α5β1 integrin recycling promotes Arp2/3-independent cancer cell invasion via the formin FHOD3

Invasive migration in 3D extracellular matrix (ECM) is crucial to cancer metastasis, yet little is known of the molecular mechanisms that drive reorganization of the cytoskeleton as cancer cells disseminate in vivo. 2D Rac-driven lamellipodial migration is well understood, but how these features apply to 3D migration is not clear. We find that lamellipodia-like protrusions and retrograde actin flow are indeed observed in cells moving in 3D ECM. However, Rab-coupling protein (RCP)-driven endocytic recycling of α5β1 integrin enhances invasive migration of cancer cells into fibronectin-rich 3D ECM, driven by RhoA and filopodial spike-based protrusions, not lamellipodia. Furthermore, we show that actin spike protrusions are Arp2/3-independent. Dynamic actin spike assembly in cells invading in vitro and in vivo is regulated by Formin homology-2 domain containing 3 (FHOD3), which is activated by RhoA/ROCK, establishing a novel mechanism through which the RCP–α5β1 pathway reprograms the actin cytoskeleton to promote invasive migration and local invasion in vivo.

Download Full-text

Tumoral Neuroligin 1 Promotes Cancer–Nerve Interactions and Synergizes with the Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells11020280 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 280

Author(s):

Laura Bizzozero ◽

Margherita Pergolizzi ◽

Davide Pascal ◽

Elena Maldi ◽

Giulia Villari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cancer Cells ◽

Cell Line ◽

Glial Cell ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Cell Invasion ◽

Neurotrophic Factor ◽

Regulatory Protein ◽

Cancer Cell Invasion

Many nervous proteins are expressed in cancer cells. In this report, we asked whether the synaptic protein neuroligin 1 (NLGN1) was expressed by prostatic and pancreatic carcinomas; in addition, given the tendency of these tumors to interact with nerves, we asked whether NLGN1 played a role in this process. Through immunohistochemistry on human tissue microarrays, we showed that NLGN1 is expressed by prostatic and pancreatic cancer tissues in discrete stages and tumor districts. Next, we performed in vitro and in vivo assays, demonstrating that NLGN1 promotes cancer cell invasion and migration along nerves. Because of the established role of the neurotrophic factor glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in tumor–nerve interactions, we assessed a potential NLGN1–GDNF cooperation. We found that blocking GDNF activity with a specific antibody completely inhibited NLGN1-induced in vitro cancer cell invasion of nerves. Finally, we demonstrated that, in the presence of NLGN1, GDNF markedly activates cofilin, a cytoskeletal regulatory protein, altering filopodia dynamics. In conclusion, our data further prove the existence of a molecular and functional cross-talk between the nervous system and cancer cells. NLGN1 was shown here to function along one of the most represented neurotrophic factors in the nerve microenvironment, possibly opening new therapeutic avenues.

Download Full-text

5′-Inositol phosphatase SHIP2 recruits Mena to stabilize invadopodia for cancer cell invasion

The Journal of Cell Biology ◽

10.1083/jcb.201501003 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 214 (6) ◽

pp. 719-734 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Charles V. Rajadurai ◽

Serhiy Havrylov ◽

Paula P. Coelho ◽

Colin D.H. Ratcliffe ◽

Kossay Zaoui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cancer Cells ◽

Cell Invasion ◽

Regulatory Protein ◽

Cancer Cell Invasion ◽

Inositol Phosphatase ◽

Membrane Protrusions ◽

Ecm Degradation

Invadopodia are specialized membrane protrusions that support degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) by cancer cells, allowing invasion and metastatic spread. Although early stages of invadopodia assembly have been elucidated, little is known about maturation of invadopodia into structures competent for ECM proteolysis. The localized conversion of phosphatidylinositol(3,4,5)-triphosphate and accumulation of phosphatidylinositol(3,4)-bisphosphate at invadopodia is a key determinant for invadopodia maturation. Here we investigate the role of the 5′-inositol phosphatase, SHIP2, and reveal an unexpected scaffold function of SHIP2 as a prerequisite for invadopodia-mediated ECM degradation. Through biochemical and structure-function analyses, we identify specific interactions between SHIP2 and Mena, an Ena/VASP-family actin regulatory protein. We demonstrate that SHIP2 recruits Mena, but not VASP, to invadopodia and that disruption of SHIP2–Mena interaction in cancer cells leads to attenuated capacity for ECM degradation and invasion in vitro, as well as reduced metastasis in vivo. Together, these findings identify SHIP2 as a key modulator of carcinoma invasiveness and a target for metastatic disease.

Download Full-text

The antihyperlipidemic drug Potassium Piperate impairs migration and tumorgenesis of breast cancer cells via upregulation of miR-31

10.21203/rs.3.rs-290044/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Junping Lu ◽

Xiaoxia Tian ◽

Mailisu Mailisu ◽

Morigen Morigen ◽

Lifei Fan

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Cell Invasion ◽

Combination Treatment ◽

Breast Cancer Cells ◽

Target Genes ◽

Cancer Cell Invasion

Abstract Background Breast cancer is a leading malignant tumor which causes deaths among women, and metastasis is the primary cause for mortality in breast cancer. Due to the involvement of many regulatory molecules and signaling pathways, the occurrence and development process of metastasis needs to be further studied. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are ubiquitously expressed small non-coding RNAs that have been shown to play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, as well as constituting an attractive candidate to control metastasis. In this study, we tried to uncover the mechanism of GBK in impairing breast cancer cell invasion and metastasis.Methods We treated cancer cells with GBK or not, found its target miRNA by analyzed miRNA transcriptional changes and the miRNA target genes by performed with the QT-PCR and Western Blot. The proliferation of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo under combination treatment with GBK and DDP was measured by CCK-8 kit and the nude mice tumor formation experiment.Results We found tumor suppressor miR-31 was a main target of GBK. GBK treatment affected the epigenetic modification at CpG sites by downregulating DNA methyltransferases, thus the methylation levels at CpG of lncRNA LOC554202 decreased significantly, and in turn upregulating of both miR-31 and its host gene LOC554202 in breast cancer cells. We also observed significant inhibition of miR-31 target genes under GBK stimulation, including RhoA, WAVE3 and SATB2, which all closely related to cancer cell invasion, migration and proliferation. Furthermore, we revealed that combination treatment with GBK and DDP had synergistic and dose reduction potential in inhibiting the proliferation of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo, especially in TNBC.Conclusion This study further analyzes the target and underlying mechanism of GBK in inhibiting breast cancer migration and invasion, and provides theoretical support for the development of GBK as an auxiliary drug for clinical treatment.

Download Full-text

Integrin α3β1 Promotes Invasive and Metastatic Properties of Breast Cancer Cells through Induction of the Brn-2 Transcription Factor

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13030480 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 480

Author(s):

Rakshitha Pandulal Miskin ◽

Janine S. A. Warren ◽

Abibatou Ndoye ◽

Lei Wu ◽

John M. Lamar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Transcription Factor ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cell Invasion ◽

Breast Cancer Cells ◽

Gene Promoter ◽

Akt Inhibitor ◽

Integrin Α3β1

In the current study, we demonstrate that integrin α3β1 promotes invasive and metastatic traits of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells through induction of the transcription factor, Brain-2 (Brn-2). We show that RNAi-mediated suppression of α3β1 in MDA-MB-231 cells caused reduced expression of Brn-2 mRNA and protein and reduced activity of the BRN2 gene promoter. In addition, RNAi-targeting of Brn-2 in MDA-MB-231 cells decreased invasion in vitro and lung colonization in vivo, and exogenous Brn-2 expression partially restored invasion to cells in which α3β1 was suppressed. α3β1 promoted phosphorylation of Akt in MDA-MB-231 cells, and treatment of these cells with a pharmacological Akt inhibitor (MK-2206) reduced both Brn-2 expression and cell invasion, indicating that α3β1-Akt signaling contributes to Brn-2 induction. Analysis of RNAseq data from patients with invasive breast carcinoma revealed that high BRN2 expression correlates with poor survival. Moreover, high BRN2 expression positively correlates with high ITGA3 expression in basal-like breast cancer, which is consistent with our experimental findings that α3β1 induces Brn-2 in TNBC cells. Together, our study demonstrates a pro-invasive/pro-metastatic role for Brn-2 in breast cancer cells and identifies a role for integrin α3β1 in regulating Brn-2 expression, thereby revealing a novel mechanism of integrin-dependent breast cancer cell invasion.

Download Full-text

Knockdown CYP2S1 inhibits lung cancer cells proliferation and migration

Cancer Biomarkers ◽

10.3233/cbm-210189 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Huan Guo ◽

Baozhen Zeng ◽

Liqiong Wang ◽

Chunlei Ge ◽

Xianglin Zuo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lung Cancer ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Cell Growth ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Lung Cancer Cells ◽

Invasion And Migration ◽

And Migration

BACKGROUND: The incidence of lung cancer in Yunnan area ranks firstly in the world and underlying molecular mechanisms of lung cancer in Yunnan region are still unclear. We screened a novel potential oncogene CYP2S1 used mRNA microassay and bioinformation database. The function of CYP2S1 in lung cancer has not been reported. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the functions of CYP2S1 in lung cancer. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry and Real-time PCR were used to verify the expression of CYP2S1. Colony formation and Transwell assays were used to determine cell proliferation, invasion and migration. Xenograft assays were used to detected cell growth in vivo. RESULTS: CYP2S1 is significantly up-regulated in lung cancer tissues and cells. Knockdown CYP2S1 in lung cancer cells resulted in decrease cell proliferation, invasion and migration in vitro. Animal experiments showed downregulation of CYP2S1 inhibited lung cancer cell growth in vivo. GSEA analysis suggested that CYP2S1 played functions by regulating E2F targets and G2M checkpoint pathway which involved in cell cycle. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that patients with high CYP2S1 had markedly shorter event overall survival (OS) time. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that CYP2S1 exerts tumor suppressor function in lung cancer. The high expression of CYP2S1 is an unfavorable prognostic marker for patient survival.

Download Full-text

miR-182-5p and miR-378a-3p regulate ferroptosis in I/R-induced renal injury

Cell Death and Disease ◽

10.1038/s41419-020-03135-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

Author(s):

Chenguang Ding ◽

Xiaoming Ding ◽

Jin Zheng ◽

Bo Wang ◽

Yang Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Death ◽

Renal Injury ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Ischemia Reperfusion ◽

Kidney Injury ◽

Luciferase Reporter ◽

Renal Tubular Cell ◽

In Cells

Abstract Renal tubular cell death is the key factor of the pathogenesis of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) kidney injury. Ferroptosis is a type of regulated cell death (RCD) found in various diseases. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms related to ferroptosis in renal I/R injury remain unclear. In the present study, we investigated the regulatory role of microRNAs on ferroptosis in I/R-induced renal injury. We established the I/R-induced renal injury model in rats, and H/R induced HK-2 cells injury in vitro. CCK-8 was used to measure cell viability. Fe2+ and ROS levels were assayed to evaluate the activation of ferroptosis. We performed RNA sequencing to profile the miRNAs expression in H/R-induced injury and ferroptosis. Western blot analysis was used to detect the protein expression. qRT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA and miRNA levels in cells and tissues. We further used luciferase reporter assay to verify the direct targeting effect of miRNA. We found that ischemia/reperfusion-induced ferroptosis in rat’s kidney. We identified that miR-182-5p and miR-378a-3p were upregulated in the ferroptosis and H/R-induced injury, and correlates reversely with glutathione peroxidases 4 (GPX4) and solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11) expression in renal I/R injury tissues, respectively. In vitro studies showed that miR-182-5p and miR-378a-3p induced ferroptosis in cells. We further found that miR-182-5p and miR-378a-3p regulated the expression of GPX4 and SLC7A11 negatively by directly binding to the 3′UTR of GPX4 and SLC7A11 mRNA. In vivo study showed that silencing miR-182-5p and miR-378a-3p alleviated the I/R-induced renal injury in rats. In conclusion, we demonstrated that I/R induced upregulation of miR-182-5p and miR-378a-3p, leading to activation of ferroptosis in renal injury through downregulation of GPX4 and SLC7A11.

Download Full-text

CDK10 Regulates Gastric Cancer Metastasis By Inhibiting lncRNA-C5ORF42-5 Via Phosphorylation Level of AKT/ERK

10.21203/rs.3.rs-610700/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zi-Jian Deng ◽

Dong-Wen Chen ◽

Xi-Jie Chen ◽

Jia-Ming Fang ◽

Liang Xv ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gastric Cancer ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cell Line ◽

High Throughput ◽

Cancer Metastasis ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Gastric Cancer Cells ◽

Related Proteins

Abstract Background: Gastric cancer is the fourth most common malignant disease. Both CDK10 and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to exert biological functions in multiple cancers. However, it is still unclear whether CDK10 represses tumor progression in gastric cancer by reducing potential targeting lncRNAs.Methods: The functions of CDK10 and lncRNA-C5ORF42-5 in proliferation, invasion and migration were assessed by MTS assays, colony formation assays, cell cycle and apoptosis assays, Transwell assays, wound healing assays and animal experiments. We used high-throughput sequencing to confirm the existence of lncRNA-C5ORF42-5 and quantitative real-time PCR was used to evaluate lncRNA expression. Then, with RNA-seq sequencing as well as GO function and KEGG enrichment analysis, we identified the signaling pathways in which lncRNA-C5ORF42-5 was involved in gastric cancer. Finally, western blotting was used to identify the genes regulated by lncRNA-C5ORF42-5.Results: Our results showed that CDK10 is expressed at relatively low levels in gastric cancer cell lines and inhibits the progression of gastric cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Next, based on high-throughput sequencing, we identified a novel lncRNA, lncRNA-C5ORF42-5, in the stable CDK10-overexpressing cell line compared with the CDK-knockdown cell line and their controls. Additionally, we confirmed that lncRNA-C5ORF42-5 acts as an oncogene to promote metastasis in gastric cancer in vitro and in vivo. We then ascertained that lncRNA-C5ORF42-5 is a major contributor to the function of CDK10 in gastric cancer metastasis by upregulating lncRNA-C5ORF42-5 to reverse the effects of CDK10 overexpression. Finally, we explored the mechanism by which lncRNA-C5ORF42-5 overexpression affects gastric cancer cells to elucidate whether lncRNA-C5ORF42-5 may increase the activity of the SMAD pathway of BMP signaling and promote the expression of EMT-related proteins, such as E-cadherin. Additionally, overexpression of lncRNA-C5ORF42-5 affected the phosphorylation levels of AKT and ERK.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that CDK10 overexpression represses gastric cancer tumor progression by reducing lncRNA-C5ORF42-5 and hindering activation of the related proteins in metastatic signaling pathways, which provides new insight into developing effective therapeutic strategies in the treatment of metastatic gastric cancer.

Download Full-text

Transcriptomic-Based Quantification of the Epithelial-Hybrid-Mesenchymal Spectrum Across Biological Contexts

Biomolecules ◽

10.3390/biom12010029 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 29

Author(s):

Susmita Mandal ◽

Tanishq Tejaswi ◽

Rohini Janivara ◽

Syamanthak Srikrishnan ◽

Pradipti Thakur ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cancer Cells ◽

Cancer Metastasis ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Gene List ◽

Cellular Reprogramming ◽

Induced Pluripotent ◽

Patient Prognosis ◽

High Degree

Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) underlies embryonic development, wound healing, and cancer metastasis and fibrosis. Cancer cells exhibiting EMP often have more aggressive behavior, characterized by drug resistance, and tumor-initiating and immuno-evasive traits. Thus, the EMP status of cancer cells can be a critical indicator of patient prognosis. Here, we compare three distinct transcriptomic-based metrics—each derived using a different gene list and algorithm—that quantify the EMP spectrum. Our results for over 80 cancer-related RNA-seq datasets reveal a high degree of concordance among these metrics in quantifying the extent of EMP. Moreover, each metric, despite being trained on cancer expression profiles, recapitulates the expected changes in EMP scores for non-cancer contexts such as lung fibrosis and cellular reprogramming into induced pluripotent stem cells. Thus, we offer a scoring platform to quantify the extent of EMP in vitro and in vivo for diverse biological applications including cancer.

Download Full-text

CD36 promotes the epithelial–mesenchymal transition and metastasis in cervical cancer by interacting with TGF-β

Journal of Translational Medicine ◽

10.1186/s12967-019-2098-6 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Min Deng ◽

Xiaodong Cai ◽

Ling Long ◽

Linying Xie ◽

Hongmei Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cervical Cancer ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cancer Metastasis ◽

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Expression Levels ◽

Cd36 Expression ◽

Cervical Cancer Cells

Abstract Background Accumulating evidence indicates that CD36 initiates metastasis and correlates with an unfavorable prognosis in cancers. However, there are few reports regarding the roles of CD36 in initiation and metastasis of cervical cancer. Methods Using immunohistochemistry, we analyzed 133 cervical cancer samples for CD36 protein expression levels, and then investigated the correlation between changes in its expression and clinicopathologic parameters. The effect of CD36 expression on the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cervical cancer cells was evaluated by Western immunoblotting analysis. In vitro invasion and in vivo metastasis assays were also used to evaluate the role of CD36 in cervical cancer metastasis. Results In the present study, we confirmed that CD36 was highly expressed in cervical cancer samples relative to normal cervical tissues. Moreover, overexpression of CD36 promoted invasiveness and metastasis of cervical cancer cells in vitro and in vivo, while CD36 knockdown suppressed proliferation, migration, and invasiveness. We demonstrated that TGF-β treatment attenuated E-cadherin expression and enhanced the expression levels of CD36, vimentin, slug, snail, and twist in si-SiHa, si-HeLa, and C33a–CD36 cells, suggesting that TGF-β synergized with CD36 on EMT via active CD36 expression. We also observed that the expression levels of TGF-β in si-SiHa cells and si-HeLa cells were down-regulated, whereas the expression levels of TGF-β were up-regulated in C33a–CD36 cells. These results imply that CD36 and TGF-β interact with each other to promote the EMT in cervical cancer. Conclusions Our findings suggest that CD36 is likely to be an effective target for guiding individualized clinical therapy of cervical cancer.

Download Full-text

MeCP2 Promotes Colorectal Cancer Metastasis by Modulating ZEB1 Transcription

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers12030758 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 758

Author(s):

Dan Luo ◽

Wei Ge

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Cancer Metastasis ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Mobility Shift ◽

Migration Ability ◽

Invasion And Migration ◽

Distant Organ Metastasis

Background: Recurrence and distant organ metastasis is a major cause of death in colorectal cancer (CRC); however, the underlying molecular mechanisms regulating this phenomenon are poorly understood. MeCP2 is a key epigenetic regulator and is amplified in many types of cancer. Its role in CRC and the molecular mechanisms underlying its action remain unknown. Methods: We used western blot and immunohistochemistry to detect MeCP2 expression in CRC tissues, and then investigated its biological functions in vitro and in vivo. Chromatin immunoprecipitation, co-immunoprecipitation, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays were used to detect the associations among MeCP2 (Methyl-CpG binding protein 2), SPI1 (Spi-1 Proto-Oncogene), and ZEB1 (Zinc Finger E-Box Binding Homeobox 1). Results: Using the Cancer Genome Atlas and Oncomine databases, we found MeCP2 expression was upregulated in CRC tissues and this upregulation was related to poor prognosis. Meanwhile, MeCP2 depletion (KO/KD) in CRC cells significantly inhibited stem cell frequency, and invasion and migration ability in vitro, and suppressed CRC metastasis in vivo. Mechanistically, we show MeCP2 binds to the transcription factor SPI1, and aids its recruitment to the ZEB1 promoter. SPI1 then facilitates ZEB1 expression at the transcription level. In turn, ZEB1 induces the expression of MMP14, CD133, and SOX2, thereby maintaining CRC stemness and metastasis. Conclusions: MeCP2 is a novel regulator of CRC metastasis. MeCP2 suppression may be a promising therapeutic strategy in CRC.

Download Full-text