ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of death for women worldwide. The present study aims to investigate the role of G protein-coupled receptor 137 (GPR137) in the biological activities of ovarian cancer cells. METHODS: (QUERY: Please supply Methods for Abstract) RESULTS: G protein-coupled receptor 137 was highly expressed in clinical ovarian cancer tissues and exhibited the highest protein levels in SKOV3 cells and OVCAR3 cells. Knockdown of GPR137 caused significant decreases in cell proliferative rates and colony formation abilities in SKOV3 cells and OVCAR3 cells and also inhibited the in vivo tumorigenesis in a xenograft model. It was observed that knockdown of GPR137 inhibited cell motility by up to 40% in SKOV3 cells and approximately 65% in OVCAR3 cells in wound-healing assay. Cell migration abilities were consistently inhibited by 68.2% in SKOV3 cells and 59.3% in OVCAR3 cells, whereas cell invasion abilities were inhibited by 64.0% and 74.2% in SKOV3 and OVCAR3 cells, respectively, after knockdown of GPR137. When GPR137 was depleted, epithelial markers were increased, while mesenchymal markers decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that GPR137 plays pro-oncogenic roles in ovarian cancer via regulation of the PI3K/AKT pathway. These observations might pave new insights into therapeutic strategies against human ovarian cancer.
Subject(s)
Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism , Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous/secondary , Ovarian Neoplasms/pathology , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism , Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/metabolism , Apoptosis , Case-Control Studies , Cell Movement , Cell Proliferation , Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous/metabolism , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Humans , Ovarian Neoplasms/metabolism , Prognosis , Signal Transduction , Tumor Cells, CulturedABSTRACT
Aloesin is an active constituent of the herb aloe vera and plays a crucial role in anti-inflammatory activity, ultraviolet protection, and antibacterium. We investigated the role and possible mechanisms of aloesin in the cell growth and metastasis of ovarian cancer. It was found that aloesin inhibited cell viability and cell clonality in a dose-dependent manner. It arrests the cell cycle at the S-phase and induced apoptosis in SKOV3 cells. In an in vivo experiment, it was observed that aloesin inhibited tumor growth. Moreover, it inhibited migration and invasion of cancer in SKOV3 cells. Interestingly, members from the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling family became less phosphorylated as the aloesin dose increased. This suggests that aloesin exerts its anticancer effect through the MAPK signaling pathway. Our data also highlights the possibility of using aloesin as a novel therapeutic drug for ovarian cancer treatment.
Subject(s)
Chromones/pharmacology , Glucosides/pharmacology , MAP Kinase Signaling System/drug effects , Ovarian Neoplasms/enzymology , Ovarian Neoplasms/pathology , Animals , Apoptosis/drug effects , Cell Cycle Checkpoints/drug effects , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Movement/drug effects , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Female , Humans , Mice, Nude , Neoplasm Invasiveness , Neoplasm Metastasis , Phosphorylation/drug effects , Time Factors , Xenograft Model Antitumor AssaysABSTRACT
Ovarian cancer is one of the three most common gynecological malignant tumors worldwide. The prognosis of patients suffering from this malignancy remains poor because of limited therapeutic strategies. Herein, we investigated the role of a long noncoding RNA named MIR4697 host gene (MIR4697HG) in the cell growth and metastasis of ovarian cancer. Results showed that the transcriptional level of MIR4697HG in cancerous tissues increased twofold compared with that in adjacent noncancerous tissues. MIR4697HG was differentially expressed in ovarian cancer cell lines, with the highest levels in OVCAR3 and SKOV3 cells. MIR4697HG knockdown by specific shRNA significantly inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation in both OVCAR3 and SKOC3 cells. Consistently, in a xenograft model of ovarian cancer, MIR4697HG depletion also significantly restricted tumor volumes and weights. Furthermore, MIR4697HG knockdown inhibited cell migration and invasion capacities. Invasion ability was inhibited by 58% in SKOV3 cells and 40% in OVCAR3 cells, and migration ability was inhibited by 73% in SKOV3 cells and 62% in OVCAR3 cells after MIR4697HG knockdown. MIR4697HG knockdown also caused a decrease in matrix metalloprotease-9, phosphorylated ERK, and phosphorylated AKT. These data suggested that MIR4697HG promoted ovarian cancer growth and metastasis. The aggressive role of MIR4697HG in ovarian cancer may be related to the ERK and AKT signaling pathways.
Subject(s)
Ovarian Neoplasms/genetics , Ovarian Neoplasms/pathology , RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics , Animals , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Movement/genetics , Cell Proliferation/genetics , Female , Gene Knockdown Techniques , Heterografts , Humans , MAP Kinase Signaling System , Matrix Metalloproteinase 9/metabolism , Mice , Mice, Nude , Neoplasm Invasiveness/genetics , Neoplasm Metastasis/genetics , Ovarian Neoplasms/metabolism , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism , RNA, Long Noncoding/metabolism , RNA, Neoplasm/genetics , RNA, Neoplasm/metabolism , Signal Transduction , Tumor Stem Cell Assay , Up-RegulationABSTRACT
Phthalates are ubiquitous environmental pollutants because of the broad use of plastics. We conducted a case-control study to determine whether uterine leiomyomata were related to exposure to phthalates. Urine specimens and questionnaires were collected from 61 cases and 61 age-matched controls. Nine phthalate monoesters were determined by ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectroscopy. Cases had significantly higher levels of creatinine-adjusted mono-iso-butyl phthalate (MiBP), mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), mono-2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl phthalate, mono-2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl phthalate (MEHHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (MECPP), total di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate metabolites (∑DEHPmet), and total dibutyl phthalate metabolites (∑DBP(met)) than controls. After adjusting for potential confounders, logistic regression analyses demonstrated that leiomyomata were positively associated with MiBP, MnBP, MEHP, MEHHP, MECPP, ∑DEHP(met), and ∑DBP(met). In summary, our data support the hypothesis that uterine leiomyomata are related to phthalate exposure.
