Stealth siRNA against CD147 inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma cell metastatic properties

CD147 plays a critical role in the invasive and metastatic activity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells by stimulating the surrounding fibroblasts to secrete matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Tumor cells adhesion to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins is the first step to the tumor metastasis. MMPs degrade the ECM to promote tumor metastasis. The aim of this research was to investigate the inhibitory effects of stealth small interfering RNA (siRNA) against CD147 on HCC cell line (SMMC-7721) metastatic properties including invasion, adhesion to ECM, gelatinase production, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and vinculin expression. Flow cytometry (FCM) and western blot assays were employed to detect the transfection efficiency of the stealth siRNA against CD147. Invasion assays and gelatin zymography were also used to detect the effects of stealth siRNA against CD147 on SMMC-7721 cells’ invasion and gelatinase production. The effects of stealth siRNA against CD147 on FAK and vinculiln expression in SMMC-7721 cells were also detected by western blot. The results showed that stealth siRNA against CD147 inhibited SMMC-7721 invasion, adhesion to ECM proteins, MMP-2 production, and FAK and vinculin expression. These findings indicate that CD147 is required for tumor cell invasion and adhesion. Perturbation of CD147 expression may have potential therapeutic uses in the prevention of MMP-2-dependent tumor invasion.     

Impact of IGF-I/IGF-IR circuit on the angiogenetic properties of Ewing's sarcoma cells.

The insulin-like growth factor receptor I (IGF-I)-mediated circuit is a major autocrine loop for Ewing's sarcoma (ES) cells, and plays a role the pathogenesis and malignancy of this tumor. IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) has emerged as a good therapeutic site for ES patients. In this study, we analyzed the impact of strategies targeting the IGF-IR on the regulation of VEGFs, which are of fundamental importance in angiogenesis, and TGFbeta, CTGF and Cyr61, which are factors primarily involved in skeletal growth control and angiogenesis. IGF-I increases expression of VEGF-A, TGFbeta, CTGF and Cyr61 mRNA. However, only the modulation of VEGF-A expression appears to be mediated by IGF-IR. Functional assays on endothelial cells indicate a strict correlation between survival and proliferation of HUVECs and VEGF-A levels, confirming a major role for this factor in angiogenesis. Blockage of IGF-IR functions by neutralizing antibody or antisense strategies significantly reduced the expression and secretion of VEGF-A by ES cells, and supernatants of treated cells were unable to sustain the survival and proliferation of HUVECs. Analysis of the signaling mechanisms involved in constitutive or IGF-induced expression and secretion of VEGF-A indicated that PI3-K and MAPK signaling pathways are both required for VEGF expression and production in ES cells. Selective inhibitors LY294002 or PD98059 were highly effective in reducing the ability of ES cells to produce VEGF-A and stimulate survival and proliferation of HUVECs. Taken together, these findings add a new activity to the IGF-I repertoire in ES and highlight how disruption of IGF-IR functions may constitute an effective tool for the control of neovascularization in this tumor.     

人IL-17F对裸鼠人肝癌移植瘤生长的影响

利用RT-PCR方法从PHA活化的人外周血单个核细胞(PBMCs)中克隆hIL-17F基因,亚克隆至逆转录病毒载体pSIV-1,与辅助病毒载体pHIT456和pHIT60脂质体法共转染293T包装细胞,获得的成熟重组逆转录病毒(RV-hIL-17F)再感染SMMC-7721人肝癌细胞,并经G418筛选建立hIL-17F转基因肝癌细胞。PCR、RT-PCR和Westernblot结果表明hIL-17F基因在肝癌细胞中能成功整合、转录和表达。MTT和FCM结果表明hIL-17F不能改变SMMC-7721肝癌细胞的增殖活力和细胞周期,但ELISA结果表明其能明显下调肝癌细胞IL-6、IL-8和VEGF的表达。转基因肝癌细胞rhIL-17F表达上清具有抑制ECV304人脐静脉内皮细胞生长的作用。裸鼠皮下成瘤试验结果表明hIL-17F转基因肝癌细胞裸鼠致瘤能力明显减弱,VEGF和CD34表达降低,血管形成显著减少。hIL-17F可通过减少肿瘤血管形成显著抑制裸鼠人肝癌移植瘤的生长,为其进一步开展肿瘤血管靶向基因治疗和开发抗血管新药提供了一定的实验依据。     

棕榈酸促进肝癌细胞侵袭转移的分子机制

目的:探讨棕榈酸(Palmiticacid,PA)对人肝癌细胞系SMMC-7721侵袭转移能力的影响,并通过检测肝癌细胞系中CD147-MMPs信号通路在PA影响下的变化,初探PA影响肝癌细胞侵袭转移的分子机制。方法:PA(0、20、50、100μM)作用SMMC-7721细胞后(8、16、24h),MTT法检测细胞增殖,划痕及Transwell实验评价细胞迁移侵袭能力,Western-blot及real-time PCR检测CD147蛋白及其mRNA的水平,ELISA检测基质金属蛋白酶(MMP-2,MMP-9)的水平。结果:与对照组相比,PA作用SMMC-7721细胞后,细胞存活率无显著差异(P0.05);细胞迁移和侵袭能力显著增高(P0.05);CD147蛋白及其mRNA的表达显著增高(P0.05);培养上清中MMP-9的浓度显著增高(P0.05),MMP-2的水平则无变化。不同的梯度组之间相比较,细胞迁移和侵袭能力、CD147的表达水平(蛋白及其mRNA)以及培养上清中MMP-9的浓度均随PA作用时间和作用剂量的增大而产生更显著的增高。结论:PA通过活化CD147-MMPs信号通路促进SMMC-7721细胞的迁移侵袭。     

Vascular endothelial growth factor upregulates follistatin in human umbilical vein endothelial cells

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), plays a key role in angiogenesis. Many endogenous factors can affect angiogenesis in endothelial cells. VEGF is known to be a strong migration, sprouting, survival, and proliferation factor for endothelial cells during angiogenesis in endothelial cells. Searching for novel genes, involved in VEGF signaling during angiogenesis, we carried out differential display polymerase chain reaction on RNA from VEGF-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In this study, follistatin (FS) differentially expressed in VEGF-treated HUVECs, compared with controls. Addition of VEGF (10 ng/mL) produced an approximately 11.8-fold increase of FS mRNA. FS or VEGF produced approximately 1.8- or 2.9-fold increases, respectively, in matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) secretion for 12 h, compared to the addition of a control buffer. We suggest that VEGF may affect the angiogenic effect of HUVECs, through a combination of the direct effects of VEGF itself, and the indirect effects mediated via induction of FSin vitro.     

Evodiamine inhibits in vitro angiogenesis: Implication for antitumorgenicity

Evodiamine, the major bioactive compound isolated from Chinese herbal drug named Wu-Chu-Yu, has been reported to exhibit anti-tumor growth and metastasis. However, the effect of evodiamine on angiogenesis remains to be investigated. We used the fresh medium containing evodiamine or human lung adenocarcinoma cell (CL1 cells) derived conditioned media free of evodiamine to test their capability to induce in vitro angiogenesis, i.e., human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) tube formation and invasion. We demonstrated that evodiamine could directly inhibit in vitro HUVECs tube formation and invasion. Locally administered evodiamine also inhibited the in vivo angiogenesis in the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. The gene expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the p44/p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK, ERK) that correlated with endothelial cells angiogenesis were inhibited by evodiamine. We found that the evodiamine-treated CL1 cells derived conditioned medium showed decreased VEGF release and reduced ability of inducing in vitro tube formation. After the collection of conditioned media, the VEGF expression of remaining CL1 cells were determined by Western analyses and revealed that evodiamine decreased VEGF expression. Moreover, administration of recombinant human VEGF(165) (rhVEGF(165)) induced tube formation and ERK phosphorylation by HUVECs, and partially attenuated inhibitory effect of evodiamine. From these results, we suggested that evodiamine is a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis. The mechanism might involve at least the inhibition of VEGF expression, probably through repression of ERK phosphorylation.     

BetaIg-h3 is involved in the HAb18G/CD147-mediated metastasis process in human hepatoma cells

HAb18G/CD147, a new hepatoma-associated antigen cloned and screened from human hepatocellular carcinoma cDNA library, is closely correlated with metastasis process in human hepatoma cells. In the present study we aimed to identify the pivotal molecules of the HAb18G/CD147 signal transduction pathway. The investigation showed that betaig-h3, a secretory extracellular matrix (ECM) protein, was upregulated in HAb18G/CD147-expressing human hepatoma T7721 cells and was downregulated by depressing HAb18G/CD147 expression. The expression of betaig-h3, upregulated in human hepatoma cells, was positively relative to the expression of HAb18G/CD147 in different human hepatoma cell lines. By overexpressing betaig-h3 in human SMMC-7721 hepatoma cells, we discovered that betaig-h3 promoted cell adhesion, invasion, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) secretion potential. HAb18G/CD147-induced invasion and metastasis potential of human hepatoma cells can be attenuated by antibodies specific for betaig-h3, and no significant differences on inhibitory effects were observed among T7721 cells incubated with antibodies for betaig-h3 or HAb18G/CD147 or both types together. Taken together, our study suggests that betaig-h3, regulated by the expression of HAb18G/CD147, is involved in the HAb18G/CD147 signal transduction pathway and mediates the HAb18G/CD147-induced invasion and metastasis process of human hepatoma cells.     

Inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation and tumor angiogenesis by up-regulating NDRG2 expression in breast cancer cells

The N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) is involved in tumor cell differentiation and apoptosis, but its function in tumor angiogenesis remains to be established. Here, we employed adenovirus overexpressing NDRG2 (Ad-NDRG2) to efficiently up-regulate target gene expression in the NDRG2-low-expressing, breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Moreover, VEGF secretion was decreased in MCF-7 cells infected by Ad-NDRG2, and medium conditioned by these infected cells could significantly inhibit the proliferation, tube formation and invasion of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Further study indicated that the angiogenesis promoting factors VEGF and HIF-1α were down-regulated, whereas the angiogenesis suppressing factors p53 and VHL were up-regulated in MCF-7 cells infected by Ad-NDRG2. Finally, in a nude mouse model, intratumoral injections of Ad-NDRG2 every 3 days for 20 days significantly inhibited the growth and angiogenesis of xenografted MCF-7 tumors. In summary, these data indicate that NDRG2 may be involved in angiogenesis by impacting the expression of angiogenesis related factors. Thus, specific overexpression of NDRG2 by adenovirus represents a promising approach for the treatment of tumor angiogenesis.     

A fusion protein composed of receptor binding domain of vascular endothelial growth factor-A and constant region fragment of antibody: angiogenesis antagonistic activity

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promotes the growth of solid tumor mainly via VEGF receptor-1 and receptor-2, which are expressed preferentially in proliferating endothelial cells. Therefore, a strategy for simultaneous blockage of both VEGF receptors may have a useful therapeutic effect in tumor growth. In this study, we utilized a fusion protein which is composed of receptor binding domain of VEGF-A (RBDV) and the constant region fragment (Fc) of a human immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1), to interfere with the growth of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) via VEGF receptors. The results showed that RBDV-IgG1 Fc was able to bind with both VEGF receptor-1 and receptor-2. In addition, RBDV-IgG1 Fc could decrease VEGF-induced proliferation and tube formation among HUVECs. Moreover, the cytotoxic test showed RBDV-IgG1 Fc could also enhance the cytotoxic activity of human natural killing cells. The data are suggesting that the fusion protein, RBDV-IgG1 Fc, may have potential as an angiogenesis antagonist for future tumor therapy.     

缺氧环境下MSCs促进血管内皮细胞增殖和血管形成

目的 探讨成人骨髓间充质干细胞(bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells BMSCs)在体外缺氧环境下对人脐静脉内皮细胞(human umbilical vein endothelial cells,HUVECs)增殖和血管形成能力的影响及其可能机制.方法密度梯度离心法收集分离成人骨髓血MSCs并进行体外培养扩增,传代至4代进行实验,流式细胞仪鉴定MSCs表面标志.BMSCs缺氧培养0h(对照组)、12h、24h和48h后,RT-PCR检测SDF-1和VEGF基因表达,ELISA法检测细胞上清液中SDF-1和VEGF蛋白含量.HUVECs传代培养后分成三组进行实验:对照组、BMSCsCMN-HUVECs组,BMSCsCMH-HUVECs组,MTT检测三组细胞增殖能力,体外血管形成实验分析三组细胞在Matrigel上管腔样结构形成情况.结果 (1) BMSCs呈旋涡状长梭形即纤维母细胞样生长;(2) 人BMSCs阳性表达CD29、CD44和CD90,而CD34、CD45和CD106为阴性;(3) BMSCs缺氧培养后SDF-1和VEGF在mRNA和蛋白水平表达均较常氧培养显著增高(P均<0.05);(4) BMSCsCMH明显提高HUVECs增殖能力(P<0.05),显著增加HUVECs在Matrigel上形成管腔样结构的能力(P<0.05).结论 人BMSCs在缺氧环境下通过旁分泌SDF-1和VEGF提高血管内皮细胞增殖和管腔样结构形成能力,促进血管新生.     

Epidermal growth factor stimulates vascular endothelial growth factor production by human malignant glioma cells: a model of glioblastoma multiforme pathophysiology.

Hypervascularity, focal necrosis, persistent cerebral edema, and rapid cellular proliferation are key histopathologic features of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and malignant of human brain tumors. By immunoperoxidase and immunofluorescence, we definitively have demonstrated the presence of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr) in five out of five human glioma cell lines (U-251MG, U-105MG, D-65MG, D-54MG, and CH-235MG) and in eight human GBM tumor surgical specimens. In vitro experiments with glioma cell lines revealed a consistent and reliable relation between EGFr activation and VEGF production; namely, EGF (1-20 ng/ml) stimulation of glioma cells resulted in a 25-125% increase in secretion of bioactive VEGF. Conditioned media (CM) prepared from EGF-stimulated glioma cell lines produced significant increases in cytosolic free intracellular concentrations of Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Neither EGF alone or CM from glioma cultures prepared in the absence of EGF induced [Ca2+]i increases in HUVECs. Preincubation of glioma CM with A4.6.1, a monoclonal antibody to VEGF, completely abolished VEGF-mediated [Ca2+]i transients in HUVECs. Likewise, induction by glioma-derived CM of von Willebrand factor release from HUVECs was completely blocked by A4.6.1 pretreatment. These observations provide a key link in understanding the basic cellular pathophysiology of GBM tumor angiogenesis, increased vascular permeability, and cellular proliferation. Specifically, EGF activation of EGFr expressed on glioma cells leads to enhanced secretion of VEGF by glioma cells. VEGF released by glioma cells in situ most likely accounts for pathognomonic histopathologic and clinical features of GBM tumors in patients, including striking tumor angiogenesis, increased cerebral edema and hypercoagulability manifesting as focal tumor necrosis, deep vein thrombosis, or pulmonary embolism.     

Thematic review series: sphingolipids. Ganglioside GM3 suppresses the proangiogenic effects of vascular endothelial growth factor and ganglioside GD1a

Gangliosides are sialic acid-containing glycosphingolipids that have long been associated with tumor malignancy and metastasis. Mounting evidence suggests that gangliosides also modulate tumor angiogenesis. Tumor cells shed gangliosides into the microenvironment, which produces both autocrine and paracrine effects on tumor cells and tumor-associated host cells. In this study, we show that the simple monosialoganglioside GM3 counteracts the proangiogenic effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and of the complex disialoganglioside GD1a. GM3 suppressed the action of VEGF and GD1a on the proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and inhibited the migration of HUVECs toward VEGF as a chemoattractant. Enrichment of added GM3 in the HUVEC membrane also reduced the phosphorylation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) and downstream Akt. Moreover, GM3 reduced the proangiogenic effects of GD1a and growth factors in the in vivo Matrigel plug assay. Inhibition of GM3 biosynthesis with the glucosyl transferase inhibitor, N-butyldeoxynojirimycin (NB-DNJ), increased HUVEC proliferation and the phosphorylation of VEGFR-2 and Akt. The effects of NB-DNJ on HUVECs were reversed with the addition of GM3. We conclude that GM3 has antiangiogenic action and may possess therapeutic potential for reducing tumor angiogenesis.     

Effects of Gekko sulfated polysaccharide-protein complex on the defective biorheological characters of dendritic cells under tumor microenvironment

We previously isolated a sulfated polysaccharide–protein complex from Gekko swinhonis Guenther, a traditional Chinese medicine, and have demonstrated its direct anti-cancer effect on human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line SMMC-7721. Here we investigated the effects of Gekko sulfated polysaccharide–protein complex (GSPP) on the defective biorheological characters of dendritic cells (DCs) under SMMC-7721 microenvironment. Our findings have shown that the biorheological properties of DCs were severely impaired by SMMC-7721 microenvironment, including decreased cell deformability, migration, and electrophoresis mobility, increased osmotic fragilities, and changed organizations of cytoskeletal proteins. We also found decreased secretion of interleukin (IL)-12 and increased secretion of IL-10 in DCs. However, supernatant collected from nonmalignant liver cells had no effect on these parameters. SMMC-7721 cells were treated with GSPP and the supernatant was used to culture DCs. We found that the defective biorheological parameters of DCs, except for osmotic fragility, were partially or completely improved. The secretion of IL-12 did not change as compared with that of DCs in SMMC-7721 microenvironment, but the secretion of IL-10 was resumed to the control level. Our results indicate that GSPP could partially restore the defective biorheological characteristics of DCs via modifying the tumor microenvironment and decreasing the secretion of IL-10 of DCs.     

CCR6 promotes tumor angiogenesis via the AKT/NF-κB/VEGF pathway in colorectal cancer

Chemokines and chemokine receptors play an important role in tumorigenesis. Angiogenesis is a vital part of the occurrence, development and metastasis of cancer. CCR6 is an important factor during tumor progression; however, its function in tumor angiogenesis is not fully understood. In our study, we found that CCR6 was significantly overexpressed in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues and predicted a poor prognosis in CRC patients. We then verified the function of CCR6 on tumor angiogenesis in vivo and in vitro. We observed that silencing CCR6 could decrease angiogenesis by inhibiting the proliferation and migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), whereas overexpression of CCR6 can promote angiogenesis. Additionally, we investigated the molecular mechanisms and demonstrated that activation of the AKT/NF-κB pathway maybe involved in CCR6-mediated tumor angiogenesis, which was able to promote the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A). In conclusion, CCR6 facilitates tumor angiogenesis via the AKT/NF-κB/VEGF pathway in colorectal cancer. CCR6 inhibition may be a novel option for anti-vascular treatment in CRC.     

Exosomes derived from acute myeloid leukemia cells promote chemoresistance by enhancing glycolysis-mediated vascular remodeling

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common type of leukemia in adults. AML cells secrete angiogenic factors to remodel vasculature and acquire chemoresistance; however, antiangiogenic drugs are often ineffective in AML treatment. Cancer cell-derived exosomes can induce angiogenesis, but their role in vascular remodeling during AML is unclear. Here, we found that exosomes secreted by AML cells promoted proliferation and migration and tube-forming activity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), whereas HUVECs conferred chemoresistance to AML cells. AML cell-derived exosomes contained vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor (VEGFR) messenger RNA and induced VEGFR expression in HUVECs. Furthermore, they enhanced glycolysis, which correlated with HUVEC proliferation, tube formation, and resistance to apoptosis. Thus, AML cells secrete VEGF/VEGFR-containing exosomes that induce glycolysis in HUVECs leading to vascular remodeling and acquisition of chemoresistance. These findings may contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies targeting exosomes in AML.     

Osteocyte-induced angiogenesis via VEGF–MAPK-dependent pathways in endothelial cells

Recently, it has been suggested osteocytes control the activities of bone formation (osteoblasts) and resorption (osteoclast), indicating their important regulatory role in bone remodelling. However, to date, the role of osteocytes in controlling bone vascularisation remains unknown. Our aim was to investigate the interaction between endothelial cells and osteocytes and to explore the possible molecular mechanisms during angiogenesis. To model osteocyte/endothelial cell interactions, we co-cultured osteocyte cell line (MLOY4) with endothelial cell line (HUVECs). Co-cultures were performed in 1:1 mixture of osteocytes and endothelial cells or by using the conditioned media (CM) transfer method. Real-time cell migration of HUVECs was measured with the transwell migration assay and xCELLigence system. Expression levels of angiogenesis-related genes were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and mitogen-activated phosphorylated kinase (MAPK) signaling were monitored by western blotting using relevant antibodies and inhibitors. During the bone formation, it was noted that osteocyte dendritic processes were closely connected to the blood vessels. The CM generated from MLOY4 cells-activated proliferation, migration, tube-like structure formation, and upregulation of angiogenic genes in endothelial cells suggesting that secretory factor(s) from osteocytes could be responsible for angiogenesis. Furthermore, we identified that VEGF secreted from MLOY4-activated VEGFR2–MAPK–ERK-signaling pathways in HUVECs. Inhibiting VEGF and/or MAPK–ERK pathways abrogated osteocyte-mediated angiogenesis in HUVEC cells. Our data suggest an important role of osteocytes in regulating angiogenesis.