Knockdown of ARK5 Expression Suppresses Invasion and Metastasis of Gastric Cancer

Background/Aims: Gastric cancer (GC) is a common and lethal malignancy, and AMP-activated protein kinase-related kinase 5 (ARK5) has been discovered to promote cancer metastasis in certain types of cancer. In this study, we explored the role of ARK5 in GC invasion and metastasis. Methods: ARK5 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related markers were determined by immunohistochemistry and western blot in GC specimens. Other methods including stably transfected against ARK5 into SGC7901 and AGS cells, western blot, migration and invasion assays in vitro and nude mice tumorigenicity in vivo were also employed. Results: The results demonstrated that ARK5 expression was increased and positively correlated with metastasis, EMT-related markers and poor prognosis in patients with GC. Knockdown of ARK5 expression remarkably suppressed GC cells invasion and metastasis via regulating EMT, rather than proliferation in vitro and in vivo. And knockdown of ARK5 expression in GC cells resulted in the down-regulation of the mTOR/p70S6k signals, Slug and SIP1. Conclusion: The elevated ARK5 expression was closely associated with cancer metastasis and patient survival, and it seemed to function in GC cells migration and invasion via EMT alteration, together with the alteration of the mTOR/p70S6k signals, Slug and SIP1, thus providing a potential therapeutic target for GC.

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Circular RNA CDR1as Inhibits the Metastasis of Gastric Cancer through Targeting miR-876-5p/GNG7 Axis

Gastroenterology Research and Practice ◽

10.1155/2021/5583029 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Jiajia Jiang ◽

Rong Li ◽

Junyi Wang ◽

Jie Hou ◽

Hui Qian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gastric Cancer ◽

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Circular Rna ◽

Luciferase Reporter ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Luciferase Reporter Gene ◽

Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Underlying Mechanisms

Circular RNA CDR1as has been demonstrated to participate in various cancer progressions as miRNA sponges. The exact underlying mechanisms of CDR1as on gastric cancer (GC) metastasis remain unknown. Here, we found that CDR1as knockdown facilitated GC cell migration and invasion while its overexpression inhibited the migration and invasion abilities of GC cells in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, epithelial-mesenchymal transition- (EMT-) associated proteins and MMP2 and MMP9 were downregulated by CDR1as. Bioinformatics analysis combined with dual-luciferase reporter gene assays, western blot, RT-qPCR analysis, and functional rescue experiments demonstrated that CDR1as served as a miR-876-5p sponge and upregulated the target gene GNG7 expression to suppress GC metastasis. In summary, our findings indicate that CDR1as suppresses GC metastasis through the CDR1as/miR-876-5p/GNG7 axis.

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Adenosine interaction with adenosine receptor A2a promotes gastric cancer metastasis by enhancing PI3K–AKT–mTOR signaling

Molecular Biology of the Cell ◽

10.1091/mbc.e19-03-0136 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (19) ◽

pp. 2527-2534 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Linsen Shi ◽

Zhaoying Wu ◽

Ji Miao ◽

Shangce Du ◽

Shichao Ai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gastric Cancer ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Cancer Metastasis ◽

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Mtor Signaling ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Mtor Signaling Pathway ◽

Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Poor Outcomes

The accumulation of adenosine in the tumor microenvironment is associated with tumor progression in many cancers. However, whether adenosine is involved in gastric cancer (GC) metastasis and progression, and the underlying molecular mechanism, is largely unclear. In this study, we find that GC tissues and cell lines had higher A2aR levels than nontumor gastric tissues and cell lines. A2aR expression correlated positively with TNMstage, and associated with poor outcomes. Adenosine enhanced the expression of the stemness and epithelial–mesenchymal transition-associated genes by binding to A2aR. A2aR expression on GC cells promoted metastasis in vivo. The PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway was involved in adenosine-stimulated GC cell migration and invasion. Our results indicate that adenosine promotes GC cell invasion and metastasis by interacting with A2aR to enhance PI3K–AKT–mTOR pathway signaling.

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The POU2F1/miR-4490/USP22 axis regulates cell proliferation and metastasis in gastric cancer

Cellular Oncology ◽

10.1007/s13402-020-00553-1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 (6) ◽

pp. 1017-1033 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yizhi Xiao ◽

Side Liu ◽

Jiaying Li ◽

Weiyu Dai ◽

Weimei Tang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gastric Cancer ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Cell Cycle Progression ◽

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Luciferase Reporter ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Aberrant Expression ◽

Mesenchymal Transition

Abstract Purpose Growing evidence indicates that aberrant expression of microRNAs contributes to tumor development. However, the biological role of microRNA-4490 (miR-4490) in gastric cancer (GC) remains to be clarified. Methods To explore the function of miR-4490 in GC, we performed colony formation, EdU incorporation, qRT-PCR, Western blotting, in situ hybridization (ISH), immunohistochemistry (IHC), flow cytometry, ChIP and dual-luciferase reporter assays. In addition, the growth, migration and invasion capacities of GC cells were evaluated. Results We found that miR-4490 was significantly downregulated in primary GC samples and in GC-derived cell lines compared with normal controls, and that this expression level was negatively correlated with GC malignancy. Exogenous miR-4490 expression not only reduced cell cycle progression and proliferation, but also significantly inhibited GC cell migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro. Mechanistically, we found that miR-4490 directly targets USP22, which mediates inhibition of GC cell proliferation and EMT-induced metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we found through luciferase and ChIP assays that transcription factor POU2F1 can directly bind to POU2F1 binding sites within the miR-4490 and USP22 promoters and, by doing so, modulate their transcription. Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between USP22 and POU2F1 expression and negative correlations between miR-4490 and USP22 as well as miR-4490 and POU2F1 expression in primary GC tissues. Conclusion Based on our results we conclude that miR-4490 acts as a tumor suppressor, and that the POU2F1/miR-4490/USP22 axis plays an important role in the regulation of growth, invasion and EMT of GC cells.

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Cripto-1 promotes tumor invasion and predicts poor outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma

Carcinogenesis ◽

10.1093/carcin/bgz133 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 41 (5) ◽

pp. 571-581

Author(s):

Tao Huang ◽

Yi-Zhan Guo ◽

Xiao Yue ◽

Guo-Pei Zhang ◽

Yi Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Disease Free Survival ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Invasion And Metastasis ◽

Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Poor Outcomes

Abstract Cripto-1 (CR1), an oncofetal protein, had been implied to reactivate in some cancers. However, the relationship between CR1 expression and patient outcomes and the tumor biological function of CR1 contributing to invasion and metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is poorly defined. In this study, we demonstrated that CR1 was expressed in over 80% of HCCs in a training cohort (n = 242) and a validation cohort (n = 159). High CR1 expression was significantly correlated with aggressive HCC phenotypes (i.e. portal vein tumor thrombus, microscopic vascular invasion, multiple tumors and poor tumor differentiation). In both the training and validation cohorts, patients with high CR1 expression had remarkably shorter disease-free survival and overall survival rates than those with low CR1 expression. A series in vitro and in vivo assays showed that CR1 substantially promoted HCC cell migration, invasion and metastasis. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that CR1 induced HCC cells to undergo epithelial–mesenchymal transition through activating the Akt/NFκB/p65 signaling. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay showed that NFκB/p65 enhanced CR1 expression by binding its promoter. Thus, CR1 and NFκB/p65 form a positive feedback loop that sustained the process of migration and invasion of HCC. Therefore, CR1 plays an important role in HCC invasion and metastasis and may be an effective and reliable prognostic biomarker for HCC recurrence after resection. Targeting CR1 may be a promising treatment for HCC.

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Loss of TIMP3 by promoter methylation of Sp1 binding site promotes oral cancer metastasis

Cell Death and Disease ◽

10.1038/s41419-019-2016-0 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Chun-Wen Su ◽

Yu-Chao Chang ◽

Ming-Hsien Chien ◽

Yi-Hsien Hsieh ◽

Mu-Kuan Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dna Methylation ◽

Oral Cancer ◽

Promoter Methylation ◽

Cancer Metastasis ◽

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Tissue Inhibitor Of Metalloproteinase ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Mesenchymal Transition

Abstract The tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-3 (TIMP3) is the only member of the TIMP family that binds to the extracellular matrix and suppresses cancer cell growth, angiogenesis, migration, and invasion. However, whether the abnormal expression and promoter methylation of TIMP3 facilitates oral cancer metastasis remain unclear. In this study, the DNA methylation levels of TIMP3 CpG islands were assessed through pyrosequencing. Artificial modulation of TIMP3 was performed to explore the role of TIMP3 in tumor metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that the suppression of TIMP3 transcription by DNA methylation involves the inhibition of the binding of the transcription factor Sp1 to the TIMP3 promoter as well as the upregulation of DNMT1 and DNMT3B. Functional analyses revealed that TIMP3 overexpression reduced migration and invasion abilities in oral cancer cells and inhibited lymph node metastasis in vivo. Moreover, TIMP3 regulated epithelial–mesenchymal transition by increasing the expression of the epithelial markers and reducing the expression of the mesenchymal markers. In conclusion, our findings suggested that the suppression of TIMP3 by DNA methylation contributes to oral cancer metastasis.

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CDC27 Facilitates Gastric Cancer Cell Proliferation, Invasion and Metastasis via Twist-Induced Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1159/000494164 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 501-511 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Yongfan Xin ◽

Shili Ning ◽

Liang Zhang ◽

Ming Cui

Keyword(s):

Gastric Cancer ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Gastric Cancer Cell ◽

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Cancer Cell Proliferation ◽

Invasion And Metastasis ◽

Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Gastric Cancer Cell Proliferation

Background/Aims: Lymph node metastasis is the primary cause of cancer-related death among patients with gastric cancer (GC), and cell division cycle 27 (CDC27) promotes the metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in many cancers. Till now, the mechanisms underlying CDC27-induced the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of GC are still unclear. Methods: We analyzed the expression levels of CDC27 and EMT-related biomarkers using immunohistochemistry and Western blot in 60 cases of GC tissues, and then GC cells with CDC27 shRNAs or plasmids were subjected to in vitro and in vivo assays, including CCK-8, wound healing and transwell assays. Results: The CDC27 expression was obviously increased in GC tissues, and significantly correlates with EMT-related biomarkers, lymph node metastasis and poor 5-year overall survival. Additionally, in vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated that silencing of CDC27 expression effectively inhibited GC cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis. Conversely, CDC27 overexpression led to the opposite results. Finally, we demonstrated that Twist shRNA inhibited CDC27-meditated invasion and EMT of GC cells. Conclusion: CDC27 facilitates gastric cancer cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis via Twist-induced EMT; thus, this study offered a new therapy method for GC patients.

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A Study on the Effect and Mechanism of Xiaoaiping (XAP) Injection and S-1 Combination Therapy in Inhibiting the Invasion and Metastasis of Human GC Cells

Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry ◽

10.2174/1871520620666200918100422 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 ◽

Author(s):

Peiyu Wen ◽

Haibo Wang ◽

Tengyang Ni ◽

Xiaojun Dai ◽

Zewen Chu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Western Blotting ◽

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Inhibitory Effect ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Combination Group ◽

Invasion And Metastasis ◽

Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Single Drug

Background: This study aimed to determine the effect and mechanism of Xiaoaiping (XAP) injection combined with S-1 in inhibiting the invasion and metastasis of human GC cells. Methods: BGC-823 and MGC-803 cells were incubated in vitro, and the effects of treatment on the cytotoxicity and proliferation of BGC-823 and MGC-803 cells were evaluated by MTT assay. Cell adhesion tests and Transwell assays were used to detect the effects of Xiaoaiping injection combined with S-1 on the metastatic ability of BGC-823 and MGC803 cells. The expression of VEGF, metalloproteinases (MMPs) and proteins related to the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were detected by Western blotting. Meanwhile, a tumour model was established in nude mice, and the effect of XAP combined with S-1 on BGC-823 cells in vivo was studied. Results: Compared with the single drug group, the combination of XAP with S-1 increased the inhibition rate (P<0.05). The adhesion test showed that the combination group significantly inhibited the adhesion of BGC-823 and MGC-803 cells (P<0.05). Combination of XAP with S-1 reduced the migration and invasion potential of human GC BGC-823 and MGC803 cells. Western blotting showed that the expression of VEGF, MMP-9, N-cadherin and vimentin was decreased and Ecadherin expression was increased in the combination group compared with these expression values in either the XAP or S-1 alone group (P<0.05). In vivo, we found that XAP combined with S-1 had a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of tumours compared with XAP or S-1 alone. Immunohistochemistry showed that XAP combined with S-1 was able to enhance the levels of E-cadherin and downregulate N-cadherin and vimentin. Conclusion: The combination of XAP with S-1 can enhance the inhibitory effect of a single drug on proliferation, invasion and metastasis. The mechanism may be related to the decrease in the expression of VEGF and MMP-9 proteins and the effect on EMT.

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Heat treatment-induced autophagy promotes invasion and metastasis via TGF-β2 mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1068191/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zhen-Nan Li ◽

Cheng Lu ◽

Feng-Liang Wang ◽

Hao-Wei Guo ◽

Zhi-Peng Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Heat Treatment ◽

Tumor Growth ◽

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Invasion And Metastasis ◽

Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Autophagy Inhibitor

Abstract Background Insufficient thermal ablation can cause accelerated malignant behaviors and increased metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and autophagy are implicated in tumor metastasis. However, whether interactions between autophagy and TGF-β2 induce EMT in breast cancer (BC) after insufficient microwave ablation (MWA) remains unclear. Methods In this study, we treated BC cells with sublethal heat treatment for simulating insufficient MWA, and then the effect of heat treatment on the BC cell phenotypes were explored. CCK-8, colony formation, flow cytometry, transwell and wound healing assays were performed to evaluate the influence of sublethal heat treatment on the proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and migration of BC cells treated with/without autophagy inhibitors. Western blotting, real-time quantitative PCR, immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy were carried out to determine the changes of markers associated with autophagy and EMT after sublethal heat treatment. Xenograft models in mice were established by using sublethal heat treated BC cells to investigate the effect of autophagy inhibitor on BC tumor growth in vivo. Results Results showed that heat treatment promoted the proliferation of survived BC cells, which was accompanied by autophagy induction. Heat treatment-induced autophagy up-regulated TGF-β2/Smad2 signaling and promoted phenotype of EMT, thereby enhancing abilities of migration and invasion in BC cells. Increase or decrease of TGF-β2 expression resulted in potentiation and suppression of autophagy as well as enhancement and abatement of EMT. Autophagy inhibitor facilitated apoptosis and repressed proliferation of BC cells in vitro, and thwarted BC cell tumor growth and pulmonary metastasis in vivo. Conclusions This study indicate that heat treatment-induced autophagy promotes invasion and metastasis via TGF-β2/Smad2-mediated EMT. Suppressing autophagy might be a new strategy for overcoming sufficient MWA caused progression and metastasis of residual BC cells.

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Effects of SDF-1/CXCR7 on the Migration, Invasion and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Gastric Cancer Cells

10.21203/rs.3.rs-767692/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ameng Shi ◽

Ting Wang ◽

Miao Jia ◽

Lei Dong ◽

Haitao Shi

Keyword(s):

Gastric Cancer ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cancer Metastasis ◽

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Gastric Cancer Cells ◽

Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Akt Phosphorylation

Abstract We found that SDF-1/CXCR7 axis plays an important role in the growth and proliferation of gastric cancer in previous studies. The objectives of this study were to explore the effects of SDF-1/CXCR7 on the metastatic ability of gastric cancer cells and the possible mechanisms. SGC-7901 gastric cancer cells were cultured in vitro, CXCR7 expression was stably knocked down via lentiviral vectors. The cell migration and invasion abilities were detected by transwell migration and invasion assays. The expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), MMP-9, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and Akt phosphorylation were detected with western blot. We found that SDF-1 markedly enhanced the migration and invasion abilities of SGC-7901 gastric cancer cells; CXCR7 knockdown by lentiviral infection inhibited these effects. SDF-1/CXCR7 increased the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9 and VEGF. SDF-1/CXCR7 also downregulated E-cadherin expression but upregulated N-cadherin, vimentin and Snail expression, suggesting that SDF-1/CXCR7 could promote the development of EMT in gastric cancer cells. Furthermore, SDF-1/CXCR7 could promote Akt phosphorylation. Our results indicated that SDF-1/CXCR7 promoted the migration, invasion and EMT of gastric cancer cells and thus CXCR7 inhibition may be a strategy for inhibiting gastric cancer metastasis.

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Visfatin facilitates gastric cancer malignancy by targeting snai1 via the NF-κB signaling

Human & Experimental Toxicology ◽

10.1177/09603271211006168 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 096032712110061

Author(s):

D Cao ◽

L Chu ◽

Z Xu ◽

J Gong ◽

R Deng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gastric Cancer ◽

Cell Migration ◽

Western Blot ◽

Blot Analysis ◽

Western Blot Analysis ◽

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Cell Migration And Invasion ◽

Protein Levels

Background: Visfatin acts as an oncogenic factor in numerous tumors through a variety of cellular processes. Visfatin has been revealed to promote cell migration and invasion in gastric cancer (GC). Snai1 is a well-known regulator of EMT process in cancers. However, the relationship between visfatin and snai1 in GC remains unclear. The current study aimed to explore the role of visfatin in GC. Methods: The RT-qPCR and western blot analysis were used to measure RNA and protein levels, respectively. The cell migration and invasion were tested by Trans-well assays and western blot analysis. Results: Visfatin showed upregulation in GC cells. Additionally, Visfatin with increasing concentration facilitated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process by increasing E-cadherin and reducing N-cadherin and Vimentin protein levels in GC cells. Moreover, endogenous overexpression and knockdown of visfatin promoted and inhibited migratory and invasive abilities of GC cells, respectively. Then, we found that snai1 protein level was positively regulated by visfatin in GC cells. In addition, visfatin activated the NF-κB signaling to modulate snai1 protein expression. Furthermore, the silencing of snai1 counteracted the promotive impact of visfatin on cell migration, invasion and EMT process in GC. Conclusion: Visfatin facilitates cell migration, invasion and EMT process by targeting snai1 via the NF-κB signaling, which provides a potential insight for the treatment of GC.

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