Cisplatin-resistance induces lung squamous carcinoma cell growth by nicotine-mediated α7nAchR/HDAC1/Cyclin D1/pRb cell cycle activation

The majority of adenocarcinoma lung cancer is found in nonsmokers. A history of tobacco use is more common in squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. The aim of this study is to identify the cisplatin (CDDP)-resistance that promotes lung squamous carcinoma cell growth through nicotine-mediated HDAC1/7nAchR/E2F/pRb cell cycle activation. Squamous cell carcinoma (NCI-H520 and NCI-H157) cells were examined after cisplatin and nicotine treatment by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay, cell migration assay, immunofluorescence staining, western blot analysis, and immunoprecipitation analysis. Consequently, CDDP is released from DNA and Rb phosphorylated pRb as a result of nicotine-induced cancer cell proliferation through 7nAchR, which then triggers the opening of the HDAC1 cell cycle. The cell cycle is stopped when CDDP adducts are present. Nicotine exerts cancer cytoprotective effects by allowing HDAC1 repair mechanisms to re-establish E2F promoting DNA stimulation cell cycle integrity in the cytosol and preventing potential CDDP and HDAC1 suppressed in the nuclear. Concentration expression of nicotine causes squamous carcinoma cell carcinogens to emerge from inflammation. COX2, NF-KB, and NOS2 increase as a result of nicotine-induced squamous carcinoma cell inflammation. Nicotine enhanced the cell growth-related proteins such as α7nAchR, EGFR, HDAC1, Cyclin D, Cyclin E, E2F, Rb, and pRb by western blot analysis. It also induced cancer cell inflammation and growth. As a result, we suggest that nicotine will increase the therapeutic resistance effects of CDDP. This has the potential to interact with nicotine through α7nAchR receptors and HDAC1/Cyclin D/E2F/pRb potentially resulting in CDDP therapy resistance, as well as cell cycle-induced cancer cell growth.     

Bromodomain‐dependent stage‐specific male genome programming by Brdt

Male germ cell differentiation is a highly regulated multistep process initiated by the commitment of progenitor cells into meiosis and characterized by major chromatin reorganizations in haploid spermatids. We report here that a single member of the double bromodomain BET factors, Brdt, is a master regulator of both meiotic divisions and post‐meiotic genome repackaging. Upon its activation at the onset of meiosis, Brdt drives and determines the developmental timing of a testis‐specific gene expression program. In meiotic and post‐meiotic cells, Brdt initiates a genuine histone acetylation‐guided programming of the genome by activating essential genes and repressing a ‘progenitor cells’ gene expression program. At post‐meiotic stages, a global chromatin hyperacetylation gives the signal for Brdt's first bromodomain to direct the genome‐wide replacement of histones by transition proteins. Brdt is therefore a unique and essential regulator of male germ cell differentiation, which, by using various domains in a developmentally controlled manner, first drives a specific spermatogenic gene expression program, and later controls the tight packaging of the male genome.     

Selective class II HDAC inhibitors impair myogenesis by modulating the stability and activity of HDAC–MEF2 complexes

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are promising new epi‐drugs, but the presence of both class I and class II enzymes in HDAC complexes precludes a detailed elucidation of the individual HDAC functions. By using the class II‐specific HDAC inhibitor MC1568, we separated class I‐ and class II‐dependent effects and defined the roles of class II enzymes in muscle differentiation in cultured cells and in vivo. MC1568 arrests myogenesis by (i) decreasing myocyte enhancer factor 2D (MEF2D) expression, (ii) by stabilizing the HDAC4–HDAC3–MEF2D complex, and (iii) paradoxically, by inhibiting differentiation‐induced MEF2D acetylation. In vivo MC1568 shows an apparent tissue‐selective HDAC inhibition. In skeletal muscle and heart, MC1568 inhibits the activity of HDAC4 and HDAC5 without affecting HDAC3 activity, thereby leaving MEF2–HDAC complexes in a repressed state. Our results suggest that HDAC class II‐selective inhibitors might have a therapeutic potential for the treatment of muscle and heart diseases.     

组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂调控干细胞分化与体细胞重编程的研究进展

表观遗传调控,如组蛋白乙酰化修饰,是决定干细胞分化方向的重要机制.组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂(HDACi)通过影响不同亚类的组蛋白去乙酰化酶(HDAC)活性,提高组蛋白乙酰化水平,调控基因表达,从而影响胚胎干细胞自我更新,以及沿神经元、心肌和造血等细胞谱系的定向分化.HDACi类小分子化合物在体细胞重编程中也有广泛的应用,...     

Cancer epigenetics: linking basic biology to clinical medicine

Cancer evolution at all stages is driven by both epigenetic abnormalities as well as genetic alterations. Dysregulation of epigenetic control events may lead to abnormal patterns of DNA methylation and chromatin configurations, both of which are critical contributors to the pathogenesis of cancer. These epigenetic abnormalities are set and maintained by multiple protein complexes and the interplay between their individual components including DNA methylation machinery, histone modifiers, particularly, polycomb (PcG) proteins, and chromatin remodeling proteins. Recent advances in genome-wide technology have revealed that the involvement of these dysregulated epigenetic components appears to be extensive. Moreover, there is a growing connection between epigenetic abnormalities in cancer and concepts concerning stem-like cell subpopulations as a driving force for cancer. Emerging data suggest that aspects of the epigenetic landscape inherent to normal embryonic and adult stem/progenitor cells may help foster, under the stress of chronic inflammation or accumulating reactive oxygen species, evolution of malignant subpopulations. Finally, understanding molecular mechanisms involved in initiation and maintenance of epigenetic abnormalities in all types of cancer has great potential for translational purposes. This is already evident for epigenetic biomarker development, and for pharmacological targeting aimed at reversing cancer-specific epigenetic alterations.     

BET抑制剂JQ1通过调控GSK3对结肠癌细胞HCT116增殖及凋亡的影响

摘要 目的：探讨BET抑制剂JQ1通过调控GSK3对结肠癌细胞HCT116增殖及凋亡的影响。方法：将HCT116细胞进行培养,按处理方式的不同分为对照组（NC组）、给药组（JQ1组）、给药+沉默组（JQ1+siRNA-GSK3组）与给药+过表达组（JQ1+OE-GSK3组）。分别通过细胞增殖-毒性检测（CCK-8）实验检测细胞增殖情况;原位末端标记（TUNEL）染色观察细胞凋亡水平;流式细胞术检测细胞凋亡数量;逆转录-聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）检测相关mRNA含量水平表达变化;蛋白质印迹法（Western Blot）检测增殖与凋亡相关蛋白表达情况。结果：与NC组表现出的高增殖活性相比,给予JQ1后能够明显抑制HCT116细胞的增殖活性（P<0.05）;与JQ1组相比,沉默GSK3后其增殖活性则进一步下降,过表达GSK3后其增殖活性明显上升（P<0.05）。TUNEL染色结果显示,对NC组相比,JQ1组及JQ1+siRNA-GSK3组细胞凋亡水平显著上升;与JQ1组相比,过表达GSK3后其凋亡水平明显降低（P<0.05）。流式细胞术结果显示,NC组细胞凋亡数量最少,而给予JQ1后凋亡细胞数量显著增加,同时沉默GSK3后其细胞凋亡数量进一步上升,过表达GSK3后细胞凋亡数量明显下降（P<0.05）。Western Blot与RT-PCR显示;与NC组相比,给予JQ1及siRNA-GSK3处理后Caspase-3及BAX表达显著增加,GSK3与PCNA表达显著降低（P<0.05）;与JQ1组相比,过表达GSK3后Caspase-3及BAX表达明显降低,GSK3与PCNA表达明显上调（P<0.05）。结论：JQ1能够抑制HCT116细胞的增殖水平并促进其凋亡,从而发挥抗肿瘤作用,这一过程可能与JQ1能够抑制GSK3的表达有关。     

Stem Cells: Properties and Prospective Medical Applications

The properties of some stem cells (SCs) that are most interesting in terms of their implications for medicine (embryonic, hematopoietic, and mesenchymal SCs) are considered. SCs are undifferentiated cells capable of both self-maintenance and differentiation into specialized cells. According to their origin, SCs are divided into embryonic and somatic ones. The former can be maintained in vitro for an infinitely long time and can differentiate into all cells of adult organisms. The latter have a limited capacity for differentiation and, probably, a limited proliferative potential. The plasticity of somatic SCs, i.e., their capacity for context-dependent differentiation into unrelated cell types, is of considerable therapeutic importance, although some researchers doubt this capacity. It is assumed that most types of SCs differentiate by the stepwise hierarchical maturation mechanism, one of the steps being rapidly proliferating progenitor cells. The use of SCs in medicine is currently at the stage of preclinical trials. Although embryonic SCs are promising for medicine, there are serious limitations of their use in therapy in the near future. However, the first clinical trials have demonstrated that the approaches involving autotransplantation of hematopoietic and mesenchymal SCs are effective for treating ischemia of extremities and the consequences of myocardial infarction. Obviously, the use of SCs in medicine promises dramatic progress in treating many severe diseases.     

Glutathione-S-transferase pi 1(GSTP1) gene silencing in prostate cancer cells is reversed by the histone deacetylase inhibitor depsipeptide

Gene silencing by epigenetic mechanisms is frequent in prostate cancer (PCA). The link between DNA hypermethylation and histone modifications is not completely understood. We chose the GSTP1 gene which is silenced by hypermethylation to analyze the effect of the histone deacetylase inhibitor depsipeptide on DNA methylation and histone modifications at the GSTP1 promoter site. Prostate cell lines (PC-3, LNCaP, and BPH-1) were treated with depsipeptide; apoptosis (FACS analysis), GSTP1 mRNA levels (quantitative real-time PCR), DNA hypermethylation (methylation-specific PCR), and histone modifications (chromatin immunoprecipitation) were studied. Depsipeptide induced apoptosis in PCA cells, but not a cell cycle arrest. Depispeptide reversed DNA hypermethylation and repressive histone modifications (reduction of H3K9me2/3 and H3K27me2/3; increase of H3K18Ac), thereby inducing GSTP1 mRNA re-expression. Successful therapy requires both, DNA demethylation and activating histone modifications, to induce complete gene expression of epigenetically silenced genes and depsipeptide fulfils both criteria.