Genetics and Molecular Mechanisms in Oral Cancer Progression

2019 ◽  
pp. 29-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prashanth Panta ◽  
Bramanandam Manavathi ◽  
Siddavaram Nagini
Author(s):  
Islam Mohamed ◽  
Ahmed Moahmed ◽  
Mennatallah Abdelkader ◽  
Alaaeldin Saleh ◽  
Ala-Eddin Al-Moustafa

Introduction: Elaeagnus angustifolia (EA) is a medicinal plant that has been used for centuries in treating many human diseases, in the Middle East, including fever, amoebic dysentery, gastrointestinal problems. However, the effect of EA plant extract on human cancer progression especially oral malignancy has not been investigated yet. Thus, first we examined the effect of EA flower extract on angiogenesis in ovo, and on selected parameters in human oral cancer cells. Materials and methods: Chorioallantoic membranes (CAMs) of chicken embryos at 3-7 days of incubation were used to assess the effect EAflower plant extract on angiogenesis. Meanwhile, cell proliferation, soft agar, cell cycle, cell invasion and cell wounding assays were performed to explore the outcome of EA plant extract on FaDu and SCC25 oral cancer cell lines. On the other hand, western blot analysis was carried out to evaluate E-cadherin and Erk1/Erk2 expression and activation, respectively, in FaDu and SCC25 under the effect of EA extract. Results: Our data show that EA extract inhibits cell proliferation and colony formation, in addition to the initiation of Scell cycle arrest and reductionof G1/G2 phases. In parallel, EA extract provokes differentiation to an epithelial phenotype “mesenchymal-epithelial transition: MET” which is the opposite of “epithelial-mesenchymal transition, EMT”: an important event in cell invasion and metastasis. Thus, EA extract causes a dramatic decrease in cell motility and invasion abilities of FaDu and SCC25 cancer cells in comparison with their controls. These changes are accompanied by an up-regulation of E-cadherin expression. The molecular pathway analysis of the EA flower extract reveals that it can inhibit the phosphorylation of Erk1/Erk2, which could be behind the inhibition of angiogenesis, the initiation of MET event and the overexpression of E-cadherin. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that EA plant extract can downgrade human oral cancer progression by the inhibition of angiogenesis and cell invasion via Erk1/Erk2 signaling pathways.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaqiang Wang ◽  
Chien-shan Cheng ◽  
Yan Lu ◽  
Xiaowei Ding ◽  
Minmin Zhu ◽  
...  

Background: Propofol, a widely used intravenous anesthetic agent, is traditionally applied for sedation and general anesthesia. Explanation: Recent attention has been drawn to explore the effect and mechanisms of propofol against cancer progression in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, the proliferation-inhibiting and apoptosis-inducing properties of propofol in cancer have been studied. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Conclusion: This review focused on the findings within the past ten years and aimed to provide a general overview of propofol's malignance-modulating properties and the potential molecular mechanisms.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
You Shuai ◽  
Zhonghua Ma ◽  
Weitao Liu ◽  
Tao Yu ◽  
Changsheng Yan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality globally. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are dysregulated in obvious malignancies including GC and exploring the regulatory mechanisms underlying their expression is an attractive research area. However, these molecular mechanisms require further clarification, especially upstream mechanisms. Methods LncRNA MNX1-AS1 expression in GC tissue samples was investigated via microarray analysis and further determined in a cohort of GC tissues via quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays. Cell proliferation and flow cytometry assays were performed to confirm the roles of MNX1-AS1 in GC proliferation, cell cycle regulation, and apoptosis. The influence of MNX1-AS1 on GC cell migration and invasion was explored with Transwell assays. A xenograft tumour model was established to verify the effects of MNX1-AS1 on in vivo tumourigenesis. The TEAD4-involved upstream regulatory mechanism of MNX1-AS1 was explored through ChIP and luciferase reporter assays. The mechanistic model of MNX1-AS1 in regulating gene expression was further detected by subcellular fractionation, FISH, RIP, ChIP and luciferase reporter assays. Results It was found that MNX1-AS1 displayed obvious upregulation in GC tissue samples and cell lines, and ectopic expression of MNX1-AS1 predicted poor clinical outcomes for patients with GC. Overexpressed MNX1-AS1 expression promoted proliferation, migration and invasion of GC cells markedly, whereas decreased MNX1-AS1 expression elicited the opposite effects. Consistent with the in vitro results, MNX1-AS1 depletion effectively inhibited the growth of xenograft tumour in vivo. Mechanistically, TEAD4 directly bound the promoter region of MNX1-AS1 and stimulated the transcription of MNX1-AS1. Furthermore, MNX1-AS1 can sponge miR-6785-5p to upregulate the expression of BCL2 in GC cells. Meanwhile, MNX1-AS1 suppressed the transcription of BTG2 by recruiting polycomb repressive complex 2 to BTG2 promoter regions. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that MNX1-AS1 may be able to serve as a prognostic indicator in GC patients and that TEAD4-activatd MNX1-AS1 can promote GC progression through EZH2/BTG2 and miR-6785-5p/BCL2 axes, implicating it as a novel and potent target for the treatment of GC.


Tumor Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-96
Author(s):  
T. Jeethy Ram ◽  
Asha Lekshmi ◽  
Thara Somanathan ◽  
K. Sujathan

Cancer metastasis and therapy resistance are the foremost hurdles in oncology at the moment. This review aims to pinpoint the functional aspects of a unique multifaceted glycosylated molecule in both intracellular and extracellular compartments of a cell namely galectin-3 along with its metastatic potential in different types of cancer. All materials reviewed here were collected through the search engines PubMed, Scopus, and Google scholar. Among the 15 galectins identified, the chimeric gal-3 plays an indispensable role in the differentiation, transformation, and multi-step process of tumor metastasis. It has been implicated in the molecular mechanisms that allow the cancer cells to survive in the intravascular milieu and promote tumor cell extravasation, ultimately leading to metastasis. Gal-3 has also been found to have a pivotal role in immune surveillance and pro-angiogenesis and several studies have pointed out the importance of gal-3 in establishing a resistant phenotype, particularly through the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process. Additionally, some recent findings suggest the use of gal-3 inhibitors in overcoming therapeutic resistance. All these reports suggest that the deregulation of these specific lectins at the cellular level could inhibit cancer progression and metastasis. A more systematic study of glycosylation in clinical samples along with the development of selective gal-3 antagonists inhibiting the activity of these molecules at the cellular level offers an innovative strategy for primary cancer prevention.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3442
Author(s):  
Yu-Chun Lin ◽  
Wen-Yen Huang ◽  
Tsai-Yu Lee ◽  
Yi-Ming Chang ◽  
Su-Feng Chen ◽  
...  

Despite recent advances, treatment for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has limited efficacy in preventing tumor progression. We confirmed previously that carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAF)-induced interleukin-33 (IL-33) contributed to cancer progression. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the complex communication network of the tumor microenvironment merited further evaluation. To simulate the IL-33-induced autocrine signaling, stable clones of IL-33-overexpressing HNSCC cells were established. Besides well-established IL-33/ST2 and SDF1/CXCR4 (stromal-derived factor 1/C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4) signaling, the CAF-induced IL-33 upregulated CXCR4 via cancer cell induction of IL-33 self-production. The IL-33-enhanced-CXCR4 regulatory circuit involves SDF1/CXCR4 signaling activation and modulates tumor behavior. An in vivo study confirmed the functional role of IL-33/CXCR4 in tumor initiation and metastasis. The CXCR4 and/or IL-33 blockade reduced HNSCC cell aggressiveness, with attenuated invasions and metastases. Immunohistochemistry confirmed that IL-33 and CXCR4 expression correlated significantly with disease-free survival and IL-33-CXCR4 co-expression predicted a poor outcome. Besides paracrine signaling, the CAF-induced IL-33 reciprocally enhanced the autocrine cancer-cell self-production of IL-33 and the corresponding CXCR4 upregulation, leading to the activation of SDF1/CXCR4 signaling subsequent to cancer progression. Thus, targeting the IL-33-enhanced-CXCR4 regulatory circuit attenuates tumor aggressiveness and provides a potential therapeutic option for improving the prognosis in HNSCC patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magda Ghanim ◽  
Nicola Relitti ◽  
Gavin McManus ◽  
Stefania Butini ◽  
Andrea Cappelli ◽  
...  

AbstractCD44 is emerging as an important receptor biomarker for various cancers. Amongst these is oral cancer, where surgical resection remains an essential mode of treatment. Unfortunately, surgery is frequently associated with permanent disfigurement, malnutrition, and functional comorbidities due to the difficultly of tumour removal. Optical imaging agents that can guide tumour tissue identification represent an attractive approach to minimising the impact of surgery. Here, we report the synthesis of a water-soluble fluorescent probe, namely HA-FA-HEG-OE (compound 1), that comprises components originating from natural sources: oleic acid, ferulic acid and hyaluronic acid. Compound 1 was found to be non-toxic, displayed aggregation induced emission and accumulated intracellularly in vesicles in SCC-9 oral squamous cells. The uptake of 1 was fully reversible over time. Internalization of compound 1 occurs through receptor mediated endocytosis; uniquely mediated through the CD44 receptor. Uptake is related to tumorigenic potential, with non-tumorigenic, dysplastic DOK cells and poorly tumorigenic MCF-7 cells showing only low intracellular levels and highlighting the critical role of endocytosis in cancer progression and metastasis. Together, the recognised importance of CD44 as a cancer stem cell marker in oral cancer, and the reversible, non-toxic nature of 1, makes it a promising agent for real time intraoperative imaging.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document