ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer screening by combined cytology and HPV test has reduced the incidence of cervical cancer, but cytological screening lacks a higher sensitivity while HPV testing possesses a lower specificity. Most patients with invasive cervical cancer are treated with radiotherapy. However, insensitivity to radiotherapy leads to poor efficacy. METHODS: Illumina Methylation EPIC 850k Beadchip was used for genomic screening. We detected methylation of SEPT9 and mRNA expression in different cervical tissues by using methylation-specific PCR and qRT-PCR. Then using CCK8, migration assay, and flow cytometry to detect the biological function and irradiation resistance of SEPT9 in vitro and in vivo. Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and co-immunoprecipitation (CoIP) were used to find the interacting gene with SEPT9. Immunostaining of CD206 in cervical cancer and polarization of macrophages (M2) were evaluated by immunofluorescence and WB. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was used for screening the potential miRNAs induced by SEPT9. RESULTS: Hyper-methylation of SEPT9 detects cervical cancer and normal tissues, normal+CIN1 and CIN2+CIN3+cancer with high sensitivity and specificity (AUC = 0.854 and 0.797, respectively, P < 0.001). The mRNA and protein expression of SEPT9 was upregulated in cervical cancer tissues when compared to para-carcinoma tissues. SEPT9 promotes proliferation, invasion, migration, and influences the cell cycle of cervical cancer. SEPT9 interacted with HMGB1-RB axis increases irradiation resistance. Furthermore, SEPT9 mediated miR-375 via the tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) polarization, affecting the resistance to radiotherapy in cervical cancer. CONCLUSIONS: These findings give us the evidence that SEPT9 methylation could be a biomarker for cervical cancer diagnoses. It promotes tumorigenesis and radioresistance of cervical cancer by targeting HMGB1-RB axis and causes polarization of macrophages by mediating miR-375. We suggest SEPT9 could be a potential screening and therapeutic biomarker for cervical cancer.
Subject(s)
DNA Methylation , Radiation Tolerance , Septins/genetics , Up-Regulation , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/diagnosis , Animals , Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics , Cell Movement , Cell Proliferation , Early Detection of Cancer , Epigenesis, Genetic , Female , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , HMGB1 Protein/metabolism , HeLa Cells , Humans , Mice , MicroRNAs/genetics , Promoter Regions, Genetic , Septins/metabolism , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/genetics , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/pathology , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/radiotherapyABSTRACT
Programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4), as a novel tumor suppressor, serves important roles in the pathogenesis of tumors. The expression of PDCD4 is downregulated or lost in various human tumors. However, the expression of PDCD4 in endometrial cancer and the clinicopathological significance remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of PDCD4 in endometrioid endometrial carcinoma (EEC) and the association with clinicopathological parameters. The expression of PDCD4 in EEC tissues and control endometrium was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and immunohistochemistry. PDCD4 expression was also investigated in control endometrial glandular epithelial cells and the endometrial cancer KLE cell line by immunocytochemistry, and the association between PDCD4 expression and clinicopathological parameters of patients with EEC was analyzed. The results demonstrated that PDCD4-positive staining was mainly located in the cytoplasm of endometrial glandular epithelial cells and EEC cells. The staining index of PDCD4 in the proliferative phase was significantly increased compared with that in the secretory phase of control endometrium (P<0.001). There was significantly decreased PDCD4 expression in grade (G) 2/3 EEC tissues compared with the proliferative phase of control endometrium (P<0.001). PDCD4 expression was significantly associated with tumor grade. The PDCD4 levels in G1 EEC tissues were higher compared with the G2/3 EEC group (P<0.01). The results indicated that PDCD4 is associated with the histological grade of EEC, and that PDCD4 may be a valuable indicator of the degree of tumor malignancy in patients with EEC.