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The Grainyhead-like (GRHL) family of transcription factors has three mammalian members, which are currently termed Grainyhead-like 1 (GRHL1), Grainyhead-like 2 (GRHL2), and Grainyhead-like 3 (GRHL3). These factors adopt a DNA-binding immunoglobulin fold homologous to the DNA-binding domain of key tumor suppressor p53. Their patterns of expression are tissue and developmentally specific. Earlier studies of the GRHL proteins focused on their functions in mammalian development. In recent years, these factors have been linked to many different types of cancer: squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, breast cancer, gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, colorectal cancer, clear cell renal cell carcinoma, neuroblastoma, prostate cancer, and cervical cancer. The roles of GRHL proteins in these various types of cancer are complex, and in some cases appear to be contradictory: they can serve to promote cancer development, or they may act as tumor suppressors, depending on the particular GRHL protein involved and on the cancer type. The reasons for obvious discrepancies in results from different studies remain unclear. At the molecular level, the GRHL transcription factors regulate the expression of genes whose products are involved in cellular proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, and polarity. We herein review the roles of GRHL proteins in cancer development, and we critically examine relevant molecular mechanisms, which were proposed by different authors. We also discuss the significance of recent discoveries implicating the involvement of GRHL transcription factors in cancer and highlight potential future applications of this knowledge in cancer treatment.

Background: The Grainyhead-like (GRHL) transcription factors have been linked to many different types of cancer. However, no previous study has attempted to investigate potential correlations in expression of different GRHL genes in this context. Furthermore, there is very little information concerning damaging mutations and/or single nucleotide polymorphisms in GRHL genes that may be linked to cancer.Methods: DNA and RNA were extracted from human non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) and adjacent normal tissues (n = 33 pairs of samples). The expression of GRHL genes was measured by quantitative real time PCR. Regulation of GRHL expression by miRNA was studied using cell transfection methods and dual-luciferase reporter system. Targeted deep sequencing of GRHL genes in tumor samples and control tissues were employed to search for mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms. Single marker rs141193530 was genotyped with pyrosequencing in additional NMSC replication cohort (n = 176). Appropriate statistical and bioinformatic methods were used to analyze and interpret results.Results: We discovered that the expression of two genes – GRHL1 and GRHL3 – is reduced in a coordinated manner in tumor samples, in comparison to the control healthy skin samples obtained from the same individuals. It is possible that both GRHL1 and GRHL3 are regulated, at least to some extent, by different strands of the same oncogenic microRNA – miR-21, what would at least partially explain observed correlation. No de novo mutations in the GRHL genes were detected in the examined tumor samples. However, some single nucleotide polymorphisms in the GRHL genes occur at significantly altered frequencies in the examined group of NMSC patients.Conclusions: Non-melanoma skin cancer growth is accompanied by coordinated reduced expression of epidermal differentiation genes: GRHL1 and GRHL3, which may be regulated by miR-21–3p and -5p, respectively. Some potentially damaging single nucleotide polymorphisms in GRHL genes occur with altered frequencies in NMSC patients, and they may in particular impair the expression of GRHL3 gene or functioning of encoded protein. The presence of these polymorphisms may indicate an increased risk of NMSC development in affected people.

The involvement of Grainyhead-like (GRHL) transcription factors in various cancers is well documented. However, little is known about their role in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). We discovered that the expression of two of these factors-GRHL1 and GRHL2-are downregulated in ccRCC samples, and their expression is correlated with the expression of VHL gene. This suggests a functional link between the GRHL transcription factors and one of the best known tumor suppressors. Although the GRHL genes are not mutated in ccRCC, some of the single nucleotide polymorphisms in these genes may indicate an increased risk of ccRCC development and/or may allow to assess patients' prognoses and predict their responses to various forms of therapy. Silencing of GRHL2 expression in non-tumorigenic kidney cell line results in increased cell proliferation, increased resistance to apoptosis, as well as changes in the levels of selected proteins involved in the pathogenesis of ccRCC. These changes support the potential role for GRHL2 as a suppressor of ccRCC.

To examine how the higher expression level of CYP3A4 isoenzyme influenced the cytotoxicity of the antitumor triazoloacridinone derivative C-1305 in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells.Three CHO cell lines were examined: wild-type CHO cells; CHO-HR cells with overexpression of human cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR); and CHO-HR-3A4 cells with coexpression of human CYP3A4 and CPR. Cellular responses caused by C-1305 were monitored using DAPI staining, cell cycle analysis, phosphatydilserine externalization analysis and SA-β-galactosidase expression analysis. Cell viability was assessed with simultaneous FDA and PI staining.Treatment with C-1305 for 72 h exhibited different levels of cytotoxicity in the 3 cell lines, and the values of IC80 in CHO, CHO-HR and CHO-HR-3A4 cells were 0.087±0.005, 0.032±0.0001, and 0.064±0.0095 μmol/L, respectively. The cell cycle analysis revealed that both CHO and CHO-HR cells underwent transient G(2)/M arrest, whereas CHO-HR-3A4 cells did not accumulate in this phase. Prolonged exposure up to 120 h caused time-dependent increase in the sub-G(1) fraction in all the 3 cell lines. Treatment with C-1305 caused cell death through apoptosis and necrosis. However, these processes were more pronounced in the transfected CHO cells than in the wild-type cells. The cells surviving after C-1305 exposure underwent senescence.CYP3A4 overexpression potently enhances the cellular responses (apoptosis, necrosis and senescence) caused by C-1305 in CHO cells.