PTPN9 promotes cell proliferation and invasion in Eca109 cells and is negatively regulated by microRNA-126

Hypoxia-activated oxidative stress mediates SHP2/PI3K signaling pathway to promote hepatocellular carcinoma growth and metastasis

Hepatocellular carcinoma is considered to be the fifth most rampant type of cancer in the whole world and has a high death rate. The hypoxic microenvironment is one of the typical features of tumor tissues and has an important impact on the activity of multiple signaling pathways. It is of great significance to study the effects of hypoxia on the pathophysiological processes and molecular mechanisms of HCC. Signalling pathways associated with SHP2 were analysed using bioinformatics. Detection of relevant protein expression using Western blotting. Tube formation assay was used in evalution of the angiogenic potential. The concentrations of MDA and SOD were measured by ELISA. The cell migration and invasion ability were measured with a scratch wound assay and transwell assay in SMMC-7721, HepG2 and Huh-7 cells. The effect of hypoxia on the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma was examined using subcutaneous graft tumors and HE staining experiments in nude mice. Bioinformatics analysis of SHP2 negatively correlates with the PI3K signalling pathway. Hypoxia promotes the concentration of MDA and inhibited the concentration of SOD. Hypoxia may up-regulate NOX2, NOX4 and p-PI3K and down-regulate the treatment of p-SHP2. Compared with NC group, the expression of SHP2 and p-SHP2 was inhibited in SHP2 KD group and the expression of p-PI3K, HIF1α, COX2, FOXM1, β-catenin and MMP9 was promoted. However, the differences of the expression of p-PI3K, HIF1α, COX2, FOXM1, β-catenin and MMP9 between the two groups were abolished after the addition of PI3K inhibitor. The angiogenesis, migration and invasion abilities were significantly increased in SHP2 KD group compared with NC group. Similarly, after the addition of PI3K inhibitor, the difference of these abilities between the two groups was eliminated. Hypoxia can promote the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma. Hypoxia can activate the oxidative stress-mediated SHP2/PI3K signaling pathway to promote angiogenesis, migration, and invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma, thus advancing the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Role of Some microRNA/ADAM Proteins Axes in Gastrointestinal Cancers as a Novel Biomarkers and Potential Therapeutic Targets—A Review

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are some of the most common cancers in the world and their number is increasing. Their etiology and pathogenesis are still unclear. ADAM proteins are a family of transmembrane and secreted metalloproteinases that play a role in cancerogenesis, metastasis and neoangiogenesis. MicroRNAs are small single-stranded non-coding RNAs that take part in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Some ADAM proteins can be targets for microRNAs. In this review, we analyze the impact of microRNA/ADAM protein axes in GI cancers.

Critical roles of PTPN family members regulated by non-coding RNAs in tumorigenesis and immunotherapy

Since tyrosine phosphorylation is reversible and dynamic in vivo, the phosphorylation state of proteins is controlled by the opposing roles of protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) and protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPs), both of which perform critical roles in signal transduction. Of these, intracellular non-receptor PTPs (PTPNs), which belong to the largest class I cysteine PTP family, are essential for the regulation of a variety of biological processes, including but not limited to hematopoiesis, inflammatory response, immune system, and glucose homeostasis. Additionally, a substantial amount of PTPNs have been identified to hold crucial roles in tumorigenesis, progression, metastasis, and drug resistance, and inhibitors of PTPNs have promising applications due to striking efficacy in antitumor therapy. Hence, the aim of this review is to summarize the role played by PTPNs, including PTPN1/PTP1B, PTPN2/TC-PTP, PTPN3/PTP-H1, PTPN4/PTPMEG, PTPN6/SHP-1, PTPN9/PTPMEG2, PTPN11/SHP-2, PTPN12/PTP-PEST, PTPN13/PTPL1, PTPN14/PEZ, PTPN18/PTP-HSCF, PTPN22/LYP, and PTPN23/HD-PTP, in human cancer and immunotherapy and to comprehensively describe the molecular pathways in which they are implicated. Given the specific roles of PTPNs, identifying potential regulators of PTPNs is significant for understanding the mechanisms of antitumor therapy. Consequently, this work also provides a review on the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in regulating PTPNs in tumorigenesis and progression, which may help us to find effective therapeutic agents for tumor therapy.

AMD Genomics: Non-Coding RNAs as Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is the world’s leading cause of blindness in the aging population. Although the clinical stages and forms of AMD have been elucidated, more specific prognostic tools are required to determine when patients with early and intermediate AMD will progress into the advanced stages of AMD. Another challenge in the field has been the appropriate development of therapies for intermediate AMD and advanced atrophic AMD. After numerous negative clinical trials, an anti-C5 agent and anti-C3 agent have recently shown promising results in phase 3 clinical trials, in terms of slowing the growth of geographic atrophy, an advanced form of AMD. Interestingly, both drugs appear to be associated with an increased incidence of wet AMD, another advanced form of the disease, and will require frequent intravitreal injections. Certainly, there remains a need for other therapeutic agents with the potential to prevent progression to advanced stages of the disease. Investigation of the role and clinical utility of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) is a major advancement in biology that has only been minimally applied to AMD. In the following review, we discuss the clinical relevance of ncRNAs in AMD as both biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

CircMMD_007 promotes oncogenic effects in the progression of lung adenocarcinoma through microRNA-197-3p/protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 9 axis

Circular RNAs play important roles in cancer biology. In this research, we explored the underlying function and mechanism of cirMMD_007 in lung adenocarcinoma (LC). Clinical lung adenocarcinoma samples were obtained from surgery. Bioinformatic databases were used to predict miRNAs that can potentially target circRNAs and miRNA target genes. hsa_circMMD_007, miR-197-3p, and PTPN9 mRNA expressions were investigated by qRT-PCR. Protein expressions were examined using Western blot. The proliferation abilities were assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 assays. Wound healing cell migration assay was applied to evaluate cell migration ability. Luciferase reporter assay and rescue experiments were then performed to elucidate the underlying mechanism. We found that the expression of circMMD_007 was abnormally increased in LC. The expression of circMMD_007 was higher in advanced stages. Knockout of circMMD_007 hindered the tumorigenesis of LC in vivo and in vitro. circMMD_007 could negatively regulate the expression of miR-197-3p. PTPN9 behaved to be a molecular target of miR-197-3p. In summary, this research demonstrated that circular RNA circMMD_007 could promote the oncogenic effects in the progression of LC through miR-197-3p/PTPN9 axis.

microRNA-126 Is a Tumor Suppressor of Granulosa Cell Tumor Mediated by Its Host Gene EGFL7

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression at a post-transcriptional level. We examined the role of miR-126 in granulosa cell tumor (GCT) of the ovaries. In tissues from malignant GCT patients miR-126 expression was repressed. We showed that miR-126 could inhibit proliferation, migration, hormone production and promote apoptosis of cancerous granulosa cells (GCs) in vitro. The role of miR-126 as “tumor suppressor” was confirmed by using a tumor formation model in vivo. By RNA-seq, immunohistochemical staining (IHC), Western blot and luciferase reporter assay, we identified and confirmed EGFL7 as a direct functional target of miR-126 in cancer GCs. Furthermore, we found that the AKT signaling pathway was associated with miR-126 and EGFL7 in cancer GCs. Taken together, our results demonstrate a function of miR-126 in the suppression of GCT development via the regulation of EGFL7.

PTPN9 induces cell apoptosis by mitigating the activation of Stat3 and acts as a tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer

Background

Accumulating evidence has shown that protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are involved in regulating the transduction of many signaling pathways and play important roles in modulating the progression of some cancers, but the functions of PTPs in cancers have not been well elucidated until now. Here, we aimed to identify the roles of protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 9 (PTPN9), a cytoplasmic PTP, in the development of colorectal cancer and elucidate the regulatory mechanism involved.

Materials and methods

Cell viability assessment, colony formation assay, caspase-3 and caspase-9 activity assay, real-time PCR, and Western blot analysis were applied.

Results

Our results showed that PTPN9 expression was frequently downregulated in colorectal cancer tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. Overexpression of PTPN9 mitigated cell growth and colony formation and induced cell apoptosis in colorectal cancer. Conversely, PTPN9 knockdown promoted cell growth and survival. Moreover, PTPN9 negatively regulated the activation of Stat3 and depressed its nuclear translocation in colorectal cancer. The effects of PTPN9 knockdown on cell apoptosis were attenuated by inhibition of the Stat3 pathway.

Conclusion

These results indicate that PTPN9 inhibits cell growth and survival by repressing the activation of Stat3 in colorectal cancer, which suggests an important underlying mechanism of regulating cell growth and provides a novel candidate therapeutic target for colorectal cancer.

Recurrent activations of transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 and vanilloid-4 promote cellular proliferation and migration in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells

Some members of the transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) subfamily of cation channels are thermosensitive. Earlier studies have revealed the distribution and functions of these thermo‐TRPVs (TRPV1–4) in various organs, but their expression and function in the human esophagus are not fully understood. Here, we probed for the expression of the thermo‐TRPVs in one nontumor human esophageal squamous cell line and two esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cell lines. TRPV1, TRPV2, and TRPV4 proteins were found to be upregulated in ESCC cells, while TRPV3 was not detectable in any of these cell lines. Subsequently, channel function was evaluated via monitoring of Ca²⁺ transients by Ca²⁺ imaging and nonselective cation channel currents were recorded by whole‐cell patch clamp. We found that TRPV4 was activated by heat at 28 °C–35 °C, whereas TRPV1 and TRPV2 were activated by higher, noxious temperatures (44 °C and 53 °C, respectively). Furthermore, TRPV1 was activated by capsaicin (EC₅₀ = 20.32 μm), and this effect was antagonized by AMG9810; TRPV2 was activated by a newly developed cannabinoid compound, O1821, and inhibited by tranilast. In addition, TRPV4 was activated by hypotonic solutions (220 m Osm), and this effect was abolished by ruthenium red. The effects of TRPV1 and TRPV4 on ESCC were also explored. Our data, for the first time, showed that the overactivation of TRPV1 and TRPV4 promoted the proliferation and/or migration of ESCC cells. In summary, TRPV1, TRPV2, and TRPV4 were functionally expressed in human esophageal squamous cells, and thermo‐TRPVs might play an important role in the development of ESCC.

The Roles of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) family is involved in multiple cellular functions and plays an important role in various pathological and physiological processes. In many chronic diseases, for example cancer, PTP is a potential therapeutic target for cancer treatment. In the last two decades, dozens of PTP inhibitors which specifically target individual PTP molecules were developed as therapeutic agents. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors and is the second most lethal cancer worldwide due to a lack of effective therapies. Recent studies have unveiled both oncogenic and tumor suppressive functions of PTP in HCC. Here, we review the current knowledge on the involvement of PTP in HCC and further discuss the possibility of targeting PTP in HCC.

MiR-96 enhances cellular proliferation and tumorigenicity of human cervical carcinoma cells through PTPN9

Up to date, the cervical cancer remains to be one of the leading gynecological malignancies worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in the process of tumor initiation and progression. However, miR-96 has rarely been investigated in human cervical carcinoma. We aimed to investigate the biological function and underlying molecular mechanism of miR-96 in human cervical carcinoma. MiR-96 levels were determined by qRT-PCR. Protein tyrosine phosphatase, non-receptor type 9 (PTPN9) mRNA and protein levels were investigated by qRT-PCR and western blotting. The cellular proliferation in cervical cells was monitored by CyQuant assay. Soft agar assay was employed to determine the tumorigenicity. 3' UTR luciferase assay was used to validate the target gene of miR-96. SPSS was used to analyze statistical significance in different treatment. MiR-96 was dramatically upregulated in human cervical tumor tissues. Overexpression of miR-96 was found to significantly promote the cellular proliferation and tumorigenicity of cervical cells. Furthermore, we showed that PTPN9 was a direct target gene of miR-96 and had opposite effect to those of miR-96 on cervical cells. MiR-96 may promote the cellular proliferation and tumorigenicity of cervical cells by silencing PTPN9. Our study highlights an importantly regulatory role of miR-96 and suggests that an appropriate manipulation of miR-96 may be a new treatment of human cervical carcinoma in the future.

RNF113A promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion, and is associated with a poor prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Ring finger protein 113A (RNF113A) possesses a C3HC4 zinc finger domain and this domain is found in E3 ubiquitin ligase and is involved in tumorigenesis. To date, and at least to the best of our knowledge, there are no studies available which have investigated RNF113A in cancer. Thus, this study aimed to explore the role of RNF113A in the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). For this purpose, paraffin-embedded samples from 117 patients with ESCC were selected, as well as 41 pairs of fresh-frozen ESCC and adjacent normal tissue samples. RNF113A expression was examined by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). RNF113A was overexpressed or silenced in the EC9706 and Eca109 cells. The cells were examined for cell cycle progression, apoptosis, invasiveness and migration. Xenograft tumors were also created in mice using the Eca109 cells. Tumor differentiation (P=0.008) and T classification (P<0.001) were found to be significantly associated with RNF113A expression. No statistically significant association was observed between RNF113A expression and sex, age, histological type, tumor location and lymph node metastasis (N classification). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the patients with ESCC with ahigh expression of RNF113A had a lower survival rate than those with a low expression (P=0.002). Multivariate analysis revealed that RNF113A expression (HR=2.406; 95% CI, 1.301-4.449, P=0.005) was independently associated with overall survival in patients with ESCC. The overexpression of RNF113A promoted proliferation, migration, and invasiveness of ESCC cell lines in vitro, and RNF113A silencing reversed these malignant behaviors. RNF113A knockdown inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Thus, these results indicate that RNF113A promotes the proliferation, migration and invasiveness of ESCC cell lines. RNF113A expression in ESCC is this associated with a poor prognosis of affected patients.