scholarly journals High-metastatic cancer cells derived exosomal miR92a-3p promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasis of low-metastatic cancer cells by regulating PTEN/Akt pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma

Oncogene ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (42) ◽  
pp. 6529-6543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beng Yang ◽  
Xiaode Feng ◽  
Hua Liu ◽  
Rongliang Tong ◽  
Jingbang Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Metastatic Cancer ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Disease Free Survival ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Hcc Cells ◽  
Metastatic Cancer Cells

Abstract Exosomes play an important role in intercellular communication and metastatic progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, cellular communication between heterogeneous HCC cells with different metastatic potentials and the resultant cancer progression are not fully understood in HCC. Here, HCC cells with high-metastatic capacity (97hm and Huhm) were constructed by continually exerting selective pressure on primary HCC cells (MHCC-97H and Huh7). Through performing exosomal miRNA sequencing in HCC cells with different metastatic potentials (MHCC-97H and 97hm), many significantly different miRNA candidates were found. Among these miRNAs, miR-92a-3p was the most abundant miRNA in the exosomes of highly metastatic HCC cells. Exosomal miR92a-3p was also found enriched in the plasma of HCC patient-derived xenograft mice (PDX) model with high-metastatic potential. Exosomal miR-92a-3p promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in recipient cancer cells via targeting PTEN and regulating its downstream Akt/Snail signaling. Furthermore, through mRNA sequencing in HCC cells with different metastatic potentials and predicting potential transcription factors of miR92a-3p, upregulated transcript factors E2F1 and c-Myc were found in high-metastatic HCC cells promote the expression of cellular and exosomal miR-92a-3p in HCC by directly binding the promoter of its host gene, miR17HG. Clinical data showed that a high plasma exosomal miR92a-3p level was correlated with shortened overall survival and disease-free survival, indicating poor prognosis in HCC patients. In conclusion, hepatoma-derived exosomal miR92a-3p plays a critical role in the EMT progression and promoting metastasis by inhibiting PTEN and activating Akt/Snail signaling. Exosomal miR92a-3p is a potential predictive biomarker for HCC metastasis, and this may provoke the development of novel therapeutic and preventing strategies against metastasis of HCC.

scholarly journals Bromodomain-containing protein 9 promotes the growth and metastasis of human hepatocellular carcinoma by activating the TUFT1/AKT pathway

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Changwei Dou ◽  
Liankang Sun ◽  
Liang Wang ◽  
Jian Cheng ◽  
Weiding Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Disease Free Survival ◽  
Akt Pathway ◽  
Akt Inhibitor ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Hep3b Cells ◽  
Hcc Cells

Abstract Bromodomain-containing protein 9 (BRD9) has a critical role in human squamous cell lung cancer, acute myeloid leukemia, and malignant rhabdoid tumors. However, the expression and biological role of BRD9 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is poorly understood. In this study, BRD9 expression was found to be elevated in HCC through data mining of public databases. Next, we confirmed that the expression of BRD9 was increased in HCC tissues compared with that in adjacent non-tumor tissues. The upregulated level of BRD9 was also observed in HCC cells in comparison to LO2 cells. The increased BRD9 expression was correlated with unfavorable clinicopathological features. A high level of BRD9 predicted a poorer overall survival and disease-free survival of HCC patients. Functionally, BRD9 overexpression facilitated the proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of Hep3B cells. Conversely, either BRD9 depletion or pharmacological inhibition of BRD9 resulted in the reduced proliferation and invasiveness of HCCLM3 cells. In addition, the BRD9 knockdown restrained the growth and metastasis of HCCLM3 cells in vivo. Mechanistically, BRD9 positively regulated TUFT1 expression and AKT activation in HCC cells. ChIP-qPCR analysis indicated that BRD9 promoted the binding of P300 acetyltransferase to the TUFT1 promoter and epigenetically regulated TUFT1 expression by increasing H3K27Ac in the promoter. Notably, either TUFT1 knockdown or AKT inhibitor (MK2206) abrogated the promoting effects of BRD9 on the proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT of Hep3B cells. The forced expression of TUFT1 abolished the effects of BRD9 knockdown on the growth and metastasis of HCCLM3 cells. Altogether, these data indicate that BRD9 promotes the growth and metastasis of HCC cells by activating the TUFT1/AKT pathway and may serve as a promising biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC.

scholarly journals Gelsolin Promotes Cancer Progression by Regulating Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Correlates with a Poor Prognosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yixi Zhang ◽  
Xiaojing Luo ◽  
Jianwei Lin ◽  
Shunjun Fu ◽  
Pei Feng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Poor Prognosis ◽  
Cancer Metastasis ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Disease Free Survival ◽  
Tumour Cells ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition

Gelsolin (GSN), a cytoskeletal protein, is frequently overexpressed in different cancers and promotes cell motility. The biological function of GSN in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its mechanism remain unclear. The expression of GSN was assessed in a cohort of 188 HCC patients. The effects of GSN on the migration and invasion of tumour cells were examined. Then, the role of GSN in tumour growth in vivo was determined by using a cancer metastasis assay. The possible mechanism by which GSN promotes HCC progression was explored. As a result, GSN was overexpressed in HCC tissues. High GSN expression was significantly correlated with late Edmondson grade, encapsulation, and multiple tumours. Patients with high GSN expression had worse overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) than those with low GSN expression. GSN expression was identified as an independent risk factor in both OS (hazard risk (HR) = 1.620, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.105–2.373, P<0.001) and DFS (HR = 1.744, 95% CI = 1.205–2.523, P=0.003). Moreover, GSN knockdown significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of HCC tumour cells, while GSN overexpression attenuated these effects by regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) In conclusion, GSN promotes cancer progression and is associated with a poor prognosis in HCC patients. GSN promotes HCC progression by regulating EMT.

scholarly journals Epigenetic silencing of ZIC4 contributes to cancer progression in hepatocellular carcinoma

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenbiao Chen ◽  
Donge Tang ◽  
Dongxin Tang ◽  
Yong Dai
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Promoter Region ◽  
Developmental Process ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Epigenetic Silencing ◽  
The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Hcc Cells

Abstract Inactivation of tumor suppressor gene played critical roles in the development and progression of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Zic family member 4 (ZIC4) is transcription factor and plays an important role in the developmental process. However, the expression and biological role of ZIC4 in HCC is poorly understood. Here, bioinformatics analysis based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database revealed an aberrant hypermethylation of ZIC4 in HCC. ZIC4 is frequently hypermethylated in promoter region and down expressed in HCC cells and tissues. Functionally, ZIC4 inhibition facilitated the proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro and in vivo. Conversely, ZIC4 overexpression reduced proliferation and invasiveness of HCC cells. In addition, ZIC4 inhibition rescued the antitumor effect induced by enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) knockdown or EZH2 inhibitor. Mechanistically, EZH2 knockdown or EZH2 inhibitor reduced the enrichment of EZH2 and H3K27me3 in ZIC4 promoter region and leading to the upregulation of ZIC4. Altogether, these data indicate that epigenetic silencing of ZIC4 by EZH2 mediated H3K27me3 is an important mechanism in HCC and provide a new therapeutic target for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma disease.

scholarly journals B-Cell Receptor-Associated Protein 31 Promotes Metastasis via AKT/β-Catenin/Snail Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tengfei Liu ◽  
Junming Yu ◽  
Chao Ge ◽  
Fangyu Zhao ◽  
Chunxiao Miao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Ectopic Expression ◽  
Cell Receptor ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Related Factor ◽  
Akt Inhibitor ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Hcc Cells

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most lethal cancer worldwide, characterized with high heterogeneity and inclination to metastasize. Emerging evidence suggests that BAP31 gets involved in cancer progression with different kinds. It still remains unknown whether and how BAP31 plays a role in HCC metastasis. Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been a common feature in tumor micro-environment, whose inducer TGF-β increased BAP31 expression in this research. Elevated expression of BAP31 was positively correlated with tumor size, vascular invasion and poor prognosis in human HCC. Ectopic expression of BAP31 promoted cell migration and invasion while BAP31 knockdown markedly attenuated metastatic potential in HCC cells and mice orthotopic xenografts. BAP31 induced EMT process, and enhanced the expression level of EMT-related factor Snail and decreased contents and membrane distribution of E-cadherin. BAP31 also activated AKT/β-catenin pathway, which mediated its promotional effects on HCC metastasis. AKT inhibitor further counteracted the activated AKT/β-catenin/Snail upon BAP31 over-expression. Moreover, silencing Snail in BAP31-overexpressed cells impaired enhanced migratory and invasive abilities of HCC cells. In HCC tissues, BAP31 expression was positively associated with Snail. In conclusion, BAP31 promotes HCC metastasis by activating AKT/β-catenin/Snail pathway. Thus, our study implicates BAP31 as potential prognostic biomarker, and provides valuable information for HCC prognosis and treatment.

scholarly journals ASIC1a Stimulates the Resistance of Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Promoting Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition via the AKT/GSK3β/Snail Signaling Pathway

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yinci Zhang ◽  
Niandie Cao ◽  
Jiafeng Gao ◽  
Jiaojiao Liang ◽  
Yong Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Drug Resistance ◽  
Cell Migration ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Cell Migration And Invasion ◽  
Gsk 3Β ◽  
Hcc Cells

Abstract Background: The main obstacle to the cure of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is multidrug resistance. Acid sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) acts as a critical roles in all stages of cancer progression, especially invasion and metastasis as well as in resistance to therapy. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a phenomenon in which epithelial cells transform into mesenchymal cells after being stimulated by extracellular factors and is closely related to tumor infiltration and resistance. Methods: Western blotting assay, Immunofluorescence (IF) staining, Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining, MTT and colony formation assay and scratch healing assay were used to detect the level of ASIC1a and the cell proliferation, migration and invasion capabilities in this research.Results: In this research, we found that the protein of ASIC1a is overexpressed in HCC cancer tissues. In addition, we identified that the levels of ASIC1a are highly expressed in resistant HCC cells. Compared with the parental cells, EMT occurred more frequently in drug-resistant cells. Functional studies demonstrated that inactivation of ASIC1a restrained cell migration and invasion and enhanced the chemosensitivity of cells through EMT. In HCC cells, the overexpression of ASIC1a stimulates the up-regulation of EMT characterization molecular level and proliferation, migration and invasion capabilities and further induces drug resistance, while knocking down ASIC1a with short hairpin RNA (shRNA) has the opposite effect. Further investigations found that ASIC1a increased cell migration and invasion through EMT by regulating α and β-catenin, vimentin and fibronectin expression via AKT/GSK-3β/Snail pathway. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that ASIC1a acts an important assignment in drug resistance of HCC through EMT via AKT/GSK-3β/Snail pathway, thereby lending a latent therapeutic objective and new ideas regarding to HCC.

Radiofrequency ablation triggers the migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by suppressing miR-148a-5p

2020 ◽  
Vol 401 (8) ◽  
pp. 985-994
Author(s):  
Haicun Wang ◽  
Yang Cao ◽  
Kaiwen Hu ◽  
Quanwang Li ◽  
Yufei Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Radiofrequency Ablation ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Carcinoma Cells ◽  
Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Insufficient Radiofrequency Ablation ◽  
Hcc Cells

AbstractIncreasing evidences suggest that insufficient radiofrequency ablation (IRFA) can paradoxically promote tumor invasion and metastatic processes, whereas the effects of moderate hyperthermia on cancer progression are not well illustrated. Our study found that IRFA can increase the in vitro migration, invasion, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells via induction of Snail, a master regulator of EMT events. Among measured miRNAs, IRFA can decrease the expression of miR-148a-5p in HCC cells. Whereas overexpression of miR-148a-5p can reverse IRFA-induced migration of HCC cells and upregulation of Snail, mechanistically overexpression of miR-148a-5p can directly target and decrease the expression of protein kinase ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated), which can increase protein stability of Snail. Collectively, our data suggest that IRFA can regulate the miR-148a-5p/ATM/Snail axis to trigger migration of HCC cells.

scholarly journals P2RX7 functions as a putative biomarker of gastric cancer and contributes to worse prognosis

2019 ◽  
Vol 244 (9) ◽  
pp. 734-742
Author(s):  
Wang Lili ◽  
Li Yun ◽  
Wei Tingran ◽  
Wu Xia ◽  
Sun Yanlei
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Disease Free Survival ◽  
Gastric Cancer Cells ◽  
Novel Therapy ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Proliferation And Metastasis ◽  
Worse Prognosis

P2RX7 has a vital role in promoting proliferation and metastasis and is relevant to worse prognosis in multiple tumors. Nevertheless, P2RX7’s prognostic value and unambiguous effect in gastric cancer remain to be further explored. Our study showed that the expression of P2RX7 in human gastric tumor tissue ( n = 80) was significantly higher than that in normal human gastric tissue ( n = 20, different cohort). Abnormally high expression of P2RX7 was related to larger tumor size ( P = 0.0473), higher T stage ( P = 0.0367), and lymphatic metastasis ( P = 0.0056). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that higher expression of P2RX7 was associated with worse overall survival and disease-free survival in gastric cancer patients. Additionally, downregulation of P2RX7 by a specific shRNA suppressed the proliferation and metastasis of gastric cancer cells, while ectopic overexpression P2RX7 had opposite effects. P2RX7 modulated ERK1/2 and Akt pathways and epithelial–mesenchymal transition markers such as E-cadherin, N-cadherin, vimentin, and snail. All in all, our results suggest that P2RX7 represents a prognostic biomarker of patients with gastric cancer and show the importance of P2RX7 as a putative biomarker in gastric cancer. Impact statement The mechanism of gastric cancer is highly complex, accompanied by a variety of genetic abnormalities. It is of great significance to elucidate the pathogenesis of gastric cancer, find its markers and therapeutic targets in the fight against this fatal disease. In this study, we identified P2RX7 as a putative target of gastric cancer, which was overexpressed in gastric cancer tissues and had relationship with worse prognosis. We also elucidated the roles of P2RX7 on the growth and metastasis of gastric cancer cells, and explored the relationship between it and ERK1/2 pathway, Akt pathway, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition. Our findings begin to offer useful insights into the mechanism of gastric cancer progression and provide clues to novel therapy strategies.

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