Activating Mutations in β-Catenin in Colon Cancer Cells Alter Their Interaction with Macrophages; the Role of Snail

Background

Tumor cells become addicted to both activated oncogenes and to proliferative and pro-survival signals provided by the abnormal tumor microenvironment. Although numerous soluble factors have been identified that shape the crosstalk between tumor cells and stroma, it has not been established how oncogenic mutations in the tumor cells alter their interaction with normal cells in the tumor microenvironment.

Principal Findings

We showed that the isogenic HCT116 and Hke-3 cells, which differ only by the presence of the mutant kRas allele, both stimulate macrophages to produce IL1β. In turn, macrophages enhanced Wnt signaling, proliferation and survival in both HCT116 and Hke-3 cells, demonstrating that signaling by oncogenic kRas in tumor cells does not impact their interaction with macrophages. HCT116 cells are heterozygous for β-catenin (HCT116^WT/MT), harboring one wild type (WT) and one mutant (MT) allele, but isogenic lines that carry only the WT (HCT116^WT) or MT β-catenin allele (HCT116^MT) have been generated. We showed that macrophages promoted Wnt signaling in cells that carry the MT β-catenin allele, but not in HCT116^WT cells. Consistent with this observation, macrophages and IL1β failed to stabilize Snail in HCT116^WT cells, and to protect these cells from TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Finally, we demonstrated that HCT116 cells expressing dominant negative TCF4 (dnTCF4) or HCT116 cells with silenced Snail failed to stimulate IL1β production in macrophages, demonstrating that tumor cells activate macrophages via a Wnt-dependent factor.

Significance

Our data demonstrate that oncogenic β-catenin mutations in tumor cells, and subsequent activation of Wnt signaling, not only trigger cell-intrinsic alterations, but also have a significant impact on the crosstalk of tumor cells with the tumor associated macrophages.     

Inside Cover: Rapid discrimination of colon cancer cells with single base mutation in KRAS gene segment using laser tweezers Raman spectroscopy (J. Biophotonics 3/2019)

Laser tweezers Raman spectroscopy as a label‐free and non‐invasive technology was employed to examine the colon cancer cells with single base mutation in KRAS gene segment for the first time. As a result of the comparison, a high correct classification was achieved. Our preliminary results showed that the LTRS system has a great potential for further applications in the rapid and label‐free detection of circulating tumor cells in liquid biopsy. Further details can be found in the article by Mengmeng Liu, Xiujie Liu, Zufang Huang, et al. ( e201800332 ).

     

Ring size changes in the development of class I HDAC inhibitors

Five pathways involving different ring structures led to generation of fourteen thienylbenzamides (7–20) which display the structure-activity relationships of class I HDAC inhibitors. All the synthesised compounds inhibit HDAC1 and HDAC2 selectively over other isoforms and many inhibit DLD1 and HCT116 cells more effectively than a parent compound. Compounds 8 and 16 inhibit HCT116 cells by activation of the apoptosis pathway.     

A proteomics approach to identifying novel protein targets involved in erinacine A–mediated inhibition of colorectal cancer cells’ aggressiveness

Erinacine A, a major active component of a diterpenoid derivative isolated from Hericium erinaceus mycelium, has been demonstrated to exert anticancer effects. Herein, we present an investigation of the molecular mechanism of erinacine A induction associated with cancer cells’ aggressive status and death. A proteomic approach was used to purify and identify the differentially expressed proteins following erinacine A treatment and the mechanism of its action in apoptotic and the targets of erinacine A. Our results demonstrate that erinacine A treatment of HCT‐116 and DLD‐1 cells increased cell cytotoxicity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production as well as decreased cell proliferation and invasiveness. Ten differentially displayed proteins were determined and validated in vitro and in vivo between the erinacine A‐treated and untreated groups. In addition, erinacine A time‐dependent induction of cell death and inhibitory invasiveness was associated with sustained phosphorylation of the PI3K/mTOR/p70S6K and ROCK1/LIMK2/Cofilin pathways. Furthermore, we demonstrated that erinacine A–induced HCT‐116 and DLD‐1 cells viability and anti‐invasion properties by up‐regulating the activation of PI3K/mTOR/p70S6K and production of ROS. Experiments involving specific inhibitors demonstrated that the differential expression of cofilin‐1 (COFL1) and profilin‐1 (PROF1) during erinacine A treatment could be involved in the mechanisms of HCT‐116 and DLD‐1 cells death and decreased aggressiveness, which occurred via ROCK1/LIMK2/Cofilin expression, with activation of the PI3K/mTOR/p70S6K signalling pathway. These findings elucidate the mechanism of erinacine A inhibiting the aggressive status of cells by activating PI3K/mTOR/p70S6K downstream signalling and the novel protein targets COF1 and PROF1; this could be a good molecular strategy to limit the aggressiveness of CRC cells.     

Role of Kras Status in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Receiving First-Line Chemotherapy plus Bevacizumab: A TTD Group Cooperative Study

Background

In the MACRO study, patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) were randomised to first-line treatment with 6 cycles of capecitabine and oxaliplatin (XELOX) plus bevacizumab followed by either single-agent bevacizumab or XELOX plus bevacizumab until disease progression. An additional retrospective analysis was performed to define the prognostic value of tumour KRAS status on progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and response rates.

Methodology/Principal Findings

KRAS data (tumour KRAS status and type of mutation) were collected by questionnaire from participating centres that performed KRAS analyses. These data were then cross-referenced with efficacy data for relevant patients in the MACRO study database. KRAS status was analysed in 394 of the 480 patients (82.1%) in the MACRO study. Wild-type (WT) KRAS tumours were found in 219 patients (56%) and mutant (MT) KRAS in 175 patients (44%). Median PFS was 10.9 months for patients with WT KRAS and 9.4 months for patients with MT KRAS tumours (p = 0.0038; HR: 1.40; 95% CI:1.12–1.77). The difference in OS was also significant: 26.7 months versus 18.0 months for WT versus MT KRAS, respectively (p = 0.0002; HR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.23–1.96). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that KRAS was an independent variable for both PFS and OS. Responses were observed in 126 patients (57.5%) with WT KRAS tumours and 76 patients (43.4%) with MT KRAS tumours (p = 0.0054; OR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.18–2.64).

Conclusions/Significance

This analysis of the MACRO study suggests a prognostic role for tumour KRAS status in patients with mCRC treated with XELOX plus bevacizumab. For both PFS and OS, KRAS status was an independent factor in univariate and multivariate analyses.     

Ensemble multivariate analysis to improve identification of articular cartilage disease in noisy Raman spectra

The development of new methods for the early diagnosis of cartilage disease could offer significant improvement in patient care. Raman spectroscopy is an emerging biomedical technology with unique potential to recognize disease tissues, though difficulty in obtaining the samples needed to train a diagnostic and excessive signal noise could slow its development into a clinical tool. In the current report we detail the use of principal component analysis – linear discriminant analysis (PCA‐LDA) on spectra from pairs of materials modeling cartilage disease to create multiple spectral scoring metrics, which could limit the reliance on primary training data for identifying disease in low signal‐to‐noise‐ratio (SNR) Raman spectra. Our proof‐of‐concept experiments show that combinations of these model‐metrics has the potential to improve the classification of low‐SNR Raman spectra from human normal and osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage over a single metric trained with spectra from the same healthy and OA tissues.

Scatter plot showing the PCA‐LDA derived human‐disease‐metric scores versus rat‐model‐metric scores for 7656 low signal‐to‐noise spectra from healthy (blue) and osteoarthritic (red) cartilage. Light vertical and horizontal lines represent the optimized single metric classification boundary. Dark diagonal line represents the classification of boundary resulting from the optimized combination of the two metrics. Abbreviations: er (error rate), PCA‐LDA (principal component analysis – linear discriminant analysis), HOA (human osteoarthritis), HAC (human articular cartilage), RIF (rat injury fibrocartilage), RAC (rat articular cartilage).     

Purinergic signaling as potential target of thiamethoxam-induced neurotoxicity using silver catfish (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhamdia quelen</Emphasis>) as experimental model

Resveratrol is a polyphenolic compound in many edible foods including grapes, peanuts, and berries. Several studies have revealed the beneficial effects of resveratrol against various diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, neurological disorders, and cancer. A recent study showed that resveratrol inhibits the proliferation of HCT116 human colorectal cancer cells in three-dimensional culture (3DC) via induction of luminal apoptosis in HCT116 cell spheroids. In this study, we showed that a novel compound, caffeic acid-adducted resveratrol, has a stronger inhibitory effect on the growth of HCT116 cell spheroids in 3DC than resveratrol. It showed almost the same inhibitory efficacy as 5-fluorouracil, a conventional anticancer drug. We further showed that the resveratrol derivative did not affect the growth of HKe3 cell spheroids derived from HCT116 cells by disruption of the activating mutant KRAS gene. These results suggest that the resveratrol derivative inhibits the growth of HCT116 cell spheroids via inhibition of an oncogenic KRAS-mediated signaling pathway.     

Radiosensitization by Chir-124, a selective Chk1 inhibitor: Effects of p53 and cell cycle checkpoints

Checkpoint kinase-1 (CHK1) is a key regulator of the DNA damage-elicited G2-M checkpoints. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a selective CHK1 inhibitor, Chir124, on cell survival and cell cycle progression following ionizing radiation (IR). Treatment with Chir-124 resulted in reduced clonogenic survival and abrogated the IR- induced G2-M arrest in a panel of isogenic HCT116 cell lines after IR. This radiosensitizing effect was relatively similar between p53-/- and p53-sufficient wild type (WT) HCT116 cells. However, the number of mitotic cells (as measured by assessing the phosphorylation of mitotic proteins) increased dramatically in p53-/- HCT116 cells after concomitant Chir-124 exposure, compared to IR alone, while no such effect was observed in p53-sufficient WT HCT116 cells. In p53-/- cells, Chir-124 treatment induced a marked accumulation of polyploid cells that were characterized by micronucleation or multinucleation. p21-/- HCT116 cells displayed a similar pattern of response as p53-/- cells. Chir-124 was able to radiosensitize HCT116 cells that lack checkpoint kinase-2 (CHK2) or that were deficient for the spindle checkpoint protein Mad2. Finally, Chir-124 could radiosensitize tetraploid cell lines, which were relatively resistant against DNA damaging agents. Altogether these results suggest that Chir-124-mediated radiosensitization is profoundly influenced by the p53 and cell cycle checkpoint system.     

Intra-Tumoral Heterogeneity in Metastatic Potential and Survival Signaling between Iso-Clonal HCT116 and HCT116b Human Colon Carcinoma Cell Lines

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) metastasis is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. The molecular mechanisms underlying this complex, multi-step pathway are yet to be completely elucidated. Recent reports have stressed the importance of intra-tumoral heterogeneity in the development of a metastatic phenotype. The purpose of this study was to characterize the intra-tumoral phenotypic heterogeneity between two iso-clonal human colon cancer sublines HCT116 and HCT116b on their ability to undergo metastatic colonization and survive under growth factor deprivation stress (GFDS).

Materials and Methods

HCT116 and HCT116b cells were transfected with green fluorescence protein and subcutaneously injected into BALB/c nude male mice. Once xenografts were established, they were excised and orthotopically implanted into other male BALB/c nude mice using microsurgical techniques. Animal tissues were studied for metastases using histochemical techniques. Microarray analysis was performed to generate gene signatures associated with each subline. In vitro assessment of growth factor signaling pathway was performed under GFDS for 3 and 5 days.

Results

Both HCT116 and HCT116b iso-clonal variants demonstrated 100% primary tumor growth, invasion and peritoneal spread. However, HCT116 was highly metastatic with 68% metastasis observed in liver and/or lungs compared to 4% in HCT116b. Microarray analysis revealed an upregulation of survival and metastatic genes in HCT116 cells compared to HCT116b cells. In vitro analysis showed that HCT116 upregulated survival and migratory signaling proteins and downregulated apoptotic agents under GFDS. However, HCT116b cells effectively showed the opposite response under stress inducing cell death.

Conclusions

We demonstrate the importance of clonal variation in determining metastatic potential of colorectal cancer cells using the HCT116/HCT116b iso-clonal variants in an orthotopic metastatic mouse model. Determination of clonal heterogeneity in patient tumors can serve as useful tools to identify clinically relevant biomarkers for diagnostic and therapeutic assessment of metastatic colorectal cancer.     

km23‐1/DYNLRB1 regulation of MEK/ERK signaling and R‐Ras in invasive human colorectal cancer cells

We previously found that km23‐1/DYNLRB1 is required for transforming growth factor‐β (TGFβ) production through Ras/ERK pathways in TGFβ‐sensitive epithelial cells and in human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Here we demonstrate that km23‐1/DYNLRB1 is required for mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) activation in human CRC cells, detected by km23‐1/DYNLRB1‐siRNA inhibition of phospho‐(p)‐MEK immunostaining in RKO cells. Furthermore, we show that CRISPR‐Cas9 knock‐out (KO) of km23‐1/DYNLRB1 reduced cell migration in two additional CRC models, HCT116 and DLD‐1. Of interest, in contrast to our previous work showing that dynein motor activity was required for TGFβ‐mediated nuclear translocation of Smad2, in the current report, we demonstrate for the first time that disruption of dynein motor activity did not reduce TGFβ‐mediated activation of MEK1/2 or c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK). Moreover, size exclusion chromatography of RKO cell lysates revealed that B‐Raf, extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK), and p‐ERK were not present in the large molecular weight fractions containing dynein holocomplex components. Furthermore, sucrose gradient fractionation of cell lysates from both HCT116 and CBS CRC cells demonstrated that km23‐1/DYNLRB1 co‐sedimented with Ras, p‐ERK, and ERK in fractions that did not contain components of holo‐dynein. Thus, km23‐1/DYNLRB1 may be associated with activated Ras/ERK signaling complexes in cell compartments that do not contain the dynein holoprotein complex, suggesting dynein‐independent km23‐1/DYNLRB1 functions in Ras/ERK signaling. Finally, of the Ras isoforms, R‐Ras is most often associated with cell migration, adhesion, and protrusive activity. Here, we show that a significant fraction of km23‐1/DYNLRB1 and RRas wase co‐localized at the protruding edges of migrating HCT116 cells, suggesting an important role for the km23‐1/DYNLRB1‐R‐Ras complex in CRC invasion.     

An essential yeast gene with homology to the exonuclease-encoding XRN1/KEM1 gene also encodes a protein with exoribonuclease activity.

An essential gene, designated HKE1/RAT1, has been isolated from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and characterized. The gene encodes a protein of 116 kDa (p116) and has significant homology to another yeast gene (XRN1/KEM1) encoding a related protein (p175) with 5'-->3' exonuclease activity as well as activities involving chromosomal DNA pairing and mechanics. Preliminary analysis of an hke1ts mutant reveals a precipitous decline in the translation of mRNA at the nonpermissive temperature. Sporulation of heterozygous HKE1/hke1::URA3 diploids reveals that this gene, unlike the highly related XRN1/KEM1 gene, is essential for cell viability. Overexpression of the homologous gene product, p175, failed to rescue cells lacking a functional p116. In vitro studies demonstrate that p116 is a protein with 5'-->3' exoribonuclease activity, a major activity of the related p175. An immunoreactive RNase activity of 116 kDa is abolished with antiserum against p116. Both the level of this protein and the RNase activity correlate with HKE1 gene dosage. The RNase activity purifies coincidentally with a previously described 116-kDa RNase having 5'-->3' exoribonuclease activity.     

MicroRNA‐425‐5p regulates chemoresistance in colorectal cancer cells via regulation of Programmed Cell Death 10

Acquired chemoresistance represents a major obstacle in cancer treatment, the underlying mechanism of which is complex and not well understood. MiR‐425‐5p has been reported to be implicated tumorigenesis in a few cancer types. However, its role in regulating chemoresistance has not been investigated in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Microarray analysis was performed in isogenic chemosensitive and chemoresistant HCT116 cell lines to identify differentially expressed miRNAs. miRNA quantitative real‐time PCR was used to detect miR‐425‐5p expression levels between drug resistant and parental cancer cells. MiR‐425‐5p mimic and inhibitor were transfected, followed by CellTiter‐Glo^® assay to examine drug sensitivity in these two cell lines. Western Blot and luciferase assay were performed to investigate the direct target of miR‐425‐5p. Xenograft mouse models were used to examine in vivo function of miR‐425‐5p. Our data showed that expression of miR‐425‐5p was significantly up‐regulated in HCT116‐R compared with parental HCT116 cells. Inhibition of miR‐425‐5p reversed chemoresistance in HCT116‐R cells. Programmed cell death 10 (PDCD10) is the direct target of miR‐425‐5p which is required for the regulatory role of miR‐425‐5p in chemoresistance. MiR‐425‐5p inhibitor sensitized HCT116‐R xenografts to chemo drugs in vivo. Our study demonstrated that miR‐425‐5p regulates chemoresistance of CRC cells by modulating PDCD10 expression level both in vitro and in vivo. MiR‐425‐5p may represent a new therapeutic target for the intervention of CRC.     

Antitumor activity of sorafenib in human cancer cell lines with acquired resistance to EGFR and VEGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Treatment of non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) have substantially changed in the last years with the introduction of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors in the clinical practice. The understanding of mechanisms which regulate cells sensitivity to these drugs is necessary for their optimal use.An in vitro model of acquired resistance to two tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) targeting the EGFR, erlotinib and gefitinib, and to a TKI targeting EGFR and VEGFR, vandetanib, was developed by continuously treating the human NSCLC cell line CALU-3 and the human CRC cell line HCT116 with escalating doses of each drug. MTT, western blot analysis, migration, invasion and anchorage-independent colony forming assays were conducted in vitro and experiments with established xenografts in athymic nude mice were performed in vivo in sensitive, wild type (WT) and TKI-resistant CALU-3 and HCT116 cell lines.As compared to WT CALU-3 and HCT116 human cancer cells, TKI-resistant cell lines showed a significant increase in the levels of activated, phosphorylated AKT, MAPK, and of survivin. Considering the role of RAS and RAF as downstream signals of both the EGFR and VEGFR pathways, we treated resistant cells with sorafenib, an inhibitor of C-RAF, B-RAF, c-KIT, FLT-3, RET, VEGFR-2, VEGFR-3, and PDGFR-β. Sorafenib reduced the activation of MEK and MAPK and caused an inhibition of cell proliferation, invasion, migration, anchorage-independent growth in vitro and of tumor growth in vivo of all TKI-resistant CALU-3 and HCT116 cell lines.These data suggest that resistance to EGFR inhibitors is predominantly driven by the RAS/RAF/MAPK pathway and can be overcame by treatment with sorafenib.     

Curcumin Enhances the Effect of Chemotherapy against Colorectal Cancer Cells by Inhibition of NF-κB and Src Protein Kinase Signaling Pathways

Objective

Development of treatment resistance and adverse toxicity associated with classical chemotherapeutic agents highlights the need for safer and effective therapeutic approaches. Herein, we examined the effectiveness of a combination treatment regimen of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and curcumin in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells.

Methods

Wild type HCT116 cells and HCT116+ch3 cells (complemented with chromosome 3) were treated with curcumin and 5-FU in a time- and dose-dependent manner and evaluated by cell proliferation assays, DAPI staining, transmission electron microscopy, cell cycle analysis and immunoblotting for key signaling proteins.

Results

The individual IC₅₀ of curcumin and 5-FU were approximately 20 µM and 5 µM in HCT116 cells and 5 µM and 1 µM in HCT116+ch3 cells, respectively (p<0.05). Pretreatment with curcumin significantly reduced survival in both cells; HCT116+ch3 cells were considerably more sensitive to treatment with curcumin and/or 5-FU than wild-type HCT116 cells. The IC₅₀ values for combination treatment were approximately 5 µM and 1 µM in HCT116 and 5 µM and 0.1 µM in HCT116+ch3, respectively (p<0.05). Curcumin induced apoptosis in both cells by inducing mitochondrial degeneration and cytochrome c release. Cell cycle analysis revealed that the anti-proliferative effect of curcumin and/or 5-FU was preceded by accumulation of CRC cells in the S cell cycle phase and induction of apoptosis. Curcumin potentiated 5-FU-induced expression or cleavage of pro-apoptotic proteins (caspase-8, -9, -3, PARP and Bax), and down-regulated anti-apoptotic (Bcl-xL) and proliferative (cyclin D1) proteins. Although 5-FU activated NF-κB/PI-3K/Src pathway in CRC cells, this was down-regulated by curcumin treatment through inhibition of IκBα kinase activation and IκBα phosphorylation.

Conclusions

Combining curcumin with conventional chemotherapeutic agents such as 5-FU could provide more effective treatment strategies against chemoresistant colon cancer cells. The mechanisms involved may be mediated via NF-κB/PI-3K/Src pathways and NF-κB regulated gene products.     

Effects of inducible overexpression of DNp73alpha on cancer cell growth and response to treatment in vitro and in vivo

The p73 gene has a complex regulation, which leads to the expression of different isoforms, often with opposite biological effects. We have generated in the human colocarcinoma cell line HCT116, expressing a wild-type p53, an inducible DNp73alpha expressing system. Two clones (HCT116/DN3 and HCT116/DN14), upon doxycycline addition, show a strong expression of DNp73alpha. In vitro the two DNp73alpha overexpressing clones grow at similar rate of the control transfected clone (HCT116/8a) and similarly respond to DNA damage. When injected in mice, HCT116/DN3, HCT116/DN14, and HCT116/8a cells grew similarly in the absence or presence of tetracycline. In HCT116/DN3 and HCT116/DN14 tumors, tetracycline induced a strong expression of DNp73alpha both as mRNA and protein. These results indicate that in this system the overexpression of the DNp73alpha does not induce a more aggressive phenotype and does not seem to be associated with a reduced response of the cells to treatment with anticancer agents.     

Metabolomic comparison between cells over‐expressing isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 mutants and the effects of an inhibitor on the metabolism

The R132H and R172K mutations of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 (IDH1 and IDH2) have neomorphic activity of generating 2‐hydroxyglutarate (2‐HG) which has been implicated in the oncogenesis. Although similarities in structure and enzyme activity for the two isotypic mutations have been suggested, the difference in their cellular localization and biochemical properties suggests differential effects on the metabolic oncogenesis. Using U87 cells transfected with either wild‐type (WT) and mutant (MT) IDH genes, the MT‐IDH1 and MT‐IDH2 cells were compared with NMR‐based metabolomics. When normalized with the respective WT‐IDH cells, the general metabolic shifts of MT‐IDH1 and IDH2 were almost opposite. Subsequent analysis with LC‐MS and metabolic pathway mapping showed that key metabolites in pentose phosphate pathway and tricarboxylic acid cycle are disproportionately altered in the two mutants, suggesting different activities in the key metabolic pathways. Notably, lactate level was lower in MT‐IDH2 cells which produced more 2‐HG than MT‐IDH1 cells, indicating that the Warburg effects can be overridden by the production of 2‐HG. We also found that the effect of a mutant enzyme inhibitor is mainly reduction of the 2‐HG level rather than general metabolic normalization. Overall, the metabolic alterations in the MT‐IDH1 and 2 can be different and seem to be commensurate with the degree of 2‐HG production.

     

Analysis of colorectal cancer glyco‐secretome identifies laminin β‐1 (LAMB1) as a potential serological biomarker for colorectal cancer

The high mortality rate in colorectal cancer is mostly ascribed to metastasis, but the only clinical biomarker available for disease monitoring and prognosis is the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). However, the prognostic utility of CEA remains controversial. In an effort to identify novel biomarkers that could be potentially translated for clinical use, we collected the secretomes from the colon adenocarcinoma cell line HCT‐116 and its metastatic derivative, E1, using the hollow fiber culture system, and utilized the multilectin affinity chromatography approach to enrich for the secreted glycoproteins (glyco‐secretome). The HCT‐116 and E1 glyco‐secretomes were compared using the label‐free quantitative SWATH‐MS technology, and a total of 149 glycoproteins were differentially secreted in E1 cells. Among these glycoproteins, laminin β‐1 (LAMB1), a glycoprotein not previously known to be secreted in colorectal cancer cells, was observed to be oversecreted in E1 cells. In addition, we showed that LAMB1 levels were significantly higher in colorectal cancer patient serum samples as compared to healthy controls when measured using ELISA. ROC analyses indicated that LAMB1 performed better than CEA at discriminating between colorectal cancer patients from controls. Moreover, the diagnostic performance was further improved when LAMB1 was used in combination with CEA.     

Selenium Compounds Activate ATM-dependent DNA Damage Response via the Mismatch Repair Protein hMLH1 in Colorectal Cancer Cells

Epidemiological and animal studies indicate that selenium supplementation suppresses risk of colorectal and other cancers. The majority of colorectal cancers are characterized by a defective DNA mismatch repair (MMR). Here, we have employed the MMR-deficient HCT 116 colorectal cancer cells and the MMR-proficient HCT 116 cells with hMLH1 complementation to investigate the role of hMLH1 in selenium-induced DNA damage response, a tumorigenesis barrier. The ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated) protein responds to clastogens and initiates DNA damage response. We show that hMLH1 complementation sensitizes HCT 116 cells to methylseleninic acid, methylselenocysteine, and sodium selenite via reactive oxygen species and facilitates the selenium-induced oxidative 8-oxoguanine damage, DNA breaks, G₂/M checkpoint response, and ATM pathway activation. Pretreatment of the hMLH1-complemented HCT 116 cells with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine or 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl or the ATM kinase inhibitor KU55933 suppresses hMLH1-dependent DNA damage response to selenium exposure. Selenium treatment stimulates the association between hMLH1 and hPMS2 proteins, a heterodimer critical for functional MMR, in a manner dependent on ATM and reactive oxygen species. Taken together, the results suggest a new role of selenium in mitigating tumorigenesis by targeting the MMR pathway, whereby the lack of hMLH1 renders the HCT 116 colorectal cancer cells resistant to selenium-induced DNA damage response.