The purpose of this study was to elucidate the apoptosis, apoptotic pathway of HL-60 cells induced by proteasome inhibitor MG132 and its effect on allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction. Apoptosis of HL-60 cells was detected by flow cytometry, the expression of P21, P27 and P53 proteins in HL-60 cells treated with MG132 was assayed by Western blot. The HL-60 cells were treated with 1 µmol/L MG132 for 48 h, and irradiated by 75 Gy of (60)Co γ-ray, but their antigenicity was preserved. The effect of irradiated HL-60 cells treated with MG132 on proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) was measured by CCK-8 method. The results showed that the apoptotic rate of MG132-treated HL-60 cells increased in dose-and time-dependent manner. No significant changes in MG132-induced apoptosis were observed after inhibiting caspase-8 and caspase-9 pathway. The expression of P21 and P27 protein increased after treatment of HL-60 cells with MG132. CCK-8 test showed that HL-60 cells induced with low-dose of MG132 displayed the enhancing effect on proliferation of PBMNC. It is concluded that high dose of MG132 can induce the apoptosis of HL-60 cells, and has direct killing effect on HL-60 cells, but this inducing apoptotic effect on HL-60 cells can not be realized through caspase-8 and caspase-9 pathway. The P21 and P27 protein may be involved in MG132 induced HL-60 cell apoptosis. Low dose of MG132 promotes the proliferation of PBMNC in healthy individuals and enhance the immunity of organism.
Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Caspase 8 ; metabolism ; Caspase 9 ; metabolism ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21 ; metabolism ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27 ; metabolism ; HL-60 Cells ; Humans ; Leupeptins ; pharmacology ; Proteasome Inhibitors ; pharmacology

Sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) plays critical roles in cell biological functions. Here we investigated the effects of SphK1 inhibitor SKI II on hepatoma HepG2 cell cycle progression and invasion. Cell survival was determined by SRB assay, cell cycle progression was assayed by flow cytometry, the ability of cell invasion was measured by Matrigel-Transwell assay and protein expression was detected by Western blotting. The results showed that SKI II markedly inhibited HepG2 cell survival in a dose-dependent manner, induced G1 phase arrest in HepG2 cell and inhibited cell invasion. SKI II markedly decreased the expressions of G1-phase-related proteins CDK2, CDK4 and Cdc2 and the levels of cell invasion-associated proteins MMP2 and MMP9. The results showed that SKI II inhibited cell cycle progression and cell invasion, implying SphK1 as a potential target for hepatoma treatment.
CDC2 Protein Kinase ; Cell Movement ; drug effects ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2 ; metabolism ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4 ; metabolism ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinases ; metabolism ; G1 Phase ; drug effects ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; metabolism ; Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor) ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Thiazoles ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the impact of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at chromosome 9p21 and P16(INK4A)(CDKN2A) expression on the prognosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST).

METHODSA total of 51 cases with GISTs were characterized by immunohistochemistry and evaluated for LOH at 9p21 by microsatellite analysis in 4 markers(D9S1751, D9S1846, D9S942 and D9S1748). Associations of LOH at 9p21 and P16(INK4A) expression encoded by CDKN2A with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis in GISTs were analyzed.

RESULTSThe frequency of 9p21 LOH was 37.0% (10/27) at D9S1751, 37.5%(12/32) at D9S1846, 42.1%(16/38) at D9S942 and 24.2%(8/33) at D9S1748. The overall frequency of LOH at 9p21 was 63.3%(31/49). In 21 samples of 51 GISTs(41.2%), P16 expression was not detected. Loss of P16 expression was 60%(12/20) in high risk group and 23.5%(4/17) in very low and low risk groups(P<0.05). The 5-year overall survival rate of p16-negative patients was 70.8%, while in P16-positive patients it was 92.0%(P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSLOH at 9p21 is a frequent event in GIST. Loss of CDKN2A gene at 9p21 may contribute to the progression and malignant transformation of GIST. P16 expression in GIST is associated with prognosis.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9 ; genetics ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 ; metabolism ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Genes, p16 ; Humans ; Loss of Heterozygosity ; Male ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Notch1 on cell cycle, apoptosis and migration of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cell line Hep-2 and explore its possible molecular mechanism.

METHODSHep-2 cells were divided into three groups: untreated group, empty vector group and Notch1 group. The effects of upregulation of Notch1 expression on cell proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis were assessed by CCK-8 staining and flow cytometry, respectively, and effect of upregulation of Notch1 expression on cell migration of Hep-2 cells was studied using Boyden chamber assay, and further expression changes of genes related to cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis and migration were detected by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting.

RESULTSCompared with the untreated group and empty vector group, cell proliferation of Hep-2 in the Notch1 group was significantly inhibited (P < 0.05). The results of flow cytometry revealed that the percentage of cells at G0/G1 phase in the Notch1 group was (70.43 +/- 1.36)%, significantly higher than the (46.39 +/- 1.19)% in the untreated group or (48.41 +/- 1.18)% in the empty vector group, and there was a significant difference among the three groups (P = 0.000). In addition, the percentage of apoptotic cells in the Notch1 group was (22.46 +/- 0.90)%, significantly higher than that in the untreated group [(5.77 +/- 0.37)%] or empty vector group [(6.09 +/- 0.20)%], with a significant difference among the three groups (P = 0.000). The results of Boyden chamber assay demonstrated that the number of cells migrated through membrane in the Notch1 group was evidently lower than that in the untreated group and empty vector group. Moreover, the results of semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting showed that cell proliferation inhibition and cell cycle arrest were closely associated with downregulation of cyclin D1, cyclin E and CDK2 expressions and upregulation of p53 expression. In addition, upregulation of Notch1 expression mediated cell apoptosis was tightly related to upregulation of caspase 3/9 expressions and downregulation of Bcl-2, while the decrease of Hep-2 cell migration ability was obviously correlated with downregulation of MMP-2/-9 expressions.

CONCLUSIONSNotch1 signaling pathway may play a pivotal role in the occurrence and development of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Further study may elucidate that Notchl signaling pathway may become a molecular target for therapy of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Apoptosis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Caspase 9 ; metabolism ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; Cyclin D1 ; metabolism ; Cyclin E ; metabolism ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2 ; metabolism ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; metabolism ; Oncogene Proteins ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Receptor, Notch1 ; metabolism ; physiology ; Signal Transduction ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism

Objective: PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint treatment is effective for some triple-negative breast cancer populations with PD-L1 expression, but the response rate is still not satisfactory. This study aims to explore the mechanism of drug resistance to breast cancer anti-PD-1 therapies and the strategies for overcoming the resistance to PD-1therapies. Methods: By constructing a human triple-negative breast cancer drug-resistant cell line called BT-549R5 and a mouse breast cancer drug-resistant cell line called 4T1R3, and applying the whole-gene shRNA library screening, candidate drug resistance-associated molecules were obtained and verified by cytological experiments. The expression of Tyro3, Axl and MerTK of the TAM family in the 4T1R3 group was tested using the Western blot method. The down-regulation of CDK9 on the effect of T cells killing the BT-549R5 cells was observed through T cell killing tests, while the down-regulation of Tyro3 and CDK9 on the effect of anti-PD-1 therapies for transplanted breast tumors was observed in mouse tumor formation experiments. Results: The cell lines and animal models of breast cancer resistant to PD-1 treatment were successfully constructed. Tyro3, Axl and MerTK were highly expressed in 4T1R3 cells. Whole genome sequencing showed that Tyro3 and CDK9 were highly expressed in BT-549R5 cells. T cell killing experiment showed that the survival rate of BT-549R5 cells in the CDK9 down-regulated group and the control group decreased gradually with the increase of T cells, but the survival rate of BT-549R5 cells in the CDK9 down-regulated group decreased rapidly. Tumor formation experiment in mice showed that under anti-PD-1 treatment, the transplanted tumor in the 4T1R3 cell group grew rapidly compared with the 4T1 cell group (P<0.05), and the tumor volume of the 4T1R3 group was larger than that of the 4T1 group on Day 20. Nevertheless, the tumor growth rates in the CDK9-knockdown 4T1R3 cell group and the Tyro3-knockdown 4T1R3 cell group were similar to that of the 4T1 cell group, and the tumor volumes at day 20 were signiference lower than that of 4T1R3 cell group(P<0.05). Conclusions: Tyro3 and CDK9 are associated with the drug resistance to anti-PD-1 therapies for breast cancer. Inhibiting the expression of Tyro3 and CDK9 can reverse the drug resistance to breast cancer treatment.
Humans ; Animals ; Mice ; c-Mer Tyrosine Kinase/metabolism* ; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/genetics* ; Axl Receptor Tyrosine Kinase ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins/metabolism* ; B7-H1 Antigen/genetics* ; Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/genetics* ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Biomarkers ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 9

Objective: PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint treatment is effective for some triple-negative breast cancer populations with PD-L1 expression, but the response rate is still not satisfactory. This study aims to explore the mechanism of drug resistance to breast cancer anti-PD-1 therapies and the strategies for overcoming the resistance to PD-1therapies. Methods: By constructing a human triple-negative breast cancer drug-resistant cell line called BT-549R5 and a mouse breast cancer drug-resistant cell line called 4T1R3, and applying the whole-gene shRNA library screening, candidate drug resistance-associated molecules were obtained and verified by cytological experiments. The expression of Tyro3, Axl and MerTK of the TAM family in the 4T1R3 group was tested using the Western blot method. The down-regulation of CDK9 on the effect of T cells killing the BT-549R5 cells was observed through T cell killing tests, while the down-regulation of Tyro3 and CDK9 on the effect of anti-PD-1 therapies for transplanted breast tumors was observed in mouse tumor formation experiments. Results: The cell lines and animal models of breast cancer resistant to PD-1 treatment were successfully constructed. Tyro3, Axl and MerTK were highly expressed in 4T1R3 cells. Whole genome sequencing showed that Tyro3 and CDK9 were highly expressed in BT-549R5 cells. T cell killing experiment showed that the survival rate of BT-549R5 cells in the CDK9 down-regulated group and the control group decreased gradually with the increase of T cells, but the survival rate of BT-549R5 cells in the CDK9 down-regulated group decreased rapidly. Tumor formation experiment in mice showed that under anti-PD-1 treatment, the transplanted tumor in the 4T1R3 cell group grew rapidly compared with the 4T1 cell group (P<0.05), and the tumor volume of the 4T1R3 group was larger than that of the 4T1 group on Day 20. Nevertheless, the tumor growth rates in the CDK9-knockdown 4T1R3 cell group and the Tyro3-knockdown 4T1R3 cell group were similar to that of the 4T1 cell group, and the tumor volumes at day 20 were signiference lower than that of 4T1R3 cell group(P<0.05). Conclusions: Tyro3 and CDK9 are associated with the drug resistance to anti-PD-1 therapies for breast cancer. Inhibiting the expression of Tyro3 and CDK9 can reverse the drug resistance to breast cancer treatment.
Humans ; Animals ; Mice ; c-Mer Tyrosine Kinase/metabolism* ; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/genetics* ; Axl Receptor Tyrosine Kinase ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins/metabolism* ; B7-H1 Antigen/genetics* ; Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/genetics* ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Biomarkers ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 9

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of metastasis-associated in colon cancer-1 (MACC-1) mediated by siRNA, and to study the effects of its downregulation on cell proliferation, cell cycle and invasion ability of cervical cancer SiHa cells.

METHODSMACC-1 siRNA and control siRNA were transfected into cervical cancer SiHa cells, and the expression of MACC-1 protein after transfection with MACC-1 siRNA was detected by Western blotting. The changes of cell proliferation, cell cycle and invasion ability of the SiHa cells were determined by CCK-8 kit, flow cytometry and Boyden chamber assay. The expressions of cell cycle- and invasion-related proteins were analyzed by Western blotting.

RESULTSCompared with the untreated group (0.317 ± 0.023) and control siRNA group (0.309 ± 0.021), the expression of MACC-1 protein was downregulated in the MACC1 siRNA group (0.041 ± 0.006) (P < 0.05), and its downregulation significantly suppressed the cell proliferation, altered the cell cycle distribution and reduced the cell invasion ability of the SiHa cells (P < 0.05). Compared with the untreated group (0.217 ± 0.025 and 0.215 ± 0.024) and the control siRNA group (0.222 ± 0.023 and 0.207 ± 0.027), the expression of cyclin D1 and Cdk2 proteins were significantly decreased in the MACC1 siRNA group (0.076 ± 0.010 and 0.039 ± 0.007) (P < 0.05). Compared with the untreated group (0.099 ± 0.007) and control siRNA group (0.105 ± 0.012), the expression of p21 protein was significantly increased in the MACC1 siRNA group (0.676 ± 0.044) (P < 0.05). The downregulation of MACC-1 expression also evoked a decrease of expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9 proteins and an increase of E-cadherin protein expression (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSMACC-1 downregulation-mediated inhibition of proliferation and decreased invasion ability of tumor cells may be closely associated with the alterations of expressions of cell cycle- and invasion-related proteins.

Cadherins ; metabolism ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cyclin D1 ; metabolism ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2 ; metabolism ; Down-Regulation ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Gene Silencing ; Humans ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; metabolism ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Transfection ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; metabolism

AIMTo elucidate effects and mechanisms of emodin in prostate cancer cells.

METHODSViability of emodin-treated LNCaP cells and PC-3 cells was measured by MTT assay. Following emodin treatments, DNA fragmentation was assayed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Apoptosis rate and the expression of Fas and FasL were assayed by flow cytometric analysis. The mRNA expression levels of androgen receptor (AR), prostate-specific antigen (PSA), p53, p21, Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3, -8, -9 and Fas were detected by RT-PCR, and the protein expression levels of AR, p53 and p21 were detected by Western blot analysis.

RESULTSIn contrast to PC-3, emodin caused a marked increase in apoptosis and a decrease in cell proliferation in LNCaP cells. The expression of AR and PSA was decreased and the expression of p53 and p21 was increased as the emodin concentrations were increased. In the same time, emodin induced apoptosis of LNCaP cells through the upregulation of caspase-3 and -9, as well as the increase of Bax /Bcl-2 ratio. However, it did not involve modulation of Fas or caspase-8 protein expression.

CONCLUSIONIn prostate cancer cell line, LNCaP, emodin inhibites the proliferation by AR and p53-p21 pathways, and induces apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway.

Adenocarcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Caspase 9 ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21 ; metabolism ; Emodin ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Male ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Receptors, Androgen ; metabolism ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo detect the expression of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, and to analyze the effects of downregulation of HDAC6 expression on cell cycle, proliferation and migration of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cell line Hep-2 cells, and to explore their possible molecular mechanisms.

METHODSImmunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of HDAC6 protein in 55 cases of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and 20 cases of normal laryngeal mucosa. HDAC6 siRNA and control siRNA were transfected into Hep-2 cells via lipofectamine 2000, and the interfering effect was analyzed using Western blotting. The effects of downregulation of HDAC6 expression on cell cycle, proliferation and migration were determined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), flow cytometry and Boyden chamber, respectively. Finally, Western blotting was used to detect the expressions of cell cycle, proliferation and migration related proteins.

RESULTSThere was a high level expression of HDAC6 protein in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, and its expression was not related to age and sex of the patients (P > 0.05), but closely associated with the degree of histological differentiation, TNM staging and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). HDAC6 siRNA effectively down-regulated the expression of HDAC6 protein in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cell line Hep-2 cells, and downregulation of its expression obviously inhibited cell proliferation, arrested cell cycle at G(0)/G(1) phase and decreased cell migration ability in Hep-2 cells. Additionally, the downregulation of HDAC6 protein expression markedly decreased the expressions of cyclin D1, cyclin E, cdk2 and MMP-9 proteins, but increased the expressions of p21 and E-cadherin proteins.

CONCLUSIONSHDAC6 may play a pivotal role in the carcinogenesis and development of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. The downregulation of HDAC6 expression-mediated cell proliferation inhibition, cell cycle arrest and decreased cell migration ability may be closely associated with the decrease of cyclin D1, cyclin E, cdk2 and MMP-9 proteins and increase of p21 and E-cadherin proteins.

Adult ; Aged ; Cadherins ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; Cyclin D1 ; metabolism ; Cyclin E ; metabolism ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2 ; metabolism ; Down-Regulation ; Female ; Histone Deacetylase 6 ; Histone Deacetylases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Oncogene Proteins ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) ; metabolism ; RNA, Small Interfering ; genetics ; Transfection

In this study, one immortalized human normal prostatic epithelial cell line (BPH) and four human prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP, 22Rv1, PC-3, and DU-145) were treated with Ganoderma Lucidum triterpenoids (GLT) at different doses and for different time periods. Cell viability, apoptosis, and cell cycle were analyzed using flow cytometry and chemical assays. Gene expression and binding to DNA were assessed using real-time PCR and Western blotting. It was found that GLT dose-dependently inhibited prostate cancer cell growth through induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. GLT-induced apoptosis was due to activation of Caspases-9 and -3 and turning on the downstream apoptotic events. GLT-induced cell cycle arrest (mainly G1 arrest) was due to up-regulation of p21 expression at the early time and down-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) and E2F1 expression at the late time. These findings demonstrate that GLT suppresses prostate cancer cell growth by inducing growth arrest and apoptosis, which might suggest that GLT or Ganoderma Lucidum could be used as a potential therapeutic drug for prostate cancer.
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Caspase 3 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Caspase 9 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Cyclin D1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; E2F1 Transcription Factor ; genetics ; metabolism ; G1 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; drug effects ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Male ; Nucleosomes ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; Prostate ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Reishi ; chemistry ; Signal Transduction ; Triterpenes ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology