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VDR-SOX2 signaling promotes colorectal cancer stemness and malignancy in an acidic microenvironment.

ABSTRACT: The acidic tumor microenvironment provides an energy source driving malignant tumor progression. Adaptation of cells to an acidic environment leads to the emergence of cancer stem cells. The expression of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) is closely related to the initiation and development of colorectal carcinoma (CRC), but its regulatory mechanism in CRC stem cells is still unclear. Our study revealed that acidosis reduced VDR expression by downregulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARD) expression. Overexpression of VDR effectively suppressed the stemness and oxaliplatin resistance of cells in acidosis. The nuclear export signal in VDR was sensitive to acidosis, and VDR was exported from the nucleus. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) analyses showed that VDR transcriptionally repressed SRY-box 2 (SOX2) by binding to the vitamin D response elements in the promoter of SOX2, impairing tumor growth and drug resistance. We demonstrated that a change in the acidic microenvironment combined with overexpression of VDR substantially restricted the occurrence and development of CRC in vivo. These findings reveal a new mechanism by which acidosis could affect the stemness of CRC cells by regulating the expression of SOX2 and show that abnormal VDR expression leads to ineffective activation of vitamin D signaling, resulting in a lack of efficacy of vitamin D in antineoplastic process.

SUBMITTER: Hu PS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7479104 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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VDR-SOX2 signaling promotes colorectal cancer stemness and malignancy in an acidic microenvironment.

Hu Pei-Shan PS Li Ting T Lin Jin-Fei JF Qiu Miao-Zhen MZ Wang De-Shen DS Liu Ze-Xian ZX Chen Zhan-Hong ZH Yang Lu-Ping LP Zhang Xiao-Long XL Zhao Qi Q Chen Yan-Xing YX Lu Yun-Xin YX Wu Qi-Nian QN Pu Heng-Ying HY Zeng Zhao-Lei ZL Xie Dan D Ju Huai-Qiang HQ Luo Hui-Yan HY Xu Rui-Hua RH

Signal transduction and targeted therapy 20200909 1

The acidic tumor microenvironment provides an energy source driving malignant tumor progression. Adaptation of cells to an acidic environment leads to the emergence of cancer stem cells. The expression of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) is closely related to the initiation and development of colorectal carcinoma (CRC), but its regulatory mechanism in CRC stem cells is still unclear. Our study revealed that acidosis reduced VDR expression by downregulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ...[more]

PMID: 32900990

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Project description:BackgroundProstate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men worldwide, and its incidence has risen substantially in recent years. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify novel biomarkers and precise therapeutic targets for managing PCa progression and recurrence.MethodsWe investigated the clinical significance of NCAPG2 in PCa by exploring public datasets and our tissue microarray. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and survival analyses were performed to evaluate the correlation between NCAPG2 and PCa progression. Cell proliferation, wound healing, transwell, flow cytometry, cell cycle, tumor sphere formation, immunofluorescence (IF), co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP), and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays were conducted to further elucidate the molecular mechanism of NCAPG2 in PCa. Subcutaneous and orthotopic xenograft models were applied to investigate the effects of NCAPG2 on PCa proliferation in vivo. Tandem mass tag (TMT) quantitative proteomics was utilized to detect proteomic changes under NCAPG2 overexpression.ResultsNCAPG2 was significantly upregulated in PCa, and its overexpression was associated with PCa progression and unfavorable prognosis. Knockdown of NCAPG2 inhibited the malignant behavior of PCa cells, whereas its overexpression promoted PCa aggressiveness. NCAPG2 depletion attenuated the development and growth of PCa in vivo. TMT quantitative proteomics analyses indicated that c-MYC activity was strongly correlated with NCAPG2 expression. The malignancy-promoting effect of NCAPG2 in PCa was mediated via c-MYC. NCAPG2 could directly bind to STAT3 and induce STAT3 occupancy on the MYC promoter, thus to transcriptionally activate c-MYC expression. Finally, we identified that NCAPG2 was positively correlated with cancer stem cell (CSC) markers and enhanced self-renewal capacity of PCa cells.ConclusionsNCAPG2 is highly expressed in PCa, and its level is significantly associated with PCa prognosis. NCAPG2 promotes PCa malignancy and drives cancer stemness via the STAT3/c-MYC signaling axis, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for PCa.

Project description:BackgroundTransmembrane 4 L six family member 1 (TM4SF1) is upregulated in several epithelial cancers and is closely associated with poor prognosis. However, the role of TM4SF1 and its potential mechanism in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain elusive.MethodsWe investigated the expression of TM4SF1 in the Oncomine, the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases and confirmed the results by immunohistochemistry (IHC), qPCR and Western blotting (WB) of CRC tissues. The effect of TM4SF1 on the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stemness of CRC cells was investigated by Transwell, wound healing and sphere formation assays. A series of in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to reveal the mechanisms by which TM4SF1 modulates EMT and cancer stemness in CRC.ResultsTM4SF1 expression was markedly higher in CRC tissues than in non-tumour tissues and was positively correlated with poor prognosis. Downregulation of TM4SF1 inhibited the migration, invasion and tumour sphere formation of SW480 and LoVo cells. Conversely, TM4SF1 overexpression significantly enhanced the migration, invasion and tumoursphere formation potential of CRC cells, Additionally, TM4SF1 silencing inhibited the EMT mediated by transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Mechanistically, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) predicted that the Wnt signalling pathway was one of the most impaired pathways in TM4SF1-deficient CRC cells compared to controls. The results were further validated by WB, which revealed that TM4SF1 modulated SOX2 expression in a Wnt/β-catenin activation-dependent manner. Furthermore, we found that knockdown of TM4SF1 suppressed the expression of c-Myc, leading to decreased c-Myc binding to the SOX2 gene promoter. Finally, depletion of TM4SF1 inhibited metastasis and tumour growth in a xenograft mouse model.ConclusionOur study substantiates a novel mechanism by which TM4SF1 maintains cancer cell stemness and EMT via the Wnt/β-catenin/c-Myc/SOX2 axis during the recurrence and metastasis of CRC.

Project description:Rationale: Tumor microenvironment interacts with tumor cells to regulate their stemness properties through various cytokines and cytokine receptors. Previous studies revealed the possible role of interleukin 20 receptor subunit alpha (IL20RA) signaling in the progression of several types of tumors. However, its regulatory effects on the stemness and the microenvironment of breast cancer need to be studied. Methods: Immunohistochemical staining and western blot analysis were used to evaluate the association between IL20RA and SOX2 in breast tumors and noncancerous tissues. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and TCGA dataset analysis were performed to determine the function of IL20RA signaling in breast cancer progression. Gain- and loss-of-function methods were performed to examine the effects of IL20RA on the stemness of breast cancer cells. The stemness features were analyzed by detecting the expression of core stemness genes, side population (SP), sphere formation ability, and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity. Flow cytometric analysis was applied to detect the changes of tumor-infiltration lymphocytes in tumor tissues in mice. Based on the relevant molecular mechanisms elucidated in this study, a novel IL20RA-targeted liposomal nanoparticle encapsulating the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) inhibitor stattic (NP-Stattic-IL20RA) was synthesized. These NPs were combined with anti-programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibody and chemotherapy to inhibit the development of breast tumors in mice. Results: IL20RA is highly expressed in human breast cancers and is positively associated with the SOX2 expression. IL20RA increases the SP and ALDHbr proportions of breast cancer cells, enhances the sphere formation ability, and promotes the expression of core stemness genes, such as Sox2 and Oct4, as well as increases chemoresistance of breast cancer cells. IL20RA promotes the tumor-initiating ability and lung metastasis of breast cancer cells in vivo. In addition, IL20RA activates the Janus kinase 1 (JAK1)-STAT3-SOX2 signaling pathway, leading to increased expression of PD-L1 and reduced recruitment of anti-cancer lymphocytes, including CD8+ T cells and natural killer cells. Meanwhile, IL20RA signaling enhances the proportion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Combined with anti-PD-L1 antibody and NPs-Stattic-IL20RA, the chemotherapeutic efficacy was increased in breast cancer mouse models in vivo. Conclusion: Collectively, our results reveal that the IL20RA pathway is a novel signaling pathway involved in promoting the stemness features of breast cancer along with the formation of a tumor-favorable immune microenvironment. Targeting the IL20RAhi population with STAT3 signaling inhibition combined with anti-PD-L1 antibody can increase the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents for breast cancer. This study thus introduces a promising novel strategy for breast cancer therapy.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Aberrant expression of transcription Factor AP-2 Gamma (TFAP2C) has been reported to be implicated in malignant process of many cancers. The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical significance and biological roles of TFAP2C in colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS:TFAP2C expression was evaluated by real-time PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC) respectively in clinical CRC tissues. Statistical analysis was performed to explore the correlation between TFAP2C expression and clinicopathological features, and overall and progression-free survival in CRC patients. In vitro and in vivo assays were performed to assess the biological roles of TFAP2C in CRC cells. Western blot, luciferase and Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays were used to identify the underlying pathway mediating the biological roles of TFAP2C in CRC. RESULTS:TFAP2C is robustly upregulated in CRC tissues and cells, and high expression of TFAP2C correlates with advanced clinicopathological features, poor prognosis and disease progression in CRC patients. Furthermore, upregulating TFAP2C enhances spheroids formation ability, the fraction of SP cells, expression of stem cell factors and the mitochondrial potential, and reduces the apoptosis induced by 5-fluorouracil in colorectal cancer cells in vitro, and promotes stemness and chemoresistance of CRC cells in vivo; while silencing TFAP2C yields an opposite effect. Importantly, downregulation of TFAP2C dramatically restores chemotherapeutic sensitivity of CRC cells to 5-FU in vivo. Our results further demonstrate that TFAP2C promotes stemness and chemoresistance of CRC cells to 5-FU by inhibiting Hippo signaling via transcriptionally upregulating ROCK1 and ROCK2 in CRC cells. CONCLUSION:Our findings indicate that TFAP2C may serve as a novel prognostic factor in CRC patients, and a therapeutic target for the treatment of CRC, suggesting that silencing TFAP2C in combination with 5-FU may be an effective therapeutic strategy to improve survival in CRC patients.

Dataset Information

VDR-SOX2 signaling promotes colorectal cancer stemness and malignancy in an acidic microenvironment.

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VDR-SOX2 signaling promotes colorectal cancer stemness and malignancy in an acidic microenvironment.

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