Targeted Drug-Loaded Chemical Probe Staining Assay to Predict Therapy Response and Function as an Independent Pathological Marker.

Multi-targeted kinase inhibitors, such as sorafenib, have been used in various malignancies, but their efficacy in clinical applications varies among individuals and lacks pretherapeutic prediction measures. We applied the concept of "click chemistry" to pathological staining and established a drug-loaded probe staining assay. We stained the cells and different types of pathological sections and demonstrated that the assay was reliable. We further verified in cells, cell-derived xenograft model, and clinical level that the staining intensity of the probe could reflect drug sensitivity. The stained samples from 300 patients who suffered from hepatocellular carcinoma and used the sorafenib probe also indicated that staining intensity was closely related to clinical information and could be used as an independent marker without undergoing sorafenib therapy for prognosis. This assay provided new ideas for multi-target drug clinical trials, pre-medication prediction, and pathological research.

Protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR1) promotes epithelial-endothelial transition through Twist1 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Tumor cells transfer into endothelial cells by epithelial-endothelial transition (EET), which is characterized by vasculagenic mimicry (VM) in morphology. VM can change tumor microcirculation, progression, and metastasis. However, the molecular mechanisms of endothelial-like transition remain unclear. EET is a subtype of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Twist1, a transcriptional regulatory factor of EMT, is an important factor that induces EET in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC), but the upstream signal of Twist1 is unclear. METHODS: Expression plasmids, Ca mobilization, and three-dimensional cultures were evaluated. Western blot assay, reporter gene assay, and immunofluorescence staining were conducted. A murine xenograft model was established. Analyses of immunohistochemistry, patient samples, and complementary DNA (cDNA) microarrays were also performed. RESULTS: This study demonstrated that protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR1) can increase the expression of endothelial markers and enhance VM formation by upregulating Twist1 both in vitro and in vivo through thrombin binding. Thrombin not only activates PAR1 but also promotes PAR1 internalization in a time-dependent manner. Clinical pathological analysis further confirms that PAR1 expression is directly correlated with the endothelial marker expression, VM formation, and metastasis and indicates poor survival rate of patients with tumors. CONCLUSION: PAR1 promotes EET through Twist1 in HCC.