SHC4 promotes tumor proliferation and metastasis by activating STAT3 signaling in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract Background The Src homology and collagen 4 (SHC4) is an important intracellular adaptor protein that has been shown to play a pro-cancer role in melanoma and glioma. However, the biological function and detailed mechanisms of SHC4 in hepatocellular carcinoma progression are unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the potential prognostic and treatment value of SHC4 in patients with HCC. Methods The expression status of SHC4 in HCC tissues were investigated by immunohistochemistry and western blotting. Clinical significance of SHC4 was evaluated in a large cohort of HCC patients. The effects of SHC4 repression or overexpression on migration, invasion, and tumor growth were detected by colony formation assay, wound healing, transwell assays, and xenograft assay. Cell cycle and EMT-related proteins were detected by western blotting and immunofluorescence. In addition, the molecular regulation between SHC4 and STAT3 signaling in HCC were discovered by western blotting, immunofluorescence and xenograft assay. Results SHC4 was overexpressed in HCC compared to adjacent normal liver tissues and increased SHC4 expression was associated with high AFP level, incomplete tumor encapsulation, poor tumor differentiation and poor prognosis. SHC4 was shown to enhance cell proliferation, colony formation, cells migration and invasion in vitro, and promotes cell cycle progression and EMT process in HCC cells. Tumor xenograft model assay confirmed the oncogenic role of SHC4 in tumorigenicity in nude mice. Moreover, activation of STAT3 signaling was found in the SHC4 overexpressed HCC cells and HCC tissues. Further intervention of STAT3 confirmed STAT3 as an important signaling pathway for the oncogenic role of SHC4 in HCC. Conclusions Together, our results reveal that SHC4 activates STAT3 signaling to promote HCC progression, which may provide new clinical ideas for the treatment of HCC.

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LAGE3 promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and inhibited cell apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma by facilitating the JNK and ERK signaling pathway

Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters ◽

10.1186/s11658-021-00295-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ying Xing ◽

Yang Liu ◽

Zhong Qi ◽

Zhengrong Liu ◽

Xin Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cell Cycle ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Xenograft Model ◽

High Rate ◽

Erk Signaling ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Poor Overall Survival ◽

Hcc Cells

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is now the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide and lacks effectual therapy due to its high rate of tumor recurrence and metastasis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of L antigen family member 3 (LAGE3, a member of the LAGE gene family involved in positive transcription) on the progression of HCC. Methods The expression of LAGE3 was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, colony formation assay, EdU, and cell cycle analysis assay were employed to evaluate the proliferation of HCC cells. Annexin V-FITC/PI and TUNEL assay were used to assess the apoptosis rate of HCC cells. Wound healing and transwell assay were used to investigate the migration and invasion of HCC cells. A xenograft model of HCC was established with 2 × 106 Hep3B or SK-HEP1 cells to investigate the in vivo effects of LAGE3. Then, the protein levels of LAGE3, p-p38, p-38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK),p-JNK, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and p-ERK were detected by western blot. Results We found that LAGE3 was upregulated in HCC tissues compared to adjacent tissues, and its high expression was correlated with poor overall survival by bioinformatics analysis. Next, we manually regulated the expression of LAGE3 in HCC cells. The knockdown of LAGE3 inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells by arresting the cell cycle in G1 phase. Also the downregulation of LAGE3 inhibited cell migration and invasion and induced apoptosis of HCC cells, while overexpression of LAGE3 promoted the malignant phenotypes of HCC. These results were further confirmed by the in vivo growth of HCC xenografts and the inhibition of apoptosis of HCC tumor cells. Furthermore, we found that LAGE3 exerted cancer-promoting effects by potentiating the JNK and ERK signaling pathway. An ERK inhibitor (10 μM SCH772984) or JNK inhibitor (25 μM SP600125) repressed the upregulated LAGE3-induced proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells. Conclusions LAGE3 enhanced the malignant phenotypes of HCC by promoting the JNK and ERK signaling pathway.

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MKL1 Regulates Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Proliferation, Migration and Apoptosis via the COMPASS Complex and NF-Κb Signaling

10.21203/rs.3.rs-390556/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zhao Liu ◽

Jiuzheng Sun ◽

Chuanzhi Li ◽

Liyou Xu ◽

Jun Liu

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Colony Formation ◽

Xenograft Model ◽

Cancer Cell Line ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Ki67 Expression ◽

Megakaryoblastic Leukemia ◽

Hoechst Staining ◽

Hcc Cells

Abstract Background Histone modification plays essential roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) pathogenesis, but the regulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to analyze the roles of Megakaryoblastic leukemia 1 (MKL1) and its regulation of COMPASS (complex of proteins associated with Set1) in HCC cells. Methods MKL1 expression in clinical tissues and cell lines were detected by bioinformatics, qRT-PCR and western blot. MKL1 expression in HCC cells were silenced with siRNA, followed by cell proliferation evaluation via Edu staining and colony formation, migration and invasion using the Transwell system, and apoptosis by Hoechst staining. HCC cell tumorigenesis was assessed by cancer cell line-based xenograft model, combined with H&E staining and IHC assays. Results MKL1 expression was elevated in HCC cells and clinical tissues which was correlated with poor prognosis. MKL1 silencing significantly repressed proliferation, migration, invasion and colony formation but enhanced apoptosis in HepG2 and Huh-7 cells. MKL1 silencing also inhibited COMPASS components and p65 protein expression in HepG2 and Huh-7 cells. HepG2 cell tumorigenesis in nude mice was severely impaired by MKL1 knockdown, resulted into suppressed Ki67 expression and cell proliferation. Conclusion MKL1 promotes HCC pathogenesis by regulating hepatic cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis via the COMPASS complex and NF-κB signaling.

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MKL1 regulates hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis via the COMPASS complex and NF-κB signaling

BMC Cancer ◽

10.1186/s12885-021-08185-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zhao Liu ◽

Jiuzheng Sun ◽

Chuanzhi Li ◽

Liyou Xu ◽

Jun Liu

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Colony Formation ◽

Xenograft Model ◽

Cancer Cell Line ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Ki67 Expression ◽

Megakaryoblastic Leukemia ◽

Hoechst Staining ◽

Hcc Cells

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Circular RNA hsa_circ_101555 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation and migration by sponging miR-145-5p and regulating CDCA3 expression

Cell Death and Disease ◽

10.1038/s41419-021-03626-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Xiaoguang Gu ◽

Jianan Zhang ◽

Yajuan Ran ◽

Hena Pan ◽

JinHong Jia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Biological Effects ◽

Luciferase Reporter ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Casein Kinase 1 ◽

Mouse Xenograft Model ◽

Hcc Cells

AbstractCircular RNAs have been reported to play significant roles in regulating pathophysiological processes while also guiding clinical diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, only a few circRNAs have been identified thus far. Herein, we investigated the role of a specific closed-loop structure of hsa_circ_101555 that was generated by back-splicing of the host gene casein kinase 1 gamma 1 (CSNK1G1) in the development and proliferation of HCC. We investigated the expression of Hsa_circ_101555 in HCC and normal tissues using bioinformatics. The expression level of hsa_circ_101555 was further detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization and qRT-PCR in ten HCC patients. Transwell, migration, WST-1 assays, and colony formation assays were used to evaluate the role of hsa_circ_101555 in HCC development and proliferation. The regulatory mechanisms of hsa_circ_101555 in miR-145-5p and CDCA3 were determined by dual luciferase reporter assay. A mouse xenograft model was also used to determine the effect of hsa_circ_101555 on HCC growth in vivo. hsa_circ_101555 showed greater stability than the linear RNA; while in vitro and in vivo results demonstrated that hsa_circ_101555 silencing significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells. Rescue experiments further demonstrated that suppression of miR-145-5p significantly attenuated the biological effects of hsa_circ_101555 knockdown in HCC cells. We also identified a putative oncogene CDCA3 as a potential miR-145-5p target. Thus, our results demonstrated that hsa_circ_101555 might function as a competing endogenous RNA of miR-145-5p to upregulate CDCA3 expression in HCC. These findings suggest that hsa_circ_101555 may be a potential therapeutic target for patients with HCC.

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Downregulation of CRABP2 Inhibit the Tumorigenesis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Vivo and In Vitro

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2020/3098327 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Qingmin Chen ◽

Ludong Tan ◽

Zhe Jin ◽

Yahui Liu ◽

Ze Zhang

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Retinoic Acid ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Tumor Stage ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Hcc Cells

Cellular retinoic acid-binding protein 2 (CRABP2) binds retinoic acid (RA) in the cytoplasm and transports it into the nucleus, allowing for the regulation of specific downstream signal pathway. Abnormal expression of CRABP2 has been detected in the development of several tumors. However, the role of CRABP2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has never been revealed. The current study aimed to investigate the role of CRABP2 in HCC and illuminate the potential molecular mechanisms. The expression of CRABP2 in HCC tissues and cell lines was detected by western blotting and immunohistochemistry assays. Our results demonstrated that the expression levels of CRABP2 in HCC tissues were elevated with the tumor stage development, and it was also elevated in HCC cell lines. To evaluate the function of CRABP2, shRNA-knockdown strategy was used in HCC cells. Cell proliferation, metastasis, and apoptosis were analyzed by CCK-8, EdU staining, transwell, and flow cytometry assays, respectively. Based on our results, knockdown of CRABP2 by shRNA resulted in the inhibition of tumor proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro, followed by increased tumor apoptosis-related protein expression and decreased ERK/VEGF pathway-related proteins expression. CRABP2 silencing in HCC cells also resulted in the failure to develop tumors in vivo. These results provide important insights into the role of CRABP2 in the development and development of HCC. Based on our findings, CRABP2 may be used as a novel diagnostic biomarker, and regulation of CRABP2 in HCC may provide a potential molecular target for the therapy of HCC.

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Melatonin enhances the anti-tumor effect of sorafenib via AKT/p27-mediated cell cycle arrest in hepatocarcinoma cell lines

RSC Advances ◽

10.1039/c7ra02113e ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (34) ◽

pp. 21342-21351 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Fei Long ◽

Chengyong Dong ◽

Keqiu Jiang ◽

Yakun Xu ◽

Xinming Chi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cell Cycle ◽

Cell Cycle Arrest ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Cycle Arrest ◽

Hepatocarcinoma Cell ◽

Proposed Model ◽

Hcc Cells

Proposed model elucidating the role of MT in regulating the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells treated with sorafenib.

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MicroRNA-183-5p contributes to malignant progression through targeting PDCD4 in human hepatocellular carcinoma

Bioscience Reports ◽

10.1042/bsr20201761 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 40 (10) ◽

Author(s):

Xiaohui Duan ◽

Wei Li ◽

Peng Hu ◽

Bo Jiang ◽

Jianhui Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Overall Survival ◽

Tumor Growth ◽

Cell Counting ◽

Luciferase Reporter ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Hcc Cells

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. The present study aimed to investigate the biological role of microRNA-183-5p (miR-183-5p), a novel tumor-related microRNA (miRNA), in HCC and illuminate the possible molecular mechanisms. The expression patterns of miR-183-5p in clinical samples were characterized using qPCR analysis. Kaplan–Meier survival curve was applied to evaluate the correlation between miR-183-5p expression and overall survival of HCC patients. Effects of miR-183-5p knockdown on HCC cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion capabilities were determined via Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assays, flow cytometry, scratch wound healing assays and Transwell invasion assays, respectively. Mouse neoplasm transplantation models were established to assess the effects of miR-183-5p knockdown on tumor growth in vivo. Bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assays and rescue assays were performed for mechanistic researches. Results showed that miR-183-5p was highly expressed in tumorous tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. Elevated miR-183-5p expression correlated with shorter overall survival of HCC patients. Moreover, miR-183-5p knockdown significantly suppressed proliferation, survival, migration and invasion of HCC cells compared with negative control treatment. Consistently, miR-183-5p knockdown restrained tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, programmed cell death factor 4 (PDCD4) was identified as a direct target of miR-183-5p. Additionally, PDCD4 down-regulation was observed to abrogate the inhibitory effects of miR-183-5p knockdown on malignant phenotypes of HCC cells. Collectively, our data suggest that miR-183-5p may exert an oncogenic role in HCC through directly targeting PDCD4. The current study may offer some new insights into understanding the role of miR-183-5p in HCC.

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ORC6, Negatively Regulated by miR-1-3p, Promotes Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology ◽

10.3389/fcell.2021.652292 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Hu Chen ◽

Lequn Bao ◽

Jianhua Hu ◽

Dongde Wu ◽

Xianli Tong

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cell Cycle ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Cell Cycle Progression ◽

Cell Counting ◽

Luciferase Reporter ◽

Regulatory Function ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Cycle Progression ◽

Hcc Cells

BackgroundIn recent years, microRNA-1-3p (miR-1-3p) has been linked to the progression of multiple cancers, whereas little is known about its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Herein, we investigated the function of miR-1-3p in HCC, and its regulatory function on origin recognition complex subunit 6 (ORC6).MethodsQuantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed for detecting the expression levels of miR-1-3p and ORC6 mRNA in HCC samples and cell lines. ORC6 expression at the protein level was quantified by Western blot. After gain-of-function and loss-of-function models were established, cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assays, Transwell assays, flow cytometry, and 5-Ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay were performed for examining cell proliferation, migration, invasion, cell cycle, and apoptosis. The targeting relationship between miR-1-3p and ORC6 was confirmed with bioinformatic analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assays.ResultsThe expression of miR-1-3p was reduced in HCC samples and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-1-3p suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion, and induced cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis of HCC cells, whereas the opposite effects were induced by miR-1-3p inhibition. ORC6 is identified as a novel target of miR-1-3p, the expression of which is negatively correlated with miR-1-3p expression in HCC tissues. ORC6 overexpression facilitated the proliferation, migration, invasion, and cell cycle progression, and reduced apoptosis of HCC cells, whereas the opposite effects were induced by ORC6 knockdown. What is more, ORC6 overexpression counteracted the biological functions of miR-1-3p in HCC cells.ConclusionMiR-1-3p targets ORC6 to suppress the proliferation, migration, invasion, and cell cycle progression, and promote apoptosis of HCC cells.

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MicroRNA-139-3p Suppresses Tumor Growth and Metastasis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Repressing ANXA2R

Oncology Research Featuring Preclinical and Clinical Cancer Therapeutics ◽

10.3727/096504018x15178798885361 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 26 (9) ◽

pp. 1391-1399 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Zeng Cheng Zou ◽

Min Dai ◽

Zeng Yin Huang ◽

Yi Lu ◽

He Ping Xie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cell Migration ◽

Cell Growth ◽

Mouse Model ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Tumor Growth And Metastasis ◽

Underlying Mechanisms ◽

Hcc Cells

The direct roles of miR-139-3p on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell growth and metastasis remain poorly understood. We attempted to demonstrate the regulatory role of miR-139-3p in HCC progression and its underlying mechanisms. Here we showed that miR-139-3p expression was significantly reduced in the HCC tissues compared to paratumor tissues. Exogenous overexpression of miR-139-3p inhibited the migration and invasion of HCC cells, whereas downregulation of miR-139-3p was able to induce HCC HepG2 and SNU-449 cell migration and invasion. In addition, miR-139-3p inhibited HCC growth and lung metastasis in an in vivo mouse model, which is mainly regulated by annexin A2 receptor (ANXA2R). Finally, we identified that the expression of miR-139-3p was inversely correlated with ANXA2R expression in human HCC tissue. All these results demonstrated that miR-139-3p inhibited the metastasis process in HCC by downregulating ANXA2R expression.

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A novel circular RNA circ-LRIG3 facilitates the malignant progression of hepatocellular carcinoma by modulating the EZH2/STAT3 signaling

Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research ◽

10.1186/s13046-020-01779-5 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 39 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Suofeng Sun ◽

Jing Gao ◽

Shen Zhou ◽

Yuan Li ◽

Yu Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Positive Feedback ◽

Circular Rna ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Stat3 Signaling ◽

Gene And Protein Expression ◽

Important Player

Abstract Background Circular RNA (circRNA) is emerging as an important player in human diseases, especially cancer. In our previous study, we identified a series of deregulated circRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by performing circRNA microarray expression profile. Here, we aimed to explore the role of circ-LRIG3 (hsa_circ_0027345) in HCC. Methods qRT-PCR and western blot were used to asses gene and protein expression, respectively. CCK-8, EdU and Transwell assays were used to detect cell proliferation, migration and invasion. GSEA software was applied to analyze the pathway related to circ-LRIG3. Co-IP, RIP and ChIP assays were used to identify the positive feedback axis of circ-LRIG3/EZH2/STAT3. Animal study was carried to test the role of circ-LRIG3 in vivo. Results Circ-LRIG3 was notably upregulated in HCC and promoted HCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and reduced apoptosis. Circ-LRIG3 formed a ternary complex with EZH2 and STAT3, facilitating EZH2-induced STAT3 methylation and subsequent phosphorylation, resulting in the activation of STAT3 signaling. In turn, activated STAT3 could directly bind to circ-LRIG3 promoter to increase circ-LRIG3 transcription activity, thus forming a positive feedback loop. The animal models showed that exogenous expression of circ-LRIG3 enhanced tumorigenicity and metastasis in vivo, whereas these effects were blocked after treatment with C188–9, a specific STAT3 small-molecule inhibitor. Clinically, high circ-LRIG3 was closely linked with aggressive clinicopathological features and was identified as an independent risk prognostic factor of overall survival. Importantly, plasma circ-LRIG3 was found to be a highly sensitive and specific non-invasive diagnostic indicator for HCC. Conclusions Our study reveals the carcinogenic role of circ-LRIG3 in HCC, which may provide a new therapeutic target for HCC patients.

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