scholarly journals GP73-mediated secretion of AFP and GP73 promotes proliferation and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Oncogenesis ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yujuan Liu ◽  
Jiyin Wang ◽  
Ruixiang Yang ◽  
Yuning Cheng ◽  
Yue Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Malignant Phenotype ◽  
Antitumor Effects ◽  
Direct Binding ◽  
Proliferation And Metastasis ◽  
Golgi Protein ◽  
Potential Drug Targets ◽  
Hcc Cells

AbstractGolgi protein 73 (GP73) and alpha fetoprotein (AFP) serve as biomarkers for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and their serum levels correlate with patients’ outcomes. However, the mechanisms underlying these correlations are unknown. Here we show that GP73 increased the secretion of AFP through direct binding to AFP, thereby promoting the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells that expressed AFP and its receptor (AFPR). Extracellular GP73 contributed to the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells independent of AFP and AFPR. Moreover, extracellular AFP and GP73 synergized to enhance the malignant phenotype of HCC cells. Furthermore, extracellular GP73 and AFP inhibited the antitumor effects of sorafenib and synergistically increased the drug resistance of HCC cells. These findings, which reveal the mechanism of GP73-mediated secretion of AFP and its effects on the malignant phenotype of HCC cells, provide a comprehensive theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC and identify potential drug targets.

scholarly journals In Vivo Study on the Effects of Xiaoaiping on the Stemness of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Zhan ◽  
Liang-liang Shi ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
Bai Wei ◽  
Sheng-li Yang
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Nude Mice ◽  
Tumor Size ◽  
Hedgehog Signaling ◽  
Saline Control ◽  
Intragastric Administration ◽  
Antitumor Effects ◽  
Hcc Cells

Aims.The aim of this study was to examine the effects of Xiaoaiping on the stemness of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cellsin vivoand to investigate the underlying molecular mechanism.Methods.A subcutaneous xenograft nude mouse model was established using Hep3B-derived HCC cells. The mice were randomly assigned to the 100 mg/kg Xiaoaiping or 100μL/20 g normal saline (control) groups (n =3/sex/group) for daily intragastric administration for 14 days. The tumor size was closely monitored during the dosing phase. After the treatment period, the tumor tissues were weighed and harvested for mRNA and protein isolation. qPCR and Western blotting were used to evaluate the expression of cancer stemness markers (epithelial cell adhesion molecule [EpCAM], cluster of differentiation [CD13], CD90, aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 [ALDH1], CD44, and CD45), totipotency factors (sex determining region Y-box 2 [Sox2], Nanog, and octamer-binding transcription factor 4 [Oct4]), and genes involved in the Notch, Wnt/β-catenin, Hedgehog, and Hippo signaling pathways.Key Findings.The tumor size and weight were significantly reduced in the nude mice treated with 100 mg/kg Xiaoaiping when compared with the controls. The Xiaoaiping effects on the stemness markers and totipotency factors included decreased expression of EpCAM, CD24, CD47, Sox2, Oct4, and sal-like protein 4 (SALL4), as well as increased expression of CD13 and ALDH1. In addition, Xiaoaiping inhibited the Hippo, Wnt, and Hedgehog signaling pathways.Conclusion.Xiaoaiping significantly inhibited the growth of HCC xenograft in nude mice. These antitumor effects may be mediated by modulating the expression of multiple stemness markers and totipotency factors and inhibition of the Hippo, Wnt, and Hedgehog signaling pathways.

scholarly journals Integrated Treatment of Aqueous Extract ofSolanum nigrum-Potentiated Cisplatin- and Doxorubicin-Induced Cytotoxicity in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chien-Kai Wang ◽  
Yi-Feng Lin ◽  
Cheng-Jeng Tai ◽  
Chia-Wowi Wang ◽  
Yu-Jia Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Aqueous Extract ◽  
Clinical Performance ◽  
Integrated Treatment ◽  
Antitumor Effects ◽  
Caspase 7 ◽  
Crucial Ingredient ◽  
Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells ◽  
Hcc Cells

Chemotherapy is the main approach for treating advanced and recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the clinical performance of chemotherapy is limited by a relatively low response rate, drug resistance, and adverse effects that severely affect the quality of life of patients. The aqueous extract ofSolanum nigrum(AE-SN) is a crucial ingredient in some traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulas for treating cancer patients and exhibits antitumor effects in human HCC cells. Therefore, this study examined the tumor-suppression efficiency of AE-SN integrated with a standard chemotherapeutic drug, namely, cisplatin or doxorubicin, in human HCC cells, namely, Hep3B and HepJ5. The results suggested that the integrated treatment with AE-SN-potentiated cisplatin and doxorubicin induced cytotoxicity through the cleavage of caspase-7 and accumulation of microtubule-associated protein-1 light chain-3 A/1B II (LC-3 A/B II), which were associated with apoptotic and autophagic cell death, respectively, in both the Hep3B and HepJ5 cells. In conclusion, AE-SN can potentially be used in novel integrated chemotherapy with cisplatin or doxorubicin to treat HCC patients.

scholarly journals Hypoxic hepatocellular carcinoma cells acquire arsenic trioxide resistance through upregulating HIF-1α expression

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaoting Chen ◽  
Huiqing Li ◽  
Dong Chen ◽  
Xiongying Jiang ◽  
Weidong Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Protein Expression ◽  
Arsenic Trioxide ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Antitumor Effects ◽  
P Glycoprotein ◽  
Hcc Cells

Abstract Background : Although arsenic trioxide (ATO) is used in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in clinical trials, it is not satisfactory in terms of improving HCC patients’ overall survival. Intratumoral hypoxia and overexpression of hypoxia-inducible-1α (HIF-1α) may result in ATO-resistance and tumor progression. We investigated the mechanisms involving HIF-1α expression and acquired ATO chemoresistance in HCC cells and mice. Methods: The therapeutic effects of ATO in normoxic and hypoxic HCC cells were assessed using cell viability and apoptosis assays in vitro and a xenograft model in vivo . mRNA and protein expression of HIF-1α, P-glycoprotein, and VEGF were measured by qRT-PCR and western blotting. HIF-1α inhibition was performed to investigate the mechanism of ATO-resistance. VEGF secretion was tested using ELISA and tube-formation assays. Results : Compared to normoxic cells, hypoxic HCC cells were more resistant to ATO, with higher IC 50 values and less apoptosis, and upregulated HIF-1α protein expression, accompanied with the enhancement of P-glycoprotein and VEGF synthesis after ATO treatment. VEGF secretion was elevated in the supernatant of ATO-treated HCC cells, and this change can potentiate angiogenesis in vitro . HIF-1α inhibition attenuated ATO-resistance and angiogenesis, and promoted the anticancer effects of ATO both in vitro and in vivo by downregulating therapy-induced P-glycoprotein and VEGF overexpression. Conclusions : Hypoxic HCC cells acquire ATO resistance by upregulating HIF-1α levels; thus, combining ATO with a HIF-1α-targeting agent may lead to enhanced antitumor effects in HCC.

scholarly journals SPATS2, negatively regulated by miR-145-5p, promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression through regulating cell cycle

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang Dong ◽  
Shanshan Zhang ◽  
Shen Shen ◽  
Lulu Sun ◽  
Xuemei Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
G1 Arrest ◽  
Poor Survival ◽  
Potential Therapeutic Target ◽  
Normal Tissues ◽  
Proliferation And Metastasis ◽  
And Function ◽  
Hcc Cells

Abstract Spermatogenesis associated serine rich 2 (SPATS2) has been reported to contribute to the tumorigenesis of multiple malignancies. The molecular function of SPATS2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still not fully understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression pattern and function roles of SPATS2 in HCC. The regulation of SPATS2 expression was also explored. We found that SPATS2 was highly expressed in HCC tissues in comparison with that in adjacent normal tissues. High expression of SPATS2 was associated with vascular invasion, advanced TNM stages, tumor multiplicity, and poor survival. Functionally, SPATS2 was found to promote the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells both in vitro and in vivo, while knockdown of SPATS2 enhanced apoptosis and G1 arrest of HCC cells in vitro. Mechanistically, bioinformatics analysis revealed that MiR-145-5p directly targeted SPATS2 and functional rescue experiments verified that MiR-145-5p overexpression could abolish the effect of SPATS2 on the regulation of HCC malignant phenotype. Taken together, our findings suggest that SPATS2 functions as an oncogene in HCC. The MiR-145-5p/SPATS2 axis provides a novel mechanism underlying HCC progression and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for HCC.

scholarly journals Glutathione S-transferase A2 (GSTA2) Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence After Liver Transplantation Through Modulating Reactive Oxygen Species Metabolism

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Tak-Pan NG ◽  
Oscar Wai-Ho Yeung ◽  
Yin Fan Lam ◽  
Jiang Liu ◽  
Hui Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Reactive Oxygen Species ◽  
Liver Transplantation ◽  
Early Phase ◽  
Reactive Oxygen ◽  
Oxygen Species ◽  
Glutathione S Transferase ◽  
Proliferation And Metastasis ◽  
Hcc Recurrence ◽  
Hcc Cells

Abstract BackgroundAn inevitable hepatic injury at the early phase after liver transplantation vitally affects the late phase hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence. However, their linkage and underlying risk factors of HCC recurrence are unclear. This study aimed to clarify the clinical impact and functional roles of glutathione S-transferase A2 (GSTA2) in affecting HCC recurrence after liver transplantation.MethodsExpression significance and prognostic value of hepatic and circulating GSTA2 in HCC recipients were examined. The polymorphism of GSTA2 transcript was analysed by Sanger sequencing. The functions and molecular mechanisms of GSTA2 in the proliferation and metastasis of HCC were characterized by molecular, cellular and animal experiments. ResultsThe GSTA2 expression was significantly correlated with the early phase hepatic and systemic injury and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level after liver transplantation. Importantly, the level of the early phase circulating GSTA2 protein was a significant predictor of HCC recurrence and survival of HCC recipients. Heterogeneous single nucleotide polymorphism at G335C of GSTA2 was significantly associated with poor survival of HCC recipients. The GSTA2 expression was positively correlated with the aggressiveness of HCCs. Overexpression of GSTA2, by endogenous or exogenous approaches, could enhance the proliferation and invasion of HCCs through activating epithelial-mesenchymal-transition promoting proteins. Targeted inhibition of GSTA2 remarkably suppressed the proliferation and metastasis of HCCs. Increased level of GSTA2 could compensate the H2O2-induced ROS stress and therefore protect the HCC cells from damage. Alteration of GSTA2 expression in HCC cells could influence the activation of ROS-associated JNK and AKT signaling pathways and the expression of ROS-associated genes in responding to the H2O2 condition. ConclusionsOur research discovered GSTA2 to be the significant risk factor of HCC recurrence via providing a favorable ROS environment for HCC to survival and progress. This study presents a novel functional biomarker for combating HCC recurrence after liver transplantation.

scholarly journals Maprotiline Suppresses Cholesterol Biosynthesis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression Through Direct Targeting of CRABP1

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cancan Zheng ◽  
Yidong Zhu ◽  
Qinwen Liu ◽  
Tingting Luo ◽  
Wenwen Xu
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Regulatory Element ◽  
Cholesterol Biosynthesis ◽  
Antitumor Effects ◽  
Element Binding Protein ◽  
Hcc Cells

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related death and has a poor prognosis worldwide, thus, more effective drugs are urgently needed. In this article, a small molecule drug library composed of 1,056 approved medicines from the FDA was used to screen for anticancer drugs. The tetracyclic compound maprotiline, a highly selective noradrenergic reuptake blocker, has strong antidepressant efficacy. However, the anticancer effect of maprotiline remains unclear. Here, we investigated the anticancer potential of maprotiline in the HCC cell lines Huh7 and HepG2. We found that maprotiline not only significantly restrained cell proliferation, colony formation and metastasis in vitro but also exerted antitumor effects in vivo. In addition to the antitumor effect alone, maprotiline could also enhance the sensitivity of HCC cells to sorafenib. The depth studies revealed that maprotiline substantially decreased the phosphorylation of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (SREBP2) through the ERK signaling pathway, which resulted in decreased cholesterol biosynthesis and eventually impeded HCC cell growth. Furthermore, we identified cellular retinoic acid binding protein 1 (CRABP1) as a direct target of maprotiline. In conclusion, our study provided the first evidence showing that maprotiline could attenuate cholesterol biosynthesis to inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells through the ERK-SREBP2 signaling pathway by directly binding to CRABP1, which supports the strategy of repurposing maprotiline in the treatment of HCC.

scholarly journals E2F1-Induced lncRNA BAIAP2-AS1 Overexpression Contributes to the Malignant Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma via miR-361-3p/SOX4 Axis

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Yan Yang ◽  
Hong Ge ◽  
De-qing Li ◽  
Ai-xia Xu
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Therapeutic Target ◽  
Antisense Rna ◽  
Noncoding Rnas ◽  
Malignant Progression ◽  
Long Noncoding Rnas ◽  
Positive Interaction ◽  
Potential Therapeutic Target ◽  
Proliferation And Metastasis ◽  
Hcc Cells

Currently, plenty of researches have revealed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can act as crucial roles during the progression of various tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we measured the expression of lncRNA BAIAP2 antisense RNA 1(BAIAP2-AS1) as well as its contribution to the developments of HCC. In this study, the expressions of BAIAP2-AS1 and SOX4 were distinctly upregulated in HCC cells and tissues, and high BAIAP2-AS1 may be a novel biomarker for HCC. E2F1 activated BAIAP2-AS1 expression. The silence of BAIAP2-AS1 inhibited the proliferation and metastasis of HepG2 and PLC5 cells. Assays for relationship verification showed that BAIAP2-AS1 regulated the expression of SOX4 and miR-361-3p. Rescue experiments further confirmed the positive interaction between miR-361-3p and BAIAP2-AS1 as well as between miR-361-3p and SOX4. Overall, BAIAP2-AS1 modulated the miR-361-3p/SOX4 axis to promote the development of HCC. Thus, our study offers a potential therapeutic target for treating HCC.

scholarly journals ENO3 Inhibits Growth and Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Honglei Cui ◽  
Danfeng Guo ◽  
Xiaodan Zhang ◽  
Yaohua Zhu ◽  
Zhihui Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Ectopic Expression ◽  
Noncancerous Tissue ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Proliferation And Metastasis ◽  
Hcc Cells

β-enolase (ENO3) is a metalloenzyme that functions during glycolysis and has been revealed ectopic expression in different cancers. However, the function and underlying modulatory mechanisms of ENO3 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are still elusive. Here, we discovered that ENO3 was remarkably down-regulated in human HCC tissue in contrast to those in noncancerous tissue. Moreover, low expression of ENO3 was related to the poor prognosis of HCC patients. Overexpression of ENO3 suppressed proliferative, migratory, and invasive abilities of HCC cells both in vitro and in vivo, whereas knocking down ENO3 led to the opposite effect. In addition, we revealed that ENO3 repressed the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process with its biomarker variations. Mechanistic research unveiled that ENO3 suppressed the Wnt/β-catenin signal, which subsequently modulated the transcription of its target genes associated with the proliferation and metastasis capacity of HCC cells. Taken together, our study uncovered that ENO3 acted as a tumor inhibitor in HCC development and implied ENO3 as a promising candidate for HCC treatment.

Induction of Autophagic Death of Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells by Armillaridin from Armillaria mellea

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (06) ◽  
pp. 1365-1380
Author(s):  
Yi-Shing Leu ◽  
Yu-Jen Chen ◽  
Chien-Chih Chen ◽  
Huey-Lan Huang
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Bioactive Compound ◽  
Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Health Food ◽  
Chromosomal Dna ◽  
Antitumor Effects ◽  
Armillaria Mellea ◽  
Hcc Cells

The honey mushroom, Armillaria mellea, is known to have medicinal qualities and has been used in recent years as a health food and dietary supplement worldwide. In Asia, it is commonly consumed as an herbal medicine, being a key component of the Chinese preparation “Tien-ma”. Here, we examined the antitumor effects of armillaridin, a bioactive compound isolated from A. mellea, on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Armillaridin inhibited the growth of human Huh7, HepG2, and HA22T HCC cells, and its cytotoxicity was confirmed by observations of its induction of mitochondrial transmembrane potential collapse. However, armillaridin treatment did not result in large numbers of cells with fragmented chromosomal DNA, suggesting that apoptosis was not responsible for these effects. We therefore tested for signs of autophagic cell death following armillaridin administration. Armillaridin induced LC3 aggregation in green fluorescent protein-LC3-overexpressing cells. Moreover, flow cytometry and immunoblotting revealed that it increased the number of acridine orange-positive cells and upregulated autophagy-related proteins, respectively. Furthermore, armillaridin cytotoxicity was suppressed by the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine. In summary, our results indicated that armillaridin induces HCC cell death by autophagy, and demonstrated the potential of armillaridin as an antihepatoma agent.

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