Background GC pairs are generally more stable than AT pairs; GC-rich genomes were proposed to be more adapted to high temperatures than AT-rich genomes. Previous studies consistently showed positive correlations between growth temperature and the GC contents of structural RNA genes. However, for the whole genome sequences and the silent sites of the codons in protein-coding genes, the relationship between GC content and growth temperature is in a long-lasting debate. Results With a dataset much larger than previous studies (681 bacteria and 155 archaea with completely assembled genomes), our phylogenetic comparative analyses showed positive correlations between optimal growth temperature (Topt) and GC content both in bacterial and archaeal structural RNA genes and in bacterial whole genome sequences, chromosomal sequences, plasmid sequences, core genes, and accessory genes. However, in the 155 archaea, we did not observe a significant positive correlation of Topt with whole-genome GC content (GCw) or GC content at four-fold degenerate sites. We randomly drew 155 samples from the 681 bacteria for 1000 rounds. In most cases (> 95%), the positive correlations between Topt and genomic GC contents became statistically nonsignificant (P > 0.05). This result suggested that the small sample sizes might account for the lack of positive correlations between growth temperature and genomic GC content in the 155 archaea and the bacterial samples of previous studies. Comparing the GC content among four categories (psychrophiles/psychrotrophiles, mesophiles, thermophiles, and hyperthermophiles) also revealed a positive correlation between GCw and growth temperature in bacteria. By including the GCw of incompletely assembled genomes, we expanded the sample size of archaea to 303. Positive correlations between GCw and Topt appear especially after excluding the halophilic archaea whose GC contents might be strongly shaped by intense UV radiation. Conclusions This study explains the previous contradictory observations and ends a long debate. Prokaryotes growing in high temperatures have higher GC contents. Thermal adaptation is one possible explanation for the positive association. Meanwhile, we propose that the elevated efficiency of DNA repair in response to heat mutagenesis might have the by-product of increasing GC content like that happens in intracellular symbionts and marine bacterioplankton.

ABSTRACT

YAP is an oncogenic transcriptional co-activator and is inhibited by the Hippo pathway. Recent studies have revealed that YAP is also a sensor of cell morphology and cell density and can be phosphorylated by cytoskeleton reorganization. Our previous study demonstrated that S100A7 was upregulated in several squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) specimens and was dramatically induced in SCC cells by suspension and dense culture as well as in xenografts. However, little is known about how S100A7 induction occurs in cancer cells. Here, we identify that S100A7 induction is accompanied by YAP phosphorylation in both suspended and dense A431 cells. This correlation reverses after recovery of cell attachment or relief from dense culture. Further examination finds that S100A7 induction is repressed by nuclear YAP, which is further validated by activation or inhibition of the Hippo pathway via loss- and/or gain-of- LATS1 and MST1 function. Strikingly, disruption of the F-actin promotes S100A7 expression via YAP by activation of the Hippo pathway. Furthermore, we demonstrate that repression of S100A7 by YAP required TEAD1 transcriptional factor. Taken together, our findings demonstrate for the first time that S100A7 is repressed by YAP via the Hippo pathway.

S100A7 is expressed in many squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). Our previous study revealed that S100A7 was dramatically induced in several SCC cells and activation of the Hippo pathway significantly promoted S100A7 in epidermoid carcinoma cells. However, whether the Hippo pathway regulates S100A7 expression in SCCs remains largely unknown. Here, we uncover that S100A7 induction by the Hippo-YAP pathway displays different characteristic in cervical and glossopharyngeal SCC. In well differentiated HCC94 cervical cells and FaDu pharyngeal cells, S100A7 is easily induced by both suspension and dense culture, which is accompanied by an increase in YAP phosphorylation and a decrease in nuclear YAP. Strikingly, these correlations of S100A7 and YAP reverse after recovery of cell attachment or relief from dense culture. Further examination finds that S100A7 induction is significantly repressed by nuclear YAP, which is validated by activation or inhibition of the Hippo pathway via loss- and/or gain-of- LATS1 and MST1 function. Subsequently, we prove that TEAD1 is required for YAP transcriptional repression of S100A7. However, S100A7 is hardly induced in poorly differentiated SiHa cervical cells and NCI-H226 pulmonary cells even in suspension or activation of the Hippo pathway. More importantly, cervical and lingual SCC tissues array analyses show that S100A7 expression displays the positive correlation with pYAP-S127 and the negative correlation with nuclear YAP in the majority of well differentiated but not in poorly differentiated tissues. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that the different induction of S100A7 toward activation of the Hippo pathway mainly depends on the degree of cell differentiation in cervical and glossopharyngeal SCC.

Background S100A8 and S100A9, two heterodimer-forming members of the S100 family, aberrantly express in a variety of cancer types. However, little is known about the mechanism that regulates S100A8/S100A9 co-expression in cancer cells. Methods The expression level of S100A8/S100A9 measured in three squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) cell lines and their corresponding xenografts, as well as in 257 SCC tissues. The correlation between S100A8/S100A9, Hippo pathway and F-actin cytoskeleton were evaluated using western blot, qPCR, ChIP and Immunofluorescence staining tests. IncuCyte ZOOM long time live cell image monitoring system, qPCR and Flow Cytometry measured the effects of S100A8/S100A9 and YAP on cell proliferation, cell differentiation and apoptosis. Results Here, we report that through activation of the Hippo pathway, suspension and dense culture significantly induce S100A8/S100A9 co-expression and co-localization in SCC cells. Furthermore, these expressional characteristics of S100A8/S100A9 also observed in the xenografts derived from the corresponding SCC cells. Importantly, Co-expression of S100A8/S100A9 detected in 257 SCC specimens derived from five types of SCC tissues. Activation of the Hippo pathway by overexpression of Lats1, knockdown of YAP, as well as disruption of F-actin indeed obviously results in S100A8/S100A9 co-expression in attached SCC cells. Conversely, inhibition of the Hippo pathway leads to S100A8/S100A9 co-expression in a manner opposite of cell suspension and dense. In addition, we found that TEAD1 is required for YAP-induced S100A8/S100A9-expressions. The functional studies provide evidence that knockdown of S100A8/S100A9 together significantly inhibit cell proliferation but promote squamous differentiation and apoptosis. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate for the first time that the expression of S100A8/S100A9 is inducible by changes of cell shape and density through activation of the Hippo pathway in SCC cells. Induced S100A8/S100A9 promoted cell proliferation, inhibit cell differentiation and apoptosis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-019-5784-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.