α-Hederin inhibits the platelet activating factor-induced metastasis of HCC cells through disruption of PAF/PTAFR axis cascaded STAT3/MMP-2 expression.

Metastasis remains a crucial obstacle to the clinical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Investigating the potential anti-tumor compounds from medicinal herb against HCC metastasis is of particular interest. As a triterpenoid saponin, α-Hederin has been reported to exhibit cytotoxicity for diverse cancer cell lines by inducing mitochondrial related apoptosis or autophagic cell death. Nevertheless, little is known about the inhibitory effect of α-Hederin on the metastasis of HCC and its underlying mechanisms. Here, we integrated well-established target prediction webtool and molecular docking methods to predict the potential targets for α-Hederin, and finally focused on PTAFR, the receptor for platelet-activating factor (PAF). Activation of PAF/PTAFR pathways has been reported to be contribution to the initiation and progression of cancer. We showed for the first time that non-cytotoxic concentration of α-Hederin inhibited cell migration and invasion induced by PAF in HCC cells, as well as lung metastasis in vivo. Moreover, we demonstrated α-Hederin reduced the PAF-induced matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression through inhibiting the activation of STAT3 in PAF stimulated HCC cells. These findings suggest that α-Hederin functions as a prospective inhibitor of PTAFR and may be utilized as an optional candidate for treatment of HCC.

Reticulon 3-mediated Chk2/p53 activation suppresses hepatocellular carcinogenesis and is blocked by hepatitis B virus.

OBJECTIVE: Dysfunction of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proteins is closely related to homeostasis disturbance and malignant transformation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Reticulons (RTN) are a family of ER-resident proteins critical for maintaining ER function. Nevertheless, the precise roles of RTN in HCC remain largely unclear. The aim of the study is to examine the effect of reticulon family member RTN3 on HCC development and explore the underlying mechanisms. DESIGN: Clinical HCC samples were collected to assess the relationship between RTN3 expression and patients' outcome. HCC cell lines were employed to examine the effects of RTN3 on cellular proliferation, apoptosis and signal transduction in vitro. Nude mice model was used to detect the role of RTN3 in modulating tumour growth in vivo. RESULTS: We found that RTN3 was highly expressed in normal hepatocytes but frequently downregulated in HCC. Low RTN3 expression predicted poor outcome in patients with HCC in TP53 gene mutation and HBV infection status-dependent manner. RTN3 restrained HCC growth and induced apoptosis by activating p53. Mechanism studies indicated that RTN3 facilitated p53 Ser392 phosphorylation via Chk2 and enhanced subsequent p53 nuclear localisation. RTN3 interacted with Chk2, recruited it to ER and promoted its activation in an ER calcium-dependent manner. Nevertheless, the tumour suppressive effects of RTN3 were abrogated in HBV-positive cells. HBV surface antigen competed with Chk2 for RTN3 binding and blocked RTN3-mediated Chk2/p53 activation. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that RTN3 functions as a novel suppressor of HCC by activating Chk2/p53 pathway and provide more clues to better understand the oncogenic effects of HBV.

Second near-infrared photothermal-amplified immunotherapy using photoactivatable composite nanostimulators.

BACKGROUND: The construction of a nanoimmune controlled-release system that spatiotemporally recognizes tumor lesions and stimulates the immune system response step by step is one of the most potent cancer treatment strategies for improving the sensitivity of immunotherapy response. RESULTS: Here, a composite nanostimulator (CNS) was constructed for the release of second near-infrared (NIR-II) photothermal-mediated immune agents, thereby achieving spatiotemporally controllable photothermal-synergized immunotherapy. CNS nanoparticles comprise thermosensitive liposomes as an outer shell and are internally loaded with a NIR-II photothermal agent, copper sulfide (CuS), toll-like receptor-9 (TLR-9) agonist, cytosine-phospho-guanine oligodeoxynucleotides, and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors (JQ1). Following NIR-II photoirradiation, CuS enabled the rapid elevation of localized temperature, achieving tumor ablation and induction of immunogenic cell death (ICD) as well as disruption of the lipid shell, enabling the precise release of two immune-therapeutical drugs in the tumor region. Combining ICD, TLR-9 stimulation, and inhibited expression of PD-L1 allows the subsequent enhancement of dendritic cell maturation and increases infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes, facilitating regional antitumor immune responses. CONCLUSION: CNS nanoparticle-mediated photothermal-synergized immunotherapy efficiently suppressed the growth of primary and distant tumors in two mouse models and prevented pulmonary metastasis. This study thus provides a novel sight into photo-controllably safe and efficient immunotherapy.

Psoralen inhibits malignant proliferation and induces apoptosis through triggering endoplasmic reticulum stress in human SMMC7721 hepatoma cells.

BACKGROUND: Psoralen is a coumarin-like and coumarin-related benzofuran glycoside, which is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine to treat patients with kidney and spleen-yang deficiency symptom. Psoralen has been reported to show estrogen-like activity, antioxidant activity, osteoblastic proliferation accelerating activity, antitumor effects and antibacterial activity. However, the antitumor mechanism of psoralen is not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of psoralen in human hepatoma cell line SMMC7721 and the mechanism of antitumor effects. RESULTS: Psoralen inhibited proliferation of SMMC7721 in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and promoted apoptosis. Further, psoralen activated the ER stress signal pathway, including the expansion of endoplasmic reticulum, increasing the mRNA levels of GRP78, DDIT3, ATF4, XBP1, GADD34 and the protein levels of GDF15, GRP78, IRE1α, XBP-1s in a time-dependent manner. Psoralen induces cell cycle arrest at G1 phase by enhancing CyclinD1 and reducing CyclinE1 expression. Moreover, TUDC couldn't inhibit the psoralen-induced ER stress in SMMC7721 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Psoralen can inhibit the proliferation of SMMC7721 cells and induce ER stress response to induce cell apoptosis, suggesting that psoralen may represent a novel therapeutic option for the prevention and treatment hepatocellular carcinoma.

C-Type Lectin-Like Receptor 2 Suppresses AKT Signaling and Invasive Activities of Gastric Cancer Cells by Blocking Expression of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Subunits.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: C-type lectin-like receptor 2 (CLEC2) is a transmembrane receptor expressed on platelets and several hematopoietic cells. CLEC2 regulates platelet aggregation and the immune response. We investigated its expression and function in normal and transformed gastric epithelial cells from human tissues. METHODS: We performed tissue microarray analyses of gastric carcinoma samples collected from 96 patients who underwent surgery at Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai, China and performed real-time polymerase chain reaction assays from an independent group of 60 patients; matched nontumor gastric mucosa tissues were used as the control. Full-length and mutant forms of CLEC2 were expressed in gastric cancer cell line (MGC80-3), or CLEC2 protein was knocked down using small-hairpin RNAs in gastric cancer cell lines (NCI-N87 and AGS). CLEC2 signaling was stimulated by incubation of cells with recombinant human podoplanin or an antibody agonist of CLEC2; cell migration and invasion were assessed by transwell and wound-healing assays. Immunoblot, immunofluorescence microscopy, and real-time polymerase chain reaction assays were used to measure expression of markers of the epithelial to mesenchymal transition and activation of signaling pathways. Immunoprecipitation experiments were performed with an antibody against spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK). Cells were injected into lateral tail vein of BALB/C nude mice; some mice were also given injections of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002. Lung and liver tissues were collected and analyzed for metastases. RESULTS: Levels of CLEC2 were higher in nontumor gastric mucosa (control) than in gastric tumor samples. Levels of CLEC2 protein in gastric tumor tissues correlated with depth of tumor invasion, metastasis to lymph node, tumor TNM stage, and 5-year survival of patients. Activation of CLEC2 in gastric cancer cells reduced their invasive activities in vitro and expression of epithelial to mesenchymal transition markers; these tumor-suppressive effects of CLEC2 required SYK. CLEC2 and SYK interacted physically, and SYK maintained the stability of CLEC2 in cells. AGS cells with CLEC2 knockdown had increased levels of phosphorylated AKT and glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta, increased expression of Snail, reduced levels of E-cadherin, and formed more metastases in mice than AGS cells that expressed CLEC2; these knockdown changes were prevented by the PI3K inhibitor LY294002. Activation of CLEC2 in AGS cells reduced protein and messenger RNA levels of PI3K subunits p85 and p110; this effect was blocked by SYK inhibitor R406. Levels of CLEC2 and SYK proteins and messenger RNAs correlated in gastric tumor samples. CONCLUSIONS: CLEC2 suppresses metastasis of gastric cancer cells injected into mice, and prevents activation of AKT and glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta signaling, as well as invasiveness and expression of epithelial to mesenchymal transition markers in gastric cancer cell lines. CLEC2 prevents expression of PI3K subunits, in a SYK-dependent manner.

Integrated glycomic analysis of ovarian cancer side population cells.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy due to its frequent recurrence and drug resistance even after successful initial treatment. Accumulating scientific evidence indicates that subpopulations of cancer cells with stem cell-like properties, such as so-called side population (SP) cells, are primarily responsible for these recurrences. A better understanding of SP cells may provide new clues for detecting and targeting these cancer-initiating cells and ultimately help to eradicate cancer. Changes in glycosylation patterns are remarkable features of SP cells. Here, we isolated SP cells from ovarian cancer cell lines and analyzed their glycosylation patterns using multiple glycomic strategies. METHODS: Six high-grade serous ovarian cancer cell lines were used for SP cell isolation. Among them, HO8910 pm, which contained the highest proportion of SP cells, was used for glycomic analysis of SP cells. Cell lysate of SP cells and main population cells was applied to lectin microarray and mass spectrometry for glycan profiling. Differently expressed glycan structures were further verified by lectin blot, flow cytometry, and real-time PCR analysis of their relevant enzymes. RESULTS: Expression of core fucosylated N-glycan and tumor-associated Tn, T and sT antigens were increased in SP cells. By contrast, SP cells exhibited decreased hybrid glycan, α2,3-linked sialic glycan and multivalent sialyl-glycan. CONCLUSIONS: Glycan structures, such as Tn, T, sT antigens, and core fucosylation may serve as biomarkers of ovarian cancer stem cells.

Elevated Expression of Calpain-4 Predicts Poor Prognosis in Patients with Gastric Cancer after Gastrectomy.

Calpain-4 belongs to the calpain family of calcium-dependent cysteine proteases, and functions as a small regulatory subunit of the calpains. Recent evidence indicates that calpain-4 plays critical roles in tumor migration and invasion. However, the roles of calpain-4 in gastric tumorigenesis remain poorly understood. Herein, we examined calpain-4 expression by immunohistochemical staining on tissue microarrays containing tumor samples of 174 gastric cancer patients between 2004 and 2008 at a single center. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare survival curves, and expression levels were correlated to clinicopathological factors and overall survival. Our data demonstrated that calpain-4 was generally increased in gastric cancer cell lines and primary tumor tissues. High expression of calpain-4 was positively associated with vessel invasion, lymph node metastasis, and advanced TNM (Tumor Node Metastasis) stage. Multivariate analysis identified calpain-4 as an independent prognostic factor for poor prognosis. A predictive nomogram integrating calpain-4 expression with other independent prognosticators was constructed, which generated a better prognostic value for overall survival of gastric cancer patients than a TNM staging system. In conclusion, calpain-4 could be regarded as a potential prognosis indicator for clinical outcomes in gastric cancer.

RACK1-mediated translation control promotes liver fibrogenesis.

Activation of quiescent hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is the central event of liver fibrosis. The translational machinery is an optimized molecular network that affects cellular homoeostasis and diseases, whereas the role of protein translation in HSCs activation and liver fibrosis is little defined. Our previous report suggests that up-regulation of receptor for activated C-kinase 1(RACK1) in HSCs is critical for liver fibrogenesis. In this study, we found that RACK1 promoted macrophage conditioned medium (MCM)-induced assembly of eIF4F and phosphorylation of eIF4E in primary HSCs. RACK1 enhanced the translation and expression of pro-fibrogenic factors collagen 1α1, snail and cyclin E1 induced by MCM. Administration of PP242 or knock-down of eIF4E suppressed RACK1-stimulated collagen 1α1 production, proliferation and migration in primary HSCs. In addition, depletion of eIF4E attenuated thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver fibrosis in vivo. Our data suggest that RACK1-mediated stimulation of cap-dependent translation plays crucial roles in HSCs activation and liver fibrogenesis, and targeting translation initiation could be a promising strategy for the treatment of liver fibrosis.

PKCα promotes generation of reactive oxygen species via DUOX2 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and elevated rates of reactive oxygen species (ROS) have long been considered as a hallmark of almost all types of cancer including HCC. Protein kinase C alpha (PKCα), a serine/threonine kinase among conventional PKC family, is recognized as a major player in signal transduction and tumor progression. Overexpression of PKCα is commonly observed in human HCC and associated with its poor prognosis. However, how PKCα is involved in hepatocellular carcinogenesis remains not fully understood. In this study, we found that among the members of conventional PKC family, PKCα, but not PKCßI or ßII, promoted ROS production in HCC cells. PKCα stimulated generation of ROS by up-regulating DUOX2 at post-transcriptional level. Depletion of DUOX2 abrogated PKCα-induced activation of AKT/MAPK pathways as well as cell proliferation, migration and invasion in HCC cells. Moreover, the expression of DUOX2 and PKCα was well positively correlated in both HCC cell lines and patient samples. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that PKCα plays a critical role in HCC development by inducing DUOX2 expression and ROS generation, and propose a strategy to target PKCα/DUOX2 as a potential adjuvant therapy for HCC treatment.

Astragalus Polysaccharide Promotes Doxorubicin-Induced Apoptosis by Reducing O-GlcNAcylation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

The toxicity and side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs remain a crucial obstacle to the clinical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Identifying combination therapy from Chinese herbs to enhance the sensitivity of tumors to chemotherapeutic drugs is of particular interest. Astragalus polysaccharide (APS), one of the natural active components in Astragalus membranaceus, has been reported to exhibit anti-tumor properties in diverse cancer cell lines. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of APS on Doxorubicin (Dox)-induced apoptosis in HCC and the underlying mechanism. The results showed that APS dose-dependently promoted Dox-induced apoptosis and enhanced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Additionally, APS decreased the mRNA level and protein stability of O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), and increased the O-GlcNAcase (OGA) expression. Furthermore, OGT lentiviral transfection or PugNAc (OGA inhibitor) treatment reversed the ER stress and apoptosis induced by the combination of Dox and APS. A xenograft tumor mouse model confirmed that the combination of APS and Dox showed an advantage in inhibiting tumor growth in vivo. These findings suggested that APS promoted Dox-induced apoptosis in HCC cells through reducing the O-GlcNAcylation, which led to the exacerbation of ER stress and activation of apoptotic pathways.

Da-Chai-Hu-Tang Protects From Acute Intrahepatic Cholestasis by Inhibiting Hepatic Inflammation and Bile Accumulation via Activation of PPARα.

Cholestasis is caused by intrahepatic retention of excessive toxic bile acids and ultimately results in hepatic failure. Da-Chai-Hu-Tang (DCHT) has been used in China to treat liver and gallbladder diseases for over 1800 years. Here, we demonstrated that DCHT treatment prevented acute intrahepatic cholestasis with liver injury in response to α-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) not to bile duct ligation (BDL) induced-extrahepatic cholestasis. ANIT (80 mg/kg) increased serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), direct bilirubin (DBiL), total bilirubin (TBiL), and total bile acids (TBA) which was attenuated by DCHT treatment in a dose-dependent manner. DCHT treatment at high dose of 1.875 g/kg restored bile acid homeostasis, as evidenced by the recovery of the transcription of genes implicated in bile acid biosynthesis, uptake and efflux. DCHT treatment (1.875 g/kg) reversed ANIT-evoked disordered glutathione homeostasis (as determined by GSH/GSSG ratio) and increased in the mRNA levels for Il6, Il1b and Tnfa associated with liver inflammation. Using network pharmacology-based approaches, we identified 22 putative targets involved in DCHT treatment for intrahepatic cholestasis not extrahepatic cholestasis. In addition, as evidenced by dual-luciferase reporter assays, compounds from DCHT with high affinity of PPARα increased luciferase levels from a PPARα-driven reporter. PPARα agonist fenofibrate was able to mimic the cytoprotective effect of DCHT on intrahepatic cholestasis, which was abolished by the PPARα antagonist GW6471. KEGG enrichment and western blot analyses showed that signaling axes of JNK/IL-6/NF-κB/STAT3 related to PPARα might be the principal pathway DCHT affects intrahepatic cholestasis. Taken together, the present study provides compelling evidence that DCHT is a promising formula against acute intrahepatic cholestasis with hepatotoxicity which works via PPARα activation.

Akebia saponin E, as a novel PIKfyve inhibitor, induces lysosome-associated cytoplasmic vacuolation to inhibit proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive malignancy with increasing mortality in China. Screening and identifying effective anticancer compounds from active traditional Chinese herbs for HCC are in demand. Akebia trifoliata (Thunb) Koidz, with pharmacological anti-HCC activities in clinical, has been shown in previous research. In the present research, we elucidated a potential anticancer effect of Akebia saponin E (ASE), which is isolated from the immature seeds of Akebia trifoliata (Thunb.) Koidz, and revealed that ASE could induce severe expanded vacuoles in HCC cells. But the potential mechanism of vacuole-formation and the anti-HCC effects by ASE remain uncover. AIM OF THIS STUDY: To elucidate the potential mechanism of vacuole-formation and the proliferation inhibition effects by ASE in HCC cell lines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MTT assay, colony formation assay and flow cytometry were performed to detect cell viability. Immunofluorescence analysis was used to examine the biomarkers of endomembrane. Cells were infected with tandem mRFP-GFP-LC3 lentivirus to assess autophagy flux. RNA-seq was conducted to analyze the genome-wide transcriptional between treatment cell groups. In vitro PIKfyve kinase assay is detected by the ADP-GloTM Kinase Assay Kit. RESULTS: ASE could inhibit the proliferation of HCC with severe expanded vacuoles in vitro, and could significantly reduce the size and weight of xenograft tumor in vivo. Further, the vacuoles induced by ASE were aberrant enlarged lysosomes instead of autophagosome or autolysosomes. With cytoplasmic vacuolation, ASE induced a mTOR-independent TFEB activation for lysosomal biogenesis and a decrement of cholesterol levels in HCC cells. Furthermore, ASE could reduce the activity of PIKfyve (phosphoinositide kinase containing a FYVE-type finger), causing aberrant lysosomal biogenesis and cholesterol dyshomeostasis which triggered the expanded vacuole formation. CONCLUSION: ASE can prospectively inhibit the kinase activity of PIKfyve to induce lysosome-associated cytoplasmic vacuolation, and may be utilized as an alternative candidate to treat human HCC.

Gut stem cell aging is driven by mTORC1 via a p38 MAPK-p53 pathway.

Nutrients are absorbed solely by the intestinal villi. Aging of this organ causes malabsorption and associated illnesses, yet its aging mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that aging-caused intestinal villus structural and functional decline is regulated by mTORC1, a sensor of nutrients and growth factors, which is highly activated in intestinal stem and progenitor cells in geriatric mice. These aging phenotypes are recapitulated in intestinal stem cell-specific Tsc1 knockout mice. Mechanistically, mTORC1 activation increases protein synthesis of MKK6 and augments activation of the p38 MAPK-p53 pathway, leading to decreases in the number and activity of intestinal stem cells as well as villus size and density. Targeting p38 MAPK or p53 prevents or rescues ISC and villus aging and nutrient absorption defects. These findings reveal that mTORC1 drives aging by augmenting a prominent stress response pathway in gut stem cells and identify p38 MAPK as an anti-aging target downstream of mTORC1.

Akebia trifoliata (Thunb.) Koidz Seed Extract inhibits human hepatocellular carcinoma cell migration and invasion in vitro.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The high recurrence rate postoperative and extensive metastases have become the obstacle of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) efficacy improvements, which contribute to most of the patient mortality. Akebia trifoliata (Thunb.) Koidz has been shown pharmacological activities in clinical and anti-HCC biological activity in previous research, but its potential function of anti-metastasis remains unknown. AIM OF THIS STUDY: To make sure whether ATKSE inhibits migration and invasion in HCC cell lines in vitro and the potential mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A UHPLC-HRMS analysis was adopted to identify and control the quality of the ethanol extract of Akebia trifoliata (Thunb.) Koidz Seed (abbreviated ATKSE). Cell viability of three kinds of HCC cell lines (HEPG2, HUH7, and SMMC7721) was detected using MTT assay and Flow cytometry. Adhesion capacity was measured by cell-matrigel adhesion assay. Wounded healing and Matrigel-transwell invasion assays were performed to assess cell migration and invasion, respectively. Western blot assay was used to detect several metastasis-related protein molecules, including FAK adhesion signaling, cadherin molecules, and MMPs. ELISA assay was used to evaluate the secreted MMP9 level. RESULTS: ATKSE significantly suppressed HCC cells viability and proliferation (from 0.9 up to 3.0 mg/ml); then under sub-lethal concentration (from 0.25 up to 1.0 mg/ml), ATKSE inhibited cell adhesion, migration, and invasion in a way of dose-dependent. Several metastatic-related molecules or pathway, including FAK adhesion signaling, cadherin molecules, and MMPs, took part in this process. There are both differences and commonalities in various cell lines: typically such as p-FAK was down-regulated by ATKSE in both HEPG2 and SMMC7721, while was raised in HUH7; Further attempts on the combination of ATKSE and FAK inhibitors, provide us with the enhanced inhibitory effects of invasion and migration in HEPG2 and HUH7 cells, as well as antagonistic effects in SMMC7721. As a target or potential mechanism, it may be more valuable to concern FAK inhibition by ATKSE in HEPG2 cells than in the other two cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that ATKSE has anti-metastasis potency in HCC cells.

High Intratumoral Expression of Tetranectin Associates with Poor Prognosis of Patients with Gastric Cancer after Gastrectomy.

Tetranectin, encoded by the clec3b gene, is a plasminogen kringle-4 binding protein that can be detected in the plasma and the extracellular matrix. In malignancies, tetranectin is thought to enhance proteolytic processes enabling tumor cells to invade and metastasize. Nevertheless, the prognostic value of tetranectin in gastric cancer remains elusive. In this study, we found the expression of tetranectin was decreased in gastric cancer. High intratumoral tetranectin level was positively associated with tumor invasion (P = 0.013), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.005), advanced TNM stage (P = 0.003) and shorter overall survival (OS) (P < 0.001) for patients with gastric cancer. Tetranectin expression was identified as an independent prognostic factor for poor OS, and combining tetranectin expression with other independent prognostic factors generated a predictive nomogram, which showed better prognostic efficiency for OS in patients with gastric cancer. In summary, our study suggests that intratumoral tetranectin is a potential independent unfavorable prognostic biomarker for OS of patients with gastric cancer after gastrectomy.

Decreased expression of STING predicts poor prognosis in patients with gastric cancer.

STING (stimulator of interferon genes) has recently been found to play an important role in host defenses against virus and intracellular bacteria via the regulation of type-I IFN signaling and innate immunity. Chronic infection with Helicobacter pylori is identified as the strongest risk factor for gastric cancer. Thus, we aim to explore the function of STING signaling in the development of gastric cancer. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect STING expression in 217 gastric cancer patients who underwent surgical resection. STING protein expression was remarkably decreased in tumor tissues compared to non-tumor tissues, and low STING staining intensity was positively correlated with tumor size, tumor invasion depth, lymph mode metastasis, TNM stage, and reduced patients' survival. Multivariate analysis identified STING as an independent prognostic factor, which could improve the predictive accuracy for overall survival when incorporated into TNM staging system. In vitro studies revealed that knock-down of STING promoted colony formation, viability, migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells, and also led to a defect in cytosolic DNA sensing. Besides, chronic H. pylori infection up-regulated STING expression and activated STING signaling in mice. In conclusion, STING was proposed as a novel independent prognostic factor and potential immunotherapeutic target for gastric cancer.

Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 facilitates metastasis of gastric cancer through driving epithelial-mesenchymal transition and PI3K/Akt/GSK3ß activation.

Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) is a pattern recognition receptor that plays a critical role in vascular diseases and host immune response. Recently, our research discovered that LOX-1 could facilitate the uptake of dying cells and cross-presentation of cellular antigen via binding with heat shock proteins, which have a close relationship with gastric neoplasia. Therefore, we speculated that LOX-1 may serve as an oncogene in gastric cancer (GC) development and progression. In this study, through immunohistochemistry staining assay and cancer-related databases, we found that LOX-1 expression was up-regulated in GC tissues and correlated with a poor prognosis in GC patients. The expression of LOX-1 was an independent prognostic factor for OS in GC patients, and the incorporation of LOX-1 with TNM stage is more accurate for predicting prognosis. Additionally, in vitro study by transwell assay and western blot analysis confirmed that LOX-1 could promote the migration and invasion of GC cells by driving epithelial-mesenchymal transition and PI3K/Akt/GSK3ß activation. Taken together, we first explored the expression profiles, clinical significance and biological function of LOX-1 in GC, and these data suggest that LOX-1 may represent a promising prognostic biomarker for GC and offer a novel molecular target for GC therapies.

High expression of GFAT1 predicts unfavorable prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. As a branch of glucose metabolism, hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP) has been reported to play a critical role in the insulin resistance and progression of cancer. Glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) is the rate-limiting enzyme of the HBP; nevertheless, the prognostic value of GFAT1 in HCC remains elusive. In this study, we found that high expression of GFAT1 was significantly associated with serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), tumor size, tumor encapsulation, T stage and TNM stage. High GFAT1 expression was identified as an independent prognostic factor which predicted poor overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in HCC patients. Incorporation of GFAT1 expression could improve the prognostic accuracy of traditional TNM stage system. Integration of GFAT1 expression with other independent prognosticators generated a predictive nomogram, which showed better prognostic efficiency for OS and RFS in HCC patients. In vitro studies also revealed that GFAT1 promoted the proliferation, cell cycle progression, migration and invasion of HCC cells. In conclusion, GFAT1 is a potential prognostic biomarker for overall survival and recurrence-free survival of HCC patients after surgery.

High Hepsin expression predicts poor prognosis in Gastric Cancer.

Hepsin, a membrane-associated serine protease, is frequently upregulated in epithelial cancers and involved in cancer progression. Our study aims to describe the expression pattern and evaluate the clinical implication of hepsin in gastric cancer patients. The mRNA expression of hepsin was analyzed in 50 gastric cancer and matched non-tumor tissues, which was downregulated in 78% (39/50) of gastric cancer. By searching and analyzing four independent datasets from Oncomine, we obtained the similar results. Furthermore, we evaluated the hepsin expression by IHC in tissue microarray (TMA) containing 220 Gastric Cancer specimens. More importantly, Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analyses were taken to access the prognosis of gastric cancer and predicted that hepsin protein expression was one of the significant and independent prognostic factors for overall survival of Gastric Cancer.

E3 ubiquitin ligase CHIP interacts with C-type lectin-like receptor CLEC-2 and promotes its ubiquitin-proteasome degradation.

C-type lectin-like receptor 2 (CLEC-2) was originally identified as a member of non-classical C-type lectin-like receptors in platelets and immune cells. Activation of CLEC-2 is involved in thrombus formation, lymphatic/blood vessel separation, platelet-mediated tumor metastasis and immune response. Nevertheless, the regulation of CLEC-2 expression is little understood. In this study, we identified that the C terminus of Hsc70-interacting protein (CHIP) interacted with CLEC-2 by mass spectrometry analysis, and CHIP decreased the protein expression of CLEC-2 through lysine-48-linked ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Deleted and point mutation also revealed that CHIP controlled CLEC-2 protein expression via both tetratricopeptide repeats (TPR) domain and Ubox domain in a HSP70/90-independent manner. Moreover, reduced CHIP expression was associated with decreased CLEC-2 polyubiquitination and increased CLEC-2 protein levels in PMA-induced differentiation of THP-1 monocytes into macrophages. These results indicate that CLEC-2 is the target substrate of E3 ubiquitin ligase CHIP, and suggest that the CHIP/CLEC-2 axis may play an important role in the modulation of immune response.