HDGF stimulates liver tumorigenesis by enhancing reactive oxygen species generation in mitochondria

Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) overexpression and uncontrolled reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation are involved in malignant transformation and poor prognosis in various types of cancer. However, the interplay between HDGF and ROS generation has not been elucidated in hepatocellular carcinoma. Here, we first analyzed the profile of HDGF expression and ROS production in newly generated orthotopic hepatomas by ultrasound-guided implantation. In situ superoxide detection showed that HDGF-overexpressing hepatomas had significantly elevated ROS levels compared with adjacent nontumor tissues. Consistently, liver tissues from HDGF-deficient mice exhibited lower ROS fluorescence than those from age- and sex-matched WT mice. ROS-detecting fluorescent dyes and flow cytometry revealed that recombinant HDGF (rHDGF) stimulated the production of superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and mitochondrial ROS generation in cultured hepatoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, the inactive Ser103Ala rHDGF mutant failed to promote ROS generation or oncogenic behaviors. Seahorse metabolic flux assays revealed that rHDGF dose dependently upregulated bioenergetics through enhanced basal and total oxygen consumption rate, extracellular acidification rate, and oxidative phosphorylation in hepatoma cells. Moreover, antioxidants of N-acetyl cysteine and MitoQ treatment significantly inhibited HDGF-mediated cell proliferation and invasive capacity. Genetic silencing of superoxide dismutase 2 augmented the HDGF-induced ROS generation and oncogenic behaviors of hepatoma cells. Finally, genetic knockdown nucleolin (NCL) and antibody neutralization of surface NCL, the HDGF receptor, abolished the HDGF-induced increase in ROS and mitochondrial energetics. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated for the first time that the HDGF/NCL signaling axis induces ROS generation by elevating ROS generation in mitochondria, thereby stimulating liver carcinogenesis.

Association of serum hepatoma-derived growth factor levels with disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis: A pilot study

Background

Hepatoma‐derived growth factor (HDGF) is reported to play an important role in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. However, growing evidence indicates its participation in immune system activation. This study analyzed the relationship among serum HDGF levels, disease activity, and laboratory markers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods

Blood samples from 165 patients with RA, 42 with osteoarthritis (OA), and 28 healthy controls, were used to evaluate the serum HDGF levels. Correlations of serum HDGF levels with age, 28‐joint count disease activity score (DAS28), and laboratory findings were assessed by Pearson correlation and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analyses to obtain HDGF optimal cutoffs according to the disease status. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on the knee synovial tissue samples from patients with RA and OA (n = 10 each) to investigate HDGF joint expression.

Results

Serum HDGF levels were significantly correlated with DAS28 erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r = 0.412, p < 0.001) and C‐reactive protein values (r = 0.376, p < 0.001). The optimal cutoffs of serum HDGF levels from the ROC analysis were 5.79 and 5.14 for the differentiation of active/inactive disease and remission/non‐remission, respectively. The ideal cutoff of serum HDGF levels to differentiate RA and OA was determined as 5.47. Serial serum HDGF level analyses in 21 patients with RA revealed that serum HDGF levels significantly decreased after improvement in disease activity (p = 0.046). HDGF expression was not observed in the synovial tissues of the patients with RA and OA.

Conclusion

Serum HDGF level could be a potential laboratory biomarker for the severity of RA.

The relationship between hepatoma-derived growth factor and prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) promotes cancer progression and metastasis by interacting with vascular endothelial growth factor, thereby inducing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and angiogenesis. Recent studies have correlated increased HDGF levels with poor prognosis in various malignancies, including lung cancer. This meta-analysis systematically assessed the prognostic significance of HDGF expression in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS

Eligible studies were identified by searching literature in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane library until June 2020. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was determined to assess the relationship between HDGF expression and clinical outcome in patients with NSCLC.

RESULTS

The pooled HRs between high HDGF expression and clinical outcome were 2.20 (95% CI 1.75-2.76, P < .001) and 2.77 (95% CI 1.79-4.29, P < .001) for overall survival and disease-free survival, respectively. High HDGF expression was significantly correlated with a larger tumor size (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.02-2.46, P = .040).

CONCLUSION

HDGF expression is related to clinical outcome and may be a prognostic marker in patients with NSCLC.

Hepatoma-derived growth factor participates in concanavalin A-induced hepatitis

Hepatitis is an important health problem worldwide. Novel molecular targets are in demand for detection and management of hepatitis. Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) has been delineated to participate in hepatic fibrosis and liver carcinogenesis. However, the relationship between hepatitis and HDGF remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the role of HDGF during hepatitis using concanavalin A (ConA)-induced hepatitis model. In cultured hepatocytes, ConA treatment-elicited HDGF upregulation at transcriptional level and promoted HDGF secretion while reducing intracellular HDGF protein level and cellular viability. Similarly, mice receiving ConA administration exhibited reduced hepatic HDGF expression and elevated circulating HDGF level, which was positively correlated with serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. By using HDGF knockout (KO) mice, it was found the ConA-evoked cell death was prominently alleviated in KO compared with control. Besides, it was delineated HDGF ablation conferred protection by suppressing the ConA-induced neutrophils recruitment in livers. Above all, the ConA-mediated activation of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)/interleukin-1β (IL-1β)/interleukin-6 (IL-6)/cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inflammatory signaling was significantly abrogated in KO mice. Treatment with recombinant HDGF (rHDGF) dose-dependently stimulated the expression of TNF-α/IL-1β/IL-6/COX-2 in hepatocytes, further supporting the pro-inflammatory function of HDGF. Finally, application of HDGF antibody not only attenuated the ConA-mediated inflammatory cascade in hepatocytes, but also ameliorated the ConA-induced hepatic necrosis and AST elevation in mice. In summary, HDGF participates in ConA-induced hepatitis via neutrophils recruitment and may constitute a therapeutic target for acute hepatitis.

MicroRNA-939 Directly Targets HDGF to Inhibit the Aggressiveness of Prostate Cancer via Deactivation of the WNT/β-Catenin Pathway

Purpose

MicroRNA-939 (miR-939) has crucial roles in several types of human cancer. However, the expression profile and precise functions of miR-939 in prostate cancer (PCa) are still unclear. This study aimed to determine miR-939 expression in PCa and explore its roles in PCa tumorigenesis.

Methods

miR-939 expression was determined in PCa tissues and cell lines using reverse transcription–quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation, and flow cytometric assays were used to determine the role of miR-939 in PCa cell proliferation and apoptosis in vitro, whereas a tumor xenograft model was generated to evaluate the effect of miR-939 on tumor growth in vivo. Transwell assays were performed to investigate whether miR-939 affects the migration and invasiveness of PCa cells.

Results

miR-939 was found to be downregulated in PCa tissues and cell lines, and this downregulation was significantly correlated with tumor stage and lymphatic metastasis. Patients with PCa exhibiting low miR-939 expression had shorter overall survival than those exhibiting high miR-939 expression. Exogenous miR-939 expression suppressed PCa cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion in vitro; enhanced apoptosis in vitro; and decreased tumor growth in vivo. Investigation of the underlying molecular mechanisms revealed hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) as a direct target gene of miR-939 in PCa. HDGF was found to be significantly upregulated in PCa tissues, and its expression was inversely correlated with miR-939 expression. HDGF silencing and miR-939 upregulation showed similar effects in PCa. Restored HDGF expression counteracted the tumor-suppressive activity of miR-939 overexpression in PCa cells. Furthermore, ectopic miR-939 expression inhibited the WNT/β-catenin pathway activation in PCa both in vitro and in vivo by downregulating HDGF.

Conclusion

miR-939 functions as a tumor suppressor during PCa tumorigenesis by directly targeting HDGF and deactivating the WNT/β-catenin pathway, suggesting the miR-939/HDGF/WNT/β-catenin pathway as an effective target for PCa therapy.

Long Non-Coding RNA ASB16-AS1 Functions as a miR-760 Sponge to Facilitate the Malignant Phenotype of Osteosarcoma by Increasing HDGF Expression

Purpose

ASB16 antisense RNA 1 (ASB16-AS1) is a cancer-associated long non-coding RNA that contributes to tumorigenesis and tumor development. Nevertheless, to the best of our knowledge, whether and how ASB16-AS1 is implicated in osteosarcoma (OS) malignancy remains unclear and therefore warrants exploration. Our current study focused on making in-depth investigation of ASB16-AS1 in OS. In the present study, the expression pattern of ASB16-AS1 in OS tissues and cell lines was analyzed. In addition, we examined the clinical value of ASB16-AS1 for OS patients. Furthermore, we explored the impacts of ASB16-AS1 on the malignant phenotype of OS cells in vitro and in vivo as well as the underlying mechanism.

Methods

ASB16-AS1, microRNA-760 (miR-760) and hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) expressions were measured using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated using CCK-8 and flow cytometry analyses, respectively, and cell migration and invasion were determined via cell migration and invasion assays.

Results

ASB16-AS1 expression was significantly elevated in OS tissues and cell lines, and increased ASB16-AS1 expression was related to patients' tumor size, TNM stage, and distant metastasis. The overall survival rate of OS patients presenting high ASB16-AS1 expression was shorter than that of patients presenting low ASB16-AS1 expression. Reduced ASB16-AS1 expression inhibited OS cell proliferation, migration, and invasion; promoted cell apoptosis; and impaired tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, ASB16-AS1 served as a sponge for miR-760 and positively modulated the expression of its target HDGF. Finally, inhibiting miR-760 and restoring HDGF expression abolished the impacts of ASB16-AS1 knockdown on the malignant characteristics of OS cells.

Conclusion

ASB16-AS1 is a novel oncogenic lncRNA in OS cells. ASB16-AS1 increased HDGF expression by sponging miR-760, thereby conferring cancer-promoting roles in OS. ASB16-AS1 is a potential early diagnostic and therapeutic target in OS.

MicroRNA-139-5p inhibits cell viability, migration and invasion and suppresses tumor growth by targeting HDGF in non-small cell lung cancer

MicroRNA (miRNAs) serve key roles in the progress of various types of cancer. The expression of miRNA (miR)-139-5p is downregulated in several types of tumor and has been recognized as a tumor suppressor. However, the role of miR-139-5p in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been investigated in detail. In the present study, it was demonstrated that miR-139-5p was significantly downregulated in NSCLC cells and tissues, and the overexpression of miR-139-5p in vitro induced apoptosis and significantly inhibited the viability and proliferation of A549 and H1299 cells. In addition, upregulation of miR-139-5p significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of A549 and H1299 cells. Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) was identified as a direct target of miR-139-5p. Rescue experiments demonstrated that the inhibitory function of miR-139-5p on cell viability, migration and invasion was partially mediated by suppressing HDGF expression. Furthermore, miR-139-5p exhibited efficient inhibition of tumor growth in a xenograft tumor mouse model of A549 cells. In summary, the results from the present study suggested that miR-139-5p may serve an important role in NSCLC by targeting HDGF and causing inhibition of cell viability and metastasis, as well as induction of apoptosis. miR-139-5p may also have the potential to serve as a therapeutic target for the treatment of NSCLC.

Long Noncoding RNA FOXD2-AS1 Promotes the Malignancy of Cervical Cancer by Sponging MicroRNA-760 and Upregulating Hepatoma-Derived Growth Factor

Although the functions of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) called FOXD2 adjacent opposite strand RNA 1 (FOXD2-AS1) have been well studied in multiple human cancer types, its expression status and detailed roles in cervical cancer remain unknown and merit investigation. This study was aimed at assessing FOXD2-AS1 expression in cervical cancer and at determining its effects on the aggressive behavior of cervical cancer in vitro and in vivo. Expression of FOXD2-AS1 in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines was determined via reverse-transcription quantitative PCR. The effects of FOXD2-AS1 on cervical cancer cells were examined by a 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, flow-cytometric analysis, migration and invasion assays, and an in vivo tumorigenicity assay. FOXD2-AS1 was found to be significantly upregulated in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. High FOXD2-AS1 expression was notably linked with the Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, lymph node metastasis, and depth of cervical invasion in patients with cervical cancer. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed significantly shorter overall survival of patients when the tumor expression of FOXD2-AS1 was higher in comparison with those in patients with lower FOXD2-AS1 expression. In vitro functional assays revealed that downregulation of FOXD2-AS1 led to suppression of proliferation, migration, and invasiveness as well as to the induction of apoptosis of cervical cancer cells. In addition, FOXD2-AS1 silencing hindered tumor growth in vivo. Mechanism investigation revealed that FOXD2-AS1 functioned as a molecular sponge of microRNA-760 (miR-760). Furthermore, hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) was validated as a direct target gene of miR-760 in cervical cancer cells. Moreover, an miR-760 knockdown reversed the effects of FOXD2-AS1 silencing on cervical cancer cells. FOXD2-AS1 possesses significant oncogenic activity in cervical cancer progression; this activity is mediated by sponging of miR-760 with consequent upregulation of HDGF. The FOXD2-AS1-miR-760-HDGF axis might harbor promising targets for novel treatment strategies of cervical cancer.

MiRNA-610 acts as a tumour suppressor to depress the cisplatin resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma through targeted silencing of hepatoma-derived growth factor

INTRODUCTION

Hepatic malignancy is one of the most common malignant neoplasms around the globe, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type. In this study, the roles and mechanisms of MiRNA-610 in the chemo resistance of HCC will be discussed.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The expression of MiRNA-610 and hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) in HCC tissues and cell line was detected by quantitative real-time PCR. The proliferation and chemo resistance were analysed by MTT assay. Flow cytometry was used to examine the apoptosis rate. Luciferase reporter assay was used to verify the correlation between MiRNA-610 and HDGF. HDGF protein expression was detected by Western blot.

RESULTS

Our study confirmed the low-expression of MiRNA-610 in HCC tissues and cell line. Its low expression was related to high T stages and poor differentiation of HCC, and was a prognostic factor for HCC. MiRNA-610 upregulation inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells. MiRNA-610 enhancement decreased the half maximal inhibitory concentration for cisplatin (DDP) and depressed the DDP resistance in HepG2 cells. The specific correlation between MiRNA-610 and HDGF was tested by luciferase reporter assay and western blot. The transfection with HDGF expression vector up-regulated the expression of HDGF protein silenced by MiRNA-610 enhancement. HDGF overexpression was found to reverse partly the regulatory roles of MiRNA-610 on malignancy and DDP resistance.

CONCLUSIONS

MiRNA-610 not only played a tumour suppressor role in HCC but also affected chemo resistance to DDP. This role is mainly mediated through targeted silencing of the HDGF gene, which may offer a new potential therapeutic target and improve the clinical therapeutic effect for HCC.

[Curcumin suppresses invasiveness and migration of human glioma cells in vitro by inhibiting HDGF/β-catenin complex]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of curcumin on the invasion and migration of human glioma cells in vitro and explore the molecular mechanisms.

METHODS

MTT assay was used for screening the optimal curcumin concentrations. The effects of curcumin on the invasion and metastasis of human glioma cell lines U251 and LN229 were tested using Transwell assay, Boyden assay and wound-healing assays. The expression of the related proteins and their interactions were determined using Western blotting and coimmunoprecipitation assay.

RESULTS

Curcumin at the concentration of 20 μmol/L for 48 h was used as the optimal condition for subsequent cell treatment. In the two glioma cell lines, curcumin significantly suppressed the invasion and migration of the cells (P &lt; 0.05) and lowered the expressions of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF), Ncadherin, vimentin, Snail and Slug, but increased the expression of E-cadherin. Interference of HDGF in curcumin-treated glioma cells synergistically inhibited the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signals, while overexpression of HDGF significantly reversed the inhibitory effect of curcumin on EMT; curcumin treatment could significantly reduce the binding of HDGF to β-catenin.

CONCLUSIONS

Curcumin suppresses EMT signal by reducing HDGF/β-catenin complex and thereby lowers the migration and invasion abilities of human glioma cells in vitro.

HDGF and PRKCA upregulation is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with lung adenocarcinoma

Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common histologic subtype of lung cancer. The aim of the present study was to assess the expression of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) and protein kinase Cα (PRKCA) in lung adenocarcinoma (LADC), and to determine the association between the combined expression of these two proteins and clinicopathological characteristics of patients with LADC. The expression of HDGF and PRKCA mRNA was assessed by GEO database analysis, and HDGF and PRKCA protein levels were examined by immunohistochemistry using a tissue microarray. High HDGF and PRKCA expression was observed in LADC tissue compared to normal samples, and increased HDGF and PRKCA expression was associated with AJCC clinical stage, tumor classification, node classification, and lymph node metastasis. GEO database analysis revealed no significant differences between HDGF mRNA and PRKCA mRNA in LADC tissue. However, high PRKCA protein expression was associated with high HDGF protein expression, and patients with high HDGF and PRKCA expression exhibited poorer overall survival rates than patients with low expression levels of the two proteins. The results of the present study suggest that upregulation of both HDGF and PRKCA may be an unfavourable factor for lung adenocarcinoma progression.

MicroRNA-873 inhibits the proliferation and invasion of endometrial cancer cells by directly targeting hepatoma-derived growth factor

An accumulation of evidence has demonstrated that abnormal microRNA (miRNA or miR) expression is associated with different types of cancer, including endometrial cancer (EC). The dysregulation of miRNAs may serve important roles in the development and progression of EC by regulating multiple aggressive biological behaviors, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis and angiogenesis. An in-depth understanding of the miRNAs associated with EC initiation and progression may be crucial for identifying successful therapeutic techniques. miR-873 has been demonstrated to be dysregulated in different types of cancer. However, the expression status and regulatory roles of miR-873 are yet to be elucidated in EC. In the present study, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was carried out to detect miR-873 expression in EC tissues and cell lines. Cell Counting Kit-8 and in vitro invasion assays were utilized to determine the influence of miR-873 on the proliferation and invasion of EC cells. miR-873 expression was revealed to be downregulated in EC tissues and cell lines. Decreased miR-873 expression was significantly associated with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage and lymph node metastasis of patients with EC. Functional assays revealed that resumed miR-873 expression suppressed the proliferation and invasion of EC cells. Additionally, hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) was indicated to be a direct target gene of miR-873 in EC cells. HDGF was highly expressed in EC tissues and inversely correlated with miR-873 expression. HDGF silencing also imitated the tumor-suppressor activity of miR-873 overexpression in EC cells. A series of rescue experiments identified that recovered HDGF expression hindered the anti-proliferative and anti-invasive roles of miR-873 upregulation in EC cells. In conclusion, the present study indicated that miR-873 serves an important role as a tumor suppressor in EC development by directly targeting HDGF. The results may provide a novel insight into clinical treatments, which can be used to prevent EC aggression.

Helicobacter pylori Infection-Induced Hepatoma-Derived Growth Factor Regulates the Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Myofibroblast-Like Cells

Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) plays a critical role in tumor cell proliferation, anti-apoptosis, VEGF expression, lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis in human gastric cancer. Gastric cancer, as one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide, is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the world for the prognosis of gastric cancer is generally poor, especially in patients with advanced stage. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection causes the chronic inflammation of stomach as well as the development of gastric cancer, with a three to six-fold increased risk of gastric cancer. Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are myofibroblasts in tumor microenvironment, which possess various abilities to promote the progression of cancer by stimulating neoangiogenesis, proliferation, migration, invasion and therapy resistance of tumor cell. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are reported to promote tumor malignance through differentiation of MSCs toward CAFs. In the present study, we demonstrated that H. pylori infection promotes HDGF expression in human gastric cancer cells. HBMMSCs treated with HDGF assume properties of CAF-like myofibroblastic phenotypes, including expression of myofibroblast markers (α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), procollagen α1, tropomyoson I, desmin, fibroblast activation protein (FAP)), and fibroblast markers (prolyl-4-hydroxylase A1 (PHA1) and fibroblast specific protein-1 (FSP-1)/S100A4). HDGF recruits HBMMSCs, and then HBMMSCs further contributes to cell survival and invasive motility in human gastric cancer cells. Treatment of HDGF neutralizing antibody (HDGF-NAb) and serum significantly inhibit HDGF-regulated differentiation and recruitment of HBMMSCs. These findings suggest that HDGF might play a critical role in gastric cancer progress through stimulation of HBMMSCs differentiation to myofibroblast-like cells.

MicroRNA-425 is downregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and regulates tumor cell viability and invasion by targeting hepatoma-derived growth factor

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), which arises from the nasopharynx epithelium, is most common in Southeast Asia, particularly in Southern China. To date, a variety of microRNAs have been demonstrated to serve key functions in the progression and development of NPC. microRNA-425 (miR-425) has previously been reported to be frequently abnormally expressed in a number of different types of human cancer, including lung, gastric, cervical, breast and prostate cancer. However, to the best of our knowledge, the expression patterns, functions and underlying mechanisms of miR-425 in NPC remain largely unexplored. In the present study, the expression of miR-425 was revealed to be low in NPC tissues and cell line. Resumption of miR-425 expression suppressed cell viability and invasion in NPC. Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) was identified as a direct target gene of miR-425 in NPC. HDGF was highly expressed at mRNA and protein levels in NPC tissues. Additionally, HDGF mRNA was negatively correlated with miR-425 expression in NPC tissues. Furthermore, overexpression of HDGF almost completely rescued the tumor-suppressing effects of miR-425 on NPC cell viability and invasion. Taken together, these results demonstrated that miR-425 acted as a tumor suppressor in NPC by targeting HDGF, suggesting that it may be a novel therapeutic target for the treatments of patients with NPC.

Cyclic Mechanical Stretch Up-regulates Hepatoma-Derived Growth Factor Expression in Cultured Rat Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells

Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) is a potent mitogen for vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) during embryogenesis and injury repair of vessel walls. Whether mechanical stimuli modulate HDGF expression remains unknown. The present study aimed at investigating whether cyclic mechanical stretch plays a regulatory role in HDGF expression and regenerative cytokine production in aortic SMCs. A SMC cell line was grown on a silicone-based elastomer chamber with extracellular matrix coatings (either type I collagen or fibronectin) and received cyclic and uniaxial mechanical stretches with 10% deformation at frequency 1 Hz. Morphological observation showed that fibronectin coating provided better cell adhesion and spreading and that consecutive 6 h of cyclic mechanical stretch remarkably induced reorientation and realignment of SMCs. Western blotting detection demonstrated that continuous mechanical stimuli elicited up-regulation of HDGF and proliferative cell nuclear antigen, a cell proliferative marker. Signal kinetic profiling study indicated that cyclic mechanical stretch induced signaling activity in RhoA/ROCK and PI3K/Akt cascades. Kinase inhibition study further showed that blockade of PI3K activity suppressed the stretch-induced tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), whereas RhoA/ROCK inhibition significantly blunted the interleukin-6 (IL-6) production and HDGF overexpression. Moreover, siRNA-mediated HDGF gene silencing significantly suppressed constitutive expression of IL-6, but not TNF-α, in SMCs. These findings support the role of HDGF in maintaining vascular expression of IL-6, which has been regarded a crucial regenerative factor for acute vascular injury. In conclusion, cyclic mechanical stretch may maintain constitutive expression of HDGF in vascular walls and be regarded an important biophysical regulator in vascular regeneration.

High Serum HDGF Levels Are Predictive of Bone Metastasis and Unfavorable Prognosis in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) is a heparin-binding protein possessing mitogenic activity and could be secreted from necrotic cells passively or actively, thereby functioning as a damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP). The high expression of HDGF in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues is associated with unfavorable prognosis. However, the clinical significance of serum HDGF has not been elucidated in NSCLC yet. In the present study, we compared the serum levels of HDGF in 235 patients with NSCLC (141 adenocarcinoma and 94 squamous cell carcinoma cases) with those in 40 healthy subjects. Moreover, we explored the correlation between serum HDGF levels and clinicopathologic factors or the overall survival rates. We thus found that the serum HDGF levels were significantly higher in NSCLC patients than those in healthy subjects (P < 0.001). Moreover, there was no significant difference in the serum HDGF levels between adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Importantly, the higher serum levels of HDGF were significantly associated with bone metastasis and with lower overall survival rates. Thus, serum HDGF was identified as an independent prognostic factor indicating poor prognosis of NSCLC. Using A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cell line, we demonstrated that an autophagy inhibitor, chloroquine, could inhibit the HDGF secretion, while quercetin, an autophagy inducer derived from a traditional Chinese drug, could facilitate HDGF secretion. In conclusion, high serum levels of HDGF were significantly correlated to bone metastasis and poorer prognosis of NSCLC. We suggest that anti-HDGF therapy is potential to protect NSCLC patients with advanced stages from bone metastasis.

Hepatoma-derived growth factor functions as an unfavorable prognostic marker of human gliomas

Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) regulates various cellular processes involved in the onset and development of tumors. To evaluate the role of HDGF in human gliomas, western blotting analysis, immunohistochemistry staining and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction were performed to detect HDGF protein and mRNA expression levels in glioma and intractable epileptic brain tissue. Various clinicopathological characteristics, including age, gender, World health Organization grade, HDGF expression level, Karnofsky performance Status (KPS) and Ki-67 index were obtained from medical records. The correlation between HDGF expression and these clinicopathological characteristics was statistically evaluated. Following this, multivariate liner regression was used to evaluate their effect on patient survival time. HDGF expression, at the protein and mRNA levels, was observed to be more upregulated in glioma tissues compared with intractable epileptic brain tissue without tumor. Furthermore, the level of HDGF expression was positively associated with the grade of malignancy [grades II~IV, Ki-67 index ≥20% or KPS <80 (P<0.05)] and poor prognosis in glioma patients. Notably, the univariate survival analysis identified a negative correlation between HDGF-expression and survival time (P<0.01) and multivariate liner regression demonstrated that HDGF expression is an independent prognostic factor for gliomas (P=0.01). Overall, HDGF upregulation may be a crucial step in the development and invasion of glioma. Further survival analysis highlighted its prognostic value for this malignancy, implying its potential as a promising therapeutic target for gliomas.

Hepatoma-derived Growth Factor Predicts Disease Severity and Survival in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

RATIONALE

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a fatal disease, and pulmonary microvascular remodeling is an important contributor to PAH development. Therefore, we hypothesized that a circulating angiogenic factor could predict disease severity and survival.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to assess the relationship of serum hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) with PAH disease severity and survival.

METHODS

Using a newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we evaluated circulating HDGF levels in two independent PAH cohorts and two different characterized control cohorts. Clinical and laboratory data were also used to assess the value of HDGF as a PAH prognostic biomarker.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Serum HDGF levels were significantly elevated in two independent PAH cohorts. Importantly, serum HDGF levels were not elevated in a noncardiac chronic disease cohort. Further, patients with elevated HDGF had significantly lower exercise tolerance, worse New York Heart Association functional class, and higher levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide. HDGF was a strong predictor of mortality, with an unadjusted hazard ratio of 4.5 (95% confidence interval, 1.9-10.3; P = 0.003 by log-rank test). In multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, elevated HDGF levels predicted decreased survival after being adjusted for age, PAH subtype, invasive hemodynamics, and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide.

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated HDGF was associated with worse functional class, exertional intolerance, and increased mortality in PAH, suggesting HDGF as a potential biomarker for predicting mortality and as having possible diagnostic value for distinguishing PAH from non-PAH. HDGF may add additional value in PAH risk stratification in clinical trials and may represent a potential target for future PAH drug development.

MicroRNA-195 inhibits the behavior of cervical cancer tumors by directly targeting HDGF

MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are a class of conserved non-coding endogenous small regulatory RNAs that regulate target gene expression by binding to the 3′-untranslated region of target mRNAs in a base-pairing manner, resulting in repression of transcription or degradation of target mRNAs. It has been demonstrated previously that the abnormal expression of miRNAs is involved in the carcinogenesis and progression of cervical cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression, biological functions and underlying molecular mechanisms of miR-195 in cervical cancer. The reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression level of miR-195 in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. Following transfection, an MTT assay, cell migration and invasion assays, western blot analysis and a dual-luciferase reporter assay were performed in human cervical cancer cells. In the present study, it was identified that miR-195 was downregulated in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. Additionally, upregulation of miR-195 and knockdown of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells. Furthermore, a dual-luciferase reporter assay identified that HDGF was a direct target gene of miR-195. RT-qPCR and western blot analysis demonstrated that miR-195 mimic inhibited HDGF expression at the mRNA and protein levels, whereas miR-195 inhibitor enhanced HDGF expression at the mRNA and protein levels. These results indicated that miR-195 targeted HDGF to inhibit the behavior of tumors in cervical cancer. These results also suggested that miR-195 was a potential therapeutic biomarker of cervical cancer.

Hepatoma-derived growth factor promotes growth and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

We aimed to elucidate the effects of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) on growth and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Tissue microarrays with 236 HCC specimens and 18 extrahepatic metastases were utilized to detect the HDGF expression by immunohistochemistry. Meanwhile, HDGF expressions in HCC cell lines with different metastatic potentials were examined using immunofluorescence staining, real-time PCR and western blotting. After HDGF silencing, the growth and metastatic potentials of HCC cells were evaluated by soft agar assay, invasion assay, together with tumorigenicity assay in nude mice. The gelatin zymography was performed by detecting MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels. Additionally, western blotting was conducted to determine the levels of total and phosphorylated ERK1/2, JNK, p38 and Akt. The results showed that HDGF was overexpressed in HCC metastasis tumour, and the expression increased with the differentiation degree of tumours (Grade I 44.0%, Grade II 48.4% and Grade III 65.6%). Consistently, HDGF levels were positively associated with the metastatic capability of HCC cells (MHCC97L < MHCC97H < HCCLM3). The growth and metastasis were suppressed by HDGF-siRNA. Gelatinolytic activities were enhanced in the three metastatic HCC cell lines, but had no significant difference among them. The tumourigenicity and metastatic capability of HCCLM3 cells in nude mice were inhibited after silencing HDGF. Meanwhile, HDGF-siRNA specifically suppressed the total and phosphorylated protein levels of ERK1/2, while not JNK, p38 and Akt. In conclusion, HDGF was overexpressed in HCC patients and cells, and HDGF might be closely correlated with HCC metastasis via regulating ERK signalling pathway. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The evaluation of hepatoma-derived growth factor in determining of prognosis and estimating of invasive probability of tumoral cells, recurrent, and metastasis of lymphatic glands in breast carcinoma

Introduction:

Recently, hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) has been considered as a significantly important factor in determining the prognosis and estimating the probability of tumor cell invasions, recurrence, and lymph node metastasis in different cancers, including breast malignancies.

Materials and Methods:

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) study for HDGF was performed on paraffin-embedded blocks of patients with breast carcinoma in Modarres hospital, Tehran, Iran, since 1387–1390 (74 cases); three separate pathologists read the slides after complete IHC staining. Thereafter, necessary information was recorded from patient files, and eventually, findings were analyzed by SPSS program.

Results:

Expression of nuclear HDGF has significant statistical correlation with tumor grade according to Nottingham grading scheme; this correlation is also seen with nuclear pleomorphism of tumor cells and mitotic count. No correlation between age and tumor size with expression of HDGF is found. Lymph node metastasis is in inverse ratio to nuclear HDGF staining.

Conclusion:

Nuclear expression of HDGF in tumor cells is increased concordantly to tumor grade, which implies us to the role of this marker in determining the prognosis and choosing the most suitable treatment plan.

Positive feedback loop of hepatoma-derived growth factor and β-catenin promotes carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer

To clarify the role of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) and β-catenin in carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC), our results showed that high HDGF expression was found in CRC cells and tissues and significantly related to histological differentiation (p = 0.035) and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.000). Significant positive correlation between HDGF expression and β-catenin abnormal expression was found in CRC tissues. High HDGF and lymph node metastasis were the strong independent prognostic indicators for reduced overall survival in CRC patients. HDGF knockdown dramatically inhibited cellular proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumorigenesis, both in vitro and in vivo, but induced G1 phase arrest and apoptosis in CRC cells. HDGF knock-down dramatically suppressed β-catenin and its down-stream genes expression in CRC cells. Intriguingly, β-catenin knock-down dramatically suppressed HDGF expression in CRC cells. Human recombinant Wnt3a and DKK1 treatment increased and decreased HDGF, β-catenin, c-Myc, cyclin D1, MMP9, and phos-GSK-3β (Ser9) protein expression in nuclear and cytoplasmic fraction of CRC cells upon β-catenin knock-down, respectively. Three HDGF-binding elements in β-catenin promoter were found and specific for transcriptional activation of β-catenin in CRC cells. In conclusion, our results first suggest that HDGF and β-catenin interacts as a positive feedback loop, which plays an important role in carcinogenesis and progression of CRC.

The expression and clinical significance of HDGF in osteosarcoma

AIM

To investigate the expression of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) in osteosarcoma (OS) and the correlation with clinicopathologic factors, prognosis, and tumor progression.

METHOD

HDGF expression in OS tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. The correlation between HDGF and clinicopathologic factors was analyzed by chi-square test, and the association between HDGF expression and the overall survival rates was evaluated by univariate analysis using Kaplan-Meier method. HDGF concentration in cell medium or cell lysates was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The effect of extrinsic and intrinsic HDGF on OS cell proliferation was detected by MTT assay after recombinant HDGF stimulation or HDGF knockdown, respectively.

RESULTS

Proportion of HDGF high expression was 18.69% (20/107) in OS. HDGF high expression was significantly associated with larger tumor size (P=0.004). With experiments in vitro, we demonstrated that human recombinant HDGF could activate AKT and MAPK signaling pathway, resulting in OS cell proliferation. By knocking down HDGF expression, we proved that intrinsic HDGF was required in OS proliferation.

CONCLUSION

High HDGF expression was significantly associated with larger OS tumor size and could promote OS cell proliferation, indicating that HDGF could be an effective biomarker and a potential drug target in OS treatment.

HDGF: a novel jack-of-all-trades in cancer

HDGF is an important regulator of a broad range of cancer cell activities and plays important roles in cancer cell transformation, apoptosis, angiogenesis and metastasis. Such a divergent influence of HDGF on cancer cell activities derives from its multiple inter- and sub-cellular localizations where it interacts with a range of different binding partners. Interestingly, high levels of HDGF could be detected in patients' serum of some cancers. This review is focused on the role of HDGF in tumorigenesis and metastasis, and provides insight for application in clinical cancer therapy as well as its clinical implications as a prognostic marker in cancer progression.

Hepatoma-derived growth factor/nucleolin axis as a novel oncogenic pathway in liver carcinogenesis

Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) overexpression is involved in liver fibrosis and carcinogenesis. However, the receptor(s) and signaling for HDGF remain unclear. By using affinity chromatography and proteomic techniques, nucleolin (NCL) was identified and validated as a HDGF-interacting membrane protein in hepatoma cells. Exogenous HDGF elicited the membrane NCL accumulation within 0.5 hour by protein stabilization and transcriptional NCL upregulation within 24 hours. Blockade of surface NCL by antibodies neutralization potently suppressed HDGF uptake and HDGF-stimulated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling in hepatoma cells. By using rescectd hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues, immunohistochemical analysis revealed NCL overexpression was correlated with tumour grades, vascular invasion, serum alpha-fetoprotein levels and the poor survival in HCC patients. Multivariate analysis showed NCL was an independent prognostic factor for survival outcome of HCC patients after surgery. To delineate the role of NCL in liver carcinogenesis, ectopic NCL overexpression promoted the oncogenic behaviours and induced PI3K/Akt activation in hepatoma cells. Conversely, NCL knockdown by RNA interference attenuated the oncogenic behaviours and PI3K/Akt signaling, which could be partially rescued by exogenous HDGF supply. In summary, this study provides the first evidence that surface NCL transmits the oncogenic signaling of HDGF and facilitates a novel diagnostic and therapeutic target for HCC.

Hepatoma-Derived Growth Factor: Its Possible Involvement in the Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an important complication of viral infection induced by hepatitis virus C, and our major research theme is to identify a new growth factor related to the progression of HCC. HDGF (hepatoma-derived growth factor) is a novel growth factor that belongs to a new gene family. HDGF was initially purified from the conditioned medium of a hepatoma cell line. HDGF promotes cellular proliferation as a DNA binding nuclear factor and a secreted protein acting via a receptor-mediated pathway. HDGF is a unique multi-functional protein that can function as a growth factor, angiogenic factor and anti-apoptotic factor and it participates in the development and progression of various malignant diseases. The expression level of HDGF may be an independent prognostic factor for predicting the disease-free and overall survival in patients with various malignancies, including HCC. Furthermore, the overexpression of HDGF promotes the proliferation of HCC cells, while a reduction in the HDGF expression inhibits the proliferation of HCC cells. This article provides an overview of the characteristics of HDGF and describes the potential role of HDGF as a growth-promoting factor for HCC.

Clinical and biological significance of hepatoma-derived growth factor in Ewing's sarcoma

We sought to investigate the clinicopathological significance and biological function of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) in Ewing's sarcoma. Our results showed that HDGF expression is up-regulated in Ewing's sarcoma. Nuclear HDGF expression is significantly associated with tumour volume (p < 0.001), metastases at diagnosis (p < 0.001), low overall survival rate (p < 0.001) and low disease-free survival rate (p < 0.001). HDGF knock-down results in significant reduction of Ewing's sarcoma cell growth, proliferation and enhances tumourigenesis, both in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, HDGF knock-down causes cell cycle arrest and enhanced sensitization to serum starvation-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, recombinant HDGF promotes proliferation and colony formation of Ewing's sarcoma cells. Ninety-eight candidate HDGF downstream genes were identified in Ewing's sarcoma cells using cDNA microarray analysis. In addition, we found that HDGF knock-down inhibited FLI1 expression in Ewing's sarcoma cells at the mRNA and protein levels. Our findings suggest that HDGF exhibits oncogenic properties and may be a novel prognostic factor in Ewing's sarcoma. Targeting HDGF might be a potential therapeutic strategy for Ewing's sarcoma.

Mesenchymal stem cell secretome and regenerative therapy after cancer

Cancer treatment generally relies on tumor ablative techniques that can lead to major functional or disfiguring defects. These post-therapy impairments require the development of safe regenerative therapy strategies during cancer remission. Many current tissue repair approaches exploit paracrine (immunomodulatory, pro-angiogenic, anti-apoptotic and pro-survival effects) or restoring (functional or structural tissue repair) properties of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC). Yet, a major concern in the application of regenerative therapies during cancer remission remains the possible triggering of cancer recurrence. Tumor relapse implies the persistence of rare subsets of tumor-initiating cancer cells which can escape anti-cancer therapies and lie dormant in specific niches awaiting reactivation via unknown stimuli. Many of the components required for successful regenerative therapy (revascularization, immunosuppression, cellular homing, tissue growth promotion) are also critical for tumor progression and metastasis. While bi-directional crosstalk between tumorigenic cells (especially aggressive cancer cell lines) and MSC (including tumor stroma-resident populations) has been demonstrated in a variety of cancers, the effects of local or systemic MSC delivery for regenerative purposes on persisting cancer cells during remission remain controversial. Both pro- and anti-tumorigenic effects of MSC have been reported in the literature. Our own data using breast cancer clinical isolates have suggested that dormant-like tumor-initiating cells do not respond to MSC signals, unlike actively dividing cancer cells which benefited from the presence of supportive MSC. The secretome of MSC isolated from various tissues may partially diverge, but it includes a core of cytokines (i.e. CCL2, CCL5, IL-6, TGFβ, VEGF), which have been implicated in tumor growth and/or metastasis. This article reviews published models for studying interactions between MSC and cancer cells with a focus on the impact of MSC secretome on cancer cell activity, and discusses the implications for regenerative therapy after cancer.