Cytokeratin-19 associated with apoptosis and chemosensitivity in human cervical cancer cells

Cytokeratins are one group of intermediate filament proteins responsible for the integrity of cell structure, and have been recently reported to play a role in conferring a drug resistance phenotype. MAb Cx-99 is a monoclonal antibody exhibiting the specificity toward its corresponding antigen which was recently identified as the cytokeratin-19 protein. In the present study, we found that the level of cytokeratin-19 in cervical cancer cells could be decreased by incubation of cancer cells with MAb Cx-99. The reduction of cytokeratin-19 level had a killing effect on cervical carcinoma SIHA and HeLa S3 cell lines. The DNA ladder pattern, convoluted nuclei and blebbing morphology were observed with these cells after exposure to MAb Cx-99 for 72 h, suggesting that the cytotoxic mechanism of reduced cytokeratin-19 was mediated by induction of apoptosis. Moreover, the MAb Cx-99 treatment could increase the cytotoxicities of cancer chemotherapeutic agents such as cisplatin and vinblastine to both cervical carcinoma cell lines. The LD80 values were at least 15-fold reduced when cancer cells were treated with cisplatin or vinblastine in the presence of MAb Cx-99. These results suggest that the functional role of cytokeratin-19 was associated with the apoptosis prevention and drug resistance of cervical cancer cells.     

宫颈鳞状细胞癌中ADAM17 的表达及其临床意义

目的:探讨去整合素-金属蛋白酶17(ADAM17)在宫颈鳞状细胞癌中的表达及其临床病理意义。方法:运用免疫组织化学法分别检测正常宫颈上皮、宫颈鳞状细胞癌及宫颈上皮内瘤样变组织中ADAM17的表达,并分析其与宫颈癌临床分期及淋巴结转移的相关性。结果:ADAM17在正常宫颈上皮组织切片中无明显表达,在宫颈上皮内瘤样变组织中少部分表达,呈浅黄色,在宫颈鳞状细胞癌中癌细胞大量表达,ADAM17表达呈棕褐色,数量较多且浓染。不同临床分期的宫颈鳞状细胞癌组织中ADAM17的阳性表达率比较存在显著统计学差异(P0.05),且随临床分期的上升,ADAM17的表达逐渐升高;有淋巴结转移的宫颈鳞状细胞癌组织中ADAM17的阳性表达率显著高于无淋巴结转移的宫颈鳞状细胞癌组织,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:ADAM17蛋白在宫颈鳞状细胞癌组织中呈异常高表达,且与宫颈鳞状细胞癌的临床分期和淋巴结转移密切相关,通过检测ADAM17蛋白的表达可能有助于宫颈鳞状细胞癌的诊断、治疗和预后预测。     

Link of Dlk/ZIP kinase to cell apoptosis and tumor suppression

Death-associated protein kinase (DAPk) family has emerged as a novel subfamily of pro-apoptotic serine/threonine kinase in the last 10 years. Although the functions of DAPk have been well documented, those of other family members remain uncertain. In this work, we characterized the expression pattern of human DAPk like kinase/Zipper interacting protein kinase (Dlk/ZIP kinase) in cancer specimens and cell lines. Dlk expression level was significantly down-regulated in cervical carcinoma cells compared to the surrounding non-tumorous tissues. Overexpression of Dlk led to cell morphological changes, suppressed colony formation and elevated cell apoptosis in cancer cell lines. Both the kinase activity and the cytoplasmic localization were required for its pro-apoptotic tendency. Mechanism exploration revealed that upon serum deprivation, Dlk overexpression could sensitize cells to apoptosis while overexpression of the kinase inactive mutant (Dlk-K42A) was able to rescue apoptotic cell death. Our data thus implicates that Dlk plays a positive role in modulating death-related signaling pathways. Reconstitution of Dlk expression might bring a potential therapeutic approach to cervical carcinoma treatments.     

Anti-cancer characteristics of mevinolin against three different solid tumor cell lines was not solely p53-dependent

Mevinolin (MVN) has been used clinically for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia with very good tolerance by patients. Based on epidemiological evidences, MVN was suggested strongly for the treatment of neoplasia. Early experimental trials suggested the mixed apoptotic/necrotic cell death pathway was activated in response to MVN exposure. Herein, the cytotoxic profile of MVN was evaluated, compared to the robust and frequently used anti-cancer drug doxorubicin (DOX), against breast (MCF-7), cervical (HeLa) and liver (HepG(2)) transformed cell lines. MVN was showed comparable results in cytotoxic profile with DOX in all tested solid tumor cell lines. In addition, the MVN-induced cytotoxicity was inferred to be multi-factorial and not solely dependent on p53 expression. It was concluded that molecular and genetic assessment of MVN-induced cell death would be useful for developing cancer therapeutic treatments.     

Gankyrin Is Frequently Overexpressed in Cervical High Grade Disease and Is Associated with Cervical Carcinogenesis and Metastasis

Our previous studies have showed that Gankyrin expression is correlated with a malignant phenotype in endometrial carcinoma. Here, we investigated the possible role of Gankyrin in cervical disease. The increasing protein level of Gankyrin was observed in high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and carcinoma compared with benign cervical tissues and low-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. In para-carcinoma tissues, it was found interestingly that there was no lymph node metastasis when nuclei Gankyrin was positively expressed, but lymph node metastasis rate was 30% (6/20) when nuclei Gankyrin was negatively expressed. In vitro, the transfection of Gankyrin resulted in markedly up-regulating of Vimentin, β-catenin and Twist2, as well as down-regulating of E-cadherin in cervical carcinoma cells. Our results suggested that Gankyrin may be functional in cervical carcinogenesis and metastasis.     

Angiogenesis,cell proliferation and apoptosis in progression of cervical neoplasia

OBJECTIVE: To investigate changes in angiogenesis, cell proliferation and apoptosis in the successive steps of cervical neoplasia and to analyze their interrelationship. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 182 cervical specimens, representing 12 normal epithelium, 33 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 1, 21 CIN 2, 30 CIN 3 and 86 squamous cell carcinomas, were evaluated. The microvessels were immunohistochemically labeled with CD34 antibodies. Computerized image analysis was used to evaluate microvessel density (MVD). The apoptotic cells were visualized by a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling technique and proliferative cells by staining with Ki-67 antibodies. RESULTS: One-way analysis of variance showed that the MVD, Ki-67 labeling index and apoptotic index increased significantly with the progression of cervical neoplasia from normal epithelium, through CIN, to carcinoma (P <.001 for each index). All the indices, determined in all 182 cervical tissues, were significantly and positively associated with each other (P < .001 in all cases), with correlation coefficients ranging from .649 to .819. MVD in patients with recurrence or death was significantly higher than in disease-free patients (P < .05). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that tumor progression in the cervical epithelium is accompanied by angiogenesis and an increase in both cell proliferation and apoptosis. Angiogenesis may be a prognostic indicator in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix.     

A monoclonal antibody that binds to tumor-associated antigens of exfoliated cells in the smears of patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

The reactivity of CE 407, a monoclonal antibody (MAb) known to bind to the cells of invasive cervical squamous cell carcinoma, was tested by the immunoperoxidase technique in samples from precursor lesions with and without associated condylomatous atypia. Antibody CE 407 bound with a high frequency to cells from cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and to cells showing condylomatous changes. Antibody CE 407 gave a positive reaction in 16 (64%) of 25 patients with CIN only. When the morphologic characteristics of human papillomavirus infection were present along with CIN, there was a higher frequency of positivity, with 27 (93%) of 29 such cases positive for CE 407. Reactivity of this MAb with normal exfoliated cervical epithelial cells was not observed.     

Plasma proteome analysis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical squamous cell carcinoma

Although cervical cancer is preventable with early detection, it remains the second most common malignancy among women. An understanding of how proteins change in their expression during a particular diseased state such as cervical cancer will contribute to an understanding of how the disease develops and progresses. Potentially, it may also lead to the ability to predict the occurrence of the disease. With this in mind, we aimed to identify differentially expressed proteins in the plasma of cervical cancer patients. Plasma from control, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 3 and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) stage IV subjects was resolved by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and the resulting proteome profiles compared. Differentially expressed protein spots were then identified by mass spectrometry. Eighteen proteins were found to be differentially expressed in the plasma of CIN 3 and SCC stage IV samples when compared with that of controls. Competitive ELISA further validated the expression of cytokeratin 19 and tetranectin. Functional analyses of these differentially expressed proteins will provide further insight into their potential role(s) in cervical cancer-specific monitoring and therapeutics.     

Tim-3 Expression in Cervical Cancer Promotes Tumor Metastasis

BackgroundT cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (Tim-3) has been identified as a negative regulator of anti-tumor immunity. Recent studies highlight the important role of Tim-3 in the CD8⁺ T cell exhaustion that takes place in both human and animal cancer models. However, the nature of Tim-3 expression in the tumor cell and the mechanism by which it inhibits anti-tumor immunity are unclear. This present study aims to determine Tim-3 is expressed in cervical cancer cells and to evaluate the role of Tim-3 in cervical cancer progression.MethodologyA total of 85 cervical tissue specimens including 43 human cervical cancer, 22 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and 20 chronic cervicitis were involved. Tim-3 expression in tumor cells was detected and was found to correlate with clinicopathological parameters. Meanwhile, expression of Tim-3 was assessed by RT-PCR, Western Blot and confocal microscopy in cervical cancer cell lines, HeLa and SiHa. The migration and invasion potential of Hela cells was evaluated after inhibiting Tim-3 expression by ADV-antisense Tim-3.ConclusionsWe found that Tim-3 was expressed at a higher level in the clinical cervical cancer cells compared to the CIN and chronic cervicitis controls. We supported this finding by confirming the presence of Tim-3 mRNA and protein in the cervical cell lines. Tim-3 expression in tumor cells correlated with clinicopathological parameters. Patients with high expression of Tim-3 had a significant metastatic potential, advanced cancer grades and shorter overall survival than those with lower expression. Multivariate analysis showed that Tim-3 expression was an independent factor for predicting the prognosis of cervical cancer. Significantly, down-regulating the expression of Tim-3 protein inhibited migration and invasion of Hela cells. Our study suggests that the expression of Tim-3 in tumor cells may be an independent prognostic factor for patients with cervical cancer. Moreover, Tim-3 expression may promote metastatic potential in cervical cancers.     

TLR4在宫颈癌与不同HPV亚型宫颈癌细胞株中表达及意义

目的 探讨TLR4在正常宫颈组织、宫颈上皮不典型增生、宫颈癌组织以及不同HPV亚型宫颈癌细胞株中表达与意义.方法 采用SP免疫组织化（IHC）检测TLR4在12例正常宫颈组织、30例宫颈轻度不典型增生（cervical intraepithelial neoplasia Ⅰ,CINⅠ）、30例宫颈中-重度不典型增生（cervical intraepithelial neoplasiaⅡ-Ⅲ,CIN Ⅱ-Ⅲ）以及49例宫颈癌（invasive cervical carcinoma,ICC）组织中的表达;应用细胞免疫荧光法、逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）检测TLR4在不同HPV亚型宫颈癌细胞株HPV18（＋）HeLa、HPV16（＋）Siha以及HPV（-）C33a宫颈癌细胞株上的表达.结果 TLR4的表达随着宫颈病变程度的增高逐渐增强,在正常宫颈组织、CINⅠ、CIN Ⅱ～Ⅲ、ICC中阳性表达率分别为8.33 %（1/12）、20.00 %（6/30）、26.67 %（8/30）和55.10 %（27/49）,ICC与正常宫颈组织、CINⅠ、CINⅡ～Ⅲ之间均有显著性差异（P＜0.01）.TLR4表达与HPV感染有关,在HPV阳性宫颈癌细胞株上表达强于HPV阴性细胞株.结论 TLR4可能参与宫颈癌起始、发展,TLR4的表达与功能与HPV感染有关.     

Antigen processing defects in cervical carcinomas limit the presentation of a CTL epitope from human papillomavirus 16 E6.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, particularly type 16, is causally associated with the development of cervical cancer. The E6 and E7 proteins of HPV are constitutively expressed in cervical carcinoma cells making them attractive targets for CTL-based immunotherapy. However, few studies have addressed whether cervical carcinomas can process and present HPV E6/E7-derived Ags for recognition by CTL. We generated HLA-A*0201-restricted CTL clones against HPV16 E6(29-38) that recognized HPV16 E6 Ags transfected into B lymphoblastoid cells. These CTL were unable to recognize HLA-A*0201(+) HPV16 E6(+) cervical carcinoma cell lines even when the level of endogenous HPV16 E6 in these cells was increased by transfection. This defect in presentation of HPV16 E6(29-38) correlated with low level expression of HLA class I, proteasome subunits low molecular mass protein 2 and 7, and the transporter proteins TAP1 and TAP2 in the cervical carcinoma cell lines. The expression of all of these proteins could be up-regulated by IFN-gamma, but this was insufficient for CTL recognition unless the level of HPV16 E6 Ag was also increased by transfection. CTL recognition of the HPV16 E6(29-38) epitope in 721.174 B cells was dependent on TAP expression but independent of immunoproteasome expression. Collectively, these findings suggest that presentation of the HPV16 E6(29-38) epitope in cervical carcinoma cell lines is limited both by the level of TAP expression and by the low level or availability of the source HPV E6 oncoprotein. These observations place constraints on the use of this, and potentially other, HPV-derived CTL epitopes for the immunotherapy of cervical cancer.     

Characterization of cancer cell lines established from two human metastatic breast cancers

Summary Cell lines are valuable resources for the study of the malignancy and potential therapy of human breast cancer. A major problem with adapting fresh breast tumor specimens to grow in vitro is contamination by fibroblasts. Previously, we have reported a technique to overcome this problem (Nayak, S. K; Dillman, R. O. Clin. Biotechnol. 3:237–242; 1991). We have recently established two new breast cancer cell lines, HH315 and HH375, that were derived from abdominal and supraclavicular lymph node metastases from two patients. They were characterized by (1) growth kinetics; (2) staining with monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) to cytokeratin-19, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), anticarcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), breast cancer antigen 1 (BRST-1), breast cancer antigen 2 (BRST-2), Her2/neu, and p53; (3) expression of domains of urinary plasminogen activator (uPA), neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), and haptoglobin (Hp) (Harvey et al., 1997); and (4) karyotypic analysis. Growth kinetic studies showed that doubling times for both lines ranged from 48 to 96 h. These two cell lines were found to have characteristics of the metastatic breast cancer cells. Both lines stained positive with MoAbs to cytokeratin-19 and EMA, thus confirming their epithelial origin. They also strongly reacted with the pan-breast carcinoma MoAbs BRST-1 and BRST-2, and carcinoembryonic CEA MoAb. Both cell lines overexpressed the oncogene proteins Her2/neu and p53. The tumor cells were negative for estrogen and progesterone receptors. HH315 cells were poorly differentiated, whereas the HH375 cells exhibited adenocarcinoma morphology. Both cell lines showed intense cell surface and some cytoplasmic staining for uPA, NCAM, and Hp domains, which is a characteristic of malignant neoplasms (Harvey et al., 1997). The HH375 cell line showed two cell types, of which 60% were hyperdiploids with 60–70 chromosomes and 5–10 marker chromosomes. The remaining cells were polyploid with more than 200 chromosomes. Cell line HH315 consisted of only a polyploid population. These cell lines may be useful in breast cancer research.     

自噬基因PULK、PI3KC3在宫颈病变的表达及相关性研究

目的探讨自噬基因PULK、PI3KC3在正常宫颈组织及病变宫颈组织的表达及相关性。方法随机抽取正常宫颈组织30例、CIN20例及宫颈癌45例,采用qRT-PCR法检测组织中PULK和PI3KC3基因表达水平,免疫组织化学染色方法定性检测PULK、PI3KC3在正常宫颈组织及病变宫颈组织中的表达情况。结果免疫组化结果显示,PULK和PI3KC3在CIN及宫颈癌组织中的阳性表达显著低于正常宫颈组织,CIN及宫颈癌组织的PULK和PI3KC3表达水平均低于正常宫颈组织(P0.05或P0.01)。PULK与PI3KC3表达呈正相关(r=0.862,P0.01)。结论 PULK和PI3KC3可能参与宫颈病变的恶性转变过程。     

宫颈鳞癌演进过程P16INK4a及Hh-Gli信号通路相关蛋白表达及其相关性研究

探讨P16^INK4a及Sonic hedgehog(Hh-Gli)信号通路蛋白在宫颈癌及癌前病变(CIN)中的表达相关性及其意义．采用Western-blot方法检测HPV16阳性及HPV18阳性宫颈癌细胞系P16^INK4a及Hh-Gli信号通路蛋白Smo、Ptch及Gli表达．免疫组化检测组织芯片P16^INK4a、Shh、Smo、Ptch及Gli表达,包括20例正常宫颈、18例癌旁组织、54例CIN及28例宫颈鳞癌组织．分析P16^INK4a与Hh-Gli信号通路蛋白间表达相关性及与临床病理因素的关系．结果显示P16^INK4a、Smo、Ptch及Gli蛋白在HPV16及HPV18阳性宫颈癌细胞系中表达无显著差异(P>0.05)．P16^INK4a、Shh、Smo、Ptch及Gli蛋白在宫颈癌中表达强度显著高于癌旁及正常组织(P<0.05),在CINⅠ与正常组织间差异不显著(P>0.05)．P16^INK4a、Shh、Smo及Gli蛋白,在CINⅠ、CINⅡ与CINⅢ之间均有显著性差异(P<0.05)．相关分析显示,CINⅡ-CINⅢ中P16^INK4a与Shh和Smo蛋白表达正相关,浸润癌中P16^INK4a与Shh、Smo和Gli蛋白正相关．结论认为,P16^INK4a及Hh-Gli信号通路异常激活与宫颈癌发生及演进密切相关,且二者间具有相关性．Hh-Gli信号通路的激活可能是Shh配体增高调控Smo高表达而上调Gli蛋白所致．     

The potential usefulness of monoclonal antibodies in the determination of histologic types of lung cancer in cytologic preparations

Two monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were tested for their reactivity with antigens of exfoliated malignant cells in respiratory secretions of lung cancer patients. MAb CE 407 was developed from tissue culture cell line SW 756, derived from human uterine cervical squamous cell carcinoma; MAb BL 99-57 was developed from cell line T-24, derived from human transitional cell bladder cancer. MAb CE 407 reacted preferentially with squamous cell carcinomas (80%) and with some (44%) of the adenocarcinomas of the lung; BL 99-57 reacted with 76% of the adenocarcinomas, but only with 27% of the squamous cell carcinomas of the lung. The reactivity of BL 99-57 was more apparent in well-differentiated adenocarcinomas (89% positive), but less in poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas (65% positive). Neither of these antibodies reacted with antigens of small cell anaplastic carcinoma. These two MAbs may be useful in differentiating histologic types of lung cancer in cases that are difficult to diagnose morphologically and/or in which tissue is not available for study.     

Survivin、bFGF、VEGF在宫颈癌组织中的表达及其与临床病理特征的关系研究

目的:研究存活素(Survivin)、碱性成纤维细胞生长因子(bFGF)、血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)在宫颈癌组织中的表达及其与临床病理特征的关系。方法:选择2015年1月-2017年12月期间武汉大学人民医院收治的宫颈癌患者95例为宫颈癌组,宫颈上皮内瘤变患者70例为宫颈上皮内瘤变组,取同期在我院进行治疗的宫颈炎患者50例纳入对照组。采集三组患者的宫颈组织标本,采用免疫组化SP法对各组织标本中的Survivin、bFGF、VEGF的阳性率、表达水平进行检测,并分析Survivin、bFGF、VEGF与宫颈癌临床病理特征的关系以及各指标表达水平的相关性。结果:宫颈癌组、宫颈上皮内瘤变组的Survivin、bFGF、VEGF的阳性表达率、表达水平均高于对照组,且宫颈癌组高于宫颈上皮内瘤变组(P0.05)。Survivin、bFGF、VEGF的表达与宫颈癌患者的年龄、病理类型、分化程度无关(P0.05),而与宫颈癌肿瘤的分期、淋巴结转移有关(P0.05)。Spearman相关性分析显示,Survivin、bFGF、VEGF三者间的表达水平两两呈正相关(P0.05)。结论:Survivin、bFGF、VEGF的表达水平与宫颈癌的发生、发展有密切关联,并且三种指标间呈明显的正相关性,可能对于宫颈癌肿瘤组织的浸润、转移、分期发挥协同作用。