scholarly journals QSOX2 Is an E2F1 Target Gene and a Novel Serum Biomarker for Monitoring Tumor Growth and Predicting Survival in Advanced NSCLC

Author(s):  
Yaqi Li ◽  
Mei Liu ◽  
Zhuoxian Zhang ◽  
Libin Deng ◽  
ZhenYu Zhai ◽  
...  

BackgroundQuiescin Q6 sulfhydryl oxidase 2 (QSOX2), an enzyme that can be directly secreted into the extracellular space, is known to be associated with oxidative protein folding. However, whether QSOX2 is abnormally expressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its role in tumor growth remains unclear.MethodsReal-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC), bioinformatics analyses were applied to analyze the expression pattern and prognostic significance of QSOX2 in NSCLC. Xenografts model, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), western blot analysis (WB), and IHC were preformed to examine in vivo tumor suppression and intracellular and extracellular expression of QSOX2. Flow cytometry, WB and qPCR analyses were used to elucidate the role of QSOX2 in cell cycle regulation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIP) assay and Dual-Luciferase reporter assay were employed to investigate transcriptional regulation of QSOX2 by E2F Transcription Factor 1 (E2F1).ResultsQuiescin sulfhydryl oxidase 2 was significantly overexpressed in NSCLC and associated with poor survival in advanced-stage patients. The intracellular and extracellular expression of QSOX2 by tumor cells markedly decreased after anti-cancer therapy in vitro, in vivo and in the clinic. Moreover, QSOX2 silencing in NSCLC cell lines resulted in inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis, and decreased expression of cell division-related genes (CENPF and NUSAP1) and Wnt pathway activators (PRRX2 and Nuc-β-catenin). Mechanistically, QSOX2 was expressed periodically during cell cycle and directly regulated by E2F1.ConclusionsOur findings demonstrate that QSOX2 is directly regulated by E2F1 in the cell cycle, which is essential for the proliferation of NSCLC cells. Furthermore, QSOX2 is a prognostic indicator for NSCLC and may be developed into a biomarker for monitoring tumor burden and therapeutic progress.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yarong Guo ◽  
Bao Chai ◽  
Junmei Jia ◽  
Mudan Yang ◽  
Yanjun Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Dysregulation of KLF7 participates in the development of various cancers, but it is unclear whether there is a link between HCC and aberrant expression of KLF7. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of KLF7 in proliferation and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Methods CCK8, colony growth, transwell, cell cycle analysis and apoptosis detection were performed to explore the effect of KLF7, VPS35 and Ccdc85c on cell function in vitro. Xenografted tumor growth was used to assess in vivo role of KLF7. Chip-qPCR and luciferase reporter assays were applied to check whether KLF7 regulated VPS35 at transcriptional manner. Co-IP assay was performed to detect the interaction between VPS35 and Ccdc85c. Immunohistochemical staining and qRT-PCR analysis were performed in human HCC sampels to study the clinical significance of KLF7, VPS35 and β-catenin. Results Firstly, KLF7 was highly expressed in human HCC samples and correlated with patients’ differentiation and metastasis status. KLF7 overexpression contributed to cell proliferation and invasion of HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. KLF7 transcriptional activation of VPS35 was necessary for HCC tumor growth and metastasis. Further, co-IP studies revealed that VPS35 could interact with Ccdc85c in HCC cells. Rescue assay confirmed that overexpression of VPS35 and knockdown of Ccdc85c abolished the VPS35-medicated promotion effect on cell proliferation and invasion. Finally, KLF7/VPS35 axis regulated Ccdc85c, which involved in activation of β-catenin signaling pathway, confirmed using β-catenin inhibitor, GK974. Functional studies suggested that downregulation of Ccdc85c partly reversed the capacity of cell proliferation and invasion in HCC cells, which was regulated by VPS35 upregulation. Lastly, there was a positive correlation among KLF7, VPS35 and active-β-catenin in human HCC patients. Conclusion We demonstrated that KLF7/VPS35 axis promoted HCC cell progression by activating Ccdc85c-medicated β-catenin pathway. Targeting this signal axis might be a potential treatment strategy for HCC.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Yang Wang ◽  
Bo He ◽  
Yan Dong ◽  
Gong-Jin He ◽  
Xiao-Wei Qi ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: The prognosis of lung cancer patients is poor without useful prognostic and diagnostic biomarker. To search for novel prognostic and diagnostic markers, we previously found homeobox-A13 (HOXA13) as a promising candidate in lung cancer. OBJECTIVE: To determine the precisely clinical feature, prognostic and diagnostic value, possible role and mechanism of HOXA13. METHODS: Gene-expression was explored by real-time quantitative-PCR, western-blot and tissue-microarray. The associations were analyzed by Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier and Cox-regression. The roles and mechanisms were evaluated by MTS, EdU, transwell, xenograft tumor and luciferase-reporter assays. RESULTS: HOXA13 expression is increased in tumors, and correlated with age of patients. HOXA13 expression is associated with unfavorable overall survival and relapse-free survival of patients in four cohorts. Interestingly, HOXA13 has different prognostic significance in adenocarcinoma (ADC) and squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC), and is a sex- and smoke-related prognostic factor only in ADC. Importantly, HOXA13 can serve as a diagnostic biomarker for lung cancer, especially for SCC. HOXA13 can promote cancer-cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, and facilitate tumorigenicity and tumor metastasis in vivo. HOXA13 acts the oncogenic roles on tumor growth and metastasis by regulating P53 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling activities in lung cancer. CONCLUSIONS: HOXA13 is a new prognostic and diagnostic biomarker associated with P53 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 371-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Limin Liu ◽  
Peng Zhang ◽  
Ming Bai ◽  
Lijie He ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Hypoxia plays an important role in the genesis and progression of renal fibrosis. The underlying mechanisms, however, have not been sufficiently elucidated. We examined the role of p53 in hypoxia-induced renal fibrosis in cell culture (human and rat renal tubular epithelial cells) and a mouse unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model. Cell cycle of tubular cells was determined by flow cytometry, and the expression of profibrogenic factors was determined by RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and western blotting. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter experiments were performed to explore the effect of HIF-1α on p53 expression. We showed that, in hypoxic tubular cells, p53 upregulation suppressed the expression of CDK1 and cyclins B1 and D1, leading to cell cycle (G2/M) arrest (or delay) and higher expression of TGF-β, CTGF, collagens, and fibronectin. p53 suppression by siRNA or by a specific p53 inhibitor (PIF-α) triggered opposite effects preventing the G2/M arrest and profibrotic changes. In vivo experiments in the UUO model revealed similar antifibrotic results following intraperitoneal administration of PIF-α (2.2 mg/kg). Using gain-of-function, loss-of-function, and luciferase assays, we further identified an HRE3 region on the p53 promoter as the HIF-1α-binding site. The HIF-1α–HRE3 binding resulted in a sharp transcriptional activation of p53. Collectively, we show the presence of a hypoxia-activated, p53-responsive profibrogenic pathway in the kidney. During hypoxia, p53 upregulation induced by HIF-1α suppresses cell cycle progression, leading to the accumulation of G2/M cells, and activates profibrotic TGF-β and CTGF-mediated signaling pathways, causing extracellular matrix production and renal fibrosis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Wang ◽  
Shiqing Shao ◽  
Li Deng ◽  
Shelian Wang ◽  
Yongyan Zhang

Abstract Background Radiation resistance is a major obstacle to the prognosis of cervical cancer (CC) patients. Many studies have confirmed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the regulation of radiosensitivity of cancers. However, whether small nucleolar RNA host gene 12 (SNHG12) regulates the radiosensitivity of CC remains unknown. Methods Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the expression levels of SNHG12 and microRNA-148a (miR-148a). The radiosensitivity of cells was evaluated by clonogenic assay. Flow cytometry and caspase-3 activity assay were performed to assess the apoptosis ability and cell cycle distribution of cells. Besides, dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation assay were used to verify the interaction between miR-148a and SNHG12 or cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1). Also, the protein levels of CDK1, CCND1 and γ-H2AX were detected by western blot analysis. Furthermore, in vivo experiments were conducted to verify the effect of SNHG12 on CC tumor growth. Ki-67 and TUNEL staining were employed to evaluate the proliferation and apoptosis rates in vivo. The hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining were employed to evaluate the tumor cell morphology. Results SNHG12 was upregulated in CC tissues and cells, and its knockdown improved the radiosensitivity by promoting the radiation-induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest of CC cells. Also, miR-148a could be sponged by SNHG12 and could target CDK1. MiR-148a inhibitor or CDK1 overexpression could invert the promotion effect of silenced-SNHG12 on CC radiosensitivity. Meanwhile, SNHG12 interference reduced the tumor growth of CC, increased miR-148a expression, and inhibited CDK1 level in vivo. Conclusion LncRNA SNHG12 promoted CDK1 expression to regulate the sensitivity of CC cells to radiation through sponging miR-148a, indicating that SNHG12 could be used as a potential biomarker to treat the radiotherapy resistance of CC patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuqiong Wang ◽  
Dan Wang ◽  
Yanmiao Dai ◽  
Xiangyu Kong ◽  
Xian Zhu ◽  
...  

It has been shown that aberrant activation of the Hedgehog (Hh) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways plays an important role in the pancreatic carcinogenesis, and KRAS mutation is a hallmark of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Until now, the role of KRAS mutation in the context of crosstalk between Hh and NF-κB signaling pathways in PDAC has not been investigated. This study was to determine whether the crosstalk between the Hh and NF-κB pathways is dependent on KRAS mutation in PDAC. The correlation between Gli1, Shh, NF-κB p65 expression and KRAS mutation in PDAC tissues was firstly examined by immunohistochemistry. Next, Western blotting, qPCR, and immunofluorescence were conducted to examine the biological effects of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) as NF-κB signaling agonists, Shh as an Hh ligand alone or in combination with KRAS small interfering RNA (si-KRAS) in KRAS-mutant PDAC cells (MT-KRAS; SW1990 and Panc-1), wild-type KRAS PDAC cells (WT-KRAS; BxPC-3) and mutant KRAS knock-in BxPC-3 cells in vitro as well as tumor growth in vivo. KRAS mutation-dependent crosstalk between Hh and NF-κB in PDAC cells was further assessed by Ras activity and luciferase reporter assays. The aberrant Hh and NF-κB pathway activation was found in PDAC tissues with KRAS mutation. The same findings were confirmed in MT-KRAS PDAC cells and MT-KRAS knock-in BxPC-3 cells, whereas this activation was not observed in WT-KRAS PDAC cells. However, the activation was significantly down-regulated by KRAS silencing in MT-KRAS PDAC cells. Furthermore, MT-KRAS cancer cell proliferation and survival in vitro and tumor growth after inoculation with MT-KRAS cells in vivo were promoted by NF-κB and Hh signaling activation. The pivotal factor for co-activation of NF-κB and Hh signaling is MT-KRAS protein upregulation, showing that positive crosstalk between Hh and NF-κB pathways is dependent upon KRAS mutation in PDAC.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juanjuan Shi ◽  
Xijian Xu ◽  
Dan Zhang ◽  
Jiuyan Zhang ◽  
Hui Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Long non-coding RNA PTPRG antisense RNA 1 (PTPRG-AS1) deregulation has been reported in various human malignancies and identified as an important modulator of cancer development. Few reports have focused on the detailed role of PTPRG-AS1 in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and its underlying mechanism. This study aimed to determine the physiological function of PTPRG-AS1 in EOC. A series of experiments were also performed to identify the mechanisms through which PTPRG-AS1 exerts its function in EOC.Methods: Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to determine PTPRG-AS1 expression in EOC tissues and cell lines. PTPRG-AS1 was silenced in EOC cells and studied with respect to cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. The putative miRNAs that target PTPRG-AS1 were predicted using bioinformatics analysis and further confirmed in luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation assays.Results: Our data verified the upregulation of PTPRG-AS1 in EOC tissues and cell lines. High PTPRG-AS1 expression was associated with shorter overall survival in patients with EOC. Functionally, EOC cell proliferation, migration, invasion in vitro, and tumor growth in vivo were suppressed by PTPRG-AS1 silencing. In contrast, cell apoptosis was promoted by loss of PTPRG-AS1. Regarding the mechanism, PTPRG-AS1 could serve as a competing endogenous RNA in EOC cells by decoying microRNA-545-3p (miR-545-3p), thereby elevating histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) expression. Furthermore, rescue experiments revealed that PTPRG-AS1 knockdown-mediated effects on EOC cells were, in part, counteracted by the inhibition of miR-545-3p or restoration of HDAC4.Conclusions: PTPRG-AS1 functioned as an oncogenic lncRNA that aggravated the malignancy of EOC through the miR-545-3p/HDAC4 ceRNA network. Thus, targeting the PTPRG-AS1/miR-545-3p/HDAC4 pathway may be a novel strategy for EOC anticancer therapy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 096368972110255
Author(s):  
Qing Wang ◽  
Kai Li ◽  
Xiaoliang Li

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. Increasing evidence suggests that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) function in the tumorigenesis of NSCLC. LINC00958, a newly identified lncRNA, has been reported to be closely linked to tumorigenesis in several cancers. However, its specific role in NSCLC remains unclear. In this study, we determined the expression of LINC00958 in NSCLC by RT-qPCR analysis and evaluated cell proliferation and migration by CCK-8 and transwell assays, respectively. We established a xenograft tumor model to examine the effect of LINC00958 on tumor growth in vivo. Luciferase reporter assays were performed to determine the interaction between LINC00958 and miR-204-3p and the interaction between miR-204-3p and KIF2A. We found that LINC00958 was up-regulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Down-regulation of LINC00958 inhibited cell proliferation and migration in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Besides, miR-204-3p was identified as a target of LINC00958 and miR-204-3p inhibitor could reverse the inhibitory effect of LINC00958 knockdown on proliferation and migration of NSCLC cells. We also validated that KIF2A, a direct target of miR-204-3p, was responsible for the biological role of LINC00958. KIF2A antagonized the effect of miR-204-3p on NSCLC cell proliferation and migration and was regulated by LINC00958/miR-204-3p. Taken together, these data indicate that the LINC00958/miR-204-3p/KIF2A axis is critical for NSCLC progression, which might provide a potential therapeutic target of NSCLC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanbo Wang ◽  
Fenghai Ren ◽  
Dawei Sun ◽  
Jing Liu ◽  
BenKun Liu ◽  
...  

BackgroundLung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer, and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common form. Despite the great advances that has been made in the diagnosis and treatment for LUAD, the pathogenesis of LUAD remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to identify the function of circKEAP1 derived from the exon of KEAP1 in LUAD.MethodsThe expression profiles of circRNAs in LUAD tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues were analyzed by Agilent Arraystar Human CircRNA microarray. The levels and prognostic values of circKEAP1 in tissues and cancer cell lines were determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Subsequently, the effects of circKEAP1 on tumor growth were investigated by functional experiments in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, the dual luciferase reporter assay, RNA pull-down, and RNA immunoprecipitation experiments were performed to confirm the interaction between circKEAP1 and miR-141-3p in LUAD.ResultsWe found circKEAP1 was significantly downregulated in LUAD tissues and repressed tumor growth both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circKEAP1 competitively binds to miR-141-3p and relive miR-141-3p repression for its host gene, which activated the KEAP1/NRF2 signal pathway, and finally suppresses the tumor progress. Our findings suggest that circKEAP1 inhibits LUAD progression through circKEAP1/miR-141-3p/KEAP1 axis and it may serve as a novel method for the treatment of LUAD.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (S) ◽  
pp. 98
Author(s):  
P H Nguyen ◽  
J Giraud ◽  
C Staedel ◽  
L Chambonnier ◽  
P Dubus ◽  
...  

Gastric carcinoma is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. This cancer, most of the time metastatic, is essentially treated by surgery associated with conventional chemotherapy, and has a poor prognosis. The existence of cancer stem cells (CSC) expressing CD44 and a high aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity has recently been demonstrated in gastric carcinoma and has opened new perspectives to develop targeted therapy. In this study, we evaluated the effects of all-transretinoic acid (ATRA) on CSCs in human gastric carcinoma. ATRA effects were evaluated on the proliferation and tumorigenic properties of gastric carcinoma cells from patient-derived tumors and cell lines in conventional 2D cultures, in 3D culture systems (tumorsphere assay) and in mouse xenograft models. ATRA inhibited both tumorspheres initiation and growth in vitro, which was associated with a cell-cycle arrest through the upregulation of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors and the downregulation of cell-cycle progression activators. More importantly, ATRA downregulated the expression of the CSC markers CD44 and ALDH as well as stemness genes such as Klf4 and Sox2 and induced differentiation of tumorspheres. Finally, 2 weeks of daily ATRA treatment were sufficient to inhibit gastric tumor progression in vivo, which was associated with a decrease in CD44, ALDH1, Ki67 and PCNA expression in the remaining tumor cells. Administration of ATRA appears to be a potent strategy to efficiently inhibit tumor growth and more importantly to target gastric CSCs in both intestinal and diffuse types of gastric carcinoma.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bei Li ◽  
Ang Li ◽  
Zhen You ◽  
Jingchang Xu ◽  
Sha Zhu

Abstract Enhanced SNHG1 (small nucleolar RNA host gene 1) expression has been found to play a critical role in the initiation and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with its detailed mechanism largely unknown. In this study, we show that SNHG1 promotes the HCC progression through epigenetically silencing CDKN1A and CDKN2B in the nucleus, and competing with CDK4 mRNA for binding miR-140-5p in the cytoplasm. Using bioinformatics analyses, we found hepatocarcinogenesis is particularly associated with dysregulated expression of SNHG1 and activation of the cell cycle pathway. SNHG1 was upregulated in HCC tissues and cells, and its knockdown significantly inhibited HCC cell cycle, growth, metastasis, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) both in vitro and in vivo. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and RNA immunoprecipitation assays demonstrate that SNHG1 inhibit the transcription of CDKN1A and CDKN2B through enhancing EZH2 mediated-H3K27me3 in the promoter of CDKN1A and CDKN2B, thus resulting in the de-repression of the cell cycle. Dual-luciferase assay and RNA pulldown revealed that SNHG1 promotes the expression of CDK4 by competitively binding to miR-140-5p. In conclusion, we propose that SNHG1 formed a regulatory network to confer an oncogenic function in HCC and SNHG1 may serve as a potential target for HCC diagnosis and treatment.


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