Inhibition Of Cancer Cell Motility Research Articles

Migrastatics: Redirecting R&D in Solid Cancer Towards Metastasis?

The concept of 'migrastatics' allows the development of a new drug class that is neither cytotoxic nor antiproliferative but is solely directed towards inhibition of cancer cell motility. Given that the regulatory pathway is open, and migrastatic candidates have been described, it is the right time to enter a new era of antimetastatic treatment.

Yap regulates gastric cancer survival and migration via SIRT1/Mfn2/mitophagy.

Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and Hippo-Yap is the novel signaling pathway which plays an important role in gastric cancer tumor development and progression. However, little insight is available to date regarding the specific role of Yes-associated protein (Yap) in gastric cancer. In the present study, we identified the mechanism through which Yap sustains gastric cancer viability and migration. Yap was greatly upregulated in gastric cancer cells and its expression promoted cellular migration and survival. Functional studies found that knockdown of Yap reduced the mitophagy activity, which subsequently caused mitochondrial apoptosis and cellular oxidative stress. The latter impaired adhesive protein expression, alleviated F-actin expression, blunted lamellipodium formation, leading to inhibition of cancer cell motility. Mechanistically, Yap preserved Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) activity which manipulated mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) expression and subsequent mitophagy. Loss of Yap reduced SIRT1 expression and inhibited Mfn2-mediated mitophagy. Collectively, our results identified Hippo-Yap as a tumor promoter in gastric cancer that was mediated via activation of the SIRT1/Mfn2/mitophagy axis, with potential applications to gastric cancer therapy involving cancer survival and migration.

Triterpene saponosides from Lysimachia ciliata differentially attenuate invasive potential of prostate cancer cells

Neither androgen ablation nor chemotherapeutic agents are effective in reducing the risk of prostate cancer progression. On the other hand, multifaceted effects of phytochemicals, such as triterpene saponins, on cancer cells have been suggested. A promising safety and tolerability profile indicate their possible application in the treatment of advanced prostate cancers. We analyzed the specificity, selectivity and versatility of desglucoanagalloside B effects on human prostate cancer cells derived from prostate cancer metastases to brain (DU-145 cells) and bone (PC-3 cells). Prominent growth arrest and apoptotic response of both cell types was observed in the presence of sub-micromolar desglucoanagalloside B concentrations. This was accompanied by cytochrome c release and caspase 3/7 activation. A relatively low cytostatic and pro-apoptotic response of cancer cells to a desglucoanagalloside B analog, anagallosaponin IV, illustrated the specificity of the effects of desglucoanagalloside B, whereas the low sensitivity of normal prostate PNT2 cells to desglucoanagalloside B showed the selectivity of its action. Inhibition of cancer cell motility was observed in the presence of both saponins, however only desglucoanagalloside B attenuated cancer cell invasive potential, predominantly through an effect on cell elastic properties. These data demonstrate the versatility of its effects on prostate cancer cells. In contrast to PNT2 cells, cancer cells tested in this study were relatively resistant to mitoxantrone. The multifaceted action of desglucoanagalloside B on basic cellular traits, crucial for prostate cancer progression, opens perspectives for elaboration of combined palliative therapies and new prostate cancer prophylaxis regimens.

Inhibition of cancer cell motility and invasion by interleukin-12

Tumour cell motility and attachment are crucial requirements in the formation of metastatic lesions. These properties are affected by a number of cytokines including hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) and several immunoregulatory proteins, including interleukin-12 (IL-12). Although IL-12 has been reported to exhibit potent anti-tumour effects in vivo, a direct effect of IL-12 on cancer cells has not been reported. We show here that IL-12 directly inhibited the attachment of the human colon cancer cell lines HRT18, HT29 and HT115 to Matrigel, HGF/SF-stimulated cell motility and HGF/SF-induced cell invasion through a reconstituted basement membrane. IL-12 did not affect the growth of these cell lines. Flow cytometry, Western analysis and immunohistochemistry revealed an up-regulation of E-cadherin cell-surface adhesion molecules. These direct effects of IL-12 on colon cancer cells suggest a potentially important role for IL-12 in metastasis.