低氧诱导因子抑制因子在低氧性肺动脉高压中的作用

目的:研究低氧性肺动脉高压(hypoxic pulmonary hypertension,HPH)形成过程中低氧诱导因子抑制因子(factor inhibiting hypoxia-inducible factor-1,FIH)在肺小动脉的表达变化及在HPH发病中的可能作用。方法:将36名患者分为慢性阻塞性肺疾病(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,COPD)并肺动脉高压组(pulmonary hypertension,PH)组(PH组)、COPD非PH组(COPD组)、对照组,收集肺组织,观察其肺血管重塑指标,原位杂交法与免疫组织化学法检测肺小动脉壁FIH m RNA和蛋白的表达水平。结果:COPD组患者肺小动脉出现血管重塑,PH组患者肺小动脉重塑更明显(P0.05)。FIH m RNA在各组患者肺小动脉壁的表达无明显差异(P0.05);FIH蛋白在对照组患者肺小动脉壁高表达,COPD组表达降低,PH组表达进一步减少(P0.05)。直线相关分析表明,FIH蛋白与FIH m RNA无相关(P0.05);FIH蛋白与肺小动脉重塑指标、肺动脉收缩压均呈负相关(P0.01)。结论:慢性肺泡性低氧下调患者肺小动脉壁FIH表达,进而参与患者HPH发病。     

IGF1 regulates PKM2 function through Akt phosphorylation

Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) acts at the crossroad of growth and metabolism pathways in cells. PKM2 regulation by growth factors can redirect glycolytic intermediates into key biosynthetic pathway. Here we show that IGF1 can regulate glycolysis rate, stimulate PKM2 Ser/Thr phosphorylation and decrease cellular pyruvate kinase activity. Upon IGF1 treatment we found an increase of the dimeric form of PKM2 and the enrichment of PKM2 in the nucleus. This effect was associated to a reduction of pyruvate kinase enzymatic activity and was reversed using metformin, which decreases Akt phosphorylation. IGF1 induced an increased nuclear localization of PKM2 and STAT3, which correlated with an increased HIF1α, HK2, and GLUT1 expression and glucose entrapment. Metformin inhibited HK2, GLUT1, HIF-1α expression and glucose consumption. These findings suggest a role of IGFIR/Akt axis in regulating glycolysis by Ser/Thr PKM2 phosphorylation in cancer cells.     

Insights into the role of components of the tumor microenvironment in oral carcinoma call for new therapeutic approaches

The research on oral cancer has focused mainly on the cancer cells, their genetic changes and consequent phenotypic modifications. However, it is increasingly clear that the tumor microenvironment (TME) has been shown to be in a dynamic state of inter-relations with the cancer cells. The TME contains a variety of components including the non-cancerous cells (i.e., immune cells, resident fibroblasts and angiogenic vascular cells) and the ECM milieu [including fibers (mainly collagen and fibronectin) and soluble factors (i.e., enzymes, growth factors, cytokines and chemokines)]. Thus, it is currently assumed that TME is considered a part of the cancerous tissue and the functionality of its key components constitutes the setting on which the hallmarks of the cancer cells can evolve. Therefore, in terms of controlling a malignancy, one should control the growth, invasion and spread of the cancer cells through modifications in the TME components. This mini review focuses on the TME as a diagnostic approach and reports the recent insights into the role of different TME key components [such as carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and inflammation (CAI) cells, angiogenesis, stromal matrix molecules and proteases] in the molecular biology of oral carcinoma. Furthermore, the impact of TME components on clinical outcomes and the concomitant need for development of new therapeutic approaches will be discussed.     

Knockdown of miR-210 decreases hypoxic glioma stem cells stemness and radioresistance

Glioma contains abundant hypoxic regions which provide niches to promote the maintenance and expansion of glioma stem cells (GSCs), which are resistant to conventional therapies and responsible for recurrence. Given the fact that miR-210 plays a vital role in cellular adaption to hypoxia and in stem cell survival and stemness maintenance, strategies correcting the aberrantly expressed miR-210 might open up a new therapeutic avenue to hypoxia GSCs. In the present study, to explore the possibility of miR-210 as an effective therapeutic target to hypoxic GSCs, we employed a lentiviral-mediated anti-sense miR-210 gene transfer technique to knockdown miR-210 expression and analyze phenotypic changes in hypoxic U87s and SHG44s cells. We found that hypoxia led to an increased HIF-2α mRNA expression and miR-210 expression in GSCs. Knockdown of miR-210 decreased neurosphere formation capacity, stem cell marker expression and cell viability, and induced differentiation and G0/G1 arrest in hypoxic GSCs by partially rescued Myc antagonist (MNT) protein expression. Knockdown of MNT could reverse the gene expression changes and the growth inhibition resulting from knockdown of miR-210 in hypoxic GSCs. Moreover, knockdown of miR-210 led to increased apoptotic rate and Caspase-3/7 activity and decreased invasive capacity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lactate production and radioresistance in hypoxic GSCs. These findings suggest that miR-210 might be a potential therapeutic target to eliminate GSCs located in hypoxic niches.     

N-(2-mercaptopropionyl)-glycine,a diffusible antioxidant,activates HIF-1 by inhibiting HIF prolyl hydroxylase-2: Implication in amelioration of rat colitis by the antioxidant

We investigated anti-colitic effects of N-(2-mercaptopropionyl)-glycine (NMPG), a diffusible antioxidant, in TNBS-induced rat colitis model and a potential molecular mechanism underlying the pharmacologic effect of the antioxidant. NMPG alleviated colonic injury and effectively lowered myeloperoxidase activity. Moreover, NMPG substantially attenuated expression of pro-inflammatory mediators in the inflamed colon. NMPG induced hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in human colon carcinoma cells, leading to elevated secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a target gene product of HIF-1 involved in ulcer healing of gastrointestinal mucosa. NMPG induction of HIF-1α occurred by inhibiting HIF prolyl hydroxylase-2 (HPH-2), an enzyme that plays a major role in negatively regulating HIF-1α protein stability. In in vitro Von Hippel-Lindau protein binding assay, the inhibitory effect of NMPG on HPH-2 was attenuated by escalating dose of ascorbate but not 2-ketoglutarate, cofactors of the enzyme. Consistent with this, cell-permeable ascorbate significantly attenuated NMPG induction of HIF-1α in cells. Our data suggest that NMPG is an anti-colitic antioxidant that exerts its pharmacologic effects at least partly through activation of an ulcer healing pathway, HIF-1-VEGF.     

The role of erythropoietin and its receptor in growth,survival and therapeutic response of human tumor cells: From clinic to bench — a critical review

Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) has been used clinically to alleviate cancer- and chemotherapy-related anemia. However, recent clinical trials have reported that rhEPO also may adversely impact disease progression and survival. The expression of functional EPO receptors (EPOR) has been demonstrated in many human cancer cells where, at least in vitro, rhEPO can stimulate cell growth and survival and may induce resistance to selected therapies.