Parental H1299 Research Articles

A novel Mcl-1 inhibitor synergizes with venetoclax to induce apoptosis in cancer cells

BackgroundEvading apoptosis by overexpression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins is a hallmark of cancer cells and the Bcl-2 selective inhibitor venetoclax is widely used in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Mcl-1, another anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member, is recognized as the primary cause of resistance to venetoclax treatment. However, there is currently no Mcl-1 inhibitor approved for clinical use.MethodsPaired parental and Mcl-1 knockout H1299 cells were used to screen and identify a small molecule named MI-238. Immunoprecipitation (IP) and flow cytometry assay were performed to analyze the activation of pro-apoptotic protein Bak. Annexin V staining and western blot analysis of cleaved caspase 3 were employed to measure the cell apoptosis. Mouse xenograft AML model using luciferase-expressing Molm13 cells was employed to evaluate in vivo therapeutic efficacy. Bone marrow samples from newly diagnosed AML patients were collected to evaluate the therapeutic potency.ResultsHere, we show that MI-238, a novel and specific Mcl-1 inhibitor, can disrupt the association of Mcl-1 with BH3-only pro-apoptotic proteins, selectively leading to apoptosis in Mcl-1 proficient cells. Moreover, MI-238 treatment also potently induces apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. Notably, the combined treatment of MI-238 with venetoclax exhibited strong synergistic anti-cancer effects in AML cells in vitro, MOLM-13 xenografts mouse model and AML patient samples.ConclusionsThis study identified a novel and selective Mcl-1 inhibitor MI-238 and demonstrated that the development of MI-238 provides a novel strategy to improve the outcome of venetoclax therapy in AML.

Phenotypic Characteristics of Dormant Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells Surviving Multifraction X-Ray Irradiation.

Phenotypic characteristics of human non-small cell lung cancer cells, A549 (p53 wild-type) and H1299 (p53-deficient) as well as their descendants surviving after multifraction X-ray irradiation at a cumulative dose of 60 Gy (sublines A549HR and H1299HR, respectively) were studied before and after additional 2 Gy single dose irradiation. In 24 h after the additional irradiation, we observed a significant increase in the proportion of cells with signs of entosis (by 5 times, p<0.05) and SA-β-gal+ cells (by 1.6 times, p<0.01) in the general population of A549HR cells. In contrast, a significant increase in the proportion of only SA-β-gal+ multinucleated giant cancer cells was revealed in the parental A549 cells. Additional single dose irradiation resulted in a significant (by 1.8 times, p<0.05) increase in the proportion of multinucleated giant cancer cells in H1299HR cells in comparison with their parental H1299 cells. These changes did not correlate with changes in the proportion of entotic cells, because their high basal content in the absence of functional p53 did not change in response to additional single dose irradiation. At the same time, both p53-deficient non-small cell lung cancer cell lines showed a significant (2.9-fold for H1299 and 5.5-fold for H1299HR cells, p<0.001) increase in the proportion of SA-β-gal+ cells in the general population, but not in the multinucleated giant cancer cells population.

IR-Surviving NSCLC Cells Exhibit Different Patterns of Molecular and Cellular Reactions Relating to the Multifraction Irradiation Regimen and p53-Family Proteins Expression.

Simple SummaryFor the first time, we demonstrated that the significant decrease in p63/p73 expression together with the absence of functional p53 could underlie an increase in the fraction of polyploid cells, transformation rates, and the glycolytic NAD(P)H production in multifraction X-ray radiation exposure (MFR)-surviving cancer cells, providing conditions for radioresistance associated with epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like process activation. During radiation therapy (RT), the treatment dose, fractionation, and dose limits for organs at risk (OARs) do not change between patients and are still prescribed mainly based on the Tumor, Node, Metastasis (TNM) stage, performance status, and comorbidities, taking no account of the tumor biology. Our data once again emphasize that non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) therapy approaches should become more personalized according to RT regimen, tumor histology, and molecular status of critical proteins.Radiotherapy is a primary treatment modality for patients with unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Tumor heterogeneity still poses the central question of cancer radioresistance, whether the presence of a particular cell population inside a tumor undergoing a selective outgrowth during radio- and chemotherapy give rise to metastasis and tumor recurrence. In this study, we examined the impact of two different multifraction X-ray radiation exposure (MFR) regimens, fraction dose escalation (FDE) in the split course and the conventional hypofractionation (HF), on the phenotypic and molecular signatures of four MFR-surviving NSCLC cell sublines derived from parental A549 (p53 wild-type) and H1299 (p53-null) cells, namely A549FR/A549HR, H1299FR/H1299HR cells. We demonstrate that sublines surviving different MFR regimens in a total dose of 60 Gy significantly diverge in their molecular traits related to irradiation regimen and p53 status. The observed changes regarding radiosensitivity, transformation, proliferation, metabolic activity, partial epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program activation and 1D confined migratory behavior (wound healing). For the first time, we demonstrated that MFR exposure led to the significant decrease in the expression of p63 and p73, the p53-family members, in p53null cells, which correlated with the increase in cell polyploidy. We could not find significant differences in FRA1 expression between parental cells and their sublines that survived after any MFR regimen regardless of p53 status. In our study, the FDE regimen probably causes partial EMT program activation in MFR-survived NSCLC cells through either Vimentin upregulation in p53null or an aberrant N-cadherin upregulation in p53wt cells. The HF regimen likely less influences the EMT activation irrespectively of the p53 status of MFR-survived NSCLC cells. Our data highlight that both MFR regimens caused overall higher cell transformation of p53null H1299FR and H1299HR cells than their parental H1299 cells. Moreover, our results indicate that the FDE regimen raised the radioresistance and transformation of MFR-surviving NSCLC cells irrespectively of their p53 status, though the HF regimen demonstrated a similar effect on p53null NSCLC cells only. Our data once again emphasize that NSCLC therapy approaches should become more personalized according to radiation therapy (RT) regimen, tumor histology, and molecular status of critical proteins.

Isovitexin Suppresses Stemness of Lung Cancer Stem-Like Cells through Blockage of MnSOD/CaMKII/AMPK Signaling and Glycolysis Inhibition.

Background Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) has been reported to promote stemness of lung cancer stem-like cells (LCSLCs) which had higher glycolytic rates compared with non-CSLCs. Isovitexin exhibited an inhibitory effect on the stemness of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. However, whether isovitexin could inhibit the promotion of stemness of LCSLCs mediated by MnSOD through glycolysis remains unclear. Objective Our study was aimed at investigating whether isovitexin inhibits lung cancer stem-like cells (LCSLCs) through MnSOD signaling blockage and glycolysis suppression. Methods Sphere formation and soft agar assays were conducted to determine self-renewal ability. The migration and invasion of LCSLCs were determined by wound healing and transwell assay. The glycolytic activity was assessed by determination of L-lactate metabolism rate. The influences of isovitexin on MnSOD, CaMKII, and AMPK activations as well as the metabolic shift to glycolysis were determined by manipulating MnSOD expression. Results It was found that MnSOD and glycolysis enhanced simultaneously in LCSLCs compared with parental H460 cells. Overexpression of MnSOD activated CaMKII/AMPK signaling and glycolysis in LCSLCs with increased self-renewal, migration, invasion, and expression of stemness-associated markers in vitro and elevated carcinogenicity in vivo. Knockdown of MnSOD induced an inverse effect in LCSLCs. Isovitexin blocked MnSOD/CaMKII/AMPK signaling axis and suppressed glycolysis in LCSLCs, resulting in inhibition of stemness features in LCSLCs. The knockdown of MnSOD significantly augmented isovitexin-associated inhibition of CaMKII/AMPK signaling, glycolysis, and stemness in LCSLCs. However, the overexpression of MnSOD could attenuate the inhibition of isovitexin on LCSLCs. Importantly, isovitexin notably suppressed tumor growth in nude mice bearing LCSLCs by downregulation of MnSOD expression. Conclusion MnSOD promotion of stemness of LCSLCs derived from H460 cell line is involved in the activation of the CaMKII/AMPK pathway and induction of glycolysis. Isovitexin-associated inhibition of stemness in LCSLCs is partly dependent on blockage of the MnSOD/CaMKII/AMPK signaling axis and glycolysis suppression.

Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid enhances the radiosensitivity of lung cancer cells through acetylated wild-type and mutant p53-dependent modulation of mitochondrial apoptosis.

ObjectiveSuberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, has shown potential as a candidate radiosensitizer for many types of cancers. This study aimed to explore the radiosensitization mechanism of SAHA in lung cancer cells.MethodsMutations in p53 were generated by site-directed mutagenesis using polymerase chain reaction. Transfection was performed to generate H1299 cells carrying wild-type or mutant p53. The radiosensitizing enhancement ratio was determined by clonogenic assays. Mitochondrial apoptosis was detected using JC-1 staining and flow cytometry analysis.ResultsOur results showed that SAHA induced radiosensitization in H1299 cells expressing wild-type p53, p53R175H or p53P223L, but this enhanced clonogenic cell death was not observed in parental H1299 (p53-null) cells or H1299 cells expressing p53 with K120R, A161T and V274R mutations. In SAHA-sensitized cells, mitochondrial apoptosis was induced following exposure to irradiation. Additionally, we observed that a secondary mutation at K120 (K120R) could eliminate p53-mediated radiosensitization and mitochondrial apoptosis.ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that wild-type and specific mutant forms of p53 mediate SAHA-induced radiosensitization by regulating mitochondrial apoptosis, and the stabilization of K120 acetylation by SAHA is the molecular basis contributing to radiosensitization in lung cancer cells.

Reversion from Methionine Addiction to Methionine Independence Results in Loss of Tumorigenic Potential of Highly-malignant Lung-cancer Cells.

Methionine addiction, a fundamental and general hallmark of cancer, is due to the excess use of methionine for transmethylation, and is described as the Hoffman-effect. Methionine-addicted cancer cells can revert at low frequency to methionine independence when selected under methionine-restriction. We report here that highly-malignant methionine-addicted H460 human lung-cancer cells, when selected for methionine independence, have greatly-reduced tumorigenic potential. Methionine-addicted H460 parental cancer cells and methionine-independent revertant H460-R1 cells were injected in nude mice subcutaneously. When the parental H460 methionine-addicted cells were injected in nude mice at 2.5×105, 1×105 and 5×104, the cells could form tumors. In contrast, the H460-R1 methionine-independent revertant cells could not form tumors when the above-listed cell numbers were injected in nude mice. There is a tight linkage between methionine addiction and malignancy.

Fer and FerT Govern Mitochondrial Susceptibility to Metformin and Hypoxic Stress in Colon and Lung Carcinoma Cells.

Aerobic glycolysis is an important metabolic adaptation of cancer cells. However, there is growing evidence that reprogrammed mitochondria also play an important metabolic role in metastatic dissemination. Two constituents of the reprogrammed mitochondria of cancer cells are the intracellular tyrosine kinase Fer and its cancer- and sperm-specific variant, FerT. Here, we show that Fer and FerT control mitochondrial susceptibility to therapeutic and hypoxic stress in metastatic colon (SW620) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC-H1299) cells. Fer- and FerT-deficient SW620 and H1299 cells (SW∆Fer/FerT and H∆Fer/FerT cells, respectively) become highly sensitive to metformin treatment and to hypoxia under glucose-restrictive conditions. Metformin impaired mitochondrial functioning that was accompanied by ATP deficiency and robust death in SW∆Fer/FerT and H∆Fer/FerT cells compared to the parental SW620 and H1299 cells. Notably, selective knockout of the fer gene without affecting FerT expression reduced sensitivity to metformin and hypoxia seen in SW∆Fer/FerT cells. Thus, Fer and FerT modulate the mitochondrial susceptibility of metastatic cancer cells to hypoxia and metformin. Targeting Fer/FerT may therefore provide a novel anticancer treatment by efficient, selective, and more versatile disruption of mitochondrial function in malignant cells.

ITGB1 enhances the Radioresistance of human Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Cells by modulating the DNA damage response and YAP1-induced Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition.

Objectives: Radiotherapy has played a limited role in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) due to the risk of tumour radioresistance. We previously established the radioresistant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line H460R. In this study, we identified differentially expressed genes between these radioresistant H460R cells and their radiosensitive parent line. We further evaluated the role of a differentially expressed gene, ITGB1, in NSCLC cell radioresistance and as a potential target for improving radiosensitivity.Materials and Methods: The radiosensitivity of NSCLC cells was evaluated by flow cytometry, colony formation assays, immunofluorescence, and Western blotting. Bioinformatics assay was used to identify the effect of ITGB1 and YAP1 expression in NSCLC tissues.Results: ITGB1 mRNA and protein expression levels were higher in H460R than in the parental H460 cells. We observed lower clonogenic survival and cell viability and a higher rate of apoptosis of ITGB1-knockdown A549 and H460R cells than of wild type cells post-irradiation. Transfection with an ITGB1 short hairpin (sh) RNA enhanced radiation-induced DNA damage and G2/M phase arrest. Moreover, ITGB1 induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of NSCLC cells. Silencing ITGB1 suppressed the expression and intracellular translocation of Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1), a downstream effector of ITGB1.Conclusions: ITGB1 may induce radioresistance via affecting DNA repair and YAP1-induced EMT. Taken together, our data suggest that ITGB1 is an attractive therapeutic target to overcome NSCLC cell radioresistance.

(\u2212)-Epigallocatechin gallate inhibits stemness and tumourigenicity stimulated by AXL receptor tyrosine kinase in human lung cancer cells

Cancer stem cells (H1299-sdCSCs) were obtained from tumour spheres of H1299 human lung cancer cells. We studied low stiffness, a unique biophysical property of cancer cells, in H1299-sdCSCs and parental H1299. Atomic force microscopy revealed an average Young’s modulus value of 1.52 kPa for H1299-sdCSCs, which showed low stiffness compared with that of H1299 cells, with a Young’s modulus value of 2.24 kPa. (−)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) reversed the average Young’s modulus value of H1299-sdCSCs to that of H1299 cells. EGCG treatment inhibited tumour sphere formation and ALDH1A1 and SNAI2 (Slug) expression. AXL receptor tyrosine kinase is highly expressed in H1299-sdCSCs and AXL knockdown with siAXLs significantly reduced tumour sphere formation and ALDH1A1 and SNAI2 (Slug) expression. An AXL-high population of H1299-sdCSCs was similarly reduced by treatment with EGCG and siAXLs. Transplantation of an AXL-high clone isolated from H1299 cells into SCID/Beige mice induced faster development of bigger tumour than bulk H1299 cells, whereas transplantation of the AXL-low clone yielded no tumours. Oral administration of EGCG and green tea extract (GTE) inhibited tumour growth in mice and reduced p-AXL, ALDH1A1, and SLUG in tumours. Thus, EGCG inhibits the stemness and tumourigenicity of human lung cancer cells by inhibiting AXL.

Integrative gene expression profiling reveals that dysregulated triple microRNAs confer paclitaxel resistance in non-small cell lung cancer via co-targeting MAPT.

BackgroundPaclitaxel has shown significant anti-tumor activity against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, resistance to paclitaxel frequently occurs and represents a significant clinical problem and its underlying molecular mechanism remains elusive.MethodsLong-term treatment of culture cell with paclitaxel was carried out to mimic the development of acquired drug resistance in NSCLC. Cell proliferation and clonogenic assay and apoptosis evaluation were carried out to determine the efficacy of paclitaxel on NSCLC cells. Western blot analyses were performed to determine the expression and activation of proteins. Apoptosis enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify cytoplasmic histone-associated DNA fragments. Microarray analyses were applied to explore both mRNA and miRNA expression profiles in NSCLC cells followed by integrative analysis. qRT-PCR was carried out to verify the differentially expressed mRNAs and miRNAs.ResultsThe expression of 652 genes was shown to be changed at least 2-fold in paclitaxel-resistant NSCLC (H460_TaxR) cells with 511 upregulated and 141 downregulated as compared with that in parental H460 cells. The differentially expressed genes were functionally enriched in regulating the cell proliferation, cell death, and response to endogenous stimulus, and clustered in pathways such as cancer and signaling by the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). Moreover, 43 miRNAs were shown to be differentially expressed in H460_TaxR cells with 15 upregulated and 28 downregulated as compared with parental H460 cells. A total of 289 pairs of miRNA-potential target gene were revealed in H460_TaxR cells by bioinformatics analysis. Furthermore, integrative analysis of miRNAs and gene expression profiles revealed that dysregulated miR-362-3p, miR-766-3p, and miR-6507-3p might confer paclitaxel resistance in NSCLC via targeting MAPT simultaneously.ConclusionOur findings suggested that specific manipulation of MAPT-targeting miRNAs may be a novel strategy to overcome paclitaxel resistance in patients with NSCLC especially large-cell lung carcinoma.

The Biguanides Metformin and Buformin in Combination with 2-Deoxy-glucose or WZB-117 Inhibit the Viability of Highly Resistant Human Lung Cancer Cells.

The biguanides metformin (MET) and to a lesser extent buformin (BUF) have recently been shown to exert anticancer effects. In particular, MET targets cancer stem cells (CSCs) in a variety of cancer types but these compounds have not been extensively tested for combination therapy. In this study, we investigated in vitro the anticancer activity of MET and BUF alone or in combination with 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) and WZB-117 (WZB), which are a glycolysis and a GLUT-1 inhibitor, respectively, in H460 human lung cancer cells growing under three different culture conditions with varying degrees of stemness: (1) routine culture conditions (RCCs), (2) floating lung tumorspheres (LTSs) that are enriched for stem-like cancer cells, and (3) adherent cells under prolonged periods (8-12 days) of serum starvation (PPSS). These cells are highly resistant to conventional anticancer drugs such as paclitaxel, hydroxyurea, and colchicine and display an increased level of stemness markers. As single agents, MET, BUF, 2-DG, and WZB-117 potently inhibited the viability of cells growing under RCCs. Both MET and BUF showed a strong synergistic effect when used in combination with 2-DG. A weak potentiation was observed when used with WZB-117. Under RCCs, H460 cells were more sensitive to MET and BUF and WZB-117 compared to nontumorigenic Beas-2B cells. While LTSs were less sensitive to each single drug, both MET and BUF in combination with 2-DG showed a strong synergistic effect and reduced cell viability to similar levels compared to the parental H460 cells. Adherent cells growing under PPSS were also less sensitive to each single drug, and MET and BUF showed a strong synergistic effect on cell viability in combination with 2-DG. Overall, our data demonstrates that the combination of BGs with either 2-DG or WZB-117 has “broad-spectrum” anticancer activities targeting cells growing under a variety of cell culture conditions with varying degrees of stemness. These properties may be useful to overcome the chemoresistance due to intratumoral heterogeneity found in lung cancer.

Evaluation of the cytotoxic and membrane damaging effects of mountain tea (Sideritis stricta Boiss &amp; Heldr.) essential oil on parental and epirubicin-HCl resistant H1299 cells

Purpose: In this study, we evaluated Sideritis stricta (S. stricta), as potential-oxidative agents against parental and epirubicin-HCl resistant H1299 cells. Material and Methods: Oxidative stress biomarkers such as malondialdehyde level determined in cell lysates. Assessment of cell viability was made by CellTiter-Blue® Cell Viability Assay and 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay after 20-600 μg/mL essential oil concentrations treated to parental and epirubicin-HCl (drug) resistant H1299 cells for 24, 48 and 72 h. Malondialdehyde levels were assayed for determining the membrane damaging effects. Results: Parental H1299 cells were found to be more sensitive to cytotoxic effect of the essential oil. Essential oil showed cytotoxic and more selective effects depend on time and concentration. Essential oil caused increasing malondialdehyde level on both parental and drug resistant H1299 cells. The highest concentration of the essential oil (IC70) treatment caused the highest membrane damage on both parental and drug resistant H1299 cells.Conclusions: Parental and epirubicin-HCl resistant H1299 cells showed different cellular response against potential antitumour and pro-oxidative effects of essential oil.

β-catenin decreases acquired TRAIL resistance in non-small-cell lung cancer cells by regulating the redistribution of death receptors.

Tumor necrosis factor‑related apoptosis‑inducing ligand (TRAIL) exhibits antitumor activity in various types of tumor cell and tumor‑bearing animals. However, acquired TRAIL resistance is a common issue that restricts its clinical application. Previous studies have revealed that β‑catenin is associated with TRAIL resistance in melanoma and colorectal tumors. In the present study, an acquired‑resistance non‑small‑cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line (H460‑TR) was established from parental TRAIL‑sensitive H460 cells using a gradient ascent model (8‑256ng/ml TRAIL). Cellular FADD‑like interleukin‑1β converting enzyme inhibitory protein and Mcl‑1 were upregulated and the cell surface distribution of death receptor(DR)4 and DR5 was downregulated in H460‑TR cells compared with the parental H460 cells. The results of reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis indicated that H460 cells expressed increased levels of β‑catenin and were more sensitive to TRAIL compared with H460‑TR cells. β‑catenin‑knockdown in H460 cells decreased their sensitivity to TRAIL, while upregulation of β‑catenin expression in H460‑TR cells increased their sensitivity to TRAIL, increased the cell surface distribution of DRs and activated caspase‑3/8. Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that β‑catenin impairs acquired TRAIL resistance in NSCLC cells by promoting the redistribution of DR4 and DR5 to the cytomembrane, and inducing TRAIL‑mediated cell apoptosis via caspase‑3/8 activation.

PO-233 Chemoresistant NSCLC cells are hypersensitive to metabolic drugs due to mTOR-mediated inhibition of autophagy

IntroductionIn non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cisplatin is the first line chemotherapy and triggers a strong apoptotic response mainly by inducing DNA interstrand crosslinks. However, the effectiveness of cytotoxic cancer therapy is often limited by the emergence of drug resistant tumour cells. Here, we identify strategies for overcoming resistance to DNA interstrand crosslinkers such as cisplatin.Material and methodsWe treated the NSCLC cell line H460 continuously with DNA crosslinking agents resulting in resistant subclones that displayed cross-resistance to multiple DNA-damaging cancer drugs, which are commonly used in the clinic.Results and discussionsDrug resistance was found to be mediated by mTOR-dependent upregulation of DNA repair via the Fanconi anaemia pathway. Strikingly, despite being multidrug-resistant, resistant cells were highly sensitive to treatment with the metabolic drugs 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) and dichloroacetate (DCA), whereas parental H460 cells failed to respond. Moreover, xenograft studies in mice revealed, that DCA preferentially reduces growth of resistant tumour cells. Interestingly, mTOR inhibition by RNAi or pharmacological inhibitors not only reversed resistance to crosslinking drugs but in parallel mitigated the apoptotic response to metabolic drugs, thereby linking sensitivity to metabolic drugs with mTOR signalling in chemoresistant cells. Mechanistically, inhibition of autophagy by mTOR was found to be decisive. We observed elevated levels of the mTOR-induced inhibitory S757 phosphorylation of the central autophagy-initiating kinase Ulk1 in chemoresistant tumour cells. Matching these observations, autophagosome formation was detected only in parental, but was abrogated in resistant tumour cells upon DCA treatment. In line, knockout of ATG7 using the CRISPR/Cas9 system or direct inhibition of different steps of autophagy with pharmacological autophagy inhibitors was sufficient to render parental cells sensitive to metabolic drugs. Failure to initiate autophagy resulted in lethal energy stress indicating that autophagy is absolutely required to survive metabolic drug treatment.ConclusionTogether these results demonstrate that mTOR-triggered resistance to DNA-damaging cancer drugs generates a therapeutic vulnerability to metabolic drugs due to mTOR-mediated inhibition of autophagy.

Overexpression of miR-4443 promotes the resistance of non-small cell lung cancer cells to epirubicin by targeting INPP4A and regulating the activation of JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

We aimed to elucidate the roles and regulatory mechanism of miR-4443 in regulating the resistance of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells to epirubicin (EPI). Fifty-four advanced NSCLC patients were classified as ''insensitive'' or ''sensitive'' according to patient's responses following EPI-based chemotherapy and then the expression of miR-4443 was determined. The EPI-resistant H1299 cells were collected and transfected with miR-4443 mimics, whereas parental H1299 cells were transfected with miR-4443 inhibitors. The inhibition of growth (IC50), cell cycle or apoptosis of different transfected groups were investigated. Additionally, the potential target of miR-3188 was identified and verified by luciferase reporter assay. Besides, the regulatory relationship between miR-3188 and JAK2/STAT3 pathway was explored. miR-4443 was highly expressed in insensitive NSCLC patients to EPT-based chemotherapy and EPI-resistant H1299 cells. Inhibition of miR-4443 increased the sensitivity of EPI-resistant H1299 cells to EPI by decreasing IC50 of EPI, inducing cell apoptosis and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest, while overexpression of miR-4443 promoted the resistance of parental H1299 cells to EPI. Furthermore, inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase type I gene (INPP4A) was a target of miR-4443 and its expression could be negatively regulated by miR-4443. Overexpression of miR-4443 promoted the resistance of parental H1299 cells to EPI by targeting INPP4A. Besides, overexpression of miR-4443 activated JAK2/STAT3 pathway in parental H1299 cells to EPI. Overexpression of miR-4443 may promote the resistance of NSCLC cells to EPI by targeting INPP4A and regulating the activation of JAK2/STAT3 pathway. miR-4443 may serve as a drug target for NSCLC.

Research of radiation resistance delivery through paracrine effects on non-small cell lung cancer

Objective To investigate the role and possible mechanisms of paracrine in radiation tolerance of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by observing the effects of radiation-resistant NSCLC H460R cell secretion on the radiosensitivity of parental H460 cells. Methods H460 cells were inoculated and cultured, and then divided into control group, conditional culturing group, irradiation group and irradiation combined conditional culturing group. One-time irradiation with 137Cs γ-rays was conducted with a dose rate of 1.02 Gy/min. Effect of H460R conditioned media on the radiation sensitivity of H460 cells was observed by clonogenic assay. The percentage of phospho-histone histone H2AX (γH2AX) positive cells was detected by immunofluorescence staining. The cyclical changes of the cells were detected by flow cytometry. The expression of DNA damage-associated proteins γH2AX and Rad51 were detected by Western Blot. Results The results showed that compared with the single γ-rays irradiation, the number of cell clones was significantly increased in the H460R cells after γ-rays irradiation combined with conditional culturing treatment at different doses of 2, 4, and 6 Gy, and the differences were statistically significant (2,4 Gy: all P<0.05; 6 Gy: P<0.01). The results of immunofluorescence staining showed that the percentage of γH2AX positive cells in the conditional culturing group was higher than that in the control group [(39.40±2.51)% vs. (25.21±2.05)%], and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). This value in the irradiation combined conditional culturing group was lower than that in irradiated group [(60.48±2.79)% vs. (80.65±2.05)%], and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The flow cytometry analysis showed that the percentage of cells in G2/M phase for the irradiation (4 Gy) combined conditional culturing group was higher than that of irradiated group [(26.83±1.42)% vs. (15.73±1.29)%], and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The Western Blot results showed that γH2AX and Rad51 protein expression in the irradiation (4 Gy) combined conditional culturing group respectively was lower and higher than that in irradiated group. Conclusion In the tumor microenvironment, radiation-resistant H460R cells can enhance the radioresistance of H460 cells by paracrine, which may be related to the promotion of DNA repair ability after irradiation Key words: Non-small cell lung cancer; Paracrine; Radioresistance; DNA repair

LncRNA DGCR5 contributes to CSC-like properties via modulating miR-330-5p/CD44 in NSCLC.

Non-coding RNAs can exert significant roles various cancers, including NSCLC. Previously, we indicated that lncRNA DGCR5 can promote lung cancer progression through inhibiting hsa-mir-22-3p. In our current study, we investigated the role of DGCR5 in cancer stem cell-like properties of NSCLC. CSCs have been recognized as the frequent cause of tumor metastasis, tumor recurrence, and chemotherapy resistance. Here, lung cancer stem cells were successfully enriched from the parental NSCLC A549, H460, and H1299 cells by using tumor sphere formation assays and side population (SP) assays. We observed that DGCR5 was up-regulated in the enriched CSCs of NSCLC. DGCR5 can inhibit the stemness of NSLCL while overexpression of DGCR5 promoted CSC-like traits. In addition, miR-330-5p was predicted as target of DGCR5 and the correlation between them was validated by dual-luciferase reporter assay, RIP assay, and RNA pull-down assay. Meanwhile, it was found that miR-330-5p was decreased in CSCs of NSCLC. miR-330-5p mimics repressed the stemness while miR-330-5p inhibition enhanced CSC-like properties by targeting CD44. Taken these together, DGCR5 can act as a crucial regulator of CSCs in NSCLC by modulating miR-330-5p/CD44 axis.

MiR-133b reverses cisplatin resistance by targeting GSTP1 in cisplatin-resistant lung cancer cells.

MicroRNAs play a critical role in chemoresistance and are implicated in various biological and pathological processes of cells. The objective of the present study was to explore the role of miR-133b and its mechanism in the regulation of cisplatin resistance and tumor progression in cisplatin-resistant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot assays of the cisplatin-resistant cell lines A549/DPP and H1299/DDP displayed the reduced expression of miR-133b and increased expression of glutathione-S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) in the resistant cells compared with the respective parental cell lines A549 and H1299. Cell Counting kit-8, flow cytometry, colony formation and Transwell migration assays indicated that the overexpression of miR-133b increased the chemosensitivity to cisplatin and attenuated the proliferation and migration capacities of the cisplatin-resistant NSCLC cell lines in vitro. A dual-luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that miR-133b negatively regulated the expression of GSTP1 by targeting its 3′-untranslated region. In addition, the knockdown of GSTP1 by transfection with small interfering RNA exerted similar effects on cell chemosensitivity, proliferation and migration as did ectopic miR-133b expression, in addition to the upregulation of Bax and down-regulation of Bcl-2, survivin and matrix metalloproteinase expression. In conclusion, the present study findings provide the insights that miR-133b reduces cisplatin resistance and its overexpression contributes to the suppression of the malignant growth and aggressiveness of cisplatin-resistant NSCLC cells by targeting GSTP1. This could potentially be exploited as a novel therapeutic strategy for the reversal of cisplatin resistance.

TRIB2 contributes to cisplatin resistance in small cell lung cancer.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most aggressive lung-cancer subtype and so far, no favorable therapeutic strategy has been established for chemo-resistant SCLC. Cisplatin is one of the most important components among all standard poly-chemotherapeutic regimens for SCLC; therefore, this study focused on revealing Cisplatin-resistance mechanism(s) in this disease. Cisplatin-resistant SCLC cells were generated in the NCI-H69 xenograft model in nude mice by continuous intravenous administration of Cisplatin; Cisplatin resistance of the tumor cells was confirmed by in vitro and in vivo tests, and the gene expression profile of the resistant cells was determined using microarray analysis. A significantly higher expression of tribbles pseudokinase 2 (TRIB2) mRNA in the Cisplatin-resistant cells was found compared to parental H69 cells. Further, the Cisplatin-resistance level was decreased when TRIB2 expression was knocked down. The mRNA and protein levels of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (CEBPA), known to be a transcription factor regulating cell differentiation and a target for degradation by TRIB2, as well as selected cancer stem cell makers in the Cisplatin-resistant cells, were measured. We found that CEBPA protein levels could be upregulated by knocking down the overexpressed TRIB2, which also reversed the Cisplatin-resistance of these cells; further, the Cisplatin-resistant SCLC cells demonstrated certain cancer stem cell-like properties. Similar patterns were also observed in limited human tumor specimens of chemo-resistant SCLC patients: namely, overexpressed TRIB2 and undetected CEBPA proteins. Our study revealed a possible molecular mechanism for Cisplatin-resistant SCLC involving induced TRIB2 overexpression and downregulation of CEBPA protein. We propose that this mechanism is a potential therapeutic target to circumvent chemo-resistance in SCLC.

SR 11302, an AP-1 Inhibitor, Reduces Metastatic Lesion Formation in Ex Vivo 4D Lung Cancer Model

Activator protein (AP) -1 is a transcription factor, plays important role in cell differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. Analysis of tumor cells grown on ex vivo 4D lung cancer model shows increase in components of AP-1, c-Fos and c-Jun in circulating tumor cells (CTC) compared to primary tumor. Our aim was to determine whether the AP-1 inhibitor SR11302 reduces metastatic lesion formation in the 4D model. Human lung cancer cell lines A549, H1299, and H460 were grown in the 4D model and treated with SR11302 (1 μM). We compared the number of cells in the metastatic site upon SR11302 treatment and number of viable CTCs isolated from the 4D model with parental cells treated/untreated with SR11302 on a petri dish. There were significantly fewer tumor cells per high-power field on metastatic site in 4D model seeded with H460 (p = 0.009), A549 (p = 0.01), or H1299 (p = 0.02) cells treated with SR11302. Furthermore, the CTCs from SR11302 treated 4D models, seeded with H460 (p = 0.04), A549 (p = 0.008), or H1299 (p = 0.01) cells had significantly fewer viable tumor cells after 4 days in culture than the respective untreated control. However, the SR11302 had no impact on the viability of parental H460 (p = 0.87), A549 (p = 0.93), or H1299 (p = 0.25) cells grown on a petri dish (2D). SR11302 reduces metastatic lesion formation in the ex vivo 4D lung cancer model due to the presence of an independent yet common pathway among three cell lines. The ex vivo 4D model may provide a tool to better understand the complex process of metastasis.