天然提取物诱导人HepG2 细胞凋亡的研究进展

细胞凋亡是机体维持内环境稳定,更好的适应生存环境采取的一种死亡过程。细胞凋亡异常与肿瘤的发生、发展存在密切的关系。细胞凋亡的信号途径主要有死亡受体介导的外源性通路、线粒体介导内源性通路、内质网信号通路及MAPK信号通路。通过作用于凋亡信号通路上一些关键基因,诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡被认为是临床抗肿瘤治疗最有成效的治疗方法之一。研究已证实多种天然提取物作用于凋亡信号途径中一些重要因子可诱导细胞凋亡,并取得较好的抑制肿瘤增殖的效果。本文是关于细胞凋亡机制及各种天然提取物作用于凋亡通路上主要基因进行抗肿瘤治疗研究进展的综述。     

ERK1/2在食管鳞状细胞癌中促进细胞增殖、抑制凋亡及其调控机制的研究

探讨ERK1/2在食管鳞状细胞癌(ESCC)中对肿瘤细胞增殖、凋亡的调控及其机制。平板克隆、细胞凋亡和细胞周期实验结果发现ERK1/2 MAPK通路抑制可减弱Eca109细胞克隆形成和增殖,促进细胞凋亡,减慢细胞周期;进一步发现ERK1/2 MAPK通路抑制可以反转由mi R-21过表达诱导的Eca109细胞增殖、凋亡和周期的变化;q RT-PCR和Western-blot免疫印迹结果发现ERK1/2 MAPK信号通路抑制可以下调内源性mi R-21表达和反转外源性mi R-21诱导的ERK1/2 MAPK信号通路活化。实验结果提示ERK1/2 MAPK通路抑制可能通过下调Eca109细胞中mi R-21表达阻碍Eca109细胞增殖、促进细胞凋亡和减慢细胞周期,最终导致ESCC细胞生长抑制。     

大黄素诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡的研究进展

本文综述了大黄素对白血病、淋巴瘤、肺癌、乳腺癌、食道癌、肝癌、胰腺癌、结肠癌等肿瘤细胞凋亡的诱导作用及相关机制的研究进展,表明大黄素对肿瘤细胞凋亡具有明确的诱导作用,可能主要通过破坏肿瘤细胞的线粒体信号通路而诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡。     

紫杉醇诱导凋亡的信号传导通路及与凋亡相关的基因和蛋白

紫杉醇对临床多种恶性肿瘤都有疗效,并具广阔的市场应用前景,其抗癌机制是致使肿瘤细胞发生细胞周期阻滞而凋亡.作者结合课题组多年来的研究,对紫杉醇诱导凋亡过程中的信号通路、相关基因及蛋白进行介绍,包括微生物发酵生产紫杉醇的基因、细胞周期蛋白、端粒酶等.     

Tagitinin D诱导人肝癌HepG2细胞凋亡的作用机制研究

菊科植物肿柄菊中富含tagitinin D,该化合物具有较强的抑制肿瘤细胞的作用。本文研究了tagitinin D诱导HepG2细胞凋亡的作用机制。采用克隆形成实验检测细胞成瘤能力、流式细胞仪测细胞周期及凋亡,DCFH-DA探针测活性氧的水平及Western blot检测ER stress相关蛋白表达。结果表明,tagitinin D抑制细胞成瘤,将细胞周期阻滞在G2/M期,诱导细胞凋亡,使细胞内ROS积累,增加了ER stress伴侣蛋白PDI、Calnexin、Ero1-Lα、Bip的表达并激活了IRE1α和PERK信号通路。综上所述tagitinin D依赖于ROS途径激活ER stress诱导细胞凋亡。     

CIAPIN1基因的生物学功能及其与肿瘤的相关性

CIAPIN1是近年通过克隆表达方法鉴定的新基因,已证实其主要受细胞因子的调控,是Ras信号通路的重要介导者。CIAPIN1基因存在显著的细胞凋亡抑制效应,在肿瘤细胞中高表达,能抑制肿瘤细胞的凋亡和促进其细胞周期进程。进一步的研究还发现,CIAPIN1可促进肿瘤新生血管的形成和肿瘤多药抵抗的产生等。     

凋亡抑制因子FAP-1与肿瘤的关系

在肿瘤细胞抵抗凋亡的研究中发现,FAP-1是Fas诱导凋亡的抑制因子,在多种肿瘤细胞中表达。通过对FAP-1基因、蛋白质结构等方面的研究发现,FAP-1以PDZ3结构域介导,与Fas在细胞内强结合,将Fas限制于高尔基体内,不表达于癌细胞表面,从而降低Fas的功能。另外FAP-1会通过磷酸酯酶活性的发挥、NF-κB等途径来抵抗Fas诱导的肿瘤细胞的凋亡。因此,从其作用机制出发,抑制FAP-1mRNA的表达、阻断FAP-1与Fas的结合及其信号转导通路,可以诱导肿瘤细胞的凋亡从而为肿瘤的诊治提供新途径。     

ILKAP在肿瘤发生发展中的作用

整合素连接激酶相关磷酸酶（ILKAP）是蛋白磷酸酶2C（PP2C）家族的新成员,初步的研究结果显示,这是一种与细胞凋亡信号通路密切相关的磷酸酶.ILKAP广泛表达于人体组织中,在骼肌、肾脏、肝脏中有高水平的表达.介导细胞凋亡是ILKAP的主要生理功能,因而与肿瘤的发生、发展密切相关.ILKAP主要通过负调控整合素激酶信号通路,以及正调控c-Jun氨基末端激酶/促分裂原活化蛋白激酶（JNK/MAPK）信号通路而发挥作用.另外,在很多肿瘤细胞中,存在ILKAP基因的杂合性缺失或突变体,使ILKAP不能正确表达,从而不能介导肿瘤细胞的凋亡.     

达那唑抑制SKM-1细胞活性并促使细胞凋亡

目的研究达那唑对骨髓增生异常综合征(myelodysplastic syndrome,MDS)细胞系SKM-1细胞活性、凋亡以及肿瘤坏死因子相关凋亡诱导配体(TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand,TRAIL)信号通路的影响。方法用0、10、20和40μmol/L达那唑处理SKM-1细胞后,通过MTT法检测细胞活性,通过流式细胞实验分析细胞周期和细胞凋亡,通过TUNEL染色法检测TUNEL阳性细胞比例,通过Western blot检测TRAIL介导的细胞凋亡相关蛋白的表达情况。结果达那唑可呈浓度依赖性地抑制SKM-1细胞活力,降低S期中细胞比率,提高细胞凋亡比率。Western blot结果显示达那唑可使Cleaved caspase-8和Cleaved PARP1水平升高。结论达那唑可抑制SKM-1细胞活性并促进其凋亡,其机制可能与激活TRAIL信号通路相关。     

Knockdown of EpCAM Enhances the Chemosensitivity of Breast Cancer Cells to 5-fluorouracil by Downregulating the Antiapoptotic Factor Bcl-2

Resistance to fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy is the main reason for the failure of cancer treatment, and drug resistance is associated with an inability of tumor cells to undergo apoptosis in response to treatment. Alterations in the expression of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) affect the sensitivity or resistance of tumor cells to anticancer treatment and the activity of intracellular signaling pathways. However, the role of EpCAM in the induction of apoptosis in breast cancer cells remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effect of EpCAM gene knockdown on chemosensitivity to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in MCF-7 cells and explored the underlying mechanisms. Our results showed that knockdown of EpCAM promoted apoptosis, inhibited cell proliferation and caused cell-cycle arrest. EpCAM knockdown enhanced the cytotoxic effect of 5-FU, promoting apoptosis by downregulating the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and upregulating the expression of the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax, and caspase3 via the ERK1/2 and JNK MAPK signaling pathways in MCF-7 cells. These results indicate that knockdown of EpCAM may have a tumor suppressor effect and suggest EpCAM as a potential target for the treatment of breast cancer.     

Mechanisms of apoptosis modulation by curcumin: Implications for cancer therapy

Cancer incidences are growing and cause millions of deaths worldwide. Cancer therapy is one of the most important challenges in medicine. Improving therapeutic outcomes from cancer therapy is necessary for increasing patients’ survival and quality of life. Adjuvant therapy using various types of antibodies or immunomodulatory agents has suggested modulating tumor response. Resistance to apoptosis is the main reason for radioresistance and chemoresistance of most of the cancers, and also one of the pivotal targets for improving cancer therapy is the modulation of apoptosis signaling pathways. Apoptosis can be induced by intrinsic or extrinsic pathways via stimulation of several targets, such as membrane receptors of tumor necrosis factor-α and transforming growth factor-β, and also mitochondria. Curcumin is a naturally derived agent that induces apoptosis in a variety of different tumor cell lines. Curcumin also activates redox reactions within cells inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production that leads to the upregulation of apoptosis receptors on the tumor cell membrane. Curcumin can also upregulate the expression and activity of p53 that inhibits tumor cell proliferation and increases apoptosis. Furthermore, curcumin has a potent inhibitory effect on the activity of NF-κB and COX-2, which are involved in the overexpression of antiapoptosis genes such as Bcl-2. It can also attenuate the regulation of antiapoptosis PI3K signaling and increase the expression of MAPKs to induce endogenous production of ROS. In this paper, we aimed to review the molecular mechanisms of curcumin-induced apoptosis in cancer cells. This action of curcumin could be applicable for use as an adjuvant in combination with other modalities of cancer therapy including radiotherapy and chemotherapy.     

Roles of p53 and caspases in the induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by HIV-1 vpr.

The vpr gene from the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) encodes a 14-kDa protein that prevents cell proliferation by causing a block in the G(2) phase of the cell cycle. This cellular function of vpr is conserved in evolution because other primate lentiviruses, including HIV-2, SIV(mac), and SIV(agm) encode related genes that also induce G(2) arrest. After G(2) arrest, cells expressing vpr undergo apoptosis. The signaling pathways that result in vpr-induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis have yet to be determined. The p53 tumor suppressor protein is involved in signaling pathways leading to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in a variety of cell types. In this work, we examine the potential role of p53 in mediating cell cycle block and/or apoptosis by HIV-1 vpr and demonstrate that both phenomena occur independently of the presence and function of p53. Caspases are common mediators of apoptosis. We examined the potential role of caspases in mediating vpr-induced apoptosis by treating vpr-expressing cells with Boc-D-FMK, a broad spectrum, irreversible inhibitor of the caspase family. Boc-D-FMK significantly reduced the numbers of apoptotic cells induced by vpr. Therefore, we conclude that vpr-induced apoptosis is effected via the activation of caspases.     

哺乳动物Hippo信号通路:肿瘤治疗的新标靶

Hippo信号通路是首次在果蝇中发现具有调节细胞增殖与凋亡作用的信号通路。最近发现果蝇Hippo信号通路的组成、分子作用机制和生物学功能在进化过程中高度保守。Hippo信号通路在胚胎发育中对细胞的生长分化、组织器官形成以及成体干细胞的维持和自稳态的保持等方面具有重要作用。同时,Hippo信号通路与Wnt信号通路、Notch信号通路等相互作用、密切联系,在肿瘤的发生、发展过程中也起到关键作用。文章综述了哺乳动物Hippo信号通路的作用机理、与其他信号通路和蛋白质因子的相互联系及与肿瘤的关系,对于肿瘤的诊断、预防和治疗具有一定的参考价值。     

Epidermal growth factor/TNF-α transactivation modulates epithelial cell proliferation and apoptosis in a mouse model of parenteral nutrition

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) signaling are critical for effective proliferative and apoptotic actions; however, little is known about the codependency of these signaling pathways in the intestinal epithelium. Because total parenteral nutrition (TPN) is associated with loss of intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) proliferation and increased apoptosis, we utilized a mouse model to explore these transactivation pathways in small bowel epithelium. Mice underwent intravenous cannulation and were given enteral nutrition or TPN for 7 days. Outcomes included IEC proliferation, apoptosis, and survival. To address transactivation or dependence of EGF and TNF on IEC physiology, TNF-α receptor knockout (KO) mice, TNFR1-KO, R2-KO, or R1R2-double KO, were used. Exogenous EGF and pharmacological blockade of ErbB1 were performed in other groups to examine the relevance of the ErB1 pathway. TPN increased IEC TNFR1 and decreased EGF and ErbB1 abundance. Loss of IEC proliferation was prevented by exogenous EGF or blockade of TNFR1. However, EGF action was prevented without effective TNFR2 signaling. Also, blockade of TNFR1 could not prevent loss of IEC proliferation without effective ErbB1 signaling. TPN increased IEC apoptosis and was due to increased TNFR1 signaling. Exogenous EGF or blockade of TNFR1 could prevent increased apoptosis, and both pathways were dependent on effective ErbB1 signaling. Exogenous EGF prevented increased apoptosis in mice lacking TNFR2 signaling. TPN mice had significantly decreased survival vs. controls, and this was associated with the TNFR1 signaling pathway. We concluded that these findings identify critical mechanisms that contribute to TPN-associated mucosal atrophy via altered TNF-α/EGF signaling. It emphasizes the importance of both TNFR1 and TNFR2 pathways, as well as the strong interdependence on an intact EGF/ErbB1 pathway.     

Synthetic retinoids as inducers of apoptosis in ovarian carcinoma cell lines

Apoptosis is also known as programmed cell death. Apoptosis plays an essential role in maintaining normal tissue and cell physiology in multicellular organisms. Clearance of aberrant or pre-cancerous cells occurs through the induction of apoptosis. It has been reported that many tumors and tumor cell lines have dysfunctional apoptosis signaling, causing these tumors to escape immune monitoring and internal cellular control mechanisms. One potential cause of this dysfunctional apoptosis is the tumor suppressor p53, an important regulator of growth arrest and apoptosis that is mutated in over 50% of all cancers. Retinoids have great potential in the areas of cancer therapy and chemoprevention. While some tumor cells are sensitive to the growth inhibitory effects of natural retinoids such as all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), many ovarian tumor cells are not. 6-[3-(1-Admantyl)]-4-hydroxyphenyl]-2-naphthalene carboxylic acid (CD437) and fenretinide N-[4-hydroxyphenyl] retinamide (4-HPR) are conformationally restricted synthetic retinoids that induce growth arrest and apoptosis in both ATRA-sensitive and ATRA-resistant ovarian tumor cell lines. Recently, we have identified the molecular pathways of apoptosis induced by treatment of ovarian carcinoma cells with mutated p53 by CD437 and 4-HPR.     

Raf kinase inhibitor protein mediated signaling inhibits invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer with high mortality and poor prognosis. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways have been implicated in promoting tumor cell proliferation and invasion of HCC cells.MethodsAs a potential inhibitor of tumor metastasis, the role of Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP) in HCC development and the functional relevance with MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways were investigated. The levels of RKIP expression were examined in human HCC tissues and correlated with tumor stages and metastatic status. Function of RKIP in cellular proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis was investigated in HCC cell lines by either overexpressing or knocking down RKIP expression. Mouse xenograft model was established to assess the effect of RKIP expression on tumor growth.ResultsOur results demonstrated decreased RKIP expression in HCC tissues and a strong correlation with tumor grade and distant metastasis. Manipulation of RKIP expression in HCCLM3 and HepG2 cells indicated that RKIP functioned to inhibit HCC cell motility and invasiveness, and contributed to tumor growth inhibition in vivo. Mechanistic studies showed that the function of RKIP was mediated through MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways. However, cell type-dependent RKIP regulation on these two pathways was also suggested, indicating the complex nature of signaling network.ConclusionOur study provides a better understanding on the molecular mechanisms of HCC metastasis and sets the foundation for the development of targeted therapeutics for HCC.     

Membrane rafts as a novel target in cancer therapy

Membrane rafts are distinct plasma membrane microdomains that are enriched in sphingolipids and cholesterol. They organize receptors and their downstream molecules and regulate a number of intracellular signaling pathways. This review presents information on the dependence of several growth factor receptor signaling pathways on membrane rafts. It also discusses the involvement of rafts in the regulation of differentiation, apoptosis and cell migration connected with invasiveness and metastasis. Examples of known synthetic and naturally occurring substances that are known to affect lateral membrane organization in tumor cell growth are discussed as potential or actual therapeutics.