KITENIN increases invasion and migration of mouse squamous cancer cells and promotes pulmonary metastasis in a mouse squamous tumor model

KAI1 C-terminal interacting tetraspanin (KITENIN) is reported to promote metastasis in mouse colon cancer models. We investigated the role of KITENIN on the progression of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). In a preliminary clinical study using resected tissues from head and neck SCC patients, KITENIN was highly expressed in tumors and metastatic lymph nodes, while KAI1 was more increased in adjacent mucosa than in tumor. KITENIN-transfected mouse squamous cancer (SCC VII/KITENIN) cells showed significantly higher invasion, migration, and proliferation than empty vector-transfected cells. In syngeneic mouse squamous tumor models, more increased tumor volume and enhanced lung metastasis were found in SCC VII/KITENIN cells-injected mice. Thus, KITENIN increases invasion and migration of squamous cancer cells and thereby promotes distant metastasis in mouse squamous tumor models.     

Progesterone inhibits epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in endometrial cancer

Background

Every year approximately 74,000 women die of endometrial cancer, mainly due to recurrent or metastatic disease. The presence of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) as well as progesterone receptor (PR) positivity has been correlated with improved prognosis. This study describes two mechanisms by which progesterone inhibits metastatic spread of endometrial cancer: by stimulating T-cell infiltration and by inhibiting epithelial-to-mesenchymal cell transition (EMT).

Methodology and Principal Findings

Paraffin sections from patients with (n = 9) or without (n = 9) progressive endometrial cancer (recurrent or metastatic disease) were assessed for the presence of CD4+ (helper), CD8+ (cytotoxic) and Foxp3+ (regulatory) T-lymphocytes and PR expression. Progressive disease was observed to be associated with significant loss of TILs and loss of PR expression. Frozen tumor samples, used for genome-wide expression analysis, showed significant regulation of pathways involved in immunesurveillance, EMT and metastasis. For a number of genes, such as CXCL14, DKK1, DKK4, PEG10 and WIF1, quantitive RT-PCR was performed to verify up- or downregulation in progressive disease. To corroborate the role of progesterone in regulating invasion, Ishikawa(IK) endometrial cancer cell lines stably transfected with PRA (IKPRA), PRB(IKPRB) and PRA+PRB (IKPRAB) were cultured in presence/absence of progesterone (MPA) and used for genome-wide expression analysis, Boyden- and wound healing migration assays, and IHC for known EMT markers. IKPRB and IKPRAB cell lines showed MPA induced inhibition of migration and loss of the mesenchymal marker vimentin at the invasive front of the wound healing assay. Furthermore, pathway analysis of significantly MPA regulated genes showed significant down regulation of important pathways involved in EMT, immunesuppression and metastasis: such as IL6-, TGF-β and Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Conclusion

Intact progesterone signaling in non-progressive endometrial cancer seems to be an important factor stimulating immunosurveilance and inhibiting transition from an epithelial to a more mesenchymal, more invasive phenotype.     

Cysteamine suppresses invasion, metastasis and prolongs survival by inhibiting matrix metalloproteinases in a mouse model of human pancreatic cancer

Background

Cysteamine, an anti-oxidant aminothiol, is the treatment of choice for nephropathic cystinosis, a rare lysosomal storage disease. Cysteamine is a chemo-sensitization and radioprotection agent and its antitumor effects have been investigated in various tumor cell lines and chemical induced carcinogenesis. Here, we investigated whether cysteamine has anti-tumor and anti-metastatic effects in transplantable human pancreatic cancer, an aggressive metastatic disease.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Cysteamine''s anti-invasion effects were studied by matrigel invasion and cell migration assays in 10 pancreatic cancer cell lines. To study mechanism of action, we examined cell viability and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) activity in the cysteamine-treated cells. We also examined cysteamine''s anti-metastasis effect in two orthotopic murine models of human pancreatic cancer by measuring peritoneal metastasis and survival of animals. Cysteamine inhibited both migration and invasion of all ten pancreatic cancer cell lines at concentrations (<25 mM) that caused no toxicity to cells. It significantly decreased MMPs activity (IC ₅₀ 38–460 µM) and zymographic gelatinase activity in a dose dependent manner in vitro and in vivo; while mRNA and protein levels of MMP-9, MMP-12 and MMP-14 were slightly increased using the highest cysteamine concentration. In vivo, cysteamine significantly decreased metastasis in two established pancreatic tumor models, although it did not affect the size of primary tumors. Additionally, cysteamine prolonged survival of mice in a dose-dependent manner without causing any toxicity. Similar to the in vitro results, MMP activity was significantly decreased in animal tumors treated with cysteamine. Cysteamine had no clinical or preclinical adverse effects in the host even at the highest dose.

Conclusions/Significance

Our results suggest that cysteamine, an agent with a proven safety profile, may be useful for inhibition of metastasis and prolonging the survival of a host with pancreatic cancer.     

奥沙利铂对子宫内膜癌HEC-1A侵袭转移的影响

目的研究奥沙利铂对人子宫内膜癌细胞HEC-1A侵袭转移的影响。方法体外稳定培养HEC-1A细胞株系,用不同浓度奥沙利铂(40、80、160μg/ml)给药72h后,采用Transwell法测定奥沙利铂对HEC-1A侵袭能力的影响,重组基底膜试验测定奥沙利铂对HEC-1A粘附能力的影响,划痕试验检测奥沙利铂对HEC-1A迁移能力的影响。结果与未处理对照组比较,奥沙利铂(40、80、160μg/ml)明显抑制HEC-1A侵袭性,提高侵袭抑制率(P0.01),显著降低肿瘤细胞的迁移能力(P0.01),降低HEC-1A粘附程度(P0.01)。结论奥沙利铂有效抑制子宫内膜癌细胞继发性侵袭及转移,从而发挥抗癌作用。     

Prostate cancer cells show elevated urokinase receptor in a mouse model of metastasis

Background  

The urokinase receptor (uPAR) governs several functions necessary during invasion and metastasis such as motility, degradation of the extracellular matrix and adhesion. This receptor has been recently associated with clinical prostate cancer progression. Experimentally, inhibition of uPAR reduces colonization of extra-prostatic sites in animal models. Our objective in this study was to compare uPAR expression in orthotopic vs. metastatic foci in vivo and to examine at the cellular level how uPAR might promote early stages of metastasis.     

Bone-related genes expressed in advanced malignancies induce invasion and metastasis in a genetically defined human cancer model

We employed a genetically defined human cancer model to investigate the contributions of two genes up-regulated in several cancers to phenotypic changes associated with late stages of tumorigenesis. Specifically, tumor cells expressing two structurally unrelated bone-related genes, osteonectin and osteoactivin, acquired a highly invasive phenotype when implanted intracranially in immunocompromised mice. Mimicking a subset of gliomas, tumor cells invaded brain along blood vessels and developed altered vasculature at the brain-tumor interface, suggesting that production of those two proteins by tumor cells may create a complex relationship between invading tumor and vasculature co-opted during tumor invasion. Interestingly, the same tumor cells formed massive spontaneous metastases when implanted subcutaneously. This dramatic alteration in tumor phenotype indicates that cellular microenvironment plays an important role in defining the specific effects of those gene products in tumor behavior. In vitro examination of tumor cells expressing either osteonectin or osteoactivin revealed that there was no impact on cellular growth or death but increased invasiveness and expression of MMP-9 and MMP-3. Specific pharmacologic inhibitors of MMP-2/9 and MMP-3 blocked the increased in vitro invasion associated with osteoactivin expression, but only MMP-3 inhibition altered the invasive in vitro phenotype mediated by osteonectin. Results from this genetically defined model system are supported by similar findings obtained from several established tumor cell lines derived originally from human patients. In sum, these results reveal that the expression of a single bone-related gene can dramatically alter or modify tumor cell behavior and may confer differential growth characteristics in different microenvironments. Genetically defined human cancer models offer useful tools in functional genomics to define the roles of specific genes in late stages of carcinogenesis.     

Sex steroid receptors in endometrial cancer

Endometrial cancer contains estrogen and progestin receptor proteins. The receptor content inversely correlates with histologic differentiation. The correlation between receptor content and histologic subtype and stage of the disease may depend upon the degree of differentiation of the tumor. The status of the peritoneal cytology and depth of myometrial invasion by tumor do not correlate with the receptor status. In general, patients with receptor-rich tumors have a better prognosis than those without receptors and respond favorably to progestin therapy. The level of the receptor protein in the tumor may also influence survival.     

The role of laminin in cancer invasion and metastasis

Laminin, a basement membrane glycoprotein, has been implicated in a number of stages in tumour invasion and metastasis. In addition to its roles in cell adhesion and migration, laminin may be important in mediating interactions of tumour cells with the immune system and have more subtle roles in controlling metastatic behaviour. Recent work on the prognostic significance of laminin and the possible role of the molecule in antimetastasis therapy will also be discussed.     

Neutrophil depletion retards endometrial repair in a mouse model

The contribution of the high abundance of inflammatory cells present in the human endometrium prior to and during menstruation is unknown with respect to endometrial repair and/or menstruation. In this study, the presence and localisation of markers for key inflammatory cells have been examined in a mouse model of endometrial breakdown and repair and the functional contribution of neutrophils has been determined. In the model, decidualisation is artificially induced and progesterone support withdrawn; the endometrial tissue progressively breaks down by 24 h after progesterone withdrawal and, by 48 h, has usually undergone complete repair. Neutrophils have been identified in low abundance in decidual tissue, rise in number during breakdown and are most abundant during early repair. Macrophages are barely detectable during breakdown or repair in this model, whereas uterine natural killer cells are found only in intact decidua. The functional contribution of neutrophils to endometrial breakdown and repair has been assessed via neutrophil depletion by using the antibody RB6-8C5. This antibody significantly depletes neutrophils from the circulation and tissue, affects endometrial breakdown and markedly delays endometrial repair. This study has therefore demonstrated that neutrophils are the most abundant leucocyte in this model and that they play an important functional role in the processes of endometrial breakdown and repair. This work was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (#143798, #241000) and by an Australian Postgraduate Scholarship to T.K.     

Ecosystems of invasion and metastasis in mammary morphogenesis and cancer

The present review describes molecular and cellular mechanisms of cancer invasion and metastasis as compared to mammary gland development considering communication inside and between ecosystems. At the level of the individual cell, invasion programs are written by an ecosystem of signalling pathways each of which steers several invasion-related cellular activities. At the supracellular level, communication within the epithelial compartment involves cells of the same origin, but with different phenotypes including stem cells. A similar interaction occurs between the various cells of the stromal compartment. Crucial for our understanding of tumor or mammary gland ecosystems are the mutual interactions between cells of the epithelial and cells of the stromal compartment. An update is provided for endothelial cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts and macrophages that are implicated in angiogenesis, desmoplasia and inflammation respectively. At the level of the organism, distant ecosystems, comprising primary tumor site, sites of metastasis, bone marrow and endocrine glands among others, are in continuous contact through circulating cells and soluble ligands. Our review suggests consideration of these ecosystems when designing therapeutic strategies.     

Matrix metalloproteinases in endometrial breakdown and repair: functional significance in a mouse model

Considerable correlative evidence suggests an important role for matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in menstruation, a process which occurs naturally in very few species. In this study, MMP expression was examined in a mouse model of endometrial breakdown and repair and the functional importance of MMPs determined. In the model, progesterone support was withdrawn from mice in which endometrial decidualization had been induced; 24 h later, endometrial breakdown was complete, and the entire decidual zone had been shed. Re-epithelialization had occurred by 36 h, and the endometrium had undergone extensive restoration toward a predecidualized state by 48 h. Immunoreactive MMP9 and MMP7 colocalized with leukocyte subsets, particularly neutrophils, whereas MMP13 staining was always extracellular. MMP3 and MMP7 were abundant during re-epithelialization in close proximity to newly reforming epithelium. The functional importance of MMPs in these processes was examined using two MMP inhibitors, doxycycline and batimistat. Both inhibitors effectively reduced MMP activity, as assessed by in situ zymography, but did not have significant effects on endometrial breakdown or repair. This study demonstrates that although MMPs are present in abundance during endometrial breakdown and repair in this mouse model, they are not the key mediators of these processes.     

基于临床肿瘤标本的胃癌转移模型建立

目的建立基于临床肿瘤标本的胃癌转移模型,为胃癌的转移研究提供个体化动物模型。方法将胃癌新鲜的手术标本移植到裸鼠皮下,建立胃癌患者异种移植(patient-derived xenograft,PDX)模型。进一步通过手术将皮下瘤组织原位移植到裸鼠胃部肌层,连续观察裸鼠的体征状态,通过近红外荧光活体成像技术检测肿瘤转移的发生。解剖荷瘤小鼠,将肺部转移灶进一步移植裸鼠皮下获得实体瘤。HE染色观察原发瘤与转移瘤的结构特征,(short tandem repeat) STR分析原发瘤和转移瘤的遗传特性。PCR-Array分析转移瘤和原发瘤中转移相关基因的表达。结果成功建立胃癌PDX模型,移植瘤组织结构与患者保持基本一致;通过胃部原位移植发现编号C19751的小鼠发生肺和肝的转移。其中肺转移灶皮下移植后获得了实体瘤,STR分析显示原发瘤保持了与肺转移瘤一致的遗传特征。PCR-Array结果显示,与原发瘤相比,转移瘤中CXCL12,IGF1和MMP2基因表达均显著上调。结论利用临床肿瘤标本成功建立胃癌转移模型,为胃癌转移研究提供了良好的个体化模型。     

Role of platelets and platelet receptors in cancer metastasis

The interaction of tumor cells with platelets is a prerequisite for successful hematogenous metastatic dissemination. Upon tumor cell arrival in the blood, tumor cells immediately activate platelets to form a permissive microenvironment. Platelets protect tumor cells from shear forces and assault of NK cells, recruit myeloid cells by secretion of chemokines, and mediate an arrest of the tumor cell platelet embolus at the vascular wall. Subsequently, platelet-derived growth factors confer a mesenchymal-like phenotype to tumor cells and open the capillary endothelium to expedite extravasation in distant organs. Finally, platelet-secreted growth factors stimulate tumor cell proliferation to micrometastatic foci. This review provides a synopsis on the current literature on platelet-mediated effects in cancer metastasis and particularly focuses on platelet adhesion receptors and their role in metastasis. Immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM) and hemi ITAM (hemITAM) comprising receptors, especially, glycoprotein VI (GPVI), FcγRIIa, and C-type lectin-like-2 receptor (CLEC-2) are turned in the spotlight since several new mechanisms and contributions to metastasis have been attributed to this family of platelet receptors in the last years.     

Cyclin D1 regulates lung cancer invasion and metastasis

Cyclin D1, as a regulatory factor in cell cycle, is highly expressed in many tumors, such as lung cancer, breast cancer and thyroid cancer. The aim of the present study was to study the role of Cyclin D1 in invasion and metastasis of lung cancer cells. Lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 and squamous cell line SK-MES-1 were selected as the objects, because A549 expresses Cyclin D1 highly, and SK-MES-1 expresses lowly. Nude mice were injected with A549 or SK-MES-1 via tail vein, and were sacrificed after 4 weeks for cancer tissue isolation. The harvested cancer cells were reinjected into another nude mouse. After one more time of such seeding, highly metastatic lung cancer model was established. After A549 and SK-MES-1 were transfected with Cyclin D1 RNAi and expression vector respectively, transwell migration assay was used to analyze transferring capacity of lung cancer cells. Western blot was used to detect Cyclin D1 and WNT/TCF pathway proteins expressions in parental cell lines and cancer tissue from metastasis model animals. The results showed that, along with the increase of seeding times, lung cancer cells from model animals, no matter A549 or SK-MES-1, exhibited augmented metastasis activity and up-regulated Cyclin D1 expression. The transferring capacity was weakened significantly in A549 cells where the Cyclin D1 was interfered by RNAi, and it was enhanced significantly in SK-MES-1 cells which were transfected with the expression vector of Cyclin D1. The expressions of WNT/TCF pathway proteins, including β-catenin, lymphoid enhancer-binding factor (LEF) and T cell factor (TCF), increased significantly in highly metastatic model animals. The parental cell lines showed lower expressions of WNT/TCF pathway proteins compared with cancer tissue from metastasis model animals. These results suggest that Cyclin D1 is closely related with the invasion and metastasis of lung cancer cells, and the WNT/TCF signal pathway may promote the expression of Cyclin D1.     

Heparin-like polysaccharides reduce osteolytic bone destruction and tumor growth in a mouse model of breast cancer bone metastasis

TGF-β regulates several steps in cancer metastasis, including the establishment of bone metastatic lesions. TGF-β is released from bone during osteoclastic bone resorption and it stimulates breast cancer cells to produce osteolytic factors such as interleukin 11 (IL-11). We conducted a cell-based siRNA screen and identified heparan sulfate 6-O-sulfotransferase 2 (HS6ST2) as a critical gene for TGF-β-induced IL-11 production in highly bone metastatic MDA-MB-231(SA) breast cancer cells. HS6ST2 attaches sulfate groups to glucosamine residues in heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans. We subsequently showed how heparin and a high-molecular-weight Escherichia coli K5-derived heparin-like polysaccharide (K5-NSOS) inhibited TGF-β-induced IL-11 production in MDA-MB-231(SA) cells. In addition, K5-NSOS inhibited bone resorption activity of human osteoclasts in vitro. We evaluated the therapeutic potential of K5-NSOS and fragmin in a mouse model of breast cancer bone metastasis. MDA-MB-231(SA) cells were inoculated into the left cardiac ventricle of athymic nude mice which were treated with fragmin, K5-NSOS, or vehicle once a day for four weeks. Both heparin-like glycosaminoglycans inhibited weight reduction, decreased osteolytic lesion area, and reduced tumor burden in bone. In conclusion, our data imply novel mechanisms involved in TGF-β induction and support the critical role of heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans in cancer metastasis as well as indicate that K5-NSOS is a potential antimetastatic and antiresorptive agent for cancer therapy. This study illustrates the potential to translate in vitro siRNA screening results toward in vivo therapeutic concepts.