Dalbinol, a rotenoid from Amorpha fruticosa L., exerts anti-proliferative activity by facilitating β-catenin degradation in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Zhu X
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5564602 | biostudies-other | 2017 Jul
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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Project description:BackgroundThe sperm-associated antigen 5 (SPAG5) plays a key role in controlling various cellular phenomena, including cell cycle progression and proliferation. However, the role of SPAG5 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown.MethodsThis study investigated the function and clinical significance of SPAG5 protein expression in hepatocellular carcinoma. We analyzed SPAG5 expression in surgical specimens from 136 HCC patients. The correlation between the clinical characteristics and prognosis was also determined. Furthermore, the SPAG5 was overexpressed in HCC cell and silenced with shRNA in HCC cells. Moreover, cell proliferation and apoptosis were measured using Edu assay and flow cytometry and a molecular mechanism of SPAG5 promotes HCC progression was explored.ResultsHerein, our study showed that upregulation of SPAG5 was detected frequently in primary HCC tissues, and was associated with significantly worse survival among the HCC patients. Multivariate analyses revealed that high SPAG5 expression was an independent predictive marker for the poor prognosis of HCC. SPAG5 silence effectively abolished the proliferation abilities of SPAG5 in vivo and in vitro, while induced apoptosis in HCC cells. Furthermore, our results indicate that SPAG5 promoted cell progression by decreasing SCARA5 expression, which has been reported to control the progression of HCC, and our data demonstrated that SCARA5 is crucial for SPAG5-mediated HCC cell progression in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we found that the expression of SPAG5 and SCARA5 are inversely correlated in HCC tissues. In addition, we demonstrated that SPAG5 promoted progression in HCC via downregulating SCARA5 depended on the β-catenin/TCF4 signaling pathway. Interestingly, the underlying mechanism is which SPAG5 regulates SCARA5 expression by modulating β-catenin degradation.ConclusionsTaken together, our data provide a novel evidence for the biological and clinical significance of SPAG5 as a potential biomarker, and we demonstrate that SPAG5-β-catenin-SCARA5 might be a novel pathway involved in HCC progression.
| S-EPMC6154423 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background and purposeSalinomycin is a well-known inhibitor of human cancer stem cells (CSCs). However, the molecular mechanism(s) by which salinomycin targets colorectal CSCs is poorly understood. Here, we have investigated underlying antitumour mechanisms of salinomycin in colorectal cancer cells and three tumour models.Experimental approachThe inhibitory effect of salinomycin on the Wnt/β-catenin pathway was analysed with the SuperTopFlash reporter system. The mRNA expression of Wnt target genes was evaluated with real-time PCR. Effects of salinomycin on β-catenin/TCF4E interaction were examined using co-immunoprecipitation and an in vitro GST pull-down assay. Cell proliferation was determined by BrdU incorporation and soft agar colony formation assay. The stemness of the cells was assessed by sphere formation assay. Antitumour effects of salinomycin on colorectal cancers was evaluated with colorectal CSC xenografts, APCmin/+ transgenic mice, and patient-derived colorectal tumour xenografts.Key resultsSalinomycin blocked β-catenin/TCF4E complex formation in colorectal cancer cells and in an in vitro GST pull-down assay, thus decreasing expression of Wnt target genes. Salinomycin also suppressed the transcriptional activity mediated by β-catenin/LEF1 or β-catenin/TCF4E complex and exhibited an inhibitory effect on the sphere formation, proliferation, and anchorage-independent growth of colorectal cancer cells. In colorectal tumour xenografts and APCmin/+ transgenic mice, administration of salinomycin significantly reduced tumour growth and the expression of CSC-related Wnt target genes including LGR5.Conclusions and implicationsOur study suggested that salinomycin could suppress the growth of colorectal cancer by disrupting the β-catenin/TCF complex and thus may be a promising agent for colorectal cancer treatment.
| S-EPMC6692576 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cadherin-17 (CDH17) is an oncofetal molecule associated with poor prognostic outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), for which the treatment options are very limited. The present study investigates the therapeutic potential of a monoclonal antibody (Lic5) that targets the CDH17 antigen in HCC. In vitro experiments showed Lic5 could markedly reduce CDH17 expression in a dose-dependent manner, suppress ?-catenin signaling, and induce cleavages of apoptotic enzymes caspase-8 and -9 in HCC cells. Treatment of animals in subcutaneous HCC xenograft model similarly demonstrated significant tumor growth inhibition (TGI) using Lic5 antibody alone (5 mg/kg, i.p., t.i.w.; ca.60-65% TGI vs. vehicle at day 28), or in combination with conventional chemotherapy regimen (cisplatin 1 mg/kg; ca. 85-90% TGI). Strikingly, lung metastasis was markedly suppressed by Lic5 treatments. Immunohistochemical and western blot analyses of xenograft explants revealed inactivation of the Wnt pathway and suppression of Wnt signaling components in HCC tissues. Collectively, anti-CDH17 antibody promises as an effective biologic agent for treating malignant HCC.
| S-EPMC3770615 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PURPOSE:Exportin-1 (XPO1, CRM1) mediates the nuclear export of several key growth regulatory and tumor suppressor proteins. Cancer cells often overexpress XPO1 resulting in cytoplasmic mislocalization and aberrant activity of its target proteins. Orally bioavailable selective inhibitors of nuclear export (SINE) that irreversibly bind to and inhibit the function of XPO1 have been recently developed. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of the clinical staged, orally available, SINE compound, KPT-330 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS:In silico, meta-analysis showed that XPO1 is overexpressed in HCC. Six HCC cell lines were treated with KPT-330, and cell proliferation and expression of cell growth regulators were examined by cell proliferation assays and Western blot analysis, respectively. The in vivo anti-cancer activity of KPT-330 was examined in a HCC xenograft murine model. RESULTS:KPT-330 reduced the viability of HCC cell lines in vitro and this anti-proliferative effect was associated with cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis. The expression of the pro-apoptotic protein PUMA was markedly up-regulated by KPT-330. In addition, SINE treatment increased the expression of the tumor suppressor proteins p53 and p27, while it reduced the expression of HCC promoting proteins, c-Myc and c-Met. XPO1 levels itself were also down-regulated following KPT-330 treatment. Finally, a HCC xenograft murine model showed that treatment of mice with oral KPT-330 significantly inhibited tumor growth with little evidence of toxicity. CONCLUSION:Our results suggest that SINE compounds, such as KPT-330, are promising novel drugs for the targeted therapy of HCC.
| S-EPMC4146741 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The acidic (leucine-rich) nuclear phosphoprotein 32 family member B (ANP32B), a highly conserved member of the acidic nuclear phosphoprotein 32 (ANP32) family, is critical for the development of normal tissue. However, its role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is controversial. In this study, we elucidated the role of ANP32B in HCC cell lines and tissues. ANP32B expression in HCC cell lines was modulated using siRNA and ANP32B expression plasmids and lentiviruses. The levels of apoptosis-related proteins were analyzed by real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting. The expression of ANP32B in tissues from patients with HCC was investigated using real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. ANP32B knockdown by siRNA altered the expression of apoptosis-related proteins in HCC cell lines and reduced the expression of cleaved forms of caspase 3 and caspase 9, but not that of caspase 8, in HCC cells cultured with the pro-apoptotic agent staurosporine. Phosphorylated Bad was upregulated, whereas Bak was downregulated. Moreover, ABT-737, which binds to and inhibits anti-apoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family, rendered HCC cells resistant to apoptosis induced by ANP32B silencing. Conversely, ANP32B overexpression decreased Bad phosphorylation and upregulated Bak, but did not induce apoptosis because Bax expression was downregulated. In tissues from patients with HCC, a low tumor/non-tumor ratio of ANP32B mRNA expression was related to advanced UICC stage (p = 0.032). TUNEL-positive cells were observed in parallel with ANP32B expression in HCC tissues. ANP32B modulates Bad phosphorylation as well as Bak and Bax expression, resulting in regulation of apoptosis in HCC. These findings indicate the potential value of ANP32B as a therapeutic target for HCC.
| S-EPMC5423643 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most fatal cancers worldwide. In this article, we show that expression of abnormal spindle-like microcephaly-associated protein (ASPM) is up-regulated in liver cancer samples, and this up-regulation is significantly associated with tumor aggressiveness and reduced survival times of patients. Down-regulation of ASPM expression inhibits the proliferation, invasion, migration and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of HCC cells in vitro and inhibits tumor formation in nude mice. ASPM interacts with disheveled-2 (Dvl2) and antagonizes autophagy-mediated Dvl2 degradation by weakening the functional interaction between Dvl2 and the lipidated form of microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3A (LC3II), thereby increasing Dvl2 protein abundance and leading to Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation in HCC cells. Thus, our results define ASPM as a novel oncoprotein in HCC and indicate that disruption of the Wnt-ASPM-Dvl2-β-catenin signaling axis might have potential clinical value.
| S-EPMC8487047 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors have produced encouraging results in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, what determines resistance to anti-PD-1 therapies is unclear. We created a novel genetically engineered mouse model of HCC that enables interrogation of how different genetic alterations affect immune surveillance and response to immunotherapies. Expression of exogenous antigens in MYC;Trp53 -/- HCCs led to T cell-mediated immune surveillance, which was accompanied by decreased tumor formation and increased survival. Some antigen-expressing MYC;Trp53 -/- HCCs escaped the immune system by upregulating the β-catenin (CTNNB1) pathway. Accordingly, expression of exogenous antigens in MYC;CTNNB1 HCCs had no effect, demonstrating that β-catenin promoted immune escape, which involved defective recruitment of dendritic cells and consequently impaired T-cell activity. Expression of chemokine CCL5 in antigen-expressing MYC;CTNNB1 HCCs restored immune surveillance. Finally, β-catenin-driven tumors were resistant to anti-PD-1. In summary, β-catenin activation promotes immune escape and resistance to anti-PD-1 and could represent a novel biomarker for HCC patient exclusion. SIGNIFICANCE: Determinants of response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapies in HCC are poorly understood. Using a novel mouse model of HCC, we show that β-catenin activation promotes immune evasion and resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy and could potentially represent a novel biomarker for HCC patient exclusion.See related commentary by Berraondo et al., p. 1003.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 983.
| S-EPMC6677618 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Isoform D of type 4 phosphodiesterase (PDE4D) has recently been associated with several human cancer types with the exception of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we explored the role of PDE4D in HCC. We found that PDE4D gene/protein were over-expressed in different samples of human HCCs compared to normal livers. Accordingly, HCC cells showed higher PDE4D activity than non-tumorigenic cells, accompanied by over-expression of the PDE4D isoform. Silencing of PDE4D gene and pharmacological inhibition of protein activity by the specific inhibitor Gebr-7b reduced cell proliferation and increased apoptosis in HCC cells, with a decreased fraction of cells in S phase and a differential modulation of key regulators of cell cycle and apoptosis. PDE4D silencing/inhibition also affected the gene expression of several cancer-related genes, such as the pro-oncogenic insulin growth factor (IGF2), which is down-regulated. Finally, gene expression data, available in the CancerLivER data base, confirm that PDE4D over-expression in human HCCs correlated with an increased expression of IGF2, suggesting a new possible molecular network that requires further investigations. In conclusion, intracellular depletion/inhibition of PDE4D prevents the growth of HCC cells, displaying anti-oncogenic effects. PDE4D may thus represent a new biomarker for diagnosis and a potential adjuvant target for HCC therapy.
| S-EPMC8125776 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundStudies have reported that polyphyllin I (PPI) had effective anti-tumor activity against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the precise molecular mechanism of this action and the direct target remain unclear. The aim of this study was to discover the molecular targets and the exact mechanism of PPI in the treatment of HCC.MethodsVarious HCC cells and Zebrafish xenotransplantation models were used to examine the efficacy of PPI against HCC. A proteome microarray, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis, small molecule transfection, and molecular docking were conducted to confirm the direct binding targets of PPI. Transcriptome and Western blotting were then used to determine the exact responding mechanism. Finally, the anticancer effect and its precise mechanism, as well as the safety of PPI, were verified using a mouse tumor xenograft study.ResultsThe results demonstrated that PPI had significant anticancer activity against HCC in both in vitro studies of two cells and the zebrafish model. Notably, PPI selectively enhanced the action of the Zinc finger and BTB domain-containing 16 (ZBTB16) protein by directly binding to it. Furthermore, specific knockdown of ZBTB16 markedly attenuated PPI-dependent inhibition of HCC cell proliferation and migration caused by overexpression of the gene. The transcriptome and Western blotting also confirmed that the interaction between ZBTB16 and PPI also activated the PPARγ/RXRα pathway. Finally, the mouse experiments confirmed the efficacy and safety of PPI to treat HCC.ConclusionsOur results indicate that ZBTB16 is a promising drug target for HCC and that PPI as a potent ZBTB16 agonist has potential as a therapeutic agent against HCC by regulating the ZBTB16/PPARγ/RXRα signaling axis.
| S-EPMC11344421 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver cancer, with a very poor prognosis. There is an urgent need for an effective therapy for HCC. Ginsenoside Rh2 (GRh2) has been shown to significantly inhibit growth of some types of cancer, whereas its effects on HCC have not been examined. Here, we treated human HCC cells with different doses of GRh2, and found that GRh2 dose-dependently reduced HCC viability, in either CCK-8 assay or MTT assay. The effects of GRh2 on the cancer stem cells (CSCs)-like cells were determined by aldefluor flow cytometry and by tumor sphere formation, showing that GRh2 dose-dependently decreased the number of these CSCs-like cells in HCC. Autophagy-associated protein and β-catenin level were measured in GRh2-treated HCC cells by Western blot, showing that GRh2 increased autophagy and inhibited β-catenin signaling. Expression of short hairpin small interfering RNA (shRNA) for Atg7 in HCC cells completely abolished the effects of GRh2 on β-catenin and cell viability, while overexpression of β-catenin abolished the effects of GRh2 on autophagy and cell viability. Together, our data suggest that GRh2 may inhibit HCC cell growth, possibly through a coordinated autophagy and β-catenin signaling.
| S-EPMC4725994 | biostudies-other