Expression of glucose transporter 3 in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and its effect on the proliferation, invasion and migration of A431 cells / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To determine the expression of glucose transporter 3 (GLUT3) in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), and to evaluate its effect on the cSCC cell line A431.Methods:From June 2016 to December 2020, 22 paraffin-embedded tissue specimens were collected from patients with pathologically confirmed cSCC in the Department of Dermatology, Peking University Third Hospital, and 20 discarded normal skin tissues after dermatological surgeries served as controls. Immunohistochemical assay was performed to determine the GLUT3 expression in cSCC tissues and normal skin tissues. Cultured A431 cells were divided into two groups: GLUT3 overexpression group transfected with a lentiviral vector carrying the SLC2A3 gene, and negative control group transfected with an empty lentiviral vector. Real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis were conducted to determine the mRNA and protein expression of GLUT3 in A431 cells in different groups, the cell proliferation assay (MTS assay) was performed to estimate the cell proliferative activity, and the live-cell analysis system Incucyte S3 was used for real-time evaluation of the migratory and invasive abilities of A431 cells in different groups. The relative glucose consumption and lactic acid production in A431 cells at 48 hours were measured by using glucose and lactic acid assay kits, retrospectively. Two independent samples t-test was used for comparisons between two groups, and one-way analysis of variance was used for comparisons among multiple groups. Results:The GLUT3 expression was significantly higher in the cSCC tissues than in the normal skin tissues (immunohistochemical assay score: 9.39 ± 2.56 points vs. 2.30 ± 2.60 points; t = 8.91, P < 0.05). Compared with the negative control group, the mRNA and protein expression of GLUT3 markedly increased in the GLUT3 overexpression group. MTS assay showed significantly increased proliferative activity of A431 cells in the GLUT3 overexpression group compared with the negative control group after 24- and 96-hour treatment ( t = 2.49, 3.54, P = 0.048, 0.012, respectively); cell fusion rates in the scratched area were significantly higher in the GLUT3 overexpression group than in the negative control group in the cell migration assay at 6, 12 18, and 24 hours and cell invasion assay at 12, 18, and 24 hours (all P < 0.05). At 48 hours, the relative glucose consumption and lactic acid production in A431 cells were significantly higher in the GLUT3 overexpression group than in the negative control group ( t = 2.98, 2.20, P = 0.011, 0.038, respectively) . Conclusion:GLUT3 was highly expressed in the cSCC tissues, and may participate in the occurrence and development of cSCC by providing energy to cSCC cells via promoting glucose uptake in cells to enhance their proliferative, migratory and invasive abilities.

The effect of near-infrared fluorescence conjugation on the anti-cancer potential of cetuximab / 한국실험동물학회지

This study investigated the anti-cancer potential of a near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) molecule conjugated with Cetuximab (Cetuximab-NIRF) in six-week-old female BALB/c athymic (nu+/nu+) nude mice. A431 cells were cultured and injected into the animals to induce solid tumors. Paclitaxel (30 mg/kg body weight (BW)), Cetuximab (1 mg/kg BW), and Cetuximab-NIRF (0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg BW) were intraperitoneally injected twice a week into the A431 cell xenografts of the nude mice. Changes in BW, tumor volume and weight, fat and lean mass, and diameter of the peri-tumoral blood vessel were determined after two weeks. Tumor volumes and weights were significantly decreased in the Cetuximab-NIRF (1 mg/kg BW) group compared with the control group (P < 0.001). Lean mass and total body water content were also conspicuously reduced in the Cetuximab-NIRF (1 mg/kg BW) group compared with the vehicle control group. Peri-tumoral blood vessel diameters were very thin in the Cetuximab-NIRF groups compared with those of the paclitaxel group. These results indicate that the conjugation of Cetuximab with NIRF does not affect the anti-cancer potential of Cetuximab and NIRF can be used for molecular imaging in cancer treatments.

Effect of small interfering RNA targeting survivin gene on the expression of survivin and biological function of a human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cell line A431 / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To evaluate the effect of small interfering RNA (siRNA)targeting survivin gene on the expression of survivin and proliferation,apoptosis,migration and invasion of a human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cell line A431 in vitro.Methods A survivin-specific siRNA was designed and synthesized.Cultured A431 cells were divided into 3 groups to be transfected with 50.0 nmol/L liposome complexes containing survivin-specific siRNA (survivin siRNA group),50.0 nmol/L liposome complexes containing unrelated siRNA (negative control group) and 50.0 nmol/L prepared vesicles (blank control group).Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blot analysis were performed to determine the mRNA and protein expression of survivin in A431 cells,respectively.Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was conducted to evaluate cellular proliferative activity,flow cytometry using annexin-V/propidium iodide (PI) staining to detect cell apoptosis,Transwell assay to estimate migratory and invasive activities of A431 cells,and flow cytometry to detect cell cycle changes.Results At 48 hours after transfection,the mRNA and protein expression of survivin both significantly differed among the survivin siRNA group,negative control group and blank control group (mRNA:0.56 ± 0.15,0.88 ± 0.37,0.90 ± 0.43,F =276.67,P ＜ 0.001;protein:0.59 ± 0.04,0.86 ± 0.05,0.91 ± 0.07,F =243.61,P ＜ 0.001),the survivin siRNA group showed significantly lower mRNA and protein expression of survivin compared with the negative control group and blank control group (all P ＜ 0.05),and there were no significant differences between the negative control group and blank control group (both P ＞ 0.05).Repeated measures analysis of variance showed that the transfection with survivin siRNA could significantly inhibit the proliferation of A431 cells (F =13.19,P =0.004),the proliferation inhibition rate was significantly higher in the survivin siRNA group than in the negative control group and blank control group (both P ＜ 0.05),and no significant difference was observed between the negative control group and blank control group (P ＞ 0.05).At 24 hours after transfection,the apoptosis rate significantly differed among the 3 groups (F =83.97,P =0.002).The survivin siRNA group showed a significantly higher apoptosis rate compared with the negative control group and blank control group (both P ＜ 0.05),and there was no significant difference between the negative control group and blank control group (P ＞ 0.05).At 48 hours after transfection,the survivin siRNA group showed a significantly higher proportion of cells at G2/M phase,but lower number of migratory cells and invasive cells compared with the negative control group and blank control group (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Survivin-specific siRNA can inhibit the expression of survivin gene and the proliferation of A431 cells,promote cell apoptosis,and suppress cell migration and invasion,indicating that survivin may serve as a genetic target for the treatment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Effects of turmeric volatile oil combined with cisplatin on the proliferation and apoptosis of a human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cell line A431 and their mechanisms / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To evaluate the effects of turmeric volatile oil (TVO) combined with cisplatin on the proliferation and apoptosis of a human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cell line A431,and to explore their mechanisms.Methods Some cultured A431 cells at exponential growth phase were divided into several groups to be treated with 5,10,20,40 and 80 mg/L TVO,as well as high-glucose Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) containing 1％ dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO,control group),respectively.After 24-hour treatment,cell counting kit 8 (CCK8) assay was performed to estimate the proliferative activity of A431 cells in the above groups.Some other A431 cells were divided into 4 groups:control group treated with high-glucose DMEM containing 1％ DMSO,TVO group treated with 40 mg/LTVO,cisplatin group treated with 10 mg/L cisplatin,and TVO + cisplatin group treated with 40 mg/L TVO and 10 mg/L cisplatin.After 24-hour treatment,CCK8 assay was performed to estimate the cellular proliferative activity,inverted microscopy to observe changes in cell morphology,fluorescence microscopy to detect cell apoptosis after acridine orange (AO)/ethidium bromide (EB) double-staining,colorimetry to evaluate the activity of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9,and Western blot analysis to determine the protein expression of Caspase-3 and p-glycoprotein.Results After 24-hour treatment with 5,10,20,40 and 80 mg/L TVO,the cell proliferation rates were inhibited by (12.83 ± 6.4)％,(16.27 ± 11.4)％,(21.61 ± 9.1)％,(33.11 ± 2.0)％ and (46.00 ± 3.3)％ respectively,and the inhibition rates were all significantly higher in these groups than in the control group (4.03％ ± 1.4％,all P ＜ 0.05).The 50％ inhibitory concentration (IC50) of TVO at 24 hours was (61.66 ± 1.03) mg/L.Compared with the control group,the proliferation inhibition rates significantly increased in the TVO group,cisplatin group and TVO + cisplatin group (all P ＜ 0.05),suggesting that the combination of TVO and cisplatin showed synergistic inhibitory effects with a combination index of 1.366.Moreover,A431 cells turned round to different extents and became apoptotic in the TVO group and cisplatin group,and the TVO + cisplatin group showed obviously decreased number of cells and a large number of cell debris.The TVO + cisplatin group also showed significantly increased activity of Caspase-3 (1.520 ± 0.115) and Caspase-9 (2.760 ± 0.297) as well as protein expression of Caspase-3 (1.482 ± 0.016) compared with the TVO group (Caspase-3 activity:1.117 ± 0.095;Caspase-9 activity:1.259 ± 0.059;Caspase-3 protein expression:1.156 ± 0.006,all P ＜ 0.01) and cisplatin group (Caspase-3 activity:1.381 ± 0.089;Caspase-9 activity:1.829 ± 0.171;Caspase-3 protein expression:1.296 ± 0.021,all P ＜ 0.01),but significantly decreased p-glycoprotein expression (0.528 ± 0.014) compared with the TVO group (1.311 ± 0.011,P ＜ 0.01) and cisplatin group (1.169 ± 0.012,P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion TVO combined with cisplatin can synergistically inhibit the proliferation of A431 cells and induce cell apoptosis,which may be associated with activation of the caspase system and decreased expression of pglycoprotein.

Effect of turmeric volatile oil on proliferation and apoptosis of human skin SCC A431 cells / 中国中药杂志

To investigate the effect of turmeric volatile oil (TVO) on the apoptosis and proliferation of human skin SCC A431 cells, A431 cells were incubated with different concentrations (5-80 mg•L⁻¹) of TVO in vitro．The proliferation and cell cycle were assessed by CCK8 assay. The change of morphology was observed with inverted microscope. Apoptosis was evaluated with AO/EB double staining and flow cytometry (FCM); cell cycle was analyzed with FCM ．Western blot method was used to detect caspase-3 and caspase-9 protein expression. Results indicated that TVO has significant inhibitory effects on the growth of A431 cells in a dose dependent relationship, the difference between groups has statistically significant (P<0.05). TVO group compared with control group, concentrations in cells shrivel and broken phenomenon, cell apoptosis rate increased, and a dose dependent and increased the expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9. The experiment results suggested that TVO could restrain skin squamous carcinoma A431 cells proliferation, and induce its apoptosis. The mechanism may be related to increase the expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9.

Effects of sirolimus and starved culture on autophagy of human A431 cells / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To evaluate effects of sirolimus(a classic autophagy inducer)and starved culture on autophagy of a human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cell line A431. Methods Cultured A431 cells and HeLa (a human cervical carcinoma cell line)cells were both classified into 5 groups to be treated with DMEM alone(control group), 0.1%dimethyl sulfoxide alone(DMSO group), 20 nmol/L sirolimus(20?nmol/L sirolimus group), 80 nmol/L sirolimus(80?nmol/L sirolimus group), and Earle′s balanced salt solution(EBSS group)respectively. After 4?hour treatment, Western blot analysis was performed to measure the expressions of autophagy?related markers microtubule?associated protein 1 light chain 3A/3B (LC3A/B) and recombinant gamma?aminobutyric acid receptor associated protein(GABARAP), and acridine orange staining to determine autophagy levels in these cells. Results As Western blot analysis showed, the ratio of LC3A/B?Ⅱto LC3A/B?Ⅰin A431 cells was similar between the control group and DMSO group(P > 0.05), but significantly higher in the 20?nmol/L sirolimus group, 80?nmol/L sirolimus group and EBSS group than in the control group(all P < 0.05). Western blot results from HeLa cells were similar to those from A431 cells. Bivariate correlation analysis revealed that the protein expression of GABARAP was positively correlated with that of LC3A/B ?Ⅰ in both HeLa cells(r = 0.869, 95% CI: 0.807 - 0.999, P = 0.051)and A431 cells(r = 0.837, 95% CI: -0.173 - 0.989, P = 0.037), but negatively correlated with that of LC3A/B?Ⅱ in both HeLa cells(r = -0.742, 95% CI: -0.982 - 0.406, P = 0.042)and A431 cells(r = - 0.684, 95% CI: -0.977 - 0.500, P = 0.047). Acridine orange staining showed that the percentages of autophagosome?positive A431 cells and HeLa cells were significantly increased in both the 80?nmol/L sirolimus group(23.750% ± 0.260% and 33.307% ± 0.715% respectively)and EBSS group(32.450% ± 0.488% and 66.097% ± 1.141% respectively) compared with the control group(15.987% ± 0.242% and 14.117% ± 0.295%, respectively, all P < 0.05). Conclusion The classic autophagy inducer sirolimus and starved culture can upregulate the autophagy level of A431 cells, and GABARAP may be highly correlated with LC3A/B.

Effects of inhibition of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase expression on proliferation and cell cycle distribution of A431 cells / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To evaluate effects of downregulation of glucose?6?phosphate dehydrogenase(G6PD) expression on proliferation and cell cycle distribution of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma(CSCC)cells. Methods Western blot analysis was performed to measure the protein expression of G6PD in normally cultured human HaCaT keratinocytes, SCL?1 and A431 CSCC cells. When A431 cells grew to 85%-90%confluence, a small interfering RNA (siRNA)targeting G6PD(G6PD?siRNA group)and a negative control siRNA(siRNA control group)were transfected into them separately, and untransfected A431 cells served as the untransfected group. CCK?8 assay was performed to evaluate proliferative activity of the A431 cells on days 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 after transfection, Western blot analysis to measure G6PD, cyclin D1 and CDK4 protein expressions in A431 cells, and flow cytometry to analyze cell cycle distribution in A431 cells after 48 hours of additional culture. Results The protein expression of G6PD was significantly higher in normally cultured SCL?1 cells(0.308 ± 0.023)and A431 cells(0.643 ± 0.046)than in HaCaT cells(0.100 ± 0.019, both P 0.05). Compared with the untransfected group and siRNA control group, the G6PD?siRNA group showed significantly higher proportions of A431 cells in G0/G1 phase(both P < 0.001), but significantly lower proportions of A431 cells in S phase(both P<0.001). Conclusion G6PD may play important roles in the regulation of proliferation and cell cycle distribution of CSCC cells.

Expression of adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter 2 in the tissue and side population of a cell line (A431) of human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and its significance / 中华皮肤科杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the expression of stem cell marker adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette transporter 2 (ABCG2) in the tissue and side population (SP) of a cell line A431 of human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma(SCC).MethodsSP cells were separated by flow cytometry from cultured A431 cells.Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT) assay was used to evaluate the proliferative ability of,reverse transcription-PCR to determine the expression of ABCG2 in,SP and non-SP cells.Immunohistochemistry (MaxVision method) was carried out to detect the expression of ABCG2 protein in tissue specimens from 10 patients with SCC.ResultsSP cells existed in cultured A431 cells,and accounted for about 1.1％ of A431 cells.The SP cells had a stronger growth and colony-forming ability than non-SP cells did.The number of cell clones formed by SP cells and non-SP cells was 114.8 ± 4.95 and 44.5 ± 3.67,respectively,per well in a 24-well plate( t =27.92,P ＜ 0.01 ).The expression level of ABCG2 mRNA was significantly higher in SP cells than in non-SP cells(t =5.22,P＜ 0.01).There existed a small number of ABCG2 positive cells in SCC tissue,and ABCG2 was mainly expressed in the cytoplasm and membrane of tumor cells.ConclusionsSP cells exist in A431 cells,which have characteristics of stem cells and highly express ABCG2.ABCG2 may be a potential stem cell surface marker of SCC.