Silencing of Carboxypeptidase E expression inhibits proliferation and invasion of Panc-1 pancreatic cancer cells

Background: Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading cause of cancer-related death globally. The molecular basis of this disease is complex and not fully understood. Previous studies have indicated that carboxypeptidase E (CPE) plays a role in promoting tumorigenesis in many cancer types. Here we have investigated the effect of carboxypeptidase E (CPE), including its isoform, in regulating the proliferation, migration and invasion of Panc-1 cells, a pancreatic cell line. Methods: Panc-1 cells were transfected with CPE siRNA which targets both CPE-wild type and its isoform, or scrambled siRNA, for 24 h and then assayed for proliferation by the MTT and colony formation assays, and migration and invasion by wound healing and matrigel assays, respectively. Results: CPE siRNA treatment of Panc-1 cells down-regulated the expression of CPE mRNA by 94.8%. Silencing of CPE mRNA expression resulted in a significant decrease in proliferation as revealed by the MTT assay and a 62.8% decrease in colony formation. Western blot analysis of expression of Cyclin D1 in Panc-1 cells treated with CPE siRNA showed a decrease of 32.5% compared to scr siRNA treated cells, indicating that CPE regulates proliferation through modulating this cell cycle protein. Additionally, suppression of CPE expression in Panc-1 cells significantly decreased migration and invasion. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that CPE may play an important role in regulating cell proliferation, migration and invasion to promote pancreatic cancer tumorigenesis.

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Long Non-coding RNA DLEU2L Targets miR-210-3p to Suppress Gemcitabine Resistance in Pancreatic Cancer Cells via BRCA2 Regulation

Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences ◽

10.3389/fmolb.2021.645365 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Fei Xu ◽

Heshui Wu ◽

Jiongxin Xiong ◽

Tao Peng

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Aerobic Glycolysis ◽

Critical Role ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Pancreatic Cell ◽

Clinical Issue ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Gemcitabine (GEM) resistance remains a challenging clinical issue to overcome in chemotherapy against pancreatic cancer. We previously demonstrated that miR-210 derived from pancreatic cancer stem cells enhanced the GEM-resistant properties of pancreatic cancer cells, thus identifying miR-210 as an oncogenic miRNA. Herein, we report the existence of an upstream effector that acts as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to miR-210. Bioinformatic screening was performed to identify lncRNAs with a binding relationship to miR-210. Overexpression and interference vectors were constructed to demonstrate the effect of ceRNA activity in pancreatic cell behavior, both in vitro and in vivo. DLEU2L (deleted in lymphocytic leukemia 2-like), which is expressed at low levels in pancreatic cancer tissues, was shown to exhibit a binding relationship with miR-210-3p. Overexpression of DLEU2L and silencing of miR-210-3p suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells while promoting apoptosis. These effects occurred via the inhibition of the Warburg effect (aerobic glycolysis) and AKT/mTOR signaling. In addition, we showed that BRCA2 is a target gene of miR-210-3p, and the downregulation of miR-210-3p by DLEU2L effectively induced an upregulation of BRCA2 via the ceRNA mechanism. In vivo, DLEU2L overexpression and miR-210-3p interference suppressed pancreatic tumor progression, consistent with the results of in vitro studies. The findings of our study establish DLEU2L as a ceRNA to miR-210-3p and reveal the critical role of the DLEU2L/miR-210-3p crosstalk in targeting GEM resistance.

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Carboxypeptidase E-∆N Promotes Proliferation and Invasion of Pancreatic Cancer Cells via Upregulation of CXCR2 Gene Expression

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms20225725 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (22) ◽

pp. 5725

Author(s):

Sangeetha Hareendran ◽

Xuyu Yang ◽

Hong Lou ◽

Lan Xiao ◽

Y. Peng Loh

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cell Line ◽

Cancer Cell Line ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Matrigel Invasion Assay ◽

Matrigel Invasion ◽

Carboxypeptidase E ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽

Proliferation And Invasion

Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The molecular basis for the pathogenesis of this disease remains elusive. In this study, we have investigated the role of wild-type Carboxypeptidase E (CPE-WT) and a 40 kDa N-terminal truncated isoform, CPE-ΔN in promoting proliferation and invasion of Panc-1 cells, a pancreatic cancer cell line. Both CPE-WT and CPE-ΔN were expressed in Panc-1 and BXPC-3 pancreatic cancer cells. Immunocytochemical studies revealed that in CPE transfected Panc-1 cells, CPE-ΔN was found primarily in the nucleus, whereas CPE-WT was present exclusively in the cytoplasm as puncta, characteristic of secretory vesicles. Endogenous CPE-WT was secreted into the media. Overexpression of CPE-ΔN in Panc-1 cells resulted in enhancement of proliferation and invasion of these cells, as determined by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) cell proliferation assay and Matrigel invasion assay, respectively. In contrast, the expression of CPE-WT protein at comparable levels to CPE-ΔN in Panc-1 cells resulted in promotion of proliferation but not invasion. Importantly, there was an upregulation of the expression of CXCR2 mRNA and protein in Panc-1 cells overexpressing CPE-ΔN, and these cells exhibited significant increase in proliferation in a CXCR2-dependent manner. Thus, CPE-ΔN may play an important role in promoting pancreatic cancer growth and malignancy through upregulating the expression of the metastasis-related gene, CXCR2.

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miR-27a regulates the growth, colony formation and migration of pancreatic cancer cells by targeting Sprouty2

Cancer Letters ◽

10.1016/j.canlet.2010.06.012 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 298 (2) ◽

pp. 150-158 ◽

Cited By ~ 134

Author(s):

Yihui Ma ◽

Shuangni Yu ◽

Wugan Zhao ◽

Zhaohui Lu ◽

Jie Chen

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Colony Formation ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽

And Migration

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miR-129-5p suppresses proliferation, migration, and induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells by targeting PBX3

Acta Biochimica et Biophysica Sinica ◽

10.1093/abbs/gmz096 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 51 (10) ◽

pp. 997-1007 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Zhisheng Qiu ◽

Xiaochun Wang ◽

Yuping Shi ◽

Mingxu Da

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Therapeutic Strategy ◽

Luciferase Reporter ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽

B Cell Leukemia ◽

And Migration ◽

Induced Apoptosis ◽

Dual Luciferase Reporter Assay ◽

Proliferation And Migration

Abstract Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the seventh most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide with a high mortality. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) act as important regulators for the development of PC and participate in the progression of PC. miR-129-5p was reported to regulate the progression of tumors, such as thyroid cancer and gastric cancer. However, the function of miR-129-5p in PC is still unclear. In this study, the down-regulation of miR-129-5p was detected in PC tissues and PC cells. miR-129-5p was overexpressed or knocked down in AsPC-1 and BxPC-3 cells. The results showed that miR-129-5p overexpression suppressed proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced apoptosis of PC cells, whereas miR-129-5p knockdown showed opposite effects. In addition, we found that pre–B-cell leukemia homeobox 3 (PBX3) overexpression promoted proliferation, migration and invasion, but reduced apoptosis of PC cells. PBX3 was identified as a target of miR-129-5p by informatics analysis and dual luciferase reporter assay. Finally, our results indicated that miR-129-5p suppressed cell proliferation and migration by targeting PBX3. This study demonstrated that miR-129-5p could function as a tumor suppressor in the progression and development of PC by targeting PBX3, providing a reliable prognostic factor and a new therapeutic strategy for PC.

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LncRNA XIST enhanced TGF-β2 expression by targeting miR-141-3p to promote pancreatic cancer cells invasion

Bioscience Reports ◽

10.1042/bsr20190332 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 39 (7) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Jianmin Sun ◽

Yubao Zhang

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Transforming Growth Factor ◽

Transforming Growth Factor Β ◽

Underlying Mechanism ◽

Inhibitory Effect ◽

Luciferase Reporter ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Pancreatic Cell ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Abstract The level of expression of long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) X-inactive specific transcript (XIST) is up-regulated in pancreatic cancer (PC). However, the role of XIST in PC and the underlying mechanism are still unknown. The present study aimed to elucidate how XIST participates in PC and its potential target, miR-141-3p. We detected the XIST expression in PC tissues and cells by qRT-PCR. Cell proliferation was measured using a CCK8 kit, and the migration and invasion of cells was measured by Transwell assay. Silencing XIST and miR-141-3p was performed with transfection by Lipofectamine kit. Binding assay was conducted by luciferase reporter assay. Protein expression was examined by Western blot. These results indicate that (i) XIST is highly expressed in tumor tissues while miR-141-3p is down-regulated. (ii) Silencing XIST inhibits the pancreatic cell proliferation, migration and invasion. (iii) MiR-141-3p inhibitor alleviates the inhibitory effect by siXIST in PC cell lines. (iv) MiR-141-3p directly interacts with XIST and also negatively regulates transforming growth factor-β 2 (TGF-β2) expression. (v) Overexpression of XIST attenuates the inhibition of TGF-β2 expression by miR-141-3p. The conclusion, is that XIST could promote proliferation, migration and invasion of PC cells via miR-141-5p/TGF-β2 axis.

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Propofol Regulates ADAM8 in Pancreatic Cancer Cells by Targeting SP1

10.21203/rs.3.rs-90870/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yutong Gao ◽

Yu Zhou ◽

Chunlin Wang ◽

Klarke M. Sample ◽

Xiangdi Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Transcriptional Activity ◽

Underlying Mechanism ◽

Luciferase Assay ◽

Biological Behavior ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Pancreatic Cell ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽

Migration Capacity

Abstract BackgroundPropofol is a commonly used anesthetic with controversial effects on cancer cells. A growing number of studies have demonstrated that low concentrations of propofol are associated with tumor suppression, but deeper insights into its underlying mechanism are needed. The study detailed herein focuses uponthe effect of propofol on pancreatic cells and the mechanism by which propofol down-regulated ADAM8 expression.MethodsTreatment pancreatic cell line Panc-1was performed with different concentrations of propofol. MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to assess cell proliferation and the cell cycle. A wound healing assay was used to evaluate the migration capacity of Panc-1 cells. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blot were used to analyze specificity protein 1 (SP1) and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 8 (ADAM8) expression. Luciferase assay was performed to determine the transcriptional activity of SP1.RNA interference (RNAi) was used to explore whether propofol regulated ADAM8 in Panc-1 cells by targeting SP1. ResultsPropofol significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells and decreased the percentage of cells in S-phase. Furthermore, propofol failed to regulate ADAM8 expression in Panc-1 cells with SP1 knockdown. Luciferase assays demonstrated that propofol repressed the transcriptional activity of SP1, while ADAM8 was a direct target of SP1. ConclusionsThese results suggest that propofol affect biological behavior of pancreatic cancer cells through ADAM8 by targeting SP1.

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MiR-203 inhibits the proliferation, invasion, and migration of pancreatic cancer cells by down-regulating fibroblast growth factor 2

10.1101/2020.04.06.027326 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Xi-Feng Fu ◽

Hai-Chao Zhao ◽

Chang-Zhou Chen ◽

Kang Wang ◽

Fei Gao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Invasion And Metastasis ◽

Invasion And Migration ◽

Qrt Pcr ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽

Fgf2 Expression ◽

And Migration

AbstractBackgroundAberrant fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) expression is a major cause of poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer. MiR-203 is a newly discovered microRNA (miRNA) that can affect the biological behavior of tumors. This study investigated whether miR-203 can regulate FGF2 expression and its role in pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration.MethodsMiR-203 expression in different cell lines was examined by qRT-PCR, followed by the establishment of knockdown and overexpression cell models. We used the CCK-8 assay to examine cell proliferation and the annexin V-APC/7-AAD double-staining method to detect apoptosis. In addition, we used wound healing and transwell assays to investigate the effects of miR-203 on the migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. The effects of miR-203 knockdown and overexpression on FGF2 mRNA expression were detected by qRT-PCR. We also overexpressed FGF2 and examined the effects of FGF2 overexpression on the proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration of pancreatic cancer cells. The binding of miR-203 to FGF2 was assessed by a luciferase reporter assay.ResultsWe found that the miR-203 expression level was significantly down-regulated in pancreatic cancer cells compared to normal pancreatic cells. Functionally, the knockdown of miR-203 inhibited cell proliferation and increased apoptosis. Equally important, miR-203 reduced the migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. In addition, we found that miR-203 overexpression inhibited FGF2 expression in pancreatic cancer cells by qRT-PCR. FGF2 overexpression significantly affected the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells. Mechanistically, miR-203 base-paired with the FGF2 mRNA, resulting in the knockdown of the FGF2 mRNA and the down-regulation of the FGF2 protein.ConclusionsMiR-203 inhibits FGF2 expression, regulates the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells, and inhibits the invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells.

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Mesothelin blockage by Amatuximab suppresses cell invasiveness, enhances gemcitabine sensitivity and regulates cancer cell stemness in mesothelin-positive pancreatic cancer cells

BMC Cancer ◽

10.1186/s12885-020-07722-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Fumihiko Matsuzawa ◽

Hirofumi Kamachi ◽

Tatsuzo Mizukami ◽

Takahiro Einama ◽

Futoshi Kawamata ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Mouse Model ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Morphological Changes ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽

Cell Invasiveness ◽

And Migration ◽

Migration Capacity

Abstract Background Mesothelin is a 40-kDa glycoprotein that is highly overexpressed in various types of cancers, however molecular mechanism of mesothelin has not been well-known. Amatuximab is a chimeric monoclonal IgG1/k antibody targeting mesothelin. We recently demonstrated that the combine therapy of Amatuximab and gemcitabine was effective for peritonitis of pancreatic cancer in mouse model. Methods We discover the role and potential mechanism of mesothelin blockage by Amatuximab in human pancreatic cells both expressing high or low level of mesothelin in vitro experiment and peritonitis mouse model of pancreatic cancer. Results Mesothelin blockage by Amatuximab lead to suppression of invasiveness and migration capacity in AsPC-1 and Capan-2 (high mesothelin expression) and reduce levels of pMET expression. The combination of Amatuximab and gemcitabine suppressed proliferation of AsPC-1 and Capan-2 more strongly than gemcitabine alone. These phenomena were not observed in Panc-1 and MIA Paca-2 (Mesothelin low expression). We previously demonstrated that Amatuximab reduced the peritoneal mass in mouse AsPC-1 peritonitis model and induced sherbet-like cancer cell aggregates, which were vanished by gemcitabine. In this study, we showed that the cancer stem cell related molecule such as ALDH1, CD44, c-MET, as well as proliferation related molecules, were suppressed in sherbet-like aggregates, but once sherbet-like aggregates attached to peritoneum, they expressed these molecules strongly without the morphological changes. Conclusions Our work suggested that Amatuximab inhibits the adhesion of cancer cells to peritoneum and suppresses the stemness and viability of those, that lead to enhance the sensitivity for gemcitabine.

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NR5A2 transcriptional activation by BRD4 promotes pancreatic cancer progression by upregulating GDF15

Cell Death Discovery ◽

10.1038/s41420-021-00462-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Feng Guo ◽

Yingke Zhou ◽

Hui Guo ◽

Dianyun Ren ◽

Xin Jin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cancer Progression ◽

Transcriptional Activation ◽

Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽

Gene Sets ◽

And Migration

AbstractNR5A2 is a transcription factor regulating the expression of various oncogenes. However, the role of NR5A2 and the specific regulatory mechanism of NR5A2 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are not thoroughly studied. In our study, Western blotting, real-time PCR, and immunohistochemistry were conducted to assess the expression levels of different molecules. Wound-healing, MTS, colony formation, and transwell assays were employed to evaluate the malignant potential of pancreatic cancer cells. We demonstrated that NR5A2 acted as a negative prognostic biomarker in PDAC. NR5A2 silencing inhibited the proliferation and migration abilities of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. While NR5A2 overexpression markedly promoted both events in vitro. We further identified that NR5A2 was transcriptionally upregulated by BRD4 in pancreatic cancer cells and this was confirmed by Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and ChIP-qPCR. Besides, transcriptome RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed to explore the cancer-promoting effects of NR5A2, we found that GDF15 is a component of multiple down-regulated tumor-promoting gene sets after NR5A2 was silenced. Next, we showed that NR5A2 enhanced the malignancy of pancreatic cancer cells by inducing the transcription of GDF15. Collectively, our findings suggest that NR5A2 expression is induced by BRD4. In turn, NR5A2 activates the transcription of GDF15, promoting pancreatic cancer progression. Therefore, NR5A2 and GDF15 could be promising therapeutic targets in pancreatic cancer.

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