Overexpression of miR-10b in colorectal cancer patients: Correlation with TWIST-1 and E-cadherin expression

MicroRNAs are emergent players of epigenetics that function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors and that have been implicated in regulating diverse cellular pathways. MiR-10b is an oncogenic microRNA involved in tumor invasion and metastasis in various cancers. Our data have shown that miR-10b is overexpressed in colorectal cancer samples in comparison with non-tumorous adjacent mucosa (p = 0.0025) and that it is associated with severe features such as tumor size >5 cm (p = 0.023), distant metastasis (p = 0.0022), non-differentiated tumors (p = 0.016), and vascular invasion (p = 0.01). Regarding the regulation of its expression, positive correlation between the loss of miR-10b and aberrant DNA methylation (p = 0.02) as well as a loss of TWIST-1 messenger RNA (p = 0.018) have been observed. Furthermore, expression analysis of the downstream miR-10b targets has shown that there are associations between low HOXD10 messenger RNA and E-cadherin protein levels (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0008, respectively) and overexpression of miR-10b. Our data suggests that overexpression of miR-10b results from high levels of TWIST-1 and may induce a decrease of E-cadherin membranous protein levels, thus contributing to the acquisition of metastatic phenotypes in colorectal cancer.

The Prognostic Impact of Protein Expression of E-Cadherin-Catenin Complexes Differs between Rectal and Colon Carcinoma

The E-cadherin-catenin complex provides cell-cell adhesion. In order for a carcinoma to metastasize, cancer cells must let go of their hold of neighboring cells in the primary tumor. The presence of components of the E-cadherin-catenin complex in 246 rectal adenocarcinomas was examined by immunohistochemistry and compared to their presence in 219 colon carcinomas. The expression data were correlated to clinical information from the patients' records. There were statistically significant differences in protein expression between the rectal and the colon carcinomas regarding membranous -catenin, -catenin, p120-catenin, and E-cadherin, as well as nuclear -catenin. In the rectal carcinomas, there was a significant inverse association between the expression of p120-catenin in cell membranes of the primary tumors and the occurrence of local recurrence, while membranous protein expression of -catenin was inversely related to distant metastases.

Rapid Movements of Vimentin on Microtubule Tracks: Kinesin-dependent Assembly of Intermediate Filament Networks

The assembly and maintenance of an extended intermediate filament (IF) network in fibroblasts requires microtubule (MT) integrity. Using a green fluorescent protein–vimentin construct, and spreading BHK-21 cells as a model system to study IF–MT interactions, we have discovered a novel mechanism involved in the assembly of the vimentin IF cytoskeleton. This entails the rapid, discontinuous, and MT-dependent movement of IF precursors towards the peripheral regions of the cytoplasm where they appear to assemble into short fibrils. These precursors, or vimentin dots, move at speeds averaging 0.55 ± 0.24 μm/s. The vimentin dots colocalize with MT and their motility is inhibited after treatment with nocodazole. Our studies further implicate a conventional kinesin in the movement of the vimentin dots. The dots colocalize with conventional kinesin as shown by indirect immunofluorescence, and IF preparations from spreading cells are enriched in kinesin. Furthermore, microinjection of kinesin antibodies into spreading cells prevents the assembly of an extended IF network. These studies provide insights into the interactions between the IF and MT systems. They also suggest a role for conventional kinesin in the distribution of non-membranous protein cargo, and the local regulation of IF assembly.

[Ca2+]i and protein kinase C in vasopressin-induced prostacyclin and ANP release in rat cardiomyocytes

Exposure of cultured, spontaneously beating rat cardiomyocytes to arginine vasopressin (AVP) led to marked increases in the release of prostacyclin (PGI2) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). These responses were accompanied by a rapid, transient rise of cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and of membranous protein kinase C (PKC) activity. Ca2+ influx and PKC activity appeared to play important but distinct roles in AVP-induced cellular responses, insofar as only AVP-induced ANP secretion was abolished by the Ca2+ channel antagonist nifedipine, whereas both AVP-induced PGI2 production and ANP release were abolished by the PKC inhibitors staurosporine and CGP-41251. The AVP-induced increase in [Ca2+]i could also be mimicked with the vasopressin (V1-subtype) agonist Octapressin, but not with the V2-agonist 1-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin, and was fully abolished by the V1-antagonist [d(CH2)5Tyr(Me)]AVP, but not by d(CH2)5-D-Leu-VAVP (V1-/V2-antagonist). These results indicate that V1-vasopressinergic receptors mediate AVP-induced PGI2 production and ANP secretion in rat cardiomyocytes and that, whereas both Ca2+ influx and PKC activation are required for AVP-induced ANP secretion, AVP-induced PGI2 formation is mainly regulated by PKC.