• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.5653-5657
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• 2012

Objectives: To investigate the effect of glycopeptide-preferring polypeptide GalNAc transferase 1 (ppGalNAc T1 ) targeted RNA interference (RNAi) on the growth and migration of human bladder carcinoma EJ cells in vitro and in vivo. Methods: DNA microarray assays were performed to determine ppGalNAc Ts(ppGalNAc T1-9) expression in human bladder cancer and normal bladder tissues. We transfected the EJ bladder cancer cell line with well-designed ppGalNAc T1 siRNA. Boyden chamber and Wound healing assays were used to investigate changes of shppGalNAc T1-EJ cell migration. Proliferation of shppGalNAc T1-EJ cells in vitro was assessed using [3H]-thymidine incorporation assay and soft agar colony formation assays. Subcutaneous bladder tumors in BALB/c nude mice were induced by inoculation of shppGalNAc T1-EJ cells and after inoculation diameters of tumors were measured every 5 days to determine gross tumor volumes. Results: ppGalNAc T1 mRNA in bladder cancer tissues was 11.2-fold higher than in normal bladder tissues. When ppGalNAc T1 expression in EJ cells was knocked down through transfection by pSUPER-shppGalNAc T1 vector, markedly reduced incorporation of [3H]-thymidine into DNA of EJ cells was observed at all time points compared with the empty vector transfected control cells. However, ppGalNAc T1 knockdown did not significantly inhibited cell migration (only 12.3%). Silenced ppGalNAc T1 expression significantly inhibited subcutaneous tumor growth compared with the control groups injected with empty vector transfected control cells. At the end of observation course (40 days), the inhibitory rate of cancerous growth for ppGalNAc T1 knockdown was 52.5%. Conclusion: ppGalNAc T1 might be a potential novel marker for human bladder cancer. Although ppGalNAc T1 knockdown caused no remarkable change in cell migration, silenced expression significantly inhibited proliferation and tumor growth of the bladder cancer EJ cell line.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.2221-2224
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• 2014

Objective: To explore the relationship between expressions of cell adhesion molecules CD44 v6 and E-cadherin (E-cad) and lymphatic metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials and Methods: Eightyseven tissue samples obtained from patients with primary NSCLC were collected in our hospital from Dec., 2007 to Dec., 2012, and the expressions of CD44 v6 and E-cad gene proteins in these samples were detected by immunohistochemical method. Results: In the tissue without lymphatic metastasis, the positive expression rate of CD44 v6 was significantly lower, whereas the normal expression rate of E-cad was notably higher than that with lymphatic metastasis (55.6% vs. 78.4%, 47.2% vs. 21.6%), and both differences had statistical significance (P<0.05). Besides, CD44 v6 and E-cad expressions had a significant correlation in the NSCLC tissue with lymphatic metastasis (P<0.05). Conclusions: The positive expression of CD44 v6 and abnormal expression of E-cad may play a very important role in promoting lymphatic metastasis of NSCLC, with synergistic effect. Hence, detection of CD44 v6 and E-cad expressions is conductive to judging the lymphatic metastasis in NSCLC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.23
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• pp.10407-10412
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• 2015

Background: ${\beta}$-elemene, extracted from herb medicine Curcuma wenyujin has potent anti-tumor effects in various cancer cell lines. However, the activity of ${\beta}$-elemene against glioma cells remains unclear. In the present study, we assessed effects of ${\beta}$-elemene on human glioma cells and explored the underlying mechanism. Materials and Methods: Human glioma U87 cells were used. Cell proliferation was determined with MTT assay and colony formation assay to detect the effect of ${\beta}$-elemene at different doses and times. Fluorescence microscopy was used to observe cell apoptosis with Hoechst 33258 staining and change of glioma apoptosis and cell cycling were analyzed by flow cytometry. Real-time quantitative PCR and Western-blotting assay were performed to investigated the influence of ${\beta}$-elemene on expression levels of Fas/FasL, caspase-3, Bcl-2 and Bax. The experiment was divided into two groups: the blank control group and ${\beta}$-elemne treatment group. Results: With increase in the concentration of ${\beta}$-elemene, cytotoxic effects were enhanced in the glioma cell line and the concentration of inhibited cell viability ($IC_{50}$) was $48.5{\mu}g/mL$ for 24h. ${\beta}$-elemene could induce cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase. With Hoechst 33258 staining, apoptotic nuclear morphological changes were observed. Activation of caspase-3,-8 and -9 was increased and the pro-apoptotic factors Fas/FasL and Bax were upregulated, while the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 was downregulated after treatment with ${\beta}$-elemene at both mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, proliferation and colony formation by U87 cells were inhibited by ${\beta}$-elemene in a time and does-dependent manner. Conclusions: Our results indicate that ${\beta}$-elemene inhibits growth and induces apoptosis of human glioma cells in vitro. The induction of apoptosis appears to be related with the upregulation of Fas/FasL and Bax, activation of caspase-3,-8 and -9 and downregulation of Bcl-2, which then trigger major apoptotic cascades.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7601-7605
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• 2013

Background: Gambogenic acid is a major active compound of gamboge which exudes from the Garcinia hanburyi tree. Gambogenic acid anti-cancer activity in vitro has been reported in several studies, including an A549 nude mouse model. However, the mechanisms of action remain unclear. Methods: We used nude mouse models to detect the effect of gambogenic acid on breast tumors, analyzing expression of apoptosis-related proteins in vivo by Western blotting. Effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis and apoptosis-related proteins in MDA-MB-231 cells were detected by MTT, flow cytometry and Western blotting. Inhibitors of caspase-3,-8,-9 were also used to detect effects on caspase family members. Results: We found that gambogenic acid suppressed breast tumor growth in vivo, in association with increased expression of Fas and cleaved caspase-3,-8,-9 and bax, as well as decrease in the anti-apoptotic protein bcl-2. Gambogenic acid inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner. Conclusion: Our observations suggested that Gambogenic acid suppressed breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell growth by mediating apoptosis through death receptor and mitochondrial pathways in vivo and in vitro.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.544-550
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• 2005

To develop a highly efficient mammalian expression vector, a series of vectors were constructed based on the murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) immediate-early (IE) promoter and human ${\beta}$-globin second intron. The resulting MCMV promoter was several-fold stronger than the HCMV promoter in various mammalian cell lines, such as the NIH3T3, Neuro-2a, 293T, and HT1080 cell lines, and was only slightly weaker than the HCMV promoter in HeLa and CHO cells. The inclusion of the human ${\beta}$-globin second intron behind the MCMV promoter or HCMV promoter markedly enhanced the promoter activity in various mammalian cell lines, and the resultant MCMV/Glo-I expression system was stronger than the HCMV promoter from 4.7- to 11.2-fold in every cell line tested. Also, the MCMV/Glo-I promoter induced a higher level of the VSV-G protein in a transiently transfected 293T cell line, which is useful for the production of recombinant retrovirus and lentivirus vectors.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.383-388
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• 2014

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is associated with a high frequency of metastasis and only few therapies substantially prolong survival. Honokiol, isolated from Magnolia spp. bark, has been shown to exhibit pleiotropic anticancer effects in many cancer types. However, whether honokiol could suppress RCC metastasis has not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we found that honokiol suppressed renal cancer cells' metastasis via dual-blocking epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stem cell (CSC) properties. In addition, honokiol inhibited tumor growth in vivo. It was found that honokiol could upregulate miR-141, which targeted ZEB2 and modulated ZEB2 expression. Honokiol reversed EMT and suppressed CSC properties partly through the miR-141/ZEB2 axis. Our study suggested that honokiol may be a suitable therapeutic strategy for RCC treatment.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.73-77
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• 2016

Simultaneous second primary tumors are not uncommon in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. Many studies have previously shown that oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma patients with simultaneous second primary tumor generally have a poor prognosis. Additionally, the choice of the optimal therapeutic modality for oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma patients who present with simultaneous second primary tumor remains problematic. We reported a case of simultaneous squamous cell carcinomas in mouth floor and esophagus, that multidisciplinary team performed resection and reconstruction simultaneously.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.718-729
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• 2022

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common primary esophageal malignancy with poor prognosis. Here, due to the necessity for exploring potential therapies against ESCC, we obtained the gene expression data on ESCC from the TCGA and GEO databases. Venn diagram analysis was applied to identify common targets. The protein-protein interaction network was constructed by Cytoscape software, and the hub targets were extracted from the network via cytoHubba. The potential hub nodes as drug targets were found by pharmacophore-based virtual screening and molecular modeling, and the antitumor activity was evaluated through in vitro studies. A total of 364 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in ESCC were identified. Pathway enrichment analyses suggested that most DEGs were mainly involved in the cell cycle. Three hub targets were retrieved, including CENPF, CCNA2 (cyclin A), and CCNB1 (cyclin B1), which were highly expressed in esophageal cancer and associated with prognosis. Moreover, amentoflavone, a promising drug candidate found by pharmacophore-based virtual screening, showed antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects and induced G1 in esophageal squamous carcinoma cells. Taken together, our findings suggested that amentoflavone could be a potential cell cycle inhibitor targeting cyclin B1, and is therefore expected to serve as a great therapeutic agent for treating esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2115-2120
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• 2012

The presence of lung cancer cells in anoxic zones is a key cause od chemotherapeutic resistance. Thus, it is necessary to enhance the sensitivity of such lung cancer cells. However, loss of efficient gene therapeutic targeting and inefficient objective gene expression in the anoxic zone in lung cancer are dilemmas. In the present study, a eukaryotic expression plasmid pUC57-HRE-JAB1 driven by a hypoxia response elements promoter was constructed and introduced into lung cancer cell line A549. The cells were then exposed to a chemotherapeutic drug cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (C-DDP). qRT-PCR and western blotting were used to determine the mRNA and protein level and flow cytometry to examine the cell cycle and apoptosis of A549 transfected pUC57-HRE-JAB1. The results showed that JAB1 gene in the A549 was overexpressed after the transfection, cell proliferation being arrested in G1 phase and the apoptosis ratio significantly increased. Importantly, introduction of pUC57-HRE-JAB1 significantly increased the chemotherapeutic sensitivity of A549 in an anoxic environment. In conclusion, JAB1 overexpression might provide a novel strategy to overcome chemotherapeutic resistance in lung cancer.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.191-201
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• 1995

Transcriptional activation of the embryonic genome initiates at 2-cell stage in mouse embryo and is characterized by the synthesis of TRC which is restricted to 2-cell stage. To investigate the roles of various protein kinases on the embryonic gene activation, the effects of protein kinase inhibitors on in vitro development and protein synthetic profiles of the early mouse embryos were examinded. None of ${\alpna}-amanitin$ which is a mRNA synthetic inhibitor, H8 which is a PKA inhibitor, and H7 which is a PKC inhibitor, affected on first cleavage of mouse 1-cell embryos in vitro. However, all of these drugs inhibited the second cleavage. When the drugs were removed following treatment for 6 hours, H8 or H7 treatment showed little inhibition on subsequent development of 1-cell embryos to 2-cell stage or further. In contrast, ${\alpna}-amanitin$ irreversibly inhibited the development of 1-cell embryos to 2-cell stage following removal of the drug. Genistein, a TPK inhibitor, inhibited both the first cleavage of 1-cell embryos and the second cleavage of 2-cell embryos, suggesting that TPK activity may be important during the early cleavages. All of the above four drugs inhibited TRC synthesis as shown by the fluorographic analysis of $[^{35}S]-Met$ labeled protein profiles. When late 1-cell embryos were treated with H7 and analyzed synthetic patterns of $[^{35}S]-Met$ labeled protein, the quantitative differences of protein synthesis on SDS-PAGE appeared on 77 kD and 33 kD region at $32{\sim}38$ hours post hCG. From these studies, transcriptional activation of embryonic genome is not essenting to the mouse 1-cell embryos to develop to 2-cell stage. Hawever, TPK activity is reguisite for both the first cleavage and second cleavage. Similarly, both PKC and PKA activities are required for the second cleavage of mouse embryos, but not for the first cleavage.