elafin and Liver-Neoplasms

Elafin is a serine protease inhibitor critical for host defence. We previously reported that Elafin was associated with the recurrence of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after surgery. However, the exact role of Elafin in HCC remains obscure.. HCC tissue microarrays were used to investigate the correlation between Elafin expression and the prognosis of HCC patients. In vitro migration, invasion and wound healing assays and in vivo lung metastasis models were used to determine the role of Elafin in HCC metastasis. Mass spectrometry, co-immunoprecipitation, western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining assays were performed to uncover the mechanism of Elafin in HCC. Dual-luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were employed to observe the transcriptional regulation of Elafin.. Elafin expression was frequently increased in HCC tissues compared to normal tissues, and high Elafin expression in HCC tissues was correlated with aggressive tumour phenotypes and a poor prognosis in HCC patients. Elafin dramatically enhanced the metastasis of HCC cells both in vitro and in vivo by interacting with EGFR and activating EGFR/AKT signalling. Moreover, Elafin attenuated the suppressive effects of erlotinib on HCC metastasis. Besides, Elafin was transcriptionally regulated by Sp1 in HCC cells. Clinically, Elafin expression was positively correlated with Sp1, Vimentin, and EGFR signalling in both our HCC tissue microarrays and TCGA database analysis.. Upregulation of Elafin by Sp1 enhanced HCC metastasis via EGFR/AKT pathway, and overexpression of Elafin attenuated the anti-metastatic effects of erlotinib, suggesting a valuable prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC.

Topics: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Elafin; ErbB Receptors; Erlotinib Hydrochloride; Female; Humans; Liver Neoplasms; Male; Neoplasm Metastasis; Protease Inhibitors

Decreased expression of metallothionein-1 (MT-1) is associated with a poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we found that MT-1 expression was suppressed by 14-3-3ε, and MT-1 overexpression abolished 14-3-3ε-induced cell proliferation and tumor growth. We identified that 14-3-3ε induced expression of ZNF479, a novel potential transcriptional regulator by gene expression profiling and ZNF479 contributed to 14-3-3ε-suppressed MT-1 expression. ZNF479 induced the expression of DNMT1, UHRF1, and mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL) complex proteins (ASH2L and Menin), and increased tri-methylated histone H3 (H3K4me3) levels, but suppressed H3K4 (H3K4me2) di-methylation. ZNF479-suppressed MT-1 expression was restored by silencing of ASH2L and DNMT1. Furthermore, ZNF479 expression was higher in HCC tissues than that in the non-cancerous tissues. Expression analyses revealed a positive correlation between the expression of ZNF479 and DNMT1, UHRF1, ASH2L, and Menin, and an inverse correlation with that of ZNF479, ASH2L, Menin, and MT-1 isoforms. Moreover, correlations between the expression of ZNF479 and its downstream factors were more pronounced in HCC patients with hepatitis B. Here, we found that ZNF479 regulates MT-1 expression by modulating ASH2L in HCC. Approaches that target ZNF479/MLL complex/MT-1 or related epigenetic regulatory factors are potential therapeutic strategies for HCC.

Topics: 14-3-3 Proteins; Animals; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Cell Proliferation; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferase 1; DNA-Binding Proteins; Elafin; Hep G2 Cells; Histones; Humans; Liver Neoplasms; MAP Kinase Signaling System; Metallothionein; Methylation; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Nude; Nuclear Proteins; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; Transcription Factors; Transplantation, Heterologous

Platycodin D (PD) is one of triterpenoid saponins isolated from the roots of Platycodon grandiflorum. In the present study, we aimed at examining the antitumor activity of PD against human hepatoma HepG2 cancer cells and investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms of PD-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells. PD significantly inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner as assessed by MTT assay. Besides, flow cytometry revealed that PD treatment obviously induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis in HepG2 cells. Moreover, Western blot analysis demonstrated that PD induced downregulation of protein expression of PI3K, P-Akt, and Bcl-2, whereas cleaved products of caspase-3 and -9 and PARP were upregulated by PD treatment. Furthermore, the protein level of P-p38, p-38, and Bax in PD-treated HepG2 cells was kept unchanged. In addition, the inhibitors of z-DEVD-fmk (a specific caspase-3 inhibitor) and z-LEHD-fmk (a specific caspase-9 inhibitor), but not z-IETD-fmk (a specific caspase-8 inhibitor), could significantly block PD-triggered apoptosis, whereas LY294002 (Akt inhibitor) could significantly enhance PD-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells. Thus, the increasing ratio of Bax to Bcl-2, activation of caspase-3 and -9 and PARP, and inactivation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway significantly enhanced PD-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells. Our results suggest that PD induced cell cycle G2/M arrest and apoptosis in HepG2 cells by decreasing PI3K/Akt pathway. Therefore, we propose that PD has potential as a liver cancer chemotherapeutic agent.

Topics: Apoptosis; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Cell Cycle Checkpoints; Elafin; G2 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints; Hep G2 Cells; Humans; Liver Neoplasms; Platycodon; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Saponins; Signal Transduction; Triterpenes

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumours and it carries a poor prognosis due to a high rate of recurrence or metastasis after surgery. Bmi-1 plays a significant role in the growth and metastasis of many solid tumours. However, the exact mechanisms underlying Bmi-1-mediated cell invasion and metastasis, especially in HCC, are not yet known. In the present study, we sought to evaluate the expression of Bmi-1 in HCC samples and its relationship with clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic value, we also investigated related mechanisms underlying Bmi-1-mediated cell invasion in HCC. Our results showed that Bmi-1 is upregulated in HCC tissues compared to matched non-cancer liver tissues; and its expression is positively associated with tumour size, metastasis, venous invasion and AJCC TNM stage, respectively; multivariate analysis showed that high expression of Bmi-1 was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival. In addition, the shRNA-mediated inhibition of Bmi-1 reduced the invasiveness of two HCC cell lines in vitro by upregulating phosphatase and the tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) expression, inhibiting the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signalling pathway and downregulating the expression and activities of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). These data demonstrate that Bmi-1 plays a vital role in HCC invasion and that Bmi-1 is a potential therapeutic target for HCC.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Elafin; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Hep G2 Cells; Humans; Liver Neoplasms; Male; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; Middle Aged; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 7; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Neoplasm Metastasis; Neoplasm Staging; Prognosis; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; PTEN Phosphohydrolase; Signal Transduction; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A