奥利司他逆转肺腺癌A549/DDP细胞株顺铂耐药及机制研究

本研究的目的是观察奥利司他(Orlistat)逆转肺腺癌耐顺铂细胞株A549/DDP的耐药作用并考察其可能的分子机制。应用CCK-8法检测并计算肺腺癌耐药细胞株A549/DDP对顺铂(cisplatin, DDP)的耐药指数(resistance index, RI),筛选奥利司他的最佳实验浓度并观察其对A549/DDP细胞的耐药逆转效果;倒置荧光显微镜下观察各实验组细胞的形态学变化及Hoechst 33258荧光染色后细胞凋亡形态学改变;采用流式细胞术检测不同药物处理对细胞凋亡率的影响;Western blotting检测各实验组细胞P-gp、FASN、PI3K、Akt、p-Akt、NF-κB、Bcl-2和cleved-caspase-3的表达情况。结果显示,奥利司他抑制了A549/DDP耐药细胞株的增殖,且具有浓度依赖性。奥利司他与DDP联用增加了耐药株A549/DDP细胞对DDP的敏感性,耐药逆转倍数为5.02。倒置荧光显微镜观察到联合用药组细胞出现了明显的凋亡形态学改变。流式细胞术结果表明,与对照组和单药组比较,两种药物联用后细胞的凋亡率显著提高(p0.05)。Western blotting检测结果显示,相较于其它3组,联合用药组中耐药相关蛋白P-gp表达下调(p0.01),PI3K、p-Akt、NF-κB表达水平均显著降低(p0.01),抗凋亡蛋白Bcl-2表达下降(p0.01),凋亡相关蛋白cleved-caspase-3表达上调(p0.01);虽然FASN的表达在单用奥利司他组及联合用药组中均降低,但这两组间的FASN表达水平并无统计学差异。以上结果表明,奥利司他能够提高A549/DDP耐药细胞株对化疗药物DDP的敏感性,具有逆转肺腺癌细胞耐药性的作用,其机制与降低耐药蛋白P-gp的表达、抑制PI3K/Akt/NF-κB信号通路以及其下游凋亡相关蛋白有关。     

间质表皮转化因子通过PI3K/AKT/MMPs信号通路促进肺腺癌细胞的侵袭转移

间质表皮转化因子（mesenchymal to epithelial transition factor,MET）在多种癌症中异常表达,影响肿瘤的发生发展,但MET影响肺腺癌的分子机制并不明确。本研究收集3例淋巴结转移的肺腺癌组织（lung adenocarcinoma tissues,LAD）和3例无淋巴结转移的肺腺癌组织,用于微阵列基因芯片分析。结果显示,与无淋巴结转移的肺腺癌组织相比,有淋巴结转移的肺腺癌组织中有1 314条mRNAs表达上调,400条mRNAs表达下调。其中,MET在有淋巴结转移的肺腺癌组织中表达显著升高。随机选取8个差异表达基因,对收集的潍坊医学院附属医院2014年2月至2017年2月间有淋巴结转移的肺腺癌组织和无淋巴结转移的肺腺癌组织各30例通过qRT -PCR实验进行微阵列基因芯片验证。结果显示,所选mRNAs的表达与微阵列结果一致,验证了微阵列基因芯片结果的准确性。通过Western 印迹进一步检测MET的表达。结果显示,相较于正常肺上皮细胞,肺腺癌细胞中MET的表达显著升高。利用质粒转染,敲减肺腺癌细胞A549中的MET,Transwell侵袭实验结果显示,敲减MET后肺腺癌细胞的侵袭能力明显降低;对各细胞组进行EGF（epidermal growth factor）处理并检测PI3K/AKT/MMPs信号通路,Western 印迹检测结果显示,敲减MET后,肺腺癌细胞中基质金属蛋白酶-2（matrix metalloproteinase 2,MMP-2）和MMP-9的表达显著下降, AKT的磷酸化水平也显著下降。上述结果表明,MET可通过激活PI3K/AKT信号通路进而增加MMPs的表达促进肺腺癌的侵袭转移。     

小鼠不同细胞间组蛋白修饰变化对MafA基因转录表达的影响

目的通过比较不同细胞类型之间MafA基因转录起始区的组蛋白修饰差异,探讨组蛋白修饰对MafA基因转录表达的作用。方法采用染色质免疫共沉淀-实时定量PCR法检测小鼠胰岛素瘤β细胞（NIT-1）、NIH小鼠成纤维细胞（NIH3T3）及小鼠胚胎干细胞（mES）三者中的MafA和MLH1基因转录起始区组蛋白修饰（H3K4m3、H3K9m3和H3乙酰化）的状况。同时采用实时定量RT-PCR检测上述三种细胞各基因mRNA表达水平。分析基因的H3K4m3、H3K9m3和H3乙酰化修饰与基因表达之间的相互关系。结果 （1）以mES细胞为参照,NIT-1细胞MafA基因的转录起始区的H3K4m3修饰水平明显增高（P〈0.05）,H3K9m3修饰水平明显降低（P〈0.05）;NIH 3T3细胞MafA基因的转录起始区的H3K9m3修饰水平明显增高（P〈0.05）,H3K4m3修饰水平明显降低（P〈0.05）;（2）MafA基因的仅在NIT-1细胞表达,其表达与H3K4m3修饰存在直线相关（相关系数0.995）;与H3K9m3修饰存在直线负相关（相关系数-0.751）;（3）管家基因MLH1的表达与所检测组蛋白修饰无相关性。结论 H3K9m3与H3K4m3修饰能相互协调,共同调控MafA基因的表达,对胚胎干细胞向β细胞分化具有重要的意义。     

澳洲茄边碱通过Caspase3蛋白诱导人肺腺癌A549细胞的凋亡作用

运用中药龙葵提取物澳洲茄边碱处理人肺腺癌A549细胞,研究其对A549细胞的抑制及凋亡作用,探讨澳洲茄边碱对肺腺癌的作用机制。通过细胞增殖抑制实验检测不同浓度澳洲茄边碱对A549细胞增殖的影响,采用蛋白印迹法(Western blot)检测凋亡蛋白Caspase3的表达水平,采用流式细胞术测定处理后A549细胞的凋亡水平及细胞周期变化。结果显示,不同浓度澳洲茄边碱均能抑制A549的增殖,呈浓度效应;用不同浓度澳洲茄边碱处理A549细胞24h后,Western blot结果显示,随药物浓度增大,凋亡蛋白Caspase3水解程度增高,对A549凋亡作用明显增强;流式细胞术检测细胞凋亡的结果显示,20μmol·L-1澳洲茄边碱处理A549细胞后,细胞发生明显凋亡,其中早期凋亡细胞比例为25.35%,晚期凋亡细胞比例为11.47%;流式细胞术检测细胞周期的结果显示,20μmol·L-1澳洲茄边碱处理A549细胞后,细胞周期阻滞于G2/M期。本研究结果表明,澳洲茄边碱通过激活细胞凋亡通路中的Caspase3蛋白触发细胞凋亡,同时将A549细胞阻滞在细胞周期的G2/M期,抑制人肺腺癌细胞A549的生长。     

MiR-338-3p靶向调控B3GNT3抑制肺腺癌的侵袭和转移

肺腺癌是目前肺癌最常见的组织学亚型,约占肺肿瘤的一半。MicroRNAs(miRNAs)是非常短(20～24个核苷酸)的非编码RNA,miRNA的异常表达与多种人类肿瘤的进展和转移有关。本研究通过GEO数据集GSE19945查询获得肺癌中降低最显著的miRNA即miR-338-3p,并通过Kaplan-Meier Plotter(Kmplot)网站查得低表达水平的miR-338与肺腺癌病人的不良预后有关。利用qRT-PCR检测发现,miR-338-3p在肺腺癌细胞中表达降低(P0.05)。利用GV369-miR-338过表达慢病毒上调A549细胞中的miR-338,利用qRT-PCR检测过表达效率。Transwell细胞侵袭实验发现,miR-338的上调可抑制肺腺癌细胞的侵袭能力(P=0.0007)。基因预测网站分析获得miR-338-3p的靶基因-B3GNT3(β1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-3),生物信息学数据库分析发现,B3GNT3在肺腺癌组织中升高。双荧光素酶分析验证miR-338和B3GNT3可靶向结合(P0.05)。Western印迹结果证明,过表达miR-338后B3GNT3蛋白的表达下降,且差距具有统计学意义(P0.05)。Transwell实验证明,miR-338-3p可通过靶向调控B3GNT3抑制肺腺癌细胞的侵袭和转移(P0.05)。综上,miR-338-3p在肺腺癌组织和细胞中表达降低,且miR-338-3p可靶向调控B3GNT3抑制肺腺癌的侵袭和转移。     

Ad-ING4-IL-24 双基因共表达对人肺腺癌化疗的增敏效应

研究ING4 (肿瘤生长抑制因子4) 和IL-24 (人白细胞介素24) 双基因共表达腺病毒载体 (Ad-ING4-IL-24) 对肺腺癌的化疗增敏效应及分子机制。将Ad-ING4-IL-24感染A549肺癌细胞及联合顺铂 (DDP) 化疗药物作用,RT-PCR和Western blotting检测ING4和IL-24基因在A549肺癌细胞中的转录和表达,MTT法、流式细胞仪 (FCM) 和 Hoechst 染色法检测Ad-ING4-IL-24联合DDP (联合组) 对A549肺癌细胞的生长抑制和凋亡效应。采用A549细胞株建立人肺腺癌裸鼠模型,然后瘤体局部注射干预用药,动态测量肿瘤体积,并计算瘤重抑瘤率,免疫组化检测ING4、IL-24、bax、bcl-2、VEGF等基因的表达。结果表明,Ad-ING4-IL-24感染A549肺癌细胞后可获得成功转录和表达,体外联合组能明显抑制A549肺癌细胞生长和诱导细胞凋亡,呈现出典型细胞凋亡形态学变化。体内联合组同样能显著抑制肿瘤生长,瘤重抑瘤率达52.81％,免疫组化结果显示联合组能上调bax基因表达,同时下调bcl-2、VEGF等基因的表达。以上结果表明Ad-ING4-IL-24具有化疗增敏的作用,该作用机制可能与促进肿瘤细胞凋亡和抑制血管形成有关。     

曲古抑菌素A对体外培养牛成纤维细胞组蛋白乙酰化和甲基化的影响

Trichostatin A(TSA)是一种特异的组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂。研究显示,TSA可以特异地抑制组蛋白去乙酰化酶活性,提高细胞的组蛋白乙酰化水平,激活基因的表达。但是,目前还不是很清楚TSA处理是否对组蛋白甲基化产生影响。本研究以成纤维细胞为研究对象,利用免疫细胞化学技术及激光共聚焦显微镜,探讨了TSA处理体细胞对其组蛋白乙酰化及甲基化修饰的影响。结果显示,随TSA浓度增加,体细胞形态发生明显的改变,细胞变得扁平且核区较大,处理后组蛋白H4K8位点的乙酰化水平随着TSA浓度的增加明显提高。检测组蛋白H3上两个甲基化位点发现,随组蛋白乙酰化水平的增加,H3K4位点的三甲基化（H3K4me3）水平也显著提高。但是,对于H3K9的二甲基化水平（H3K9me2）则没有明显变化。以上结果显示,TSA的处理不仅可以提高体细胞的组蛋白乙酰化水平,同时也增加了与基因表达激活相关组蛋白修饰位点的甲基化水平,但是对于与沉默基因相关的组蛋白修饰位点则没有明显的影响。     

Smac调控Caspase-3对耐药肺腺癌细胞株生物活性及相关信号的研究

摘要 目的：探讨Smac基因调控Caspase-3表达对紫杉醇耐药肺腺癌细胞株生物活性及经典凋亡信号通路的作用机制。方法：取构建好的耐药A549细胞,将其分为A549细胞（LC）组、A549细胞+Smac-NC（SN）组、A549细胞+Smac抑制剂（SI）组、A549细胞+Smac激动剂（SM）组、A549细胞+Caspase-3-NC（CN）组、A549细胞+Caspase-3抑制剂（CI）组、A549细胞+Caspase-3激动剂（CM）组、A549细胞+Smac激动剂+Caspase-3激动剂（MM）组;Real-time PCR法检测正常肺上皮细胞及4种肺腺癌细胞系中Smac、Caspase-3表达水平,将阴性对照、Smac、Caspase-3类似物转染至紫杉醇耐药肺腺癌细胞株,MTT法检测细胞增殖,流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡,免疫印迹法检测经典凋亡信号通路表达,并分析Smac与Caspase-3的相关性。结果：肺腺癌细胞系中的Smac、Caspase-3 mRNA表达量显著低于正常肺上皮细胞系BEAS-2B（P＜0.05）,其中A549的Smac、Caspase-3 mRNA值最小（P＜0.05）,因此选取其作为此次实验细胞;LC组与SN组相比,细胞增殖率、凋亡率及Caspase-3、Bcl-2、Bax、Cyto-C蛋白表达基本无差异（P＞0.05）,与SN组相比,SI组细胞凋亡率及Caspase-3、Bax、Cyto-C蛋白表达明显降低（P＜0.05）,增殖率、Bcl-2表达明显升高（P＜0.05）,与SI组相比,SM组细胞凋亡率及Caspase-3、Bax、Cyto-C蛋白表达明显升高（P＜0.05）,增殖率、Bcl-2表达明显降低（P＜0.05）;LC组与CN组相比,细胞增殖率、凋亡率及Caspase-3、Bcl-2、Bax、Cyto-C蛋白表达基本无差异（P＞0.05）,与CN组相比,CI组细胞凋亡率及Caspase-3、Bax、Cyto-C蛋白表达明显降低（P＜0.05）,增殖率、Bcl-2表达明显升高（P＜0.05）,与CI组相比,CM组细胞凋亡率及Caspase-3、Bax、Cyto-C蛋白表达明显升高（P＜0.05）,增殖率、Bcl-2表达明显降低（P＜0.05）;SM组与CM组相比,细胞增殖率、凋亡率及Caspase-3、Bcl-2、Bax、Cyto-C蛋白表达基本无差异（P＞0.05）,与CM组相比,MM组细胞凋亡率及Caspase-3、Bax、Cyto-C蛋白表达明显升高（P＜0.05）,增殖率、Bcl-2表达明显降低（P＜0.05）;Smac与Caspase-3呈现正相关（r=0.470,P=0.002）,组间具有显著差异。结论：Smac基因可显著改善紫杉醇耐药肺腺癌细胞株细胞生物活性,并激活经典凋亡信号通路,其作用机制可能与调控Caspase-3表达有关。     

组蛋白去甲基化酶KDM5A调控H3K4me3参与神经管畸形发生的分子机制

神经管畸形(NTDs)的病因与防治是出生缺陷领域研究的重点,叶酸可以预防神经管畸形但其机制不明。本文借助低叶酸细胞模型和低叶酸NTDs小鼠模型通过染色质免疫共沉淀、Cut&Tag等技术,探讨了组蛋白去甲基化酶lysine demethylase 5A(KDM5A)及其调控的下游组蛋白H3K4me3修饰在叶酸缺乏导致的NTDs发生中的潜在分子机制。结果显示,低叶酸的细胞模型中,qRT-PCR、Western印迹结果显示,KDM5A分子表达明显下降(P<0.05)。作为组蛋白H3K4me3调控的上游关键酶,进一步通过染色质免疫共沉淀ChIP、ChIP-qPCR实验证实,叶酸缺乏下组蛋白H3K4me3在神经发育基因Axin2和Atoh1基因启动子区富集增加(P<0.05)。通过构建KDM5A基因敲除细胞模型,借助Cut&Tag试验证实,KDM5A基因敲除后H3K4me3主要富集在神经发育基因上。最后在低叶酸导致的NTDs小鼠模型的脑组织中,RT-qPCR、Western印迹以及ChIP-qPCR实验显示,E9.5 d的NTDs胎鼠脑组织中KDM5A表达下降(P&l...     

雷公藤内酯醇对多发性骨髓瘤细胞凋亡及组蛋白H3K4甲基化的影响

目的：探讨雷公藤内酯醇（TPL）对多发性骨髓瘤RPMI8226细胞增殖、凋亡和组蛋白H3K4甲基化的影响。方法：以人多发性骨髓瘤细胞株RPMI8226为研究对象,在不同浓度（10、20、40、80、160 nmol/L） TPL中共培养不同时间（24 h、48 h、72 h）后,采用噻唑蓝（MTT）法检测细胞增殖活性;流式细胞术检测细胞凋亡和细胞周期;Western blot法检测组蛋白H3K4me2、H3K4me3的甲基化状态,实时荧光定量RT-PCR分析组蛋白甲基化酶SMYD3和组蛋白去甲基化酶LSD1的表达水平。结果：TPL对RPMI8226细胞有明显的增殖抑制作用,呈剂量和时间依赖性（P<0.05）;TPL对RPMI8226细胞有明显诱导凋亡的作用,并且随着TPL作用浓度的增加,细胞凋亡比例逐渐增加（P<0.05）;同时TPL还可以诱导RPMI8226细胞周期阻滞于G₂/M期;TPL以浓度依赖性降低组蛋白H3K4me2、H3K4me3的甲基化水平（P<0.05,P<0.01）,并抑制SMYD3和上调LSD1的表达（P<0.05）。结论：TPL可抑制RPMI8226细胞增殖、引起细胞周期阻滞于G₂/M期,并诱导其凋亡;通过抑制组蛋白甲基化酶SMYD3和增强组蛋白去甲基化酶LSD1的表达,降低组蛋白H3K4me3和H3K4me2的甲基化水平,这可能是TPL诱导多发性骨髓瘤细胞凋亡和抗肿瘤作用的机制之一。     

Baicalein inhibits cell growth and increases cisplatin sensitivity of A549 and H460 cells via miR‐424‐3p and targeting PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death in individuals with malignant disease. Non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer, and chemotherapy drugs such as cisplatin are the most widely used treatment for this disease. Baicalein is a purified flavonoid compound that has been reported to inhibit cancer cell growth and metastasis and increase sensitization to chemotherapeutic drugs via different pathways. Therefore, we assessed the effects of baicalein on the proliferation, apoptosis and cisplatin sensitivity in the NSCLC A549 and H460 cell lines and determined the pathways through which baicalein exerts its effects. Baicalein was slightly toxic to normal human bronchial NHBE cells but inhibited growth, induced apoptosis and increased cisplatin sensitivity in A549 and H460 cells. Baicalein down‐regulated miR‐424‐3p, up‐regulated PTEN expression and down‐regulated expression of PI3K and p‐Akt in A549 and H460 cells. Dual‐luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that PTEN is a target gene of miR‐424‐3p, and overexpression of miR‐424‐3p or silencing of PTEN partially attenuated the effects of baicalein on A549 and H460 cells. Taken together, we concluded that baicalein inhibits cell growth and increases cisplatin sensitivity to A549 and H460 cells via down‐regulation of miR‐424‐3p and targeting the PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway.     

Digoxin exerts anticancer activity on human nonsmall cell lung cancer cells by blocking PI3K/Akt pathway

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer mortality because of its metastatic potential and high malignancy. The discovery of new applications for old drugs is a shortcut for cancer therapy. We recently investigated the antitumor effect of digoxin, a well-established drug for treating heart failure, against nonsmall cell lung cancer A549 and H1299 cells. Digoxin inhibited the proliferation and colony-forming ability of the two cell lines and arrested the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase in A549 cells and the G2/M phase in H1299 cells. Mitochondria-mediated apoptosis was induced in A549 cells but not in H1299 cells after treatment with digoxin. Moreover, digoxin inhibited the migration, invasion, adhesion and epithelial–mesenchymal transition of A549 and H1299 cells. Autophagy was induced in both cell lines after treatment with digoxin, with an increase in autophagosome foci. In addition, digoxin inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt, mTOR and p70S6K, signaling molecules of the PI3K/Akt pathway that are known to be involved in tumor cell survival, proliferation, metastasis and autophagy. Our findings suggest that digoxin has the potential to be used for therapy for human nonsmall cell lung cancer, but further evidence is required.     

lncRNA HOXB-AS3 exacerbates proliferation,migration, and invasion of lung cancer via activating the PI3K-AKT pathway

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death all over the world. In spite of the great advances made in surgery and chemotherapy, the prognosis of lung cancer patients is poor. A substantial fraction of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can regulate various cancers. A recent study has reported that lncRNA HOXB-AS3 plays a critical role in cancers. However, its biological function remains unclear in lung cancer progression. In the current research, we found HOXB-AS3 was obviously elevated in NSCLC tissues and cells. Functional assays showed that inhibition of HOXB-AS3 was able to repress A549 and H1975 cell proliferation, cell colony formation ability and meanwhile, triggered cell apoptosis. Furthermore, the lung cancer cell cycle was mostly blocked in the G1 phase whereas the cell ratio in the S phase was reduced. Also, A549 and H1975 cell migration and invasion capacity were significantly repressed by the loss of HOXB-AS3. The PI3K/AKT pathway has been implicated in the carcinogenesis of multiple cancers. Here, we displayed that inhibition of HOXB-AS3 suppressed lung cancer cell progression via inactivating the PI3K/AKT pathway. Subsequently, in vivo experiments were utilized in our study and it was demonstrated that HOXB-AS3 contributed to lung cancer tumor growth via modulating the PI3K/AKT pathway. Overall, we implied that HOXB-AS3 might provide a new perspective for lung cancer treatment via targeting PI3K/AKT.     

Simvastatin-romidepsin combination kills bladder cancer cells synergistically

The HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor simvastatin activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and thereby induces histone acetylation. We postulated that combining simvastatin with the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor romidepsin would kill bladder cancer cells by inducing histone acetylation cooperatively. The combination of romidepsin and simvastatin induced robust apoptosis and killed bladder cancer cells synergistically. In murine subcutaneous tumor models using MBT-2 cells, a 15-day treatment with 0.5 mg/kg romidepsin and 15 mg/kg simvastatin was well tolerated and inhibited tumor growth significantly. Mechanistically, the combination induced histone acetylation by activating AMPK. The combination also decreased the expression of HDACs, thus further promoting histone acetylation. This AMPK activation was essential for the combination's action because compound C, an AMPK inhibitor, suppressed the combination-induced histone acetylation and the combination's ability to induce apoptosis. We also found that the combination increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ, leading to reactive oxygen species production. Furthermore, the combination induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and this ER stress was shown to be associated with increased AMPK expression and histone acetylation, thus playing an important role in the combination's action. Our study also suggests there is a positive feedback cycle between ER stress induction and PPARγ expression.     

Production of CCL20 from lung cancer cells induces the cell migration and proliferation through PI3K pathway

Tumour inflammatory microenvironment is considered to play a role in the sensitivity of tumour cells to therapies and prognosis of patients with lung cancer. The expression of CCL20, one of the critical chemoattractants responsible for inflammation cells recruitment, has been shown overexpressed in variety of tumours. This study aimed at investigating potential mechanisms of CCL20 function and production in human non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Expression of CCL20 gene and protein in lung tissues of patients with NSCLC and NSCLC cells (A549) were determined. The interleukin (IL)‐1β‐induced signal pathways in A549 and the effect of CCL20‐induced A549 cell migration and proliferation were determined using migration assays and cell‐alive monitoring system. Mechanisms of signal pathways involved in the migration of CCL20 were also studied. We initially found that NSCLC tumour tissues markedly overexpressed CCL20 in comparison with normal lung samples. In addition, IL‐1β could directly promote CCL20 production in lung cancer cells, which was inhibited by extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 inhibitor, p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (p38 MARP) inhibitor or PI3K inhibitors. CCL20 promoted lung cancer cells migration and proliferation in an autocrine manner via activation of ERK1/2‐MAPK and PI3K pathways. Our data indicated that IL‐1β could stimulate CCL20 production from lung cancer cells through the activation of MAPKs and PI3K signal pathways, and the auto‐secretion of CCL20 could promote lung cancer cell migration and proliferation through the activation of ERK and PI3K signal pathways. Our results may provide a novel evidence that CCL20 could be a new therapeutic target for lung cancer.     

A benzoxazine derivative specifically inhibits cell cycle progression in p53-wild type pulmonary adenocarcinoma cells

A fundamental aspect of cancer development is cancer cell proliferation. Seeking for chemical agents that can interfere with cancer cell growth has been of great interest over the years. In our study, we found that a benzoxazine derivative, (6-tert-butyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-benzo[b][1,4]oxazin-3-yl) methanol (TBM), could inhibit cell growth and caused significant cell cycle arrest in pulmonary adenocarcinoma A549 and H460 cells with wild-type p53, while not affecting the cell cycle distribution in p53-deleted H1299 lung adenocarcinoma cells. Since P53 plays an important role in regulating cell cycle progression, we analyzed the protein level of p53 by Western blot, and detected a significant elevation of p53 level after TBM treatment in A549 and H460 cells. The data suggested that TBM might specifically inhibit the proliferation of p53 wild-type lung adenocarcinoma cells through a p53-dependent cell cycle control pathway. More interestingly, results indicated that TBM might serve as a useful tool for studying the molecular mechanisms of lung cancer cell growth and cell cycle control, especially for the biologic process regulated by P53.     

TRB3 interacts with ERK and JNK and contributes to the proliferation,apoptosis, and migration of lung adenocarcinoma cells

Tribbles homolog 3 (TRB3) has been accounted for regulation of a few cell processes through interaction with other significant proteins. The molecular mechanisms underlying TRB3 in tumorigenesis in lung adenocarcinoma have not been entirely elucidated. The present study is aimed at determining the function and fundamental mechanisms of TRB3 in lung adenocarcinoma progression. TRB3 was highly expressed in A549 and H1299 cells and lung adenocarcinoma tissues compared with human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEpC) and adjacent normal lung tissues. Hypoxia significantly upregulated the expression of TRB3 protein in A549 and H1299 cells in a time-dependent way. Gene expression profiling interactive analysis data analysis indicated that patients with lung adenocarcinoma with excessive expression of TRB3 mRNA had fundamentally shorter survival time. TRB3 knockdown in A549 cells can inhibit cell proliferation and migration, and promote cell apoptosis. TRB3 knockdown reduced the expression of p-ERK and p-JNK, but did not affect the expression of p-P38 MAPK. TRB3 overexpression enhances the malignant transformation abilities of HBEpC such as cell proliferation, migration and colony formation, which could be reversed by U0126 and SP600125. TRB3 overexpression promotes the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) but was not affected by U0126 and SP600125. The results of coimmunoprecipitation experiments indicated that TRB3 binds directly to ERK and JNK. This study suggests that TRB3 has a potentially carcinogenic role in lung adenocarcinoma by binding to ERK and JNK and promoting the phosphorylation of ERK and JNK. TRB3 can be a possible therapeutic focus for lung adenocarcinoma.