Oct4 activates IL-17A to orchestrate M2 macrophage polarization and cervical cancer metastasis.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is a common malignant tumor in the female. Interleukin (IL)-17A is a proinflammatory factor and exerts a vital function in inflammatory diseases and cancers. M2 macrophage has been confirmed to promote tumor development. Nevertheless, it is not yet known whether IL-17A facilitates cervical cancer development by inducing M2 macrophage polarization. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the regulatory effect of IL-17A on M2 macrophage polarization and the underlying mechanism in cervical cancer development. METHODS: RT-qPCR was utilized for testing IL-17A expression in cancer tissues and cells. Flow cytometry was applied to evaluate the M1 or M2 macrophage polarization. Cell proliferative, migratory, and invasive capabilities were measured through colony formation and transwell assays. ChIP and luciferase reporter assays were applied to determine the interaction between IL-17A and octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4). RESULTS: IL-17A expression and concentration were high in metastatic tissues and cells of cervical cancer. IL-17A was found to facilitate M2 macrophage polarization in cervical cancer. Furthermore, IL-17A facilitated the macrophage-mediated promotion of cervical cancer cell proliferative, migratory, and invasive capabilities. Mechanistic assays manifested that Oct4 binds to and transcriptionally activated IL-17A in cervical cancer cells. Furthermore, Oct4 promoted cervical cancer cell malignant phenotype and M2 macrophage polarization by activating the p38 pathway that, in turn, upregulated IL-17A. Additionally, in vivo experiments confirmed that Oct4 knockdown reduced tumor growth and metastasis. CONCLUSION: Oct4 triggers IL-17A to facilitate the polarization of M2 macrophages, which promotes cervical cancer cell metastasis.

IL-17A promotes the migration and invasiveness of cervical cancer cells by coordinately activating MMPs expression via the p38/NF-κB signal pathway.

OBJECTIVE: IL-17A plays an important role in many inflammatory diseases and cancers. We aimed to examine the effect of IL-17A on the invasion of cervical cancer cells and study its related mechanisms. METHODS: Wound healing and matrigel transwell assays were used to examine the effect of IL-17A on cervical cancer cell migration and invasion by a panel of cervical cancer cell lines. The levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) were investigated using western blotting. The activity of p38 and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signal pathway was detected too. RESULTS: Here, we showed that IL-17A could promote the migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells. Further molecular analysis showed that IL-17A could up-regulate the expressions and activities of MMP2 and MMP9, and down-regulate the expressions of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2. Furthermore, IL-17A also activates p38 signal pathway and increased p50 and p65 nuclear expression. In addition, treatment of cervical cancer cells with the pharmacological p38/NF-κB signal pathway inhibitors, SB203580 and PDTC, potently restored the roles of invasion and upregulation of MMPs induced by IL-17A. CONCLUSION: IL-17A could promote the migration and invasion of cervical cancer cell via up-regulating MMP2 and MMP9 expression, and down-regulating TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 expression via p38/NF-κB signal pathway. IL-17A may be a potential target to improve the prognosis for patients with cervical cancer.

Interleukin 17A promotes gastric cancer invasiveness via NF-κB mediated matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 expression.

Interleukin 17A (IL-17A), as a pro-inflammatory cytokine, is involved in pathology of inflammatory diseases and tumor microenvironment. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of IL-17A on the invasiveness of gastric cancer (GC). In the study, we found that IL-17A could promote the migration and invasion of GC cells. Furthermore, after treated with IL-17A, the expressions and activities of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 were upregulated, while the expressions of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were downregulated. Moreover, the nuclear/overall fractions of p65 and p50 were dramatically elevated by IL-17A. Pretreatment with helenalin, a nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) inhibitor, was proved to abolish the promoting effect of IL-17A on the invasion ability of GC cells and upregulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9. In conclusion, our findings illustrated that IL-17A could promote the invasion of GC cells by activating NF-κB pathway, and subsequently upregulating the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9. These results may lead to the identification of new diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets of GC.