No abstract

Cationic liposomes (CLs) have been regarded as the most promising gene delivery vectors for decades with the advantages of excellent biodegradability, biocompatibility, and high nucleic acid encapsulation efficiency. However, the clinical use of CLs in cancer gene therapy is limited because of many uncertain factors in vivo . Extracellular barriers such as opsonization, rapid clearance by the reticuloendothelial system and poor tumor penetration, and intracellular barriers, including endosomal/lysosomal entrapped network and restricted diffusion to the nucleus, make CLs not the ideal vector for transferring extrinsic genes in the body. However, the obstacles in achieving productive therapeutic effects of nucleic acids can be addressed by tailoring the properties of CLs, which are influenced by lipid compositions and surface modification. This review focuses on the physiological barriers of CLs against cancer gene therapy and the effects of lipid compositions on governing transfection efficiency, and it briefly discusses the impacts of particle size, membrane charge density, and surface modification on the fate of CLs in vivo , which may provide guidance for their preclinical studies.

Little is known about the factors that regulate the asymmetric division of cancer stem-like cells. Here we demonstrate that EGFL6, a stem cell regulatory factor expressed in ovarian tumor cells and vasculature, regulates ALDH+ ovarian cancer stem-like cells (CSC). EGFL6 signaled at least in part via the oncoprotein SHP2 with concomitant activation of ERK. EGFL6 signaling promoted the migration and asymmetric division of ALDH+ ovarian CSC. As such, EGFL6 increased not only tumor growth but also metastasis. Silencing of EGFL6 or SHP2 limited numbers of ALDH+ cells and reduced tumor growth, supporting a critical role for EGFL6/SHP2 in ALDH+ cell maintenance. Notably, systemic administration of an EGFL6-neutralizing antibody we generated restricted tumor growth and metastasis, specifically blocking ovarian cancer cell recruitment to the ovary. Together, our results offer a preclinical proof of concept for EGFL6 as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant tumor associated with a genetic predisposition, Epstein-Barr virus infection and chromosomal abnormalities. Recently, several miRNAs have been shown to target specific mRNAs to regulate NPC development and progression. However, the involvement of miRNAs in processes leading to NPC migration and invasion remains to be elucidated. We predicted that miR-29a/b are associated with dysregulated genes controlling NPC through an integrated interaction network of miRNAs and genes. miR-29a/b over-expression in NPC cell lines had no significant effect on proliferation, whereas miR-29b mildly increased the percentage of cells in the G1 phase with a concomitant decrease in the percentage of cells in S phase. Furthermore, we demonstrated that miR-29a/b might be responsible for increasing S18 cell migration and invasion, and only COL3A1 was identified as a direct target of miR-29b despite the fact that both SPARC and COL3A1 were inhibited by miR-29a/b over-expression. Meanwhile, SPARC proteins were increased in metastatic NPC tissue and are involved in NPC progression. Unexpectedly, we identified that miRNA-29b expression was elevated in the serum of NPC patients with a high risk of metastasis. The 5-year actuarial overall survival rates in NPC patients with high serum miR-29b expression was significantly shorter than those with low serum miR-29b expression; therefore, serum miR-29b expression could be a promising prognostic marker.

Background Deregulation of ubiquitin ligases is related to the malignant progression of human cancers. F-box only protein 22 (FBXO22), an F-box E3 ligase, is a member of the F-box protein family. However, the biological function of FBXO22 in HCC and the underlying molecular mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, we explored the role of FBXO22 in HCC and its mechanism of promoting tumor development. Methods We examined the expression of FBXO22 in normal liver cell lines, HCC cell lines, HCC tissue microarrays and fresh specimens. The correlation between FBXO22 and clinical features was analyzed in a retrospective study of 110 pairs of HCC tissue microarrays. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were used to explore the prognostic value of FBXO22 in HCC. At the same time, the correlation between the FBXO22 and p21 was also studied in HCC samples. Knock-down and overexpression experiments, CHX and Mg132 intervention experiments, ubiquitination experiments, rescue experiments and nude mouse xenograft models were used to determine the potential mechanism by which FBXO22 promotes tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. Results The expression of FBXO22 in HCC tissues was significantly higher than in normal liver tissues. The overall survival rate and disease-free survival time of patients with high expression of FBXO22 were significantly shorter than those of patients with low expression of FBXO22. The high expression of FBXO22 in HCC tissues were significantly correlated with serum AFP ( p = 0. 003, Pearson’s chi-squared test), tumor size ( p = 0. 019, Pearson’s chi-squared test) and vascular invasion ( p = 0. 031, Pearson’s chi-squared test). Especially, Multivariate analysis showed that tumor size and the expression of FBXO22 were independent prognostic indicator of OS (95% CI: 1.077–5.157, P <0.05). Correlation analysis also showed that FBXO22 was negatively correlated with p21 in tissue microarrays (r = − 0.3788, P <0.001, Pearson correlation) and fresh specimens (r = − 0.4037, P <0.01, Pearson correlation). Moreover, both in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that knocking down FBXO22 expression could inhibit cell proliferation, while overexpression of FBXO22 promoted tumor formation. Furthermore, we identified that FBXO22 interacts with p21 by regulating protein stability and by influencing the ubiquitination process. A knockdown of FBXO22 decreased the ubiquitylation of p21, while overexpression enhanced it. Conclusions This study uncovered a new mechanism by which FBXO22 functions as an oncogene in HCC pathogenesis and progression by mediating the ubiquitination and degradation of p21. It was also found that tumor size and the expression of FBXO22 were independent prognostic indicator of OS and the expression of FBXO22 and p21 was negat...

One cut homeobox 2 (ONECUT2 or OC‐2) is a newly discovered transcription factor. Aberrant expression of OC‐2 is closely related to cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis. In this study, we found that OC‐2 expression was upregulated in ovarian adenocarcinoma cells, by Western blot analysis. The results of immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of OC‐2 was also increased in malignant ovarian cancer tissue. In order to explore the role of OC‐2 in the development of ovarian cancer, siRNAs that specifically targets OC‐2 were designed. The siRNA targeting OC‐2 could effectively inhibit the vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) expression, but silence and overexpression of VEGFA did not affect OC‐2 expression. In addition, OC2‐siRNA could block the proliferation, migration, and invasion, and inhibit epithelial–mesenchymal transition and the AKT/ERK signaling pathway, of human ovarian cancer cells in vitro. In a mouse model of ovarian cancer xenograft tumors, OC2‐siRNA could significantly inhibit tumor cell growth and the tumor inhibition rate reached approximately 73%. The results of immunohistochemistry showed that the densities of microvessels stained with CD31, the expression of OC‐2 and VEGFA were significantly decreased in tumors. These data indicated that OC‐2 was an upstream regulator of VEGFA and silencing OC‐2 could inhibit ovarian cancer angiogenesis and tumor growth.

PEGylation is effective in reducing the immunogenicity, immunotoxicity, and hepatotoxicity of α-MMC in vivo.

This study aims to investigate the effects of Cyclin D1 silencing on cell cycle, cell proliferation, and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HCC). Cells were divided into the blank group, negative control group (HCC cells transfected with control shRNA), Cyclin D1 shRNA group (HCC cells transfected with Cyclin D1 shRNA), and the normal group (human normal liver L-02 cells). Expressions of Cyclin D1, Caspase-3, Bcl-2, and C-myc were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blotting. Cell proliferation was detected by Cell Counting Kit-8. Cell cycle and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry. Tumor xenograft in nude mice was performed to detect in vivo tumorigenesis. HCC tissues and HCC cells exhibited elevated expression levels of Cyclin D1. Cyclin D1 expression levels was found to be correlated with tumor size and tumor staging. Compared with the normal group, the blank group showed enhanced cell proliferation, a reduction in the amount of cells in G0/G1 phase, increased number cells in S and G2/M phase, reduced apoptosis, elevated expressions of Cyclin D1, Bcl-2, and C-myc, decreased Caspase-3 activity and significant tumorigenicity. In comparison with the blank group, the Cyclin D1 shRNA group revealed weakened cell proliferation, reduced cells in S and G2/M phase, increased cells in G0/G1 phase, increased Annexin V positive cell ratio, decreased expression of Cyclin D1, Bcl-2, and C-myc, elevated Caspase-3 activity and inhibited tumorigenicity. In conclusion, Cyclin D1 gene silencing suppresses cell proliferation and inhibits cell apoptosis, which may be a new target approach in the treatment and management for HCC.