Atypical Protein Kinase C Zeta: Potential Player in Cell Survival and Cell Migration of Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is one of the most aggressive gynaecological cancers, thus understanding the different biological pathways involved in ovarian cancer progression is important in identifying potential therapeutic targets for the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential roles of Protein Kinase C Zeta (PRKCZ) in ovarian cancer. The atypical protein kinase C isoform, PRKCZ, is involved in the control of various signalling processes including cell proliferation, cell survival, and cell motility, all of which are important for cancer development and progression. Herein, we observe a significant increase in cell survival upon PRKCZ over-expression in SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells; additionally, when the cells are treated with small interference RNA (siRNA) targeting PRKCZ, the motility of SKOV3 cells decreased. Furthermore, we demonstrate that over-expression of PRKCZ results in gene and/or protein expression alterations of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) and integrin beta 3 (ITGB3) in SKOV3 and OVCAR3 cells. Collectively, our study describes PRKCZ as a potential regulatory component of the IGF1R and ITGB3 pathways and suggests that it may play critical roles in ovarian tumourigenesis.     

G Protein Coupled Receptor Kinase 3 Regulates Breast Cancer Migration,Invasion, and Metastasis

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous disease that has a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Chemokine receptor interactions are important modulators of breast cancer metastasis; however, it is now recognized that quantitative surface expression of one important chemokine receptor, CXCR4, may not directly correlate with metastasis and that its functional activity in breast cancer may better inform tumor pathogenicity. G protein coupled receptor kinase 3 (GRK3) is a negative regulator of CXCR4 activity, and we show that GRK expression correlates with tumorigenicity, molecular subtype, and metastatic potential in human tumor microarray analysis. Using established human breast cancer cell lines and an immunocompetent in vivo mouse model, we further demonstrate that alterations in GRK3 expression levels in tumor cells directly affect migration and invasion in vitro and the establishment of distant metastasis in vivo. The effects of GRK3 modulation appear to be specific to chemokine-mediated migration behaviors without influencing tumor cell proliferation or survival. These data demonstrate that GRK3 dysregulation may play an important part in TNBC metastasis.     

CXCR2-Dependent Endothelial Progenitor Cell Mobilization in Pancreatic Cancer Growth

Neovascularization is essential for tumor growth. We have previously reported that the chemokine receptor CXCR2 is an important regulator in tumor angiogenesis. Here we report that the mobilization of bone marrow (BM)-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) is impaired in CXCR2 knockout mice harboring pancreatic cancers. The circulating levels of EPCs (positive for CD34, CD117, CD133, or CD146) are decreased in the bone marrow and/or blood of tumor-bearing CXCR2 knockout mice. CXCR2 gene knockout reduced BM-derived EPC proliferation, differentiation, and vasculogenesis in vitro. EPCs double positive for CD34 and CD133 increased tumor angiogenesis and pancreatic cancer growth in vivo. In addition, CD133(+) and CD146(+) EPCs in human pancreatic cancer are increased compared with normal pancreas tissue. These findings indicate a role of BM-derived EPC in pancreatic cancer growth and provide a cellular mechanism for CXCR2 mediated tumor neovascularization.     

Pancreatic Endoplasmic Reticulum Kinase Activation Promotes Medulloblastoma Cell Migration and Invasion through Induction of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Evidence is accumulating that activation of the pancreatic endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) in response to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress adapts tumor cells to the tumor microenvironment and enhances tumor angiogenesis by inducing vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A). Recent studies suggest that VEGF-A can act directly on certain tumor cell types in an autocrine manner, via binding to VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2), to promote tumor cell migration and invasion. Although several reports show that PERK activation increases VEGF-A expression in medulloblastoma, the most common solid malignancy of childhood, the role that either PERK or VEGF-A plays in medulloblastoma remains elusive. In this study, we mimicked the moderate enhancement of PERK activity observed in tumor patients using a genetic approach and a pharmacologic approach, and found that moderate activation of PERK signaling facilitated medulloblastoma cell migration and invasion and increased the production of VEGF-A. Moreover, using the VEGFR2 inhibitor SU5416 and the VEGF-A neutralizing antibody to block VEGF-A/VEGFR2 signaling, our results suggested that tumor cell-derived VEGF-A promoted medulloblastoma cell migration and invasion through VEGFR2 signaling, and that both VEGF-A and VEGFR2 were required for the promoting effects of PERK activation on medulloblastoma cell migration and invasion. Thus, these findings suggest that moderate PERK activation promotes medulloblastoma cell migration and invasion through enhancement of VEGF-A/VEGFR2 signaling.     

Protein Kinase C Regulates the Cell Surface Activity of Endothelin-Converting Enzyme-1

The potent vasoconstrictor endothelin is a 21 amino acid peptide whose principal physiological function is to regulate vascular tone. The generation of endothelin is crucially dependent on the local presence and activity of endothelin converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1) expressed on the surface of vascular endothelial cells. In this study, we have shown in endothelial cells that the enzyme is phosphorylated, and that phosphorylation is increased by phorbol ester stimulation of protein kinase C (PKC). Furthermore, by monitoring specific ECE-1 activity on the surface of live cells, we also show that following PKC activation, enzyme activity is significantly increased at the cell surface, where it is positioned to catalyse the generation of active endothelin. We believe this novel finding is unprecedented for a peptide processing enzyme. Indeed, this new knowledge regarding the control of endothelin production by regulating ECE-1 activity at the cell surface opens up a new area of endothelin biology and will provide novel insights into the physiology and pathophysiology of endothelin and endothelin-associated diseases. In addition, the information generated in these studies may provide valuable new insights into potential extra- and intracellular targets for the pharmacological and perhaps even therapeutic regulation of endothelin production and thus vascular tone.Australian Peptide Conference Issue.     

Protein Kinase Activity of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Regulates Cytokine-Dependent Cell Survival

The dual specificity protein/lipid kinase, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), promotes growth factor-mediated cell survival and is frequently deregulated in cancer. However, in contrast to canonical lipid-kinase functions, the role of PI3K protein kinase activity in regulating cell survival is unknown. We have employed a novel approach to purify and pharmacologically profile protein kinases from primary human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells that phosphorylate serine residues in the cytoplasmic portion of cytokine receptors to promote hemopoietic cell survival. We have isolated a kinase activity that is able to directly phosphorylate Ser585 in the cytoplasmic domain of the interleukin 3 (IL-3) and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) receptors and shown it to be PI3K. Physiological concentrations of cytokine in the picomolar range were sufficient for activating the protein kinase activity of PI3K leading to Ser585 phosphorylation and hemopoietic cell survival but did not activate PI3K lipid kinase signaling or promote proliferation. Blockade of PI3K lipid signaling by expression of the pleckstrin homology of Akt1 had no significant impact on the ability of picomolar concentrations of cytokine to promote hemopoietic cell survival. Furthermore, inducible expression of a mutant form of PI3K that is defective in lipid kinase activity but retains protein kinase activity was able to promote Ser585 phosphorylation and hemopoietic cell survival in the absence of cytokine. Blockade of p110α by RNA interference or multiple independent PI3K inhibitors not only blocked Ser585 phosphorylation in cytokine-dependent cells and primary human AML blasts, but also resulted in a block in survival signaling and cell death. Our findings demonstrate a new role for the protein kinase activity of PI3K in phosphorylating the cytoplasmic tail of the GM-CSF and IL-3 receptors to selectively regulate cell survival highlighting the importance of targeting such pathways in cancer.     

TRAP1 Shows Clinical Significance and Promotes Cellular Migration and Invasion through STAT3/MMP2 Pathway in Human Esophageal Squamous Cell Cancer

Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1), an important member of mitochondrial heat shock protein 90 family, is involved in multiple biological processes in several types of tumors. However, its pathological role in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) remains unknown. Herein, we demonstrated the clinical value of TRAP1, and its role in apoptosis and motility in ESCC. The clinical potential of TRAP1 was investigated through immunohistochemical analysis in 328 ESCC samples, which revealed that strong TRAP1 expression was associated with increased risk of lymph node metastasis, while high TRAP1 expression correlated with poor prognosis. Expression of TRAP1 was found to be an independent prognostic factor for patients with ESCC. Additionally, the upregulation of TRAP1 antagonized cisplatin-induced apoptosis while its downregulation sensitized cells to cisplatin-induced apoptosis. As revealed by the transwell assay, TRAP1 overexpression promoted cellular migration and invasion as compared to the control groups. In contrast, silencing of endogenous TRAP1 expression attenuated the ability of migration and invasion. Finally, the molecular mechanism investigated in the present study demonstrated that TRAP1-mediated migration and invasion occurred through STAT3/MMP2 signaling pathway. In conclusion, TRAP1 may be considered as a molecular predictive marker for prognosis and a novel molecular candidate for therapeutic target in ESCC.     

GAIP Interacting Protein C-Terminus Regulates Autophagy and Exosome Biogenesis of Pancreatic Cancer through Metabolic Pathways

GAIP interacting protein C terminus (GIPC) is known to play an important role in a variety of physiological and disease states. In the present study, we have identified a novel role for GIPC as a master regulator of autophagy and the exocytotic pathways in cancer. We show that depletion of GIPC-induced autophagy in pancreatic cancer cells, as evident from the upregulation of the autophagy marker LC3II. We further report that GIPC regulates cellular trafficking pathways by modulating the secretion, biogenesis, and molecular composition of exosomes. We also identified the involvement of GIPC on metabolic stress pathways regulating autophagy and microvesicular shedding, and observed that GIPC status determines the loading of cellular cargo in the exosome. Furthermore, we have shown the overexpression of the drug resistance gene ABCG2 in exosomes from GIPC-depleted pancreatic cancer cells. We also demonstrated that depletion of GIPC from cancer cells sensitized them to gemcitabine treatment, an avenue that can be explored as a potential therapeutic strategy to overcome drug resistance in cancer.     

The miR200 Family of MicroRNAs Regulates WAVE3-dependent Cancer Cell Invasion

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that are directly involved in the regulation of gene expression by either translational repression or degradation of target mRNAs. Because of the high level of conservation of the target motifs, known as seed sequences, within the 3′-untranslated regions, a single microRNA can regulate numerous target genes simultaneously, making this class of RNAs a powerful regulator of gene expression. The miR200 family of microRNAs has recently been shown to regulate the process of epithelial to mesenchymal transition during tumor progression and metastasis. Here, we report that the expression of WAVE3, an actin cytoskeleton remodeling and metastasis promoter protein, is regulated by miR200 microRNAs. We show a clear inverse correlation between expression levels of WAVE3 and miR200 microRNAs in invasive versus non-invasive cancer cells. miR200 directly targets the 3′-untranslated regions of the WAVE3 mRNA and inhibits its expression. The miR200-mediated down-regulation of WAVE3 results in a significant reduction in the invasive phenotype of cancer cells, which is specific to the loss of WAVE3 expression. Re-expression of a miR200-resistant WAVE3 reverses miR200-mediated inhibition of cancer cell invasion. Loss of WAVE3 expression downstream of miR200 also results in a dramatic change in cell morphology resembling that of a mesenchymal to epithelial transition. In conclusion, a novel mechanism for the regulation of WAVE3 expression in cancer cells has been identified, which controls the invasive properties and morphology of cancer cells associated with their metastatic potential.     

Rnd3 Regulates Lung Cancer Cell Proliferation through Notch Signaling

Rnd3/RhoE is a small Rho GTPase involved in the regulation of different cell behaviors. Dysregulation of Rnd3 has been linked to tumorigenesis and metastasis. Lung cancers are the leading cause of cancer-related death in the West and around the world. The expression of Rnd3 and its ectopic role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain to be explored. Here, we reported that Rnd3 was down-regulated in three NSCLC cell lines: H358, H520 and A549. The down-regulation of Rnd3 led to hyper-activation of Rho Kinase and Notch signaling. The reintroduction of Rnd3 or selective inhibition of Notch signaling, but not Rho Kinase signaling, blocked the proliferation of H358 and H520 cells. Mechanistically, Notch intracellular domain (NICD) protein abundance in H358 cells was regulated by Rnd3-mediated NICD proteasome degradation. Rnd3 regulated H358 and H520 cell proliferation through a Notch1/NICD/Hes1 signaling axis independent of Rho Kinase.     

人M2型丙酮酸激酶促进肾癌细胞生长

目的:构建带myc标签的人M2型丙酮酸激酶(PKM2)的真核表达载体,并瞬时转染肿瘤细胞,初步探讨PKM2的生物学功能。方法:以人乳腺文库为模板,采用PCR技术扩增PKM2基因,将其插入p XJ-40-myc载体,双酶切和基因测序验证后转染人胚肾293T细胞,Western印迹验证表达;将重组基因和空载体分别转染人肾透明细胞癌Caki-1细胞,CCK8法测定并绘制细胞生长曲线。结果:从人乳腺文库中获得长约1500 bp的DNA片段,连接到p XJ-40-myc载体上,测序结果与目的序列完全一致;转染人胚肾293T细胞后获得表达;细胞生长曲线结果显示,转染myc-PKM2的Caki-1细胞生长较空载体细胞快。结论:构建了myc-PKM2真核表达载体,为进一步研究PKM2在肿瘤发生发展中的作用奠定了基础。     

NOK通过JAK2依赖性方式激活STAT3信号通路

NOK能激活包含JAK-STAT信号通路在内的多种促细胞有丝分裂信号通路.研究发现,在人胚肾细胞(HEK293T)中,NOK与STAT3具有直接的相互作用.进一步的实验表明,NOK能同STAT3蛋白除螺旋结构域及c端结构域外的其他4个结构域发生相互作用,而NOK的胞内区则介导了NOK同STAT3的相互作用.同时,免疫共沉淀实验显示,NOK能与JAK2发生相互作用.重要的是,共同表达NOK与JAK2蛋白对STAT3信号通路能产生一种非常显著的协同激活作用,但当共同表达NOK和JAK2的激酶活性缺失突变体时,并不产生这种协同激活效应.综上,实验结果显示,NOK可能同STAT3和JAK2形成一个复合物,通过JAK2依赖性方式激活STAT3信号通路.     

Inhibition of Liver Cancer Cell Growth by Triethylsilyl Resveratrol through Targeting Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Pathway

Doklady Biochemistry and Biophysics - Liver cancer is one of the commonly detected malignancy and third highest cause of deaths caused by cancer worldwide. The current study investigated the effect...     

Cross Talk between Receptor Guanylyl Cyclase C and c-src Tyrosine Kinase Regulates Colon Cancer Cell Cytostasis

Increased activation of c-src seen in colorectal cancer is an indicator of a poor clinical prognosis, suggesting that identification of downstream effectors of c-src may lead to new avenues of therapy. Guanylyl cyclase C (GC-C) is a receptor for the gastrointestinal hormones guanylin and uroguanylin and the bacterial heat-stable enterotoxin. Though activation of GC-C by its ligands elevates intracellular cyclic GMP (cGMP) levels and inhibits cell proliferation, its persistent expression in colorectal carcinomas and occult metastases makes it a marker for malignancy. We show here that GC-C is a substrate for inhibitory phosphorylation by c-src, resulting in reduced ligand-mediated cGMP production. Consequently, active c-src in colonic cells can overcome GC-C-mediated control of the cell cycle. Furthermore, docking of the c-src SH2 domain to phosphorylated GC-C results in colocalization and further activation of c-src. We therefore propose a novel feed-forward mechanism of activation of c-src that is induced by cross talk between a receptor GC and a tyrosine kinase. Our findings have important implications in understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the progression and treatment of colorectal cancer.Colorectal carcinoma is one of the most common forms of cancer seen in the developed world (10). The incidence in developing countries appears to be somewhat lower, but with high rates of mortality similar to those seen in developed countries (43). Treatment usually involves surgery or palliative chemotherapy, and recent research focuses on investigating molecular signatures associated with colorectal tumorigenesis as well as means of early detection in order to avoid high and rapid fatalities (61). Increased activity and expression of the tyrosine kinase c-src is frequently seen in colorectal cancer (5, 12), and activation of c-src in early stages of neoplastic transformation (32) is an indicator of a poor clinical prognosis (26). In general, c-src activity is as much as 16-fold higher in cancerous cells than in the adjacent colonic mucosa (12). Information on potential molecular mechanisms for the role of c-src in colonic tumorigenesis includes evidence that c-src activity increases during mitosis of human colon carcinoma cells (39), and increased c-src activity promotes cell motility and invasion during intestinal cell migration (34).A large number of substrates for c-src have been identified in different cell types, and a consensus site for tyrosine phosphorylation by c-src has been defined (50). Prediction of these sites in proteins present in colorectal carcinoma cells may assist in identifying novel targets for c-src action. The modular structure of c-src and other members of the src family kinases (SFKs), consisting of the SH4, unique, SH3, SH2, and kinase domains, allows these kinases to interact with a diverse group of proteins, creating a highly complex signal transduction network (48, 52). Consequently, SFKs have been demonstrated to be key downstream elements in signaling pathways emerging from cell surface receptors (52).Guanylyl cyclase C (GC-C) plays an important role in maintaining fluid ion homeostasis (54) and genomic integrity in intestinal cells (29) and serves as the receptor for the diarrheagenic heat-stable enterotoxin (ST) as well as endogenous ligands guanylin and uroguanylin (57). Binding of ST to the receptor leads to increased intracellular cyclic GMP (cGMP) accumulation and activation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, resulting in fluid and ion efflux that manifests as traveler''s diarrhea (45, 54). Recently it has been noted that regions of the world with the highest incidence of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-associated diarrhea exhibit the lowest incidence of colon cancer (43). In this context, studies have shown that activation of GC-C by its ligands inhibits human colonic cell proliferation and adenoma formation in mice, demonstrating a critical role for GC-C in inhibiting colon cancer initiation and progression (29, 33). For example, uroguanylin treatment suppresses polyp formation in the Apc(Min/+) mouse and induces apoptosis in human colon carcinoma cells via cGMP produced by GC-C (46). Interestingly, expression of the endogenous paracrine hormones for GC-C, guanylin and uroguanylin, is lost at the initiation of transformation, and therefore this reduced signaling via GC-C may allow cells to proliferate more rapidly, thereby leading to carcinogenesis (14).Expression of GC-C is largely restricted to the luminal side of intestinal cells in humans, and consequently, monitoring GC-C expression in circulating tumor cells in the peripheral blood of patients has been suggested to be a good marker for early detection of the primary tumor and/or metastasis of colon cancer (11, 28, 36). The molecular mechanisms by which GC-C activity is regulated during the initiation and progression of carcinogenesis remain undefined, and studies to investigate whether signaling events prevalent in colorectal cancer can modulate GC-C function have not been performed. Human colorectal carcinoma cell lines express GC-C and can therefore be used to study these molecular aspects of GC-C regulation and downstream signaling events (3, 4, 22).Phosphorylation is a rapid and reversible form of covalent modification frequently found in signaling systems. In our earlier studies, we have coexpressed domains of GC-C with the tyrosine kinase EphB1/Elk and observed tyrosine phosphorylation of GC-C (7). We report here that GC-C is a substrate for c-src tyrosine kinase and identify Tyr820 as the site for phosphorylation in GC-C. Following phosphorylation, pTyr820 serves as a site for interaction with the SH2 domain of c-src, resulting in further activation of c-src. Most importantly, tyrosine phosphorylation of GC-C inhibits cGMP production and prevents the cytostatic effects of GC-C induced by ligand interaction. Our studies therefore show the existence of a new signal transduction cross talk between c-src and GC-C in colonic cells, resulting in a feed-forward mechanism to further activate c-src, with important implications in cancer cell proliferation and disease progression.