scholarly journals Bone Morphogenetic Protein-7 Inhibits EMT-Associated Genes in Breast Cancer

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 1271-1278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuexiang Ying ◽  
Yunpo Sun ◽  
Pingqing He

Background/Aims: Bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP7) has been shown to reduce the severity of injury-induced fibrosis through counteracting the fibrotic effects of transforming growth factor β 1 (TGFβ1). However, this model in the carcinogenesis of breast cancer is unknown. Methods: We analyzed the effects of BMP7 and TGFβ1 on gene transcripts and protein levels of EMT-related factors in breast cancer cells by RT-qPCR and Western blot, respectively. The effects of BMP7 and TGFβ1 on cell invasiveness and migration were evaluated by scratch wound healing assay and transwell cell migration assay. The cell growth was measured by MTT assay. Results: BMP7 did not alter the TGFβ1-stimulated phosphorylation of TGFβ receptor, but significantly inhibited the TGFβ1-activated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes in breast cancer cells, resulting in a significant reduction in TGFβ1-triggered cell growth and cell metastasis. Conclusion: Our data suggest that besides being a well-known antagonist for TGFβ1 in fibrosis, BMP7 may also antagonize TGFβ1 in tumorigenesis-associated EMT in breast cancer. Thus, BMP7 may be a promising therapeutic target for treating breast cancer.

Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1621
Author(s):  
Azadeh Nilchian ◽  
Nikolina Giotopoulou ◽  
Wenwen Sun ◽  
Jonas Fuxe

Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) is associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), lymph metastasis, and poor prognosis in breast cancer. Paradoxically, TGF-β1 is also a potent inhibitor of cell proliferation. TGF-β1-induced EMT involves activation of several pathways including AKT, which also regulates glucose uptake. Recent data show that prolonged TGF-β1 exposure leads to a more stable EMT phenotype in breast cancer cells. However, whether this is linked to changes in glucose metabolism is not clear. Here, we used a model of TGF-β1-induced EMT in mammary epithelial cells to study the regulation of Glut1 and EMT markers during the induction compared to a prolonged phase of EMT by western blot, immunofluorescence and qPCR analysis. We also measured cell proliferation and uptake of the glucose analogue 2-NDBG. We found that EMT induction was associated with decreased Glut1 expression and glucose uptake. These effects were linked to reduced cell proliferation rather than EMT. Knockdown of Glut1 resulted in growth inhibition and less induction of vimentin during TGF-β1-induced EMT. Intriguingly, Glut1 levels, glucose uptake and cell proliferation were restored during prolonged EMT. The results link Glut1 repression to the anti-proliferative response of TGF-β1 and indicate that re-expression of Glut1 during chronic TGF-β1 exposure allows breast cancer cells to develop stable EMT and proliferate, in parallel.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna W. Hellinger ◽  
Franziska Schömel ◽  
Judith V. Buse ◽  
Christof Lenz ◽  
Gerd Bauerschmitz ◽  
...  

Abstract An altered consistency of tumor microenvironment facilitates the progression of the tumor towards metastasis. Here we combine data from secretome and proteome analysis using mass spectrometry with microarray data from mesenchymal transformed breast cancer cells (MCF-7-EMT) to elucidate the drivers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell invasion. Suppression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) reduced invasion in 2D and 3D invasion assays and expression of transforming growth factor-beta-induced protein ig-h3 (TGFBI), Zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) and lysyl oxidase (LOX), while the adhesion of cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) in mesenchymal transformed breast cancer cells is increased. In contrast, an enhanced expression of CTGF leads to an increased 3D invasion, expression of fibronectin 1 (FN1), secreted protein acidic and cysteine rich (SPARC) and CD44 and a reduced cell ECM adhesion. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist Triptorelin reduces CTGF expression in a Ras homolog family member A (RhoA)-dependent manner. Our results suggest that CTGF drives breast cancer cell invasion in vitro and therefore could be an attractive therapeutic target for drug development to prevent the spread of breast cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Soelch ◽  
Nathalie Beaufort ◽  
Daniela Loessner ◽  
Matthias Kotzsch ◽  
Ute Reuning ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The small GTP-binding protein Rab31 plays an important role in the modulation of tumor biological-relevant processes, including cell proliferation, adhesion, and invasion. As an underlying mechanism, Rab31 is presumed to act as a molecular switch between a more proliferative and an invasive phenotype. This prompted us to analyze whether Rab31 overexpression in breast cancer cells affects expression of genes involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like processes when compared to Rab31 low-expressing cells. Methods Commercially available profiler PCR arrays were applied to search for differentially expressed genes in Rab31 high- and low-expressing CAMA-1 breast cancer cells. Differential expression of selected candidate genes in response to Rab31 overexpression in CAMA-1 cells was validated by independent qPCR and protein assays. Results Gene expression profiling of key genes involved in EMT, or its reciprocal process MET, identified 9 genes being significantly up- or down-regulated in Rab31 overexpressing CAMA-1 cells, with the strongest effects seen for TGFB1, encoding TGF-ß1 (> 25-fold down-regulation in Rab31 overexpressing cells). Subsequent validation analyses by qPCR revealed a strong down-regulation of TGFB1 mRNA levels in response to increased Rab31 expression not only in CAMA-1 cells, but also in another breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231. Using ELISA and Western blot analysis, a considerable reduction of both intracellular and secreted TGF-ß1 antigen levels was determined in Rab31 overexpressing cells compared to vector control cells. Furthermore, reduced TGF-ß activity was observed upon Rab31 overexpression in CAMA-1 cells using a sensitive TGF-ß bioassay. Finally, the relationship between Rab31 expression and the TGF-ß axis was analyzed by another profiler PCR array focusing on genes involved in TGF-ß signaling. We found 12 out of 84 mRNAs significantly reduced and 7 mRNAs significantly increased upon Rab31 overexpression. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that Rab31 is a potent modulator of the expression of TGF-ß and other components of the TGF-ß signaling pathway in breast cancer cells.


2020 ◽  
pp. jbc.RA120.016345
Author(s):  
Qiong Wu ◽  
Cheng Zhang ◽  
Keren Zhang ◽  
Qiushi Chen ◽  
Sijin Wu ◽  
...  

GalNAc-type O-glycosylation, initially catalyzed by polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases (ppGalNAc-Ts), is one of the most abundant and complex post-translational modifications of proteins. Emerging evidence has proven that aberrant ppGalNAc-Ts are involved in malignant tumor transformation. However, the exact molecular functions of ppGalNAc-Ts are still unclear. Here, the role of one isoform, ppGalNAc-T4, in breast cancer cell lines was investigated. The expression of ppGalNAc-T4 was found to be negatively associated with migration of breast cancer cells. Loss-of function studies revealed that ppGalNAc-T4 attenuated the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells by inhibiting the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Correspondingly, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling, which is the upstream pathway of EMT, was impaired by ppGalNAc-T4 expression. ppGalNAc-T4 knock-out decreased O-GalNAc modification of TGF-β type Ⅰ and Ⅱ receptor (TβR Ⅰ and Ⅱ) and led to the elevation of TGF-β receptor dimerization and activity. Importantly, a peptide from TβR Ⅱ was first identified as the naked peptide substrate of ppGalNAc-T4 with a higher affinity than ppGalNAc-T2. Further, Ser31, corresponding to the extracellular domain of TβR Ⅱ, was identified as the O-GalNAcylation site upon in vitro glycosylation by ppGalNAc-T4. The O-GalNAc-deficient S31A mutation enhanced TGF-β signaling activity and EMT in breast cancer cells. Together, these results identified a novel mechanism of ppGalNAc-T4-catalyzed TGF-β receptors O-GalNAcylation that suppresses breast cancer cell migration and invasion via the EMT process. Targeting ppGalNAc-T4 may be a potential therapeutic strategy for breast cancer treatment.


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