption activates JNK signaling, which in turn upregulate wg expression through transcription factor activator protein-1 (AP-1). We identified a consensus AP-1 binding site located in the 2nd intron of wg, and confirmed that it is essential for AP-1 induced wg transcription both in vitro and in vivo. Lastly, we confirmed that the transcriptional activation of WNT by AP-1 is conserved in human cancer cells. These evidences reveal a positive role of Wnt/β-catenin pathway in tumor invasion, and provide a conserved mechanism that connects JNK and Wnt signaling in regulating tumor progression.
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15
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TREM2 acts as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting the PI3K/Akt/β-catenin pathway. Oncogenesis 2019; 8:9. [PMID: 30683932 PMCID: PMC6350080 DOI: 10.1038/s41389-018-0115-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is involved in nonmalignant pathological processes. However, TREM2’s function in malignant diseases, especially in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. In the present study, we report that TREM2 is a novel tumor suppressor in HCC. TREM2 expression was obviously decreased in hepatoma cells (especially metastatic HCC cells), and in most human HCC tissues (especially extrahepatic metastatic tumors). Reduced tumor TREM2 expression was correlated with poor prognosis of HCC patients, and with aggressive pathological features (BCLC stage, tumor size, tumor encapsulation, vascular invasion, and tumor differentiation). TREM2 knockdown substantially promoted cell growth, migration, and invasion in vitro and in vivo, while TREM2 overexpression produced the opposite effect. TREM2 suppressed HCC metastasis by inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition, accompanied by abnormal expression of epithelial and mesenchymal markers. Further study revealed that downregulation of TREM2 in HCC was regulated by miR-31-5p. Moreover, by directly interacting with β-catenin, TREM2 attenuated oncogenic and metastatic behaviors by inhibiting Akt and GSK3β phosphorylation, and activating β-catenin. TREM2 suppressed carcinogenesis and metastasis in HCC by targeting the PI3K/Akt/β-catenin pathway. Thus, we propose that TREM2 may be a candidate prognostic biomarker in malignant diseases and TREM2 restoration might be a prospective strategy for HCC therapy.
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16
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Wang N, Wang S, Li MY, Hu BG, Liu LP, Yang SL, Yang S, Gong Z, Lai PBS, Chen GG. Cancer stem cells in hepatocellular carcinoma: an overview and promising therapeutic strategies. Ther Adv Med Oncol 2018; 10:1758835918816287. [PMID: 30622654 PMCID: PMC6304707 DOI: 10.1177/1758835918816287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The poor clinical outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients is ascribed to the resistance of HCC cells to traditional treatments and tumor recurrence after curative therapies. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified as a small subset of cancer cells which have high capacity for self-renewal, differentiation and tumorigenesis. Recent advances in the field of liver CSCs (LCSCs) have enabled the identification of CSC surface markers and the isolation of CSC subpopulations from HCC cells. Given their central role in cancer initiation, metastasis, recurrence and therapeutic resistance, LCSCs constitute a therapeutic opportunity to achieve cure and prevent relapse of HCC. Thus, it is necessary to develop therapeutic strategies to selectively and efficiently target LCSCs. Small molecular inhibitors targeting the core stemness signaling pathways have been actively pursued and evaluated in preclinical and clinical studies. Other alternative therapeutic strategies include targeting LCSC surface markers, interrupting the CSC microenvironment, and altering the epigenetic state. In this review, we summarize the properties of CSCs in HCC and discuss novel therapeutic strategies that can be used to target LCSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuozhou Wang
- Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of
Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR,
China
| | - Shanshan Wang
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck
Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of
Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ming-Yue Li
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong,
China
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese
University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Bao-guang Hu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The
Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, Shandong,
China
| | - Li-ping Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas
Surgery, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University (Shenzhen
People’s Hospital), Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Sheng-li Yang
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical
College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shucai Yang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Pingshan
District People’s Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province,
China
| | - Zhongqin Gong
- Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of
Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR,
China
| | - Paul B. S. Lai
- Department of Surgery, The Chinese University
of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong
SAR, China
| | - George G. Chen
- Department of Surgery, The Chinese University
of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong
SAR, China
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese
University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
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17
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Abstract
β-Catenin is essential for embryonic development and required for cell renewal/regeneration in adult life. Cellular β-catenin exists in three different pools: membranous, cytoplasmic and nuclear. In this review, we focus on functions of the nuclear pool in relation to tumorigenesis. In the nucleus, beta-catenin functions as both activator and repressor of transcription in a context-dependent manner. It promotes cell proliferation and supports tumour growth by enhancing angiogenesis. β-Catenin-mediated signalling regulates cancer cell metabolism and is associated with tumour-initiating cells in multiple malignancies. In addition, it functions as both pro- and anti-apoptotic factor besides acting to inhibit recruitment of inflammatory anti-tumour T-cells. Thus, β-catenin appears to possess a multifaceted nuclear function that may significantly impact tumour initiation and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raju Kumar
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad, India
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18
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Ruibin J, Guoping C, Zhiguo Z, Maowei N, Danying W, Jianguo F, Linhui G. Establishment and Characterization of a Highly Metastatic Ovarian Cancer Cell Line. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2018; 2018:3972534. [PMID: 30046596 PMCID: PMC6036838 DOI: 10.1155/2018/3972534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Ovarian cancer leads the worst prognosis among all types of gynecologic malignancies, and patients are often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Ovarian cancer also has a high rate of metastasis; however, the detailed mechanisms for ovarian cancer prone to metastasis remain unclear. In this study, we used continuous in vitro screening of the human ovarian cancer A2780 cell line to establish a cell line (A2780-M) which shows high invasiveness and motility. Compared to the parental cells, A2780-M cells express elevated protein levels of CD44, CD133, CD34, and β-catenin. A2780-M cells are also more resistant to chemotherapeutic agents SN-38 and Docetaxel. Thus, the A2780-M cell line is a new ovarian metastatic cancer cell line that expresses tumor stem cell surface markers and adhesion-related membrane proteins and is with higher motility and invasiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiang Ruibin
- Cancer Research Institute, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
| | - Cheng Guoping
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment Technology on Thoracic Oncology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
| | - Zheng Zhiguo
- Cancer Research Institute, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
| | - Ni Maowei
- Cancer Research Institute, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment Technology on Thoracic Oncology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
| | - Wan Danying
- Cancer Research Institute, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
| | - Feng Jianguo
- Cancer Research Institute, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment Technology on Thoracic Oncology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
| | - Gu Linhui
- Cancer Research Institute, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment Technology on Thoracic Oncology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
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19
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β2 spectrin-mediated differentiation repressed the properties of liver cancer stem cells through β-catenin. Cell Death Dis 2018; 9:424. [PMID: 29555987 PMCID: PMC5859291 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-018-0456-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2017] [Revised: 01/01/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
βII-Spectrin (β2SP), a Smad3/4 adaptor protein during transforming growth factor (TGF) β/Smad signal pathway, plays a critical role in suppressing hepatocarcinogenesis. Dedifferentiation is a distinctive feature of cancer progression. Therefore, we investigated whether the disruption of β2SP contributed to tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through the dedifferentiation. Down-regulation of β2SP in hepatocytes was observed in cirrhotic liver and HCC. The level of β2SP expression was closely associated with the differentiation status of hepatocytes in rat model of hepatocarcinogenesis and clinical specimens. Transgenic expression of β2SP in HCC cells promoted the differentiation of HCC cells and suppressed the growth of HCC cells in vitro. Efficient transduction of β2SP into liver CSCs resulted in a reduction in colony formation ability, spheroid formation capacity, invasive activity, chemo-resistance properties, tumorigenicity in vivo. In addition, β2 spectrin exerted its effect through β catenin in liver CSCs. In conclusion, β2 spectrin repressed the properties of liver CSCs through inducing differentiation; thus, strategies to restore its levels and activities would be a novel strategy for HCC prevention and differentiation therapy
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20
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Gong XY, Ma N, Xu HX, Chen F, Huang XH, Wang Q. Prognostic significance of c-Met, β-catenin and FAK in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma following surgery. Oncol Lett 2018; 15:3796-3805. [PMID: 29467897 PMCID: PMC5796308 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2018.7733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2015] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of specific molecular markers in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who had received surgery. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to measure the expression of hepatocyte growth factor receptor (c-Met), β-catenin and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in patients with HCC. c-Met expression was identified to be high in patients with larger tumors, higher α-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, higher Edmondson grades, portal vein invasion and higher tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stages. FAK expression was high in patients with portal vein invasion, higher Edmondson grades and higher TNM stages. β-catenin expression was high in patients with larger tumors, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, portal vein invasion, higher Edmondson grades and higher TNM stages. Following multivariate analysis, FAK (P=0.002) and β-catenin (P=0.006) expression levels were demonstrated to be significantly associated with Edmondson grade. Additionally, the tumor size (P=0.009) and HBV infection status (P=0.002) were revealed to be associated with β-catenin expression. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis demonstrated that patients with HCC with higher FAK expression, higher β-catenin expression, portal vein invasion, higher Edmondson grades, higher TNM stages, younger ages and higher AFP levels had significantly poorer prognoses. Cox's regression analysis revealed that the survival period was correlated with the Edmondson grade, age, AFP level, and FAK and β-catenin expression. Univariate analysis of c-Met, β-catenin and FAK identified a significant correlation between FAK and β-catenin (P=0.015). Correlation analysis revealed no significant correlation between the three molecular markers, but β-catenin and c-Met were markedly correlated (P=0.052). No significant correlation between FAK, c-Met or β-catenin expression was identified. FAK and β-catenin expression demonstrated a correlation with a range of clinicopathological factors, and high FAK and β-catenin expression levels were identified to be correlated with a poor survival rate of patients with HCC. Thus, patients with higher FAK and β-catenin expression may require more aggressive therapy. The results of the present study suggest that FAK and β-catenin expression possess more prognostic value than c-Met expression in patients with HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Yi Gong
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, P.R. China
| | - Ning Ma
- Department of General Surgical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, P.R. China
| | - Hong-Xu Xu
- Laboratory of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, P.R. China
| | - Fan Chen
- Department of General Surgical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, P.R. China
| | - Xiao-Hui Huang
- Department of General Surgical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, P.R. China
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, P.R. China
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21
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Lemberger UJ, Fuchs CD, Karer M, Haas S, Stojakovic T, Schöfer C, Marschall HU, Wrba F, Taketo MM, Egger G, Trauner M, Österreicher CH. Hepatocyte specific expression of an oncogenic variant of β-catenin results in cholestatic liver disease. Oncotarget 2018; 7:86985-86998. [PMID: 27895309 PMCID: PMC5349966 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.13521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays a crucial role in embryonic development, tissue homeostasis, wound healing and malignant transformation in different organs including the liver. The consequences of continuous β-catenin signaling in hepatocytes remain elusive. RESULTS Livers of Ctnnb1CA hep mice were characterized by disturbed liver architecture, proliferating cholangiocytes and biliary type of fibrosis. Serum ALT and bile acid levels were significantly increased in Ctnnb1CA hep mice. The primary bile acid synthesis enzyme Cyp7a1 was increased whereas Cyp27 and Cyp8b1 were reduced in Ctnnb1CA hep mice. Expression of compensatory bile acid transporters including Abcb1, Abcb4, Abcc2 and Abcc4 were significantly increased in Ctnnb1CA hep mice while Ntcp was reduced. Accompanying changes of bile acid transporters favoring excretion of bile acids were observed in intestine and kidneys of Ctnnb1CA hep mice. Additionally, disturbed bile acid regulation through the FXR-FGF15-FGFR4 pathway was observed in mice with activated β-catenin. MATERIALS AND METHODS Mice with a loxP-flanked exon 3 of the Ctnnb1 gene were crossed to Albumin-Cre mice to obtain mice with hepatocyte-specific expression of a dominant stable form of β-catenin (Ctnnb1CA hep mice). Ctnnb1CA hep mice were analyzed by histology, serum biochemistry and mRNA profiling. CONCLUSIONS Expression of a dominant stable form of β-catenin in hepatocytes results in severe cholestasis and biliary type fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ursula J Lemberger
- Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Clinical Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Hans Popper Laboratory for Molecular Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Claudia D Fuchs
- Hans Popper Laboratory for Molecular Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthias Karer
- Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefanie Haas
- Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tatjana Stojakovic
- Clinical Institute of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Christian Schöfer
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hanns-Ulrich Marschall
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Fritz Wrba
- Clinical Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Makoto M Taketo
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Gerda Egger
- Clinical Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Trauner
- Hans Popper Laboratory for Molecular Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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22
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ROCK inhibition with Fasudil induces beta-catenin nuclear translocation and inhibits cell migration of MDA-MB 231 human breast cancer cells. Sci Rep 2017; 7:13723. [PMID: 29057980 PMCID: PMC5651822 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-14216-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor aggressiveness is usually associated with metastasis. MDA-MB 231, a triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), is an aggressive type of breast cancer and associated with early metastasis. The Rho/ROCK pathway is a key regulator of cell motility involving cytoskeleton regulation through stabilization of actin filaments and stress fiber formation. In this study we show that Fasudil, a ROCK inhibitor, inhibited the migration of MDA-MB 231 and A549 cells, without altering the viability of these cells at the concentration of 10 μM, modified tumor cell morphology, with disorganization of stress fibers and promotes activation of the canonical-Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Therefore, Fasudil present a promising approach to the prevention of breast cancer metastasis through a different mechanism of action from the well-known one.
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23
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Cai X, Feng L, Liu H, Xu M, Qu Y, Wan X, Gao C, Lu L. Cytokeratin19 positive hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with increased peritumoral ductular reaction. Ann Hepatol 2017; 15:386-93. [PMID: 27049492 DOI: 10.5604/16652681.1198813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Cytokeratin19 positive (CK19+) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is thought to derive from liver progenitor cells (LPC). However, whether peritumoralductular reaction (DR) differs between CK19+ and CK19 negative (CK19-) HCC patients remains unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS One hundred and twenty HBV-related HCC patients were enrolled in this study. Clinicopathological variables were collected, and immunohistochemistry staining for CK19, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and β-catenin were performed in tumor and peritumor liver tissues. RESULTS CK19+ HCC patients had higher grade of peritumoral DR and proportion of proliferative DR than the CK19- group. The mean number or the proportion of cytoplasmic β-catenin+ DR was higher in the CK19+ group than in the CK19- group. Furthermore, there were more patients with nuclear β-catenin+ peritumoral DR in the CK19+ group as compared to the CK19- group. CONCLUSION Peritumoral DR was more abundant and proliferative in CK19+ HCC patients, with higher level of nuclear translocation of β-catenin. However, it is unclear whether peritumoral DR is the cause or result of poor prognosis in these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobo Cai
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Li Feng
- Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Heng Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Mingyi Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yin Qu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinjian Wan
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Chunfang Gao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lungen Lu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Serini S, Zinzi A, Ottes Vasconcelos R, Fasano E, Riillo MG, Celleno L, Trombino S, Cassano R, Calviello G. Role of β-catenin signaling in the anti-invasive effect of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA in human melanoma cells. J Dermatol Sci 2016; 84:149-159. [PMID: 27600927 DOI: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2016.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Revised: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We previously found that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid present at high level in fatty fish, inhibited cell growth and induced differentiation of melanoma cells in vitro by increasing nuclear β-catenin content. An anti-neoplastic role of nuclear β-catenin was suggested in melanoma, and related to the presence in the melanocyte lineage of the microphtalmia transcription factor (MITF), which interferes with the transcription of β-catenin/TCF/LEF pro-invasive target genes. OBJECTIVE In the present work we investigated if DHA could inhibit the invasive potential of melanoma cells, and if this effect could be related to DHA-induced alterations of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling, including changes in MITF expression. METHODS WM115 and WM266-4 human melanoma, and B16-F10 murine melanoma cell lines were used. Cell invasion was evaluated by Wound Healing and Matrigel transwell assays. Protein expression was analyzed by Western Blotting and β-catenin phosphorylation by immunoprecipitation. The role of MITF in the anti-invasive effect of DHA was analyzed by siRNA gene silencing. RESULTS We found that DHA inhibited anchorage-independent cell growth, reduced their migration/invasion in vitro and down-regulated several Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMP: MMP-2, MT1-MMP and MMP-13), known to be involved in melanoma invasion. We related these effects to the β-catenin increased nuclear expression and PKA-dependent phosphorylation, as well as to the increased expression of MITF. CONCLUSION The data obtained further support the potential role of dietary DHA as suppressor of melanoma progression to invasive malignancy through its ability to enhance MITF expression and PKA-dependent nuclear β-catenin phosphorylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Serini
- Institute of General Pathology, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Zinzi
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, Università della Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Renata Ottes Vasconcelos
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande-FURG, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
| | - Elena Fasano
- Institute of General Pathology, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Greca Riillo
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, Università della Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Leonardo Celleno
- Institute of Dermatology, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, Rome, Italy; Research Center for Biotechnology Applied to Cosmetology, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Sonia Trombino
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, Università della Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Roberta Cassano
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, Università della Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Gabriella Calviello
- Institute of General Pathology, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, Rome, Italy; Research Center for Biotechnology Applied to Cosmetology, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, Rome, Italy.
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25
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Chen J, Rajasekaran M, Xia H, Zhang X, Kong SN, Sekar K, Seshachalam VP, Deivasigamani A, Goh BKP, Ooi LL, Hong W, Hui KM. The microtubule-associated protein PRC1 promotes early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma in association with the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway. Gut 2016; 65:1522-34. [PMID: 26941395 PMCID: PMC5036256 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2015-310625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 159] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Accepted: 02/12/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Alterations in microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) have been observed in HCC. However, the mechanisms underlying these alterations remain poorly understood. Our aim was to study the roles of the MAP protein regulator of cytokinesis 1 (PRC1) in hepatocarcinogenesis and early HCC recurrence. DESIGN PRC1 expression in HCC samples was evaluated by microarray, immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry analysis. Molecular and cellular techniques including siRNA-mediated and lentiviral vector-mediated knockdown were used to elucidate the functions and mechanisms of PRC1. RESULTS PRC1 expression was associated with early HCC recurrence and poor patient outcome. In HCC, PRC1 exerted an oncogenic effect by promoting cancer proliferation, stemness, metastasis and tumourigenesis. We further demonstrated that the expression and distribution of PRC1 is dynamically regulated by Wnt3a signalling. PRC1 knockdown impaired transcription factor (TCF) transcriptional activity, decreased Wnt target expression and reduced nuclear β-catenin levels. Mechanistically, PRC1 interacts with the β-catenin destruction complex, regulates Wnt3a-induced membrane sequestration of this destruction complex, inhibits adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) stability and promotes β-catenin release from the APC complex. In vivo, high PRC1 expression correlated with nuclear β-catenin and Wnt target expression. PRC1 acted as a master regulator of a set of 48 previously identified Wnt-regulated recurrence-associated genes (WRRAGs) in HCC. Thus, PRC1 controlled the expression and function of WRRAGs such as FANCI, SPC25, KIF11 and KIF23 via Wnt signalling. CONCLUSIONS We identified PRC1 as a novel Wnt target that functions in a positive feedback loop that reinforces Wnt signalling to promote early HCC recurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianxiang Chen
- Laboratory of Cancer Genomics, Division of Cellular and Molecular Research, Humphrey Oei Institute of Cancer Research, National Cancer Centre, Singapore, Singapore,Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Biopolis Drive Proteos, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Muthukumar Rajasekaran
- Laboratory of Cancer Genomics, Division of Cellular and Molecular Research, Humphrey Oei Institute of Cancer Research, National Cancer Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Hongping Xia
- Laboratory of Cancer Genomics, Division of Cellular and Molecular Research, Humphrey Oei Institute of Cancer Research, National Cancer Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xiaoqian Zhang
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Biopolis Drive Proteos, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shik Nie Kong
- Laboratory of Cancer Genomics, Division of Cellular and Molecular Research, Humphrey Oei Institute of Cancer Research, National Cancer Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Karthik Sekar
- Laboratory of Cancer Genomics, Division of Cellular and Molecular Research, Humphrey Oei Institute of Cancer Research, National Cancer Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Veerabrahma Pratap Seshachalam
- Laboratory of Cancer Genomics, Division of Cellular and Molecular Research, Humphrey Oei Institute of Cancer Research, National Cancer Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Amudha Deivasigamani
- Laboratory of Cancer Genomics, Division of Cellular and Molecular Research, Humphrey Oei Institute of Cancer Research, National Cancer Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Brian Kim Poh Goh
- Division of Surgery, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - London Lucien Ooi
- Division of Surgery, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Wanjin Hong
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Biopolis Drive Proteos, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kam M Hui
- Laboratory of Cancer Genomics, Division of Cellular and Molecular Research, Humphrey Oei Institute of Cancer Research, National Cancer Centre, Singapore, Singapore,Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Biopolis Drive Proteos, Singapore, Singapore,Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, Singapore, Singapore,Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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26
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Ge F, Zhang H, Wang DD, Li L, Lin PP. Enhanced detection and comprehensive in situ phenotypic characterization of circulating and disseminated heteroploid epithelial and glioma tumor cells. Oncotarget 2016; 6:27049-64. [PMID: 26267323 PMCID: PMC4694973 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.4819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 07/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Conventional strategy of anti-EpCAM capture and immunostaining of cytokeratins (CKs) to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is limited by highly heterogeneous and dynamic expression or absence of EpCAM and/or CKs in CTCs. In this study, a novel integrated cellular and molecular approach of subtraction enrichment (SE) and immunostaining-FISH (iFISH) was successfully developed. Both large or small size CTCs and circulating tumor microemboli (CTM) in various biofluid samples including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of cancer patients and patient-derived-xenograft (PDX) mouse models were efficiently enriched and comprehensively identified and characterized by SE-iFISH. Non-hematopoietic CTCs with heteroploid chromosome 8 were detected in 87–92% of lung, esophageal and gastric cancer patients. Characterization of CTCs performed by CK18-iFISH showed that CK18, the dual epithelial marker and tumor biomarker, was strong positive in only 14% of lung and 24% of esophageal CTCs, respectively. Unlike conventional methodologies restricted only to the large and/or both EpCAM and CK positive CTCs, SE-iFISH enables efficient enrichment and performing in situ phenotypic and karyotypic identification and characterization of the highly heterogeneous CTC subtypes classified by both chromosome ploidy and the expression of various tumor biomarkers. Each CTC subtype may possess distinct clinical significance relative to tumor metastasis, relapse, therapeutic drug sensitivity or resistance, etc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Ge
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Capital Medical University School of Oncology and Chaoyang Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Haishi Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Linda Li
- Cytelligen, San Diego, California, USA
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27
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Jiang N, Chen WJ, Zhang JW, Xu C, Zeng XC, Zhang T, Li Y, Wang GY. Downregulation of miR-432 activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling and promotes human hepatocellular carcinoma proliferation. Oncotarget 2016; 6:7866-79. [PMID: 25797263 PMCID: PMC4480722 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.3492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2014] [Accepted: 02/03/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Sustained cell growth and proliferation, one of the hallmarks of cancer, is considered to responsible for cancer-related deaths by disorganizing the balance of growth promotion and growth limitation. Aberrant activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway leads to cell proliferation, growth and survival, and promotes the development of various human tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma. Elucidating the molecular mechanism of this abnormality in hepatocellular carcinoma carcinogenesis may improve diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for this malignancy. Herein, we report that the expression of miR-432 was markedly downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines and tissues, and upregulation of miR-432 inhibited, whereas downregulation of miR-432 enhanced the proliferation and tumorigenicity of hepatocellular carcinoma cells both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, miR-432 directly targeted and suppressed multiple regulators of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascade, including LRP6, TRIM29 and Pygo2, which subsequently deactivated Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Finally, miR-432 expression was inversely correlated with three targets in clinical hepatocellular carcinoma samples. These results demonstrated that miR-432 functions as a tumor-suppressive miRNA by suppressing Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation and may represent a therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Jiang
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Wen-Jie Chen
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jian-Wen Zhang
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Chi Xu
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xian-Cheng Zeng
- Department of General Surgery and Clinical Laboratory, Zengcheng People's Hospital, (BoJi-Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University), Zengcheng, Guangdong, China
| | - Tong Zhang
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yang Li
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Guo-Ying Wang
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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28
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Liu H, Mastriani E, Yan ZQ, Yin SY, Zeng Z, Wang H, Li QH, Liu HY, Wang X, Bao HX, Zhou YJ, Kou JJ, Li D, Li T, Liu J, Liu Y, Yin L, Qiu L, Gong L, Liu SL. SOX7 co-regulates Wnt/β-catenin signaling with Axin-2: both expressed at low levels in breast cancer. Sci Rep 2016; 6:26136. [PMID: 27188720 PMCID: PMC4870566 DOI: 10.1038/srep26136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2015] [Accepted: 04/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
SOX7 as a tumor suppressor belongs to the SOX F gene subfamily and is associated with a variety of human cancers, including breast cancer, but the mechanisms involved are largely unclear. In the current study, we investigated the interactions between SOX7 and AXIN2 in their co-regulation on the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway, using clinical specimens and microarray gene expression data from the GEO database, for their roles in breast cancer. We compared the expression levels of SOX7 and other co-expressed genes in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and found that the expression of SOX7, SOX17 and SOX18 was all reduced significantly in the breast cancer tissues compared to normal controls. AXIN2 had the highest co-relativity with SOX7 in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Clinicopathological analysis demonstrated that the down-regulated SOX7 was significantly correlated with advanced stages and poorly differentiated breast cancers. Consistent with bioinformatics predictions, SOX7 was correlated positively with AXIN2 and negatively with β-catenin, suggesting that SOX7 and AXIN2 might play important roles as co-regulators through the Wnt-β-catenin pathway in the breast tissue to affect the carcinogenesis process. Our results also showed Smad7 as the target of SOX7 and AXIN2 in controlling breast cancer progression through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huidi Liu
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.,Collage of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.,HMU-UCFM Centre for Infection and Genomics, Harbin, 150081, China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Emilio Mastriani
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Zi-Qiao Yan
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Si-Yuan Yin
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Zheng Zeng
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Hong Wang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150086, China
| | - Qing-Hai Li
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Hong-Yu Liu
- Pathology Department, The First Hospital of Qiqihaer City, Qiqihaer, 161006, China
| | - Xiaoyu Wang
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Hong-Xia Bao
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Yu-Jie Zhou
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Jun-Jie Kou
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.,Collage of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Dongsheng Li
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.,Collage of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Ting Li
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.,Collage of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Jianrui Liu
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Yongfang Liu
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.,Collage of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Lin Yin
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.,Collage of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Li Qiu
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.,Collage of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Liling Gong
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.,Collage of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Shu-Lin Liu
- Genomics Research Centre, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.,HMU-UCFM Centre for Infection and Genomics, Harbin, 150081, China.,Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, T2N 4N1, Canada
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29
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TALENs-directed knockout of the full-length transcription factor Nrf1α that represses malignant behaviour of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells. Sci Rep 2016; 6:23775. [PMID: 27065079 PMCID: PMC4827396 DOI: 10.1038/srep23775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The full-length Nrf1α is processed into distinct isoforms, which together regulate genes essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis and organ integrity, and liver-specific loss of Nrf1 in mice results in spontaneous hepatoma. Herein, we report that the human constitutive Nrf1α, rather than smaller Nrf1β/γ, expression is attenuated or abolished in the case of low-differentiated high-metastatic hepatocellular carcinomas. Therefore, Nrf1α is of importance in the physio-pathological origin and development, but its specific pathobiological function(s) remains elusive. To address this, TALENs-directed knockout of Nrf1α, but not Nrf1β/γ, is created in the human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells. The resulting Nrf1α−/− cells are elongated, with slender spindle-shapes and enlarged gaps between cells observed under scanning electron microscope. When compared with wild-type controls, the invasive and migratory abilities of Nrf1α−/− cells are increased significantly, along with the cell-cycle G2-M arrest and S-phase reduction, as accompanied by suppressed apoptosis. Despite a modest increase in the soft-agar colony formation of Nrf1α−/− cells, its loss-of-function markedly promotes malgrowth of the subcutaneous carcinoma xenograft in nude mice with hepatic metastasis. Together with molecular expression results, we thus suppose requirement of Nrf1α (and major derivates) for gene regulatory mechanisms repressing cancer cell process (e.g. EMT) and malignant behaviour (e.g. migration).
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30
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Wu J, Lu M, Li Y, Shang YK, Wang SJ, Meng Y, Wang Z, Li ZS, Chen H, Chen ZN, Bian H. Regulation of a TGF-β1-CD147 self-sustaining network in the differentiation plasticity of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Oncogene 2016; 35:5468-5479. [PMID: 27041581 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2016.89] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Revised: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Cellular plasticity has an important role in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, the involvement of a TGF-β1-CD147 self-sustaining network in the regulation of the dedifferentiation progress was fully explored in HCC cell lines, hepatocyte-specific basigin/CD147-knockout mice and human HCC tissues. We demonstrated that TGF-β1 stimulation upregulated CD147 expression and mediated the dedifferentiation of HCC cells, whereas all-trans-retinoic acid induced the downregulation of CD147 and promoted differentiation in HCC cells. Overexpression of CD147 induced the dedifferentiation and enhanced the malignancy of HCC cells, and increased the transcriptional expression of TGF-β1 by activating β-catenin. CD147-induced matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) production activated pro-TGF-β1. The activated TGF-β1 signaling subsequently repressed the HNF4α expression via Smad-Snail1 signaling and enhanced the dedifferentiation progress. Hepatocyte-specific basigin/CD147-knockout mice decreased the susceptibility to N-nitrosodiethylamine-induced tumorigenesis by suppressing TGF-β1-CD147 signaling and inhibiting dedifferentiation in hepatocytes during tumor progression. CD147 was positively correlated with TGF-β1 and negatively correlated with HNF4α in human HCC tissues. Positive CD147 staining and lower HNF4α levels in tumor tissues were significantly associated with poor survival of patients with HCC. The overexpression of HNF4α and Smad7 and the deletion of CD147 by lentiviral vectors jointly reprogrammed the expression profile of hepatocyte markers and attenuated malignant properties including proliferation, cell survival and tumor growth of HCC cells. Our results highlight the important role of the TGF-β1-CD147 self-sustaining network in driving HCC development by regulating differentiation plasticity, which provides a strong basis for further investigations of the differentiation therapy of HCC targeting TGF-β1 and CD147.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Wu
- Department of Cell Biology, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Cell Engineering Research Center, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - M Lu
- Department of Cell Biology, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Cell Engineering Research Center, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Y Li
- Department of Oncology, PLA 323 Hospital, Xi'an, China
| | - Y-K Shang
- Department of Cell Biology, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Cell Engineering Research Center, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - S-J Wang
- Department of Cell Biology, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Cell Engineering Research Center, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Y Meng
- Department of Cell Biology, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Cell Engineering Research Center, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Z Wang
- Department of Pathology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Z-S Li
- Department of Pathology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - H Chen
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research, Peking University Cancer Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Z-N Chen
- Department of Cell Biology, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Cell Engineering Research Center, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - H Bian
- Department of Cell Biology, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Cell Engineering Research Center, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
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31
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Lin PP. Integrated EpCAM-independent subtraction enrichment and iFISH strategies to detect and classify disseminated and circulating tumors cells. Clin Transl Med 2015; 4:38. [PMID: 26718583 PMCID: PMC4696935 DOI: 10.1186/s40169-015-0081-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Application of tumor cell surface adhesion molecule Anti-epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-dependent antibody capture, and intracellular cytokeratins (CKs)-dependent immunostaining strategies to detect disseminated or circulating tumor cells (DTCs or CTCs), is limited by highly heterogeneous and dynamic expression or absence of EpCAM and/or CKs in CTCs and DTCs, particularly in their capturing and identifying CTCs/DTCs shed from diverse types of solid tumor, thus being biased and restricted to the only both EpCAM and CK positive cancer cells. Moreover, heterogeneity of chromosome and tumor biomarker of CTCs/DTCs cannot be co-examined by conventional CK/EpCAM-dependent techniques. Accordingly, a novel integrated cellular and molecular approach of EpCAM-independent subtraction enrichment (SE) and immunostaining-FISH (iFISH(®)) has recently been successfully developed. SE-iFISH(®) is able to effectively enrich, comprehensively identify and characterize both large and small size non-hematopoietic heteroploid CTCs, DTCs and circulating tumor microemboli in various biofluid specimens of either cancer patients or patient-derived-xenograft mice. Obtained tumor cells, free of anti-EpCAM perturbing and hypotonic damage, are eligible for primary tumor cell culture as well as a series of downstream analyses. Highly heterogeneous CTCs and DTCs could be classified into subtypes by in situ phenotyping protein expression of various tumor biomarkers and karyotyping of chromosome aneuploidy performed by iFISH(®). Each CTC subtype may correlate with distinct clinical significance in terms of tumor metastasis, relapse, therapeutic drug sensitivity or resistance, respectively.
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32
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Zhu X, Wang W, Zhang X, Bai J, Chen G, Li L, Li M. All-Trans Retinoic Acid-Induced Deficiency of the Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway Enhances Hepatic Carcinoma Stem Cell Differentiation. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0143255. [PMID: 26571119 PMCID: PMC4646487 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2015] [Accepted: 11/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Retinoic acid (RA) is an important biological signal that directly differentiates cells during embryonic development and tumorigenesis. However, the molecular mechanism of RA-mediated differentiation in hepatic cancer stem cells (hCSCs) is not well understood. In this study, we found that mRNA expressions of RA-biosynthesis-related dehydrogenases were highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) differentiated hCSCs through inhibiting the function of β-catenin in vitro. ATRA also inhibited the function of PI3K-AKT and enhanced GSK-3β-dependent degradation of phosphorylated β-catenin. Furthermore, ATRA and β-catenin silencing both increased hCSC sensitivity to docetaxel treatment. Our results suggest that targeting β-catenin will provide extra benefits for ATRA-mediated treatment of hepatic cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinfeng Zhu
- Affiliated Calmette Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650011, P. R. China
| | - Wenxue Wang
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650091, P. R. China
| | - Xia Zhang
- Affiliated Calmette Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650011, P. R. China
| | - Jianhua Bai
- Affiliated Calmette Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650011, P. R. China
| | - Gang Chen
- Affiliated Calmette Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650011, P. R. China
| | - Li Li
- Affiliated Calmette Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650011, P. R. China
| | - Meizhang Li
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650091, P. R. China
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33
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Wittmann P, Grubinger M, Gröger C, Huber H, Sieghart W, Peck-Radosavljevic M, Mikulits W. Neuropilin-2 induced by transforming growth factor-β augments migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. BMC Cancer 2015; 15:909. [PMID: 26573807 PMCID: PMC4647494 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-015-1919-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of liver cancer and the third most lethal cancer worldwide. The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) describes the transformation of well-differentiated epithelial cells to a de-differentiated phenotype and plays a central role in the invasion and intrahepatic metastasis of HCC cells. Modulation of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling is known to induce various tumor-promoting and EMT-inducing pathways in HCC. The meta-analysis of a panel of EMT gene expression studies revealed that neuropilin 2 (NRP2) is significantly upregulated in cells that have undergone EMT induced by TGF-β. In this study we assessed the functional role of NRP2 in epithelial and mesenchymal-like HCC cells and focused on the molecular interplay between NRP2 and TGF-β/Smad signaling. METHODS NRP2 expression was analyzed in human HCC cell lines and tissue arrays comprising 133 HCC samples. Cell migration was examined by wound healing and Transwell assays in the presence and absence of siRNA against NRP2. NRP2 and TGF-β signaling were analyzed by Western blotting and confocal immunofluorescence microscopy. RESULTS We show that NRP2 is particularly expressed in HCC cell lines with a dedifferentiated, mesenchymal-like phenotype. NRP2 expression is upregulated by the canonical TGF-β/Smad signaling while NRP2 expression has no impact on TGF-β signaling in HCC cells. Reduced expression of NRP2 by knock-down or inhibition of TGF-β signaling resulted in diminished cell migration independently of each other, suggesting that NRP2 fails to collaborate with TGF-β signaling in cell movement. In accordance with these data, elevated levels of NRP2 correlated with a higher tumor grade and less differentiation in a large collection of human HCC specimens. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that NRP2 associates with a less differentiated, mesenchymal-like HCC phenotype and that NRP2 plays an important role in tumor cell migration upon TGF-β-dependent HCC progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Wittmann
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Markus Grubinger
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Christian Gröger
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Heidemarie Huber
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Wolfgang Sieghart
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Markus Peck-Radosavljevic
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Wolfgang Mikulits
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Cai X, Li F, Zhang Q, Xu M, Qu Y, Wan X, Gao C, Lu L. Peritumoral ductular reaction is related to nuclear translocation of β-catenin in hepatocellular carcinoma. Biomed Pharmacother 2015; 76:11-6. [PMID: 26653544 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2015.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2015] [Accepted: 10/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased peritumoral ductular reaction (DR) is related to poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but the mechanism is unclear. Nuclear translocation of β-catenin is correlated with HCC metastasis and recurrence. Thus, we aim to explore whether there is a relationship between peritumoral DR and tumoral nuclear translocation of β-catenin in HCC. Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC patients (n=120) were enrolled into this study from January 2003 to December 2007. Clinicopathological variables were collected and immunohistochemistry staining for cytokeratin 19 (CK19), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), β-catenin, phosphorylated-Smad2 (PSmad2) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were performed in tumor and/or peritumor liver tissues. Peritumoral DR is significantly correlated with local inflammation (P<0.001), fibrosis (P<0.001), tumor size (P=0.006) and CK19 expression in the tumor (P=0.005). More patients with peritumoral DR had nuclear accumulation of β-catenin than patients with mild peritumoral DR (37.50% vs. 14. 58%, P=0.011). HCCs in the obvious DR group had stronger expression of PSmad2 than that in the mild DR group, and patients with nuclear translocation of β-catenin also had higher PSmad2 expression. In conclusion, increased peritumoral DR is related to tumoral nuclear translocation of β-catenin in HCC and enhanced action of TGF-β1 signaling may be involved in this relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobo Cai
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 200080 Shanghai, China
| | - Feng Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, 200032 Shanghai, China
| | - QingQing Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 200080 Shanghai, China
| | - Mingyi Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 200080 Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Qu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 200080 Shanghai, China
| | - Xinjian Wan
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 200080 Shanghai, China
| | - Chunfang Gao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 200438 Shanghai, China.
| | - Lungen Lu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 200080 Shanghai, China.
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Chua HH, Tsuei DJ, Lee PH, Jeng YM, Lu J, Wu JF, Su DS, Chen YH, Chien CS, Kao PC, Lee CN, Hu RH, Ni YH, Chang MH. RBMY, a novel inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase 3β, increases tumor stemness and predicts poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatology 2015; 62:1480-96. [PMID: 26185016 DOI: 10.1002/hep.27996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2015] [Accepted: 07/15/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Male predominance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurs particularly among young children aged 6-9 years, indicative of a possible role of the Y chromosome-encoded oncogene in addition to an androgenic effect. The discovery of oncogenic activation of RBMY (RNA-binding motif on Y chromosome), which is absent in normal hepatocytes but present in male HCC tissues, sheds light on this issue. Herein, we report on a critical hepatocarcinogenic role of RBMY and its ontogenic origin. During liver development, the Ser/Thr phosphorylated RBMY is expressed in the cytoplasm of human and rodent fetal livers. It is then silenced in mature hepatocytes and restricted to scarce expression in the bile ductular cells. Upon hepatocarcinogenesis, a noteworthy increase of cytoplasmic and nuclear RBMY is observed in HCC tissues; however, only the former is expressed dominantly in hepatic cancer stem cells and correlates significantly to a poor prognosis and decreased survival rate in HCC patients. Cytoplasmic expression of RBMY, which is mediated by binding to nuclear exporter chromosome region maintenance 1 and further enriched upon Wnt-3a stimulation, confers upon tumor cells the traits of cancer stem cell by augmenting self-renewal, chemoresistance, cell-cycle progression, proliferation, and xenograft tumor growth. This is achieved mechanistically through increasing Ser9 phosphorylation-inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β by RBMY, thereby impeding the glycogen synthase kinase 3β-dependent degradation of β-catenin and eventually inducing the nuclear entry of β-catenin for the transcription of downstream oncogenes. CONCLUSION RBMY is a novel oncofetal protein that plays a key role in attenuating glycogen synthase kinase 3β activity, leading to aberrant activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, which facilitates malignant hepatic stemness; because of its absence from normal human tissues except the testis, RBMY represents a feasible therapeutic target for the selective eradication of HCC cells in male patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Yung-Ming Jeng
- Department of Pathology, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jean Lu
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | | | - Ya-Hui Chen
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chin-Sung Chien
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Chi Kao
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | | | - Yen-Hsuan Ni
- Department of Pediatrics.,Department of Medical Genetics
| | - Mei-Hwei Chang
- Department of Pediatrics.,Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Hepatitis Research Center, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Irvine KM, Clouston AD, Gadd VL, Miller GC, Wong WY, Melino M, Maradana MR, MacDonald K, Lang RA, Sweet MJ, Blumenthal A, Powell EE. Deletion of Wntless in myeloid cells exacerbates liver fibrosis and the ductular reaction in chronic liver injury. FIBROGENESIS & TISSUE REPAIR 2015; 8:19. [PMID: 26473015 PMCID: PMC4606475 DOI: 10.1186/s13069-015-0036-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 09/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Background Macrophages play critical roles in liver regeneration, fibrosis development and resolution. They are among the first responders to liver injury and are implicated in orchestrating the fibrogenic response via multiple mechanisms. Macrophages are also intimately associated with the activated hepatic progenitor cell (HPC) niche or ductular reaction that develops in parallel with fibrosis. Among the many macrophage-derived mediators implicated in liver disease progression, a key role for macrophage-derived Wnt proteins in driving pro-regenerative HPC activation towards a hepatocellular fate has been suggested. Wnt proteins, in general, however, have been associated with both pro- and anti-fibrogenic activities in the liver and other organs. We investigated the role of macrophage-derived Wnt proteins in fibrogenesis and HPC activation in murine models of chronic liver disease by conditionally deleting Wntless expression, which encodes a chaperone essential for Wnt protein secretion, in LysM-Cre-expressing myeloid cells (LysM-Wls mice). Results Fibrosis and HPC activation were exacerbated in LysM-Wls mice compared to littermate controls, in the absence of an apparent increase in myofibroblast activation or interstitial collagen mRNA expression, in both the TAA and CDE models of chronic liver disease. Increased Epcam mRNA levels paralleled the increased HPC activation and more mature ductular reactions, in LysM-Wls mice. Increased Epcam expression in LysM-Wls HPC was also observed, consistent with a more cholangiocytic phenotype. No differences in the mRNA expression levels of key pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic cytokines or the macrophage-derived HPC mitogen, Tweak, were observed. LysM-Wls mice exhibited increased expression of Timp1, encoding the key Mmp inhibitor Timp1 that blocks interstitial collagen degradation, and, in the TAA model, reduced expression of the anti-fibrotic matrix metalloproteinases, Mmp12 and Mmp13, suggesting a role for macrophage-derived Wnt proteins in restraining fibrogenesis during ongoing liver injury. Conclusion In summary, these data suggest that macrophage-derived Wnt proteins possess anti-fibrogenic potential in chronic liver disease, which may be able to be manipulated for therapeutic benefit. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13069-015-0036-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine M Irvine
- Centre for Liver Disease Research, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, 37 Kent St, Brisbane, 4102 Australia
| | - Andrew D Clouston
- Centre for Liver Disease Research, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, 37 Kent St, Brisbane, 4102 Australia
| | - Victoria L Gadd
- Centre for Liver Disease Research, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, 37 Kent St, Brisbane, 4102 Australia
| | - Gregory C Miller
- Centre for Liver Disease Research, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, 37 Kent St, Brisbane, 4102 Australia
| | - Weng-Yew Wong
- Centre for Liver Disease Research, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, 37 Kent St, Brisbane, 4102 Australia
| | - Michelle Melino
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Muralidhara Rao Maradana
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Kelli MacDonald
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Richard A Lang
- Visual Systems Group, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Matthew J Sweet
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience and the Centre for Inflammation and Disease Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Antje Blumenthal
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.,Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Elizabeth E Powell
- Centre for Liver Disease Research, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, 37 Kent St, Brisbane, 4102 Australia
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WANG XINHONG, LIU MINGNA, HUANG PING, XU JUN, LIU AIYUN, CHEN JING, LV CHENGQIAN, XU RUILING. Simultaneous silencing of β-catenin and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 synergistically induces apoptosis and inhibits cell proliferation in HepG2 liver cancer cells. Mol Med Rep 2015; 12:2263-8. [DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2015.3595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2014] [Accepted: 03/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
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Time-dependent effect of hypoxia on tumor progression and liver progenitor cell markers in primary liver tumors. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0119555. [PMID: 25793288 PMCID: PMC4368520 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2014] [Accepted: 01/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Expression of liver progenitor cell (LPC) characteristics has been proposed as a negative prognostic marker in primary liver tumors. Hypoxia has been linked to activation of the Notch pathway which is responsible for activation and proliferation of LPCs and hypoxia-induced LPC activation has been shown in hepatocellular carcinoma. Our aim was to elucidate the time-dependent effects of hypoxia on the LPC niche in hepatocellular carcinoma which could aid in determining a safe time frame for use of hypoxia inducing therapies. METHODS We used dimethyloxaloylglycine to mimic a hypoxic reaction in mice by stabilizing hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha at three distinct time points in diethylnitrosamine induced hepatocarcinogenesis. LPC, metastasis and Notch pathway markers were determined by quantitative PCR and (immune)histochemistry (heamatoxillin-eosin, reticulin, Sirius red and cytokeratin 19 staining). RESULTS Activating the hypoxia inducible pathway early in hepatocarcinogenesis resulted in an increased incidence of both cholangioma and hepatocellular lesions, associated with high expression of LPC, metastatic and Notch pathway markers. Adversely, activating the hypoxic response during tumor development resulted in decreased incidence of hepatocellular lesions and increased cholangioma incidence, with an unaltered gene expression profile of LPC-, Notch pathway- and metastatic markers. A hypoxic insult at advanced stages of hepatocarcinogenesis severely increased the expression of LPC characteristics, however without increased expression of actors of the Notch pathway and metastatic markers and minor changes in incidence of hepatocellular and cholangioma lesions. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that increased hypoxia at the onset of tumor development has detrimental effects on tumor progression; patients with HCC developed in a background of fibrosis/cirrhosis might therefore represent a more difficult treatment group. In contrast, hypoxia during tumor development appears to favor tumor outcome, highlighting the importance of early detection. Finally, hypoxia in advanced stages resulted in increased expression of LPC characteristics indicating poor outcome.
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Reichl P, Dengler M, van Zijl F, Huber H, Führlinger G, Reichel C, Sieghart W, Peck-Radosavljevic M, Grubinger M, Mikulits W. Axl activates autocrine transforming growth factor-β signaling in hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatology 2015; 61:930-41. [PMID: 25251599 PMCID: PMC4450343 DOI: 10.1002/hep.27492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2014] [Accepted: 09/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), intrahepatic metastasis frequently correlates with epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of malignant hepatocytes. Several mechanisms have been identified to be essentially involved in hepatocellular EMT, among them transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling. Here we show the up-regulation and activation of the receptor tyrosine kinase Axl in EMT-transformed hepatoma cells. Knockdown of Axl expression resulted in abrogation of invasive and transendothelial migratory abilities of mesenchymal HCC cells in vitro and Axl overexpression-induced metastatic colonization of epithelial hepatoma cells in vivo. Importantly, Axl knockdown severely impaired resistance to TGF-β-mediated growth inhibition. Analysis of the Axl interactome revealed binding of Axl to 14-3-3ζ, which is essentially required for Axl-mediated cell invasion, transendothelial migration, and resistance against TGF-β. Axl/14-3-3ζ signaling caused phosphorylation of Smad3 linker region (Smad3L) at Ser213, resulting in the up-regulation of tumor-progressive TGF-β target genes such as PAI1, MMP9, and Snail as well as augmented TGF-β1 secretion in mesenchymal HCC cells. Accordingly, high Axl expression in HCC patient samples correlated with elevated vessel invasion of HCC cells, higher risk of tumor recurrence after liver transplantation, strong phosphorylation of Smad3L, and lower survival. In addition, elevated expression of both Axl and 14-3-3ζ showed strongly reduced survival of HCC patients. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that Axl/14-3-3ζ signaling is central for TGF-β-mediated HCC progression and a promising target for HCC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Reichl
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mirko Dengler
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Franziska van Zijl
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Heidemarie Huber
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerhard Führlinger
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Wolfgang Sieghart
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Markus Peck-Radosavljevic
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Markus Grubinger
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Mikulits
- Department of Medicine I, Division: Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Xiao H, Jiang N, Zhou B, Liu Q, Du C. TAZ regulates cell proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of human hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Sci 2015; 106:151-9. [PMID: 25495189 PMCID: PMC4399022 DOI: 10.1111/cas.12587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2014] [Revised: 11/12/2014] [Accepted: 12/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The transcriptional coactivator with PDZ binding motif (TAZ) has been reported to be one of the nuclear effectors of Hippo-related pathways. TAZ is expressed in many primary tumors and could regulate many biological processes. However, little is known about the role of TAZ in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the current study, we show that TAZ regulates cellular proliferation and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of HCC. TAZ is overexpressed in HCC tissues and cell lines and upregulation of TAZ correlates with a lower overall survival rate of HCC patients after hepatic resection. TAZ knockdown results in inhibition of cancer cell proliferation through decreases in expression of stem cell markers (OCT4, Nanog, and SOX2). Reduction in HCC cell migration and invasion is also evident through reversal of EMT by increases E-cadherin expression, decreases in N-cadherin, vimentin, Snail, and Slug expression, and suppression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression. In a xenograft tumorigenicity model, TAZ knockdown could effectively inhibit tumor growth and metastasis through reversal of the EMT pathway. In conclusion, TAZ is associated with the proliferation and invasiveness of HCC cells, and the TAZ gene may contribute to a novel therapeutic approach against HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Xiao
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
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Chen J, Liu J, Jin R, Shen J, Liang Y, Ma R, Lin H, Liang X, Yu H, Cai X. Cytoplasmic and/or nuclear expression of β-catenin correlate with poor prognosis and unfavorable clinicopathological factors in hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis. PLoS One 2014; 9:e111885. [PMID: 25401330 PMCID: PMC4234306 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 09/30/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The β-catenin is an important effector in WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway, which exerts a crucial role in the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Some researchers have suggested that the overexpression of β-catenin in cytoplasm and/or nucleus was closely correlated to metastasis, poor differentiation and malignant phenotype of HCC while some other researchers hold opposite point. So far, no consensus was obtained on the prognostic and clinicopathological significance of cytoplasmic/nuclear β-catenin overexpression for HCCs. METHODS Systematic strategies were applied to search eligible studies in all available databases. Subgroup analyses, sensitivity analyses and multivariate analysis were performed. In this meta-analysis, we utilized either fixed- or random-effects model to calculate the pooled odds ratios (OR) and its 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS A total of 22 studies containing 2334 cases were enrolled in this meta-analysis. Pooled data suggested that accumulation of β-catenin in cytoplasm and/or nucleus significantly correlated with poor 1-, 3- and 5-year OS and RFS. Moreover, nuclear accumulation combined with cytoplasmic accumulation of β-catenin tended to be associated with dismal metastasis and vascular invasion while cytoplasmic or nuclear expression alone showed no significant effect. Besides, no significant association was observed between cytoplasmic and/or nuclear β-catenin expression and poor differentiation grade, advanced TNM stage, liver cirrhosis, tumor size, tumor encapsulation, AFP and etiologies. Additional subgroup analysis by origin suggested that the prognostic value and clinicopathological significance of cytoplasmic and/or nuclear β-catenin expression was more validated in Asian population. Multivariate analyses of factors showed that cytoplasmic and/or nuclear β-catenin expression, as well as TNM stage, metastasis and tumor size, was an independent risk factors for OS and RFS. CONCLUSIONS Cytoplasmic and/or nuclear accumulation of β-catenin, as an independent prognostic factor, significantly associated with poor prognosis and deeper invasion of HCC, and could serve as a valuable prognostic predictor for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiang Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jinghua Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Renan Jin
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiliang Shen
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuelong Liang
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Rui Ma
- Department of Surgery, Zhejiang University Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Hui Lin
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiao Liang
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Hong Yu
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiujun Cai
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Ge F, Wang DD, Li L, Lin PP, Shuman MA. WITHDRAWN: Enhanced Detection and Phenotypic and Karyotypic in Situ Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2014:S0002-9440(14)00536-7. [PMID: 25451150 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2014.08.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2014] [Revised: 08/01/2014] [Accepted: 08/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Available online October 16, 2014 This article has been withdrawn at the request of the author(s) and/or editor. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Ge
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Capital Medical University School of Oncology and Shi-Ji-Tan Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Daisy D Wang
- Department of Translational Oncology, Cytelligen, San Diego, California
| | - Linda Li
- Department of Translational Oncology, Cytelligen, San Diego, California
| | - Peter P Lin
- Department of Translational Oncology, Cytelligen, San Diego, California
| | - Marc A Shuman
- UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California
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Friemel J, Rechsteiner M, Frick L, Böhm F, Struckmann K, Egger M, Moch H, Heikenwalder M, Weber A. Intratumor heterogeneity in hepatocellular carcinoma. Clin Cancer Res 2014; 21:1951-61. [PMID: 25248380 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-14-0122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 212] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2014] [Accepted: 08/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Morphologic intratumor heterogeneity is well known to exist in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but very few systematic analyses of this phenomenon have been performed. The aim of this study was to comprehensively characterize morphologic intratumor heterogeneity in HCC. Also, taken into account were well-known immunohistochemical markers and molecular changes in liver cells that are considered in proposed classifications of liver cell neoplasms or discussed as molecular therapeutic targets. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN In HCC of 23 patients without medical pretreatment, a total of 120 tumor areas were defined. Analyzed were cell and tissue morphology, expression of the liver cell markers cytokeratin (CK)7, CD44, α-fetoprotein (AFP), epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), and glutamine synthetase (GS) along with mutations of TP53 and CTNNB1, assayed by both Sanger and next-generation sequencing. RESULTS Overall, intratumor heterogeneity was detectable in the majority of HCC cases (20 of 23, 87%). Heterogeneity solely on the level of morphology was found in 6 of 23 cases (26%), morphologic heterogeneity combined with immunohistochemical heterogeneity in 9 of 23 cases (39%), and heterogeneity with respect to morphologic, immunohistochemical, and mutational status of TP53 and CTNNB1 in 5 of 23 cases (22%). CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate that intratumor heterogeneity represents a challenge for the establishment of a robust HCC classification and may contribute to treatment failure and drug resistance in many cases of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Friemel
- Institute of Surgical Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology, BIPS, Bremen, Germany
| | - Markus Rechsteiner
- Institute of Surgical Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lukas Frick
- Institute of Surgical Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Friederike Böhm
- Institute of Surgical Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kirsten Struckmann
- Institute of Surgical Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michèle Egger
- Institute of Surgical Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Holger Moch
- Institute of Surgical Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mathias Heikenwalder
- Institute of Surgical Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. Institute of Virology, Technische Universität München (TUM) and Helmholtz Zentrum München für Gesundheit und Umwelt (HMGU), Germany
| | - Achim Weber
- Institute of Surgical Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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44
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Melanoma Development and Progression Are Associated with Rad6 Upregulation and β -Catenin Relocation to the Cell Membrane. J Skin Cancer 2014; 2014:439205. [PMID: 24891954 PMCID: PMC4033428 DOI: 10.1155/2014/439205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2014] [Revised: 04/02/2014] [Accepted: 04/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We have previously demonstrated that Rad6 and β -catenin enhance each other's expression through a positive feedback loop to promote breast cancer development/progression. While β -catenin has been implicated in melanoma pathogenesis, Rad6 function has not been investigated. Here, we examined the relationship between Rad6 and β -catenin in melanoma development and progression. Eighty-eight cutaneous tumors, 30 nevi, 29 primary melanoma, and 29 metastatic melanomas, were immunostained with anti- β -catenin and anti-Rad6 antibodies. Strong expression of Rad6 was observed in only 27% of nevi as compared to 100% of primary and 96% of metastatic melanomas. β -Catenin was strongly expressed in 97% of primary and 93% of metastatic melanomas, and unlike Rad6, in 93% of nevi. None of the tumors expressed nuclear β -catenin. β -Catenin was exclusively localized on the cell membrane of 55% of primary, 62% of metastatic melanomas, and only 10% of nevi. Cytoplasmic β -catenin was detected in 90% of nevi, 17% of primary, and 8% of metastatic melanoma, whereas 28% of primary and 30% of metastatic melanomas exhibited β -catenin at both locations. These data suggest that melanoma development and progression are associated with Rad6 upregulation and membranous redistribution of β -catenin and that β -catenin and Rad6 play independent roles in melanoma development.
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45
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Lee SC, Tan HT, Chung MCM. Prognostic biomarkers for prediction of recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma: Current status and future prospects. World J Gastroenterol 2014; 20:3112-3124. [PMID: 24696598 PMCID: PMC3964383 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i12.3112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2013] [Revised: 12/03/2013] [Accepted: 01/02/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide, with region specific etiologies. Despite improvements made in the diagnosis of HCC, the prognosis of HCC patients remains poor due to the high recurrence rate of HCC. There is an urgent need for development of prognostic biomarkers to predict the risk of recurrence in HCC patients after “curative” treatment. Such stratification may aid in patient management and development of personalized medicine for HCC treatment. Omics based studies facilitate the study of global changes in biomolecules in a disease in a high throughput manner, and hence are well poised to understand the complex changes which led to HCC recurrence. The quantitative nature of data obtained from omics based studies allow for development of prognostic biomarkers based on changes in gene, protein and metabolite expression. In this review, we surveyed the application of transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics in the study of HCC recurrence. We summarised the data in the literature from these three fields of studies that claimed to be prognostic for HCC recurrence. We critiqued on the limitations of each area of research and the challenges faced in translating the research results for clinical application in predicting HCC recurrence.
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46
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Ding ZY, Liang HF, Jin GN, Chen WX, Wang W, Datta PK, Zhang MZ, Zhang B, Chen XP. Smad6 suppresses the growth and self-renewal of hepatic progenitor cells. J Cell Physiol 2014; 229:651-60. [PMID: 24446200 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.24488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2013] [Accepted: 10/02/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Activation of hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) is commonly observed in chronic liver disease and Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays a crucial role in the expansion of HPCs. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the liver, especially in HPCs, remain largely elusive. Here, we reported that ectopic expression of Smad6 suppressed the proliferation and self-renewal of WB-F344 cells, a HPC cell line. Mechanistically, we found that Smad6 inhibited Wnt/β-catenin signaling through promoting the interaction of C-terminal binding protein (CtBP) with β-catenin/T-cell factor (TCF) complex to inhibit β-catenin mediated transcriptional activation in WB-F344 cells. We used siRNA targeting β-catenin to demonstrate that Wnt/β-catenin signaling was required for the proliferation and self-renewal of HPCs. Taken together, these results suggest that Smad6 is a regulatory molecule which regulates the proliferation, self-renewal and Wnt/β-catenin signaling in HPCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze-Yang Ding
- Hepatic Surgery Centre, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Kong N, Kuang ZP, Yang F, Li YQ, Wu JN. Significance of expression of Wnt-1 in chemically induced liver carcinogenesis in mice. Shijie Huaren Xiaohua Zazhi 2014; 22:751-758. [DOI: 10.11569/wcjd.v22.i6.751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM: To detect the expression of Wnt-1 in chemically induced liver carcinogenesis in mice, and to reveal the relationship between Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and liver cancer.
METHODS: Ninety-five C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into either an experimental group (n = 50) or a control group (n = 45). In the experimental group, primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was induced by using diethylnitrosamine (DEN), carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and ethanol for twenty weeks. Five mice of each group were randomly sacrificed every two weeks to collect specimens. The expression of Wnt-1 mRNA and protein was dynamically observed by real-time PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry.
RESULTS: Liver cancer in C57BL/6J mice was successfully induced chemically after 20 weeks. Real-time PCR showed that the expression of Wnt-1 mRNA in the experimental group significantly increased compared to the control group at various time points during the period from weeks 14 to 20, while there was no significant difference from weeks 4 to 12. In the experimental group, Wnt-1 mRNA expression increased with time from weeks 14 to 16 and 18 (4.192 ± 0.322 vs 5.630 ± 0.579 vs 8.060 ± 0.795, P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference between weeks 18 and 20. Western blot analysis showed that Wnt-1 protein expression was weak in both groups from weeks 4 to 12, but increased with time in the experimental group, although there was also no significant difference between weeks 18 and 20. Immunohistochemistry showed that Wnt-1 was expressed weakly in both groups before week 8, but began to increase from week 16 in the experimental group, peaking at week 20.
CONCLUSION: Wnt-1 may be associated with the occurrence of HCC, and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway may play an important role in this process.
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48
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Bogaerts E, Heindryckx F, Vandewynckel YP, Van Grunsven LA, Van Vlierberghe H. The roles of transforming growth factor-β, Wnt, Notch and hypoxia on liver progenitor cells in primary liver tumours (Review). Int J Oncol 2014; 44:1015-22. [PMID: 24504124 PMCID: PMC3977811 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2014.2286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2013] [Accepted: 11/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary liver tumours have a high incidence and mortality. The most important forms are hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, both can occur together in the mixed phenotype hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma. Liver progenitor cells (LPCs) are bipotential stem cells activated in case of severe liver damage and are capable of forming both cholangiocytes and hepatocytes. Possibly, alterations in Wnt, transforming growth factor-β, Notch and hypoxia pathways in these LPCs can cause them to give rise to cancer stem cells, capable of driving tumourigenesis. In this review, we summarize and discuss current knowledge on the role of these pathways in LPC activation and differentiation during hepatocarcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliene Bogaerts
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 1K12, Ghent University Hospital, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Femke Heindryckx
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Yves-Paul Vandewynckel
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 1K12, Ghent University Hospital, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Leo A Van Grunsven
- Department of Cell Biology, Liver Cell Biology Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Hans Van Vlierberghe
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 1K12, Ghent University Hospital, 9000 Gent, Belgium
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49
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Shi JH, Scholz H, Huitfeldt HS, Line PD. The effect of hepatic progenitor cells on experimental hepatocellular carcinoma in the regenerating liver. Scand J Gastroenterol 2014; 49:99-108. [PMID: 24188385 DOI: 10.3109/00365521.2013.854406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Liver regeneration following hepatectomy can stimulate the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and major hepatectomy can be associated with activation of hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs). The aim of this study was to evaluate how HPCs influence the malignant potential of tumor cells in vitro and HCC tumor growth after surgery in a rodent model. MATERIAL AND METHODS Hepatoma cells (JM1) were cultured with conditioned medium (CM) from syngeneic HPCs (WB-F344). Growth rate, resistance to Adriamycin, and expression patterns for invasiveness and stemness were compared with naïve JM1. Microscopic HCC tumors from naïve JM1 or JM1 cultured with CM were inoculated in Fischer 344 rats undergoing 70% hepatectomy with or without simultaneous infusion of WB-F344. Tumor growth and invasiveness-related factors were compared. Buffalo rats were induced with Morris hepatoma cells. Liver tissue from both in vivo models was examined with regard to activation of cells with progenitor-like phenotype. RESULTS Co-culture with CM resulted in an increased resistance to Adriamycin and enhanced expressions of α-FP, MMP9, ABCG2, CD133, and SOX2, as well as the activation of ERK, AKT, WNT, and TGF-β1 pathways. Tumor size and metastases were significantly higher in groups with co-cultured cells or HPCs infusion. After 70% hepatectomy and tumor implantation, cells positive for α-FP, CK19, and CD133 were found, thus suggesting a progenitor-like phenotype in the setting of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. CONCLUSION HPCs have a marked effect on HCC cells in vitro and appear to stimulate the growth and malignant potential of experimental HCC tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Hua Shi
- Department of Transplantation Medicine, Oslo University Hospital , Oslo , Norway
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50
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Morell CM, Fiorotto R, Fabris L, Strazzabosco M. Notch signalling beyond liver development: emerging concepts in liver repair and oncogenesis. Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol 2013; 37:447-54. [PMID: 23806629 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinre.2013.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2013] [Revised: 05/01/2013] [Accepted: 05/14/2013] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Notch signalling is an evolutionarily conserved intercellular pathway involved in many aspects of development and tissue renewal in several organs. The importance of Notch signalling in liver development and morphogenesis is well established. However, the post-natal role of Notch in liver repair/regeneration is only now beginning to be unveiled. Despite the simplicity of the pathway activation, a fine spatial-temporal regulation of Notch signalling is required to avoid pathologic effects. This review highlights recent advances in the field indicating that Notch signalling is involved in the reparative morphogenesis of the biliary tree and in liver carcinogenesis. Defective Notch signalling leads to impaired ability of the liver to repair liver damage, while excessive activation may be involved in liver cancer. Even though much remains to be understood about these mechanisms, including the cross-talk between Notch signalling and other liver morphogens, current evidence suggests that the modulation of the Notch pathway may represent a therapeutic target in chronic liver disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carola Maria Morell
- Department of Surgery and Interdisciplinary Medicine, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
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