1
|
Ma WQ, Miao MC, Ding PA, Tan BB, Liu WB, Guo S, Er LM, Zhang ZD, Zhao Q. CALD1 facilitates epithelial-mesenchymal transition progression in gastric cancer cells by modulating the PI3K-Akt pathway. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2024; 16:1029-1045. [PMID: 38577446 PMCID: PMC10989365 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v16.i3.1029] [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] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND CALD1 has been discovered to be abnormally expressed in a variety of malignant tumors, including gastric cancer (GC), and is associated with tumor progression and immune infiltration; however, the roles and mechanisms of CALD1 in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in GC are unknown. AIM To investigate the role and mechanism of CALD1 in GC progression, invasion, and migration. METHODS In this study, the relationship between CALD1 and GC, as well as the possible network regulatory mechanisms of CALD1, was investigated by bioinformatics and validated by experiments. CALD1-siRNA was synthesized and used to transfect GC cells. Cell activity was measured using the CCK-8 method, cell migration and invasive ability were measured using wound healing assay and Transwell assay, and the expression levels of relevant genes and proteins in each group of cells were measured using qRT-PCR and Western blot. A GC cell xenograft model was established to verify the results of in vitro experiments. RESULTS Bioinformatics results showed that CALD1 was highly expressed in GC tissues, and CALD1 was significantly higher in EMT-type GC tissues than in tissues of other types of GC. The prognosis of patients with high expression of CALD1 was worse than that of patients with low expression, and a prognostic model was constructed and evaluated. The experimental results were consistent with the results of the bioinformatics analysis. The expression level of CALD1 in GC cell lines was all higher than that in gastric epithelial cell line GES-1, with the strongest expression found in AGS and MKN45 cells. Cell activity was significantly reduced after CALD1-siRNA transfection of AGS and MKN45 cells. The ability of AGS and MKN45 cells to migrate and invade was reduced after CALD1-siRNA transfection, and the related mRNA and protein expression was altered. According to bioinformatics findings in GC samples, the CALD1 gene was significantly associated with the expression of members of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway as well as the EMT signaling pathway, and was closely related to the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Experimental validation revealed that upregulation of CALD1 increased the expression of PI3K, p-AKT, and p-mTOR, members of the PI3K-Akt pathway,while decreasing the expression of PTEN; PI3K-Akt inhibitor treatment decreased the expression of PI3K, p-AKT, and p-mTOR in cells overexpressing CALD1 (still higher than that in the normal group), but increased the expression of PTEN (still lower than that in the normal group). CCK-8 results revealed that the effect of CALD1 on tumor cell activity was decreased by the addition of the inhibitor. Scratch and Transwell experiments showed that the effect of CALD1 on tumor cell migration and invasion was weakened by the addition of the PI3K-Akt inhibitor. The mRNA and protein levels of EMT-related genes in AGS and MKN45 cells were greatly altered by the overexpression of CALD1, whereas the effect of overexpression of CALD1 was significantly weakened by the addition of the PI3K-Akt inhibitor. Animal experiments showed that tumour growth was slow after inhibition of CALD1, and the expression of some PI3K-Akt and EMT pathway proteins was altered. CONCLUSION Increased expression of CALD1 is a key factor in the progression, invasion, and metastasis of GC, which may be associated with regulating the PI3K-Akt pathway to promote EMT.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Qian Ma
- Department of Endoscopy, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Comprehensive Treatment of Gastric Cancer, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
| | - Ming-Chang Miao
- Department of Radiotherapy, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
| | - Ping-An Ding
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Comprehensive Treatment of Gastric Cancer, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
- The Third Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
| | - Bi-Bo Tan
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Comprehensive Treatment of Gastric Cancer, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
- The Third Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
| | - Wen-Bo Liu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Comprehensive Treatment of Gastric Cancer, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
- The Third Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
| | - Shuo Guo
- Department of Endoscopy, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Comprehensive Treatment of Gastric Cancer, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
| | - Li-Mian Er
- Department of Endoscopy, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Comprehensive Treatment of Gastric Cancer, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
| | - Zhi-Dong Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Comprehensive Treatment of Gastric Cancer, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
- The Third Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
| | - Qun Zhao
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Comprehensive Treatment of Gastric Cancer, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
- The Third Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zheng Y, Zhong G, He C, Li M. Targeted splicing therapy: new strategies for colorectal cancer. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1222932. [PMID: 37664052 PMCID: PMC10470845 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1222932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA splicing is the process of forming mature mRNA, which is an essential phase necessary for gene expression and controls many aspects of cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation. Abnormal gene-splicing events are closely related to the development of tumors, and the generation of oncogenic isoform in splicing can promote tumor progression. As a main process of tumor-specific splicing variants, alternative splicing (AS) can promote tumor progression by increasing the production of oncogenic splicing isoforms and/or reducing the production of normal splicing isoforms. This is the focus of current research on the regulation of aberrant tumor splicing. So far, AS has been found to be associated with various aspects of tumor biology, including cell proliferation and invasion, resistance to apoptosis, and sensitivity to different chemotherapeutic drugs. This article will review the abnormal splicing events in colorectal cancer (CRC), especially the tumor-associated splicing variants arising from AS, aiming to offer an insight into CRC-targeted splicing therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Chengcheng He
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Alnuaimi AR, Bottner J, Nair VA, Ali N, Alnakhli R, Dreyer E, Talaat IM, Busch H, Perner S, Kirfel J, Hamoudi R, Abdel-Rahman WM. Immunohistochemical Expression Analysis of Caldesmon Isoforms in Colorectal Carcinoma Reveals Interesting Correlations with Tumor Characteristics. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24032275. [PMID: 36768598 PMCID: PMC9916900 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Revised: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer is a notorious disease, with almost half of the patients succumbing to the disease. The prevalence and incidence rates of colorectal cancer are increasing in many parts of the world, highlighting the need to discover new biomarkers for diagnosis and therapy. Caldesmon (CaD), an actin-binding protein that plays a significant role in controlling cell motility, has emerged as a promising biomarker. The CALD1 gene encodes CaD as multiple transcripts that mainly encode two protein isoforms: High-molecular-weight (h-CaD), expressed in smooth muscle, and low-molecular-weight (l-CaD), expressed in nonsmooth muscle cells. Most studies have suggested an oncogenic role of CaD in colorectal cancer, but the exact subcellular localization of the two CaD isoforms in tumor cells and stroma have not been clarified yet. Here, we analyzed tissue samples from 262 colorectal cancer patients by immunohistochemistry analysis using specific antibodies for l-CaD and h-CaD. The results showed elevated cytoplasmic expression levels of l-Cad in 187/262 (71.4%) cases. l-Cad was expressed at low levels in the normal colon mucosa and was also consistently expressed in the cancer-associated stroma of all cases, suggesting that it could play a role in modulating the tumor microenvironment. l-CaD expression in cancer cells was associated with preinvasive stages of cancer. Survival analysis indicated that patients with high l-CaD expression in tumor cells could respond poorly to selective chemotherapeutic 5FU, but not combination chemotherapy. h-CaD was expressed in colonic and vascular smooth muscle cells as expected and to a lesser extent in the tumor-associated stroma, but it was not expressed in the cancer cells or normal colon mucosal epithelial cells. Collectively, these data clarify how the expression patterns of CaD isoforms in colorectal cancer can have applications in the management of colorectal cancer patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alya R. Alnuaimi
- Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
- College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Justus Bottner
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, 23560 Luebeck, Germany
| | - Vidhya A. Nair
- Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Nival Ali
- Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Razaz Alnakhli
- Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Eva Dreyer
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, 23560 Luebeck, Germany
| | - Iman M. Talaat
- Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
- College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Hauke Busch
- College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
- Luebeck Institute for Experimental Dermatology, University of Luebeck, 23562 Luebeck, Germany
| | - Sven Perner
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, 23560 Luebeck, Germany
| | - Jutta Kirfel
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, 23560 Luebeck, Germany
| | - Rifat Hamoudi
- Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
- College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
- Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London NW3 2PS, UK
| | - Wael M. Abdel-Rahman
- Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +971-6-505-7556
| |
Collapse
|