scholarly journals Brusatol Inhibits Laryngeal Cancer Cell Proliferation and Metastasis Via Abrogating JAK2/STAT3 Signaling Mediated Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

Author(s):  
Jiangtao Zhou ◽  
Jing Hou ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
Jiajing Wang ◽  
Jianping Gao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Brusatol (BR) is a principal bioactive quassinoid derived from the Chinese medicinal plant Brucea javanica, which has recently been reported to exert notable cytotoxic effects against numerous cancer cell lines. However, the role that BR played in Laryngeal cancer (LC) is seldom known by the public. In the current study, we have investigated the effects of BR on human laryngeal squamous carcinoma cell (Hep-2) and explored its underlying mechanism both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Methods: In the present research, cell proliferation, apoptosis, cycle, migration and invasion assays were used to examine the anti-tumor effect of BR on Hep-2 cells. qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blotting were performed to study the molecular mechanisms of the action. A subcutaneous tumor-bearing model of Balb/c mice with Hep-2 cells of laryngeal carcinoma was established to observe the inhibitory effect of BR on laryngeal cancer cells in vivo. Results: The results indicated that BR markedly inhibited the viability, migration and invasion of Hep-2 cells in a dose and time-dependent manner, with no significant toxic effect on normal cells BEAS-2B. Also, BR induced cell apoptosis and the cells were blocked in the S phase to suppress cell proliferation. Moreover, the results of IHC showed that BR induction inhibited the protein expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related markers. Mechanistically, western blotting results exhibited that BR could suppress the protein expression of JAK2/STAT3 and their phosphorylation levels. In vivo experiments further confirmed the anti-cancer effect of BR on laryngeal carcinoma cells in vitro, BR suppressed the growth of xenograft laryngeal tumors without apparent toxicity.Conclusions: Consequently, the present study revealed that the anti-LC effect of BR might be closely relevant to abrogation of JAK2/STAT3 signaling mediated EMT process. BR may be a promising therapeutic candidate for the treatment of laryngeal cancer.

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Zeng ◽  
Min Zou ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
Keting Que ◽  
Yunbing Wang ◽  
...  

Keratin 17 (K17), a member of type I acidic epithelial keratin family, has been reported to be upregulated in many malignant tumors and to be involved in promoting the development of tumors. However, the precise role of K17 in progression of pancreatic cancer is still unknown. In this study, we found that K17 expression was highly expressed in pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines and that upregulated expression was associated with the pathological grade and poor prognosis. K17 expression served as an independent predictor of pancreatic cancer survival. Meanwhile, we showed that knocking down K17 induced pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, colony formation and tumor growth in xenografts in mice. However, K17 upregulation inhibited pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and colony formation. Further mechanistic study revealed that K17 knockdown promoted cell cycle progression by upregulating CyclinD1 expression and repressed cell apoptosis. However, K17 upregulation suppressed cell cycle progression by decreasing CyclinD1 expression, and induced apoptosis by increasing the levels of cleaved Caspase3. In addition, K17 knockdown promoted pancreatic cancer cell migration and invasion, but K17 upregulation suppressed cell migration and invasion. Moreover, knocking down K17 promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in pancreatic cancer cell by inhibiting E-cadherin expression and inducing Vimentin expression, and the effects of K17 upregulation were opposite to that of K17downregulation. Taken together, our findings suggest that K17 functions as a potential tumor suppressor, even though it is upregulated in pancreatic cancer.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 1319-1329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Zhang ◽  
Hai Ma ◽  
Liu Yang ◽  
Hongchun Yang ◽  
Zhenxing He

Objectives Overexpression of human trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (Trop2) has been observed in many cancers; however, its roles in proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. Thus, this study aimed to characterize the function of Trop2 in HCC. Methods Trop2 protein expression was detected by immunohistochemistry in HCC tissues. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion were respectively measured by CCK-8, flow cytometry, Transwell, and wound healing assays. Expression levels of epithelial–mesenchymal transition-related proteins and Trop2 protein in HCC cell lines were detected by western blotting after silencing of the TROP2 gene. Results Trop2 protein was highly expressed in HCC tissues and HCC cell lines. Trop2 mRNA and protein expression levels decreased in HepG2 and HCCLM3 cells after transfection with Trop2 siRNA. Silencing of the TROP2 gene in HepG2 and HCCLM3 cells strongly inhibited cell proliferation and migration, while enhancing cell apoptosis. Investigation of the molecular mechanism revealed that silencing of the TROP2 gene suppressed epithelial–mesenchymal transition of HepG2 and HCCLM3 cells. Conclusions The results of the present study may improve understanding of the role of Trop2 in regulation of cell proliferation and invasion, and may aid in development of novel therapy for HCC.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 1365-1370
Author(s):  
Belikiz Ekem ◽  
Wei Gong ◽  
Lu Han ◽  
Xinmei Wang ◽  
Na Liu ◽  
...  

Purpose: To investigate the effects of zerumbone on cell invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the potential signaling pathway involved in ovarian cancer cells.Methods: Caov-3 cell proliferation was assessed using 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo (-z-y1)-3,5-diphenytetrazoliumromide (MTT) assay. Wound healing assay was used to determine Caov-3 cell migration while cell invasion was evaluated using Transwell assay. Protein expression was determinedby western blot.Results: Cell viability was reduced by 5, 10, 20, and 50 μM zerumbone (p < 0.05) in a concentrationdependent manner while cell migration and invasion were inhibited by 10 and 20 μM zerumbone (p < 0.05). Protein expression levels of E-cadherin and cytoplasm β-catenin were upregulated by zerumbone (p < 0.05) in a concentration-dependent manner. On the other hand, protein expression levels of Ncadherin, vimentin, ZEB1, nuclear β-catenin, and c-Myc were suppressed by zerumbone (p < 0.05) also in a concentration-dependent manner.Conclusion: The results demonstrate that zerumbone inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion, but represses the EMT process via inactivation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Keywords: Zerumbone, Ovarian cancer, Wnt/β-catenin pathway, Epithelial-mesenchymal transition


PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9195
Author(s):  
Jing-Jing Wang ◽  
Teng-Hui Liu ◽  
Jin Li ◽  
Dan-Ni Li ◽  
Xin-Yuan Tian ◽  
...  

Background MTH1 and NUDT5 effectively degrade nucleotides containing 8-oxoguanine. MTH1 and NUDT5 have been linked to the malignancy of multiple cancers. However, their functions in tumor growth and metastasis in esophageal squamous carcinoma (ESCC) remain obscure. Our present study aims to explore their prognostic value in ESCC and investigate their function in MTH1 or NUDT5-knockout tumor cells. Methods MTH1 and NUDT5 protein expression in ESCC adjacent normal tissues and tumor tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry staining. Kaplan–Meier curves were used to assess the association between their expression and overall survival (OS) in ESCC patients. Univariate and Multivariate Cox regression analyses were generated to determine the correlation between these protein expression and OS of ESCC patients. Protein expression in ESCC cell lines were measured by Western blotting. To explore the potential effects of the MTH1 and NUDT5 protein in ESCC, cell models with MTH1 or NUDT5 depletion were established. CCK-8, cell cycle, Western blotting, migration and invasion assays were performed. Results Our present study demonstrated that the levels of MTH1 and NUDT5 were upregulated in ESCC cell lines and ESCC tissues, the expression of MTH1 and NUDT5 in ESCC tissues was significantly higher than in adjacent non-tumorous, and higher levels of MTH1 and NUDT5 predicted a worse prognosis in patients with ESCC. MTH1 and NUDT5 are novel biomarkers of the progression of ESCC and a poor prognosis. We also found for the first time that the high expression of NUDT5 independently predicted lower OS in patients with ESCC (hazard ratio (HR) 1.751; 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.056–2.903]; p = 0.030). In addition, the depletion of MTH1 and NUDT5 strongly suppressed the proliferation of ESCC cells and significantly delayed the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Furthermore, we found that MTH1 and NUDT5 silencing inhibited epithelial–mesenchymal transition mainly by the MAPK/MEK/ERK dependent pathway, which in turn significantly decreased the cell migration and invasion of ESCC cells. Our results suggested that the overexpression of MTH1 and NUDT5 is probably involved in the tumor development and poor prognosis of ESCC.


Author(s):  
Zhong-xin Zhou ◽  
Zu-ping Zhang ◽  
Ze-zhang Tao ◽  
Ting-zhao Tan

Laryngeal cancer, one of the most common head and neck malignancies, is an aggressive neoplasm. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) exert important roles in oncogenesis and progression of diverse types of human cancers. miR-632, a tumor-related miRNA, has been reported to be dysregulated and implicated in human malignancies; however, its biological role in laryngeal carcinoma remains to be elucidated. The present study aimed at exploring the role of miR-632 in laryngeal cancer and clarifying the potential molecular mechanisms involved. In the current study, miR-632 was found to be significantly upregulated both in laryngeal cancer tissues and laryngeal cancer cell lines. Functional studies demonstrated that miR-632 accelerated cell proliferation and colony formation, facilitated cell migration and invasion, and enhanced the expression of cell proliferation-associated proteins, cyclin D1 and c-myc. Notably, miR-632 could directly bind to the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) to suppress its expression in laryngeal cancer cells. Mechanical studies revealed that miR-632 promoted laryngeal cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion through negative modulation of GSK3β. Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed that miR-632 expression was inversely correlated with GSK3β mRNA expression in laryngeal cancer tissues. Taken together, our findings suggest that miR-632 functions as an oncogene in laryngeal cancer and may be used as a novel therapeutic target for laryngeal cancer.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisha Xie ◽  
Tao Jiang ◽  
Ailan Cheng ◽  
Ting Zhang ◽  
Pin Huang ◽  
...  

Background: Alterations in microRNAs (miRNAs) are related to the occurrence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and play an important role in the molecular mechanism of NPC. Our previous studies show low expression of 14-3-3σ (SFN) is related to the metastasis and differentiation of NPC, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Methods: Through bioinformatics analysis, we find miR-597 is the preferred target miRNA of 14-3-3σ. The expression level of 14-3-3σ in NPC cell lines was detected by Western blotting. The expression of miR-597 in NPC cell lines was detected by qRT-PCR. We transfected miR-597 mimic, miR-597 inhibitor and 14-3-3σ siRNA into 6-10B cells and then verified the expression of 14-3-3σ and EMT related proteins, including E-cadherin, N-cadherin and Vimentin by western blotting. The changes of migration and invasion ability of NPC cell lines before and after transfected were determined by wound healing assay and Transwell assay. Results: miR-597 expression was upregulated in NPC cell lines and repaired in related NPC cell lines, which exhibit a potent tumor-forming effect. After inhibiting the miR-597 expression, its effect on NPC cell line was obviously decreased. Moreover, 14-3-3σ acts as a tumor suppressor gene and its expression in NPC cell lines is negatively correlated with miR-597. Here 14-3-3σ was identified as a downstream target gene of miR-597, and its downregulation by miR-597 drives epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and promotes the migration and invasion of NPC. Conclusion: Based on these findings, our study will provide theoretical and experimental evidences for molecular targeted therapy of NPC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haoqi Zhao ◽  
Lan Wang ◽  
Shufang Wang ◽  
Xihua Chen ◽  
Min Liang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Metastasis and invasion are crucial in determining the mortality of cervical carcinoma (CC) patients. The epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is now a universal explanation for the mechanisms of tumor metastasis. Α-chimeric protein (α-chimaerin, CHN1) plays an important role in the regulation of signal transduction and development. However, the molecular regulatory relationships between CHN1 and CC progression in relation to EMT have not yet been identified. Methods The expression of CHN1 in CC tissues, adjacent tissues, and lymph node metastases from CC patients was detected by immunohistochemistry. Upregulation and knockdown of CHN1 were achieved by transfection of CC cells. The effect of CHN1 on cell proliferation was determined by CCK-8 and plate clone formation assays. Changes in migration and invasion capabilities were evaluated using scratch migration and transwell invasion assays. The effect of CHN1 overexpression and interference on xenograft tumor growth was determined by tumor weight and pathological analyses. The expression of EMT-related mRNAs was measured by qRT-PCR in transfected CC cells. EMT-related proteins and Akt/GSK-3β/Snail signaling pathway-related proteins were also evaluated by western blotting. Results CHN1 was overexpressed in CC tissues and was associated with lymph node metastasis and low survival in CC patients. Overexpression of CHN1 promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in CC cells. In contrast, silencing of CHN1 inhibited these phenomena. Overexpression of CHN1 promoted tumor formation in an in vivo xenograft tumor mouse model, with increased tumor volumes and weights. In addition, CHN1 induced the expression of EMT-related transcription factors, accompanied by the decreased expression of epithelial markers and increased expression of mesenchymal markers. The Akt/GSK-3β/Snail signaling pathway was activated by overexpression of CHN1 in vitro, and activation of this pathway was inhibited by the signaling pathway inhibitor LY294002. Conclusion These results suggest that CHN1 promotes the development and progression of cervical carcinoma via the Akt/GSK-3β/Snail pathway by inducing EMT.


Breast Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingzi Zhang ◽  
Jiao Tian ◽  
Chi Qu ◽  
Yang Peng ◽  
Jinwei Lei ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Recent studies have indicated that serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade A, member 3 (SERPINA3) is a potential marker associated with tumor progression, which connoted that SERPINA3 is related to malignant phenotypes in cancer. However, the biological function of SERPINA3 in breast cancer (BC) remains unclear. Methods Bioinformatics data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Immunohistochemical staining (IHC) was conducted to determine SERPINA3 expression. With strong aggressive abilities, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines (MDA-MB-231, BT549 and MDA-MB-436) were obtained to examine SERPINA3 expression and functions. Wound healing and Transwell assays were performed to measure cell migration and invasion. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was conducted to detect cell proliferation abilities and cell viabilities. Results SERPINA3 was upregulated in BC tissues. Functional assays suggested that overexpression of SERPINA3 significantly promoted cell proliferation, where migration and invasion of TNBC cells were accelerated. Knockdown of SERPINA3 had the opposite effects. These results causing by overexpression of SERPINA3 were also confirmed in non-TNBC cell lines. Overexpression of SERPINA3 remarkably enhanced the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) by upregulating the EMT markers and EZH2. In addition, the overexpression of SERPINA3 reduced the sensitivity of TNBC cells to cisplatin. Conclusion SERPINA3 can regulate the migration, invasion and EMT of TNBC cells and increased expression of SERPINA3 confers resistance to cisplatin in TNBC cells. We discern it is required for the regulation of BC progression and is a critical target for the clinical treatment of BC.


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