scholarly journals Fusobacterium nucleatum Promotes the Progression of Colorectal Cancer Through Cdk5-Activated Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Li ◽  
Jiepeng Huang ◽  
Tingting Yu ◽  
Xiaoting Fang ◽  
Liqin Lou ◽  
...  

Background/AimsGrowing evidence supports the direct link of Fusobacterium nucleatum with colorectal cancer (CRC). However, to date, the underlying mechanism of action remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined the effects of F. nucleatum on the progression of CRC and investigated whether cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is involved in the effect through activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.Materials and MethodsCRC tissues and matched histologically normal specimens were collected from patients who were diagnosed with CRC and underwent surgical treatment in our hospital between January 2018 and January 2019. Two human CRC cell lines, including DLD-1 and SW480, were utilized mainly for in vitro mechanistic investigations.ResultsThe abundance of F. nucleatum was significantly greater in CRC tissues than in cancer-free specimens, which was significantly correlated with the progression of CRC. In vitro investigations revealed that F. nucleatum significantly enhanced the proliferation and migration of CRC cells. Furthermore, F. nucleatum significantly induced the expression of Cdk5 and activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Notably, knockdown of Cdk5 significantly abrogated the effects of F. nucleatum on cellular processes and Wnt/β-catenin signaling in relation to the progression of CRC.ConclusionThe results of this study demonstrate that F. nucleatum orchestrates a molecular network involving the direct role of Cdk5 in activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling to modulate CRC progression. Thus, in-depth investigations of F. nucleatum-associated molecular pathways may offer valuable insight into the pathogenesis of CRC, which may help further the development of treatment for this disease.

Author(s):  
Xiaoqiang Wang ◽  
Xiaomin Bai ◽  
Zhonghui Yan ◽  
Xinyu Guo ◽  
Youcheng Zhang

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent malignant tumor. Taurine upregulated gene 1 (TUG1), a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), has been shown to be involved in the physiological and pathological processes of CRC. However, the role of TUG1 in the progression of CRC and its underlying mechanism are largely unknown. Here, we measured TUG1 expression in clinical samples from CRC patients and found that TUG1 expression was higher in CRC tissues as compared to that in normal adjacent tissues. We then inhibited TUG1 with siRNAs in two CRC cell lines and found that TUG1 knockdown inhibited the viability, proliferation, and migration of CRC cells and lowered the ability of CRC cells to form subcutaneous tumors. Furthermore, we revealed that TUG1 affected the cellular processes in CRC cells by sponging miR-145-5p. We further found that miR-145-5p inhibited TRPC6 expression, and overexpression of TRPC6 restored the role of miR-145-5p in CRC cells. Collectively, we illustrated that TUG1 manifests its functions by modulating the TUG1/miR-145-5p/TRPC6 regulatory axis. In conclusion, our study revealed a novel molecular mechanism of TUG1 in CRC progression and suggested the potential of the TUG1/miR-145-5p/TRPC6 pathway to serve as a target for the diagnosis and treatment of CRC.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-li Jiao ◽  
Bin-shu Weng ◽  
Shan-shan Yan ◽  
Zi-mo Lin ◽  
Shu-yang Wang ◽  
...  

AbstractOxysterol-binding protein like protein 3 (OSBPL3) has been shown involving in the development of several human cancers. However, the relationship between OSBPL3 and colorectal cancer (CRC), particularly the role of OSBPL3 in the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of CRC remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of OSBPL3 in CRC and found that its expression was significantly higher in CRC tissues than that in normal tissues. In addition, high expression of OSBPL3 was closely related to poor differentiation, advanced TNM stage and poor prognosis of CRC. Further experiments showed that over-expression of OSBPL3 promoted the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of CRC in vitro and in vivo models. Moreover, we revealed that OSBPL3 promoted CRC progression through activation of RAS signaling pathway. Furthermore, we demonstrated that hypoxia induced factor 1 (HIF-1A) can regulate the expression of OSBPL3 via binding to the hypoxia response element (HRE) in the promoter of OSBPL3. In summary, Upregulation of OSBPL3 by HIF1A promotes colorectal cancer progression through activation of RAS signaling pathway. This novel mechanism provides a comprehensive understanding of both OSBPL3 and the RAS signaling pathway in the progression of CRC and indicates that the HIF1A–OSBPL3–RAS axis is a potential target for early therapeutic intervention in CRC progression.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 175883592093742
Author(s):  
Wen Peng ◽  
Huaqing Zhang ◽  
Shisheng Tan ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Yang Zhou ◽  
...  

Background: Lysine-specific histone demethylase 1 (LSD1) is a potential target of cancer therapy. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the combined antitumor activity of a novel LSD1 inhibitor (ZY0511) with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and elucidate the underlying mechanism in colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: We evaluated LSD1 expression in CRC tissues from patients who received 5-FU treatment. The synergistic antitumor effect of 5-FU with ZY0511 against human CRC cells was detected both in vitro and in vivo. The underlying mechanism was explored based on mRNA sequencing (mRNA-seq) technology. Results: Overexpression of LSD1 was observed in human CRC tissues, and correlated with CRC development and 5-FU resistance. ZY0511, a novel LSD1 inhibitor, effectively inhibited CRC cells proliferation, both in vitro and in vivo. Notably, the combination of ZY0511 and 5-FU synergistically reduced CRC cells viability and migration in vitro. It also suppressed Wnt/β-catenin signaling and DNA synthesis pathways, which finally induced apoptosis of CRC cells. In addition, the combination of ZY0511 with 5-FU significantly reduced CRC xenograft tumor growth, along with lung and liver metastases in vivo. Conclusions: Our findings identify LSD1 as a potential marker for 5-FU resistance in CRC. ZY0511 is a promising candidate for CRC therapy as it potentiates 5-FU anticancer effects, thereby providing a new combinatorial strategy for treating CRC.


Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunna Lee ◽  
Su Jin Kim ◽  
Jieun Choo ◽  
Gwangbeom Heo ◽  
Jin-Wook Yoo ◽  
...  

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key players in tumor angiogenesis. Interleukin-17C (IL-17C) was identified to promote colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of IL-17C on tumor angiogenesis, the involvement of miR-23a-3p in IL-17C signaling, and the direct target gene of miR-23a-3p in CRC. In vitro and ex vivo angiogenesis, a mouse xenograft experiment, and immunostaining were performed to test the effect of IL-17C on tumor angiogenesis. ELISA, quantitative real time PCR, and gene silencing were used to uncover the underlying mechanism. IL-17C induced angiogenesis of intestinal endothelial cells, subsequently enhancing cell invasion and migration of DLD-1 cells. IL-17C-stimulated DLD-1 cells produced vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to enhance angiogenesis. Moreover, IL-17C markedly accelerated xenograft tumor growth, which was manifested by substantially reduced tumor growth when treated with the VEGF receptor 2 inhibitor Ki8751. Accordingly, Ki8751 suppressed the expression of IL-17C-stimulated PECAM and VE-cadherin in xenografts. Furthermore, IL-17C activated STAT3 to increase the expression of miR-23a-3p that suppressed semaphorin 6D (SEMA6D) expression, thereby permitting VEGF production. Taken together, our study demonstrates that IL-17C promotes tumor angiogenesis through VEGF production via a STAT3/miR-23a-3p/SEMA6D axis, suggesting its potential as a novel target for anti-CRC therapy.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhang Jieling ◽  
Li Kai ◽  
Zheng Huifen ◽  
Zhu Yiping

Abstract Background: MicroRNAs play an important role in the genesis and progression of tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC), which has a high morbidity and mortality rate. In this research, the role of miR-495-3p and HMGB1 in CRC was investigated.Methods: We performed qRT-PCR to detect the expression of miR-495-3p in colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines. Functional experiments such as CCK-8 assay, EDU assay, Transwell assay and apoptosis assay were conducted to explore the effects of miR-495-3p on the proliferation, migration and apoptosis of CRC cells in vitro. Then, the use of database prediction, dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and functional experiments verified the role of miR-495-3p target gene HMGB1 in CRC. Finally, rescue experiments was performed to investigate whether overexpression of HMGB1 could reverse the inhibitory effect of miR-495-3p on CRC cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro.Results: miR-495-3p was down-regulated in colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines, and could inhibit the proliferation and migration of colorectal cancer cells, and promote cell apoptosis. The database prediction and dual-luciferase reporter gene assay showed that HMGB1 was the downstream target gene of miR-495-3p. We finally demonstrated that miR-495-3p inhibited CRC cell proliferation by targeting HMGB1 in vitro and in vivo.Conclusion: Our research shows that miR-495-3p inhibits the progression of colorectal cancer by down-regulating the expression of HMGB1, which indicates that miR-495-3p may become a potential therapeutic target for colorectal cancer.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amada D. Caliz ◽  
Hyung-Jin Yoo ◽  
Anastassiia Vertii ◽  
Cathy Tournier ◽  
Roger J. Davis ◽  
...  

Mitogen kinase kinase 4 (MKK4) and Mitogen kinase kinase 7 (MKK7) are members of the MAP2K family which can activate downstream mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). MKK4 has been implicated in the activation of both, c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) and p38 MAPK, whereas MKK7 only activates JNK in response to different stimuli. The stimuli as well as cell type determine the choice of MAP2K member that mediates the response. In a variety of cell types, the MKK7 contributes to the activation of downstream MAPKs, JNK, which is known to regulate essential cellular processes, such as cell death, differentiation, stress response, and cytokine secretion. Previous studies have implicated the role of MKK7 in stress signaling pathways and cytokine production. However, little is known about the degree to which MKK7 and MKK4 contributes to innate immune response in macrophages as well as during inflammation in vivo. To address this question and elucidate the role of MKK7 and MKK4 in macrophage and in vivo, we developed MKK7- and MKK4-deficient mouse models with tamoxifen-inducible Rosa26 CreERT. This study reports that MKK7 is required for JNK activation both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, we demonstrated that MKK7 in macrophages is necessary for LPS induced cytokine production and migration which appears to be a major contributor to the inflammatory response in vivo. Whereas MKK4 plays a significant but minor role in cytokine production in vivo.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinghui Duan ◽  
Diyuan Zhou ◽  
Yizhou Yao ◽  
Xinyu Shao

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most frequent malignant neoplasms worldwide, and the effect of treatments is limited. Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) has been involved in a wide variety of several malignant diseases and takes part in the tumorigenesis of CRC. However, the function and mechanism of FGF1 in CRC remains elusive. In this study, the results indicated that FGF1 is elevated in CRC tissues and linked with poor prognosis (P < 0.001). In subgroup analysis of FGF1 in CRC, regardless of any clinic-factors except gender, high level FGF1 expression was associated with markedly shorter survival (P < 0.05). In addition, the expression of p-S6K1 and FGF1 was not associated in normal tissue (P = 0.781), but their expression was closely related in tumor tissue (P = 0.010). The oncogenic role of FGF1 was determined using in vitro and in vivo functional assays. FGF1 depletion inhibited the proliferation and migration of CRC cells in vitro and vivo. FGF1 was also significantly correlated with mTOR-S6K1 pathway on the gene and protein levels (P < 0.05). In conclusion, FGF1 acts as a tumor activator in CRC, and against FGF1 may provide a new visual field on treating CRC, especially for mTORC1-targeted resistant patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (39) ◽  
pp. 4611-4618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reyhaneh Moradi-Marjaneh ◽  
Majid Khazaei ◽  
Gordon A. Ferns ◽  
Seyed H. Aghaee-Bakhtiari

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers globally and is associated with a high mortality rate. The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling pathway plays an important role in normal intestinal tissue function, but has also been implicated in the development of CRC. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have also recently emerged as important regulators of cancer development and progression. They act by targeting multiple signaling pathways including the TGF-β signaling pathway. There is growing evidence demonstrating that miRNAs target various components of the TGF-β signaling pathway, including TGF-β1, TGF-β2, regulatory SMADs (SMAD1, 2, 3, 5 and 9), co-mediator SMAD4, inhibitory SMADs (SMAD6 and 7) and the TGF-β receptors, and thereby alter the proliferation and migration of CRC cells. In this review, we summarize the data concerning the interaction between TGF-β signaling pathway and miRNAs with the aim to better understanding the CRC molecular mechanisms and hence better management of this disease.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sahar Sarmasti Emami ◽  
Derek Zhang ◽  
Xiaolong Yang

The Hippo pathway is an emerging tumor suppressor signaling pathway involved in a wide range of cellular processes. Dysregulation of different components of the Hippo signaling pathway is associated with a number of diseases including cancer. Therefore, identification of the Hippo pathway regulators and the underlying mechanism of its regulation may be useful to uncover new therapeutics for cancer therapy. The Hippo signaling pathway includes a set of kinases that phosphorylate different proteins in order to phosphorylate and inactivate its main downstream effectors, YAP and TAZ. Thus, modulating phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of the Hippo components by kinases and phosphatases play critical roles in the regulation of the signaling pathway. While information regarding kinase regulation of the Hippo pathway is abundant, the role of phosphatases in regulating this pathway is just beginning to be understood. In this review, we summarize the most recent reports on the interaction of phosphatases and the Hippo pathway in tumorigenesis. We have also introduced challenges in clarifying the role of phosphatases in the Hippo pathway and future direction of crosstalk between phosphatases and the Hippo pathway.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xia Lu ◽  
Shuping Qiao ◽  
Chen Peng ◽  
Wenyue Yan ◽  
Zhen Xu ◽  
...  

There is evidence that probiotics have a broad antitumor effect in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the mechanism remains obscure. Here, we investigated the effect of Bornlisy (BO)-cocktails of three probiotics on colitis-associated colon cancer (CAC) and the underlying mechanism. The treatment of CAC mice with BO resulted in decreased tumor loads as compared with their counterparts. BO also inhibited the proliferation and metastasis of CRC cells in vitro. Furthermore, BO inhibited cell proliferation through downregulating glycolysis. Activating glycolysis reversed the protective role of BO in the CAC mice. Mechanically, BO administration promoted the activation of GPR43, followed by its downstream PLC-PKC-ERK pathway, which led to decreased glucose metabolism. These results suggest that BO may provide an intervention strategy for CRC therapy, while GPR43 is a potential targeting receptor during the BO treatment.


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