The Glutaminase Inhibitor Compound 968 Exhibits Potent in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor Effects in Endometrial Cancer

Abstract Background: Glutamine is one of the primary nutrients utilized by cancer cells for energy production and biosynthesis. Interfering with glutamine metabolism may impose anti-tumor effects. In this study, we aimed to investigated the anti-tumorigenic effects of GLS1 inhibition in endometrial cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Methods: In this study, we assessed the relationship between glutaminase-1 enzyme (GLS1) expression and prognosis in endometrial cancer by bioinformatics analyses. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. The effects of compound 968 on cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, cellular stress, invasion, and AKT/mTOR/S6 pathway inhibition in human endometrial cancer cell lines were assessed. The in vivo therapeutic potential of compound 968 in endometrial cancer was evaluated using tumor xenografts.Results: We found that GLS1 expression is elevated during endometrial cancer progression and is associated with poor prognosis. The GLS1-targeting compound 968 was able to reduce cancer cell proliferation, induce cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, inhibit cell invasion, as well as promote cellular stress and cancer cell apoptosis. Compound 968 treatment significantly increased the sensitivity of cells to paclitaxel. Moreover, the treatment of endometrial cancer cells with compound 968 resulted in AKT/mTOR/S6 signaling pathway inhibition. In xenograft mouse models of endometrial cancer, compound 968 significantly suppressed tumor growth. Conclusion: We conclude that compound 968 is a promising anti-tumorigenic agent and that combination with paclitaxel may be a valuable strategy for the treatment of endometrial cancer.

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Lentivirus-Mediated RNA Interference Targeting the Long Noncoding RNA HOTAIR Inhibits Proliferation and Invasion of Endometrial Carcinoma Cells In Vitro and In Vivo

International Journal of Gynecological Cancer ◽

10.1097/igc.0000000000000121 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 635-642 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Jiaming Huang ◽

Peiqi Ke ◽

Luyan Guo ◽

Wei Wang ◽

Hao Tan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Endometrial Cancer ◽

Endometrial Carcinoma ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Long Noncoding Rna ◽

Noncoding Rna ◽

Proliferation And Invasion

ObjectiveThe overexpression of long noncoding RNA HOTAIR is associated with various aggressive solid carcinomas. However, its relationship with endometrial carcinoma has not been reported. The present study aimed to investigate the expression of the long noncoding RNA HOTAIR in endometrial carcinoma, its relationship with the carcinoma’s clinicopathologic features, and the biological function of HOTAIR in regulating endometrial cancer cell proliferation and invasion in vitro and in vivo.MethodsThe expression of HOTAIR was detected in different tissues and cell lines by real-time PCR. Lentivirus-mediated HOTAIR-specific shRNAvectors were transfected into endometrial cancer HEC-1A cells. Cell proliferation and colony formation were examined by CCK-8 assays and colony formation assays, respectively. Invasion and migration were examined by Transwell assays. Flow cytometry assay was used to examine the cell cycle. In addition, xenograft model assays were performed to analyze the growth of endometrial cancer cells in vivo.ResultsOur data showed that HOTAIR expression was higher in endometrial cancer cells and tissues than in normal endometrial tissues. HOTAIR expression was closely related to the tumor stage (P= 0.045), myometrial invasion (P= 0.014), and lymph node metastasis (P= 0.033). The down-regulation of HOTAIR resulted in a significant inhibition of cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and in cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. Furthermore, HOTAIR depletion significantly suppressed the endometrial cancer tumorigenesis in vivo.ConclusionsThis study is the first to suggest that HOTAIR plays an important role in the carcinogenesis of endometrial cancer. Targeting HOTAIR may be a novel therapeutic strategy for endometrial cancer.

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The potential oncogenic and MLN4924-resistant effects of CSN5 on cervical cancer cells

Cancer Cell International ◽

10.1186/s12935-021-02078-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Huilin Zhang ◽

Ping He ◽

Qing Zhou ◽

Yan Lu ◽

Bingjian Lu

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Cervical Cancer ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Cervical Cancer Cell ◽

Cervical Cancers ◽

Cervical Cancer Cells

Abstract Background CSN5, a member of Cop9 signalosome, is essential for protein neddylation. It has been supposed to serve as an oncogene in some cancers. However, the role of CSN5 has not been investigated in cervical cancer yet. Methods Data from TCGA cohorts and GEO dataset was analyzed to examine the expression profile of CSN5 and clinical relevance in cervical cancers. The role of CSN5 on cervical cancer cell proliferation was investigated in cervical cancer cell lines, Siha and Hela, through CSN5 knockdown via CRISPR–CAS9. Western blot was used to detect the effect of CSN5 knockdown and overexpression. The biological behaviors were analyzed by CCK8, clone formation assay, 3-D spheroid generation assay and cell cycle assay. Besides, the role CSN5 knockdown in vivo was evaluated by xenograft tumor model. MLN4924 was given in Siha and Hela with CSN5 overexpression. Results We found that downregulation of CSN5 in Siha and Hela cells inhibited cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo, and the inhibitory effects were largely rescued by CSN5 overexpression. Moreover, deletion of CSN5 caused cell cycle arrest rather than inducing apoptosis. Importantly, CSN5 overexpression confers resistance to the anti-cancer effects of MLN4924 (pevonedistat) in cervical cancer cells. Conclusions Our findings demonstrated that CSN5 functions as an oncogene in cervical cancers and may serve as a potential indicator for predicting the effects of MLN4924 treatment in the future.

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The Potential Oncogenic and MLN4924-Resistant Effects of CSN5 on Cervical Cancer Cells

10.21203/rs.3.rs-550782/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Huilin Zhang ◽

Ping He ◽

Qing Zhou ◽

Yan Lu ◽

Bingjian Lu

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Cervical Cancer ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Cervical Cancer Cell ◽

Cervical Cancers ◽

Cervical Cancer Cells

Abstract BackgroundsCSN5, a member of Cop9 signalosome, is essential for protein neddylation. It has been supposed to serve as an oncogene in some cancers. However, the role of CSN5 has not been investigated in cervical cancer yet.MethodsData from TCGA cohorts and GEO dataset was analyzed to examine the expression profile of CSN5 in cervical cancers. The role of CSN5 on cervical cancer cell proliferation was investigated in cervical cancer cell lines, Siha and Hela, through CSN5 knockdown via CRISPR-CAS9. Western blot was used to detect the effect of CSN5 knockdown and overexpression. CCK8, clone formation assay and cell cycle assay were also employed. Besides, the role CSN5 knockdown in vivo was evaluated by xenograft tumor model. Moreover, MLN4924 was applied in Siha and Hela with CSN5 overexpression.ResultsWe found that downregulation of CSN5 in Siha and Hela cells inhibited cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo, and the inhibitory effects were largely rescued by CSN5 overexpression. Moreover, deletion of CSN5 caused cell cycle arrest rather than inducing apoptosis. Importantly, CSN5 overexpression confers resistance to the anti-cancer effects of MLN4924 (pevonedistat) in cervical cancer cells.ConclusionsOur findings demonstrated that CSN5 functions as an oncogene in cervical cancers and may serve as a potential indicator for predicting the effects of MLN4924 treatment in the future.

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Anticancer Activity of Cynomorium coccineum

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers10100354 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 354 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Mouna Sdiri ◽

Xiangmin Li ◽

William Du ◽

Safia El-Bok ◽

Yi-Zhen Xie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Cell Death ◽

Anticancer Activity ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Cell Cycle Progression ◽

Cycle Progression

The extensive applications of Cynomorium species and their rich bioactive secondary metabolites have inspired many pharmacological investigations. Previous research has been conducted to examine the biological activities and numerous interesting pharmaceutical activities have been reported. However, the antitumor activities of these species are unclear. To understand the potential anticancer activity, we screened Cynomorium coccineum and Cynomorium songaricum using three different extracts of each species. In this study, the selected extracts were evaluated for their ability to decrease survival rates of five different cancer cell lines. We compared the cytotoxicity of the three different extracts to the anticancer drug vinblastine and one of the most well-known medicinal mushrooms Amaurederma rude. We found that the water and alcohol extracts of C. coccineum at the very low concentrations possessed very high capacity in decreasing the cancer cells viability with a potential inhibition of tumorigenesis. Based on these primitive data, we subsequently tested the ethanol and the water extracts of C. coccineum, respectively in in vitro and in vivo assays. Cell cycle progression and induction of programmed cell death were investigated at both biological and molecular levels to understand the mechanism of the antitumor inhibitory action of the C. coccineum. The in vitro experiments showed that the treated cancer cells formed fewer and smaller colonies than the untreated cells. Cell cycle progression was inhibited, and the ethanol extract of C. coccineum at a low concentration induced accumulation of cells in the G1 phase. We also found that the C. coccineum’s extracts suppressed viability of two murine cancer cell lines. In the in vivo experiments, we injected mice with murine cancer cell line B16, followed by peritoneal injection of the water extract. The treatment prolonged mouse survival significantly. The tumors grew at a slower rate than the control. Down-regulation of c-myc expression appeared to be associated with these effects. Further investigation showed that treatment with C. coccineum induced the overexpression of the tumor suppressor Foxo3 and other molecules involved in inducing autophagy. These results showed that the C. coccineum extract exerts its antiproliferative activity through the induction of cell death pathway. Thus, the Cynomorium plants appear to be a promising source of new antineoplastic compounds.

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Mitochondrial supercomplex assembly promotes breast and endometrial tumorigenesis by metabolic alterations and enhanced hypoxia tolerance

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-019-12124-6 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Kazuhiro Ikeda ◽

Kuniko Horie-Inoue ◽

Takashi Suzuki ◽

Rutsuko Hobo ◽

Norie Nakasato ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Endometrial Cancer ◽

Cell Growth ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle ◽

Hypoxia Tolerance ◽

Breast Cancer Patients ◽

Cancer Cell Growth

Abstract Recent advance in cancer research sheds light on the contribution of mitochondrial respiration in tumorigenesis, as they efficiently produce ATP and oncogenic metabolites that will facilitate cancer cell growth. Here we show that a stabilizing factor for mitochondrial supercomplex assembly, COX7RP/COX7A2L/SCAF1, is abundantly expressed in clinical breast and endometrial cancers. Moreover, COX7RP overexpression associates with prognosis of breast cancer patients. We demonstrate that COX7RP overexpression in breast and endometrial cancer cells promotes in vitro and in vivo growth, stabilizes mitochondrial supercomplex assembly even in hypoxic states, and increases hypoxia tolerance. Metabolomic analyses reveal that COX7RP overexpression modulates the metabolic profile of cancer cells, particularly the steady-state levels of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates. Notably, silencing of each subunit of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex decreases the COX7RP-stimulated cancer cell growth. Our results indicate that COX7RP is a growth-regulatory factor for breast and endometrial cancer cells by regulating metabolic pathways and energy production.

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The lncRNA DLX6-AS1 promoted cell proliferation, invasion, migration and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in bladder cancer via modulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Cancer Cell International ◽

10.1186/s12935-019-1010-z ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jinan Guo ◽

Zhixin Chen ◽

Hongtao Jiang ◽

Zhou Yu ◽

Junming Peng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Proliferation ◽

Bladder Cancer ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Cancer Progression ◽

Bladder Cancer Cell ◽

Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Bladder Cancer Cells

Abstract Background Bladder cancer is the most common human urological malignancies with poor prognosis, and the pathophysiology of bladder cancer involves multi-linkages of regulatory networks in the bladder cancer cells. Recently, the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been extensively studied for their role on bladder cancer progression. In this study, we evaluated the expression of DLX6 Antisense RNA 1 (DLX6-AS1) in the cancerous bladder tissues and studied the possible mechanisms of DLX6-AS1 in regulating bladder cancer progression. Methods Gene expression was determined by qRT-PCR; protein expression levels were evaluated by western blot assay; in vitro functional assays were used to determine cell proliferation, invasion and migration; nude mice were used to establish the tumor xenograft model. Results Our results showed the up-regulation of DLX6-AS1 in cancerous bladder cancer tissues and bladder cell lines, and high expression of DLX6-AS1 was correlated with advance TNM stage, lymphatic node metastasis and distant metastasis. The in vitro experimental data showed that DLX6-AS1 overexpression promoted bladder cancer cell growth, proliferation, invasion, migration and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT); while DLX6-AS1 inhibition exerted tumor suppressive actions on bladder cancer cells. Further results showed that DLX6-AS1 overexpression increased the activity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, and the oncogenic role of DLX6-AS1 in bladder cancer cells was abolished by the presence of XAV939. On the other hand, DLX6-AS1 knockdown suppressed the activity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, and the tumor-suppressive effects of DLX6-AS1 knockdown partially attenuated by lithium chloride and SB-216763 pretreatment. The in vivo tumor growth study showed that DLX6-AS1 knockdown suppressed tumor growth of T24 cells and suppressed EMT and Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the tumor tissues. Conclusion Collectively, the present study for the first time identified the up-regulation of DLX6-AS1 in clinical bladder cancer tissues and in bladder cancer cell lines. The results from in vitro and in vivo assays implied that DLX6-AS1 exerted enhanced effects on bladder cancer cell proliferation, invasion and migration partly via modulating EMT and the activity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

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Astragaloside-IV Inhibits Pancreatic Cancer Cell Proliferation in Vitro and in Vivo by Inducing Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1149253/v1 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Guodong Chen ◽

Chengming Ding ◽

Weiping Tang ◽

Shuo Qi ◽

Pengyu Zhou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cell ◽

Cancer Cell Proliferation ◽

Pancreatic Cell ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Abstract Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) or 3-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-6-O-β-D-glucopyranosylcyl-cloastragenol is a bioactive saponin extract from the root of Astragalus membranaceus. It has been proven to have an anti-tumor effect in a variety of tumors by inducing cell apoptosis and inhibiting cell proliferation. Its effects on pancreatic cancer have not been investigated. This study investigated the effects of AS-IV on proliferation, apoptosis and migration of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo and explored its underlying mechanism. Pancreatic cancer cell lines SW1990 and Panc-1were treated with different doses of AS-IV. Plate clonality, CCK-8, EDU and flow cytometry were used to explore the effect of AS-IV on pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and cell cycle in vitro. Wound healing was used to investigate the effects of AS-IV on pancreatic cell migration. The protein expression levels of Bax/Bcl2, caspase3/7, cyclin D1, cyclin E and CDK4 were analyzed by western blotting. The results showed that AS-IV significantly inhibited tumor cell proliferation and cell cycle, induced apoptosis both in vitro and vivo on a dose-dependent basis and significantly inhibited the growth of pancreatic cell xenograft tumor in nude mice. Wound healing assays indicated that AS-IV also inhibited the migration of pancreatic cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. This research confirmed that AS-IV inhibited pancreatic cancer cell proliferation by blocking the cell cycle and inducing apoptosis. It was hypothesized from this experiment that the potential mechanism of AS-IV inducing apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells may be understood by activating the Bcl2/Bax/Caspase-3/Caspase-7 signaling pathway.

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GNA14 stimulation of KLF7 promotes malignant growth of endometrial cancer through upregulation of HAS2

BMC Cancer ◽

10.1186/s12885-021-08202-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jing Wang ◽

Fei Teng ◽

Hongxia Chai ◽

Caixia Zhang ◽

Xiaolei Liang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Endometrial Cancer ◽

Rna Sequencing ◽

Colony Formation ◽

Cell Biology ◽

Cell Cycle Progression ◽

Α Subunit

Abstract Background Endometrial cancer (UCEC) is one of the most common gynecological malignancies. We previously found that overexpression of G protein α subunit 14 (GNA14) promoted UCEC growth. Krüppel-like factor 7 (KLF7) acts as an oncogene in various cancer types, whereas the connection between GNA14 and KLF7 in UCEC is unclear. We herein explored the involvement of GNA14/KLF7 in UCEC development. Methods Clinical relevance of GNA14, KLF7 and HAS2 in UCEC was analyzed from TCGA and by immunohistochemical staining. Knockdown and overexpression of indicated genes were conducted by transfecting the cells with siRNAs and lentivirus, respectively. mRNA and protein expression was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot. CCK8, colony formation, cell cycle, apoptosis, transwell and wound healing were performed to check cell biology function in vitro. Tumor growth in nude mice was conducted to check in vivo function. RNA sequencing was used to determine dys-regulated genes. Results We demonstrated that GNA14 stimulated the expression of KLF7 in UCEC cells. There was a positive correlation between GNA14 and KLF7 in normal and UCEC tissues. In vitro, KLF7 promoted cell proliferation, colony formation, cell cycle progression, and migration of UCEC cells. Apoptosis was inhibited by KLF7. Xenografted tumorigenesis of UCEC cells was suppressed by KLF7 knockdown. Furthermore, RNA sequencing results showed that KLF7 regulated the expression of a large amount of genes, among which hyaluronan synthase 2 (HAS2) was downregulated in KLF7 knockdown cells. Based on TCGA database and immunoblotting assays, KLF7 positively regulated HAS2 in UCEC cells and tissues. Lastly, knockdown of HAS2 reversed the oncogenic role of KLF7 on UCEC cell proliferation, migration, and xenografted tumor development. Conclusion Taken together, we reveal that GNA14/KLF7/HAS2 signaling cascade exerts tumor promoting function during UCEC development.

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miR-375-NAT10 Axis Dysfunction Promotes Oral Cancer Development and Mediates Cdk7 Stabilizing and Cell Cycle Progression

10.21203/rs.3.rs-718593/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Chen ZOU ◽

Xia LI ◽

Haigang WEI ◽

Siyuan WU ◽

Jing SONG ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Oral Cancer ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

In Vivo Studies ◽

Cancer Tissue ◽

Cancer Cell Proliferation ◽

Western Blots

Abstract Background: Oral cancer is the most common cancer with poor prognosis and outcome for the patients due to the challenging diagnosis and limited treatment possibilities. However, the molecular underpinnings behind the malignant progression of oral cancer remain incompletely understood. Methods: The expression profiling of NAT10 and CDK7 in oral cancer patients were assessed by IHC, qPCR and western blots. ShRNA was used to silence gene expression. The biological function of NAT10 and CDK7 in cholangiocarcinoma was investigated using in vitro and in vivo studies including, transwell cell migration, plate cloning, CCK8, shRNA interference, western blots, flow cytometry and xenograft mouse model. The underlying molecular mechanism was determined by western blots and immunoprecipitation.Results: In this study, we demonstrated that deregulation of miR-375-NAT10 axis is among the most causes in inducing the acquisition of a tumorigenesis phenotype in oral cancer cells. NAT10 is abundant in oral cancer tissue. and its protein level is positively correlated with poor overall survival. Increased the level of NAT10 promotes oral cancer cell proliferation in vitro as well as xenograft tumorigenicity in vivo. Most importantly, NAT10 regulates cancer cell proliferation through stabilizing CDK7 thus regulating the cell cycle. NAT10 as an acetyltransferase is responsible for CDK7 acetylation at lysine 328 (K328Ac). Moreover, it was found that the expression of miR-375 is abnormally alleviated in oral cancer tissues. Bioinformatics analysis revealed a targeted complementary binding site between miR-375 and NAT10. Decreased expression of miR-375 promotes expression of NAT10.Conclusion: Our study showed that NAT10 plays a strong carcinogenic role in oral cancer tumorigenesis by acetylating CDK7 at K382 thus promotion stability. Moreover, NAT10 may serve as a target for miR-375. Therefore, targeting NAT10 may provide a new and effective therapeutic strategy to inhibit the tumorigenicity of oral cancer.

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