scholarly journals MMP13 Regulates Aggressiveness of Pediatric Multiple Myeloma Through VEGF-C

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 509-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingyun Xu ◽  
Kai Sun ◽  
Min Xia ◽  
Xiaoli Li ◽  
Yanming Lu

Background/Aims: Even though the blood and lymphatic vascular systems are both involved in the occurrence of cancer metastases, it is believed that lymphatic system is primarily responsible for the initial metastasis. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms underlying lymphangiogenesis of multiple myeloma (MM), especially in pediatric period, have not been clarified. Methods: Here we studied vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) and matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13) in pediatric MM patients. We overexpressed or inhibited VEGF-C in MM cells to study their effects on MMP13, and vice versa. A specific inhibitor for PI3k/Akt signaling pathway was used to examine the role of PI3k/Akt signaling in this regulatory axis. Results: Both VEGF-C and MMP13 significantly upregulated in MM with lymph-node metastases. A strong correlation between VEGF-C and MMP13 were detected in MM specimen. Using a human MM line 8226, we found that VEGF-C was regulated by MMP13 in MM cells, but not vice versa. Moreover, a specific PI3k/Akt inhibitor significantly abolished the effect of MMP13 on VEGF-C activation. Conclusion: Since VEGF-C is a well-known growth factor for lymphatic vessels, our data suggest that MMP13 may activate VEGF-C to promote cancer cell metastasis through lymphatic vascular systems in pediatric MM.

2014 ◽  
Vol 306 (6) ◽  
pp. H789-H796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tieqiang Zhao ◽  
Wenyuan Zhao ◽  
Weixin Meng ◽  
Chang Liu ◽  
Yuanjian Chen ◽  
...  

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C is a key mediator of lymphangiogenesis. Our recent study shows that VEGF-C/VEGF receptors (VEGFR)-3 are significantly increased in the infarcted rat myocardium, where VEGFR-3 is expressed not only in lymph ducts but also in myofibroblasts, indicating that VEGF-C has an unrevealed role in fibrogenesis during cardiac repair. The current study is to explore the regulation and molecular mechanisms of VEGF-C in fibrogenesis. The potential regulation of VEGF-C on myofibroblast differentiation/growth/migration, collagen degradation/synthesis, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and ERK pathways was detected in cultured cardiac myofibroblasts. Our results showed that VEGF-C significantly increased myofibroblast proliferation, migration, and type I/III collagen production. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9 were significantly elevated in the medium of VEGF-C-treated cells, coincident with increased tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2. Furthermore, VEGF-C activated the TGF-β1 pathway and ERK phosphorylation, which was significantly suppressed by TGF-β or ERK blockade. This is the first study indicating that in addition to lymphangiogenesis, VEGF-C is also involved in fibrogenesis through stimulation of myofibroblast proliferation, migration, and collagen synthesis, via activation of the TGF-β1 and ERK pathways.


2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (12) ◽  
pp. 1934-1947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuechao Zhao ◽  
Quanxi Li ◽  
Benita S. Katzenellenbogen ◽  
Lester F. Lau ◽  
Robert N. Taylor ◽  
...  

Endometriosis is a prevalent gynecological disorder in which endometrial tissue proliferates in extrauterine sites, such as the peritoneal cavity, eventually giving rise to painful, invasive lesions. Dysregulated estradiol (E) signaling has been implicated in this condition. However, the molecular mechanisms that operate downstream of E in the ectopic endometrial tissue are unknown. To investigate these mechanisms, we used a mouse model of endometriosis. Endometrial tissue from donor mice was surgically transplanted on the peritoneal surface of immunocompetent syngeneic recipient mice, leading to the establishment of cystic endometriosis-like lesions. Our studies revealed that treatment with E led to an approximately 3-fold increase in the lesion size within a week of transplantation. E also caused a concomitant stimulation in the expression of connective tissue growth factor/Cyr61/Nov (CCN1), a secreted cysteine-rich matricellular protein, in the lesions. Interestingly, CCN1 is highly expressed in human ectopic endometriotic lesions. To address its role in endometriosis, endometrial tissue from Ccn1-null donor mice was transplanted in wild-type recipient mice. The resulting ectopic lesions were reduced up to 75% in size compared with wild-type lesions due to diminished cell proliferation and cyst formation. Notably, loss of CCN1 also disrupted the development of vascular networks in the ectopic lesions and reduced the expression of several angiogenic factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor-A and vascular endothelial growth factor-C. These results suggest that CCN1, acting downstream of E, critically controls cell proliferation and neovascularization, which support the growth and survival of endometriotic tissue at ectopic sites. Blockade of CCN1 signaling during the early stages of lesion establishment may provide a therapeutic avenue to control endometriosis.


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 1511-1511
Author(s):  
Angela Zöllinger ◽  
Thorsten Stühmer ◽  
Manik Chatterjee ◽  
Ralf C. Bargou

Abstract The PI3K/Akt pathway has been reported to critically contribute to survival and malignant growth of multiple myeloma (MM). Because most of these data are based on pharmacologic inhibition it is not clear if the effects are due to Akt inhibition or off-target effects. Furthermore, the Akt family of kinases consists of three highly homologous isoforms, that may, nonetheless, display individual functional properties. We therefore conducted siRNA experiments to evaluate if any single isoform posesses a special role for the viability of MM cells. This was complemented with extensive analyses into the functional and signaling properties of the Akt pathway in primary MM cells (n = 30). Our knock-down experiments revealed that in MM.1S, an MM cell line with constitutive phospho-Akt signaling, Akt1 and Akt2 both contributed to MM cell survival whereas Akt3 seemed to be of less relevance. Conversely, survival of MM cell line AMO-1 which has no constitutive phospho-Akt signal was completely unaffected. Treatment of these MM cell lines with the Akt1 and Akt2 specific inhibitor Akti-1/2 showed that this drug totally abolished the phospho-Akt signal in MM.1S at a concentration of 10 microM. Again, MM.1S cells underwent apoptosis whereas AMO-1 cells were resistant. Next, we analyzed Akt signaling in a large panel of primary MM samples. Phosphorylated Akt was determined with intracellular staining and flow cytometry analysis in primary tumor samples and could be detected in about 60% of MM cases. This constitutive signal could be blocked with Akti-1/2 in the presence and absence of bone marrow stromal cells. Pharmacologic inhibition of Akt led to strong induction of cell death in 46% of primary MM samples, whereas the rest was largely resistant to Akt inhibition. The samples sensitive to Akt inhibition were mostly identical to those that displayed a constitutive phospho-Akt signal. Of interest, there was no correlation between Akt dependence and mutational inactivation of PTEN. Further inhibition of other signaling cascades implicated in growth and survival of MM cells, such as the MAPK or STAT3 pathways, had only minor additional effects on tumor cell viability of samples resistant to Akt inhibition. Our analysis indicates substantial heterogeneity in MM cells that defines Akt dependent and Akt independent MM subgroups. Akt1 and Akt2 proved relevant for the survival of subsets of MM cell lines and primary samples. Taken together, this is the first comprehensive functional and molecular signaling analysis of primary MM samples which led to the identification of novel functionally defined myeloma subgroups.


2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 566-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoru Morishita ◽  
Keiko Tomita ◽  
Tomoji Ono ◽  
Michiaki Murakoshi ◽  
Kenji Saito ◽  
...  

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) describes a spectrum of lesions ranging from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The excess influx of fatty acids (FAs) into the liver is recognized as a main cause of simple steatosis formation and progression to NASH. Recently, administration of lactoferrin (LF), a glycoprotein present in milk, was suggested to prevent NAFLD development. However, the effect of LF on the contribution of FA to NAFLD development remains unclear. In this study, the effects of LF on FA mixture (FAm)-induced lipotoxicity using human hepatocarcinoma G2 cells were assessed. FAm significantly decreased cell viability and increased intracellular lipid accumulation, whereas LF significantly recovered cell viability without affecting lipid accumulation. FAm-induced lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and caspase-3/7 activities were significantly decreased by LF and SP600125, a c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) specific inhibitor. We also found that LF added to FAm-treated cells induced Akt phosphorylation, which contributed to inhibition of JNK signaling pathway-dependent apoptosis. Akt inhibitor VIII, an allosteric Akt inhibitor, significantly attenuated the effect of LF on LDH activity and abrogated the ones on cell viability and caspase-3/7 activity. In summary, the present study has revealed that LF has a protective effect on FAm-induced lipotoxicity in a HepG2 model of NAFLD and identified the activation of the Akt signaling pathway as a possibly major mechanism.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Di Peng ◽  
Koji Ando ◽  
Marleen Gloger ◽  
Renae Skoczylas ◽  
Naoki Mochizuki ◽  
...  

The migration of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) is key for the development of the complex and vast lymphatic vascular network that pervades most of the tissues in an organism. In zebrafish, arterial intersegmental vessels together with chemokines have been shown to promote lymphatic cell migration from the horizontal myoseptum (HM). Here we found that LECs departure from HM coincides with the emergence of mural cells around the intersegmental arteries, raising the possibility that arterial mural cells promote LEC migration. Our live imaging and cell ablation experiments revealed that LECs migrate slower and fail to establish the lymphatic vascular network in the absence of arterial mural cells. We determined that mural cells are a source for the C-X-C motif chemokine 12 (Cxcl12a and Cxcl12b) and vascular endothelial growth factor C (Vegfc). We showed that ERK, a downstream component of Vegfc-Vegfr3 singling cascade, is activated in migrating LECs and that both chemokine and growth factor signalling is required for the robust migration. Furthermore, Vegfc-Vegfr3 has a pro-survival role in LECs during the migration. Together, the identification of mural cells a source for signals that guide LEC migration and survival will be important in the future design for rebuilding lymphatic vessels in the disease contexts.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 3968-3968
Author(s):  
Hao Chen ◽  
Xiu-Yun Ding ◽  
Yuan Gao ◽  
Fei-Yao Ren ◽  
Hui Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3) and its ligands, vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) and D (VEGF-D), are the major molecules involved in the development of the embryonic vascular system and pathological lymphangiogenesis. Throughout embryogenesis, VEGFR-3 is expressed in most endothelial cells, whilst being restricted to lymphatic vessels later in development. This receptor plays a significant role in the normal development of blood and lymphatic vessels. In the present studies, we generated a novel panel of 17 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the human VEGFR-3 and characterized their ability to inhibit the proliferation of human erythroleukemia (HEL) cells and angiogenesis of chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). Among these mAbs, BDD073 was demonstrated to inhibit the interaction of soluble VEGFR-3 with VEGF-D and the proliferation of HEL cells. In CAM angiogenesis experiments, the angiogenesis induced by recombinant GST-VEGF-D was decreased in the presence of antibody BDD073. These data indicate that this novel neutralizing antibody against human VEGFR-3 not only might be a potential compounds in blocking the VEGF-D-induced angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, but also be a tool for the investigations of biology of VEGFR-3 and analysis of lymphatic vessels in malignant tumors and their metastases.


Cancers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei-Yi Wu ◽  
Yueh-Chien Lin ◽  
Yuan-Li Huang ◽  
Wei-Min Chen ◽  
Chien-Chin Chen ◽  
...  

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common noncutaneous cancer in men worldwide. One of its major treatments is androgen deprivation therapy, but PCa frequently relapses as aggressive castration resistant local tumors and distal metastases. Hence, the development of novel agents or treatment modalities for advanced PCa is crucial. Many tumors, including PCa, first metastasize to regional lymph nodes via lymphatic vessels. Recent findings demonstrate that the bioactive lipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) promotes PCa progression by regulating vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C), a critical mediator of tumor lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis. Many of the underlying molecular mechanisms of the LPA–VEGF-C axis have been described, revealing potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets that may aid in the diagnosis and treatment of advanced PCa. Herein, we review the literature that illustrates a functional role for LPA signaling in PCa progression. These discoveries may be especially applicable to anti-lymphangiogenic strategies for the prevention and therapy of metastatic PCa.


Lymphology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Chachaj ◽  
A Szuba

Although numerous studies have confirmed the relationship between high salt intake and elevated blood pressure, the exact molecular mechanisms of this relationship are still unclear. There is growing evidence that skin interstitium, as well as the skin lymphatic system, are important regulators of both sodium (Na+) balance and blood pressure. Skin is in itself a large reservoir of Na+ ions which are stored in an osmotically inactive form on glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Local hypertonicity due to extensive accumulation of Na+ within the skin as a result of a high-salt diet was demonstrated to induce macrophages to express a transcription factor termed tonicity-responsive enhancer binding protein (TonEBP) and subsequently to secrete vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C), activating lymphangiogenesis within the skin. This regulatory axis seems to be adaptive in maintaining blood pressure in high salt-load states. Recent studies have added new insights into the functioning of lymphatic vessels and the pathogenesis of salt-sensitive hypertension as well as questioned the classic view of Na+ homeostasis. This review aims to summarize recent findings pertaining to the involvement of the skin lymphatic system in Na+ and blood pressure regulation.


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