Gli1与β-catenin相互作用促进二者在结肠癌细胞中的协同核输入

Wnt信号通路和Hedgehog（Hh）信号通路在胚胎和干细胞的发育中发挥重要作用.此外,这两条信号途径在结肠癌复发和浸润的过程也至关重要.然而,Wnt信号通路、Hedgehog信号通路二者之间具体的交互作用机制目前仍不清楚.本文发现,这两条途径的关键分子Gli1和β-联蛋白之间存在蛋白质相互作用.Gli1与β-联蛋白之间的分子相互作用有助于二者的核输入.同时发现,在肠癌细胞系中,Gli1与β-联蛋白协同上调表达. LiCl激活细胞Wnt信号通路使Gli1表达水平增加, RNA干扰抑制Wnt信号通路,Gli1的表达水平下降.同时,Gli1的过表达也提高了细胞内β-联蛋白的表达水平,并且用Hedgehog信号通路抑制剂GANT61处理细胞,降低Gli1的表达后细胞内β 联蛋白的表达相应下降.本研究揭示了Gli1 和 β-联蛋白的相互作用及二者协助核输入在Wnt、Hedgehog信号通路交互调节中发挥重要作用,Wnt、Hedgehog信号通路交互作用为大肠癌发生发展研究提供了细胞水平交互调控机制.     

The Role of the Pleckstrin Homology Domain-containing Protein CKIP-1 in Activation of p21-activated Kinase 1 (PAK1)

Upon growth factor stimulation, PAK1 is recruited to the plasma membrane and activated by a mechanism that requires its phosphorylation at Ser-223 by the protein kinase CK2. However, the upstream signaling molecules that regulate this phosphorylation event are not clearly defined. Here, we demonstrate a major role of the CK2α-interacting protein CKIP-1 in activation of PAK1. CK2α, CKIP-1, and PAK1 are translocated to membrane ruffles in response to the epidermal growth factor (EGF), where CKIP-1 mediates the interaction between CK2α and PAK1 in a PI3K-dependent manner. Consistently, PAK1 mediates phosphorylation and modulation of the activity of p41-Arc, one of its plasma membrane substrate, in a fashion that requires PI3K and CKIP-1. Moreover, CKIP-1 knockdown or PI3K inhibition suppresses PAK1-mediated cell migration and invasion, demonstrating the physiological significance of the PI3K-CKIP-1-CK2-PAK1 signaling pathway. Taken together, these findings identify a novel mechanism for the activation of PAK1 at the plasma membrane, which is critical for cell migration and invasion.     

DNA-methylation-mediated silencing of miR-7-5p promotes gastric cancer stem cell invasion via increasing Smo and Hes1

Cancer stem cells are undifferentiated cancer cells that have self-renewal ability, a high tumorigenic activity, and a multilineage differentiation potential. MicroRNAs play a critical role in regulating gene expression during carcinogenesis. Here, we investigated the role of miR-7 and the mechanism by which it is dysregulated in gastric cancer stem cells (GCSCs). The stem cell marker, CD44, was used to sort GCSCs by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. We found that CD44 (+) cells have higher invasiveness and form more number of sphere colonies than CD44 (−) cells. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed that the miR-7-5p expression was remarkably downregulated in GCSCs but was significantly increased in the methionine-deprived medium. The downregulation of miR-7-5p results from the increased DNA methylation in the promoter region using the methylation-specific PCR. Overexpression of miR-7-5p reduced the formation of colony and decreased the invasion of GCSCs through targeting Smo and Hes1 and subsequent repressing Notch and Hedgehog signaling pathways in vitro. Notably, upregulating miR-7-5p inhibited the growth of tumor in the xenograft model. Hence, these data demonstrated that miR-7-5p represses GCSC invasion through inhibition of Smo and Hes1, which provides a potential therapeutic target of gastric cancer treatment.     

Discovery of [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyridines as potent Smoothened inhibitors targeting the Hedgehog pathway with improved antitumor activity in vivo

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a subset of breast cancers, have poorer survival than other breast cancer types. Recent studies have demonstrated that the abnormal Hedgehog (Hh) pathway is activated in TNBC and that these treatment-resistant cancers are sensitive to inhibition of the Hh pathway. Smoothened (Smo) protein is a vital constituent in Hh signaling and an attractive drug target. Vismodegib (VIS) is one of the most widely studied Smo inhibitors. But the clinical application of Smo inhibitors is limited to adult patients with BCC and AML, with many side effects. Therefore, it’s necessary to develop novel Smo inhibitor with better profiles. Twenty [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyridines were designed, synthesized and screened as Smo inhibitors. Four of these novel compounds showed directly bound to Smo protein with stronger binding affinity than VIS. The new compounds showed broad anti-proliferative activity against cancer cell lines in vitro, especially triple-negative breast cancer cells. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that TPB15 markedly induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in MDA-MB-468 cells. TPB15 blocked Smo translocation into the cilia and reduced Smo protein and mRNA expression. Furthermore, the expression of the downstream regulatory factor glioma-associated oncogene 1 (Gli1) was significantly inhibited. Finally, TPB15 demonstrated greater anti-tumor activity in our animal models than VIS with lower toxicity. Hence, these results support further optimization of this novel scaffold to develop improved Smo antagonists.     

Cholesterol Interaction Sites on the Transmembrane Domain of the Hedgehog Signal Transducer and Class F G Protein-Coupled Receptor Smoothened

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胶质瘤相关癌基因蛋白在肿瘤发生中的作用

胶质瘤相关癌基因蛋白(glioma-associated oncogene1,Gli)是Hedgehog(Hh)信号通路的转录因子,定位于细胞核和细胞浆,将信号传送至核内。脊椎动物中已鉴定出3个成员,分别为Gli 1、Gli2和Gli3,该蛋白家族成员只有在维持全长时才具有转录激活子的功能,羧基端被蛋白酶体水解后,就形成了转录抑制子。近年来,Gli与肿瘤的关系日益受到人们的重视,以前普遍认为的Gli目的基因的调控和Gli蛋白的转录后修饰是通过Hh通路实现受到挑战,越来越多的研究证明有许多非经典机制可以不通过Hh通路来调节Gli目的基因的表达。Gli研究将有助于我们对肿瘤的认知和治疗。     

蝙蝠葛酚性碱对BxPC-3裸鼠移植瘤Ptch1、Smo蛋白表达的影响

目的:通过观察蝙蝠葛酚性碱(Phenolic alkaloids from Menisphermum dauricum PAMD)对胰腺癌细胞株Bx PC-3裸鼠移植瘤的抑制情况,及其对裸鼠移植瘤Hedgehog信号通路中关键分子膜受体Patched 1(Ptch1)、偶联受体Smothened(Smo)基因、蛋白表达的影响,探讨其作用机制。方法:将30只裸鼠随机选择6只作为空白对照组,其余24只裸鼠接种人源性胰腺癌细胞株Bx PC-3细胞24小时后,随机分为4组:模型组、5-氟尿嘧啶组(5-FU)、PAMD高、低剂量组,每组6只。连续给药3周后,取出肿瘤组织进行抑瘤率计算,行免疫组化(IHC)、实时定量PCR和Western blot三种方法检测裸鼠移植瘤组织中Ptch1、Smo基因及蛋白的表达影响。结果:①抑瘤率:PAMD低、高剂量组和5-FU组与模型组比较,对胰腺癌裸鼠移植瘤均有不同程度的抑制作用,抑瘤率分别为36.14%、55.88%和30.88%,具有统计学意义(P0.05)。其中以PAMD高剂量组治疗效果最好,差异具有极显著统计学意义(P0.01)。②免疫组化:模型组与各治疗组比较,Ptch1和Smo蛋白均呈现高表达,而各治疗组Ptch1蛋白和Smo蛋白表达均出现不同程度的下调,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);同组Ptch1和Smo蛋白相互之间具有相同的表达趋势,其中PAMD高剂量组Ptch1和Smo蛋白表达下调最明显,差异有极显著的统计学意义(P0.01)。③实时定量PCR:PAMD低、高剂量组与模型组比较,Ptch1蛋白相对表达量均有不同程度的降低,差异具有极显著统计学意义(P0.01);而Smo蛋白表达量降低但不明显,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05),其中以PAMD高剂量组表达效果最明显,差异具有极显著的统计学意义(P0.01)。④Western blot结果与上述趋势相一致。结论:PAMD可通过降低Hedgehog信号通路中Ptch1、Smo关键蛋白的含量,诱导肿瘤细胞发生凋亡,从而起到抑制BxPC-3裸鼠移植瘤的生长,延缓胰腺癌的发生发展。     

JAK／STAT signaling regulates tissue outgrowth and male germline stem cell fate in Drosophila

In multicellular organisms, biological activities are regulated by cell signaling. The various signal transduction pathways regulate cell fate, proliferation, migration, and polarity. Miscoordination of the communicative signals will lead to disasters like cancer and other fatal diseases. The JAK/STAT signal transduction pathway is one of the pathways, which was first identified in vertebrates and is highly conserved throughout evolution. Studying the JAK/STAT signal transduction pathway in Drosophila provides an excellent opportunity to understand the molecular mechanism of the cell regulation during development and tumor formation. In this review, we discuss the general overview of JAK/STAT signaling in Drosophila with respect to its functions in the eye development and stem cell fate determination.     

Hedgehog信号通路靶基因与肿瘤的关系之研究进展

Hedgehog（HH）蛋白属于分泌蛋白家族,广泛表达于哺乳动物,非哺乳动物等多个物种,参与调控多种肿瘤形成,器官成熟、血管生成,干细胞分化,免疫细胞以及胚胎发育。文章主要就近几年来国内外对hedgehog信号通道下游靶基因在肿瘤干细胞,肿瘤细胞的转移,增殖,凋亡及胚胎发育等方面的研究进展进行综述,重点阐述hedgehog信号通路下游靶基因与肿瘤及发育的关系,以期能为与hedgehog信号通道参与调控的相关疾病提供一些靶向性临床诊疗的新思路。     

Rab23对乳腺癌细胞生长增殖的抑制作用

目的：研究Rab23分子对乳腺癌细胞生长增殖的作用,探讨这种作用是否与乳腺癌ER＋/ER-依赖性相关。方法：选取ER＋乳腺癌细胞系Bcap-37、MCF-7和ER-乳腺癌细胞系MDA-MB-231为研究对象,采用质粒转染提高细胞中Rab23基因的表达和RNA干涉技术减少其表达,运用克隆形成实验、BrdU掺入实验、MTT实验等技术检测Rab23分子对乳腺癌细胞生长、增殖的影响。结果：克隆形成实验提示,三种乳腺癌细胞系Rab23质粒转染组的集落形成数量明显少于对照组,而Gli1质粒转染组集落形成数量较对照组明显增加;BrdU掺入实验提示,Rab23转染组的三种乳腺癌细胞BrdU掺入率与对照组有明显减少（P＆lt;0.05）,而Rab23干涉组的BrdU掺入率较对照组升高（P＆lt;0.05）;MTT实验显示Rab23转染组A490值最低,其次为对照组,而Rab23干涉组A490值最高（P＆lt;0.05）。结论：Rab23分子对乳腺癌细胞生长增殖有抑制作用,这种抑制作用可能与乳腺癌ER＋/ER-依赖性无相关性。     

OsCOI1，水稻中一个受茉莉酸甲酯和脱落酸诱导表达的F-box家族基因

利用Blast检索、EST分析和RT-PCR, 在水稻中分离到一个与拟南芥COI1同源的新基因,命名为OsCOI1. OsCOI1编码595个氨基酸. 推测的OsCOI1编码蛋白有一个F-box motif和16个富含亮氨酸的重复序列,这与拟南芥COI1相似. OsCOI1在氨基酸水平上和COI1有很高的同源性(74%). 经半定量RT-PCR法和RNA印迹分析,表明水稻中OsCOI1表达水平在经茉莉酸甲酯和脱落酸处理后呈明显变化,但不受水杨酸和乙烯的影响,说明OsCOI1可能在茉莉酸信号途径和脱落酸途径中具有特定功能.     

PLD 的生化特性及在信号传导中的作用

磷脂酶 D(PLD)是一种分解磷脂的多功能酶,磷脂酶可激活调控许多重要的细胞生理功能,在信号转导、小泡运输、有丝分裂、激素作用的发挥、细胞骨架组装、防御反应以及种子萌发和衰老过程中都起重要作用．主要介绍了磷脂酶基因的生化特性及在植物信号转导中的作用．     

熊果酸抗肿瘤和抗心血管疾病作用的研究进展

熊果酸（ursolic cid,UA）属三萜类化合物,是许多中药复方的主要有效成分之一。它具有抗肿瘤、抗糖尿病、降脂、抗炎、抗氧化等多种生物学效应。本文就UA对肿瘤细胞增殖信号通路的影响和抗心血管疾病作用研究进展方面进行综述,以期为UA的开发提供新思路。