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The role of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in shaping the tumor microenvironment is ambiguous. Consistent with its uncertain role in melanoma, TNF-α plays a dual role, either acting as a cytotoxic cytokine or favoring a tumorigenic inflammatory microenvironment. TNF-α signals via two cognate receptors, namely TNFR1 (p55) and TNFR2 (p75), which mediate divergent biological activities. Here, we analyzed the impact of TNFR1 deficiency in tumor progression in the B16.F1 melanoma model. Tumors developed in mice lacking TNFR1 (TNFR1 knock-out; KO) were smaller and displayed lower proliferation compared to their wild type (WT) counterpart. Moreover, TNFR1 KO mice showed reduced tumor angiogenesis. Although no evidence of spontaneous metastases was observed, conditioned media obtained from TNFR1 KO tumors increased tumor cell migration. Whereas the analysis of tumor-associated immune cell infiltrates showed similar frequency of total and M2-polarized tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), the percentage of CD8+ T cells was augmented in TNFR1 KO tumors. Indeed, functional ex vivo assays demonstrated that CD8+ T cells obtained from TNFR1KO mice displayed an increased cytotoxic function. Thus, lack of TNFR1 attenuates melanoma growth by modulating tumor cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis and CD8+ T cell accumulation and activation, suggesting that interruption of TNF-TNFR1 signaling may contribute to control tumor burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive lipid that modulates migratory behavior of cells during embryonic development. In addition, S1P might promote tumor progression by enhancing migratory ability and invasiveness of tumor cells. Migration is a complex process that implies cytoskeletal reorganization and formation of structures that enable cell movement. Besides having similar requirements than migration, invasion also involves proteolytic degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM). Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) have been identified to break down components of the ECM, allowing cancer cells to spread out of the primary tumor. In this chapter, we will describe different techniques to study migration and invasion induced by S1P. To this end, we include detailed protocols of end-point assays to study migration/invasion, and zymography assay to analyze MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity that were standardized in our laboratory in human melanoma cell lines.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive lipid mediator that regulates many processes in inflammation and cancer. S1P is a ligand for five G-protein-coupled receptors, S1PR1 to -5, and also has important intracellular actions. Previously, we showed that intracellular S1P is involved in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF)-induced NF-κB activation in melanoma cell lines that express filamin A (FLNA). Here, we show that extracellular S1P activates NF-κB only in melanoma cells that lack FLNA. In these cells, S1P, but not TNF, promotes IκB kinase (IKK) and p65 phosphorylation, IκBα degradation, p65 nuclear translocation, and NF-κB reporter activity. NF-κB activation induced by S1P was mediated via S1PR1 and S1PR2. Exogenous S1P enhanced the phosphorylation of protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ), and its downregulation reduced S1P-induced the phosphorylation of IKK and p65. In addition, silencing of Bcl10 also inhibited S1P-induced IKK phosphorylation. Surprisingly, S1P reduced Akt activation in melanoma cells that express FLNA, whereas in the absence of FLNA, high phosphorylation levels of Akt were maintained, enabling S1P-mediated NF-κB signaling. In accord, inhibition of Akt suppressed S1P-mediated IKK and p65 phosphorylation and degradation of IκBα. Hence, these results support a negative role of FLNA in S1P-mediated NF-κB activation in melanoma cells through modulation of Akt., (Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

Transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) plays a dual role in oncogenesis, acting as both a tumor suppressor and a tumor promoter. These disparate processes of suppression and promotion are mediated primarily by Smad and non-Smad signaling, respectively. A central issue in understanding the role of TGFbeta in the progression of epithelial cancers is the elucidation of the mechanisms underlying activation of non-Smad signaling cascades. Because the potent lipid mediator sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) has been shown to transactivate the TGFbeta receptor and activate Smad3, we examined its role in TGFbeta activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and promotion of migration and invasion of esophageal cancer cells. Both S1P and TGFbeta activate ERK1/2, but only TGFbeta activates Smad3. Both ligands promoted ERK1/2-dependent migration and invasion. Furthermore, TGFbeta rapidly increased S1P, which was required for TGFbeta-induced ERK1/2 activation, as well as migration and invasion, since downregulation of sphingosine kinases, the enzymes that produce S1P, inhibited these responses. Finally, our data demonstrate that TGFbeta activation of ERK1/2, as well as induction of migration and invasion, is mediated at least in part by ligation of the S1P receptor, S1PR2. Thus, these studies provide the first evidence that TGFbeta activation of sphingosine kinases and formation of S1P contribute to non-Smad signaling and could be important for progression of esophageal cancer.