ADCK1 activates the β-catenin/TCF signaling pathway to promote the growth and migration of colon cancer cells.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ji Y
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8024291 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:The Wnts comprise a large class of secreted proteins that control essential developmental processes such as embryonic patterning, cell growth, migration, and differentiation. In the most well-understood "canonical" Wnt signaling pathway, Wnt binding to Frizzled receptors induces beta-catenin protein stabilization and entry into the nucleus, where it complexes with T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor transcription factors to affect the transcription of target genes. In addition to the canonical pathway, evidence for several other Wnt signaling pathways has accumulated, in particular for Wnt5a, which has therefore been classified as a noncanonical Wnt family member. To study the alternative mechanisms by which Wnt proteins signal, we purified the Wnt5a protein to homogeneity. We find that purified Wnt5a inhibits Wnt3a protein-induced canonical Wnt signaling in a dose-dependent manner, not by influencing beta-catenin levels but by downregulating beta-catenin-induced reporter gene expression. The Wnt5a signal is mediated by the orphan tyrosine kinase Ror2, is pertussis toxin insensitive, and does not influence cellular calcium levels. We show that in addition to its inhibitory function, Wnt5a can also activate beta-catenin signaling in the presence of the appropriate Frizzled receptor, Frizzled 4. Thus, this study shows for the first time that a single Wnt ligand can initiate discrete signaling pathways through the activation of two distinct receptors. Based on these and additional observations, we propose a model wherein receptor context dictates Wnt signaling output. In this model, signaling by different Wnt family members is not intrinsically regulated by the Wnt proteins themselves but by receptor availability.
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Project description:Activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) has anti-tumor effects in colon cancer cells but the mechanisms are not fully understood. This study has examined the regulation of beta-catenin/TCF signaling, as this pathway has been highlighted as central to the anti-tumor effects of PKG. We show that PKG activation in SW620 cells results in reduced beta-catenin expression and a dramatic inhibition of TCF-dependent transcription. PKG did not affect protein stability, nor did it increase phosphorylation of the amino-terminal Ser33/37/Thr41 residues that are known to target beta-catenin for degradation. However, we found that PKG potently inhibited transcription from a luciferase reporter driven by the human CTNNB1 promoter, and this corresponded to reduced beta-catenin mRNA levels. Although PKG was able to inhibit transcription from both the CTNNB1 and TCF reporters, the effect on protein levels was less consistent. Ectopic PKG had a marginal effect on beta-catenin protein levels in SW480 and HCT116 but was able to inhibit TCF-reporter activity by over 80%. Investigation of alternative mechanisms revealed that cJun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation was required for the PKG-dependent regulation of TCF activity. PKG activation caused beta-catenin to bind to FOXO4 in colon cancer cells, and this required JNK. Activation of PKG was also found to increase the nuclear content of FOXO4 and increase the expression of the FOXO target genes MnSOD and catalase. FOXO4 activation was required for the inhibition of TCF activity as FOXO4-specific short-interfering RNA completely blocked the inhibitory effect of PKG. These data illustrate a dual-inhibitory effect of PKG on TCF activity in colon cancer cells that involves reduced expression of beta-catenin at the transcriptional level, and also beta-catenin sequestration by FOXO4 activation.
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Project description:Tumor metastasis involves a series of biological steps during which the tumor cells acquire the ability to invade surrounding tissues and survive outside the original tumor site. During the early stages, the cancer cells undergo an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Wnt/β-catenin signaling is known to drive EMT and metastasis. Here we report that Wnt/β-catenin signaling is hyperactivated in metastatic breast cancer cells that express microRNA 374a (miR-374a). In breast cancer cell lines, ectopic overexpression of miR-374a promoted EMT and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, miR-374a directly targeted and suppressed multiple negative regulators of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascade, including WIF1, PTEN, and WNT5A. Notably, miR-374a was markedly upregulated in primary tumor samples from patients with distant metastases and was associated with poor metastasis-free survival. These results demonstrate that miR-374a maintains constitutively activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling and may represent a therapeutic target for early metastatic breast cancer.
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Project description:Axin2/Conductin/Axil and its ortholog Axin are negative regulators of the Wnt signaling pathway, which promote the phosphorylation and degradation of beta-catenin. While Axin is expressed ubiquitously, Axin2 mRNA was seen in a restricted pattern during mouse embryogenesis and organogenesis. Because many sites of Axin2 expression overlapped with those of several Wnt genes, we tested whether Axin2 was induced by Wnt signaling. Endogenous Axin2 mRNA and protein expression could be rapidly induced by activation of the Wnt pathway, and Axin2 reporter constructs, containing a 5.6-kb DNA fragment including the promoter and first intron, were also induced. This genomic region contains eight Tcf/LEF consensus binding sites, five of which are located within longer, highly conserved noncoding sequences. The mutation or deletion of these Tcf/LEF sites greatly diminished induction by beta-catenin, and mutation of the Tcf/LEF site T2 abolished protein binding in an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. These results strongly suggest that Axin2 is a direct target of the Wnt pathway, mediated through Tcf/LEF factors. The 5.6-kb genomic sequence was sufficient to direct the tissue-specific expression of d2EGFP in transgenic embryos, consistent with a role for the Tcf/LEF sites and surrounding conserved sequences in the in vivo expression pattern of Axin2. Our results suggest that Axin2 participates in a negative feedback loop, which could serve to limit the duration or intensity of a Wnt-initiated signal.
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Project description:Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) is widely involved in the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of cancers. However, it is uncertain whether LSD1 plays a role in facilitating colon cancer progression. Here, we have clarified the molecular mechanism by which LSD1 interacts with X-ray repair cross complementing protein 5 (Ku80) to promote colon cancer progression by directly targeting forehead protein transcription factor 2 (FOXF2). First, the interacting proteins of LSD1 were identified by immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry. The expression of Ku80 and FOXF2 in colon cancer was detected using immunohistochemistry, real-time quantitative transcription polymerase chain reaction, and western blot. Next, the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of colon cancer in vitro and in vivo were detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium, 5-ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine, colony formation, wound healing, and nude mice xenograft model assays, respectively. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and ChIP-PCR were performed to investigate the molecular mechanism of LSD1 and Ku80 in colon cancer. Our results indicated that Ku80 expression was positively correlated with the invasion and migration of colon cancer cells, and negatively correlated with FOXF2 expression. More importantly, the high expression of Ku80 and the low expression of FOXF2 were particularly associated with driving the progression of colon cancer. Ku80 knockdown and LSD1 silencing inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of colon cancer in vitro and in vivo. Mechanically, LSD1 interacts with Ku80 and also binds directly to the 687-887-bp portion of the FOXF2 promoter region. The upregulated methylation level of H3K4me2 in the FOXF2 promoter region facilitated the transcriptional activation of FOXF2, and downregulated protein expression associated with the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. In conclusion, our study suggests that LSD1 regulates the FOXF2-mediated Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by interacting with Ku80, promoting the malignant biological properties of colon cancer, highlighting the binding of LSD1 and Ku80 as a useful anti-cancer target for colon cancer.
| S-EPMC9442015 | biostudies-literature
Project description:HBx mutations (T1753V, A1762T, G1764A, and T1768A) are frequently observed in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Aberrant activation of the Wnt/?-catenin signaling pathway is involved in the development of HCC. However, activation of the Wnt/?-catenin signaling pathway by HBx mutants has not been studied in hepatoma cells or HBV-associated HCC samples. In this study, we examined the effects of HBx mutants on the migration and proliferation of HCC cells and evaluated the activation of Wnt/?-catenin signaling in HBx-transfected HCC cells and HBV-related HCC tissues. We found that HBx mutants (T, A, TA, and Combo) promoted the migration and proliferation of hepatoma cells. The HBx Combo mutant potentiated TOP-luc activity and increased nuclear translocation of ?-catenin. Moreover, the HBx Combo mutant increased and stabilized ?-catenin levels through inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase-3?, resulting in upregulation of downstream target genes such as c-Myc, CTGF, and WISP2. Enhanced activation of Wnt/?-catenin was found in HCC tissues with HBx TA and Combo mutations. Knockdown of ?-catenin effectively abrogated cell migration and proliferation stimulated by the HBx TA and Combo mutants. Our results indicate that HBx mutants, especially the Combo mutant, allow constitutive activation of the Wnt signaling pathway and may play a pivotal role in HBV-associated hepatocarcinogenesis.
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Project description:BackgroundCircular RNA (circRNA), a subclass of non-coding RNA, plays a critical role in cancer tumorigenesis and metastasis. It has been suggested that circRNA acts as a microRNA sponge or a scaffold to interact with protein complexes; however, its full range of functions remains elusive. Recently, some circRNAs have been found to have coding potential.MethodsTo investigate the role of circRNAs in gastric cancer (GC), parallel sequencing was performed using five paired GC samples. Differentially expressed circAXIN1 was proposed to encode a novel protein. FLAG-tagged circRNA overexpression plasmid construction, immunoblotting, mass spectrometry, and luciferase reporter analyses were applied to confirm the coding potential of circAXIN1. Gain- and loss-of-function studies were conducted to study the oncogenic role of circAXIN1 and AXIN1-295aa on the proliferation, migration, invasion, and metastasis of GC cells in vitro and in vivo. The competitive interaction between AXIN1-295aa and adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) was investigated by immunoprecipitation analyses. Wnt signaling activity was observed using a Top/Fopflash assay, real-time quantitative RT-PCR, immunoblotting, immunofluorescence staining, and chromatin immunoprecipitation.ResultsCircAXIN1 is highly expressed in GC tissues compared with its expression in paired adjacent normal gastric tissues. CircAXIN1 encodes a 295 amino acid (aa) novel protein, which was named AXIN1-295aa. CircAXIN1 overexpression enhances the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells, while the knockdown of circAXIN1 inhibits the malignant behaviors of GC cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, AXIN1-295aa competitively interacts with APC, leading to dysfunction of the "destruction complex" of the Wnt pathway. Released β-catenin translocates to the nucleus and binds to the TCF consensus site on the promoter, inducing downstream gene expression.ConclusionCircAXIN1 encodes a novel protein, AXIN1-295aa. AXIN1-295aa functions as an oncogenic protein, activating the Wnt signaling pathway to promote GC tumorigenesis and progression, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for GC.
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Project description:Shigella dysenteriae (S.dysenteriae) the causative agent of bacillary dysentery invades the human colonic epithelium resulting in severe intestinal inflammatory response and epithelial destruction. However, the mechanism by which S.dysenteriae infection regulates proinflammatory cytokines during intestinal inflammation is still obscure. In this study, we evaluated whether the interaction of β-catenin and NF-κB regulates proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-8 by modulating GSK-3β activity during S.dysenteriae infection in rat ileal loop model. Here we demonstrated that S.dysenteriae infection stimulate β-catenin degradation which in turn decreased the association between NF-κB and β-catenin. Also, we showed that S.dysenteriae infection increased GSK-3β kinase activity which in turn phosphorylates β-catenin for its degradation by ubiquitination and upregulates IL-8 through NF-κB activation thereby leading to inflammation. Thus these findings revealed the role of β-catenin/ NF-κB and GSK-3β in modulating the inflammatory response during bacterial infection and also showed that β-catenin acts as a critical regulator of inflammation.
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Project description:The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is highly conserved throughout evolution, playing crucial roles in several developmental and pathological processes. Wnt ligands can act at a considerable distance from their sources and it is therefore necessary to examine not only the Wnt-producing but also the Wnt-receiving cells and tissues to fully appreciate the many functions of this pathway. To monitor Wnt activity, multiple tools have been designed which consist of multimerized Wnt signaling response elements (TCF/LEF binding sites) driving the expression of fluorescent reporter proteins (e.g. GFP, RFP) or of LacZ. The high stability of those reporters leads to a considerable accumulation in cells activating the pathway, thereby making them easily detectable. However, this makes them unsuitable to follow temporal changes of the pathway's activity during dynamic biological events. Even though fluorescent transcriptional reporters can be destabilized to shorten their half-lives, this dramatically reduces signal intensities, particularly when applied in vivo. To alleviate these issues, we developed two transgenic quail lines in which high copy number (12× or 16×) of the TCF/LEF binding sites drive the expression of destabilized GFP variants. Translational enhancer sequences derived from viral mRNAs were used to increase signal intensity and specificity. This resulted in transgenic lines efficient for the characterization of TCF/β-catenin transcriptional dynamic activities during embryogenesis, including using in vivo imaging. Our analyses demonstrate the use of this transcriptional reporter to unveil novel aspects of Wnt signaling, thus opening new routes of investigation into the role of this pathway during amniote embryonic development.
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Project description:Salmonella infections can become chronic and increase the risk of cancer. The mechanisms by which specific Salmonella organisms contribute to cancer, however, are still unknown. Live and attenuated Salmonella are used as vectors to target cancer cells, but there have been no systematic studies of the oncogenic potential of chronic Salmonella infections in cancer models. AvrA, a pathogenic product of Salmonella, is inserted into host cells during infection and influences eukaryotic cell pathways. In the current study, we colonized mice with Salmonella AvrA-sufficient or AvrA-deficient Salmonella typhimirium strains and induced inflammation-associated colon cancer by azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium (AOM/DSS). We confirmed Salmonella persisted in the colon for up to 45 weeks. Salmonella was identified not only in epithelial cells on the colonic luminal surface and base of the crypts but also in invading tumors. Tumor incidence in the AvrA+infected group was 100% compared with 51.4% in the AOM/DSS group without bacterial gavage and 56.3% in mice infected with the AvrA- strain. Infection with AvrA+ strain also altered tumor distribution from the distal to proximal colon that might reflect changes in the microbiome. AvrA-expressing bacteria also upregulated beta-catenin signaling as assessed by decreased beta-catenin ubiquitination, increased nuclear beta-catenin and increased phosphorylated-beta-catenin (Ser552), a marker of proliferating stem-progenitor cells. Other β-catenin targets increased by AvrA included Bmi1, a cancer stem cell marker, matrix metalloproteinase-7, and cyclin D1. In summary, AvrA-expressing Salmonella infection activates β-catenin signals and enhances colonic tumorigenesis. Our findings provide important new mechanistic insights into how a bacterial protein targets proliferating stem-progenitor cells and contributes to cancer development. Our observations also raise a note of caution regarding the use of mutant Salmonella organisms as vectors for anti-cancer therapy. Finally, these studies could suggest biomarkers (such as AvrA level in gut) to assess cancer risk in susceptible individuals and infection-related dysregulation of β-catenin signaling in cancer.
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