Modification of α2,6-sialylation mediates the invasiveness and tumorigenicity of non-small cell lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo via Notch1/Hes1/MMPs pathway.

The alterations of sialylation on cell surface N-glycans due to overexpression of different sialyltransferases play a vital role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. The ß-galactoside α2-6-sialyltransferase 1 (ST6Gal-I) has been reported to be highly expressed in several cancers, including breast cancer, hepatocellular cancer and colon carcinoma. However, the roles and underlying mechanisms of ST6Gal-I in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) still need to be elucidated. In this study, we determined that mRNA levels of ST3GAL1, ST6GALNAC3 and ST8SIA6 were remarkably reduced in lung cancer tissues and cells, whereas ST6GAL1 level significantly increased. The mRNA, protein and glycan levels of ST6Gal-I were higher in lung cancer tissues and cells. Moreover, down-regulation of ST6Gal-I decreased protein levels of Jagged1, DLL-1, Notch1, Hes1, Hey1, matrix-metalloproteinases (MMPs) and VEGF, and suppressed proliferation, migration and invasion capabilities of A549 and H1299 cells in vitro. In vivo, ST6Gal-I silencing suppressed tumorigenicity of NSCLC cells in athymic nude mice via the Notch1/Hes1/MMPs pathway. In addition, overexpression of Notch1 rescued the reduced growth and metastasis of A549 and H1299 cells resulted by ST6Gal-I silencing. Modification of α2,6-sialylation positively associates with lung cancer progression, thereby indicating that ST6Gal-I may mediate the invasiveness and tumorigenicity of NSCLC cells via the Notch1/Hes1/MMPs pathway both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, our results provide a novel therapeutic approach for blocking metastasis in lung cancer patients.

Impact of tumor architecture on disease recurrence and cancer-specific mortality of upper tract urothelial carcinoma treated with radical nephroureterectomy.

Upper tract urinary carcinoma (UTUC) is a relatively uncommon but aggressive disease. Recent publications have assessed the prognostic significance of tumor architecture in UTUC, but there is still controversy regarding the significance and importance of tumor architecture on disease recurrence. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 101 patients with clinical UTUC who had undergone surgery. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with disease recurrence and cancer-specific mortality. As our single center study and the limited sample size may influence the clinical significance, we further quantitatively combined the results with those of existing published literature through a meta-analysis compiled from searching several databases. At a median follow-up of 41.3 months, 25 patients experienced disease recurrence. Spearman's correlation analysis showed that tumor architecture was found to be positively correlated with the tumor location and the histological grade. Kaplan-Meier curves showed that patients with sessile tumor architecture had significantly poor recurrence free survival (RFS) and cancer specific survival (CSS). Furthermore, multivariate analysis suggested that tumor architecture was independent prognostic factors for RFS (Hazard ratio, HR = 2.648) and CSS (HR = 2.072) in UTUC patients. A meta-analysis of investigating tumor architecture and its effects on UTUC prognosis was conducted. After searching PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and Scopus databases, 17 articles met the eligibility criteria for this analysis. The eligible studies included a total of 14,368 patients and combined results showed that sessile tumor architecture was associated with both disease recurrence with a pooled HR estimate of 1.454 and cancer-specific mortality with a pooled HR estimate of 1.416. Tumor architecture is an independent predictor for disease recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy for UTUC. Therefore, closer surveillance is necessary, especially in patients with sessile tumor architecture.

Triptolide inhibits the migration and invasion of human prostate cancer cells via Caveolin-1/CD147/MMPs pathway.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common type of carcinoma and the 5th leading cause of cancer-related death in males. Triptolide, is a main and effective component of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, which exerts an broad-spectrum anti-malignant tumor function. However, the effect of triptolide on migration and invasion of human prostate cancer cells is still poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrated that triptolide significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is regarded as a major structural protein of caveolae and participated in lipid transport, signal transduction and tumor progression. Triptolide treatment inhibited the expression of tumor promoter Cav-1 and reduced CD147 and MMPs activities at both mRNA and protein levels. Meanwhile, triptolide treatment combined with Cav-1 knockdown in PCa cells enhanced the effects of anti-migration and anti-invasion, and those effects were restored following Cav-1-rescued. Together, our research indicates that triptolide represses the migration and invasion through Cav-1/CD147/MMPs pathway in PCa cells, which gives a better understanding of triptolide in clinical aggressive prostate cancer therapy.

Sialylated ß1, 6 branched N-glycans modulate the adhesion, invasion and metastasis of hepatocarcinoma cells.

The mouse hepatocarcinoma cell lines Hca-F and Hca-P have been derived from hepatocarcinoma in mice and metastasize only to the lymph node. Hca-F cells displayed greater lymphatic metastasis ability than Hca-P cells. When the two cell lines were compared for cell surface sialylated ß1,6 branched N-glycans by flow cytometry using L-PHA and SNA, Hca-F cells were found to express significantly higher levels. To explore the effect of increased sialylated ß1,6 branched N-glycans on hepatocarcinoma progression, we inhibit their expression in Hca-F cells by using swainsonine treatment and RNA interference. We found that swainsonine treatment or GnT-V-shRNA transfection significantly inhibited the formation of ß1,6 branched N-glycans, and partially inhibited the expression of α2,6 sialic acids. Knockdown of sialylated ß1,6 branched N-glycans significantly attenuated the invasive and metastatic capability both in vitro and in vivo. Blockade of α2,6 sialic acid expression on Hca-F cell surface by the treatment with neuraminidase caused reduction in cellular adherence to lymph node. In addition, knockdown of sialylated ß1,6 branched N-glycans could decrease the expression of Notch1, NICD1, NICD2 and HES1 in Hca-F cells. Collectively, these findings suggest that increased sialylated ß1,6 branched N-glycans may contribute to hepatocarcinoma progression by altering the adhesive, invasive and metastatic ability to lymph node via Notch signaling pathway.

ST6Gal-I overexpression facilitates prostate cancer progression via the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3ß/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

ST6Gal-I sialyltransferase adds α2,6-linked sialic acids to the terminal ends of glycan chains of glycoproteins and glycolipids. ST6Gal-I is reportedly upregulated in many cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma, ovarian cancer and breast cancer. However, the expression and function of ST6Gal-I in prostate cancer (PCa) and the mechanism underlying this function remain largely unknown. In this study, we observed that ST6Gal-I expression was upregulated in human PCa tissues compared to non-malignant prostate tissues. High ST6Gal-I expression was positively correlated with Gleason scores, seminal vesicle involvement and poor survival in patients with PCa. ST6Gal-I knockdown in aggressive prostate cancer PC-3 and DU145 cells significantly inhibited the proliferation, growth, migration and invasion capabilities of these cells. ST6Gal-I knockdown decreased the levels of several PI3K/Akt/GSK-3ß/ ß-catenin pathway components, such as p-PI3K, (Ser473)p-Akt, (Ser9)p-GSK-3ß and ß-catenin. Furthermore, targeting this pathway with a PI3K inhibitor or Akt RNA interference decreased p-Akt, p-GSK-3ß and ß-catenin expression, resulting in decreased PC-3 and DU145 proliferation, migration and invasion. Taken together, these results indicate that ST6Gal-I plays a critical role in cell proliferation and invasion via the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3ß/ß-catenin signaling pathway during PCa progression and that it might be a promising target for PCa prognosis determination and therapy.