EGF enhances the migration of cancer cells by up-regulation of TRPM7

Ion channels involved in the migration of tumor cells that is required for their invasion and metastasis. In this paper, we describe the interaction of TRPM7 channel and epidermal growth factor (EGF), an important player in cancer development in the migration of lung cancer cells. The TRPM7 currents in A549 cells were first characterized by means of electrophysiology, pharmacology and RNA interference. Removing Ca²⁺ from the extracellular solution not only potentiated a large inward current, but also abolished the outward rectification. 200 μM 2-APB inhibited the outward and the inward TRPM7 currents and at the same time restored the property of outward rectification. EGF greatly enhanced the migration of A549 cells, and also markedly up-regulated the membrane protein expression of TRPM7 and the amplitude of TRPM7 currents. Depressing the function of TRPM7 with RNA interference or pharmacological agents not only reversed the EGF-enhanced migration of A549 cells but also inhibited the basal migration of A549 cells in the absence of EGF. Thus it seems that TRPM7 plays a pivotal role in the migration of A549 cells induced by EGF and thus could be a potential therapeutic target in lung cancers.     

SmacN7诱导乳腺癌细胞MDA-MB-157凋亡的作用及其机制

目的:探讨SmacN7对乳腺癌细胞MDA-MB-157凋亡的作用及机制。方法:将0-20μmol/L的Smac N7应用于乳腺癌细胞MDA-MB-157,用MTS法检测细胞增殖活性,流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡、细胞周期,hoechst33342染色观察细胞核型变化,JC-1染色检测线粒体膜电位,LDH释放实验检测药物细胞毒性,qPCR检测各基因转录水平,并通过抑瘤实验证实该药抑制乳腺癌增殖的作用。结果:应用Smac N7后,乳腺癌细胞MDA-MB-157增殖抑制率和细胞凋亡率均增加(P<0.01),核型发生显著变化,细胞线粒体膜电位降低,LDH释放量增加,并上调TRAIL、DR4、DR5、p53、PARP-1、Bax、Bid、BAK、caspase-3、caspase-8、caspase-9基因的转录水平(P<0.01),下调Ras、PI3K、AKT、mTOR、Bcl2、Bcl-xL、MCL-1、Survivin、cIAP-1、cIAP-2基因的转录水平(P <0.01)。结论:SmacN7可通过TRAIL介导的死亡受体途径和线粒体介导的内源性凋亡途径诱导乳腺癌细胞MDA...     

Osteoprotegerin production by breast cancer cells is suppressed by dexamethasone and confers resistance against TRAIL‐induced apoptosis

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a decoy receptor for receptor activator of NF‐κB ligand (RANKL) and TNF‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL). While RANKL is essential for osteoclastogenesis and facilitates breast cancer migration into bone, TRAIL promotes breast cancer apoptosis. We analyzed the expression of OPG and TRAIL and its modulation in estrogen receptor‐positive MCF‐7 cells and receptor‐negative MDA‐MB‐231 cells. In both cells, OPG mRNA levels and protein secretion were dose‐ and time‐dependently enhanced by interleukin (IL)‐1β and suppressed by dexamethasone. In contrast to MCF‐7 cells, MDA‐MB‐231 abundantly expressed TRAIL mRNA, which was enhanced by IL‐1β and inhibited by dexamethasone. TRAIL activated pro‐apoptotic caspase‐3, ‐7, and poly‐ADP‐ribose polymerase and decreased cell numbers of MDA‐MB‐231, but had no effect on MCF‐7 cells. Gene silencing siRNA directed against OPG resulted in a 31% higher apoptotic rate compared to non‐target siRNA‐treated MDA‐MB‐231 cells. Furthermore, TRAIL induced significantly less apoptosis in cells cultured in conditioned media (containing OPG) compared to cells exposed to TRAIL in fresh medium lacking OPG (P < 0.01) and these protective effects were reversed by blocking OPG with its specific ligand RANKL (P < 0.05). The association between cancer cell survival and OPG production by MDA‐MB‐231 cells was further supported by the finding, that modulation of OPG secretion using IL‐1β or dexamethasone prior to TRAIL exposure resulted in decreased and increased rate of apoptosis, respectively (P < 0.05). Thus, OPG secretion by breast cancer cells is modulated by cytokines and dexamethasone, and may represent a critical resistance mechanism that protects against TRAIL‐induced apoptosis. J. Cell. Biochem. 108: 106–116, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

磷酸化蛋白质组学在三阴性乳腺癌诊治研究中的进展

三阴性乳腺癌是乳腺癌中恶性程度最高的亚型,其治疗仍以化疗为主,但容易出现耐药,且患者预后较差。随着蛋白质组学技术的发展,磷酸化蛋白质组学研究取得了长足的进步,并在肿瘤发生发展机制和诊治研究中得到了广泛的应用。同样,磷酸化蛋白质组学在三阴性乳腺癌的发生发展、靶向治疗和耐药机制研究等方面也发挥着重要作用。本文主要对目前磷酸化蛋白质组学在三阴性乳腺癌中的研究进展进行综述,旨在为基于磷酸化蛋白质组学的三阴性乳腺癌发生发展机制和诊治研究提供指导和帮助。     

Encorafenib enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells dependent on p53/PUMA signaling

TRAIL has been demonstrated to play a critical role in the apoptosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells, but drug resistance markedly restricts its therapeutic effects. Objectives: This study aims to investigate whether encorafenib can enhance TRAIL-induced apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells and the underlying mechanism. TRAIL was first used to induce CRC cells. CCK-8 assays were conducted for detecting cell viability of TRAIL-induced CRC cells with encorafenib treatment. Flow cytometry was used to detect the cell apoptosis of CRC cells and western blot was used to measure the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins. The expressions of DR4, DR5, p53, and PUMA were then evaluated by qPCR and western blot. After transfecting the interference plasmid of p53 into CRC cells, the expressions of PUMA and DR5 were further explored. TRAIL reduced the cell viability of CRC cells, and the inhibition was further reinforced under co-treatment of TRAIL and encorafenib. Encorafenib also triggered the promotion of CRC cell apoptosis induced by TRAIL. It was also found that encorafenib exerted its promoting effects on cell apoptosis of CRC cells via the elevation of DR5. Besides, encorafenib administration promoted the expression levels of p53 and PUMA in TRAIL-induced CRC cells. Furthermore, p53 knockdown attenuated the expression of PUMA and DR5 in TRAIL-induced CRC cells treated with encorafenib. This study indicates that encorafenib stimulates TRAIL-induced apoptosis of CRC cells dependent on p53/PUMA signaling, which may provide instructions for the treatment of CRC.     

TRPM7 reflected in Cryo-EMirror

TRPM7 is an atypical type of ion channel because its pore-forming moiety is covalently linked to a protein kinase domain. The channel-kinase TRPM7 controls a wide range of biological processes such as mineral homeostasis, immune responses, cell motility, proliferation and differentiation. Earlier this year, Duan J & co-workers [1] published three TRPM7 structures resolved by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). This study tremendously advances our mechanistic understanding of TRPM7 channel function and forms the basis for informed structure-function assessment of this extraordinary protein.     

抑制PI3K信号通路促进TRAIL诱导人乳腺癌细胞MCF-7凋亡

肿瘤坏死因子相关凋亡诱导配体（tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand, TRAIL）对癌细胞有独特的细胞毒性作用,而对正常细胞没有影响. 但乳腺癌细胞耐受TRAIL诱导凋亡.本研究探索磷脂酰肌醇-3激酶（phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase,PI3K）信号通路对人乳腺癌MCF-7细胞耐受TRAIL的影响. 采用MTT法、显微照相以及DAPI染色观察TRAIL对MCF-7细胞生长的抑制作用以及诱导细胞凋亡状况;流式细胞分析细胞凋亡的情况;激光共聚焦显微镜观察多聚ADP核糖多聚酶-1（poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase -1,PARP-1）的迁移和定位;Western印迹分析死亡受体、caspase-3/8、磷酸化的AKT［pAKT(Ser473)］、Src和PARP-1等蛋白质表达. 结果显示,小剂量TRAIL（< 80 nmol/L）和Ly294002（< 40μmol/L）对MCF-7细胞生长没有显著的抑制作用,但是大剂量TRAIL（160 nmol/L）和Ly294002（80 μmol/L）则能抑制MCF-7细胞生长;低剂量Ly294002协同TRAIL抑制MCF-7细胞生长,并诱导细胞凋亡;Ly294002和TRAIL共同作用能促进PARP-1从胞浆进入细胞核;蛋白质表达分析显示,MCF-7细胞均表达死亡受体DR4、DR5、诱骗受体DcR1和DcR2、以及caspase-8,但是不表达caspase-3;Ly294002和TRAIL共同作用也能抑制pAKT(Ser473)和Src的表达,并且导致PARP-1断裂. 本研究结果提示,抑制PI3K信号可增加MCF-7细胞对TRAIL诱导的敏感性;MCF-7细胞通过PI3K/AKT途径促进Src的表达耐受TRAIL的细胞毒性作用Ly294002联合TRAIL是一种新的药物组合方式治疗乳腺癌.     

Inhibition of CaMKII-mediated c-FLIP expression sensitizes malignant melanoma cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis

TRAIL can induce apoptosis in melanoma cells and thus may offer new hope for melanoma therapy. However, many melanoma cells are resistant to TRAIL. To examine molecular mechanisms in cell resistance, we analyzed TRAIL-induced DISC in TRAIL-sensitive melanoma cells and showed that apoptosis-initiating caspase-8 and caspase-10 were recruited to the DISC where they became activated through autocatalytical cleavage, leading to apoptosis through cleavage of downstream substrates such as caspase-3 and DFF45. In TRAIL-resistant melanoma cells, however, c-FLIP proteins were recruited to the DISC, resulting in the inhibition of caspase-8 and caspase-10 cleavage in the DISC. Both calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) protein and enzymatic activity were upregulated in resistant cells and CaMKII inhibitor KN-93 downregulated expression of c-FLIP proteins, thus sensitizing resistant cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Transfection of CaMKII cDNA in sensitive melanoma cells resulted in cell resistance to TRAIL, where transfection of CaMKII dominant-negative cDNA in resistant cells restored TRAIL sensitivity in cells. These results indicate that the CaMKII-mediated pathway for c-FLIP upregulation protects melanoma cells from TRAIL-induced apoptosis and targeting this pathway may provide novel therapeutic strategies in treatment of melanomas.     

The ion channel TRPM7 regulates zinc-depletion-induced MDMX degradation

Zinc deficiency has been linked to human diseases, including cancer. MDMX, a crucial zinc-containing negative regulator of p53, has been found to be amplified or overexpressed in various cancers and implicated in the cancer initiation and progression. We report here that zinc depletion by the ion chelator TPEN or Chelex resin results in MDMX protein degradation in a ubiquitination-independent and 20S proteasome-dependent manner. Restoration of zinc led to recovery of cellular levels of MDMX. Further, TPEN treatment inhibits growth of the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line, which is partially rescued by overexpression of MDMX. Moreover, in a mass-spectrometry-based proteomics analysis, we identified TRPM7, a zinc-permeable ion channel, as a novel MDMX-interacting protein. TRPM7 stabilizes and induces the appearance of faster migrating species of MDMX on SDS-PAGE. Depletion of TRPM7 attenuates, while TRPM7 overexpression facilitates, the recovery of MDMX levels upon adding back zinc to TPEN-treated cells. Importantly, we found that TRPM7 inhibition, like TPEN treatment, decreases breast cancer cell MCF-7 proliferation and migration. The inhibitory effect on cell migration upon TRPM7 inhibition is also partially rescued by overexpression of MDMX. Together, our data indicate that TRPM7 regulates cellular levels of MDMX in part by modulating the intracellular Zn²⁺ concentration to promote tumorigenesis.     

Seleno-short-chain chitosan induces apoptosis in human breast cancer cells through mitochondrial apoptosis pathway in vitro

Seleno-short-chain chitosan (SSCC) was a synthesized chitosan derivative with the molecular weight of 4826.986 Da. The study is aimed to investigate cytotoxicity of SSCC on human breast cancer MCF-7 and BT-20 cells and explore apoptosis-related mechanism in vitro. The MTT (3- [4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenylterazolium bromide) assay showed that SSCC exhibited significantly cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 and BT-20 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and the effective inhibitory concentration was 100 μg/ml and 200 μg/ml, respectively. Apoptosis assay of these two kinds of cells was determined by Hoechst 33,342/PI and Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining. The cell cycle assay showed that SSCC triggered S and G2/M phase cell cycle arrest in MCF-7 cells and S phase cell cycle arrest in BT-20 cells in a time-dependent manner. Further studies demonstrated that SSCC led to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in these two kinds of cells. N- acetyl-L cysteine (NAC), as a radical scavenger, significantly inhibited the generation of ROS and decreased the apoptosis of MCF-7 and BT-20 cells. Moreover, the expression of mitochondrial apoptosis-related proteins was detected by western blot assay. SSCC up-regulated the expression of Bax, down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2, subsequently increased the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytoplasm, and activated the cleavage of caspase-9 and ?3, which finally induced apoptosis in MCF-7 and BT-20 cells in vitro. Consequently, these data indicated that SSCC could induce apoptosis of MCF-7and BT-20 cells in vitro by mitochondrial pathway.     

Novel thiosemicarbazides induced apoptosis in human MCF-7 breast cancer cells via JNK signaling

Abstract

In this study, novel thiosemicarbazides and 1,3,4-oxadiazoles were synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer effects on human MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. Among the synthesized derivatives studied, compound 2-(3-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-hydroxybutanoyl)-N-phenylhydrazinecarbothioamide 4c showed the highest cytotoxicity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells as it reduced cell viability to approximately 15% compared to approximately 25% in normal breast epithelial cells. Therefore, we focused on 4c for further investigations. Our data showed that 4c induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells which was further confirmed by TUNEL assay. Western blotting analysis showed that compound 4c up-regulated the pro-survival proteins Bax, Bad and ERK1/2, while it down-regulated anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2, Akt and STAT-3. Additionally, 4c induced phosphorylation of SAPK/JNK in MCF-7 cells. Pretreatment of MCF-7 cells with 10?µM of JNK inhibitor significantly reduced 4c-induced apoptosis. Molecular docking results suggested that compound 4c showed a binding pattern close to the pattern observed in the structure of the lead fragment bound to JNK1. Collectively, the data of current study suggested that the thiosemicarbazide 4c might trigger apoptosis in human MCF-7 cells by targeting JNK signaling.     

Cetuximab enhances TRAIL-induced gastric cancer cell apoptosis by promoting DISC formation in lipid rafts

TRAIL is a member of the tumor necrosis factor family that selectively induces cancer cell apoptosis. However, gastric cancer cells are insensitive to TRAIL. Our and others studies showed that the inhibition of EGFR pathway activation could increase the sensitivity of TRAIL in cancer cells. But the detailed mechanism is not fully understood. In the present study, compared with TRAIL or cetuximab (an anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody) alone, treatment with the TRAIL/cetuximab combination significantly promoted death receptor 4 (DR4) clustering as well as the translocation of both DR4 and Fas-associated death domain-containing protein (FADD) into lipid rafts. This in turn resulted in caspase-8 cleavage and the formation of the death-inducing signaling complex (DISC) in these lipid rafts. Cholesterol-depletion with methyl-β-cyclodextrin partially prevented DR4 clustering and DISC formation, and thus partially reversed apoptosis induced by the TRAIL/cetuximab dual treatment. These results indicate that cetuximab increases TRAIL-induced gastric cancer cell apoptosis at least partially through the promotion of DISC formation in lipid rafts.     

Photodynamic treatment with anionic nanoclays containing curcumin on human triple-negative breast cancer cells: Cellular and biochemical studies

Photodynamic treatment is a minimally invasive and clinically approved procedure for eliminating selected malignant cells with activation of a photosensitizer agent at a specific light. Little is known, however, about the phototoxic properties of curcumin, as a natural phenolic compound, against different types of cancers. It is generally accepted that cellular damage occurs during photo treatment. There is a limitation in using of curcumin as a drug due to its low solubility, but nanoparticles such as anionic nanoclays or layered double hydroxide (LDH) could overcome it. The aim of this study was to investigate cellular responses to curcumin-LDH nanoparticles after photodynamic treatment of MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. For this purpose, the MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell line treated with curcumin-LDH nanoparticle and then irradiated (photodynamic treatment). After irradiation, lactate dehydrogenase assay, clonogenic cell survival, cell death mechanisms such as autophagy and apoptosis were determined. Cell cycle distribution after photodynamic therapy (PDT) and also intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation were measured. The result showed that curcumin-LDH–PDT has a cytotoxic and antiprolifrative effect on MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. Curcumin-LDH–PDT induced autophagy, apoptosis, and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in human breast cancer cell line. Intracellular ROS increased in MDA-MB-231 cancer cell line after treatment with curcumin-LDH along with irradiation. The results suggest that curcumin-LDH nanoparticle could be considered as a novel approach in the photodynamic treatment of breast cancer.     

Pretreatment of docetaxel enhances TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in prostate cancer cells

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a promising cancer therapeutic agent because of its tumor selectivity. TRAIL is known to induce apoptosis in cancer cells but spare most normal cells. In this study, we examined whether treatment of docetaxel (DTX) can enhance apoptotic cell death by TRAIL against androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC). The cell death effect of combinations of TRAIL and docetaxel on prostate cancer cell lines (androgen-dependent LNCaP and its derived androgen-independent, metastatic C4-2B) was evaluated by synergisms of apoptosis. Western blot assay and DNA fragmentation assay were used to study the underlying mechanisms of cell death and search for any mechanisms of enhancement of TRAIL induced apoptosis in the presence of docetaxel. In addition, we investigated the in vitro anti-tumor effects of combined docetaxel and TRAIL using MAP kinase inhibitors. Docetaxel itself could not induce apoptotic cell death in 24 h even in high concentration. Apoptotic cell death, however, was drastically enhanced by pretreatment of docetaxel 20 h before TRAIL treatment. Docetaxel enhanced the PARP-1 cleavage and caspases activation by TRAIL especially in androgen-independent, metastatic C4-2B cell line, mainly by phosphorylation of Bcl-2 by JNK activation. It appears that apoptotic cell death was protected by the JNK inhibitor SP600125. The results of our study show that pretreatment of docetaxel is able to enhance the apoptosis produced by TRAIL in prostate cancer cells, especially in hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC).     

Suppression of the proinflammatory response of metastatic melanoma cells increases TRAIL-induced apoptosis

Melanoma is the most lethal form of human skin cancer. However, only limited chemotherapy is currently available for the metastatic stage of the disease. Since chemotherapy, radiation and sodium arsenite treatment operate mainly through induction of the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway, a strongly decreased mitochondrial function in metastatic melanoma cells, could be responsible for low efficacy of the conventional therapy of melanoma. Another feature of metastatic melanoma cells is their proinflammatory phenotype, linked to endogenous expression of the inflammatory cytokines, such as TNFα IL6 and IL8, their receptors, and constitutive NF-κB- and STAT3-dependent gene expression, including cyclooxygenase-2 (PTGS2/COX2). In the present study, we treated melanoma cells with immunological (monoclonal antibody against TNFα or IL6), pharmacological (small molecular inhibitors of IKKβ-NF-κB and JAK2-STAT3) or genetic (specific RNAi for COX-2) agents that suppressed the inflammatory response in combination with induction of apoptosis via TRAIL. As a result of these combined treatments, exogenous TRAIL via interactions with TRAIL-R2/R1 strongly increased levels of apoptosis in resistant melanoma cells. The present study provides new understanding of the regulation of TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in melanoma and will serve as the foundation for the potential development of a novel approach for a therapy of resistant melanomas.