scholarly journals BTB and CNC homology 1 (Bach1) induces lung cancer stem cell phenotypes by stimulating CD44 expression

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pan Jiang ◽  
Fan Li ◽  
Zilong Liu ◽  
Shengyu Hao ◽  
Jian Gao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Growing evidence suggests that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are responsible for cancer initiation in tumors. Bach1 has been identified to contribute to several tumor progression, including lung cancer. The role of Bach1 in CSCs remains poorly known. Therefore, the function of Bach1 on lung CSCs was focused currently. Methods The expression of Bach1, CD133, CD44, Sox2, Nanog and Oct4 mRNA was assessed using Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). Protein expression of Bach1, CD133, CD44, Sox2, Nanog, Oct4, p53, BCL2, BAX, p-p38, p-AKT1, c-Fos and c-Jun protein was analyzed by western blotting. 5-ethynyl-29-deoxyuridine (EdU), colony formation, Flow cytometry analysis and transwell invasion assay were carried out to analyze lung cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasion respectively. Tumor sphere formation assay was utilized to evaluate spheroid capacity. Flow cytometry analysis was carried out to isolate CD133 or CD44 positive lung cancer cells. The relationship between Bach1 and CD44 was verified using ChIP-qPCR and dual-luciferase reporter assay. Xenograft tumor tissues were collected for hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and IHC analysis to evaluate histology and Ki-67. Results The ratio of CD44 + CSCs from A549 and SPC-A1 cells were significantly enriched. Tumor growth of CD44 + CSCs was obviously suppressed in vivo compared to CD44− CSCs. Bach1 expression was obviously increased in CD44 + CSCs. Then, via using the in vitro experiment, it was observed that CSCs proliferation and invasion were greatly reduced by the down-regulation of Bach1 while cell apoptosis was triggered by knockdown of Bach1. Loss of Bach1 was able to repress tumor-sphere formation and tumor-initiating CSC markers. A repression of CSCs growth and metastasis of shRNA-Bach1 was confirmed using xenograft models and caudal vein injection. The direct interaction between Bach1 and CD44 was confirmed by ChIP-qPCR and dual-luciferase reporter assay. Furthermore, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathway was selected and we proved the effects of Bach1 on lung CSCs were associated with the activation of the MAPK pathway. As manifested, loss of Bach1 was able to repress p-p38, p-AKT1, c-Fos, c-Jun protein levels in lung CSCs. Inhibition of MAPK signaling remarkably restrained lung CSCs growth and CSCs properties induced by Bach1 overexpression. Conclusion In summary, we imply that Bach1 demonstrates great potential for the treatment of lung cancer metastasis and recurrence via activating CD44 and MPAK signaling.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pan Jiang ◽  
Shengyu Hao ◽  
Liang Xie ◽  
Guiling Xiang ◽  
Weiping Hu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Growing evidence suggests that CSCs are responsible for cancer initiation in tumors. Bach1 has been identified to contribute to several tumor progression, including lung cancer. The role of Bach1 in CSCs remains poorly known. Therefore, the function of Bach1 on lung CSCs was focused currently. Methods The expression of Bach1, CD133, CD44, Sox2, Nanog and Oct4 mRNA was assessed using RT-qPCR. Protein expression of Bach1, CD133, CD44, Sox2, Nanog and Oct4 was analyzed by western blotting. EdU, colony formation, Flow cytometry analysis and transwell invasion assay were carried out to analyze cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasion. Tumor sphere formation assay was utilized to evaluate spheroid capacity. The relationship between Bach1 and CD44 was verified using ChIP-qPCR and dual-luciferase reporter assay. Ki-67 expression was determined by flow cytometry and IHC assay. Results The ratio of CD44 + CSCs from A549 and SPC-A1 cells were significantly enriched. Tumor growth of CD44 + CSCs was obviously suppressed in vivo. Bach1 expression was obviously increased in CD44 + CSCs. Then, via using the in vitro experiment, it was observed that CSC growth and invasion were greatly reduced by the down-regulation of Bach1. Loss of Bach1 was able to repress tumor-sphere formation and tumor-initiating CSC markers via acting as a transcription inducer of CD44. A repression of CSCs growth and metastasis of shRNA-Bach1 was confirmed using xenograft models. Furthermore, MAPK signaling pathway was selected and we proved the effects of Bach1 on lung CSCs were associated with the activation of the MAPK pathway. Inhibition of MAPK signaling remarkably restrained lung CSCs growth and CSCs properties. Conclusion In summary, our findings reveal that Bach1 positively regulated CD44 + lung cancer CSCs growth and we imply that Bach1 demonstrates great potential for the treatment of lung cancer metastasis and recurrence via regulating CD44 and MPAK signaling.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0242179
Author(s):  
Yichao Zhao ◽  
Chaoqian Zhu ◽  
Qing Chang ◽  
Peng Peng ◽  
Jie Yang ◽  
...  

Objective This study aims to explore the mechanism of the miR-424-5p/E2F7 axis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and provide new ideas for targeted therapy of HCC. Methods Bioinformatics analysis was used to identify the target differentially expressed miRNA in HCC and predict its target gene. qRT-PCR was employed to verify the expression of miR-424-5p and E2F7 mRNA in HCC cells. Western blot was performed to detect the effect of miR-424-5p ectopic expression on the protein expression of E2F7. CCK-8 was used to detect proliferative activity of HCC cells and flow cytometry was carried out for analyzing cell cycle distribution. Dual luciferase reporter assay was conducted to verify the direct targeting relationship between miR-424-5p and E2F7. Results We observed that miR-424-5p was down-regulated in HCC cells. CCK-8 showed that overexpression of miR-424-5p inhibited cell proliferation, and flow cytometry showed that miR-424-5p could block cells in G0/G1 phase. E2F7 was up-regulated in HCC cells, and E2F7 overexpression could facilitate the proliferative ability of HCC cells and promote the cell cycle progressing from G0/G1 to S phase. Furthermore, dual-luciferase reporter assay indicated that miR-424-5p could directly down-regulate E2F7 expression. Analysis on cell function demonstrated that miR-424-5p inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells and blocked cell cycle at G0/G1 phase by targeting E2F7. Conclusion Our results proved that E2F7 was a direct target of miR-424-5p, and miR-424-5p could regulate cell cycle and further inhibit the proliferation of HCC cells by targeting E2F7.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Weijun Hong ◽  
Yajuan Zhang ◽  
Jingyi Ding ◽  
Qilian Yang ◽  
Haixiang Xie ◽  
...  

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) act as a crucial part in many human diseases, particularly in cancers. circRNA HIPK3 (circHIPK3) is a special circRNA that may participate in the oncogenesis of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), even though its latent regulatory mechanism is not very clear. Here, we studied the roles of circHIPK3 in NSCLC. qRT-PCR assay was applied to study the expression of circHIPK3 in NSCLC. The influence of circHIPK3 on NSCLC was estimated by silencing circHIPK3 and miR-107 mock transfection and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) overexpression, and the correlation between circHIPK3, miR-107, and BDNF was evaluated by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The results showed that circHIPK3 expression was upregulated in NSCLC cells. circHIPK3 knockdown inhibited the migration and proliferation of NSCLC cells by promoting the expression of miR-107. circHIPK3 could be used as a miR-107 sponge to promote BDNF cell proliferation. The dual-luciferase reporter assay proved that miR-107 was the target of circHIPK3, and miR-107 had an interaction with the 3′untranslated region of BDNF. miR-107 overexpression inhibited BDNF-mediated NSCLC cell proliferation. These results indicate that circHIPK3 promotes tumor progression through a new circHIPK3/miR-107/BDNF axis, which offers potential markers and medical treatment for NSCLC.


Author(s):  
Shiran Yan ◽  
Jing Chen ◽  
Teng Zhang ◽  
Jian Zhou ◽  
Ge Wang ◽  
...  

AbstractAtherosclerosis (AS) is a dynamic and multi-stage process that involves various cells types, such as vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and molecules such as microRNAs. In this study, we investigated how miR-338-3p works in the process of AS. To determine how miR-338-3p was expressed in AS, an AS rat model was established and primary rat VSMCs were cultured. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect miR-338-3p expression. Markers of different VSMC phenotypes were tested by Western blot. Immunofluorescent staining was employed to observe the morphologic changes of VSMCs transfected with miR-338-3p mimics. A dual luciferase reporter assay system was used to verify that desmin was a target of miR-338-3p. To further identify the role of miR-338-3p in the development of AS, VSMC proliferation and migration were evaluated by EdU incorporation assay, MTT assay, and wound healing assay. miR-338-3p expression was upregulated in the aortic tissues of an AS rat model and in primary rat VSMCs from a later passage. The transfection of miR-338-3p mimics in VSMCs promoted the synthetic cell phenotype. Bioinformatics analysis proposed desmin as a candidate target for miR-338-3p and the dual luciferase reporter assay confirmed in vivo that desmin was a direct target of miR-338-3p. The MTT and EdU incorporation assay revealed increased cell viability when miR-338-3p mimics were transfected. The increased expression of PCNA was a consistent observation, although a positive result was not obtained with respect to VSMC mobility. In AS, miR-338-3p expression was elevated. Elevated miR-338-3p inhibited the expression of desmin, thus promoting the contractile-to-synthetic VSMC phenotypic transition. In addition to morphologic changes, miR-338-3p enhanced the proliferative but not mobile ability of VSMCs. In summary, miR-338-3p promotes the development of AS.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 153303382098586
Author(s):  
Xuhui Wu ◽  
Gongzhi Wu ◽  
Huaizhong Zhang ◽  
Xuyang Peng ◽  
Bin Huang ◽  
...  

Objective: We aimed to investigate the mechanism of the regulatory axis of miR-196b/AQP4 underlying the invasion and migration of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cells. Methods: LUAD miRNA and mRNA expression profiles were downloaded from TCGA database and then differential analysis was used to identify the target miRNA. Target gene for the miRNA was obtained via prediction using 3 bioinformatics databases and intersection with the differentially expressed mRNAs searched from TCGA-LUAD. Then, qRT-PCR and western blot were used to validate the expression of miR-196b and AQP4. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to confirm the targeting relationship between miR-196b and AQP4. Transwell assay was used to investigate the migration and invasion of LUAD cells. Results: MiR-196b was screened out by differential and survival analyses, and the downstream target gene AQP4 was identified. In LUAD, miR-196b was highly expressed while AQP4 was poorly expressed. Besides, overexpression of miR-196b promoted cell invasion and migration, while overexpression of AQP4 had negative effects. Moreover, the results of the dual-luciferase reporter assay suggested that AQP4 was a direct target of miR-196b. In addition, we also found that overexpressing AQP4 could suppress the promotive effect of miR-196b on cancer cell invasion and migration. Conclusion: MiR-196b promotes the invasion and migration of LUAD cells by down-regulating AQP4, which helps us find new molecular targeted therapies for LUAD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 82-83
Author(s):  
Xiaoya Zhao ◽  
Qianru Hui ◽  
Paula Azevedo ◽  
Karmin O ◽  
Chengbo Yang

Abstract The calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is a pivotal regulator of calcium homeostasis. Our previous study has found that pig CaSR (pCaSR) is widely expressed in intestinal segments in weaned piglets. To characterize the activation of pCaSR by potential ligands and related cell signaling pathways, a dual-luciferase reporter assay was employed for the ligands screening and molecular docking was utilized to predict the binding mode of identified ligands. Our results showed that the dual-luciferase reporter assay system was well suited for pCaSR research and its ligand screening. The extracellular calcium activated pCaSR in a concentration-dependent manner with a half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) = 4.74 mM through the Gq/11 signaling pathway, EC50 = 2.85 mM through extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) activation signaling pathway, and EC50 = 2.26 mM through the Ras homolog family member A (RhoA) activation signaling pathway. Moreover, the activation of pCaSR stimulated by extracellular calcium showed biased agonism through three main signaling pathways: ERK1/2 phosphorylation signaling, Gq/11 signaling, and G12/13 signaling. Both L-Tryptophan and α-casein (90–95) could activate the pCaSR in the presence of extracellular calcium. Furthermore, we characterized the L-tryptophan binding pocket formed by pCaSR residues TRP 70, SER 147, ALA168, SER 169, SER 170, ASP 190, GLU 297, ALA 298, and ILE 416, as well as the α-casein (90–95) binding pocket formed by pCaSR residues PRO188, ASN189, GLU191, HIS192, LYS225, LEU242, ASP480, VAL486, GLY487, VAL513, and TYR514. In conclusion, similar to the human CaSR, the pCaSR also shows biased agonism through three main signaling pathways and both α-casein (90–95) and L-tryptophan are agonists for pCaSR. Furthermore, the binding sites of α-casein (90–95) and L-tryptophan are mainly located within the extracellular domain of pCaSR.


2022 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianbo Long ◽  
Yiyang Xu ◽  
Guping Mao ◽  
Ruobing Xin ◽  
Zengfa Deng ◽  
...  

AbstracttRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) are new noncoding RNAs, and recent studies have shown that tRNAs and tRFs have important functions in cell metabolism via posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. However, whether tRFs regulate cellular metabolism of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) remains elusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and action mechanism of tRFs in ACL cell metabolism. A tRF array was used to determine tRF expression profiles in different human ACL cells, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in situ hybridisation were used to determine TRF365 expression. ACL cells were transfected with a TRF365 mimic or a TRF365 inhibitor to determine whether TRF365 regulates IKBKB expression. A rescue experiment and dual-luciferase reporter assay were conducted to determine whether the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of IKBKB has a TRF365-binding site. TRF365 was weakly expressed in osteoarthritis (OA) ACL and interleukin-1β-treated ACL cells. IKBKB was highly expressed in OA ACL and interleukin-1β-treated ACL cells; transfection with the TRF365 mimic suppressed IKBKB expression, whereas transfection with the TRF365 inhibitor had the opposite effect. A dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that TRF365 silenced the expression of IKBKB by binding to its 3′-UTR. Thus, TRF365 regulates the metabolism of ACL cells by targeting IKBKB. In summary, TRF365 may provide a new direction for the study of ACL degeneration and on the pathophysiological process of OA.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Miao Huo ◽  
Xingxing Zheng ◽  
Ning Bai ◽  
Ruifen Xu ◽  
Guang Yang ◽  
...  

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Neuropathic pain (NP) is one of the most severe chronic pain types. In recent years, more and more studies have shown that long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) plays a key role in a variety of human diseases, including NP. However, the role of LncRNA prostate cancer-associated transcript 19 (PCAT19) in NP and its specific mechanism remain unclear. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A chronic constrictive injury (CCI) rat model was established. Rat paw withdrawal threshold and paw withdrawal latency were used to evaluate the neuronal pain behavior of rats in this model. mRNA expression of PCAT19, neuroinflammatory factor, microRNA (miR)-182-5p, and Jumonji domain containing 1A (JMJD1A) were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. ELISA analysis was used to detect inflammatory factor protein expression. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to evaluate the targeting relationship between genes. <b><i>Results:</i></b> PCAT19 was continuously upregulated in CCI rats. miR-182-5p was the target of PCAT19, and miR-182-5p was increased after PCAT19 knockdown. NP behaviors such as mechanical ectopic pain and thermal hyperalgesia as well as neuroinflammation can be reduced by knocking down PCAT19. However, the injection of miR-182-5p antagomir significantly reversed the level of the NP behaviors and neuroinflammation caused by PCAT19 knockdown. Besides, dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that JMJD1A was the target gene of miR-182-5p. The level of JMJD1A in CCI rats increased with time. After PCAT19 knockdown, JMJD1A was significantly decreased, but inhibition of miR-182-5p can reverse its levels. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> This study shows that PCAT19 plays a role in NP by targeting the miR-182-5p/JMJD1A axis, and PCAT19 can be used as a new therapeutic target for NP.


2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (1128) ◽  
pp. 547-551
Author(s):  
Jun Pan ◽  
Jiang Hu ◽  
Xusheng Qi ◽  
Liqin Xu

BackgroundCongenital heart disease (CHD) is among the leading causes of infant death worldwide. Although shortage of folate has been found potentially to contribute to CHD in the embryo, the aetiology of CHD was not completely understood. Inflammation and altered immune processes are involved in all forms of cardiac malformation, including CHD. Tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), was involved in the pathogenesis of multiple kinds of heart diseases. However, no studies have systematically evaluated the associations of genetic variants of TNF-α with susceptibility of CHD.MethodsA case-control study was conducted to evaluate the associations between tagSNPs of TNF-α and CHD susceptibility. Serum level of TNF-α was assessed using ELISA. The dual luciferase reporter assay was used to evaluate the functional significance of variant rs1800629 on TNF-α transcriptional activity.ResultsWe found rs1800629 was significantly correlated with increased CHD susceptibility (OR: 1.72, 95% CI 1.26 to 2.36, p=0.001). Serum levels of TNF-α were significantly higher in CHD group (9.09±1.90 pg/mL) than that in control group (6.12±1.56 pg/mL, p<0.001). The AA genotype and AG genotype of rs1800629 was associated with higher serum TNF-α level, compared with GG genotype. The dual luciferase reporter assay showed that promoter activity was significantly increased by 57% and 76% for plasmids containing the minor A allele compared with the major G allele in H9c2 and HEK 293T, respectively.ConclusionThese results indicate that higher level of serum TNF-α increases risk of CHD, while TNF-α rs1800629 A allele might contribute to higher risk for CHD due to the increase in TNF-α expression.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 030006052094379
Author(s):  
Tian Kang ◽  
Wei-Li Sun ◽  
Xiao-Fei Lu ◽  
Xin-Liang Wang ◽  
Lian Jiang

Objective To investigate the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of curcumin on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cells and explore the mechanism. Methods OCI-LY7 cells were treated with curcumin (2.5, 5, 10, 20, and 40 μM) for 24, 48, or 72 hours. Cell viability and apoptosis were determined using the 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay and TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling staining, respectively. MiR-28-5p expression was detected via qRT-PCR. The binding site of miR-28-5p was predicted using online databases and verified using the dual-luciferase reporter assay. MiR-28-5p overexpression and inhibition were achieved via transfection with an miR-28-5p mimic and inhibitor, respectively. Results Curcumin decreased the viability of OCI-LY7 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, and these effects were attenuated by miR-28-5p inhibition. MiR-28-5p expression was upregulated by curcumin. Curcumin increased the numbers of apoptotic cells and upregulated cleaved caspase-3 expression, and these effects were attenuated by miR-28-5p inhibition. The dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-28-5p directly targets the 3′-untranslated region of BECN1. Curcumin downregulated BECN1 and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta-II/I expression and upregulated p62 expression. Conclusions Our results described the curcumin exerted anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects on OCI-LY7 cells through a mechanism potentially involving miR-28-5p.


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