scholarly journals Inhibition of Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Sensitizes Esophageal Cancer Cells to Chemoradiotherapy

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (19) ◽  
pp. 10301
Author(s):  
Melanie Spitzner ◽  
Georg Emons ◽  
Karl Burkhard Schütz ◽  
Hendrik A. Wolff ◽  
Stefan Rieken ◽  
...  

The standard treatment of locally advanced esophageal cancer comprises multimodal treatment concepts including preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by radical surgical resection. However, despite intensified treatment approaches, 5-year survival rates are still low. Therefore, new strategies are required to overcome treatment resistance, and to improve patients’ outcome. In this study, we investigated the impact of Wnt/β-catenin signaling on CRT resistance in esophageal cancer cells. Experiments were conducted in adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma cell lines with varying expression levels of Wnt proteins and Wnt/β-catenin signaling activities. To investigate the effect of Wnt/β-catenin signaling on CRT responsiveness, we genetically or pharmacologically inhibited Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Our experiments revealed that inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling sensitizes cell lines with robust pathway activity to CRT. In conclusion, Wnt/β-catenin activity may guide precision therapies in esophageal carcinoma patients.

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (7) ◽  
pp. 894-903
Author(s):  
Yunyan Wu ◽  
Meixiang Sang ◽  
Fei Liu ◽  
Jiandong Zhang ◽  
Weijing Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Cancer testis antigens (CTAs) are promising targets for T cell-based immunotherapy and studies have shown that certain CT genes are epigenetically depressed in cancer cells through DNA demethylation. Melanoma-associated antigen A11 (MAGE-A11) is a CTA that is frequently expressed in esophageal cancer and is correlated with a poor esophageal cancer prognosis. Consequently, MAGE-A11 is a potential immunotherapy target. In this study, we evaluated MAGE-A11 expression in esophageal cancer cells and found that it was downregulated in several tumor cell lines, which restricted the effect of immunotherapy. Additionally, the specific recognition and lytic potential of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) derived from the MAGE-A11 was determined. Specific CTLs could kill esophageal cancer cells expressing MAGE-A11 but rarely lysed MAGE-A11-negative tumor cells. Therefore, induction of MAGE-A11 expression is critical for CTLs recognition and lysis of esophageal cancer cells. Treatment with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine increased MAGE-A11 expression in esophageal cancer cells and subsequently enhanced the cytotoxicity of MAGE-A11-specific CD8+T cells against cancer cell lines. Furthermore, we found that PD-L1 expression in esophageal cancer cells affected the antitumor function of CTLs. programmed death-1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 blockade could increase the specific CTL-induced lysis of HLA-A2+/MAGE-A11+ tumor cell lines treated with 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine. These findings indicate that the treatment of tumor cells with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine augments MAGE-A11 expression in esophageal cancer cells. The combination of epigenetic modulation by 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine and PD-1/PD-L1 blockade may be useful for T cell-based immunotherapy against esophageal cancer.


2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 21043-21043
Author(s):  
J. Y. Chang ◽  
R. Komaki ◽  
X. Zhang ◽  
L. Wang ◽  
B. Fang

21043 Background: Only 25% of esophageal cancer patients achieve pathological complete response after standard chemoradiotherapy. Radiation dose escalation is associated with higher toxicity but no therapeutic improvement. In addition, esophageal cancer cells may develop radiation resistance (RR) after fractionated radiation exposure. Therefore, molecular targeting therapy for RR esophageal cancer is urgently needed. Methods: Six pairs of RR esophageal cancer cell lines were established by applying continuous 2 Gy fractionated irradiation. Ad/TRAIL-E1, an oncolytic adenoviral vector expressing both apoptotic TRAIL and viral E1A genes under the control of tumor specific human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter, was constructed. Phosphate buffer solution and vectors expressing the TRAIL gene only, the GFP marker protein only, or the E1A gene only served as controls. Trans-gene expression, apoptosis activation, and the RR esophageal cancer cells targeted were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. A human esophageal RR cancer model was established and locally treated with Ad/TRAIL-E1 or controls. Results: After fractionated radiation exposure, esophageal cancer cell lines developed RR (up to 25-fold) that was associated with activation of the anti-apoptotic pathway. Ad/TRAIL-E1 activated an apoptotic cascade of caspases and selectively killed esophageal cancer cells but not normal cells. Ad/TRAIL-E1 preferentially targeted RR stem-like cancer cells with higher trans-gene expression and cell killing compared with parental cells. Overexpression (3 times) of Coxsackie's and adenoviral receptors in RR esophageal cancer cells compared with parental cells was noted. Ad/TRAIL-E1 therapy resulted in 40% tumor-free survival without the treatment- related toxicity found in human RR esophageal adenocarcinoma mouse models (p<0.05 as compared with controls). Conclusions: Esophageal cancer cells develop RR after fractionated radiation exposure. Ad/TRAIL-E1 preferentially targeted RR stem-like esophageal cancer cells, which resulted in a 40% cure rate. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangyao Lian ◽  
Cuimin Zhu ◽  
Haishan Lin ◽  
Zhengxing Gao ◽  
Guangxin Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Radiation therapy is a widely used treatment for esophageal cancer. However, radiation resistance might result in a poor prognosis. Overexpression of HER2 has been related to adaptive radiation resistance. Pyrotinib is a HER2 inhibitor that shows an anti-tumor effect in breast cancer. The present study aims to explore the influence of pyrotinib combined with radiotherapy on HER2-positive esophageal cancer cells and explore the underlying mechanism. We screened two cell lines (TE-1 and KYSE30) that highly express HER2 from several human esophageal cancer cell lines. Cells were treated with pyrotinib or/and radiation. Cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, and cell migration were measured. The protein levels involved in cell cycle and DNA repair were measured by Western blot. Results showed that pyrotinib inhibited HER2 activation and exerted an anti-proliferative effect in TE-1 and KYSE30 cells. Furthermore, it enhanced the anti-proliferative effect of radiation in these two cell lines. These effects might be via inhibiting HER2 phosphorylation, inducing G0/G1 arrest, and reducing EMT and DNA repair. Our results indicated that pyrotinib sensitivitied HER2 positive esophageal cancer cells to radiation treatment through various mechanisms. These findings may provide a new therapeutic strategy for treating HER2 positive esophageal cancer.


2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Luo ◽  
Xiaohui Wang ◽  
Yunhan Wang ◽  
Qinfu Dan ◽  
Hong Ge

Abstract Background To investigate the effect of mannose on radio-sensitivity of human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cell line and its possible mechanism. Methods The expression of mannose phosphate isomerase (MPI) in human esophageal cancer cell lines were detected by Western blot. The inhibitory effect of mannose on human esophageal cancer cell lines were observed by MTT assay. Plate clone formation assay was performed to investigate the efficacy of mannose on radio-sensitivity of human esophageal cancer cells. The apoptosis rates of tumor cells treated with mannose and/or radiation therapy was calculated by flow cytometry. Furthermore, we analyzed intracellular metabolites using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to identify selective sugar metabolites. Results MPI expression was various in human esophageal cancer cells. KYSE70 cells was associated with the highest MPI expression whereas KYSE450 cells had the lowest MPI expression level. When administrated with 11.1 mM/L mannose, the same inhibitory effect was observed in both KYSE70 and KYSE450 cell lines. Moreover, the inhibitory effect was significant on KYSE450 cell lines with an increased mannose concentration. The application of 11.1 mM/L mannose could significantly enhance the radio-sensitivity of KYSE450 cell line; and tumor cell apoptosis rate was also increased. However, there was limited efficacy of mannose on the radio-sensitivity and apoptosis rate of KYSE70 cell line. Additionally, intracellular metabolites analyzation revealed that glycolysis could be disturbed by mannose when combined with radiation therapy in esophageal cancer cells. Conclusion In esophageal cancer cell lines with low MPI expression, the administration of mannose was associated with enhanced radio-sensitivity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongfeng Sun ◽  
Qingfa Chen ◽  
Zhibo Gai ◽  
Fengxia Zhang ◽  
Xiaoqing Yang ◽  
...  

Esophageal cancer is the ninth most common malignancy worldwide, ranking sixth in mortality. Platinum-based chemotherapy is commonly used for treating locally advanced esophageal cancer, yet it is ineffective in a large portion of patients. There is a need for reliable molecular markers with direct clinical application for a prospective selection of patients who can benefit from chemotherapy and patients in whom toxicity is likely to outweigh the benefit. The cytotoxic activity of platinum derivatives largely depends on the uptake and accumulation into cells, primarily by organic cation transporters (OCTs). The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of OCT expression on the clinical outcome of patients with esophageal cancer treated with oxaliplatin. Twenty patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were prospectively enrolled and surgical specimens used for screening OCT expression level by western blotting and/or immunostaining, and for culture of cancer cells. Sixty-seven patients with SCC who received oxaliplatin and for whom follow-up was available were retrospectively assessed for organic cation/carnitine transporter 2 (OCTN2) expression by real time RT-PCR and immunostaining. OCTN2 staining was also performed in 22 esophageal adenocarcinomas. OCTN2 function in patient-derived cancer cells was evaluated by assessing L-carnitine uptake and sensitivity to oxaliplatin. The impact of OCTN2 on oxaliplatin activity was also assessed in HEK293 cells overexpressing OCTN2. OCTN2 expression was higher in tumor than in normal tissues. In patient-derived cancer cells and HEK293 cells, the expression of OCTN2 sensitized to oxaliplatin. Patients treated with oxaliplatin who had high OCTN2 level in the tumor tissue had a reduced risk of recurrence and a longer survival time than those with low expression of OCTN2 in tumor tissue. In conclusion, OCTN2 is expressed in esophageal cancer and it is likely to contribute to the accumulation and cytotoxic activity of oxaliplatin in patients with esophageal carcinoma treated with oxaliplatin.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Wen Chi ◽  
Chien-Chih Chen ◽  
Yu-Jen Chen

Background. Armillaridin (AM) is isolated fromArmillaria mellea. We examined the anticancer activity and radiosensitizing effect on human esophageal cancer cells.Methods. Human squamous cell carcinoma (CE81T/VGH and TE-2) and adenocarcinoma (BE-3 and SKGT-4) cell lines were cultured. The MTT assay was used for cell viability. The cell cycle was analyzed using propidium iodide staining. Mitochondrial transmembrane potential was measured by DiOC6(3) staining. The colony formation assay was performed for estimation of the radiation surviving fraction. Human CE81T/VGH xenografts were established for evaluation of therapeutic activityin vivo.Results. AM inhibited the viability of four human esophageal cancer cell lines with an estimated concentration of 50% inhibition (IC50) which was 3.4–6.9 μM. AM induced a hypoploid cell population and morphological alterations typical of apoptosis in cells. This apoptosis induction was accompanied by a reduction of mitochondrial transmembrane potential. AM accumulated cell cycle at G2/M phase and enhanced the radiosensitivity in CE81T/VGH cells.In vivo, AM inhibited the growth of CE81T/VGH xenografts without significant impact on body weight and white blood cell counts.Conclusion. Armillaridin could inhibit growth and enhance radiosensitivity of human esophageal cancer cells. There might be potential to integrate AM with radiotherapy for esophageal cancer treatment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 2035-2045 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanjing Li ◽  
Hong Sui ◽  
Cailing Jiang ◽  
Shumin Li ◽  
Yu Han ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Although photodynamic therapy (PDT) can relieve esophageal obstruction and prolong survival time of patients with esophageal cancer, it can induce nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation in many cancers, which plays a negative role in PDT. Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), the most potent artemisinin derivative, can enhance the effect of PDT on esophageal cancer cells. However, the mechanism is still unclear. Methods: We generated stable cell lines expressing the super-repressor form of the NF-κB inhibitor IκBα and cell lines with lentivirus vector-mediated silencing of the HIF-1α gene. Esophageal xenograft tumors were created by subcutaneous injection of Eca109 cells into BALB/c nude mice. Four treatment groups were analyzed: a control group, photosensitizer alone group, light alone group, and PDT group. NF-κB expression was detected by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay, hypoxia-inducible factor α (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by real-time PCR, NF-κB, HIF-1α, and VEGF protein by western blot, and Ki-67, HIF-1α, VEGF, and NF-κB protein by immunohistochemistry. Results: PDT increased NF-κB activity and the gene expression of HIF-1α and VEGF in vitro and in vivo. In contrast, the DHA groups, particularly the combined DHA and PDT treatment group, abolished the effect. The combined treatment significantly inhibited tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. NF-κB activity and HIF-1α expression were also reduced in the stable IκBα expression group, whereas the former showed no change in HIF-1α-silenced cells. Conclusion: DHA might increase the sensitivity of esophageal cancer cells to PDT by inhibiting the NF-κB/HIF-1α/VEGF pathway.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingsuo Kong ◽  
Ran Wei ◽  
Wan Yang ◽  
Lanren Chen ◽  
Liting Qian

Abstract Background: Accumulating studies demonstrated that drug-resistance remains a great obstacle for the effective treatment of cancers. Esophageal cancer (EC) is still one of the most common cancers worldwide, which also suffers from drug-resistance during clinical treatment. Methods: We performed the drug-resistance profiling assays and identified several drug-resistant and drug-sensitive EC cell lines. The following methylation sequencing showed that the MCTP1 gene is hypermethylated in the drug-resistant EC cells. Results: As a result, the expression of MCTP1 is down-regulated in the drug-resistant EC cells. Down-regulation of MCTP1 also affects the cell proliferation and apoptosis of EC cells, as revealed by the cell proliferation and apoptosis assays. Further investigations proposed two signaling pathways that might involve in the MCTP1-mediated drug-resistance of EC cell. Conclusions: All these results suggested that MCTP1 is associated with the drug-resistance of EC cells, which has implications for further design of new biomarker of EC treatment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 180-181
Author(s):  
Feng Wang ◽  
Yanyan Chi ◽  
Xiangrui Meng ◽  
Qingxia Fan

Abstract Background Esophageal cancer is one of the most common malignancies in the digestive system in the world. It is difficult to acquire satisfactory effect through chemotherapy which is an essential method to advanced esophageal cancer. Apatinib, a highly selective inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2), inhibits the angiogenesis of tumors. Methods The mRNA and protein expression of VEGFR-2 in esophageal cancer cell lines (Eca9706, Eca109, KYSE450, KYSE70) were detected by qRT-PCR and western blot assay. These cell lines were treated with apatinib combined with cytotoxic drugs: cisplatin, paclitaxel, or 5-Fu respectively. Cell proliferation was then measured using CCK-8; cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry; cell migration and invasion were evaluated by wound healing and transwell assays. Esophageal cancer xenografts model was established and used to evaluate the the antitumor effects of combination of apatinib and cytotoxic drugs in vivo. Results The mRNA and protein expression of VEGFR-2 were higher in Eca109 and Eca9706 cell lines than those in KYSE70 and KYSE450. The proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of esophageal cancer cells treated with apatinib combined with cytotoxic drugs were lower than those untreated cells. Furthermore, the inhibition effects of apatinib with each cytotoxic drug on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of esophageal cancer cells were greater compared with those treated with either apatinib or cytotoxic drug (P < 0.05). The proportion of G0/G1 phase was increased and the effect of arresting cell cycle were enhanced in esophageal cancer cells treated with apatinib and cytotoxic drugs compared with those treated with either apatinib or cytotoxic drug (P < 0.05). The combination of apatinib with each cytotoxic drug demonstrate synergistic promotion effects on the apoptosis of esophageal cancer cells compared with those treated with either apatinib or cytotoxic drug (P < 0.05). The combination of apatinib with each cytotoxic drug displayed synergistic inhibition effects on the growth of esophageal cancer xenografts compared with those treated with either apatinib or cytotoxic drug (P < 0.05). Conclusion The combination of apatinib with cytotoxic drugs had the synergistic antitumor effects on esophageal cancer. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 3038
Author(s):  
Mickaël Burgy ◽  
Aude Jehl ◽  
Ombline Conrad ◽  
Sophie Foppolo ◽  
Véronique Bruban ◽  
...  

The EGFR-targeting antibody cetuximab (CTX) combined with radiotherapy is the only targeted therapy that has been proven effective for the treatment of locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC). Recurrence arises in 50% of patients with HNSCC in the years following treatment. In clinicopathological practice, it is difficult to assign patients to classes of risk because no reliable biomarkers are available to predict the outcome of HPV-unrelated HNSCC. In the present study, we investigated the role of Caveolin-1 (Cav1) in the sensitivity of HNSCC cell lines to CTX-radiotherapy that might predict HNSCC relapse. Ctrl- and Cav-1-overexpressing HNSCC cell lines were exposed to solvent, CTX, or irradiation, or exposed to CTX before irradiation. Growth, clonogenicity, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, metabolism and signaling pathways were analyzed. Cav1 expression was analyzed in 173 tumor samples and correlated to locoregional recurrence and overall survival. We showed that Cav1-overexpressing cells demonstrate better survival capacities and remain proliferative and motile when exposed to CTX-radiotherapy. Resistance is mediated by the Cav1/EREG/YAP axis. Patients whose tumors overexpressed Cav1 experienced regional recurrence a few years after adjuvant radiotherapy ± chemotherapy. Together, our observations suggest that a high expression of Cav1 might be predictive of locoregional relapse of LA-HNSCC.


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