scholarly journals Molecular Mechanisms of p63-Mediated Squamous Cancer Pathogenesis

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (14) ◽  
pp. 3590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Moses ◽  
Andrea L. George ◽  
Nozomi Sakakibara ◽  
Kanwal Mahmood ◽  
Roshini M. Ponnamperuma ◽  
...  

The p63 gene is a member of the p53/p63/p73 family of transcription factors and plays a critical role in development and homeostasis of squamous epithelium. p63 is transcribed as multiple isoforms; ΔNp63α, the predominant p63 isoform in stratified squamous epithelium, is localized to the basal cells and is overexpressed in squamous cell cancers of multiple organ sites, including skin, head and neck, and lung. Further, p63 is considered a stem cell marker, and within the epidermis, ΔNp63α directs lineage commitment. ΔNp63α has been implicated in numerous processes of skin biology that impact normal epidermal homeostasis and can contribute to squamous cancer pathogenesis by supporting proliferation and survival with roles in blocking terminal differentiation, apoptosis, and senescence, and influencing adhesion and migration. ΔNp63α overexpression may also influence the tissue microenvironment through remodeling of the extracellular matrix and vasculature, as well as by enhancing cytokine and chemokine secretion to recruit pro-inflammatory infiltrate. This review focuses on the role of ΔNp63α in normal epidermal biology and how dysregulation can contribute to cutaneous squamous cancer development, drawing from knowledge also gained by squamous cancers from other organ sites that share p63 overexpression as a defining feature.

Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Pagano ◽  
Laura Mosca ◽  
Francesca Vitiello ◽  
Concetta Paola Ilisso ◽  
Alessandra Coppola ◽  
...  

(1) Purpose: The methyl donor S-Adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) has been widely explored as a therapeutic compound, and its application-alone or in combination with other molecules-is emerging as a potential effective strategy for the treatment and chemoprevention of tumours. In this study, we investigated the antitumor activity of AdoMet in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LSCC), exploring the underlying mechanisms. (2) Results: We demonstrated that AdoMet induced ROS generation and triggered autophagy with a consistent increase in LC3B-II autophagy-marker in JHU-SCC-011 and HNO210 LSCC cells. AdoMet induced ER-stress and activated UPR signaling through the upregulation of the spliced form of XBP1 and CHOP. To gain new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the antitumor activity of AdoMet, we evaluated the regulation of miRNA expression profile and we found a downregulation of miR-888-5p. We transfected LSCC cells with miR-888-5p inhibitor and exposed the cells to AdoMet for 48 and 72 h. The combination of AdoMet with miR-888-5p inhibitor synergistically induced both apoptosis and inhibited cell migration paralleled by the up-regulation of MYCBP and CDH1 genes and of their targets. (3) Conclusion: Overall, these data highlighted that epigenetic reprogramming of miRNAs by AdoMet play an important role in inhibiting apoptosis and migration in LSCC cell lines.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1094-1101
Author(s):  
Delin Wu ◽  
Xiaopeng Ma

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) act as a critical role in cancer pathogenesis, while the potential of miR-449b-5p in breast carcinoma remains to be fully inquired. Therefore, we purposed to probe the mechanism governing miR-449b-5p in breast cancer. Methods: Reverse transcription-PCR (RTPCR) was adopted to examine miR-449b-5p expression level in breast carcinoma. The functional experiments were implemented to estimate the role of miR-449b-5p in cell growth and migration. The interplay of miR-449b-5p with FLOT2 was validated with luciferase reporter assay. Results: miR-449b-5p level was markedly lessened in the tissue samples and cell lines of breast carcinoma. Overexpression of miR-449b-5p contributed to suppression of cell growth and migration whereas induced apoptosis in SKBr-3 and MCF-7 cells. Moreover, luciferase reporter experiment suggested that FLOT2 had a negative correlation with miR-449b-5p expression. Functionally, ectopic expression of FLOT2 reversed repressive effects of miR-449b-5p mimic on malignant behaviors of breast carcinoma cells. Conclusion: miR-449b-5p hindered cell proliferation, migration and facilitated cell apoptosis of breast carcinoma through targeting FLOT2. Our findings may offer a potent target for the therapy of breast carcinoma.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Yunsong Li ◽  
Wei Bi ◽  
Bing Han ◽  
Tao Yuan ◽  
Long Shi ◽  
...  

Cerebral infarction is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, in which angiogenesis plays a critical role. On the other hand, accumulating evidence has demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) function as key modulators in the formation and progression of cerebral infarction. However, the molecular mechanisms of miRNAs underlying cerebral infarction-associated angiogenesis remain unclear. In the present study, we indicated that the expression of miR-203 was significantly downregulated in serum samples derived from patients with cerebral infarction and in mice brain samples following middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) compared with healthy controls. In vitro, the expression of miR-203 was obviously downregulated in hypoxia-induced human umbilical vein vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs). Functionally, ectopic expression of miR-203 drastically suppressed HUVEC proliferation, invasion, and migration. In addition, SLUG, a zinc finger transcriptional repressor, was identified as a direct target of miR-203 and was negatively correlated with miR-203 expression in MCAO mice and in hypoxia-induced HUVECs. Furthermore, overexpression of SLUG reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-203 on proliferation, invasion, and migration abilities of HUVECs. Taken together, our research provides a novel insight of the miR-203-SLUG axis into cerebral infarction-associated endothelial behaviors and may offer a powerful therapeutic target of cerebral ischemia.


Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 918
Author(s):  
Chin Tat Ng ◽  
Shamin Azwar ◽  
Wai Kien Yip ◽  
Siti Yazmin Zahari Sham ◽  
Mohd Faisal Jabar ◽  
...  

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-coding RNAs consisting of more than 200 nucleotides in length. LncRNAs present in exosomes may play a critical role in the cellular processes involved in cancer pathogenesis and progression including proliferation, invasion, and migration of tumor cells. This paper aims to identify the differential expression of exosomal lncRNAs derived from the sera of non-cancer individuals and patients diagnosed with colorectal carcinoma. These differentially-expressed exosomal serum lncRNAs may provide an insight into the pathogenesis and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). Serum exosomes and exosomes from SW480-7 cell culture supernatants were isolated and viewed by transmission electron microscope (TEM). The particle size distribution and protein markers of exosomes derived from SW480-7 were further analyzed using the Zetasizer Nano S instrument and western blotting technique. TEM showed that exosomes derived from serum and SW480-7 cells were round vesicles with sizes ranging from 50–200 nm. The exosomes derived from SW480-7 had an average diameter of 274.6 nm and contained the exosomal protein, ALIX/PDCD6IP. In our clinical studies, six lncRNAs, namely GAS5, H19, LINC00152, SNHG16, RMRP, and ZFAS1 were detected in the exosomes from sera of 18 CRC patients. Among these six lncRNAs, the expression level of LINC00152 was found to be significantly lower in CRC patients as compared to non-cancer individuals (p = 0.04) while lncRNA H19 was significantly up-regulated in advanced-stages (stage III and IV) of CRC (p = 0.04) as compared to early-stages (stage I and II). In conclusion, the detection of lower LINC00152 in exosomes of sera from CRC patients versus non-cancer individuals and H19 upregulation in advanced stages suggests that they may play important roles in pathogenesis and progression of CRC.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 1041-1051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Spartalis ◽  
Eleftherios Spartalis ◽  
Antonios Athanasiou ◽  
Stavroula A. Paschou ◽  
Christos Kontogiannis ◽  
...  

Atherosclerotic disease is still one of the leading causes of mortality. Atherosclerosis is a complex progressive and systematic artery disease that involves the intima of the large and middle artery vessels. The inflammation has a key role in the pathophysiological process of the disease and the infiltration of the intima from monocytes, macrophages and T-lymphocytes combined with endothelial dysfunction and accumulated oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) are the main findings of atherogenesis. The development of atherosclerosis involves multiple genetic and environmental factors. Although a large number of genes, genetic polymorphisms, and susceptible loci have been identified in chromosomal regions associated with atherosclerosis, it is the epigenetic process that regulates the chromosomal organization and genetic expression that plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Despite the positive progress made in understanding the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, the knowledge about the disease remains scarce.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (15) ◽  
pp. 1729-1741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed H. Shahcheraghi ◽  
Venant Tchokonte-Nana ◽  
Marzieh Lotfi ◽  
Malihe Lotfi ◽  
Ahmad Ghorbani ◽  
...  

: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and malignant astrocytic glioma, accounting for about 90% of all brain tumors with poor prognosis. Despite recent advances in understanding molecular mechanisms of oncogenesis and the improved neuroimaging technologies, surgery, and adjuvant treatments, the clinical prognosis of patients with GBM remains persistently unfavorable. The signaling pathways and the regulation of growth factors of glioblastoma cells are very abnormal. The various signaling pathways have been suggested to be involved in cellular proliferation, invasion, and glioma metastasis. The Wnt signaling pathway with its pleiotropic functions in neurogenesis and stem cell proliferation is implicated in various human cancers, including glioma. In addition, the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway is closely related to growth, metabolism, survival, angiogenesis, autophagy, and chemotherapy resistance of GBM. Understanding the mechanisms of GBM’s invasion, represented by invasion and migration, is an important tool in designing effective therapeutic interventions. This review will investigate two main signaling pathways in GBM: PI3K/Akt/mTOR and Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathways.


Author(s):  
Qiong Luo ◽  
Suyun Zhang ◽  
Donghuan Zhang ◽  
Rui Feng ◽  
Nan Li ◽  
...  

Background: Gastric cancer(GC) is currently one of the major malignancies that threatens human lives and health. Anlotinib is a novel small-molecule that inhibits angiogenesis to exert anti-tumor effects. However, the function in gastric cancer is incompletely understood. Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-tumor effects and molecular mechanisms of anlotinib combined with dihydroartemisinin (DHA) in SGC7901 gastric cancer cells. Method: Different concentrations of anlotinib and DHA were used to treat SGC7901 gastric cancer cells, after which cell proliferation was measured. Drug interactions of anlotinib and DHA were analyzed by the Chou-Talalay method with CompuSyn software. proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis were measured using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) assay, flow cytometry, Transwell invasion assays, scratch assays, and chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assays. proliferation-associated protein (Ki67), apoptosis-related protein (Bcl-2), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) were quantified by Western bloting. Results: The combination of 2.5 μmol/L of anlotinib and 5 of μmol/L DHA was highly synergistic in inhibiting cell growth, significantly increased the apoptosis rate and suppressed obviously the invasion and migration capability and angiogenesis of gastric cancer cells. In addition, the expression levels of Ki67, Bcl-2, and VEGF-A, as well as angiogenesis, were significantly decreased in the Combination of drugs compared with in control and either drug alone. Conclusion: The combination of anlotinib and DHA showed synergistic antitumor activity, suggesting their potential in treating patients with gastric cancer.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 705-718 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naima Mansoor ◽  
Fazli Wahid ◽  
Maleeha Azam ◽  
Khadim Shah ◽  
Anneke I. den Hollander ◽  
...  

: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disorder affecting predominantly the older people above the age of 50 years in which the macular region of the retina deteriorates, resulting in the loss of central vision. The key factors associated with the pathogenesis of AMD are age, smoking, dietary, and genetic risk factors. There are few associated and plausible genes involved in AMD pathogenesis. Common genetic variants (with a minor allele frequency of >5% in the population) near the complement genes explain 40–60% of the heritability of AMD. The complement system is a group of proteins that work together to destroy foreign invaders, trigger inflammation, and remove debris from cells and tissues. Genetic changes in and around several complement system genes, including the CFH, contribute to the formation of drusen and progression of AMD. Similarly, Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that are normally involved in tissue remodeling also play a critical role in the pathogenesis of AMD. MMPs are involved in the degradation of cell debris and lipid deposits beneath retina but with age their functions get affected and result in the drusen formation, succeeding to macular degeneration. In this review, AMD pathology, existing knowledge about the normal and pathological role of complement system proteins and MMPs in the eye is reviewed. The scattered data of complement system proteins, MMPs, drusenogenesis, and lipofusogenesis have been gathered and discussed in detail. This might add new dimensions to the understanding of molecular mechanisms of AMD pathophysiology and might help in finding new therapeutic options for AMD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 394-401
Author(s):  
Yuanhua Wu ◽  
Yuan Huang ◽  
Jing Cai ◽  
Donglan Zhang ◽  
Shixi Liu ◽  
...  

Background: Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury involves complex biological processes and molecular mechanisms such as autophagy. Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of I/R injury. LncRNAs are the regulatory factor of cerebral I/R injury. Methods: This study constructs cerebral I/R model to investigate role of autophagy and oxidative stress in cerebral I/R injury and the underline regulatory mechanism of SIRT1/ FOXO3a pathway. In this study, lncRNA SNHG12 and FOXO3a expression was up-regulated and SIRT1 expression was down-regulated in HT22 cells of I/R model. Results: Overexpression of lncRNA SNHG12 significantly increased the cell viability and inhibited cerebral ischemicreperfusion injury induced by I/Rthrough inhibition of autophagy. In addition, the transfected p-SIRT1 significantly suppressed the release of LDH and SOD compared with cells co-transfected with SIRT1 and FOXO3a group and cells induced by I/R and transfected with p-SNHG12 group and overexpression of cells co-transfected with SIRT1 and FOXO3 further decreased the I/R induced release of ROS and MDA. Conclusion: In conclusion, lncRNA SNHG12 increased cell activity and inhibited oxidative stress through inhibition of SIRT1/FOXO3a signaling-mediated autophagy in HT22 cells of I/R model. This study might provide new potential therapeutic targets for further investigating the mechanisms in cerebral I/R injury and provide.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian-kai Yang ◽  
Hong-jiang Liu ◽  
Yuanyu Wang ◽  
Chen Li ◽  
Ji-peng Yang ◽  
...  

Background and Objective: Exosomes communicate inter-cellularly and miRNAs play critical roles in this scenario. MiR-214-5p was implicated in multiple tumors with diverse functions uncovered. However, whether miR-214-5p is mechanistically involved in glioblastoma, especially via exosomal pathway, is still elusive. Here we sought to comprehensively address the critical role of exosomal miR-214-5p in glioblastoma (GBM) microenvironment.Methods:The relative expression of miR-214-5p was determined by real-time PCR. Cell viability and migration were measured by MTT and transwell chamber assays, respectively. The secretory cytokines were measured with ELISA kits. The regulatory effect of miR-214-5p on CXCR5 expression was interrogated by luciferase reporter assay. Protein level was analyzed by Western blot.Results:We demonstrated that miR-214-5p was aberrantly overexpressed in GBM and associated with poorer clinical prognosis. High level of miR-214-5p significantly contributed to cell proliferation and migration. GBM-derived exosomal miR-214-5p promoted inflammatory response in primary microglia upon lipopolysaccharide challenge. We further identified CXCR5 as the direct target of miR-214- 5p in this setting.Conclusion:Overexpression of miR-214-5p in GBM modulated the inflammatory response in microglia via exosomal transfer.


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