Human Acellular Amniotic Matrix with Previously Seeded Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells Restores Endometrial Function in a Rat Model of Injury.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal endometrial repair after injury results in the formation of intrauterine adhesions (IUA) and a thin endometrium, which are key causes for implantation failure and infertility. Stem cell transplantation offers a potential alternative for some cases of severe Asherman's syndrome that cannot be treated with surgery or hormonal therapy. Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs) have been reported to repair the damaged endometrium. However, there is no report on the effects of UCMSCs previously seeded on human acellular amniotic matrix (AAM) on endometrial injury. METHODS: Absolute ethanol was injected into rat uteri to damage the endometrium. UCMSCs previously seeded on AAM were surgically transplanted. Using a variety of methods, the treatment response was assessed by endometrial thickness, endometrial biomarker expression, endometrial receptivity, cell proliferation, and inflammatory factors. RESULTS: Endometrial thickness was markedly improved after UCMSC-AAM transplantation. The expression of endometrial biomarkers, namely, vimentin, cytokeratin, and integrin ß3, in treated rats increased compared with untreated rats. In the UCMSC-AAM group, the VEGF expression decreased, whereas that of MMP9 increased compared with the injury group. Moreover, in the AAM group, the MMP9 expression increased. The expression of proinflammatory factors (IL-2, TNFα, and IFN-γ) in the UCMSC-AAM group decreased compared with the untreated group, whereas the expression of anti-inflammatory factors (IL-4, IL-10) increased significantly. CONCLUSIONS: UCMSC transplantation using AAM as the carrier can be applied to treat endometrial injury in rats. The successful preparation of lyophilized AAM provides the possibility of secondary infectious disease screening and amniotic matrix quality detection, followed by retrospective analysis. The UCMSC-AAM complex may promote the better application of UCMSCs on the treatment of injured endometrium.

Circulating Tumor Cells Expressing Krüppel-Like Factor 8 and Vimentin as Predictors of Poor Prognosis in Pancreatic Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) with an epithelial-mesenchymal transition phenotype in peripheral blood may be a useful marker of carcinomas with poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic significance of CTCs expressing Krüppel-like factor 8 (KLF8) and vimentin in pancreatic cancer (PC). METHODS: CTCs were isolated by immunomagnetic separation from the peripheral blood of 40 PC patients before undergoing surgical resection. Immunocytochemistry was performed to identify KLF8+ and vimentin+ CTCs. The associations between CTCs and time to recurrence (TTR), clinicopathologic factors, and survival were assessed. Univariate and multivariate analyzes were performed to identify risk factors. RESULTS: Patients with CTCs (n = 30) had a higher relapse rate compared to those without (n = 10) (70.0% vs 20.0%; P < 0.01). The proportion of KLF8+/vimentin+ CTCs to total CTCs was inversely related to TTR (r = -0.646; P < 0.01); TTR was reduced in patients with > 50% of CTCs identified as KLF8+/vimentin+ (P < 0.01). Independent risk factors for recurrence were perineural invasion and > 50% KLF8+/vimentin+ CTCs (both P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Poor prognosis can be predicted in PC patients when > 50% of CTCs are positive for KLF8 and vimentin.

High vimentin expression with E-cadherin expression loss predicts a poor prognosis after resection of grade 1 and 2 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms with malignant behaviors that can develop from inert slow growth or low malignancy to aggressive metastasis during follow-up. Recently, vimentin and E-cadherin were shown to be prognostic markers in some malignant tumors but were not evaluated in pNETs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression and prognostic significance of vimentin and E-cadherin in grade 1 and 2 pNETs. METHODS: A retrospective review of 227 patients with grade 1 and 2 pNETs undergoing surgical resection was conducted. Tumor specimens were immunohistochemically stained for vimentin and E-cadherin. Correlations between vimentin and E-cadherin expression and other clinicopathological features were then analyzed. Furthermore, overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier and univariate and multivariate Cox regression methods. RESULTS: Among 227 patients, 55 (24.2%) harbored tumors with high vimentin expression, while 117 (51.5%) harbored tumors with loss of E-cadherin expression. Patients with high vimentin expression and loss of E-cadherin expression had significantly elevated risks of lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, perineural invasion and an advanced American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage compared with those with low vimentin expression and preserved E-cadherin expression, high vimentin expression and preserved E-cadherin expression, or low vimentin expression and loss of E-cadherin expression. Furthermore, multivariate analysis showed that high vimentin expression with loss of E-cadherin expression was an independent predictor of OS and DFS in patients with grade 1 and 2 pNETs who underwent resection (both P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The current study demonstrated that high vimentin expression with loss of E-cadherin expression was correlated with lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, disease progression and a poor prognosis in patients with grade 1 and 2 pNETs who underwent resection.

The effect and mechanism of miR-607/CANT1 axis in lung squamous carcinoma.

Lung squamous carcinoma (LUSC) is the second most frequent subtype of non-small cell lung cancer. Rarely gene alterations are identified in LUSC. Therefore, identifying LUSC-related genes to explain the relevant molecular mechanism is urgently needed. A potential biomarker, calcium-activated nucleotidase 1 (CANT1), was elevated in tissues of LUSC patients relative to normal cases based on the TCGA and/or GTEx database. CCK-8 and transwell tests were then implemented to measure the proliferative, invasive and migratory capacities, and showed that knockdown of CANT1 blocked LUSC cells proliferation. miR-607, predicted as an upstream factor for CANT1, was declined in LUSC using TargetScan analysis and luciferase activity test. Low miR-607 expression was related with unfavorable outcomes of LUSC patients. Moreover, miR-607 downregulation elevated cell viability, invasion and migration in LUSC cells, which was antagonized by si-CANT1. GEPIA website was accessed to estimate the relevance between CANT1 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related positive factors. The protein levels of Fibronectin, Vimentin, Snail and ß-catenin were altered due to the abnormal CANT1 and miR-607 expression. Together, these data unveiled that miR-607/CANT1 pair may exert a vital role in the progression of LUSC through mediating EMT process, which would furnish an available therapeutic therapy for LUSC.

Kv3 channels contribute to cancer cell migration via vimentin regulation.

Cell migration is a complex and important process in cancer progression. Vimentin has pivotal roles in cancer cell migration, and various signaling pathways including the AKT pathway are involved in cancer cell migration via vimentin regulation. Recent studies have revealed that voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels have important functions in cancer cell migration; however, the exact mechanism is still unclear. In the present study, we focused on Kv3 channels with vimentin in cancer migration using human cervical cancer cells (HeLa) and canine mammary tumor cells (CHMp). Cancer cell migration was significantly inhibited, and vimentin expression was significantly decreased by Kv3 blocker, BDS-II. The Kv3 blocker also inactivated the AKT pathway in HeLa cells. In addition, reduced expressions of vimentin and Kv3.4 were observed in HeLa cells when treated with AKT blocker, MK2206. These results suggest that Kv3 channels play important roles in cancer cell migration by regulating vimentin and having closely related with the AKT pathway in human cervical cancer cells.

Immunohistochemical Expression of MMP-9, TIMP-1, and Vimentin and its Correlation With Inflammatory Reaction and Clinical Parameters in Oral Epithelial Dysplasia.

The aim of this study was to investigate the immunoexpression of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1), and vimentin (VIM) and its association with the inflammatory reaction (IR) and clinical parameters in oral epithelial dysplasia (ED). The sample was composed of 66 cases of ED, 27 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and 28 non-neoplastic epithelium (NNE). ED was graded according to the binary system as low-risk ED (n=42) and high-risk epithelial dysplasia (HRED: n=24). The IR was defined as the median number of inflammatory cells present on the connective tissue in 5 consecutive fields. Tissue sections of paraffin-embedded samples were immunohistochemically stained; MMP-9 and TIMP-1 expression was analyzed separately in the epithelium and the connective tissue; VIM was analyzed in the epithelium. Clinical parameters such as age, sex, lesion site and clinical presentation, alcohol/tobacco use, and malignant transformation of ED were retrospectively obtained from medical records. Nonhomogeneous leukoplakia presented higher odds (3.857; 95% confidence interval: 1.16-12.85) of being graded as HRED than did homogeneous lesions. The IR was higher in OSCC and ED than in NNE, and correlated with the epithelial expression of VIM. HRED and nonhomogeneous leukoplakias presented higher IR than did low-risk ED and homogeneous leukoplakias. Alcohol users had higher IR than nonalcohol users. Smokers had higher epithelial expression of MMP-9 and VIM. High IR in OSCC and HRED, and its positive correlation with VIM expression suggest a contribution of the IR in the progression of OSCC. Moreover, the high expression of MMP-9 and VIM in smokers implies its involvement in tobacco carcinogenesis.

Integrin α2ß1 inhibition attenuates prostate cancer cell proliferation by cell cycle arrest, promoting apoptosis and reducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Integrin α2ß1 plays an important role in cellular migration and metastasis processes associated with prostate cancer. The aim of this study was to assess whether selective inhibition of integrin α2ß1 is an effective strategy to target metastatic prostate cancer cells. In this regard, we examined the effects of the inhibitor BTT-3033, which selectively interferes with the connection between integrin a2b1 and its ligand, on migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and specific intracellular signaling pathways using LNcap-FGC and DU-145 prostate cancer cell lines. Western blot analysis and immunocytochemistry assays showed that inhibition of integrin a2b1 inhibits EMT, through the increased expression of E-cadherin and decreased expression of N-cadherin and vimentin. Scratch wound healing assays revealed a direct effect on integrin α2ß1 in the migration capacity of cells. In addition, treatment with BTT-3033 induced a reduction in cell viability and proliferation, as assessed by MTT and BrdU assays. In addition, the results show that BTT-3033 inhibits cell proliferation by inducing G1 cell cycle arrest. Moreover, inhibition of integrin α2ß1 induces apoptosis through the activation of ROS, Bax protein upregulation, caspase-3 activation, and depletion of ΔΨm.  Molecular signaling studies showed that integrin α2ß1 was a positive regulator of MKK7 phosphorylation. In conclusion, our results reveal a critical role for integrin a2b1 in the proliferation of prostate cancer cells, as demonstrated by EMT inhibition, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis induction in response to treatment with its specific inhibitor BT-3033.

Erythrocyte membrane protein band 4.1-like 3 inhibits osteosarcoma cell invasion through regulation of Snai1-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.

Erythrocyte membrane protein band 4.1-like 3 (EPB41L3) is an important membrane skeletal protein that may interact with numerous membrane proteins. Loss of EPB41L3 is reported in multiple cancer types, and it is originally identified as a tumor suppressor. In this study, through analyzing expression profiling retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset, we find that EPB41L3 is upregulated in primary osteosarcoma (OS) and osteosarcoma cell lines. Importantly, EPB41L3 may promote osteosarcoma cell proliferation and suppress osteosarcoma cell migration and invasion. Reduced EPB41L3 leads to a decrease of E-cadherin as well as an increase of N-cadherin and Vimentin, implying a prominent epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Furthermore, we demonstrate that EPB41L3 inhibits the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition through destabilizing the Snai1 protein, one of the most important transcription factors of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition process. Collectively, our study has first established the complex and vital roles of EPB41L3 and implicated EPB41L3 as a potential biomarker in osteosarcoma.

Identification of miR-515-3p and its targets, vimentin and MMP3, as a key regulatory mechanism in esophageal cancer metastasis: functional and clinical significance.

Metastasis is the main factor of treatment failure in cancer patients, but the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated and effective new treatment strategies are urgently needed. This study aims to explore novel key metastasis-related microRNAs (miRNAs) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). By comparing miRNA profiles of the highly metastatic ESCC cell sublines, we established through serial in vivo selection with the parental cells, we found that the expression level of miR-515-3p was lower in ESCC tumor tissues than adjacent normal tissues, further decreased in metastatic tumors, and moreover, markedly associated with advanced stage, metastasis and patient survival. The in vitro and in vivo assays suggested that miR-515-3p could increase the expression of the epithelial markers as well as decrease the expression of the mesenchymal markers, and more importantly, suppress invasion and metastasis of ESCC cells. Mechanistically, we revealed that miR-515-3p directly regulated vimentin and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP3) expression by binding to the coding sequence and 3'untranslated region, respectively. In addition, the data from whole-genome methylation sequencing and methylation-specific PCR indicated that the CpG island within miR-515-3p promoter was markedly hypermethylated in ESCC cell lines and ESCC tumor tissues, which may lead to deregulation of miR-515-3p expression in ESCC. Furthermore, our preclinical experiment provides solid evidence that systemic delivery of miR-515-3p oligonucleotide obviously suppressed the metastasis of ESCC cells in nude mice. Taken together, this study demonstrates that miR-515-3p suppresses tumor metastasis and thus represents a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic strategy in ESCC.

Expression and Role of E-Cadherin, ß-Catenin, and Vimentin in Human Papillomavirus-Positive and Human Papillomavirus-Negative Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is subclassified by the World Health Organization into two different entities: human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive and HPV-negative tumors. HPV infection promotes the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and transformation of keratinocyte stem cells into cancer stem cells. EMT is a crucial process in the carcinogenesis of epithelial-derived malignancies, and we aimed to study the role of its markers in OPSCC. This study consists of 202 consecutive OPSCC patients diagnosed and treated with curative intent. We examined E-cadherin, ß-catenin, and vimentin expression using immunohistochemistry and compared these with tumor and patient characteristics and treatment outcome. We found that the cell-membranous expression of ß-catenin was stronger in HPV-positive than in HPV-negative tumors, and it was stronger in the presence of regional metastasis. The stromal vimentin expression was stronger among HPV-positive tumors. A high E-cadherin expression was associated with tumor grade. No relationship between these markers and survival emerged. In conclusion, ß-catenin and vimentin seem to play different roles in OPSCC: the former in the tumor tissue itself, and the latter in the tumor stroma. HPV infection may exploit the ß-catenin and vimentin pathways in carcinogenic process. More, ß-catenin may serve as a marker for the occurrence of regional metastasis.

Papillary Renal Neoplasm With Reverse Polarity: A Clinicopathologic Study of 7 Cases.

Papillary renal neoplasm with reverse polarity is a form of recently described tumor. These tumors are defined by GATA3 positivity, negative vimentin staining, and the presence of both papillary structures and a layer of eosinophilic cells with apical nuclei and a granular cytoplasm. In the present report, we review 7 cases of papillary renal neoplasm with reverse polarity that were GATA3+ and vimentin-, consistent with past reports. In all 7 of these cases, we found that these tumors were additionally positive for 34ßE12. All 7 of these tumors were categorized as stage pT1. On histological examination, these tumors exhibited branching papillae with apical nuclei. All 7 of these patients were alive on most recent follow-up, with 6 being disease free and one having developed prostate cancer. Together, this overview of 7 additional cases of papillary renal neoplasm with reverse polarity offers further insight into this rare and poorly understood disease.

Loss of ARF/INK4A Promotes Liver Progenitor Cell Transformation Toward Tumorigenicity Supporting Their Role in Hepatocarcinogenesis.

Liver progenitor cells (LPCs) contribute to liver regeneration during chronic damage and are implicated as cells of origin for liver cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The CDKN2A locus, which encodes the tumor suppressors alternate reading frame protein (ARF) and INK4A, was identified as one of the most frequently altered genes in HCC. This study demonstrates that inactivation of CDKN2A enhances tumorigenic transformation of LPCs. The level of ARF and INK4A expression was determined in a panel of transformed and nontransformed wild-type LPC lines. Moreover, the transforming potential of LPCs with inactivated CDKN2A was shown to be enhanced in LPCs derived from Arf-/- and CDKN2Afl/fl mice and in wild-type LPCs following CRISPR-Cas9 suppression of CDKN2A. ARF and INK4A abundance is consistently reduced or ablated following LPC transformation. Arf-/- and CDKN2A-/- LPCs displayed hallmarks of transformation such as anchorage-independent and more rapid growth than control LPC lines with unaltered CDKN2A. Transformation was not immediate, suggesting that the loss of CDKN2A alone is insufficient. Further analysis revealed decreased p21 expression as well as reduced epithelial markers and increased mesenchymal markers, indicative of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, following inactivation of the CDKN2A gene were required for tumorigenic transformation. Loss of ARF and INK4A enhances the propensity of LPCs to undergo a tumorigenic transformation. As LPCs represent a cancer stem cell candidate, identifying CDKN2A as a driver of LPC transformation highlights ARF and INK4A as viable prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for HCC.

Is vimentin a potential prognostic factor for patients with triple-negative breast cancer?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic potential of vimentin, p53, EGFR, CK5/6, CK 14, and CK 17 in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Tumor specimens of 60 patients with histologically confirmed TNBC were retrospectively analyzed. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks of the tumor tissue were used to prepare tissue microarrays (TMAs). After immune-histochemical staining, protein expression of vimentin, p53, EGFR, CK5/6, CK 14, and CK 17 was determined and the immunoreactive score (IRS) was calculated. The protein expression was correlated to overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). RESULTS: Ninety percent of patients suffered from an invasive ductal carcinoma T1 or T2, 66.7% were N0, and 70% had a G3 tumor with Ki67 of > 14%. Vimentin expression was found in 28/60 patients (46.7%), p53 expression in 30/60 patients (50%), and EGFR expression in 3/60 patients (5%). CK5/6, CK14, and CK17 expression was found in 60.0%, 63.3%, and 66.7%, respectively. Vimentin expression vs no expression was associated with significantly higher mean Ki67 values (52.5% vs. 31.1%; p = 0.0013) and significantly higher p53 expression (67.9% vs. 34.4%; p = 0.0097). No significant association between vimentin expression and OS (p = 0.7710) or DFS (p = 0.5558) was found during a mean follow-up of 92 months. CONCLUSION: None of the six proteins proved to be suitable prognostic factors for OS and DSF in patients with TNBC.

Ultrasmall CuS@BSA nanoparticles with mild photothermal conversion synergistically induce MSCs-differentiated fibroblast and improve skin regeneration.

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapies have been used in skin regeneration due to their ability to differentiate into many cells, promote cytokine secretion and participate in collagen deposition. In this study, we concluded that a CuS@BSA nanoparticles exhibited similar potential in inducing MSCs differentiation to fibroblasts as Cu ions for wound healing. Methods: First, we verified the photothermal efficiency of CuS@BSA in vivo and vitro and had no cytotoxicity for MSCs when the temperature was controlled at 42 °C by adjusting the power of irradiation at 980 nm. And then we detected the expression of vimentin in MSCs, which further directed the MSCs to fibroblasts through Western blotting and Immunofluorescence when treated with CuS@BSA or pre-heat at 42 °C. In addition, we implanted MSCs into the Matrigel or electrospun PLA nanofiber membrane in vitro to evaluating the effect of heating or CuS@BSA on the morphological change of MSCs by SEM. Finally, we evaluated improving skin regeneration by the combination of preheated-MSCs and CuS@BSA nanoparticles that were encapsulated in Matrigel. Results: The CuS@BSA nanoparticles have good photothermal conversion efficiency. Not only CuS nanoparticles itself or after irradiation at 980 nm stimulated the expressioin of vimentin in MSCs. Besides, the CuS@BSA can promote cell proliferation as Cu ion through the expression of ERK. The combination of the CuS@BSA nanoparticles and thermal treatment synergistically improved the closure of an injured wound in an injured wound model. Conclusions: MSCs combined with CuS@BSA are a promising wound dressing for the reconstruction of full-thickness skin injuries.

Increased expression of desmin and vimentin reduces bladder smooth muscle contractility via JNK2.

Bladder dysfunction is associated with the overexpression of the intermediate filament (IF) proteins desmin and vimentin in obstructed bladder smooth muscle (BSM). However, the mechanisms by which these proteins contribute to BSM dysfunction are not known. Previous studies have shown that desmin and vimentin directly participate in signal transduction. In this study, we hypothesized that BSM dysfunction associated with overexpression of desmin or vimentin is mediated via c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). We employed a model of murine BSM tissue in which increased expression of desmin or vimentin was induced by adenoviral transduction to examine the sufficiency of increased IF protein expression to reduce BSM contraction. Murine BSM strips overexpressing desmin or vimentin generated less force in response to KCl and carbachol relative to the levels in control murine BSM strips, an effect associated with increased JNK2 phosphorylation and reduced myosin light chain (MLC20 ) phosphorylation. Furthermore, desmin and vimentin overexpressions did not alter BSM contractility and MLC20 phosphorylation in strips isolated from JNK2 knockout mice. Pharmacological JNK2 inhibition produced results qualitatively similar to those caused by JNK2 knockout. These findings suggest that inhibition of JNK2 may improve diminished BSM contractility associated with obstructive bladder disease.

Vimentin overexpression as a novel poor prognostic biomarker in eyelid sebaceous gland carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Vimentin is an intermediate-sized filament which is highly expressed in mesenchymal cells and is associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). EMT markers ZEB2 and Slug lead to Vimentin overexpression and E-cadherin loss, resulting in invasion and metastasis. However, the status of Vimentin remains unexplored in eyelid sebaceous gland carcinoma (SGC). The study aims to determine status of Vimentin in SGC and its association with EMT markers E-cadherin, ZEB2 and Slug. METHODS: Vimentin protein expression was undertaken in 66 cases with SGC by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Messenger RNA (mRNA) expression was determined in 42 fresh tissues by quantitative real-time PCR. Association of Vimentin with E-cadherin, ZEB2 and Slug was also analysed. Patients were followed up for 17-69 months (mean 34.02 ± 14.73 months). RESULTS: IHC revealed Vimentin overexpression in 37/66 (56%) cases. This overexpression showed significant association with lymph node metastasis (p=0.004) and pagetoid spread (p=0.05). Patients with high Vimentin expression also had poor disease-free survival (p=0.033). Univariate Cox regression model indicated that high Vimentin expression (p=0.043) and advanced tumour stage (p=0.002) were independent adverse prognostic factors. High Vimentin mRNA expression was seen in 16/42 (38%) cases and correlated significantly with lymph node metastasis (p=0.027), advanced tumour stage (p=0.002) and large tumour size (p=0.023). Vimentin expression overall showed a significant inverse association with E-cadherin and direct association with ZEB2 expression. CONCLUSIONS: Vimentin overexpression in SGC is associated with EMT and leads to poor clinical outcome. It also emerged as a novel predictor for lymph node metastasis and poor survival.

Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Predicts Survival in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Synergistic loss of E-cadherin and acquisition of vimentin are characteristic feature of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) which confers an invasive phenotype of epithelial cancer cells. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of E-cadherin and vimentin expression individually and in combination as a measure of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Expression of E-cadherin and vimentin through immunohistochemical analysis was examined in 200 patients with surgically resected OSCC. Combined E-cadherin and vimentin expression was evaluated to determine the EMT status. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test were used to compare differences in survival. Cox regression analysis was performed to identify independent prognostic factors. E-cadherin expression was negative in 28 (14%) tumors, and vimentin expression was positive in 87 (43.5%) tumors. Moreover, 99 (49.5%), 87 (43.5%), and 14 (7.5%) tumors exhibited no, partial, and complete EMT, respectively. Both individual protein expression were significant prognostic factors [Negative E-cadherin, hazard ratio (HR) = 1.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04-2.93; positive vimentin, HR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.12-2.41]. For EMT status, the HR increased with EMT progression [partial EMT, HR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.09-2.49; complete EMT, HR = 2.88, 95% CI = 1.44-5.79], of which, the complete EMT had higher HR than was individual protein expression. Combined E-cadherin and vimentin expression as a measure of EMT showed a superior prognostic significance compared with individual protein expression.

Effects of Boron on Cytotoxicity, Apoptosis, and Cell Cycle of Cultured Rat Sertoli Cells In vitro.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of the administration of boron on viability, apoptosis, and cell cycle of primary rat Sertoli cells (SCs) in vitro. SCs were aseptically isolated from 18-22-day-old male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. SCs were identified with immunofluorescence using anti-vimentin antibody. Further, to investigate the effects of boron on Sertoli cells, SCs of the boron treatment group were exposed to different concentrations (0.25, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 40, and 80 mmol/L) of boric acid. Using MTT and Cell Counting Kit-8 assays, the impact of boron on SCs viability was analyzed. Cell apoptosis and cycle of SCs were analyzed using flow cytometry. A concentration of 0.5 mmol/L boric acid resulted in the highest viability and lowest necrosis and apoptosis. Above this concentration (even 1.0 mmol/L) showed lower viability and higher levels of necrosis and apoptosis. Administration of < 0.5 mmol/L boron significantly promoted the viability of Sertoli cells (P < 0.01); however, the exposure to high dose (> 10 mmol/L) of boron exhibited significant adverse effects on Sertoli cells (P < 0.01) and even toxic effects, inhibiting cell viability compared to the control group. Flow cytometry analysis showed that treatment with 0.5 mmol/L of boron significantly inhibited the apoptosis of Sertoli cells and the proportion of cells in S and G2/M phases was markedly increased; however, a higher concentration of 40 and 80 mmol/L of boron promoted Sertoli cell apoptosis and cells were completely arrested at G0/G1 phase. Boron at doses below 0.5 mmol/L could significantly improve the viable capacity of testicular Sertoli cells in vitro and inhibit their apoptosis. However, high dose of boron (at a concentration higher than 5.0 mmol/L) exhibited noticeable toxic effects, inhibiting cell viability, accelerating apoptosis of Sertoli cells, and arresting cell cycle at G0/G1 phase.

[Targeted-knockdown of Yes-associated protein inhibits the Warburg effect and the invasion of laryngeal cancer cells].

Objective: To investigate the migration and invasion behaviors of Hep-2 after the targeted knockdown of yes-associated protein (YAP). Methods: Hep-2 cells were knock-downed for YAP by shRNA as YAP-shRNA group, Hep-2 treated with non-specific shRNA as YAP-NC group, and Hep-2 with no treatment as control. Glucose uptake and lactate production in the cells were examined to assess Warburg effect. The migration and invasion behaviors of cells in three groups were observed. The expressions of vimentin and E-cadherin were detected by RT-PCR and Western Blot. The statistical software GraphPad Prism 7.0 was used to analyze significance of data. Two tailed Student' s t-tests was used to determine significance when only two groups were compared. P values of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Downregulation of YAP led to a obvious decrease in glucose uptake [(18.51±1.72)%] and lactate production [103.40±8.32] in Hep-2 cells compared with control [(41.20±1.11)% and 743.69±19.49, t=19.20 and 52.33, respectively, both P<0.01] and YAP-NC group [(39.60±0.78)% and 705.22±17.20, t=19.34 and 54.56, respectively, both P<0.01]. Compared with the control group (78.32±4.04) and YAP-NC group (77.28±3.11), the scratch healing ability of Hep-2 cells was significantly decreased in YAP-shRNA group (44.71±4.68). The P value was less than 0.01 (t=9.42 and 10.04). The number of cells with YAP-shRNA (33.30±4.19) passing through compartments was remarkable fewer than the control group (133.71±6.72) and YAP-NC group (126.32±4.21). The P value was less than 0.01 (t=21.96 and 27.13). The expression of E-cadherin protein in cells of YAP-shRNA group (6.16±0.11) was up-regulated compared with control (0.97±0.10, t=35.70, P<0.01) and YAP-NC group (1.13±0.09, t=36.28, P<0.01), while the expression of vimentin protein in cells of YAP-shRNA group (1.08±0.09) was down-regulated compared with control (5.67±0.12, t=29.91, P<0.01) and YAP-NC group (5.51±0.12, t=29.04, P<0.01). Conclusions: The down-regulation of YAP in Hep-2 inhibits the migration and invasion of cells via suppressing Warburg and EMT program.

LncRNA SNHG7 contributes to cell proliferation, invasion and prognosis of cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes in the development of various cancers. However, the function of lncRNA SNHG7 in cervical cancer remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of lncRNA SNHG7 in cervical cancer and to explore the possible underlying mechanism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of lncRNA SNHG7 in 60 cervical cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assays were used to study the effects of lncRNA SNHG7 on the proliferation and invasion of cervical cancer cells, respectively. Furthermore, Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of proteins in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. RESULTS: LncRNA SNHG7 expression increased significantly in cervical cancer tissues. The inhibition of lncRNA SNHG7 expression markedly inhibited cervical cell proliferation and invasion. Meanwhile, the inhibition of lncRNA SNHG7 resulted in the increased protein expression level of E-cadherin, and decreased protein expressions of N-cadherin and Vimentin. In addition, the survival time of patients with high expression of lncRNA SNHG7 was remarkably shortened. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA SNHG7 contributes to cell proliferation and invasion of cervical cancer. Moreover, SNHG7 has emerged as an independent and significant factor associated with poor survival of cervical cancer patients.