ABSTRACT
Tumor volume increases continuously in the advanced stage, and aside from the self-renewal of tumor cells, whether the oncogenic transformation of surrounding normal cells is involved in this process is currently unclear. Here, we show that oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) promote the proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of normal epithelial cells but delay their apoptosis. In addition, nuclear-cytoplasmic invaginations and multiple nucleoli are observed in sEV-treated normal cells, both of which are typical characteristics of premalignant lesions of OSCC. Mechanistically, miR-let-7c in OSCC-derived sEVs is transferred to normal epithelial cells, leading to the transcriptional inhibition of p53 and inactivation of the p53/PTEN pathway. In summary, we demonstrate that OSCC-derived sEVs promote the precancerous transformation of normal epithelial cells, in which the miR-let-7c/p53/PTEN pathway plays an important role. Our findings reveal that cancer cells can corrupt normal epithelial cells through sEVs, which provides new insight into the progression of OSCC.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Movement , Cell Proliferation , Cell Transformation, Neoplastic , Down-Regulation , Epithelial Cells/metabolism , Extracellular Vesicles/pathology , Humans , MicroRNAs/metabolism , Mouth Neoplasms/pathology , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/metabolism , Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/metabolismABSTRACT
The purpose of our study is to investigate the prognostic value of phosphatase and tensin homolog on chromosome 10 (PTEN) expression in patients with de novo metastatic castration naïve prostate cancer (mCNPC). A total of 205 patients with mCNPC at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (Shanghai, China) were retrospectively examined. Immunohistochemical staining of PTEN was performed on prostate biopsy samples of these patients. Associations among clinicopathological features, patient survival and PTEN protein expression were analyzed. PTEN loss occurred in 58 of 205 (28.3%) patients. Loss of PTEN was significantly correlated with high metastatic volume (P = 0.017). No association between PTEN expression and Gleason score was observed. Patients with PTEN loss had significantly shorter progression-free survival (PFS, P < 0.001) and overall survival (OS, P < 0.001) compared with patients with intact PTEN expression. Multivariate analysis showed that elevated alkaline phosphatase, high metastatic volume and PTEN loss were independent poor prognostic factors for PFS. The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS)#8805; 2 and PTEN loss were independent poor prognostic factors for OS. The adjusted hazard ratio of PTEN loss for PFS and OS was 1.67 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14-2.43, P = 0.008) and 1.95 (95% CI: 1.23-3.10, P = 0.005), respectively. PTEN loss was also significantly associated with shorter PFS (P = 0.025) and OS (P < 0.001) in patients with low-volume metastatic disease. Our data showed that PTEN loss is an independent predictor for shorter PFS and OS in patients with de novo mCNPC.
Subject(s)
China/epidemiology , Humans , Male , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/genetics , Prognosis , Prostatic Neoplasms , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the the effects of leptin on the proliferation, differentiation and PTEN expression of rat retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) cultured under hypoxic condition.@*METHODS@#SD rat RPCs were cultured in normoxic conditions or exposed to hypoxia in the presence of 0, 0.3, 1.0, 3.0, 10, and 30 nmol/L leptin for 12, 48 and 72 h, and the cell viability was assessed using cell counting kit 8 (CCK 8) assay. The RPCs in primary culture were divided into control group, hypoxia group, and hypoxia+leptin group, and after 48 h of culture, the cell medium was replaced with differentiation medium and the cells were further cultured for 6 days. Immunofluorescence staining was employed to detect the cells positive for β-tubulin III and GFAP, and Western blotting was used to examine the expression of PTEN at 48 h of cell culture.@*RESULTS@#The first generation of RPCs showed suspended growth in the medium with abundant and bright cellular plasma and formed mulberry like cell spheres after 2 days of culture. Treatment with low-dose leptin (below 3.0 nmol/L) for 48 h obviously improved the viability of RPCs cultured in hypoxia, while at high concentrations (above 10 nmol/L), leptin significantly suppressed the cell viability (P < 0.05). The cells treated with 3.0 nmol/L leptin for 48 h showed the highest viability (P < 0.05). After treatment with 3.0 nmol/L leptin for 48 h, the cells with hypoxic exposure showed similar GFAP and β-tubulin Ⅲ positivity with the control cells (P>0.05), but exhibited an obvious down-regulation of PTEN protein expression compared with the control cells (P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#In rat RPCs with hypoxic exposure, treatment with low dose leptin can promote the cell proliferation and suppress cellular PTEN protein expression without causing significant effects on cell differentiation.
Subject(s)
Animals , Cell Differentiation/drug effects , Cell Hypoxia/drug effects , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Cells, Cultured , Leptin/pharmacology , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/metabolism , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Retina/metabolism , Stem Cells/metabolism , TubulinABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the effect of adenovirus-mediated shRNA down-regulating phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) expression on vinculin, filamin A, and cortactin in activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Methods: Activated rats hepatic stellate cell line (HSC-T6) was cultured in vitro. Recombinant adenovirus Ad-shRNA/PTEN carrying PTEN targeted RNA interference sequence [short hairpin RNA (shRNA)] and empty control virus Ad-GFP were transfected into HSCs. The PTEN mRNA and protein expression of HSCs in each group were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot. The expressional change of vinculin, filamin A and cortactin in HSCs of each group were detected by confocal laser scanning immunofluorescence microscope. Image-pro plus 6.0 software was used for image analysis and processing. The integrated optical density (IOD) of the fluorescence protein expression was measured. The experiment was divided into three groups: control group (DMEM instead of adenovirus solution in the adenovirus transfection step), Ad-GFP group (transfected with empty virus Ad-GFP only expressing green fluorescent protein), and Ad-shRNA/PTEN group (recombinant adenovirus Ad-shRNA/PTEN carrying shRNA targeting PTEN and expressing green fluorescent protein). One-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of mean value among the three groups, and LSD-test was used for comparison between the groups. Results: shRNA targeted PTEN was successfully transfected and the expression of PTEN mRNA and protein in HSC (P < 0.05) was significantly down-regulated. HSCs vinculin was mainly expressed in the cytoplasm. HSCs vinculin fluorescence IOD in the Ad-shRNA/PTEN group (19 758.83 ± 1 520.60) was higher than control (7 737.16 ± 279.93) and Ad-GFP group (7 725.50 ± 373.03) (P < 0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference between control group and Ad-GFP group (P > 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the fluorescence IOD of Filamin A among the three groups (P > 0.05), but the subcellular distribution of Filamin A among the three groups were changed. Filamin A in the Ad-shrNA /PTEN HSC group was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm. Filamin A HSC was mainly located in the nucleus.The filamin A HSC in the control group and Ad-GFP group was mainly located in the nucleus. The nucleocytoplasmic ratio of Filamin A in the AD-shrNA /PTEN group (0.60 ± 0.15) was significantly lower than control group (1.20 ± 0.15) and Ad-GFP group (1.08 ± 0.23), P < 0.05. but there was no statistically significant difference in filamin A nucleocytoplasmic ratio of HSC between the control group and the Ad-GFP group (P > 0.05). Cortactin HSCs in the three groups was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm. The cortactin fluorescence IOD of HSCs in the Ad-shRNA/PTEN group was significantly higher than control group (22 959.94 ± 1 710.42) and the Ad-GFP group (22 547.11 ± 1 588.72 ) (P < 0.05), while there was no statistically significant difference in the IOD of cortactin fluorescence in HSCs between the control group and the Ad-GFP group (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The down-regulation of PTEN expression raises the expression of microfilament-binding protein vinculin and cortactin, and changes the subcellular distribution of another microfilament binding protein filamin A, that is, translocation from nucleus to the cytoplasm in activated HSC in vitro.
Subject(s)
Adenoviridae/metabolism , Animals , Carrier Proteins , Cell Proliferation , Cortactin , Filamins/genetics , Hepatic Stellate Cells/metabolism , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/metabolism , RNA, Small Interfering/genetics , Rats , Vinculin/geneticsABSTRACT
Sorafenib (SOR) resistance is still a significant challenge for the effective treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The mechanism of sorafenib resistance remains unclear. Several microRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified as playing a role in impairing the sensitivity of tumor cells to treatment. We examined the mechanism behind the role of miR-92b in mediating sorafenib resistance in HCC cells. We detected that miR-92b expression was significantly upregulated in SOR-resistant HepG2/SOR cells compared to parental HepG2/WT cells. After transfection with miR-92b inhibitor, the proliferation of HepG2/SOR cells was remarkably weakened and rates of apoptosis significantly increased. PTEN was considered to be a functional target of miR-92b according to a luciferase reporter assay. Knockdown of PTEN significantly impaired the ability of miR-92b inhibitor on increasing sorafenib sensitivity of HepG2/SOR cells. Furthermore, we confirmed by western blotting and immunofluorescence that miR-92b can mediate sorafenib resistance by activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in HCC cells by directly targeting PTEN. These findings further validate the mechanism of miR-92b in SOR resistance in HCC treatment.
Subject(s)
Humans , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/drug therapy , Drug Resistance, Neoplasm , MicroRNAs/genetics , Sorafenib/pharmacology , Liver Neoplasms/genetics , Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy , Signal Transduction , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Proliferation , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/genetics , TOR Serine-Threonine KinasesABSTRACT
This study explored the effects of resveratrol(Res) on the expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten(PTEN) and the fibrosis of rat renal tubular epithelial cells in a high-glucose environment and the possible mechanism underlying the fibrosis reduction. After the pretreatment of rat renal tubular epithelial cells(NRK-52 E) cultured in a high-glucose condition with Res or PTEN inhibitor SF1670, they were divided into several groups, i.e., normal glucose(NG), normal glucose + SF1670(NS), high glucose(HG), high glucose + SF1670(HS), high glucose + Res at different concentrations(5, 10, 25 μmol·L~(-1)). The expression and distribution of E-cadherin and α-SMA in renal tubular epithelial cells were observed by immunofluorescence cytochemistry. The protein expression levels of PTEN, E-cadherin, α-SMA, p-Akt~((Thr308)) and collagen Ⅳ were determined by Western blot. Real-time PCR was employed to detect the expression of PTEN mRNA. Compared with the NG group, the HG group witnessed the reduced expression of PTEN mRNA, PTEN protein and E-cadherin protein, but saw the increased expression of α-SMA, p-Akt~((Thr308)) and collagen Ⅳ proteins. Besides, with the increase in Res concentration, the expression levels of PTEN mRNA, PTEN protein and E-cadherin protein gradually increased, while those of α-SMA, collagen Ⅳ, p-Akt~((Thr308)) proteins gradually decreased in the Res groups, showing a dose-effect dependence, compared with the HG group. No distinct difference was found between the NS group and the NG group. The expression level of E-cadherin was even lower and those of α-SMA, p-Akt~((Thr308)), and collagen Ⅳ were higher in the HS group than in the HG group, with no marked difference shown in the two groups in terms of PTEN mRNA and protein. Although the PTEN inhibitor did not affect PTEN, the expression changes of the other proteins were opposite to the results after Res treatment and the fibrosis was aggravated, which suggested that SF1670 promoted the fibrosis by inhibiting PTEN, activating Akt and increasing the synthesis of collagen Ⅳ and other extracellular matrix. The results show that Res can antagonize the high glucose-mediated fibrosis of renal tubular epithelial cells. This may be achieved via the up-regulation of PTEN and the inhibition of PI3 K/Akt signaling pathway.
Subject(s)
Animals , Epithelial Cells , Fibrosis , Glucose , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/genetics , Rats , Resveratrol/pharmacologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNA small molecule RNA host gene 1 (SNHG1) was previously identified to be relevant with Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis. This work aims to further elucidate the regulatory networks of SNHG1 involved in PD. Methods: 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-hydrochloride (MPTP)-induced mice and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+)-treated SH-SY5Y cells were respectively constructed as the in vivo and in vitro PD models. Expression levels of SNHG1 and miR-153-3p were detected by qRT-PCR. Protein expression levels of phosphate and tension homology deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) were measured by western blotting assay. Cell viability and apoptosis were determined by MTT and flow cytometry assays. The interactions among SNHG1, miR-153-3p and PTEN were identified by luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation, and/or RNA pull-down analysis. RESULTS: Increased SNHG1 expression was found in midbrain of MPTP-induced PD mice and MPP+-treated SH-SY5Y cells. Overexpression of SNHG1 lowered viability and enhanced apoptosis in MPP+-treated SH-SY5Y cells. Moreover, SNHG1 acted as a molecular sponge to inhibit the expression of miR-153-3p. Furthermore, miR-153-3p-mediated suppression of MPP+-induced cytotoxicity was abated following SNHG1 up-regulation. Additionally, PTEN was identified as a direct target of miR-153-3p, and SNHG1 could serve as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) of miR-153-3p to improve the expression of PTEN. Besides, enforced expression of PTEN displayed the similar functions as SNHG1 overexpression in regulating the viability and apoptosis of MPP+-treated SH-SY5Y cells. Finally, SNHG1 was found to activate PTEN/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in SH-SY5Y cells by targeting miR-153-3p. CONCLUSION: SNHG1 aggravates MPP+-induced cellular toxicity in SH-SY5Y cells by regulating PTEN/AKT/mTOR signaling via sponging miR-153-3p, indicating the potential of SNHG1 as a promising therapeutic target for PD.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Mice , Parkinson Disease/metabolism , 1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium/toxicity , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/metabolism , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism , TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism , RNA, Long Noncoding/metabolism , Parkinson Disease/genetics , Transfection , Signal Transduction , Cells, Cultured , Gene Expression Regulation , Blotting, Western , Apoptosis , MicroRNAs , Disease Models, Animal , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics , Mice, Inbred C57BLABSTRACT
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common primary malignant tumors of the liver worldwide. Liver resection and transplantation are currently the only effective treatments; however, recurrence and metastasis rates are still high. Previous studies have shown that the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key step in HCC invasion and metastasis. Inhibition of EMT has become a new therapeutic strategy for tumors. Recently, puerarin, a well-characterized component of traditional Chinese medicine, has been isolated from Pueraria radix and exerts positive effects on many diseases, particularly cancers. In this study, CCK-8, EdU immunofluorescence, colony formation, wound healing, and migration assays were used to detect the effects of puerarin on HCC cells. We further analyzed the relationship between puerarin and miR-21/PTEN/EMT markers in HCC cell lines. Our results showed that HCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, tumor formation, and metastasis were reduced by puerarin in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, puerarin inhibited the EMT process of HCC by affecting the expression of Slug and Snail. Moreover, oncogenic miR-21 was inhibited by puerarin, coupled with an increase in the tumor suppressor gene PTEN. Increasing miR-21 expression or decreasing PTEN expression reversed the inhibition effects of puerarin in HCC. These data confirmed that puerarin affects HCC through the miR-21/PTEN/EMT regulatory axis. Overall, puerarin may represent a chemopreventive and/or chemotherapeutic agent for HCC treatment.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/drug therapy , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/genetics , Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition/drug effects , Isoflavones/therapeutic use , Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Pyrroles , Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics , MicroRNAs/genetics , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Cell Proliferation/genetics , Disease Models, Animal , Isoflavones/pharmacology , Liver Neoplasms/genetics , Neoplasm Invasiveness , Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Reperfusion strategies in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) can cause a series of additional clinical damage, defined as myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, and thus there is a need for effective therapeutic methods to attenuate I/R injury. miR-26a-5p has been proven to be an essential regulator for biological processes in different cell types. Nevertheless, the role of miR-26a-5p in myocardial I/R injury has not yet been reported. We established an I/R injury model in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, we used cardiomyocytes to simulate I/R injury using hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) assay. In vivo, we used C57BL/6 mice to construct I/R injury model. The infarct area was examined by TTC staining. The level of miR-26a-5p and PTEN was determined by bioinformatics methods, qRT-PCR, and western blot. In addition, the viability and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes were separately detected by MTT and flow cytometry. The targeting relationship between miR-26a-5p and PTEN was analyzed by the TargetScan website and luciferase reporter assay. I/R and H/R treatment induced myocardial tissue injury and cardiomyocyte apoptosis, respectively. The results showed that miR-26a-5p was down-regulated in myocardial I/R injury. PTEN was found to be a direct target of miR-26a-5p. Furthermore, miR-26a-5p effectively improved viability and inhibited apoptosis in cardiomyocytes upon I/R injury by inhibiting PTEN expression to activate the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. miR-26a-5p could protect cardiomyocytes against I/R injury by regulating the PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway, which offers a potential approach for myocardial I/R injury treatment.
Subject(s)
Animals , Rabbits , Myocardial Reperfusion Injury/metabolism , Myocardial Ischemia/metabolism , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism , Myocytes, Cardiac/pathology , MicroRNAs/metabolism , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/metabolism , Signal Transduction , Blotting, Western , Disease Models, Animal , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , Flow Cytometry , Mice, Inbred C57BLABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate if microRNA (miR) -23a knockdown could attenuate angiotensin Ⅱ(AngⅡ) induced cardiac hypertrophy by activating phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten(PTEN) and AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK) pathway. Methods: Rat H9c2 cells were cultured in DMEM high glucose medium and put in 5% CO(2) incubator at 37 ℃(normal group). After 48 hours of culture, H9c2 cells were stimulated with 10 nmol/L AngⅡ to establish cell hypertrophy model (AngⅡgroup). The H9c2 cells were inoculated in a 6-well cell culture plate and cultured in an incubator at 37 ℃. When the confluence degree of cell growth was about 70%, the cells were transfected with different reagents, and 24 hours after transfection, 10 nmol/L AngⅡ was used to interfere with the cells. The H9c2 cells were divided into different groups according to the reagents, namely AngⅡ+anti-miR group(transfected with miR-23a inhibitor), Ang Ⅱ+NC group(transfected with miR-23a inhibitor negative control), Ang Ⅱ+anti-miR+si-PTEN group(cotransfected with miR-23a inhibitor and PTEN small interference RNA(siRNA)), and AngⅡ+anti-miR+si-NC group(cotransfected with miR-23a inhibitor and PTEN siRNA negative control). The surface area of single cell was measured by Image J software.The mRNA expression levels of α-actin 1 (ACTA1) and β-myosin heavy chain (β-MHC) and miR-23a were detected by quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR). The expression levels of PTEN and AMPK signal pathway related proteins were detected by Western blot. In order to verify whether miR-23a targets PTEN gene, double luciferase reporter gene experiment was performed. The luciferase reporter gene vector recombinant plasmids of wild type pGL-WT-PTEN and mutant pGL-MUT-PTEN were constructed and prepared after normal sequencing. H9c2 cells was inoculated into 24-well cell culture plate and cultured overnight in 37 ℃ incubator. The cells were co-transfected with miR-23a mimic or miR-23a mimic negative control and wild type or mutant reporter gene recombinant plasmid. Forty-eight hours after transfection, firefly luciferase activity and sea kidney luciferase activity were measured, and the ratio of them was recorded as relative luciferase activity. Results: Compared with the normal group, the cell surface area, the mRNA expression levels of ACTA1, β-MHC and miR-23a were significantly higher, while the protein expression levels of PTEN and p-AMPK were significantly lower in the Ang Ⅱ group(all P<0.05). The results of double luciferase reporter gene assay showed that the relative luciferase activity of cells co-transfected with miR-23a mimic and wild-type reporter gene recombinant plasmid was lower than that of miR-23a mimic negative control (P<0.05), and PTEN served as the target gene of miR-23a. In AngⅡ+anti-miR group the mRNA expression levels of miR-23a, ACTA1 and β-MHC were lower, and the cell surface area was smaller, while the protein expression levels of PTEN and p-AMPK were higher than that in AngⅡ group and AngⅡ+NC group(all P<0.05). Compared with AngⅡ+anti-miR group, the cell surface area was bigger, the expression of ACTA1 and β-MHC mRNA was up-regulated, and the protein expression levels of PTEN and p-AMPK were down-regulated in Ang Ⅱ+anti-miR+si-PTEN group(all P<0.05). Conclusion: Inhibition of miR-23a can attenuate Ang Ⅱ-induced hypertrophy in H9c2 cells through targeting PTEN and activating AMPK signaling pathway.
Subject(s)
AMP-Activated Protein Kinases , Angiotensin II , Animals , Cardiomegaly , Cell Line , Cell Proliferation , MicroRNAs/genetics , PTEN Phosphohydrolase , Rats , Signal TransductionABSTRACT
El glioblastoma multiforme es el subtipo de gliomas más frecuente en adultos, con una pobre sobrevida promedio posterior al diagnóstico incluso si se aplica el tratamiento óptimo. Se ha estudiado marcadores tumorales de buen pronóstico, siendo controversial la expresión del homólogo de fosfatasa y tensina. Se estudió muestras parafinadas obtenidas de pacientes con glioblastoma multiforme en el Hospital Carlos Van Buren de Valparaíso, Chile, entre 2010 y 2014. Se realizó análisis inmunohistoquímico para expresión de homólogo de fosfatasa y tensina, estudiándose la intensidad y el patrón de expresión en astrocitos y células epiteliales, además de revisión de datos clínicos. Análisis estadístico utilizando SPSS v20. Se estudió la expresión de PTEN en 21 pacientes. Un 52,4 % presentó una baja expresión en núcleos de astrocitos, con un promedio de sobrevida de 14,2 meses comparado con 10,2 meses del grupo con alta expresión (p=0,33). Se encontró una intensa expresión endotelial en tejido tumoral, comparado con tejido cerebral sin tumor. Se encontró una relación entre la expresión nuclear en astrocitos con diferencias en el tiempo de sobrevida, aunque no estadísticamente significativa, requiriéndose nuevos estudios para corroborarlo. La intensa expresión endotelial observada en tejido tumoral debe ser analizada de forma dirigida.
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most frequent glioma subtype in adults, with poor survival rate after diagnosis even applying the optimal treatment. Tumoural markers have been studied looking for good prognosis, being the phosphatase and tensin homologue controversial. Paraffined samples were used from Carlos Van Buren Hospital in Valparaíso, Chile, between 2010 and 2014. An immunohistochemical analysis was performed looking for phosphatase and tensing homologue expression, studying the intensity and expression pattern in astrocytes and epithelial cells, in addition to clinical data. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v20. It was studied the phosphatase and tensin homologue expression in 21 patients. In the study, 52,4 % presented low expression in astrocytic glial cell nuclei, with a survival mean of 14.2 months in comparison to 10.2 months in the high expression group (p=0.33). A very intense endothelial expression was found in tumoural tissue, in comparison to the tissue without tumor. A relation between nuclear expression in astrocytes and survival rate was found, although no statistically significant. The intense endothelial expression seen in tumoural tissue must be studied directly.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Middle Aged , Aged , Young Adult , Brain Neoplasms/metabolism , Glioblastoma/metabolism , Immunohistochemistry , Survival Analysis , Astrocytes/metabolism , Retrospective Studies , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/metabolismABSTRACT
Experiments were conducted to determine if the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) receptor binding inhibitor (FRBI) impacts the expression levels of AT-rich interactive domain-containing protein 1A (ARID1A) and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in ovaries and blood, as well as expressions of follicle-stimulating hormone cognate receptor (FSHR) gene and proteins. Mice in FRBI-10, FRBI-20, FRBI-30, and FRBI-40 groups were intramuscularly injected with 10, 20, 30, and 40 mg FRBI/kg, respectively, for five consecutive days. Western blotting and qRT-PCR were utilized to determine expression levels of ARID1A and PTEN proteins and mRNAs. Serum ARID1A and PTEN concentrations of the FRBI-40 group were higher than the control group (CG) and FSH group (P<0.05). FSHR mRNA levels of FRBI-20, FRBI-30, and FRBI-40 groups were lower than that of CG and FSH groups on day 15 (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Expression levels of FSHR proteins of FRBI-30 and FRBI-40 groups were lower than those of CG and FSH groups (P<0.05). Levels of ARID1A and PTEN proteins of the FRBI-30 group were greater than CG on days 20 and 30 (P<0.05). FRBI doses had significant positive correlations to levels of ARID1A and PTEN proteins. Additionally, ARID1A and PTEN had negative correlations to FSHR mRNAs and proteins. A high dose of FRBI could promote the expression levels of ARID1A and PTEN proteins in ovarian tissues. FRBI increased serum concentrations of ARID1A and PTEN. However, FRBI depressed expression levels of FSHR mRNAs and proteins in mouse ovaries.
Subject(s)
Animals , Female , Rabbits , Ovarian Neoplasms/metabolism , Receptors, FSH/antagonists & inhibitors , Nuclear Proteins/blood , DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/blood , Follicle Stimulating Hormone/metabolism , Phosphorylation , Transcription Factors , Nuclear Proteins/metabolism , Transcriptional Activation/genetics , Up-Regulation , Blotting, Western , DNA-Binding Proteins/blood , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/metabolism , Real-Time Polymerase Chain ReactionABSTRACT
PTEN is the most commonly inactivated tumor suppressor gene in primary prostate cancer (PCa) and its loss is associated with poor clinical outcomes. ERG rearrangement is a genomic alteration frequently found in PCa and its prognostic significance has yielded mixed results. Although the association of PTEN and ERG biomarkers has potential impact on clinical outcomes, studies examining the two genes simultaneously are scarce in Brazilian populations. In this study, we retrospectively examined the relationship between ERG expression and PTEN loss in 119 surgically treated prostate cancer patients from Northeastern Brazil through immunohistochemical analysis. ERG expression was found in 41.0% (48/117) of cases and the loss of PTEN detected in 38.1% (40/105) of samples. ERG-positive cases were significantly associated with lower prostate weight; ERG negatively correlated with Gleason score above 6. The lack of associations for PTEN loss alone in this cohort is counter to the literature, which shows that PTEN loss is usually associated with more aggressive disease. The overlapping of the two biomarkers revealed that samples with positive ERG expression without PTEN loss were associated with lower Gleason and lower Grade group. This study contributes with the discussion about the development of the molecular profiling of prostate cancer. The further development of similar studies could help in stratifying specific risk groups, leading to a more personalized therapeutic decision for prostate cancer treatment.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Prostatic Neoplasms/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/metabolism , Prognosis , Prostatic Neoplasms/surgery , Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology , Immunohistochemistry , Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics , Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism , Biomarkers, Tumor/blood , Prevalence , Retrospective Studies , Cohort Studies , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/genetics , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/blood , Neoplasm Grading , Transcriptional Regulator ERG/genetics , Transcriptional Regulator ERG/metabolism , Transcriptional Regulator ERG/bloodABSTRACT
Background: PTEN loss is observed in 2030% of prostate cancers and is associated with a poor outcome, but clinical details of the impact of this biomarker are unclear for intermediate grade tumors. Methods: We investigated 43 radical prostatectomy-derived grade 7 prostate tumors from the Clinics Hospital of Ribeirão Preto. Tissue microarray (TMA) blocks were constructed and PTEN copy number status was determined for all patients through fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). To determine the presence of PTEN protein loss in our study cohort, we performed immunohistochemistry (IHC) in TMA sections. We then developed an automated algorithm in HALO™ to identify regions of PTEN protein loss in whole prostate scanned sections from ten patients with known PTEN deletion status by FISH. Clinical analyses were conducted to determine the associations between PTEN loss and patient outcome. All statistical analyses were conducted in R v3.4.3 with P-values below 0.05 being considered statistically significant. Results: In this study of 43 grade 7 tumors, we found PTEN deletions by FISH in 18.9% of tumors, and PTEN protein loss by IHC in 16.3% of tumors. Both techniques were highly concordant and complementary. Clinical analysis demonstrated that PTEN deletion by FISH was significantly associated with positive margin invasion (P = 0.04) and Gleason score upgrade (P = 0.001). Digital image analysis of ten representative tumors demonstrated distinct intratumoral heterogeneity for PTEN protein loss in four tumors. Conclusions: This study shows that PTEN loss in Gleason grade 7 tumors can be heterogeneous and that a systematic analysis of this biomarker using a combination of FISH, IHC, and digital imaging may identify patients with a greater risk of poor outcome (AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/metabolism , Prognosis , Prostatectomy , Prostatic Neoplasms/genetics , Immunohistochemistry , Biomarkers, Tumor , Cohort Studies , In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence , Genetic Heterogeneity , Neoplasm GradingABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive and mostly incurable hematological malignancy with frequent relapses after an initial response to standard chemotherapy. Therefore, novel therapies are urgently required to improve AML clinical outcomes. 4-Amino-2-trifluoromethyl-phenyl retinate (ATPR), a novel all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) derivative designed and synthesized by our team, has been proven to show biological anti-tumor characteristics in our previous studies. However, its potential effect on leukemia remains unknown. The present research aims to investigate the underlying mechanism of treating leukemia with ATPR in vitro. METHODS: In this study, the AML cell lines NB4 and THP-1 were treated with ATPR. Cell proliferation was analyzed by the CCK-8 assay. Flow cytometry was used to measure the cell cycle distribution and cell differentiation. The expression levels of cell cycle and differentiation-related proteins were detected by western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. The NBT reduction assay was used to detect cell differentiation. RESULTS: ATPR inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell differentiation and arrested the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase. Moreover, ATPR treatment induced a time-dependent release of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Additionally, the PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway was downregulated 24 h after ATPR treatment, which might account for the anti-AML effects of ATPR that result from the ROS-mediated regulation of the PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations could help to develop new drugs targeting the ROS/PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway for the treatment of AML.
Subject(s)
Humans , Retinoids/pharmacology , Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism , Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology , Fluoroimmunoassay , Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute , Signal Transduction , Down-Regulation , Cell Differentiation/drug effects , Cell Survival/drug effects , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/drug effects , PTEN Phosphohydrolase/metabolism , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/drug effects , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolismABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Jab1 is a coactivator of c-Jun that enhances the transcriptional function of c-Jun. Jab1 is frequently overexpressed in various cancers and is associatedwith poor prognosis of cancer patients. Thus, Jab1 could be a potential therapeutic target in cancer. However, the role of Jab1 in biliary tract cancer (BTC) has not been studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed in vitro and in vivo experiments to evaluate the therapeutic potential ofJab1 inhibition in BTC. RESULTS: Among 8 BTC cell lines, many showed higher Jab1 expression levels. In addition, Jab1 silencing by siRNA increased p27 expression levels. SNU478 and HuCCT-1 cells exhibited profound Jab1 knockdown and increased p27 expression by Jab1-specific siRNA transfection. Jab1 silencing induced anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effects and resulted in G1 cell cycle arrest in SNU478 and HuCCT-1 cells. In addition, Jab1 silencing potentiated the anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effects of cisplatin by increasing DNA damage. Interestingly,Jab1 knockdown increased PTEN protein half-life, resulting in increased PTEN expression. In the HuCCT-1 mouse xenograft model, stable knockdown of Jab1 by shRNA also showed anti-proliferative effects in vivo, with decreased Ki-67 expression and AKT phosphorylation and increased Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase–mediated dUTP nick end labeling and p27 expression. CONCLUSION: Jab1 knockdown demonstrated anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effects in BTC cells by increasing DNA damage and stabilizing PTEN, resulting in G1 cell cycle arrest. In addition, Jab1 silencing potentiated the anti-proliferative effects of cisplatin. Our data suggest that Jab1 may be a potential therapeutic target in BTC that is worthy of further investigations.
Subject(s)
Animals , Biliary Tract Neoplasms , Biliary Tract , Cell Line , Cisplatin , DNA Damage , G1 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints , Half-Life , Heterografts , Humans , In Vitro Techniques , Mice , Phosphorylation , Prognosis , PTEN Phosphohydrolase , RNA, Small Interfering , TransfectionABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of Bmi-1 gene silence on the proliferation ability of K562 cells in vitro and in vivo, and to explore the relation of molecular mechanism between proliferation ability of K562 cells in vitro and in vivo with PTEN/pAKT signaling pathway.@*METHODS@#The Bmi-1 small interference RNA (siRNA) sequences were transfected into K562 cells for decreasing Bmi-1 expression. The effect of Bmi-1 siRNA on the proliferation of K562 cells in vitro and in vivo was detected by MTT method and colony-forming test, the effect of Bmi-1 siRNA on the tumorogenicity of K562 cells was observed by subcutaneous inoculation of K562 cells, LY294002 and Bpv treated K562 cells in nude mice, the expression of Bmi-1, PTEN and pAKT proteins were detected by Western blot.@*RESULTS@#The Bmi-1 siRNA could inhibit the proliferation activity, colony-forming and tumor-forming abilities of K562 cells. After the silence of Bmi-1 gene, the PTEN expression in Bmi-1 gene-silenced group was significantly enhanced. While the pAKT expression in Bmi-1 gene-silenced group was significantly reduced; after the K562 cells were treated with LY294002 (an inhibitor of pAKT), the pAKT expression colony-forming and tumor forming abilities were reduced in comparison with untreated K562 cells; after the K562-S1 cells were treated with Bpv (an inhibitor of PTEN), the PTEN expression decreased, while the pAKT expression, colony forming and tumor-forming abilities were restored.@*CONCLUSION@#The Bmi-1 gene possibly involves in regulation of K562 proliferation in vivo and in vitro, the effect of PTEN/pAKT signaling pathway maybe one of molecular mechanisms mediating this regulation.
Subject(s)
Animals , Apoptosis , Cell Proliferation , Humans , K562 Cells , Leukemia , Mice , Mice, Nude , PTEN Phosphohydrolase , Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt , RNA, Small Interfering , Signal TransductionABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the relationship of PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway protein expression with apoptosis and drug-resistance of children's ALL primary cells treated with daunorubicin (DNR).@*METHODS@#The bone marrow mononuclear cells in newly diagnosed and untreated B-ALL children were collected and cultured. After the treatment of primary-cultured cells with DNR of final concentration 0.5 mg/L for 24 h, the cell apoptosis rate was detected by using cell apoptosis assay kit; the samples were collected at the on test of culture and after drug treatment, then expression levels of PTEN, PI3K and AKT proteins were detected by Western blot, moreover the interindex correlation was analyzed.@*RESULTS@#After DNR treatment, the apoptosis rate in PTEN low expression group was lower than that in PTEN high expression group (P＜0.05), showing high positive correlation of the cell apoptosis rate with the expression of PTEN before DNR treatment; the cell apoptosis rate in PI3K and AKT low expression group was higher than that in PI3K and AKT high expression group (P＜0.01); however, the expression of PI3K and AKT proteins was down-regulated after treatment with DNR (P＜0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#The difference of PTEN expression is present in primary cells of B-ALL children, however the change of PTEN expression is not significant after DNR treatment, suggesting that the PTEN expression correlates with DNR-resistance. The DNR can induce the apoptosis of childrens B-ALL primary cells by down-regulating the expression of PI3K and AKT signaling pathway proteins.
Subject(s)
Apoptosis , Child , Daunorubicin , Humans , PTEN Phosphohydrolase , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt , Signal TransductionABSTRACT
The inhibitory environment that surrounds the lesion site and the lack of intrinsic regenerative capacity of the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS) impede the regrowth of injured axons and thereby the reestablishment of neural circuits required for functional recovery after spinal cord injuries (SCI). To circumvent these barriers, biomaterial scaffolds are applied to bridge the lesion gaps for the regrowing axons to follow, and, often by combining stem cell transplantation, to enable the local environment in the growth-supportive direction. Manipulations, such as the modulation of PTEN/mTOR pathways, can also enhance intrinsic CNS axon regrowth after injury. Given the complex pathophysiology of SCI, combining biomaterial scaffolds and genetic manipulation may provide synergistic effects and promote maximal axonal regrowth. Future directions will primarily focus on the translatability of these approaches and promote therapeutic avenues toward the functional rehabilitation of patients with SCIs.
Subject(s)
Animals , Axons , Physiology , Biocompatible Materials , Genetic Enhancement , Methods , Humans , Nerve Regeneration , PTEN Phosphohydrolase , Metabolism , Recovery of Function , Spinal Cord Injuries , Tissue Engineering , Methods , Tissue ScaffoldsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the biological characteristics of ABCG2 and its effect on side population cells (SP cells) of multiple myeloma (MM) so as to find the way for reversing drug resistance.@*METHODS@#The silence of ABCG2 expression was performed throngh interfering the MM cells by using siRNA. then the ratio of SP cell of MM, speed of cell proliferation and sensitivity of cells to chermotherapentic drugs before and after interference were compared, the biological functions of ABCG2 and its role in regulation of SP cells and PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was clarified.@*RESULTS@#siRNA interference could down regulate the expression of ABCG2 at both mRNA and protein level. After siRNA interference, the proliferation of multiple myeloma cells was decreased slightly, the expression of PTEN was increased, the activity of PI3K/AKT pathway was inhibited, and the ratio of SP cells was decreased.@*CONCLUSION@#In multiple myeloma, down-regulation of expression ABCG2 can negatively regulate the expression of PTEN, the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway is inhibited,the ratio of SP decreased,and the response to drug is increased.