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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related death in Asia. HCC is less sensitive to chemotherapy and is known to express multidrug resistant genes to acquire resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, therefore the development of a potent HCC suppressor is essential in treating HCC. Our previous reports demonstrated that oligo-fucoidan from the brown seaweed Sargassum hemiphyllum elevates microRNA-29b to inhibit epithelial-mesenchymal transition in hepatoma cells. In this study, we aimed to examine in vitro effect of oligo-fucoidan in hepatocellular carcinoma through apoptosis and long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) pathway. Oligo-fucoidan was studied for its anti-hepatoma cells by MTT and DNA ladder analysis. And the mechanism was studied by flow cytometry, qPCR and western blot analysis. In this study, oligo-fucoidan induced sub-G1 phase cell cycle arrest and activation of caspases, indicating that the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways were involved in the mechanism of oligo-fucoidan-induced cell death. Moreover, oligo-fucoidan significantly increased the expression of p53, p21, and p27, while cyclin-B1 and -D1 were decreased at the mRNA and protein levels. Finally, we showed that targeting apoptosis and cell cycle pathways could also contribute to the induction of the lncRNA-Saf and lncRNA-p21. Through human lncRNA profiler array analysis, the differential expression of lncRNAs in HCC cells following oligo-fucoidan exposure was further examined. These findings indicated that lncRNAs switched oligo-fucoidan-induced apoptosis, which might be potentially valuable in HCC adjuvant therapy.

Fucoidans have been long used as a food supplement due to their diverse pharmacological effects on human health. Low molecular weight fucoidan (LF) is a common form of fucoidans that has been shown to have enhanced biological activity. In the present study, fucoidans were extracted from the brown alga Sargassum hemiphyllum and enzyme-hydrolyzed into low and high molecular weight fucoidans (HF). The skin protective effects of LF, HF, and other fucoidans derivatives against ultraviolet B (UVB) damage were determined by measuring the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase genes encoding collagenases (MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-8, MMP-9, MMP-13), transforming growth factor β receptor II (TGFβRII), and type I procollagen. The results show that LF protects against UVB damage to the skin by inhibiting UVB-induced transcription factor activator protein-1 (AP-1)-stimulated transcription of MMP genes encoding collagenases (MMP-1, MMP-8, and MMP-13) and increasing TGFβRII mRNA levels to prevent the loss of TGFβRII that occurs during UVB-induced collagen degradation. Moreover, this study reveals that the biological properties of fucoidans are highly dependent on the fucose content, sulfate content, and molecular weight.

In this study, we observed that brown seaweed fucoidan inhibited human breast cancer progression by upregulating microRNA (miR)-29c and downregulating miR-17-5p, thereby suppressing their target genes, a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 12 (ADAM12) and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), respectively. Moreover, fucoidan reduced the luciferase activity of 3'-untranslated region reporter; treatment of cells with the miR-29c mimic or miR-17-5p inhibitor also produced similar results. These effects of fucoidan inhibited the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells, as evidenced by an increase in E-cadherin and a drop in N-cadherin, and inhibited breast cancer cell survival, as evidenced by the activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathway. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that fucoidan inhibits breast cancer progression by regulating the miR-29c/ADAM12 and miR-17-5p/PTEN axes. Fucoidan is a potential chemopreventive/chemotherapeutic agent for breast cancer.

Article history:Received 2 April 2013Received in revised form 28 August 2013Accepted 30 August 2013Available online 7 September 2013Keywords:LMX1ASp1EZH2Histone modificationDNA methylationCervical cancer WehavereportedpreviouslythatLIMhomeoboxtranscriptionfactor1α(LMX1A)ishypermethylatedandfunc-tionsasa metastasissuppressor incervical cancer cells. However, the regulation of LMX1A incarcinogenesis hasnotbeenreported.Weaimtoclarifywhetherspecificityprotein1(Sp1)andenhancerofzestehomolog2(EZH2)are involved in the regulation of LMX1A in cervical cancer. First we characterizedthe LMX1A promoter and usedoverexpression, knockdown, and reporter assaysto show that Sp1 increasedLMX1A promoter activity. Next, weused site-directed mutagenesis and electrophoresis mobility shift assays (EMSAs) to demonstrate that Sp1-binding siteswereimportant forSp1-mediatedactivationoftheLMX1A promoter.Chromatinimmunoprecipita-tiondatademonstratedthatSp1couldbinddirectlytotheLMX1ApromoterandactivateendogenousLMX1Aex-pression in cellspretreated with 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC). Knockdown of EZH2 decreasedH3K27me3histone modification but was insufficient to restore LMX1A expression. To explore the effect of EZH2 on the en-dogenous LMX1A promoter, we treated EZH2-knockdown cells with 5-aza-dC and trichostatin A (TSA) andthen depleted the cells of drugs for 3 days. H3K14ac was enriched at the LMX1A promoter in EZH2-knockdown cells and LMX1A mRNA was still expressed. Taken together, these data imply that Sp1 may activateLMX1A expression upon oncogenic stress during cervical cancer development. Moreover, suppression of EZH2may delay resilencing of LMX1A after the removal of 5-aza-dC and TSA.© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Objective Abnormal activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is common in human cancers, including cervical cancer. Many papers have shown that SRY ( sex-determining region Y )- box ( SOX ) family genes serve as either tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) or oncogenes by regulating the Wnt signaling pathway in different cancers. We have demonstrated recently that epigenetic silencing of SOX1 gene occurs frequently in cervical cancer. However, the possible role of SOX1 in cervical cancer remains unclear. This study aimed to explore whether SOX1 functions as a TSG in cervical cancer. Methods We established a constitutive and an inducible system that overexpressed SOX1 and monitored its function by in vitro experiments. To confirm SOX1 function, we manipulated SOX1 using an inducible expression approach in cell lines. The effect of SOX1 on tumorigenesis was also analyzed in animal models. Results Overexpression of SOX1 inhibited cell proliferation, anchorage independency, and invasion in vitro. SOX1 suppressed tumor growth in nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency mice. After induction of SOX1 by doxycycline (DOX), SOX1 inhibited cell growth and invasion in the inducible system. Repression of SOX1 by withdrawal of DOX partially reversed the malignant phenotype in cervical cells. SOX1 inhibited TCF-dependent transcriptional activity and the Wnt target genes. SOX1 also repressed the invasive phenotype by regulating the expression of invasion-related genes. Conclusions Taken together, these data suggest that SOX1 can function as a tumor suppressor partly by interfering with Wnt/β-catenin signaling in cervical cancer.

Honokiol, a hydroxylated biphenyl compound isolated from the Chinese herb Magnolia officinalis, has been reported to have anticancer activities in a variety of cancer cell lines. The present study aimed to evaluate the anticancer effect and possible molecular mechanisms of honokiol in a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cell line. The anticancer activities of honokiol were investigated in the DBTRG-05MG GBM cell line. The effect of honokiol on cell growth was determined using a sulforhodamine B assay. Flow cytometry and immunoblotting were used to measure honokiol-induced apoptosis (programmed cell death type I) and autophagy (programmed cell death type II). Honokiol was observed to reduce DBTRG-05MG cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. At a dose of 50 μM, honokiol markedly decreased the expression of Rb protein and led to the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and Bcl-xL to promote apoptosis in the cancer cells. In addition, markers of autophagy, including Beclin-1 and LC3-II, were also significantly increased. In addition to apoptosis, honokiol was also able to induce autophagy in the DBTRG-05MG cells. The mechanisms that are responsible for the correlation between honokiol-induced apoptosis and autophagy require further investigation. Such efforts may provide a potential strategy for improving the clinical outcome of GBM treatment.

The velocity and diameter distribution of the air-assist boom spraying is studied by a laser Phase Doppler Partic1e Analyzer when the operational parameters is changed, which including airflow velocity of air curtain and vertical relative position between the air curtain and the nozzle. From the experimental results, we find the as the air curtain velocity increases , the size distribution of the droplet is conducive to uniform . At the same air curtain velocity, droplet size decreases with increasing of nozzle pressure. On the right side of each measuring point, the number of droplets is gradual decreasing with the wind velocity increasing.When the working pressure is 0.5Mpa, the droplet size does not change with the change of the horizontal distance.

Activating transcription factor-(ATF-) 3, a stress-inducible transcription factor, is rapidly upregulated under various stress conditions and plays an important role in inducing cancer cell apoptosis. NBM-TP-007-GS-002 (GS-002) is a Taiwanese propolin G (PPG) derivative. In this study, we examined the antitumor effects of GS-002 in human hepatoma Hep3B and HepG2 cellsin vitro. First, we found that GS-002 significantly inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis in dose-dependent manners. Several main apoptotic indicators were found in GS-002-treated cells, such as the cleaved forms of caspase-3, caspase-9, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). GS-002 also induced endoplasmic reticular (ER) stress as evidenced by increases in ER stress-responsive proteins including glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), growth arrest- and DNA damage-inducible gene 153 (GADD153), phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2α(eIF2α), phosphorylated protein endoplasmic-reticular-resident kinase (PERK), and ATF-3. The induction of ATF-3 expression was mediated by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways in GS-002-treated cells. Furthermore, we found that GS-002 induced more cell apoptosis in ATF-3-overexpressing cells. These results suggest that the induction of apoptosis by the propolis derivative, GS-002, is partially mediated through ER stress and ATF-3-dependent pathways, and GS-002 has the potential for development as an antitumor drug.

For a long time, fucoidan has been well known for its pharmacological activities, and recently low molecular weight fucoidan (LMF) has been used in food supplements and pharmaceutical products. In the present study, LMF was extracted from Laminaria japonica by enzyme hydrolysis. The toxicity of LMF in mouse and rat models was determined by many methods, such as total arsenic content, bacterial reverse mutation assay, chromosome aberration assay, and in vivo micronucleus assay. The present findings showed that LMF at 5000 μg/mL exhibited no mutagenicity. It also produced no formatting disruption of red blood cells in vivo. At 2000 mg/kg BW/day there were no toxicological indications. LMF is expected to be used as a safe food supplement.

Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosome 16q is one of the most frequent genetic alterations in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our previous data showed that the smallest common deleted region was between D16S415 and D16S419 , encompassed approximately by a 0.75 cM region on 16q12.2, suggesting that the putative tumour suppressor genes (TSGs) at this locus might be involved in the development of HCC. Of the four genes ( CHD9 , RBL2 , AKTIP and RPGRIP1L) located in this region, only RPGRIP1L was downregulated in HCCs. Downregulation of RPGRIP1L was found in 91% (10/11) HCC cell lines and in 35% (14/40) HCCs, respectively. To investigate the role of RPGRIP1L in HCCs, we used the overexpression of RPGRIP1L in four HCC cell lines (HepG2, Huh6, Huh7 and Hep3B). Overexpression of RPGRIP1L suppressed colony formation of tumour cells. Conversely, expression of RPGRIP1L M (dominant negative form) in HCC cells enhanced colony formation. Furthermore, knockdown RPGRIP1L by RNA interference in SK-HepI cells promoted colony formation. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that RPGRIP1L might be the putative TSG in HCC. Moreover, we showed that Mad2, Survivin and Securin were elevated in RPGRIP1L M - HepG2 transfectants and RPGRIP1L -shRNA-SK-HepI transfectants. After knockdown of MAD2 in RPGRIP1L -shRNA-SK-HepI transfectants partly reverse cellular colony formation capability. These data suggest that RPGRIP1L suppresses anchorage-independent growth partly through the mitotic checkpoint protein Mad2.

Carbonic anhydrase III (CAIII) is distinguished from the other members of the CA family by low carbon dioxide hydratase activity, resistance to the CA inhibitor acetazolamide, and a predominant expression in the liver of males. In this report the effects of CAIII expression on liver cancer cells invasiveness were explored. Overexpression of CAIII in the HCC cell line SK-Hep1 resulted in increased anchorage-independent growth and invasiveness. And siRNA-mediated silencing of CAIII expression decreased the invasive ability of SK-Hep1 cells. Furthermore, CAIII transfectants showed elevated focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and Src activity. Silencing of FAK expression in CAIII transfectants led to suppression of HCC cell invasion. More importantly, the CAIII transfectants acidified the culture medium at an accelerated speed than the control cells did. Taken together, these data suggest that the CAIII-promoted invasive ability of HCC cells may probably be mediated through, at least in part, the FAK signaling pathway via intracellular and/or extracellular acidification. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Background Related to genetic alteration, frequent promoter hypermethylation is also a contributing factor in the development of human cancers. Recently, we discovered numerous novel genes that were aberrantly methylated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by using Infinium HumanMethylation27 BeadChip array. We utilized a quantitative methylation-specific PCR (Q-MSP) system for the evaluation of PAX6 methylation in 29 normal controls and 160 paired HCC tissues and their adjacent non-tumor tissues. We verified the correlation between the methylation status of PAX6 and clinical characteristics with different viral status. Results Paired-box 6 promoter methylation was observed in 39.4 %, 15.6 %, and 3.4 % in primary HCCs, adjacent non-tumors, and normal control tissues, respectively. Methylation of the PAX6 promoter region in HCCs significantly increased compared with control tissues. PAX6 was frequently methylated in HCV-positive HCC tissues (61.3 %) and rarely methylated in HBV-positive (22.1 %) and double-negative HCC tissues (33.3 %). Conclusions Our data suggests that promoter hypermethylation of PAX6 is a common event in HCCs and the association of PAX6 methylation in clinicopathological features is divergent with different viral status. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13148-016-0208-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

AIM: To examine the methylation levels of interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 3 (IRAK3) and GLOXD1 and their potential clinical applications in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: mRNA expression and promoter methylation of IRAK3 and GLOXD1 in HCC cells were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and methylation-specific PCR (MSP), respectively. Using pyrosequencing results, we further established a quantitative MSP (Q-MSP) system for the evaluation of IRAK3 and GLOXD1 methylation in 29 normal controls and 160 paired HCC tissues and their adjacent nontumor tissues. We also calculated Kaplan-Meier survival curves to determine the applications of gene methylation in the prognosis of HCC. RESULTS: IRAK3 and GLOXD1 expression was partially restored in several HCC cell lines after treatment with 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (DNA methyltransferase inhibitor; 5DAC). A partial decrease in the methylated band was also observed in the HCC cell lines after 5DAC treatment. Using GLOXD1 as an example, we found a significant correlation between the data obtained from the methylation array and from pyrosequencing. The methylation frequency of IRAK3 and GLOXD1 in HCC tissues was 46.9% and 63.8%, respectively. Methylation of IRAK3 was statistically associated with tumor stage. Moreover, HCC patients with IRAK3 methylation had a trend toward poor 3-year disease-free survival (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: IRAK3 and GLOXD1 were frequently methylated in HCC tissues compared to normal controls and nontumor tissues. IRAK3 methylation was associated with tumor stage and poor prognosis of patients. These data suggest that IRAK3 methylation is a novel prognostic marker in HCC.

Apoptosis is a morphologically distinct form of cell death involved in many physiological and pathological processes. The regulation of Fas/Apo-1 involved in membrane-mediated apoptosis has also been known to play crucial roles in many systems. More and more naturally occurring antisense RNAs are now known to regulate, at least in part, a growing number of eukaryotic genes. In this report, we describe the findings of a novel RNA transcribed from the opposite strand of the intron 1 of the human Fas gene. Using orientation-specific RT-PCR and northern blot analysis, we show that this transcript is 1.5 kb in length and was expressed in several human tissues and cell lines. This transcript was cloned by 5'- and 3'-RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) and the transcription start site was determined by primer extension. This novel gene was named Saf. To assess the functions of Saf, Jurkat cells transfected with human Saf or control vector was prepared. The stable Saf-transfectant was highly resistant to Fas-mediated but not to TNF-alpha-mediated apoptosis. Although the overall mRNA expression level of Fas was not affected, expression of some novel forms of Fas transcripts was increased in Saf-transfectant, especially the inhibitory soluble forms. These findings collectively suggest that Saf might protect T lymphocytes from Fas-mediated apoptosis by blocking the binding of FasL or its agonistic Fas antibody. Saf might regulate the expression of Fas alternative splice forms through pre-mRNA processing.

Aims/background Activation of human MAGE genes leads to the expression of a set of tumor rejection antigens, which are recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The antigens may become the targets of immunotherapy. The expression of MAGE genes was originally found in, but is not restricted, to melanomas. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of MAGE genes in human hepatocellular carcinomas. Methods The expression of MAGE-1, -2, -3, -4 genes in tumorous and corresponding non-tumorous liver tissue was studied using a reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results In the 50 hepatocellular carcinomas studied, MAGE-1, -2, -3, -4 mRNA expression was detected in 23 (46%), 17 (34%), 21 (42%) and 8 (16%), respectively. Seventy-four percent of the hepatocellular carcinomas expressed at least one of the MAGE genes. MAGE mRNAs were not detected in the corresponding non-tumor liver tissues. MAGE gene expression was not significantly correlated with clinicopathological factors. Conclusions The MAGE genes are expressed in a high percentage of hepatocellular carcinomas; the MAGE gene products are potential targets for tumor-specific immunotherapy.

Methotrexate (MTX) has been widely used for the treatment of cancer and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Aspirin (ASA) is a non-selective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor that contributes to the treatment of inflammatory conditions such as RA. It has been observed that the antitumor effect of ASA can be attributed to inhibition of cell cycle progression, induction of apoptosis and inhibition of angiogenesis. In the present study, we revealed that the treatment with a combination of MTX and ASA resulted in antagonism of the cytotoxic effect as demonstrated by SRB and colony formation assays. ASA alleviated the MTX-mediated S phase accumulation and recovered the G1 phase. MTX-mediated accumulation of the S phase marker cyclin A was also alleviated by ASA. Notably, FAS protein levels were upregulated by MTX in A549 cells. The antagonism of MTX efficacy caused by ASA was accompanied by altered expression of caspase-3, Bcl-2 and FAS but not dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). This suggests that the alteration of caspase-3, Bcl-2 and FAS was involved in the antagonism between ASA and MTX. Exogenously added folic acid reversed the MTX-mediated DHFR inhibition following either MTX or MTX + ASA treatments. Most importantly, we demonstrated for the first time that the commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug for headache ASA and possibly other COX-1/2 inhibitors can produce a strong antagonistic effect on the growth inhibition of lung cancer cells when administered in combination with MTX. The clinical implication of our finding is obvious, i.e., the clinical efficacy of MTX therapy can be compromised by ASA and their concomitant use should be avoided.

Drug resistance is an obstacle to the treatment of ovarian cancer. Using a unique cell model, we have proven previously that a subpopulation of ovarian cancer cells is more resistant to cisplatin than are the original cells. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small noncoding RNAs, are involved in many biological events in cancer cells. In our study, we explored whether miRNAs are involved in cisplatin resistance of ovarian cancer cells. Cisplatin-resistant cells expressed a lower level of miR-29a/b/c. Manipulation of microRNA-29 (miR-29) expression modulated cisplatin sensitivity of CP70, HeyC2, SKOV3 and A2780 ovarian cancer cells. Knockdown of miR-29a/b/c increased the ability of cells to escape cisplatin-induced cell death partly through upregulation of collagen type I alpha 1 (COL1A1) and increased the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta. When combined with cisplatin treatment, knockdown of miR-29 decreased the amount of the active form of caspase-9 and caspase-3. Ectopic expression of miR-29 alone or in combination with cisplatin treatment efficaciously reduced the tumorigenicity of CP70 cells in vivo. Our data show that downregulation of miR-29 increases cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cells. Taken together, these data suggest that overexpression of miR-29 is a potential sensitizer to cisplatin treatment that may have therapeutic implications.

Mefloquine (MQ) is a prophylactic anti-malarial drug. Previous studies have shown that MQ induces oxidative stress in vitro. Evidence indicates that reactive oxygen species (ROS) may be used as a therapeutic modality to kill cancer cells. This study investigated whether MQ also inhibits prostate cancer (PCa) cell growth. We used sulforhodamine B (SRB) staining to determine cell viability. MQ has a highly selective cytotoxicity that inhibits PCa cell growth. The antitumor effect was most significant when examined using a colony formation assay. MQ also induces hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), as well as ROS generation. The blockade of MQ-induced anticancer effects by N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) pre-treatment confirmed the role of ROS. This indicates that the MQ-induced anticancer effects are caused primarily by increased ROS generation. Moreover, we observed that MQ-mediated ROS simultaneously downregulated Akt phosphorylation and activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling in PC3 cells. These findings provide insights for further anticancer therapeutic options.

Except for genetic mutations, epigenetic changes are also involved in the development of human cancers. Recently, we have identified SOX1, SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 1, is hypermethylated in cervical cancer and ovarian cancer. Therefore, we investigated whether promoter hypermethylation of SOX1 is common in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).We used methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MS-PCR) and bisulfite sequencing to analyze the methyaltion level of the SOX1 promoter in seven HCC cell lines, 54 clinical HCCs, 42 cirrhotic livers, 21 livers with chronic hepatitis, and 15 control livers. Then, we employed quantitative MS-PCR (QMSP) to validate in an independent set of samples (60 paired HCCs and 30 control livers). Finally, we used luciferase reporter and colony formation assay to check the effect of SOX1 in HCC.Promoter methylation of SOX1 was significantly frequent in HCC cell lines and clinical HCCs, cirrhotic livers, but not in control livers (P 0.0001). There is a significant correlation between downregulation of SOX1 expression and promoter methylation. QMSP results confirmed that promoter hypermethylation of SOX1 is significantly more frequent in HCCs than control livers (P 0.0001). The frequency of SOX1 methylation in patients with secreted frizzled-related proteins (SFRPs) methylation is significantly higher than in patients without SFRPs methylation (P 0.0001). Furthermore, ectopic expression of SOX1 could suppress T-cell factor-dependent transcriptional activity and colony formation number in HCCs.Concomitant epigenetic silencing of SOX1 and SFRPs through promoter hypermethylation is frequent in HCCs, and this might contribute to abnormal activation of canonical Wnt signal pathway.

Oncogenic activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is common in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our recent studies have demonstrated that SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 1 (SOX1) and secreted frizzled-related proteins are concomitantly promoter-hypermethylated, and this might lead to abnormal activation of the Wnt signaling pathway in HCC. SOX1 encodes a transcription factor involved in the regulation of embryonic development and cell fate determination. However, the expression and functional role of SOX1 in HCC remains unclear. In this study, we confirmed via quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction that SOX1 was frequently downregulated through promoter hypermethylation in HCC cells and tissues. Overexpression of SOX1 by a constitutive or inducible approach could suppress cell proliferation, colony formation, and invasion ability in HCC cell lines, as well as tumor growth in nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency mice. Conversely, knockdown of SOX1 by withdrawal of doxycycline could partially restore cell proliferation and colony formation in HCC cells. We used a T cell factor (TCF)-responsive luciferase reporter assay and western blot analysis to prove that SOX1 could regulate TCF-responsive transcriptional activity and inhibit the expression of Wnt downstream genes. Furthermore, we used glutathione S-transferase pull-down, co-immunoprecipitation, and confocal microscopy to demonstrate that SOX1 could interact with β-catenin but not with the β-catenin/TCF complex. Moreover, restoration of the expression of SOX1 induces significant cellular senescence in Hep3B cells. Conclusion: Our data show that a developmental gene, SOX1, may function as a tumor suppressor by interfering with Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the development of HCC. (HEPATOLOGY 2012;56:2142–2153)

Objectives Oncogenic activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is common in human cancers, including cervical cancer. The secreted frizzled-related proteins (SFRPs) function as negative regulators of Wnt signaling and play an important role in carcinogenesis. Frequent promoter hypermethylation of SFRPs has been identified in human cancers; however, the precise role of SFRPs in cervical cancer is not clear. Methods The methylation status of SFRPs gene family was analyzed in two cervical cancer cell lines and a full spectrum of cervical neoplasia, including 45 low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL), 49 high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL), 109 squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), and 45 normal controls. Results The SFRP1 promoter was hypermethylated in 33.9% of SCC, 8.2% of HSIL, 2.2% of LSIL, but not in normal tissues. The SFRP2 promoter was hypermethylated in 80.7% of SCC, 16.3% of HSIL, 15.6% LSIL and 4.4% normal tissues. The SFRP4 promoter was hypermethylated in 67.9% of SCC, 36.7% of HSIL, 4.4% of LSIL, but not in normal tissues. The SFRP5 promoter was hypermethylated in 10.1% of SCC, 4.1% of HSIL, 13.3% of LSIL and 4.4% normal tissues. The frequency of SFRP1, SFRP2 and SFRP4 promoter methylation in tumors was significantly higher than in normal, LSIL, and HSIL samples ( P SFRP5 methylation was significantly different in patients with or without lymph-node metastases (0% vs 15.2%, respectively, P Conclusions Our data suggest that promoter hypermethylation of SFRP1, SFRP2 and SFRP4 is associated with cervical carcinogenesis, which could be used for molecular screening of cervical neoplasias in future.

In addition to genetic alterations, epigenetic alterations have been increasingly recognized as a key event for carcinogenesis. Methylation of CpG islands in promoter regions is almost associated with transcriptional silencing and is implicated in tumor suppressor gene (TSG) inactivation in cancer cells. Our previous data showed that NKX6.1 promoter is hypermethylated and downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines. The goal of this study was to elucidate whether NKX6.1 is a tumor suppressor gene in HCC. All HCC samples with NKX6.1 promoter hypermethylation showed downregulation of NKX6.1 expression using quantitative methylation-specific PCR and quantitative RT-PCR analysis. In addition, the expression of NKX6.1 in HCC cell lines can be restored by treatment with DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitor, 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine. These findings indicate that NKX6.1 is frequently silenced in HCC via promoter methylation. We then cloned and determined the putative promoter of NKX6.1 by luciferase reporter assay. The Sp1 site in the NKX6.1 promoter region is important for the promoter activity. When we treated cells with Trichostatin A (TSA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), the NKX6.1 promoter activity increased. These data suggest that promoter methylation and histone modification may take part in the epigenetic silencing of NKX6.1 in HCC. Overexpression of NKX6.1 significantly suppressed transformation in HepG2 and SK-Hep1 cells; however, there is no significant effect on cell viability. Moreover we use a xenograft model to demonstrate the suppressor effects of NKX6.1 on tumor formation in vivo. Taken together, these data suggest that NKX6.1 might be a candidate tumor suppressor in HCC in vitro and in vivo. Citation Format: Hsin-Jung Li, Yu-Lueng Shih, Ming-De Yan, Pei-Ning Yu, Ya-Wen Lin. NKX6.1 functions as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 575. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-575

In clinical practice, the main dilemma to a successful ovarian cancer therapy is the development of drug resistance. The mounting evidence demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) not only controlled cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis but also therapeutic resistance of ovarian cancer cell. Recently, we isolated CP70sps(CP70 side population spheres) from CP70 ovarian cancer cell line and proved that CP70sps exhibited more resistant to cisplatin than CP70. This phenomenon was correlated to other study which supported that side population of cancer cells was responsible for chemoresistance. In this study, we compared the expression of miRNAs between CP70sps and CP70 to investigate the role of miRNAs in cisplatin resistance of ovarian cancer cells. Our miRNA array and quantitative RT-PCR data showed that CP70sps expressed lower level of miR-29a/b/c family than CP70 cells and CP70sps4wks cells which were repopulation of CP70sps in attached condition. After knockdown of miR-29a/b/c family by miRNA inhibitors, reduction of miR-29a/b/c family enhanced cisplatin resistance of CP70 cells. However, there was no effect on cell cycle and proliferation rate in both CP70 cells and A2780, a parental cisplatin-sensitive cell line of CP70 cells. Downregulation of miR-29a/b/c family contributed cells to escape cisplatin-induced cell death through COL1A1 upregulation. Moreover, reduction of miR-29a/b/c increased phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and GSK3β to transduce survival signaling and reduced active form casepase-9 to avoid cell apoptosis. Furthermore, we found that either ectopic expression of miR-29 alone or combination of miR-29 with cisplatin treatment efficaciously reduced tumorigenicity of CP70 cells in immunodeficiency mice. Finally, we ascertained that the ovarian cancer patients with high expression of miR-29a had better overall survival rate. Taken together, our data demonstrated that the miR-29 family was a sensitizer for cisplatin treatment and might be associated with tumorigenecity of ovarian cancer cells. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1110. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1110

Oncogenic activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is common in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Aberrant hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes in their promoter regions is frequently found in human cancers. Our previous works have demonstrated that SOX1 gene was hypermethylated in HCCs as well as cervical and ovarian cancers. A growing number of papers suggest that SOX family proteins, such as SOX9, SOX17, SOX4 and SOX2, serve as either tumor suppressors or oncoproteins through manipulating Wnt signaling pathway in different types of cancer. However the molecular mechanism is not well understood. In this study, we established an inducible system to overexpress SOX1 in HCC cell lines and checked whether SOX1 have tumor suppressor function in vitro and in vivo. We found that overexpression of SOX1 could inhibit cell proliferation and colony formation in HCC cells and suppress tumor growth in xenograft mice. Next we used GST pull-down, co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP), immunocytochemistry and luciferase reporter assay to study whether SOX1 could interact with β-catenin to regulate Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Our data showed that SOX1 is physically associated with β-catenin/ TCF complex and could inhibit the TCF-dependent transcriptional activity. Furthermore, SOX1 was co-localized with β-catenin in nucleus by confocal microscopy. These results suggest that SOX1 functions as a tumor suppressor through interfering Wnt/β-catenin signaling in HCC. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2199. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2199

Oncogenic activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is common in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The secreted frizzled-related proteins (SFRPs) function as negative regulators of Wnt signaling and have important implications for carcinogenesis. Recently, we have shown that SFRPs are frequently downregulated through promoter hypermethylation in HCC cell lines and clinical HCC tissues. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that restoration of SFRPs could attenuate Wnt signaling in HCC cells with β-catenin point mutation, decrease abnormal accumulation of free β-catenin in the nucleus, and then suppress cell growth. Sox1 encodes a transcription factor involved in the regulation of embryonic development and cell fate determination. Structurally related to TCF/LEFs, several members of the Sox family, including Sox17, Sox3, Sox7, and Sox9, have also been implicated in repressing β-catenin activity by a mechanism that is not well understood. In this study, we found that the Sox1 was severely down-regulated by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR). Next, we employed bisulfite modification and methylation-specific PCR (MS-PCR) to analyze the feature of Sox1 promoter methylation in the HCC cell lines and found that the majority of the tested cell lines exhibited hypermethylation. Meanwhile, we also examined sixty primary HCC surgical samples and adjacent nonturmorous liver tissues from Taiwan Liver Cancer Network (TLCN). These results showed that aberrant promoter methylation of SOX1 were found in 32 of 60 HCCs (53.3%), in 13 of 50 cirrhotic livers (26%), and in one of 30 normal control tissues (3.3%). Concomitantly, SFRPs was epigenetically inactivated in HCC cell lines and most of all the tumors with methylated SOX1. A significant correlation between the methylation of both genes was found (p >0.05). Furthermore, overexpression of SOX-1 in HCC cells could suppress TCF-dependent transcriptional activity and suppress colony formation. Taken together, our data suggest that SOX1 is a negative modulator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, and that SOX1 silencing due to promoter hypermethylation is an early event during tumorigenesis and may contribute to aberrant activation of Wnt signaling in HCC. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 173.