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Role of the Transforming Growth Factor-β in regulating hepatocellular carcinoma oxidative metabolism.

ABSTRACT: Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-β) induces tumor cell migration and invasion. However, its role in inducing metabolic reprogramming is poorly understood. Here we analyzed the metabolic profile of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells that show differences in TGF-β expression. Oxygen consumption rate (OCR), extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), metabolomics and transcriptomics were performed. Results indicated that the switch from an epithelial to a mesenchymal/migratory phenotype in HCC cells is characterized by reduced mitochondrial respiration, without significant differences in glycolytic activity. Concomitantly, enhanced glutamine anaplerosis and biosynthetic use of TCA metabolites were proved through analysis of metabolite levels, as well as metabolic fluxes from U-13C6-Glucose and U-13C5-Glutamine. This correlated with increase in glutaminase 1 (GLS1) expression, whose inhibition reduced cell migration. Experiments where TGF-β function was activated with extracellular TGF-β1 or inhibited through TGF-β receptor I silencing showed that TGF-β induces a switch from oxidative metabolism, coincident with a decrease in OCR and the upregulation of glutamine transporter Solute Carrier Family 7 Member 5 (SLC7A5) and GLS1. TGF-β also regulated the expression of key genes involved in the flux of glycolytic intermediates and fatty acid metabolism. Together, these results indicate that autocrine activation of the TGF-β pathway regulates oxidative metabolism in HCC cells.

SUBMITTER: Soukupova J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5624948 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is often associated with an inflammatory setting. A plethora of cytokines are secreted in this milieu, actively contributing to the progression of the disease; however, the extent of cytokine interaction and how it contributes to HCC development remains an enigma. In this regard, our analysis of available patient-derived data suggests that cytokines like interleukin-6 (IL-6) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) are enriched in HCC. We further analyzed the effect of these cytokines independently or in combination on HCC cells. Importantly, IL-6 was found to induce a STAT-3-dependent proliferation and mediate its pro-proliferative effects through activation and direct interaction with the p65 subunit of NFkB. Alternatively, TGF-β was found to induce a SMAD-dependent induction of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) coupled to growth arrest in these cells. Interestingly, the simultaneous addition of IL-6 and TGF-β failed to profoundly impact EMT markers but resulted in attenuation of IL-6-induced pro-proliferative effects. Analysis of the putative molecular mechanism revealed a decrease in IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) transcript levels, reduced expression of IL-6-induced STAT-3, and its nuclear localization upon addition of TGF-β along with IL-6. Consequently, a reduced p65 activation was also observed in combination treatment. Importantly, SMAD levels were unperturbed and the cells showed more TGF-β-like features under combination treatment. Finally, we observed that TGF-β resulted in enrichment of repressive chromatin mark (H3K27me3) coupled to growth arrest, while IL-6 induced an open chromatin signature (H3K4me3) associated with an enhanced expression of EZH2. Overall, for the first time, we show that TGF-β attenuates IL-6-induced effects by regulating the receptor level, downstream signaling, and the epigenome. Understanding the complex interactions between these cytokines can be imperative to a better understanding of the disease, and manipulation of cytokine balance can act as a prospective future therapeutic strategy.

Project description:BACKGROUND: Diffuse-type gastric carcinoma is a cancer with poor prognosis that has high levels of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) expression and thick stromal fibrosis. However, the association of TGF-beta signaling with diffuse-type gastric carcinoma has not been investigated in detail. METHODS: We used a lentiviral infection system to express a dominant-negative TGF-beta type II receptor (dnTbetaRII) or green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a control in the diffuse-type gastric carcinoma cell lines, OCUM-2MLN and OCUM-12. These infected cells and the corresponding parental control cells were subcutaneously or orthotopically injected into nude mice. Angiogenesis was inhibited by infecting cells with a lentivirus carrying the gene for angiogenic inhibitor thrombospondin-1 or by injecting mice intraperitoneally with the small-molecule angiogenic inhibitor sorafenib or with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) neutralizing antibody (six or eight mice per group). Expression of phospho-Smad2 and thrombospondin-1 was investigated immunologically in human gastric carcinoma tissues from 102 patients. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: Expression of dnTbetaRII into OCUM-2MLN cells did not affect their proliferation in vitro, but it accelerated the growth of subcutaneously or orthotopically transplanted tumors in vivo (eg, for mean volume of subcutaneous tumors on day 10 relative to that on day 0: dnTbetaRII tumors = 3.49 and GFP tumors = 2.46, difference = 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.21 to 1.84; P = .003). The tumors expressing dnTbetaRII had higher levels of angiogenesis than those expressing GFP because of decreased thrombospondin-1 production. Similar results were obtained with OCUM-12 cells. Expression of thrombospondin-1 in the dnTbetaRII tumor or treatment with sorafenib or anti-VEGF antibody reduced tumor growth, whereas knockdown of thrombospondin-1 expression resulted in more accelerated growth of OCUM-2MLN tumors than of GFP tumors (eg, mean tumor volumes on day 14 relative to those on day 0: thrombospondin-1-knockdown tumors = 4.91 and GFP tumors = 3.79, difference = 1.12, 95% CI = 0.80 to 1.44; P < .001). Positive association between phosphorylated Smad2 and thrombospondin-1 immunostaining was observed in human gastric carcinoma tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Disruption of TGF-beta signaling in diffuse-type gastric carcinoma models appeared to accelerate tumor growth, apparently through increased tumor angiogenesis that was induced by decreased expression of thrombospondin-1.

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Role of the Transforming Growth Factor-β in regulating hepatocellular carcinoma oxidative metabolism.

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