scholarly journals Oncogenic Role of ZFAS1 lncRNA in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Kolenda ◽  
Kacper Guglas ◽  
Magda Kopczyńska ◽  
Anna Teresiak ◽  
Renata Bliźniak ◽  
...  

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a heterogeneous disease with high mortality. The identification of specific HNSCC biomarkers will increase treatment efficacy and limit the toxicity of current therapeutic strategies. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are promising biomarkers. Accordingly, here we investigate the biological role of ZFAS1 and its potential as a biomarker in HNSCC. Methods: The expression level of ZFAS1 in HNSCC cell lines was analyzed using qRT-PCR. Based on the HNSCC TCGA data, the ZFAS1 expression profile, clinicopathological features, and expression of correlated genes were analyzed in patient tissue samples. The selected genes were classified according to their biological function using the PANTHER tool. The interaction between lncRNA:miRNA and miRNA:mRNA was tested using available online tools. All statistical analyses were accomplished using GraphPad Prism 5. Results: The expression of ZFAS1 was up-regulated in the metastatic FaDu cell line relative to the less aggressive SCC-25 and SCC-040 and dysplastic DOK cell lines. The TCGA data indicated an up-regulation of ZFAS1 in HNSCCs compared to normal tissue samples. The ZFAS1 levels typically differed depending on the cancer stage and T-stage. Patients with a lower expression of ZFAS1 presented a slightly longer disease-free survival and overall survival. The analysis of genes associated with ZFAS1, as well its targets, indicate that they are linked with crucial cellular processes. In the group of patients with low expression of ZFAS1, we detected the up-regulation of suppressors and down-regulation of genes associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, metastases, and cancer-initiating cells. Moreover, the negative correlation between ZFAS1 and its host gene, ZNFX1, was observed. The analysis of interactions indicated that ZFAS1 has a binding sequence for miR-150-5p. The expression of ZFAS1 and miR-150-5p is negatively correlated in HNSCC patients. miR-150-5p can regulate the 3′UTR of EIF4E mRNA. In the group of patients with high expression of ZFAS1 and low expression of miR-150-5p, we detected an up-regulation of EIF4E. Conclusions: In HNSCC, ZFAS1 displays oncogenic properties, regulates important processes associated with EMT, cancer-initiating cells, and metastases, and might affect patients’ clinical outcomes. ZFAS1 likely regulates the cell phenotype through miR-150-5p and its downstream targets. Following further validation, ZFAS1 might prove a new and valuable biomarker.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e94273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eirini Pectasides ◽  
Theodoros Rampias ◽  
Clarence Sasaki ◽  
Christos Perisanidis ◽  
Vassilis Kouloulias ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Qibing Chen ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
Fen Li ◽  
Xiang Cheng ◽  
Yu Xiao ◽  
...  

Background: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), originally reported as an inflammation regulating molecule, is elevated in various cancer cells, which may promote carcinogenesis. Meanwhile, ISO-1 is a potent small molecular inhibitor of MIF, which has not been investigated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC); hence the impact of ISO-1 on NPC cells remains to be illustrated. Objective: This study intended to explore the biological function of ISO-1 in NPC cells in vitro and prove a possibility of ISO-1 being a novel agent in NPC treatments. Methods: Gene expression of MIF in Head and Neck squamous cell carcinoma were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Nasal pharyngeal tissues were collected from adult patients undergoing nasopharyngeal biopsy for MIF level detection. Proliferation of NPC cell lines 5-8B and 6-10B was studied using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and plate-colony-formation assay, apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry and TUNEL staining, migration and invasion capacities were measured by wound-healing assay and transwell assay, all to explore the function of ISO-1 in NPC cells in vitro. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) level of NPC cells was determined by Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence assay. Results: Transcript level of MIF was significantly higher in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Protein MIF was overexpressed in human NPC tissues compared to non-cancerous ones, and its expression could be compromised by ISO-1 in vitro. 100μM ISO-1 significantly hindered NPC cells migration and invasion capacities in vitro but acted relatively poorly on proliferation and apoptosis. Immunofluorescence assay and Western blotting implied a down-regulated EMT level through TGF-β/Smad4 axis in ISO-1 treated NPC cells compared to the vehicle. Conclusion: This study indicated that MIF antagonist ISO-1 holds impact on NPC progression by influencing the migration and invasion of NPC cells ISO-1 inhibits the EMT process of NPC cells through TGF-β/Smad4 axis, supporting that prudent application of ISO-1 may be a potential adjuvant treatment for NPC.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gino Marioni ◽  
Lorenzo Nicolè ◽  
Rocco Cappellesso ◽  
Rosario Marchese-Ragona ◽  
Elena Fasanaro ◽  
...  

Aim: The novel primary end-point of the present study was to ascertain β-arrestin-1 expression in a cohort of consecutive patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) with information available on their cigarette-smoking habits. A secondary end-point was to conduct a preliminary clinical and pathological investigation into the possible role of β-arrestin-1 in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), identified by testing for E-cadherin, Zeb1, and Zeb2 expression, in the setting of LSCC. Methods: The expression of β-arrestin-1, E-cadherin, zeb1, and zeb2 was ascertained in 20 consecutive LSCCs. Results: Statistical analysis showed no significant associations between β-arrestin-1 and EMT (based on the expression of E-cadherin, Zeb1, and Zeb2). The combined effect of nicotine and β-arrestin-1 was significantly associated with a shorter disease-free survival ( P=0.01) in our series of LSCC. This latter result was also confirmed in an independent, publicly available LSCC cohort ( P=0.047). Conclusions: Further investigations on larger series (ideally in prospective settings) are needed before we can consider closer follow-up protocols and/or more aggressive treatments for patients with LSCC and a combination of nicotine exposure and β-arrestin-1 positivity in tumor cells at the time of their diagnosis. Further studies on how β-arrestin functions in cancer via different signaling pathways might reveal potential targets for the treatment of even advanced laryngeal malignancies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 458-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osama A Elkashty ◽  
Ghada Abu Elghanam ◽  
Xinyun Su ◽  
Younan Liu ◽  
Peter J Chauvin ◽  
...  

Abstract Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has a poor 5-year survival rate of 50%. One potential reason for treatment failure is the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Several cell markers, particularly CD44, have been used to isolate CSCs. However, isolating a pure population of CSC in HNSCC still remains a challenging task. Recent findings show that normal oral stem cells were isolated using CD271 as a marker. Thus, we investigated the combined use of CD271 and CD44 to isolate an enriched subpopulation of CSCs, followed by their characterization in vitro, in vivo, and in patients’ tissue samples. Fluorescent-activated cell sorting was used to isolate CD44+/CD271+ and CD44+/CD271− from two human HNSCC cell lines. Cell growth and self-renewal were measured with MTT and sphere/colony formation assays. Treatment-resistance was tested against chemotherapy (cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil) and ionizing radiation. Self-renewal, resistance, and stemness-related genes expression were measured with qRT-PCR. In vivo tumorigenicity was tested with an orthotopic immunodeficient mouse model of oral cancer. Finally, we examined the co-localization of CD44+/CD271+ in patients’ tissue samples. We found that CD271+ cells were a subpopulation of CD44+ cells in human HNSCC cell lines and tissues. CD44+/CD271+ cells exhibited higher cell proliferation, sphere/colony formation, chemo- and radio-resistance, upregulation of CSCs-related genes, and in vivo tumorigenicity when compared to CD44+/CD271− or the parental cell line. These cell markers showed increased expression in patients with the increase of the tumor stage. In conclusion, using both CD44 and CD271 allowed the isolation of CSCs from HNSCC. These enriched CSCs will be more relevant in future treatment and HNSCC progression studies.


Author(s):  
John C. Nolan ◽  
Manuela Salvucci ◽  
Steven Carberry ◽  
Ana Barat ◽  
Miguel F. Segura ◽  
...  

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a neural crest-derived tumor, which develops before birth or in early childhood, with metastatic dissemination typically preceding diagnosis. Tumors are characterized by a highly heterogeneous combination of cellular phenotypes demonstrating varying degrees of differentiation along different lineage pathways, and possessing distinct super-enhancers and core regulatory circuits, thereby leading to highly varied malignant potential and divergent clinical outcomes. Cytoskeletal reorganization is fundamental to cellular transformations, including the processes of cellular differentiation and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), previously reported by our lab and others to coincide with chemotherapy resistance and enhanced metastatic ability of tumor cells. This study set out to investigate the ability of the neuronal miR-124-3p to reverse the cellular transformation associated with drug resistance development and assess the anti-oncogenic role of this miRNA in in vitro models of drug-resistant adrenergic (ADRN) and mesenchymal (MES) neuroblastoma cell lines. Low expression of miR-124-3p in a cohort of neuroblastomas was significantly associated with poor overall and progression-free patient survival. Over-expression of miR-124-3p in vitro inhibited cell viability through the promotion of cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis in addition to sensitizing drug-resistant cells to chemotherapeutics in a panel of morphologically distinct neuroblastoma cell lines. Finally, we describe miR-124-3p direct targeting and repression of key up-regulated cytoskeletal genes including MYH9, ACTN4 and PLEC and the reversal of the resistance-associated EMT and enhanced invasive capacity previously reported in our in vitro model (SK-N-ASCis24).


2013 ◽  
Vol 338 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Chen ◽  
Miriam Zimmermann ◽  
Inge Tinhofer ◽  
Andreas M. Kaufmann ◽  
Andreas E. Albers

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