p66Shc is shown to negatively regulate the life span in mice through reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Recent reports, however, revealed that p66Shc protein level is significantly elevated in several human cancer tissues and growth-stimulated carcinoma cells, suggesting a mitogenic and carcinogenic role for p66Shc. In this communication, we demonstrate for the first time that p66Shc mediates androgenic growth signals in androgen-sensitive human prostate cancer cells through mitochondrial ROS production. Growth stimulation of prostate cancer cells with 5a-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is accompanied by increased p66Shc level and ROS production, which is abolished by antioxidant treatments. However, antioxidant treatments do not affect the transcriptional activity of androgen receptor (AR) as observed by its inability to block DHTinduced prostate-specific antigen expression, an AR-dependent correlate of prostate cancer progression. Elevated expression of p66Shc by cDNA transfection increases the basal cell proliferation and, thus, reduces additional DHTinduced cell proliferation. Furthermore, DHT increases the translocation of p66Shc into mitochondria and its interaction with cytochrome c. Conversely, both redox-negative p66Shc mutant (W134F), which is deficient in cytochrome c interaction, and p66Shc small interfering RNA decrease DHT-induced cell proliferation. These results collectively reveal a novel role for p66Shc-ROS pathway in androgeninduced prostate cancer cell proliferation and, thus, may play a role in early prostate carcinogenesis.

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Estrogen receptor a (ERA) is a DNA-binding transcription factor that plays an important role in the regulation of cell growth. Previous studies indicated that the expression of ERa in cell lines and tumors derived from oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The aim of this study was to examine the activity and function of ERa in OSCC cells and the mechanism underlying ERa activation. Immunochemical analyses in benign (nZ11) and malignant (nZ21) lesions of the oral cavity showed that ERa immunoreactivity was observed in 43% (9/21) of malignant lesions, whereas none of benign lesions showed ERa immunoreactivity. The ERa expression was also found in three OSCC cell lines and its transcriptional activity was correlated with cell growth. Addition of estradiol stimulated cell growth, whereas treatment of tamoxifen or knockdown of ERa expression caused reduced cell growth. Interestingly, the expression and activity of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) were associated with the phosphorylation of ERa at serine 118 in OSCC cells. Elevated expression of FAK in the slow-growing SCC25 cells caused increases in ERa phosphorylation, transcriptional activity, and cell growth rate, whereas knockdown of FAK expression in the rapid-growing OECM-1 cells led to reduced ERa phosphorylation and activity and retarded cell growth. Inhibition of the activity of protein kinase B (AKT), but not ERK, abolished FAK-promoted ERa phosphorylation. These results suggest that OSCC cells expressed functional ERa, whose activity can be enhanced by FAK/AKT signaling, and this was critical for promoting cell growth. Thus, FAK and ERa can serve as the therapeutic targets for the treatment of OSCC. Key Words" oral squamous cell carcinoma " estrogen receptor a " focal adhesion kinase

The antimigratory effects of resveratrol by reduced MMP expression through the inhibition of Rac1, p-FAK, and lamellipodia formation and the activation of p-AKT and p-ERK1/2 suggest that resveratrol is a potential compound for the treatment of vascular diseases via the regulation of VSMC migration.

Androgen receptor (AR) is a steroid hormone receptor that functions as a transcription factor for regulating cell growth and survival. Aberrant AR function becomes a risk factor for promoting the progression of prostate cancer (PCa). In this study, we examined the roles of proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (PYK2) and ribosomal S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) in regulating AR expression and activity and growth properties in PCa cells. Compared with normal prostate tissues, PCa tumors exhibited high levels of PYK2 and S6K1 expression. Furthermore, the expression levels of PYK2 and S6K1 were significantly correlated with nuclear AR expression in PCa tissues. We further found the association between PYK2, S6K1, and AR in their protein expression and phosphorylation levels among normal prostate PZ-HPV-7 cells and prostate cancer LNCaP and 22Rv1 cells. Overexpression of the wild-type PYK2 in PZ-HPV-7 and LNCaP cells promoted AR and S6K1 expression and phosphorylation as well as enhanced cell growth. In contrast, expression of the mutated PYK2 or knockdown of PYK2 expression in LNCaP or 22Rv1 cells caused reduced expression or phosphorylation of AR and S6K1 as well as retarded cell growth. Under an androgen-deprived condition, PYK2-promoted AR expression and phosphorylation and PSA production in LNCaP cells can be abolished by knocking down S6K1 expression. In summary, our data suggested that PYK2 via S6K1 activation modulated AR function and growth properties in PCa cells. Thus, PYK2 and S6K1 may potentially serve as therapeutic targets for PCa treatment.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common cancer worldwide. Despite advances in diagnosis and therapy, treatment options for patients with metastatic OSCC are few, due in part to the limited understanding of the molecular events involved in the invasion and metastasis of OSCC. In this study, we investigated the expression of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and its tyrosine 397 phosphorylation (pY397) in the tissue specimens of OSCC. The roles of pY397 in regulating the activities of Rac1 and cortactin and the invasive properties of OSCC cells were further determined. Results from immunohistochemical analyses in 9 benign, 19 premalignant, and 19 malignant oral tissues showed that the immunoreactivity of FAK was observed in 5 benign (56%), 19 premalignant (100%), and 18 malignant tissues (95%), whereas the immunoreactivity of pY397 was only found in 1 of 9 (11%) benign lesions but was observed in 9 premalignant (47%) and 12 malignant (63%) lesions. Compared with the low-invading SCC4 cells, the high-invading OECM-1 cells exhibited higher levels of FAK expression and pY397, correlating with higher levels of GTP-bound Rac1 and cortactin phosphorylation. Manipulation of FAK expression or Y397 phosphorylation in SCC4, FaDu, OECM-1, or HSC-3 cells regulated their Rac1 activities and invasive properties. Furthermore, treatment of NSC23766, a Rac1-specific inhibitor, in OECM-1 and HSC-3 cells led to reduced invasive properties. Nevertheless, knockdown of FAK expression or suppression of pY397 had no effect on the cortactin activity in OECM-1 cells. The data collectively suggest that pY397 plays critical roles in the FAK-promoted Rac1 activation and invasive properties in OSCC cells. Thus, the inhibition of FAK phosphorylation at Y397 or Rac1 activity can serve as a therapeutic strategy for treating patients with metastatic OSCC. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy occurring in the oral cavity that usually arises from the buccal mucosa and tongue. During the tumor progression, OSCC cells gradually spread and invade to neighboring tissues, including the nasal cavity or the maxillary facial structures, and eventually metastasize to neck lymph nodes and distant organs. 1 Similar to other malignant diseases, tumor metastasis is a great challenge for the treatment of OSCC. This notion is supported by the fact that only 50% of diagnosed OSCC patients can survive for 5 years, and this is mainly because OSCC patients continue to die from tumor relapse at regional or distant sites. 2 Despite advances in diagnosis and therapy in past decades, the promising strategy for treating patients with metastatic OSCC is still underdeveloped, due in part to the limited understanding of the molecular events involved in invasion and metastasis of OSCC. The underlying molecular basis of OSCC metastasis deserves intensive study.Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase and functionally involves the regulatory processes of multiple cellular events, including adhesion, migration, invasion, prolifer...

The present study assessed the roles of Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) tumor suppressor gene during oral carcinogenesis. Reduction of APC transcript levels and APC loss of heterozygosity (LOH) were found in 39% (7/18) and 29% (10/34) cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), respectively. The apparent APC heterozygosity (27%) in non-cancerous matched oral tissue (NCMOT) adjacent to OSCC at an exon 11 locus was significantly lower than normally found in the Taiwanese population (49%). These findings suggest that the allelic status of APC could indicate a cancer risk. No polymorphism of 11307 allele of APC was identified in NCMOT or OSCC. Our data indicated that alterations of APC are frequent molecular changes of OSCC. Advances in understanding of the APC alterations that accompany OSCC development might provide a means for early diagnosis and possibly new therapeutic strategies.

Statins, also known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, are a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs and their anti-cancer effects have been studied in different types of malignant diseases. In the present study, we investigated the anti-proliferative effects of statins, including cerivastatin and simvastatin, on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells. Our data showed that statins inhibited the proliferation of three OSCC cell lines in a dose-dependent manner and this growth inhibition was confirmed through G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. Accordingly, we found the upregulation of p21 and downregulation of cyclin-dependent kinases, including CDK2, CDK4, and CDK6, in the statin-treated cells. Importantly, we clearly showed that statins were able to inhibit the expression of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and further promote the expression of p21. Taken together, our data demonstrated that the anti-proliferative effect of statins is mediated by suppressing DNMT1 expression, thus promoting p21 expression and leading to G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in OSCC cells.