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Faam B, Ghadiri AA, Ghaffari MA, Totonchi M, Amouzegar A, Azizi F, Shahbazian H, Hashemitabar M, Fanaei SA, Khorsandi L. CpG Island Methylation of the Rap1Gap Gene in Medullary Thyroid Cancer. Arch Iran Med 2022; 25:171-177. [PMID: 35429959 DOI: 10.34172/aim.2022.29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a rare type of neuroendocrine tumor. This study aimed to investigate the gene and protein expression of RAP1GAP and DNA methylation patterns of its CpG74a , CpG74b , and CpG24 in an Iranian population with MTC. METHODS In this case-control study, we selected 55 individuals who underwent thyroidectomy in Erfan hospital, Tehran, between 2018 and 2020. Samples were divided into normal thyroid tissues (control; n=20), benign nodule (n=20), and MTC (n=15). DNA methylation patterns were investigated using MSP (methylation-specific PCR). The protein level and mRNA expression of RAP1GAP were also evaluated using western blotting and real-time PCR, respectively. RESULTS The hyper-methylation rates of CpG24 and CpG74a in the MTC samples were considerably higher than the controls (83% versus 15% and 74% versus 17%, respectively; P<0.001). The methylation/unmethylation ratio of CpG74a , and CpG24 was considerably higher than the controls (P<0.001). The methylation/unmethylation ratio of CpG24 in the benign nodules was also considerably greater than the controls (P<0.001). The mRNA expression and the protein level of RAP1GAP in the MTC group were considerably lower than the controls (P=0.005 and P=0.035, respectively). In the MTC group, aberrant methylation of CpG74a and CpG24 was significantly correlated with decreasing expression of the Rap1Gap gene (R2 : 0.23; P=0.032 and R2 : 0.56; P=0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION Hyper-methylation in CpG24 and CpG74a and decreasing expression of RAP1GAP can be considered as diagnostic biomarkers for MTC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bita Faam
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Ata A Ghadiri
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Ghaffari
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Mehdi Totonchi
- Department of Endocrinology and Female Infertility, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Atieh Amouzegar
- Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fereidoun Azizi
- Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hajiehbibi Shahbazian
- Chronic Disease Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Mahmoud Hashemitabar
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | | | - Layasadat Khorsandi
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
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Faam B, Ghaffari MA, Khorsandi L, Ghadiri AA, Totonchi M, Amouzegar A, Fanaei SA, Azizi F, Shahbazian HB, Hashemi Tabar M. RAP1GAP Functions as a Tumor Suppressor Gene and Is Regulated by DNA Methylation in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer. Cytogenet Genome Res 2021; 161:227-235. [PMID: 34311462 DOI: 10.1159/000516122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Inactivation of tumor suppressor genes, such as RAP1GAP, by hypermethylation of their regulatory region can give rise to thyroid tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of the RAP1GAP gene and the DNA methylation patterns of its CpG74a, CpG74b, and CpG24 in an Iranian population with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). In this study, 160 individuals who underwent thyroidectomy in the Tehran Erfan Hospital between 2018 and 2020 were selected. DNA methylation patterns of selected CpG islands (CpG74a, CpG74b, and CpG24) were determined using methylation-specific PCR. The mRNA expression and protein level of -RAP1GAP were also evaluated. SW1736 and B-CPAP cells were treated with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza) to demethylate these regions. The hypermethylation rates of CpG74a and CpG24 in DTC samples were significantly higher than in the control. The mRNA expression and protein level of -RAP1GAP were significantly decreased in the DTC group. In the DTC group, hypermethylation in CpG74a was correlated with decreasing RAP1GAP expression (R2: 0.34; p = 0.043). CpG74a with a specificity of 86.4% has significant prediction power to distinguish between DTC and normal thyroid tissues. Additionally, hypermethylation of CpG74a was significantly associated with higher tumor stages (stage III-IV: 77%; stage I-II: 23%; p = 0.012). Increasing expression of RAP1GAP after demethylation with 15 µM of 5-Aza was observed in both cell lines. These results indicate that DNA hypermethylation in CpG74a can be considered as an epigenetic biomarker in DTC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bita Faam
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran,
| | - Mohammad A Ghaffari
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Layasadat Khorsandi
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.,Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Ata A Ghadiri
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.,Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Mehdi Totonchi
- Department of Endocrinology and Female Infertility, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Atieh Amouzegar
- Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Fereidoun Azizi
- Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hajeih B Shahbazian
- Chronic Diseases Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Mahmoud Hashemi Tabar
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
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Li H, Liang J, Wang J, Han J, Li S, Huang K, Liu C. Mex3a promotes oncogenesis through the RAP1/MAPK signaling pathway in colorectal cancer and is inhibited by hsa-miR-6887-3p. Cancer Commun (Lond) 2021; 41:472-491. [PMID: 33638620 PMCID: PMC8211350 DOI: 10.1002/cac2.12149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Although Mex3 RNA‐binding family member A (Mex3a) has demonstrated an important role in multiple cancers, its role and regulatory mechanism in CRC is unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role and clinical significance of Mex3a in CRC and to explore its underlying mechanism. Methods Western blotting and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) were performed to detect the expression levels of genes. 5‐Ethynyl‐2'‐deoxyuridine (EDU) and transwell assays were utilized to examine CRC cell proliferation and metastatic ability. The R software was used to do hierarchical clustering analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. Overexpression and rescue experiments which included U0126, a specific mitogen activated protein kinase kinase/extracellular regulated protein kinase (MEK/ERK) inhibitor, and PX‐478, a hypoxia‐inducible factor 1 subunit alpha (HIF‐1α) inhibitor, were used to study the molecular mechanisms of Mex3a in CRC cells. Co‐immunoprecipitation (Co‐IP) assay was performed to detect the interaction between two proteins. Bioinformatics analysis including available public database and Starbase software (starbase.sysu.edu.cn) were used to evaluate the expression and prognostic significance of genes. TargetScan (www.targetscan.org) and the miRDB (mirdb.org) website were used to predict the combination site between microRNA and target mRNA. BALB/c nude mice were used to study the function of Mex3a and hsa‐miR‐6887‐3p in vivo. Results Clinicopathological and immunohistochemical (IHC) studies of 101 CRC tissues and 79 normal tissues demonstrated that Mex3a was a significant prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) in CRC patients. Mex3a knockdown substantially inhibited the migration, invasion, and proliferation of CRC cells. Transcriptome analysis and mechanism verification showed that Mex3a regulated the RAP1 GTPase activating protein (RAP1GAP)/MEK/ERK/HIF‐1α pathway. Furthermore, RAP1GAP was identified to interact with Mex3a in Co‐IP experiments. Bioinformatics and dual‐luciferase reporter experiments revealed that hsa‐miR‐6887‐3p could bind to the 3'‐untranslated regions (3'‐UTR) of the Mex3a mRNA. hsa‐miR‐6887‐3p downregulated Mex3a expression and inhibited the tumorigenesis of CRC both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that the hsa‐miR‐6887‐3p/Mex3a/RAP1GAP signaling axis was a key regulator of CRC and Mex3a has the potential to be a new diagnostic marker and treatment target for CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixia Li
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, P. R. China
| | - Jinghui Liang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, P. R. China
| | - Jiang Wang
- Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, P. R. China
| | - Jingyi Han
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, P. R. China
| | - Shuang Li
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, P. R. China
| | - Kai Huang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, P. R. China
| | - Chuanyong Liu
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, P. R. China.,Provincial Key Lab of Mental Disorder, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, P. R. China
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