Dickkopf-1 contributes to hepatocellular carcinoma tumorigenesis by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

AbstractDysregulation of dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1) expression has been reported in a variety of human cancers. We previously reported that DKK1 was upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the role of DKK1 in HCC remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance and biological functions of DKK1 in HCC. The expression of DKK1 was examined in cirrhotic and HCC tissues by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). DKK1 was silenced or overexpressed in HCC cell lines, and in vitro and in vivo studies were performed. Immunohistochemistry revealed that DKK1 was weakly expressed in cirrhotic tissues (8/22, 36.4%) but upregulated in HCC tissues (48/53, 90.6%, cohort 1). Significant upregulation of DKK1 was observed in 57.6% (19/33, cohort 2) of HCC tissues by qRT-PCR, and the expression of DKK1 was associated with tumor size (P = 0.024) and tumor number (P = 0.019). Genetic depletion of DKK1 impaired the proliferation, colony-forming ability, invasion, and tumor formation of HCC cells (HepG2 and HUH-7). Conversely, forced expression of DKK1 increased the proliferation, colony-forming ability, and invasion of HepG2 and HUH-7 cells in vitro and enhanced tumor formation in vivo. Subsequent investigation revealed that the DKK1-mediated proliferation and tumorigenicity of HepG2 and HUH-7 cells is dependent on the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. These findings indicate that DKK1 plays an oncogenic role in HCC by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

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LncRNA RNCR3 Promotes the Progression of HCC by Activating the Akt/GSK3β Signaling Pathway

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2020/8367454 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Qi Xie ◽

Tongfa Ju ◽

Chunhua Zhou ◽

Lulu Zhai ◽

Ho Lin

Keyword(s):

Signaling Pathway ◽

Noncoding Rna ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Promote Cell Proliferation ◽

Qrt Pcr ◽

In Vivo Experiments ◽

Tumor Number ◽

Tumor Growth And Metastasis

Objective. To explore the potential biological roles of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) RNCR3 in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods. First, the expression of RNCR3 was detected by qRT-PCR. Then, in vitro experiments were performed to investigate the effects of RNCR3 on the proliferation, cell cycle, migration, and invasion of HCC cells, while the effects of RNCR3 on HCC tumor growth and metastasis were investigated using in vivo experiments. Finally, western blot was used to study the activation of the Akt/GSK3β signaling pathway. Results. RNCR3 was highly expressed in both HCC tissues and cells, and the expression of RNCR3 was closely related to tumor size, tumor number, TNM stage, and overall survival time. In vitro, RNCR3 served as an oncogene to promote cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and in vivo, RNCR3 promoted the growth and metastasis of HCC tumors. In terms of mechanism, RNCR3 induced the phosphorylation of Akt (thr308 and ser473) and GSK3β (ser9) but decreased the expression of GSK3β, which activated the Akt/GSK3β signaling pathway. Conclusion. The high expression of lncRNA RNCR3 in HCC can promote the proliferation, migration, invasion, growth, and metastasis of HCC by activating the NF-κB signaling pathway.

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A novel mitochondrial amidoxime reducing component 2 is a favorable indicator of cancer and suppresses the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating the expression of p27

Oncogene ◽

10.1038/s41388-020-01417-6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 39 (38) ◽

pp. 6099-6112

Author(s):

Dehai Wu ◽

Yan Wang ◽

Guangchao Yang ◽

Shugeng Zhang ◽

Yao Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Tumor Grade ◽

The United States ◽

Clinicopathological Characteristics ◽

In Vivo Studies ◽

Hippo Signaling ◽

Hippo Signaling Pathway

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States. Exploring the mechanism of HCC and identifying ideal targets is critical. In the present study, we demonstrated metabolism dysfunction might be a key diver for the development of HCC. The mitochondrial amidoxime reducing component 2 (MARC2) as a newly discovered molybdenum enzyme was downregulated in human HCC tissues and HCC cells. Downregulated MARC2 was significantly associated with clinicopathological characteristics of HCC, such as tumor size, AFP levels, and tumor grade and was an independent risk factor of poor prognosis. Both in vitro and in vivo studies suggested that MARC2 suppressed the progression of HCC by regulating the protein expression level of p27. The Hippo signaling pathway and RNF123 were required for this process. Moreover, MARC2 regulated expression of HNF4A via the Hippo signaling pathway. HNF4A was recruited to the promoter of MARC2 forming a feedback loop. MARC2 levels were downregulated by methylation. We demonstrated the prognostic value of MARC2 in HCC and determined the mechanism by which MARC2 suppressed the progression of HCC in this study. These findings may lead to new therapeutic targets for HCC.

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CircFAM13B promotes the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma by sponging miR-212, upregulating E2F5 expression and activating the P53 pathway

Cancer Cell International ◽

10.1186/s12935-021-02120-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ying Xie ◽

Xiaofeng Hang ◽

Wensheng Xu ◽

Jing Gu ◽

Yuanjing Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Gene Expression Omnibus ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

In Vivo Studies ◽

Circular Rnas ◽

Novel Target ◽

Underlying Mechanisms

Abstract Background Most of the biological functions of circular RNAs (circRNAs) and the potential underlying mechanisms in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not yet been discovered. Methods In this study, using circRNA expression data from HCC tumor tissues and adjacent tissues from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, we identified out differentially expressed circRNAs and verified them by qRT-PCT. Functional experiments were performed to evaluate the effects of circFAM13B in HCC in vitro and in vivo. Results We found that circFAM13B was the most significantly differentially expressed circRNA in HCC tissue. Subsequently, in vitro and in vivo studies also demonstrated that circFAM13B promoted the proliferation of HCC. Further studies revealed that circFAM13B, a sponge of miR-212, is involved in the regulation of E2F5 gene expression by competitively binding to miR-212, inhibits the activation of the P53 signalling pathway, and promotes the proliferation of HCC cells. Conclusions Our findings revealed the mechanism underlying the regulatory role played by circFAM13B, miR-212 and E2F5 in HCC. This study provides a new theoretical basis and novel target for the clinical prevention and treatment of HCC.

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HOXB4 inhibits the proliferation and tumorigenesis of cervical cancer cells by downregulating the activity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Cell Death and Disease ◽

10.1038/s41419-021-03411-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Dan Lei ◽

Wen-Ting Yang ◽

Peng-Sheng Zheng

Keyword(s):

Cervical Cancer ◽

Cell Growth ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Tumor Formation ◽

Cervical Cancer Cell ◽

Cancer Cell Growth ◽

Bioinformatics Analyses

AbstractHomeobox B4 (HOXB4), which belongs to the homeobox (HOX) family, possesses transcription factor activity and has a crucial role in stem cell self-renewal and tumorigenesis. However, its biological function and exact mechanism in cervical cancer remain unknown. Here, we found that HOXB4 was markedly downregulated in cervical cancer. We demonstrated that HOXB4 obviously suppressed cervical cancer cell proliferation and tumorigenic potential in nude mice. Additionally, HOXB4-induced cell cycle arrest at the transition from the G0/G1 phase to the S phase. Conversely, loss of HOXB4 promoted cervical cancer cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. Bioinformatics analyses and mechanistic studies revealed that HOXB4 inhibited the activity of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by direct transcriptional repression of β-catenin. Furthermore, β-catenin re-expression rescued HOXB4-induced cervical cancer cell defects. Taken together, these findings suggested that HOXB4 directly transcriptional repressed β-catenin and subsequently inactivated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, leading to significant inhibition of cervical cancer cell growth and tumor formation.

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Antioxidant supplements promote tumor formation and growth and confer drug resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma by reducing intracellular ROS and induction of TMBIM1

Cell & Bioscience ◽

10.1186/s13578-021-00731-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Vanilla Xin Zhang ◽

Karen Man-Fong Sze ◽

Lo-Kong Chan ◽

Daniel Wai-Hung Ho ◽

Yu-Man Tsui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Hepatoma Cell ◽

Tumor Formation ◽

In Vitro Assays ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Intracellular Ros ◽

Antioxidant Supplements ◽

Sphere Formation

Abstract Background Controversy over the benefits of antioxidants supplements in cancers persists for long. Using hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as a model, we investigated the effects of exogenous antioxidants N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and glutathione (GSH) on tumor formation and growth. Methods Multiple mouse models, including diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced and Trp53KO/C-MycOE-induced HCC models, mouse hepatoma cell and human HCC cell xenograft models with subcutaneous or orthotopic injection were used. In vitro assays including ROS assay, colony formation, sphere formation, proliferation, migration and invasion, apoptosis, cell cycle assays were conducted. Western blot was performed for protein expression and RNA-sequencing to identify potential gene targets. Results In these multiple different mouse and cell line models, we observed that NAC and GSH promoted HCC tumor formation and growth, accompanied with significant reduction of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Moreover, NAC and GSH promoted cancer stemness, and abrogated the tumor-suppressive effects of Sorafenib both in vitro and in vivo. Exogenous supplementation of NAC or GSH reduced the expression of NRF2 and GCLC, suggesting the NRF2/GCLC-related antioxidant production pathway might be desensitized. Using transcriptomic analysis to identify potential gene targets, we found that TMBIM1 was significantly upregulated upon NAC and GSH treatment. Both TCGA and in-house RNA-sequence databases showed that TMBIM1 was overexpressed in HCC tumors. Stable knockdown of TMBIM1 increased the intracellular ROS; it also abolished the promoting effects of the antioxidants in HCC cells. On the other hand, BSO and SSA, inhibitors targeting NAC and GSH metabolism respectively, partially abrogated the pro-oncogenic effects induced by NAC and GSH in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions Our data implicate that exogenous antioxidants NAC and GSH, by reducing the intracellular ROS levels and inducing TMBIM expression, promoted HCC formation and tumor growth, and counteracted the therapeutic effect of Sorafenib. Our study provides scientific insight regarding the use of exogenous antioxidant supplements in cancers.

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Treatment of Intrauterine Adhesions with Human Amnion Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (hAMSCs) on Promoting Endometrial Regeneration and Repair Via Notch Signaling Pathway Regulation

10.21203/rs.3.rs-92874/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jie Yu ◽

Wenwen Zhang ◽

Jiayue Huang ◽

Yating Gou ◽

Congcong Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Epithelial Cells ◽

Notch Signaling ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Notch Signaling Pathway ◽

Intrauterine Adhesions ◽

Epithelial Markers ◽

Qrt Pcr ◽

Endometrial Epithelial Cells

Abstract Background: Human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells(hAMSCs) can repair and improve the damaged endometrium which its aplastic disorder is the main reason for intrauterine adhesions(IUAs).Methods: We conducted in vivo and in vitro experiments. In vivo experiments: 45 female Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats were involved and randomized equally into Sham group, IUA group, Estradiol(E2) group, hAMSCs group, and E2 + hAMSCs group. The effect of hAMSCs and E2 only or combined was evaluated by Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) and Masson staining. The expression of epithelial markers and key proteins of Notch signaling pathway by Immunohistochemistry. In vitro experiments: Firstly, the hAMSCs cells were taken and divided into control group and induced group in which hAMSCs were differentiated into endometrial epithelial cells in induced microenvironment, and extracted their RNA respectively. The expression of epithelial markers and Notch1 messenger RNA (mRNA) was detected by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR). and the changes in expression position of Notch intracellular domain(NICD) and expression amount of target gene, hairy enhancer of split 1(Hes1) were detected by Immunofluorescence. Then, Activated and inhibited the Notch signaling pathway while induction, and detected mRNA expression of hAMSCs epithelial markers by quantitative real-time polymerase chainreaction (qRT-PCR) respectively and detected hAMSCs cell cycle by flow cytometric. Results:This study showed that hAMSCs alone or combined with E2 could promote endometrial repair, and Notch signaling pathway a great role in it. And otherwise, the activation or habitation of Notch signaling pathway determines whether hAMSCs could differentiate into endometrial epithelial cells or not.Conclusion: we concluded that activate the Notch signaling pathway promote the differentiation of hAMSCs into endometrial epithelial cells, and further treat IUAs.

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Modulation of Calretinin Expression in Human Mesothelioma Cells Reveals the Implication of the FAK and Wnt Signaling Pathways in Conferring Chemoresistance towards Cisplatin

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms20215391 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (21) ◽

pp. 5391 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Wörthmüller ◽

Salicio ◽

Oberson ◽

Blum ◽

Schwaller

Keyword(s):

Wnt Signaling ◽

Signaling Pathways ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Expression System ◽

Single Agent ◽

Wnt Signaling Pathway ◽

Tumor Formation ◽

Mesenchymal Transition

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive asbestos-linked neoplasm, characterized by dysregulation of signaling pathways. Due to intrinsic or acquired chemoresistance, MM treatment options remain limited. Calretinin is a Ca2+-binding protein expressed during MM tumorigenesis that activates the FAK signaling pathway, promoting invasion and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Constitutive calretinin downregulation decreases MM cells’ growth and survival, and impairs tumor formation in vivo. In order to evaluate early molecular events occurring during calretinin downregulation, we generated a tightly controlled IPTG-inducible expression system to modulate calretinin levels in vitro. Calretinin downregulation significantly reduced viability and proliferation of MM cells, attenuated FAK signaling and reduced the invasive phenotype of surviving cells. Importantly, surviving cells showed a higher resistance to cisplatin due to increased Wnt signaling. This resistance was abrogated by the Wnt signaling pathway inhibitor 3289-8625. In various MM cell lines and regardless of calretinin expression levels, blocking of FAK signaling activated the Wnt signaling pathway and vice versa. Thus, blocking both pathways had the strongest impact on MM cell proliferation and survival. Chemoresistance mechanisms in MM cells have resulted in a failure of single-agent therapies. Targeting of multiple components of key signaling pathways, including Wnt signaling, might be the future method-of-choice to treat MM.

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SASS6 promotes proliferation of esophageal squamous carcinoma cells by inhibiting the p53 signaling pathway

Carcinogenesis ◽

10.1093/carcin/bgaa067 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yuanji Xu ◽

Kunshou Zhu ◽

Junqiang Chen ◽

Liyan Lin ◽

Zhengrong Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Esophageal Cancer ◽

Protein Expression ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Squamous Carcinoma ◽

Tumor Formation ◽

Squamous Carcinoma Cells ◽

P53 Signaling ◽

P53 Signaling Pathway

Abstract SASS6 encodes for the Homo sapiens SAS-6 centriolar assembly protein and is important for proper centrosome formation. Although centrosomes are amplified in a wide variety of tumor types, abnormally high SASS6 expression had previously only been identified in colon cancer. Moreover, the role of SASS6 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) pathogenesis has not yet been elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and mechanisms of SASS6 in ESCC. In this study, we found that the mRNA and protein levels of SASS6 were increased in human ESCC samples. In addition, SASS6 protein expression was associated with the esophageal cancer stage and negatively affected survival of patients with ESCC. Furthermore, silencing of SASS6 inhibited cell growth and promoted apoptosis of ESCC cells in vitro and inhibited xenograft tumor formation in vivo. A genetic cluster and pathway analysis showed that SASS6 regulated the p53 signaling pathway. Western blot demonstrated that CCND2, GADD45A and EIF4EBP1 protein expression decreased and that TP53 protein expression increased after the knockdown of SASS6 in ESCC cells. Therefore, SASS6 promoted the proliferation of esophageal cancer by inhibiting the p53 signaling pathway. SASS6 has potential as a novel tumor marker and a therapeutic target for ESCC.

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The Long Non-coding RNA LINC01133 Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression by Sponging miR-199a-5p and Activating Annexin A2

10.21203/rs.3.rs-130867/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Dan Yin ◽

Zhi-Qiang Hu ◽

Chu-Bin Luo ◽

Xiao-Yi Wang ◽

Hao-Yang Xin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Western Blot ◽

Copy Number ◽

Poor Prognosis ◽

Annexin A2 ◽

Luciferase Reporter ◽

Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Qrt Pcr

Abstract Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to be functionally associated with cancer development and progression. Although copy number variations (CNVs) are common in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), little is known about how CNVs in lncRNAs affect HCC progression and recurrence.Methods: We analyzed the whole genome sequencing (WGS) data of matched cancerous and non-cancerous liver samples from 49 patients with HCC to identify lncRNAs with CNVs. The results were validated in another cohort of 238 paired HCC and non-tumor samples by TaqMan copy number assay. Kaplan-Meier analysis and the log-rank test were performed to determine the prognostic value of CNVs in lincRNAs. Loss- and gain-of-function studies were conducted to determine the biological functions of LINC01133 in vitro and in vivo. The competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) mechanism was clarified by microRNA sequencing (miR-seq), quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), western blot, and dual-luciferase reporter analyses. The protein binding mechanism was confirmed by RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), qRT-PCR, and western blot analyses.Results: Genomic copy number of LINC01133 was increased in HCC, which is positively related with the elevated expression of LINC01133. Increased copy number of LINC01133 predicted the poor prognosis in HCC patients. LINC01133 overexpression promoted proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion in vitro, and facilitated tumor growth and lung metastasis in vivo, whereas LINC01133 knockdown had the opposite effects. Mechanistically, LINC01133 acted as a sponge of miR-199a-5p, resulting in enhanced expression of SNAI1, which induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in HCC cells. In addition, LINC01133 interacted with Annexin A2 (ANXA2) to activate ANXA2/STAT3 signaling pathway.Conclusions: LINC01133 promotes HCC progression by sponging miR-199a-5p and interacting with ANXA2. LINC01133 CNV gain is predictive of poor prognosis in HCC patients undergoing curative resection.

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Telocytes Promote the Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Activating ERK Signaling Pathway and Sponging miR-942-3p to Impact MMP9

10.21203/rs.3.rs-364558/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ying Xu ◽

Hu Tian ◽

Chao Guang Luan ◽

Kai Sun ◽

peng Jin Bao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Liver Cancer ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Erk Signaling ◽

Cancer Tissue ◽

Proliferative Potential ◽

Cancer Tissues ◽

Hcc Cells

Abstract Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) in China is considered as a familiar malignant tumor with poor prognosis, high metastasis and disease relapse. Telocytes(TCs) have been verified to participate in progresses of tumorigenesis, invasions and migrations by secreting functional proteins and transmitting cell-to-cell information. Extracellular signal-regulared protein kinase(ERK) signal pathway is a vital mechanism driving cell proliferation, metastasis and apoptosis, but whether this molecular signaling mechanism contributes to matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP) expression of TCs remains unclear. Methods: Telocytes and MMP9 expression in the liver cancer tissues are measured by immunohistochemistry assay, Westen blot assay and RT-PCR technique, meanwhile primary telocytes from liver para-cancer tissues are cultured in vitro. To demonstrate the function of telocytes for hepatocellular carcinoma, the metastatic cancer animal model is established by three typs of liver cancer cell-lines in vivo. Results: In our study, we elucidate that TCs in the para-cancer tissue can promote the metastasis of HCC cells by MMP-9 expression, in vitro and in vivo. PDGF derived from HCC cells has a capacity to activate Ras/ERK signaling pathway of TC as a result of accelerating MMP-9 expression, but it’s no significant for proliferative potential and apoptotic rate of TCs. While tyrosine kinase inhibitors and miR-942-3p suppress MMP-9 expression to make loss functions of TCs. Various mutations of TCs are also tested and single nucleotide polymorphisms of MMP-9 may be the potentially molecular mechanism of increasing protein expression in the invasive process of HCC. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate two potential mechanisms between HCC cells and TCs, suggesting that TC is a novel marker and target on deciphering reasons of cancer metastasis.

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