Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly vascularized tumor with frequent extrahepatic metastasis. Active angiogenesis and metastasis are responsible for rapid recurrence and poor survival of HCC. However, the mechanisms that contribute to tumor metastasis remain unclear. Here we evaluate the effects of ATPase inhibitory factor 1 (IF1), an inhibitor of the mitochondrial H(1)-adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase, on HCC angiogenesis and metastasis. We found that increased expression of IF1 in human HCC predicts poor survival and disease recurrence after surgery. Patients with HCC who have large tumors, with vascular invasion and metastasis, expressed high levels of IF1. Invasive tumors overexpressing IF1 were featured by active epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and increased angiogenesis, whereas silencing IF1 expression attenuated EMT and invasion of HCC cells. Mechanistically, IF1 promoted Snai1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression by way of activating nuclear factor kappa B (NFjB) signaling, which depended on the binding of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptorassociated factor 1 (TRAF1) to NF-jB-inducing kinase (NIK) and the disruption of NIK association with the TRAF2-cIAP2 complex. Suppression of the NF-jB pathway interfered with IF1-mediated EMT and invasion. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay showed that NF-jB can bind to the Snai1 promoter and trigger its transcription. IF1 was directly transcribed by NF-jB, thus forming a positive feedback signaling loop. There was a significant correlation between IF1 expression and pp65 levels in a cohort of HCC biopsies, and the combination of these two parameters was a more powerful predictor of poor prognosis. Conclusion: IF1 promotes HCC angiogenesis and metastasis by up-regulation of Snai1 and VEGF transcription, thereby providing new insight into HCC progression and IF1 function. (HEPATOLOGY 2014;60:1659-1673

Yes-associated protein (YAP), a transcriptional co-activator, has important regulatory roles in cell signaling and is dysregulated in a number of cancers. However, the role of YAP in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) progression remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated that YAP was overexpressed in CCA cells and human specimens. High levels of nuclear YAP (nYAP) correlated with histological differentiation, TNM stage, metastasis and poor prognosis in CCA. Silencing YAP increased tumor sensitivity to chemotherapy and inhibited CCA tumorigenesis and metastasis both in vivo and in vitro. YAP overexpression in vivo and in vitro promoted CCA tumorigenesis and metastasis. Additionally, we found that YAP induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and formed a regulatory circuit with miR-29c, IGF1, AKT and gankyrin to promote the progression of CCA. Results of CCA tissue microarray showed positive correlations between nYAP and gankyrin or p-AKT expression. Combination of nYAP and gankyrin or p-AKT exhibited improved prognostic accuracy for CCA patients. In conclusion, YAP promotes carcinogenesis and metastasis by up-regulating gankyrin through activation of the AKT pathway.

We explored the anti-cancer capacity of (−)-oleocanthal in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). (−)-Oleocanthal inhibited proliferation and cell cycle progression and induced apoptosis in HCC cells in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in an orthotopic HCC model. (−)-Oleocanthal also inhibited HCC cell migration and invasion in vitro and impeded HCC metastasis in an in vivo lung metastasis model. ( )-Oleocanthal acted by inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through downregulation Twist, which is a direct target of STAT3. (−)-Oleocanthal also reduced STAT3 nuclear translocation and DNA binding activity, ultimately downregulating its downstream effectors, including the cell cycle protein Cyclin D1, the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and survivin, and the invasion-related protein MMP 2. Overexpression of constitutively active STAT3 partly reversed the anti cancer effects of (−)-oleocanthal, which inhibited STAT3 activation by decreasing the activities of JAK1 and JAK2 and increasing the activity of SHP-1. These data suggest that (−)-oleocanthal may be a promising candidate for HCC treatment.

Although gankyrin is involved in the tumorigenicity and metastasis of some malignancies, the role of gankyrin in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is unclear. In this study we investigated the expression of gankyrin in human CCA tissues and cell lines. The effects of gankyrin on CCA tumor growth and metastasis were determined both in vivo and in vitro. The results showed that gankyrin was overexpressed in CCA tissues and cell lines. Gankyrin expression was associated with CCA histological differentiation, TNM stage, and metastasis. The multivariate Cox analysis revealed that gankyrin was an independent prognostic indicator for overall survival. Gankyrin overexpression promoted CCA cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while gankyrin knockdown inhibited CCA tumor growth, metastasis, and induced Rb-dependent senescence and G 1 phase cell cycle arrest. Gankyrin increased the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and promoted the nuclear translocation of p-STAT3. Suppression of STAT3 signaling by small interfering RNA (siRNA) or STAT3 inhibitor interfered with gankyrin-mediated carcinogenesis and metastasis, while interleukin (IL)-6, a known upstream activator of STAT3, could restore the proliferation and migration of gankyrin-silenced CCA cells. The IL-6 level was decreased by gankyrin knockdown, while increased by gankyrin overexpression. Gankyrin regulated IL-6 expression by way of facilitating the phosphorylation of Rb; meanwhile, rIL-6 treatment increased the expression of gankyrin, suggesting that IL-6 was regulated by a positive feedback loop involving gankyrin in CCA. In the xenograft experiments, gankyrin overexpression accelerated tumor formation and increased tumor weight, whereas gankyrin knockdown showed the opposite effects. The in vivo spontaneous metastasis assay revealed that gankyrin promoted CCA metastasis through IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway. Conclusion: Gankyrin is crucial for CCA carcinogenesis and metastasis by activating IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway through down-regulating Rb protein. (HEPATOLOGY 2014;59:935-946)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide. The poor survival may be due to a high proportions of tumor recurrence and metastasis. Kinesin family member C1 (KIFC1) is highly expressed in a variety of neoplasms and is a potential marker for non-small cell lung cancer or ovarian adenocarcinoma metastasis. Nevertheless, the role of KIFC1 in HCC metastasis remains obscure. We investigated this in the present study using HCC cell lines and clinical specimens. Our results indicated that increased levels of KIFC1 were associated with poor prognosis and metastasis in HCC. In addition, KIFC1 induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and HCC metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. This tumorigenic effect depended on gankyrin; inhibiting gankyrin activity reversed EMT via activation of protein kinase B (AKT)/Twist family BHLH transcription factor 1 (AKT/TWIST1). We also found that KIFC1 was directly regulated by the microRNA miR-532-3p, whose downregulation was associated with metastatic progression in HCC. These results denote that a decrease in miR-532-3p levels results in increased KIFC1 expression in HCC, leading to metastasis via activation of the gankyrin/AKT/TWIST1 signaling pathway.

Thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) is a pyrimidine metabolic pathway enzyme involved in salvage DNA synthesis and thus, a cell cycle-dependent marker. We have developed anti-TK1 monoclonal/polyclonal Abs raised against a 15-amino acid synthetic peptide (KPGEAVAARKLFAPQ) corresponding to part of the C-terminus of human TK1. These Abs are useful for both serological and immunohistochemical detection of TK1 in a number of cancer diseases. In this study we examined TK1 concentration in serum (STK1) in 250 preoperative non-small cell lung cancer patients (NSCLC), including 188 non-metastatic (group M0) and 62 metastatic patients (group M1). Serum from 16 healthy individuals was used as controls. The concentration of STK1 of preoperative NSCLC patients was significantly higher than STK1 of healthy individuals (p<0.0001). In group M0, preoperative STK1 concentration was significantly higher in patients of tumour size T2, as compared to tumour size T1 (p=0.042), and in T3-T4, as compared to T1-T2 (p=0.01). No significant difference in STK1 concentration between patients of tumour stage I and stage II (p=0.057) were found, but significantly higher STK1 concentration in patients of stage III, as compared stage I-II (p=0.025). No significant difference of STK1 concentration were found in patients of group M1 concerning tumour size or tumour stage, or between patients with adenocarcinomas (AC) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). We studied the changes of STK1 concentration individually one month after operation in metastatic subjects (group M1, n=19) and in tumour-free subjects (group M0, n=38). In the M0 group, the concentration of STK1 one month after operation was significantly decline by 45%, when comparing to concentrations of STK1 preoperative (p<0.001). In the group M1, however, no significant decrease in STK1 concentrations were found one month after operation. We conclude that STK1 has prognostic value and is a reliable marker for monitoring the response to surgery of NSCLC patients.

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BackgroundInterleukin 6 (IL-6)-mediated signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT-3) phosphorylation (activation) is aberrantly sustained in cholangiocarcinoma cells resulting in enhanced myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1) expression and resistance to apoptosis. FTY720, a new immunosuppressant, derived from ISP-1, has been studied for its putative anti-cancer properties. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which FTY720 mediates antitumor effects in cholangiocarcinoma (CC) cells.MethodsThree CC cell lines were examined, QBC939, TFK-1, and HuCCT1. The therapeutic effects of FTY720 were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, invasive potential, and epithelial- mesenchy-mal transition (EMT) were examined.ResultsFTY720 greatly inhibited CC cells proliferation and EMT in vitro and in vivo, and this effect was associated with dephosphorylation of STAT3tyr705. FTY720 induced apoptosis and G1 phase arrest in CC cells, and inhibited invasion of CC cells. Western blot analysis showed that FTY720 induced cleavage of caspases 3, 8 and 9, and of PARP, in a dose-dependent manner, consistent with a substantial decrease in p-STAT3, Bcl-xL, Bcl-2, survivin, cyclin D1, cyclin E, N-cadherin, vimentin, VEGF and TWIST1. In vivo studies showed that tumor growth and metastasis were significantly suppressed after FTY720 treatment.ConclusionsThese results suggest that FTY720 induces a significant decrease in p-STAT3, which inhibits proliferation and EMT of CC cells, and then induces G1 phase arrest and apoptosis. We have characterized a novel immunosuppressant, which shows potential anti-tumor effects on CC via p-STAT3 inhibition. FTY720 merits further investigation and warrants clinical evaluation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2407-14-783) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.