Role of inhibitor of growth 4 in the suppression of human melanoma cells through the Fas/FasL-mediated apoptosis pathway

Overexpression of ING3 is associated with attenuation of migration and invasion in breast cancer

Inhibitor of growth 3 (ING3) has been identified as a potential cancer drug target, but little is known about its role in breast cancer. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate ING3 expression in breast cancer, its clinical value, and how ING3 influences the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. The Cancer Genome Atlas and UALCAN databases were used to analyze ING3 expression in cancer tissues and normal tissues. Survival analysis was performed using the UALCAN, UCSC Xena and KM-plot databases. In addition, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blot analyses were performed to detect ING3 mRNA and protein expression levels. ING3 was overexpressed via lentiviral vector transfection, while the Transwell and wound healing assays were performed to assess the cell migratory and invasive abilities. Protein interaction and pathway analyses were performed using the GeneMANIA and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes databases, respectively. The results demonstrated that ING3 expression was significantly lower in cancer tissues compared with normal tissues (P<0.05). In addition, luminal A and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-enriched breast cancer tissues expressed lower levels of ING3 compared with normal breast tissues. Notably, statistically significant differences were observed in long-term survival between patients with luminal A (P=0.04) and HER2-enriched (P=0.008) breast cancer, with high and low expression levels of ING3. The results of the Transwell migration and invasion assays demonstrated that overexpression of ING3 significantly inhibited the migratory and invasive abilities of MCF7 (P<0.05) and HCC1937 (P<0.05) cells. The results of the wound healing assay demonstrated that the percentage wound closure significantly decreased in cells transfected with LV5-ING3 compared with the negative control group at 12 h (P<0.05) and 24 h (P<0.01). The PI3K/AKT, JAK/STAT, NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin pathways are the potential pathways regulated by ING3. Notably, overexpression of ING3 inhibited migration and invasion in vitro. However, further studies are required to determine whether ING3 regulates the biological behavior of breast cancer via tumor-related pathways.

Dioscorea deltoidea Leaf Extract (DDLE) Targets PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway and Inhibits Ovarian Cancer Cell Growth

Ovarian cancer is the malignant tumour of the female reproductive organ with highest mortality rate among all the types of gynaecological tumours. This study investigated the effect of Dioscorea deltoidea leaf extract (DDLE) on OV-90 and CAOV4 ovarian cancer cells. The results demonstrated that DDLE suppresses OV-90 and CAOV3 cell viability significantly in dose dependent manner. The OV-90 and CAOV3 cell viability were reduced to 24 and 27% respectively with 20 mg/mL DDLE treatment. Five mg/mL DDLE treatment of OV-90 and CAOV4 cells raised percentage of cells in G2-phase to 55.9 and 51.2%, respectively. In 5 mg/mL DDLE -treated OV-90 and CAOV4 cells a prominent suppression in cyclin-D1 and cyclin B1 proteins was observed in 48 h. The DDLE treatment promoted OV-90 and CAOV3 cell apoptosis to 34.65 and 29.89%, respectively. The Fas, FasL, cleaved caspase-3, and Bax levels were up-regulated markedly in the cells after DDLE treatment. Moreover, DDLE treatment suppressed p-mTOR, p-AKT and p-PI3K expression in OV-90 and CAOV3 cells. Thus, DDLE suppressed ovary cancer cell viability and elevated cell apoptosis. Inhibitory effect of DDLE on ovarian cancer cells is associated with targeting PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

miR-650 promotes non-small cell lung cancer cell proliferation and invasion by targeting ING4 through Wnt-1/β-catenin pathway

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most frequent cancer worldwide with a poor 5-year survival. miR-650 acts as an oncogene and regulates tumor progress in various cancers. Molecular mechanisms of miR-650 in NSCLC cell proliferation and invasion was studied. The mRNA levels of miR-650 and special genes were calculated using RT-qPCR. MTT and transwell assays were applied to measure the proliferative and invasive ability. Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess the survival of NSCLC patients. miR-650 was upregulated in NSCLC and upregulation of miR-650 was associated with a poor overall survival of NSCLC, while the results of ING4 demonstrated the opposite results. miR-650 promoted proliferation and invasion through Wnt-1/β-catenin pathway by targeting inhibitor of growth 4 (ING4) in A549 cells. ING4 was a direct target gene of miR-650 and the expression of ING4 was mediated by exogenous altering the expression of miR-650. Remarkably, alterations of ING4 expression eliminated the functions of miR-650 on the proliferation and metastasis of NSCLC. miR-650 enhanced A549 cell proliferation and invasion through Wnt-1/β-catenin pathway by directly targeting the 3'-UTR of ING4 mRNA. The newly identified miR-650/ING4 axis provides a novel insight into the pathogenesis of NSCLC.

Apoptosis gene reprograming of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells induced by radioiodine-131 (131I) irradiation

Background & objectives

The nature of adaptable change of B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) and/or Bcl2-associated X protein (BAX) gene expression in the human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) irradiated by radioiodine in thyroid diseases therapy is not fully understood. In this study, the alternation of apoptotic gene expression was evaluated while the PBMCs collected from healthy volunteers were irradiated by the radioiodine-131 (¹³¹I).

Methods

Fasting blood samples were obtained from healthy volunteers. PBMCs from group 0 to 6 were incubated and exposed to different doses of ¹³¹I in cell suspension for 6, 12, 24 and 48 h. The apoptosis rates and expression of BCL-2 and BAX genes of PBMCs were examined.

Results

The apoptosis rate in the human PBMCs was gradually enhanced after six hour irradiation. The values of BCL-2 and BAX gene expression in groups 1-6 were higher than in group 0 within 6 h of irradiation, and then, these were decreased gradually from 6 to 12 h.

BCL

-2 gene expression increased in groups 1-3 after 12 h irradiation, but there was no difference in groups 4-6. The ratio of BCL-2/BAX gene expression among groups 4-6 gradually decreased during the period from 6 to 12 h, and it was significantly lower than in the group 0 at 12, 24 and 48 h.

Interpretation & conclusions

The expression of BCL-2 and BAX genes was initially upregulated following irradiation. Later, the balance of BCL-2/BAX genes expression was adjusted, and then, PBMCs underwent apoptosis at higher doses of radiation.

The essential role of tumor suppressor gene ING4 in various human cancers and non-neoplastic disorders

Inhibitor of growth 4 (ING4), a member of the ING family discovered in 2003, has been shown to act as a tumor suppressor and is frequently down-regulated in various human cancers. Numerous published in vivo and in vitro studies have shown that ING4 is responsible for important cancer hallmarks such as pathologic cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, autophagy, contact inhibition, and hypoxic adaptation, and also affects tumor angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. These characteristics are typically associated with regulation through chromatin acetylation by binding histone H3 trimethylated at lysine 4 (H3K4me3) and through transcriptional activity of transcription factor P53 and NF-κB. In addition, emerging evidence has indicated that abnormalities in ING4 expression and function play key roles in non-neoplastic disorders. Here, we provide an overview of ING4-modulated chromosome remodeling and transcriptional function, as well as the functional consequences of different genetic variants. We also present the current understanding concerning the role of ING4 in the development of neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases. These studies offer inspiration for pursuing novel therapeutics for various cancers.