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Labropoulou VT, Manou D, Ravazoula P, Alzahrani FM, Kalofonos HP, Theocharis AD. Expression of CD44 is associated with aggressiveness in seminomas. Mol Biol Rep 2024; 51:693. [PMID: 38796656 PMCID: PMC11127849 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-024-09638-8] [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: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) exhibit diverse biological and pathological features and are divided in two main types, seminomas and nonseminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGCTs). CD44 is a cell surface receptor, which is highly expressed in malignancies and is implicated in tumorigenesis affecting cell-matrix interactions and cell signaling. METHODS AND RESULTS Here, we examined the expression of CD44 in tumor cell lines and in patients' material. We found that CD44 is over-expressed in TGCTs compared to normal tissues. Immunohistochemical staining in 71 tissue specimens demonstrated increased expression of CD44 in some patients, whereas CD44 was absent in normal tissue. In seminomas, a high percentage of tumor and stromal cells showed cytoplasmic and/or cell surface staining for CD44 as well as increased staining for CD44 in the tumor stroma was found in some cases. The increased expression of CD44 either in tumor cells or in stromal components was associated with tumor size, nodal metastasis, vascular/lymphatic invasion, and disease stage only in seminomas. The increased stromal expression of CD44 in TGCTs was positively associated with angiogenesis. CONCLUSIONS CD44 may exhibit diverse biological functions in seminomas and NSGCTs. The expression of CD44 in tumor cells as well as in tumor stroma fosters an aggressive phenotype in seminomas and should be considered in disease treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasiliki T Labropoulou
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, University of Patras Medical School, Patras, Greece.
| | - Dimitra Manou
- Biochemistry, Biochemical Analysis and Matrix Pathobiology Research Group, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | - Panagiota Ravazoula
- Department of Pathology, University Hospital of Patras, Patras, 26504, Greece
| | - Fatimah Mohammed Alzahrani
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Haralabos P Kalofonos
- Clinical Oncology Laboratory, Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Patras, Rio, 26504, Greece
| | - Achilleas D Theocharis
- Biochemistry, Biochemical Analysis and Matrix Pathobiology Research Group, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, Patras, Greece.
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia.
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Solaimuthu B, Khatib A, Tanna M, Karmi A, Hayashi A, Abu Rmaileh A, Lichtenstein M, Takoe S, Jolly MK, Shaul YD. The exostosin glycosyltransferase 1/STAT3 axis is a driver of breast cancer aggressiveness. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2316733121. [PMID: 38215181 PMCID: PMC10801894 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2316733121] [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: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program is crucial for transforming carcinoma cells into a partially mesenchymal state, enhancing their chemoresistance, migration, and metastasis. This shift in cell state is tightly regulated by cellular mechanisms that are not yet fully characterized. One intriguing EMT aspect is the rewiring of the proteoglycan landscape, particularly the induction of heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) biosynthesis. This proteoglycan functions as a co-receptor that accelerates cancer-associated signaling pathways through its negatively-charged residues. However, the precise mechanisms through which EMT governs HSPG biosynthesis and its role in cancer cell plasticity remain elusive. Here, we identified exostosin glycosyltransferase 1 (EXT1), a central enzyme in HSPG biosynthesis, to be selectively upregulated in aggressive tumor subtypes and cancer cell lines, and to function as a key player in breast cancer aggressiveness. Notably, ectopic expression of EXT1 in epithelial cells is sufficient to induce HSPG levels and the expression of known mesenchymal markers, subsequently enhancing EMT features, including cell migration, invasion, and tumor formation. Additionally, EXT1 loss in MDA-MB-231 cells inhibits their aggressiveness-associated traits such as migration, chemoresistance, tumor formation, and metastasis. Our findings reveal that EXT1, through its role in HSPG biosynthesis, governs signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling, a known regulator of cancer cell aggressiveness. Collectively, we present the EXT1/HSPG/STAT3 axis as a central regulator of cancer cell plasticity that directly links proteoglycan synthesis to oncogenic signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balakrishnan Solaimuthu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9112001, Israel
| | - Anees Khatib
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9112001, Israel
| | - Mayur Tanna
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9112001, Israel
| | - Abdelrahman Karmi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9112001, Israel
| | - Arata Hayashi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9112001, Israel
| | - Areej Abu Rmaileh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9112001, Israel
| | - Michal Lichtenstein
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9112001, Israel
| | - Suranjana Takoe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Berhampur760010, India
| | - Mohit Kumar Jolly
- Department of Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore560012, India
| | - Yoav David Shaul
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem9112001, Israel
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Zhao YC, Wang TJ, Qu GH, She LZ, Cui J, Zhang RF, Qu HD. TPM3: a novel prognostic biomarker of cervical cancer that correlates with immune infiltration and promotes malignant behavior in vivo and in vitro. Am J Cancer Res 2023; 13:3123-3139. [PMID: 37559998 PMCID: PMC10408471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC) has become increasingly prevalent in younger women. Tropomyosin 3 (TPM3), a thin filament actin-binding protein, has been implicated in various malignancies. In this study, TPM3 expression was evaluated using RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and its relationship with CESC prognosis was examined with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The effects of TPM3 on cellular proliferation and migration were examined in CESC cell lines using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, and Transwell assays, while in vivo effects were assessed in mouse xenograft models. Furthermore, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with TPM3 were investigated to determine their tumorigenic functions. Associations between TPM3, chemosensitivity, and immune infiltration were analyzed, as were links between mutations, methylation, and prognosis using the cBioPortal and MethSurv databases. Upregulation of TMP3 mRNA and protein levels was observed in CESC samples, with elevated mRNA levels associated with reduced overall survival. TPM3 showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.946 for CESC diagnosis and was found to regulate tumor proliferation and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Overall, 3099 DEGs were identified and found to be enriched in key CESC progression-related signaling pathways. TPM3 expression was also correlated with intratumoral immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint activity. Patients with higher TPM3 expression showed distinctive chemosensitivity profiles, and TPM3 gene methylation was linked to poorer CESC patient prognostic outcomes. In conclusion, TPM3 is a key regulator of CESC progression, prognosis, and the tumor immune microenvironment, suggesting its potential as a diagnostic or prognostic biomarker and target for CESC immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue-Chen Zhao
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Second Hospital of Jilin UniversityChangchun 130041, Jilin, P. R. China
| | - Tie-Jun Wang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Second Hospital of Jilin UniversityChangchun 130041, Jilin, P. R. China
| | - Geng-Hui Qu
- Department of Radiology, Dongliao County People’s HospitalLiaoyuan 136299, Jilin, P. R. China
| | - Li-Zhen She
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Second Hospital of Jilin UniversityChangchun 130041, Jilin, P. R. China
| | - Jie Cui
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Second Hospital of Jilin UniversityChangchun 130041, Jilin, P. R. China
| | - Rui-Feng Zhang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Second Hospital of Jilin UniversityChangchun 130041, Jilin, P. R. China
- Department of Internal Medicin-1, Jilin Cancer HospitalChangchun 130103, Jilin, P. R. China
| | - Hong-Dao Qu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Second Hospital of Jilin UniversityChangchun 130041, Jilin, P. R. China
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