CALCR knockdown inhibits the development and progression of non-small-cell lung cancer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao He ◽  
Feng Ling

Abstract G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have been reported to participant in the occurrence and development of a variety of human cancers. CALCR is one of the hundreds of GPCRs, but its expression level and functional importance have never been investigated in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the present study, the protein expression level of CALCR was detected by immunohistochemical staining and western blot analysis. The Celigo cell counting assay was used to assess cell proliferation. Both the wound healing assay and the transwell assay were performed to evaluate cell migration. Flow cytometric analysis was utilized to detect cell apoptosis and cell cycle. A mouse xenograft model was constructed to conduct the in vivo experiments. The results indicated that the CALCR expression was abundantly up-regulated in NSCLC and positively related to tumor infiltrate. Besides, CALCR knockdown could significantly suppress cell proliferation, migration, enhance apoptosis and arrest cell cycle. The in vivo study verified the inhibitory effects of CALCR knockdown on NSCLC tumorigenesis. The abovementioned results provided a reference for the treatment of NSCLC, that was, CALCR knockdown might be a considerable therapeutic strategy.

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xing Li ◽  
Shao-Hua Chen ◽  
Jin-Wu Zeng

Background: Lung cancer is the main cause of cancer-­related deaths worldwide, and the overall 5-year survival rate of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remained low. ­MicroRNAs had been confirmed to be an important regulator in tumor progression, and they could serve as either tumor promoters or suppressors in NSCLC. Objectives: To identify the novel cancer-specific biomarkers for NSCLC patients, which may be useful to monitor tumor progression and improve NSCLC patients’ survival. Method: The expression profile of miR-421 was analyzed in NSCLC samples using public datasets, including The Cancer Genome Atlas and GSE102286. The expression level of miR-421 was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Cell proliferation and cell cycle were detected by Cell Counting Kit assay, flow cytometry assay, respectively. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis were applied to determine the biological roles of miR-421, based on the online DAVID system. Statistical comparisons between groups of normalized data were performed using t test or Mann-Whitney U test according to the test condition. Results: In this study, we focused on exploring the roles of miR-421 in NSCLC prognosis and growth. The present study for the first time showed that miR-421 was overexpressed in NSCLC and associated with a shorter overall survival time of patients with NSCLC. Bioinformatics analysis revealed miR-421 was involved in transcription, cell cycle, and insulin signaling pathway regulation. Furthermore, a gain of function assay showed that overexpression of miR-421 could promote NSCLC cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that miR-421 might be a promising prognostic and therapeutic target for NSCLC.


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 2213-2224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Zhao ◽  
Yahui Liu ◽  
Ran Liu ◽  
Jin Qi ◽  
Yongwang Hou ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Cytokines are key players in tumorigenesis and are potential targets in cancer treatment. Although IL-6 has attracted considerable attention, interleukin 11 (IL-11), another member of the IL-6 family, has long been overlooked, and little is known regarding its specific function in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study, we explored IL-11’s role in NSCLC and the detailed mechanism behind it. Methods: Cell proliferation in response to IL-11 was determined by colony formation, BrdU incorporation and MTS (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium) assay. Cell motility was measured by Transwell and wound healing assays. NSCLC xenograft models were used to confirm oncogenic function of IL-11 in vivo. Immunohistochemical staining and western blot assay were performed to detect epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and cell signaling pathway alterations. Eighteen NSCLC patients and 5 normal lung samples were collected together with data from an online database to determine the link between IL-11 expression and malignant progression. Results: We observed that IL-11 was upregulated in NSCLC samples compared with normal tissue samples and correlated with poor prognosis. Data from in vitro and in vivo models indicated that IL-11 promotes cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. Cell migration and invasion were also enhanced by IL-11. Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) was also observed after IL-11 incubation. Furthermore, IL-11 activated AKT and STAT3 in our experimental models. In addition, we observed that hypoxia induced IL-11 expression in NSCLC cells. Deferoxamine (DFX) or dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG) induced hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF1α) upregulation, which enhanced IL-11 expression in NSCLC cells. Conclusions: Taken together, our results indicate that IL-11 is an oncogene in NSCLC, and elucidating the mechanism behind it may provide insights for NSCLC treatment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 2136-2147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiting Gu ◽  
Junfeng Chen ◽  
Yukang Song ◽  
Haiyan Shao

Background/Aims: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play vital roles in carcinogenesis as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. This study explored the biological function of lncRNA gastric adenocarcinoma predictive long intergenic non-coding RNA (GAPLINC) in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: GAPLINC expression in NSCLC specimens and cell lines was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot. The effect of GAPLINC on cell proliferation was investigated using CCK8-assay, colony formation assay, and xenograft model. The effects of GAPLINC on apoptosis and cell cycle were determined using flow cytometry. The mechanism of GAPLINC involved in NSCLC was explored using Western blot, luciferase reporter assay, and RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization. Results: We found that GAPLINC expression was up-regulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of GAPLINC was associated with poor prognosis in patients with NSCLC. Silencing of GAPLINC significantly inhibited cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis, and induced cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase. Results from xenograft transplantation showed that GAPLINC silencing inhibited the tumor growth in vivo. Interestingly, GAPLINC silencing decreased the expression of eukaryotic elongation factor-2 kinase (eEF2K) protein both in vivo and in vitro. Bioinformatic analysis and luciferase reporter confirmed that miR-661 targeted GAPLINC and eEF2K 3’-UTR and was negatively correlated with the expression of GAPLINC and eEF2K. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that GAPLINC promotes NSCLC tumorigenesis by regulating miR-661/eEF2K cascade and provide new insights for the pathogenesis underlying NSCLC and potential targets for therapeutic strategy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 2938-2954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Shen ◽  
Shoubo Cao ◽  
Xin Sun ◽  
Bo Pan ◽  
Jingyan Cao ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is expected to be a new method to solve the clinical problems caused by advanced metastasis in patients with lung cancer. The use of ultrasound has the advantage of being noninvasive, with deep-penetration properties. This study explored the anti-tumor effect of SDT with a new sonosensitizer, sinoporphyrin sodium (DVDMS), on the human small cell lung cancer H446 cell line in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Absorption of DVDMS was detected by a fluorescence spectrophotometer, and DVDMS toxicity was determined using a Cell Counting Kit-8. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was assessed using the JC-1 fluorescent probe. Cell apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry, and apoptosis-related proteins were detected by western blotting. The expression of cytokines was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and quantitative real-time PCR. To verify the in vitro results, we detected tumor volumes and weight changes in a xenograft nude mouse model after DVDMS-SDT. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe changes to the tumor, heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney of the mice, and immunohistochemistry was used to examine changes in the expression of tumor CD34 and receptor-interacting protein kinase-3 (RIP3), while terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling was used to observe apoptosis in tumor tissues. Results: DVDMS-SDT-treated H446 cells increased the rate of cellular apoptosis and the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-8, cleaved caspase-9, and caspase-10, and decreased the levels of MMP, RIP3, B-cell lymphoma 2, vascular endothelial growth factor, and tumor necrosis factor-α. The sonotoxic effect was mediated by ROS and was reduced by a ROS scavenger (N-acetyl-L-cysteine). In the in vivo mouse xenograft model, DVDMS-SDT showed efficient anti-cancer effects with no visible side effects. Conclusion: DVDMS-SDT induced apoptosis in H446 cells, in part by targeting mitochondria through the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis signaling pathway, and the extrinsic apoptosis pathway was also shown to be involved. Both apoptosis and changes in RIP3 expression were closely related to the generation of ROS. DVDMS-SDT will be advantageous for the management of small cell lung cancer due to its noninvasive characteristics.


2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 2324-2340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiuyuan Li ◽  
Zenglei Zhang ◽  
Hua Jiang ◽  
Qiang Li ◽  
Ruliang Wang ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are key regulators in the development and progression of human cancers, however its role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumorigenesis is not well understood. The aim of this study is to identify the expression level of circPVT1 in NSCLC and further investigated its functional relevance with NSCLC progression both in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Quantative real-time PCR was used for the measurement of circPVT1 in NSCLC specimens and cell lines. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis (FISH) assay was used for the identification of sublocation of circPVT1 in NSCLC cells. Bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) were performed to verify the binding of c-Fos at circPVT1 promoter region, and the direct interaction between circPVT1 and miR-125b. Gain- or loss-function assays were performed to evaluate the effects of circPVT1 on cell proliferation and invasion. Western blot and immunohistochemistry assays were performed to detect the protein levels involved in E2F2 pathway. Results: We found that circPVT1 was upregulated in NSCLC specimens and cells. The transcription factor c-Fos binded to the promoter region of circPVT1, resulting in the overexpression of circPVT1 in NSCLC. Knockdown of circPVT1 suppressed NSCLC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and increased apoptosis. In addition, circPVT1 mediated NSCLC progression via the regulation of E2F2 signaling pathway. More importantly, circPVT1 was predominantly abundant in the cytoplasm of NSCLC cells, and circPVT1 could serve as a competing endogenous RNA to regulate E2F2 expression and tumorigenesis in a miR-125b-dependent manner, which is further verified by using an in vivo xenograft model. Conclusion: circPVT1 promotes NSCLC cell growth and invasion, and may serve as a promising therapeutic target for NSCLC patients. Therefore, silence of circPVT1 could be a future direction to develop a novel treatment strategy.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhihong Zhang ◽  
Zhenxiu Shan ◽  
Rubin Chen ◽  
Xiaorong Peng ◽  
Bin Xu ◽  
...  

AbstractNon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a leading threat to human lives with high incidence and mortality. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) were reported to play important roles in human cancers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of circ_0005962 and explore the underlying functional mechanisms. The expression of circ_0005962, miR-382-5p and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4) was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell proliferation and cell apoptosis were assessed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry assay, respectively. The protein levels of Beclin 1, light chain3 (LC3-II/LC3-I), PDK4, Cleaved Caspase 3 (C-caspase 3) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were examined using western blot analysis. Glycolysis was determined according to the levels of glucose consumption and lactate production. The interaction between miR-382-5p and circ_0005962 or PDK4 was predicted by the online tool CircInteractome or starbase and verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. Xenograft model was constructed to investigate the role of circ_0005962 in vivo. circ_0005962 expressed with a high level in NSCLC tissues and cells. Circ_0005962 knockdown inhibited proliferation, autophagy, and glycolysis but promoted apoptosis in NSCLC cells. MiR-382-5p was targeted by circ_0005962, and its inhibition reversed the role of circ_0005962 knockdown. Besides, PDK4, a target of miR-382-5p, was regulated by circ_0005962 through miR-382-5p, and its overexpression abolished the effects of miR-382-5p reintroduction. Circ_0005962 knockdown suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Circ_0005962 knockdown restrained cell proliferation, autophagy, and glycolysis but stimulated apoptosis through modulating the circ_0005962/miR-382-5p/PDK4 axis. Our study broadened the insights into understanding the mechanism of NSCLC progression.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Liang ◽  
Linlin Wang ◽  
Chuanhua Cao ◽  
Shimao Song ◽  
Feng Wu

Abstract LncRNA SNHG10 has been characterized as an oncogenic lncRNA in liver cancer. By analyzing TCGA dataset we observed the downregulation of SNHG10 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), indicating its involvement in this disease. We then analyzed the role of SNHG10 in NSCLC.Tumor and paired non-tumor tissues were harvested from 62 NSCLC patients. Expression of SNHG10 and miR-21 in tissues was determined by RT-qPCR. Overexpression of SNHG10 or miR-21 in NSCLC cells was achieved and the interaction between them was analyzed. Cell proliferation was analyzed by CCK-8 assay.In this study we found that SNHG10 is downregulated in cancer tissues of NSCLC patients included in this study. High expression level of SNHG10 predicted favorable survival of NSCLC patients. Levels of miR-21 expression were increased in NSCLC and inversely correlated with SNHG10. In NSCLC cells, SNHG10 overexpression led to increased miR-21 gene methylation and decreased miR-21 expression level. In cell proliferation assay, SNHG10 overexpression attenuated the enhancing effect of miR-21 overexpression on cell proliferation. SNHG10 is downregulated in non-small cell lung cancer and predicts poor survival. It may downregulated miR-21 through methylation to suppress cancer cell proliferation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 175883592094797
Author(s):  
Xiangyu Zhang ◽  
Jia Chen ◽  
Cheng Cheng ◽  
Ping Li ◽  
Fangfang Cai ◽  
...  

Background: Aspirin has recently emerged as an anticancer drug, but its therapeutic effect on lung cancer has been rarely reported, and the mechanism of action is still unclear. Long-term use of celecoxib in large doses causes serious side effects, and it is necessary to explore better ways to achieve curative effects. In this study, we evaluated the synergistic anticancer effects of celecoxib and aspirin in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Methods: In vitro, we evaluated the combined effects of celecoxib (40 μM) and aspirin (8 mM) on cell apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, cell proliferation, cell migration and signaling pathways. Furthermore, the effect of aspirin (100 mg/kg body weight) and celecoxib (50 mg/kg body weight) on the growth of xenograft tumors was explored in vivo. Results: Our data suggest that cancer sensitivity to combined therapy using low concentrations of celecoxib and aspirin was higher than that of celecoxib or aspirin alone. Further research showed that the anti-tumor effect of celecoxib combined with aspirin was mainly produced by activating caspase-9/caspase-3, arresting cell cycle and inhibiting the ERK-MAPK signaling pathway. In addition, celecoxib alone or in combination with aspirin inhibited the migration and invasion of NSCLC cells by inhibiting MMP-9 and MMP-2 activity levels. Moreover, we identified GRP78 as a target protein of aspirin in NSCLC cells. Aspirin induced an endoplasmic reticulum stress response by inhibiting GRP78 activity. Furthermore, combination therapy also exhibited a better inhibitory effect on tumor growth in vivo. Conclusions: Our study provides a rationale for further detailed preclinical and potential clinical studies of the combination of celecoxib and aspirin for NSCLC therapy.


2005 ◽  
Vol 289 (3) ◽  
pp. L438-L445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuo-Ting Chang ◽  
Chi-Ying F. Huang ◽  
Chun-Ming Tsai ◽  
Chao-Hua Chiu ◽  
Ying-Yung Lok

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been shown to regulate both growth and neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation in some types of human cancer cells, and erbB2 may be a critical component of IL-6 signaling. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors that demonstrate NE properties have been suggested to have biological characteristics similar to small cell lung cancers with initial responsiveness to chemotherapy. We investigated whether IL-6 is implicated in the cell growth, NE differentiation, and chemosensitivity of NSCLC-NE cells. NSCLC-NE cells were treated with exogenous IL-6, and a subclone of an IL-6-transfected NSCLC cell line that constitutively expressed IL-6 receptor was also generated. These cells were assessed for cell proliferation by cell counting and 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays, chemosensitivity to cisplatin and etoposide by MTT assays, and NE differentiation by observing morphological changes and immunoblotting for neuron-specific enolase (NSE). The IL-6-treated cells and the IL-6-transfected cells showed enhanced cell proliferation and downregulated NSE expression, but little change in chemosensitivity. In the culture medium, IL-6-transfected cells grew as looser aggregates than the parental cells. IL-6 could not activate the erbB genes. In conclusion, IL-6 can induce cell proliferation and NE dedifferentiation but has little effect on chemosensitivity in IL-6 receptor-expressing NSCLC-NE cells. The status of NSE expression is unlikely to be a crucial factor for chemosensitivity in NSCLC cells.


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