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ABSTRACT: Signal peptide-CUB-EGF-like domain-containing protein 3 (SCUBE3) is a secreted glycoprotein that is overexpressed in lung cancer tumor tissues and is correlated with the invasive ability in a lung cancer cell line model. These observations suggest that SCUBE3 may have a role in lung cancer progression. By exogenous SCUBE3 treatment or knockdown of SCUBE3 expression, we found that SCUBE3 could promote lung cancer cell mobility and invasiveness. Knockdown of SCUBE3 expression also suppressed tumorigenesis and cancer metastasis in vivo. The secreted SCUBE3 proteins were cleaved by gelatinases (matrix metalloprotease-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9) in media to release two major fragments: the N-terminal epidermal growth factor-like repeats and the C-terminal complement proteins C1r/C1s, Uegf and Bmp1 (CUB) domain. Both the purified SCUBE3 protein and the C-terminal CUB domain fragment, bound to transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) type II receptor through the C-terminal CUB domain, activated TGF-β signaling and triggered the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This process includes the induction of Smad2/3 phosphorylation, the increase of Smad2/3 transcriptional activity and the upregulation of the expression of target genes involved in EMT and cancer progression (such as TGF-β1, MMP-2, MMP-9, plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1, vascular endothelial growth factor, Snail and Slug), thus promoting cancer cell mobility and invasion. In conclusion, in lung cancer cells, SCUBE3 could serve as an endogenous autocrine and paracrine ligand of TGF-β type II receptor, which could regulate TGF-β receptor signaling and modulate EMT and cancer progression.
Oncogene 03/2011; 30(34):3682-93. · 6.37 Impact Factor
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J Y Shih,
S C Yang, T M Hong,
A Yuan,
J J Chen,
C J Yu,
Y L Chang,
Y C Lee,
K Peck,
C W Wu,
P C Yang
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ABSTRACT: Numerous genetic changes are associated with metastasis and invasion of cancer cells. To identify differentially expressed invasion-associated genes, we screened a panel of lung cancer cell lines (CL(1-0), CL(1-1), CL(1-5), and CL(1-5)-F(4) in order of increasing invasive activity) for such genes and selected one gene, collapsin response mediator protein-1 (CRMP-1), to characterize.
We used a microarray containing 9600 gene sequences to assess gene expression in the cell panel and selected the differentially expressed CRMP-1 gene for further study. We confirmed the differential expression of CRMP-1 with northern and western blot analyses. After transfecting and overexpressing CRMP-1 in highly invasive CL(1-5) cells, the cells were assessed morphologically and with an in vitro invasion assay. We used enhanced green fluorescent protein-tagged CRMP-1 and fluorescence microscopy to localize CRMP-1 intracellularly. CRMP-1 expression in 80 lung cancer specimens was determined by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). All statistical tests were two-sided.
Expression of CRMP-1 was inversely associated with invasive activity in the cell panel, an observation confirmed by northern and western blot analyses. CRMP-1-transfected CL(1-5) cells became rounded and had fewer filopodia and statistically significantly lower in vitro invasive activity than untransfected cells (all P< .001). During interphase, CRMP-1 protein was present uniformly throughout the cytoplasm and sometimes in the nucleus; during mitosis, CRMP-1 was associated with mitotic spindles, centrosomes, and the midbody (in late telophase). Real-time RT-PCR of lung cancer specimens showed that reduced expression of CRMP-1 was statistically significantly associated with advanced disease (stage III or IV; P = .010), lymph node metastasis (N1, N2, and N3; P =.043), early postoperative relapse (P = .030), and shorter survival (P = .016).
CRMP-1 appears to be involved in cancer invasion and metastasis and may be an invasion-suppressor gene.
JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute 09/2001; 93(18):1392-400. · 13.76 Impact Factor
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J J Chen,
K Peck, T M Hong,
S C Yang,
Y P Sher,
J Y Shih,
R Wu,
J L Cheng,
S R Roffler,
C W Wu,
P C Yang
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ABSTRACT: Metastasis is a complicated multistep process that involves interactions between cancer cells and their surrounding microenvironments. Previously, we have established a series of lung adenocarcinoma cell lines with varying degrees of invasiveness. Tracheal graft assay confirmed that cell lines with higher in vitro invasiveness had greater in vivo invasive potential. In this study, we used these model cell lines to identify invasion-associated genes using cDNA microarray with colorimetric detection. A more invasive subline, CL 1-5-F 4, derived from metastatic lung tumor of severe combined immunodeficient mice inoculated with CL 1-5 cells, was combined with CL 1-0, CL 1-1, and CL 1-5 in cDNA microarray screening. cDNA microarray membranes, each containing 9600 nonredundant expressed sequence tag clones, were used to identify differentially expressed genes in these cell lines. For statistical analysis, self-organizing map algorithm was performed to identify the expression patterns. Positive correlation between gene expression levels and cell line invasiveness was found in 2.9% of the 9600 putative genes. On the other hand, negative correlation was found in 3.3% of the genes. The trends of expression of some of the genes were also confirmed by Northern hybridization and flow cytometry. Our data demonstrated that genes related to cell adhesion, motility, angiogenesis, signal transduction, and some other expressed sequence tag genes may play significant roles in the metastasis process. These results substantiate the model system with which one can identify invasion-associated genes by using cDNA microarray and cancer cell lines of different invasiveness. This technique may allow us to explore complex interactions between multiple genes that orchestrate the process of cancer metastasis.
Cancer Research 08/2001; 61(13):5223-30. · 7.86 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The p53 tumor suppressor protein functions as an activator and also as a repressor of gene transcription. Currently, the mechanism of transcriptional repression by p53 remains poorly understood. To help clarify this mechanism, we carried out studies designed to identify the minimal repression domain that inhibits p53 transcriptional activities. We found only eight amino acids (339) of the COOH-terminal domain (termed P53MRD) that possess activities of repression. The exact location of this minimal domain is on the E6-binding region, and it lacks the ability of tetramerization. P53MRD is able to repress the transcription of p53 while not affecting VP16. The mutants (amino acids M340P and F341D) of native p53 also lost transcriptional repression of the thymidine kinase chloramphenicol acetyltransferase promoter. These results suggest that this eight-amino acid element is required for the repression of p53.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 02/2001; 276(2):1510-5. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The phosphatase and tensin homology deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) is a tumor suppressor gene with sequence homology to tyrosine phosphatases and the cytoskeletal proteins tensin and auxilin. PTEN has recently been shown to inhibit cell migration and the spreading and formation of focal adhesions. This study investigated the role of PTEN in carcinoma invasion in a lung-cancer cell line and examined the downstream genes regulated by PTEN. We have previously established a cell-line model in human lung adenocarcinoma with different invasive abilities and metastatic potentials. Examining PTEN gene expression in these cell lines, we found that a homozygous deletion in exon 5 is associated with high invasive ability. We then constructed stable constitutive and inducible wild-type PTEN-overexpressed transfectants in the highly invasive cell line CL(1-5). We found that an overexpression of PTEN can inhibit invasion in lung cancer cells. To further explore the downstream genes regulated by PTEN, a high-density complementary DNA (cDNA) microarray technique was used to profile gene changes after PTEN overexpression. Our results indicate a panel of genes that can be modulated by PTEN. PTEN overexpression downregulated genes, including integrin alpha(6), laminin beta(3), heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor, urokinase-type plasminogen activator, myb protein B, Akt2, and some expressed sequence tag (EST) clones. In contrast, PTEN overexpression upregulated protein phosphatase 2A1B, ubiquitin protease (unph), secreted phosphoprotein 1, leukocyte elastase inhibitor, nuclear factor-kappaB, cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein, DNA ligase 1, heat shock protein 90, and some EST genes. Northern hybridization and flow cytometry analysis also confirmed that PTEN overexpression results in the reduced expression of the integrin alpha(6) subunit. The results of this study indicate that PTEN overexpression may inhibit lung cancer invasion by downregulation of a panel of genes including integrin alpha(6). The cDNA microarray technique may be an effective tool to study the downstream function of a tumor suppressor gene.
American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology 10/2000; 23(3):355-63. · 5.13 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The expression pattern of mucin genes was studied in 7 lung adenocarcinoma cell lines (CL1, CL2, CL3, NCL2, PC9, PC13, PC14) and 12 lung adenocarcinoma tissues. CL1 and PC13 are poorly differentiated cell lines with low mucin glycoprotein production. The other 5 cell lines are well differentiated and produce a higher amount of mucins. Total RNA was extracted from these cell lines. Northern blot analysis was performed by hybridization with specific antisense oligonucleotide probes recognizing mucin-specific tandem repeats of 4 mucin genes (MUC1, MUC2, MUC3, MUC4). RT-PCR was carried out to amplify the 3' and 5' nonrepetitive coding regions of MUC1 and the 5' nonrepetitive coding region of MUC2. All these cell lines expressed MUC1, MUC2, and MUC4 mRNA but in variable mounts. The poorly differentiated cell lines (CL1 and PC13) had a relatively low level of expression of MUC1, MUC2, MUC3 and MUC4. RT-PCR, with primers amplifying the MUC1 nonrepetitive coding region 5' end, 293 bp, and the 3' end, 522 bp, as well as the MUC2 nonrepetitive 5' coding region, 308 bp, revealed the presence of MUC1 and MUC2 mRNA in all the cell lines. Sequence analysis of the PCR products were very homologous, similar to previously published MUC1 and MUC2 cDNA sequences. The expression pattern of mucin genes is consistent with that of mucin glycoproteins as studied using biochemical and immunological methods. Northern blotting and RT-PCR analysis in 12 lung adenocarcinoma tissues with various grades of differentiation (6 poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas and 6 moderately to well-differentiated adenocarcinomas) showed heterogeneous expression of the 4 mucin genes in tissues without clear correlation with the differentiation grade. Therefore the clinical implications of the differential expression of the mucin genes need further investigation.
Oncology 53(2):118-26. · 2.27 Impact Factor