Epidermal Growth Factor-containing Fibulin-like Extracellular Matrix Protein 1 Research Articles

EFEMP1 is a potential biomarker of choroid thickness change in myopia.

To explore the possible molecular mechanism by which epidermal growth factor-containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1) regulates choroid thickness (CT) in the development of myopia. In total, 131 subjects were divided into the emmetropia (EM) group, non-high myopia (non-HM) group and high myopia (HM) group. Their age, refraction, intraocular pressure, and other ocular biometric parameters were collected. A 6 × 6 mm area centered on the optic disc was scanned by coherent optical tomography angiography (OCTA) to measure CT, and the tear concentrations of EFEMP1 were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis. Twenty-two guinea pigs were divided into the control group and the form-deprivation myopia (FDM) group. The right eye of the guinea pig in the FDM group was covered for 4 weeks, and the diopter and axial length of the right eye of the guinea pig were measured before and after the treatment. After the measurement, the guinea pig was euthanized, and the eyeball was removed. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, western blotting assays and immunohistochemistry were used to assess the expression of EFEMP1 in the choroid. There were significant differences in CT among the three groups (p < 0.001). CT was positively correlated with age in HM (r = -0.3613, p = 0.0021), but no significant correlation with SE (p > 0.05) was observed. Furthermore, there were increased levels of EFEMP1 in the tears of myopic patients. After 4 weeks of covering the right eye of the FDM guinea pigs, there was a significant increase in axial length and a decrease in diopter (p < 0.05). The mRNA and protein expression of EFEMP1 was significantly increased in the choroid. Choroidal thickness was significantly thinner in myopic patients, and the expression level of EFEMP1 in the choroid increased during the development of FDM. Therefore, EFEMP1 may be involved in the regulation of choroidal thickness in myopia patients.

Hypermethylation of EFEMP1 in the Hippocampus May Be Related to the Deficit in Spatial Memory of Rat Neonates Triggered by Repeated Administration of Propofol

It has been confirmed that repeated application of propofol, as an intravenous and short-fast-acting anesthetic, in neonatal animals or humans may produce long-term deficits in cognitive functions. With the aim of explaining the neurotoxic effects of repeated administration of propofol on neonatal rat pups from P7 to P9 especially from an epigenetic perspective, the present study used the Morris water maze to detect cognitive deficits in spatial learning and memory, Sequenom methylation on the CpG island located in the promoter region of epidermal growth factor-containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1) to assess the methylation level of this region, and Western blot to measure the expression of EFEMP1, TIMP-3, and MMP-9. As the results have shown, repeated propofol administration on neonatal rats caused significant systemic growth retardation, impairment of spatial learning and memory, and hypermethylation of the CpG sites in the promoter region of EFEMP1 accompanied by lower expression of EFEMP1 and TIMP-3 and enhanced expression of MMP-9. These data suggest that repeated propofol administration in neonatal rats may generate hypermethylation in the promoter region of EFEMP1 which results in downregulation of the expression of EFEMP1 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-3 (TIMP-3) but upregulation of the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), which together may affect the stability of ECM to hamper the development of the central nervous system and therefore lead to deficits in cognitive functions.

EFEMP1 as a Potential Biomarker for Diagnosis and Prognosis of Osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone malignancy. Our previous study revealed an association between the level of epidermal growth factor-containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1) and the invasion, metastasis, and poor prognosis of OS. However, the exact correlation between the serum EFEMP1 level and OS diagnosis and progression was unclear. This study is aimed at determining the value of the serum EFEMP1 level in the diagnosis and prognosis of OS. Fifty-one consecutive OS patients were prospectively registered in this study. The serum EFEMP1 levels were measured using ELISA at diagnosis, after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and before and after surgical treatment. Sixty-nine healthy subjects in the control group, nine patients with chondrosarcoma, and 12 patients with giant cell tumor of the bone were also enrolled in this study. Surgical orthotopic implantation was used to generate a mouse OS model, and the correlation between the circulating EFEMP1 levels and tumor progression was examined. Then, OS patients had significantly higher mean serum EFEMP1 levels (7.61 ng/ml) than the control subjects (1.47 ng/ml). The serum EFEMP1 levels were correlated with the Enneking staging system (r = 0.32, P = 0.021) and lung metastasis (r = 0.50, P < 0.001). There was also a correlation between the serum EFEMP1 level and EFEMP1 expression in the respective OS samples (r = 0.49, P < 0.001). Additionally, patients with either chondrosarcoma or giant cell tumor of the bone had significantly higher serum EFEMP1 levels than OS patients. Surgical and chemotherapeutic treatment led to an increase in the serum EFEMP1 levels. Then, the destruction of bone tissues might be one of the factors about the EFEMP1 levels. In the mouse OS model, the serum EFEMP1 level was correlated with tumor progression. Our results suggested that serum EFEMP1 levels might be used to distinguish OS patients from healthy controls and as an indicator for OS lung metastasis. Serum EFEMP1 levels could serve as a new and assisted biomarker for the auxiliary diagnosis and prognosis of OS.

MiR-338-5p Targets Epidermal Growth Factor-Containing Fibulin-Like Extracellular Matrix Protein 1 to Inhibit the Growth and Invasion of Trophoblast Cells in Selective Intrauterine Growth Restriction

Selective intrauterine growth restriction (sIUGR) is a disorder of monochorionic (MC) twin pregnancies. However, the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Trophoblast cells are the major component of the placenta. Dysfunction of trophoblast cells is associated with placental dysfunction. Our previous study identified miR-338-5p is downregulated in placenta tissues sharing larger twins of sIUGR. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of miR-338-5p in trophoblast cells and explored its target. Our results further indicated that miR-338-5p was downregulated in placental tissues supporting larger twins of sIUGR, whereas epidermal growth factor-containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1) was upregulated. Moreover, miR-338-5p overexpression suppressed the growth and invasion of trophoblast cells. Importantly, results from luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that miR-338-5p bound on the 3′-UTR of EFEMP1. miR-338-5p suppressed the growth and invasion of trophoblast cells via targeting EFEMP1. Further, miR-338-5p/EFEMP1 might disrupt the function of trophoblast cells via inhibiting the phosphorylation of AKT.

Epidermal growth factor-containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1) suppressed the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by promoting Semaphorin 3B(SEMA3B).

AimEpidermal growth factor‐containing fibulin‐like extracellular matrix protein 1(EFEMP1) has been found to be involved in the occurrence and development of many cancers. The relationship between EFEMP1 and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the molecular mechanism are not fully understood.MethodsReal‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and tissue microarray were used to detect the expression of EFEMP1 in HCC cell lines and tissue. Methylation‐specific PCR assay was used to measure the methylation level of EFEMP1 in HCC cell lines and tissue. To study the function of EFEMP1 on cell function, Huh7 and HepG2 were infected with lentiviral particles expressing EFEMP1. MTT assay and colony formation assay were used to examine the effect of EFEMP1 on cell proliferation. Annexin‐VAPC/7‐AAD double were used to detect the effect of EFEMP1 on cell apoptosis. To further detect the effect of EFEMP1 on the development of HCC in vivo, we performed the tumor formation experiment in nude mice. Gene chip was used to detect the expression profile of Huh7 and HepG2 overexpressing EFEMP1. To further screen out the differences, GO analysis and pathway analysis were performed. To study the effects of SEMA3B, specific siRNA was used to inhibit the expression of SEMA3B. Chi‐squared test and rank sum test were used to analyze the relationship between EFEMP1 expression and HCC clinical characteristic.ResultsThe study found that the expression of EFEMP1 was significantly decreased in HCC cell lines and HCC tissues. The expression level of EFEMP1 was related to the TNM (the extent of the tumor, the extent of spread to the lymph nodes, the presence of metastasis) stage and the prognosis of patients with HCC. The decrease of protein expression suggested that the patient prognosis was worse, and the protein level of EFEMP1 may be an independent factor in the prognosis of HCC patients. Promoter methylation may be one of the reasons for EFEMP1 inhibition. EFEMP1 could inhibit the proliferation of HCC cells and promoted the apoptosis of HCC cells to regulate the development of HCC. And EFEMP1 promoted the apoptosis of HCC cells mainly through the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. EFEMP1 may inhibit the proliferation of HCC cells through the SEMA3B gene in the Axon guidance pathway.ConclusionIn summary, our research revealed the regulation of EFEMP1 on cell proliferation and apoptosis in HCC. EFEMP1 may suppress the growth of HCC cells by promoting SEMA3B.

Metformin Treatment Suppresses Melanoma Cell Growth and Motility Through Modulation of microRNA Expression.

Melanoma is a highly aggressive cancer with high mortality in advanced stages. Metformin is an oral biguanide drug used for diabetes and has demonstrated positive effects on cancer prevention and treatment. Herein, we found that metformin significantly suppressed melanoma cancer cell motility and growth through inducing cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and promoting cell apoptosis. Using the next-generation sequencing approach, we identified three upregulated microRNAs (miRNA; miR-192-5p, miR-584-3p, and miR-1246) in melanoma cells treated with metformin. Among these, we examined the roles of miR-192-5p and miR-584-3p and discovered that they significantly suppressed melanoma cell motility. Furthermore, they inhibited melanoma cell growth through destroying cell cycle progression and inducing cell apoptosis. Using microarray and bioinformatics approaches for identifying putative target genes, Epidermal growth factor (EGF) containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1) gene for miR-192-5p and an isoform of the secretory carrier membrane proteins (SCAMP3) gene for miR-584-3p could be silenced through targeting their 3′UTR region directly. EFEMP1 and SCAMP3 knockdown significantly suppressed melanoma cell growth, but only EFEMP1 knockdown inhibited its motility abilities. Our findings indicated that miR-192-5p and miR-584-3p might contribute to metformin-induced growth and motility suppression in melanoma cells through silencing their target genes EFEMP1 and SCAMP3.

Epidermal Growth Factor-Containing Fibulin-Like Extracellular Matrix Protein 1 (EFEMP1) Acts as a Potential Diagnostic Biomarker for Prostate Cancer.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to detect the expression of epidermal growth factor-containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1) and estimate its diagnostic value in prostate cancer (PCa).Material/MethodsEFEMP1 expression in serum and urine of patients with PCa, benign controls and healthy controls at mRNA and protein level were measured by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis, respectively. The chi-square test was used to analyze the relationship between EFEMP1 expression and clinical factors of patients with PCa. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was established to evaluate the potential values of EFEMP1 for the diagnosis of PCa.ResultsThe relative expression of EFEMP1 was significantly decreased in patients with PCa compared with that in the benign controls and healthy individuals, both at mRNA and protein levels (P<0.05). In the postoperative serum, the EFEMP1 expression was significantly higher than that in preoperative serum at 2 levels. Urine EFEMP1 expression was also down-regulated in patients with PCa compared to that in the other 2 control groups. The low expression of EFEMP1 was obviously affected by Gleason’s score, serum PSA, pathological stage, and lymph node metastasis. Moreover, there was a significant inverse correlation between EFEMP1 expression and PSA levels. The ROC curve revealed that EFEMP1 distinguished PCa patients from healthy controls, with a high AUC of 0.908, corresponding with high sensitivity and specificity, which was significantly higher than the PSA value.ConclusionsSerum EFEMP1 is down-regulated and involved in the progression of PCa. It may serve as a useful diagnostic biomarker, with better diagnostic accuracy than PSA in PCa.

HIF2α/EFEMP1 cascade mediates hypoxic effects on breast cancer stem cell hierarchy.

Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) have been shown to contribute to tumor growth, metastasis, and recurrence. They are also markedly resistant to conventional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation. Recent studies have suggested that hypoxia is one of the prominent micro-environmental factors that increase the self-renewal ability of BCSCs, partially by enhancing CSC phenotypes. Thus, the identification and development of new therapeutic approaches based on targeting the hypoxia-dependent responses in BCSCs is urgent. Through various in vitro studies, we found that hypoxia specifically up-regulates BCSC sphere formation and a subset of CD44+/CD24−/low CSCs. Hypoxia inducible factors 2α (HIF2α) depletion suppressed CSC-like phenotypes and CSC-mediated drug resistance in breast cancer. Furthermore, the stimulatory effects of hypoxia-induced HIF2α on BCSC sphere formation were successfully attenuated by epidermal growth factor-containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1) knockdown. Taken together, these data suggest that HIF2α mediates hypoxia-induced cancer growth/metastasis and that EFEMP1 is a downstream effector of hypoxia-induced HIF2α during breast tumorigenesis.

EFEMP1 inhibits migration of hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating MMP2 and MMP9 via ERK1/2 activity.

The role of epidermal growth factor-containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein1 (EFEMP1) inhibiting migration in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. Expression of EFEMP1 in HCC cell lines were quantified by western blotting and real-time PCR. The role of EFEMP1 in HCC cell migration was explored invitro via siRNA and adding purified EFEMP1 protein. The associated molecule expression was detected by western blotting after downregulation of EFEMP1 and also tested by immunohistochemistry. Eight pairs of HCC non-HCC liver samples and 215HCC samples were subjected to immunohistochemistry. EFEMP1 was highly expressed in 7,721 and HepG2 HCC cell lines while HuH7 HCC cell line expressed the lowest level of EFEMP1 compared with the others. Downregulating EFEMP1 by siRNA markedly increased the migration ability of HCC cells while adding purified EFEMP1 protein inhibited HCC cell migration. Downregulation of EFEMP1 increased the expression of ERK1/2, MMP2 and MMP9. Furthermore, U0126 (a highly selective and potent inhibitor of pERK1/2) could abrogate the migration ability enhanced by siRNA. Accordingly, MMP2 and MMP9 were inversely expressed with EFEMP1 expression by immunohistochemistry. EFEMP1 downregulated in HCC tissues, and lower EFEMP1 expression was significantly associated with HCC patients with ascites (P=0.050), vascular invasion (P=0.044), poorer differentiation (P=0.002) and higher clinical stage (P=0.003).

EFEMP1 is repressed by estrogen and inhibits the epithelial-mesenchymal transition via Wnt/β-catenin signaling in endometrial carcinoma.

Epidermal growth factor-containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1) acted as a tumor suppressor in endometrial carcinoma (EC). However, the correlation between EFEMP1 and estrogen is unknown. Here, we reported that the expression of EFEMP1 was conversely associated with ERα in endometrial carcinoma tissues. In endometrial carcinoma cells, estrogen/ERα signaling significantly suppressed the expression of EFEMP1. Moreover, chromatin immunoprecipitation (CHIP) and dual-luciferase reporter assays demonstrate that estrogen/ERα bound to the estrogen response element (ERE) located in EFEMP1 promoter and repressed its expression. Besides, in vitro and in vivo, EFEMP1 could remarkably suppress the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers such as Vimentin, Snail and the Wnt/β-catenin target genes like Cyclin-D1 and c-Myc, which could be restored when EFEMP1 was silenced. In addition, XAV93920 (the inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway) blocked and LiCl (the activator of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway) enhanced the effect of EFEMP1 on EMT. In conclusion, we demonstrated that estrogen/ERα signal suppresses EFEMP1. Besides, EFEMP1 inhibits EMT via interfering the Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Epidermal growth factor–containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 expression and regulation in uterine leiomyoma

To determine the presence, differential expression, and regulation of epidermal growth factor-containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1) in uterine leiomyomas. Laboratory invivo and invitro study with the use of human leiomyoma and myometrial tissue and primary cells. Academic medical center. Leiomyoma and myometrial tissue samples and cultured cells. 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC) treatment. Fold-change difference between EFEMP1 and fibulin-3 expression in leiomyoma tissue and cells compared with matched myometrial samples, and fold-change difference in EFEMP1 expression with 5-Aza-dC treatment. Invivo, EFEMP1 expression was 3.19-fold higher in myometrial tissue than in leiomyoma tissue. EFEMP1 expression invitro was 5.03-fold higher in myometrial cells than in leiomyoma cells. Western blot and immunohistochemistry staining of tissue and cells confirmed similar findings in protein expression. Treatment of leiomyoma cells with 5-Aza-dC resulted in increased expression of EFEMP1 invitro. The EFEMP1 gene and its protein product, fibulin-3, are both significantly down-regulated in leiomyoma compared with myometrium when studied both invivo and invitro. The increase in EFEMP1 expression in leiomyoma cells with 5-Aza-dC treatment suggest that differential methylation is responsible, in part, for the differences seen in gene expression.

Exome Sequencing Identifies a Missense Variant in EFEMP1 Co-Segregating in a Family with Autosomal Dominant Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma.

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a clinically important and genetically heterogeneous cause of progressive vision loss as a result of retinal ganglion cell death. Here we have utilized trio-based, whole-exome sequencing to identify the genetic defect underlying an autosomal dominant form of adult-onset POAG segregating in an African-American family. Exome sequencing identified a novel missense variant (c.418C>T, p.Arg140Trp) in exon-5 of the gene coding for epidermal growth factor (EGF) containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1) that co-segregated with disease in the family. Linkage and haplotype analyses with microsatellite markers indicated that the disease interval overlapped a known POAG locus (GLC1H) on chromosome 2p. The p.Arg140Trp substitution was predicted in silico to have damaging effects on protein function and transient expression studies in cultured cells revealed that the Trp140-mutant protein exhibited increased intracellular accumulation compared with wild-type EFEMP1. In situ hybridization of the mouse eye with oligonucleotide probes detected the highest levels of EFEMP1 transcripts in the ciliary body, cornea, inner nuclear layer of the retina, and the optic nerve head. The recent finding that a common variant near EFEMP1 was associated with optic nerve-head morphology supports the possibility that the EFEMP1 variant identified in this POAG family may be pathogenic.

Tu1947 Cumulative Epigenetic Alterations in the Epidermal Growth Factor-Containing Fibulin-Like Extracellular Matrix Protein 1 (EFEMP1) Promoter Is an Essential Feature of Malignant Form of Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms (IPMN)

Tu1947 Cumulative Epigenetic Alterations in the Epidermal Growth Factor-Containing Fibulin-Like Extracellular Matrix Protein 1 (EFEMP1) Promoter Is an Essential Feature of Malignant Form of Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms (IPMN)

EFEMP1 promotes the migration and invasion of osteosarcoma via MMP-2 with induction by AEG-1 via NF-κB signaling pathway.

The role of epidermal growth factor-containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1) in osteosarcoma remains unknown. Then applying EFEMP1 siRNA, plasmids transfection and adding purified EFEMP1 protein in human osteosarcoma cell lines, and using immunohistochemistry on 113 osteosarcoma tissues, demonstrated that EFEMP1 was a poor prognostic indicator of osteosarcoma; EFEMP1 was specifically upregulated in osteosarcoma and associated with invasion and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. At the same time, we found a direct regulatory effect of EFEMP1 on MMP-2. Moreover, we firstly found the marked induction of EFEMP1 by oncogenic AEG-1. And EFEMP1 expression was inhibited by the selective inhibitor of NF-κB (PDTC) in osteosarcoma cells. Then we thought that NF-κB pathways might be one of the effective ways which EFEMP1 was induced by AEG-1. Thus, we suggested that EFEMP1 played a part as the mediator between AEG-1 and MMP-2. And NF-κB signaling pathway played an important role in this process. In summary, EFEMP1 was associated with invasion, metastasis and poor prognosis of osteosarcoma patients. EFEMP1 might indirectly enhance the expression of MMP-2, providing a potential explanation for the role of AEG-1 in metastasis. NF-κB pathways might be one of the effective ways which EFEMP1 was induced by AEG-1.

Novel tumor-suppressor gene epidermal growth factor-containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 is epigenetically silenced and associated with invasion and metastasis in human gastric cancer

The present study aimed to investigate the role of histone modification and DNA methylation in epidermal growth factor-containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1) silencing in gastric cancer (GC). In the present study, four GC cell lines, and 45 paired normal and GC tissue samples were used to assess EFEMP1 expression using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and EFEMP1 gene methylation status was evaluated by methylation-specific PCR. The involvement of histone modification in GC cell lines was examined by a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay. The results demonstrated that EFEMP1 mRNA level and methylation status in the EFEMP1 promoter region was associated with tumor differentiation, depth of tumor invasion and lymph node metastasis. DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (DAC) rapidly reduced DNA methylation and histone H3-K9 trimethylation at the silenced loci and reactivated EFEMP1 expression. By contrast, the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A markedly increased histone H3-K9 acetylation. However, it had no effect on DNA methylation, histone H3-K9 trimethylation or gene expression. In conclusion, the results suggested that EFEMP1 may function as a tumor suppressor in GC. Aberrant DNA methylation and histone H3-K9 trimethylation of EFEMP1 may be responsible for its downregulation in GC, and thus have an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis.