Target For Bladder Cancer Therapy Research Articles

The mechanism of PFK-1 in the occurrence and development of bladder cancer by regulating ZEB1 lactylation

BackgroundBladder cancer (BC) is one of the most common malignancies of the genitourinary system. Phosphofructokinase 1 (PFK-1) is one of member of PFK, which plays an important role in reprogramming cancer metabolism, such as lactylation modification. Zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) has been demonstrated to be a oncogene in many cancers. Therefore, this study was performed to explore the effects of PFK-1 on the lactylation of ZEB1 in BC development.MethodsCell viability was measured using the CCK-8 kit. The glucose assay kit and lactate assay kit were used to detect glucose utilization and lactate production. The DNA was purified and quantified by qRT-PCR.ResultsIn the present study, we found that ZEB1 expression levels were significantly elevated in bladder cancer cells. Impaired PFK-1 expression inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasion of BC cells and suppresses tumour growth in vivo. We subsequently found that knockdown of PFK-1 decreases glycolysis, including reduced glucose consumption, lactate production and total extracellular acidification rate (ECAR). Mechanistically, PFK-1 inhibits histone lactylation of bladder cancer cells, and thus inhibits the transcription activity of ZEB1.ConclusionOur results suggest that PFK-1 can inhibit the malignant phenotype of bladder cancer cells by mediating the lactylation of ZEB1. These findings suggested PFK-1 to be a new potential target for bladder cancer therapy.

Ferroptosis: An Emerging Target for Bladder Cancer Therapy.

Bladder cancer (BC), as one of the main urological cancers in the world, possesses the abilities of multiple-drug resistance and metastasis. However, there remains a significant gap in the understanding and advancement of prognosis and therapeutic strategies for BC. Ferroptosis, a novel type of iron-dependent regulated cell death, depends on lipid peroxidation, which has been proven to have a strong correlation with the development and treatment of BC. Its mechanism mainly includes three pathways, namely, lipid peroxidation, the antioxidant system, and the iron overload pathway. In this review, we reviewed the mechanism of ferroptosis, along with the related therapeutic targets and drugs for BC, as it might become a new anticancer treatment in the future.

Glucose Metabolism Reprogramming in Bladder Cancer: Hexokinase 2 (HK2) as Prognostic Biomarker and Target for Bladder Cancer Therapy.

Proliferating cancer cells are able to reprogram their energy metabolism, favouring glycolysis even in the presence of oxygen and fully functioning mitochondria. Research is needed to validate the glycolysis-related proteins as prognostic/predictive biomarkers in urothelial bladder carcinoma (UBC), a malignancy tagged by high recurrence rates and poor response to chemotherapy. Here, we assessed GLUT1, HK2, PFKL, PKM2, phospho-PDH, and LDHA immunoexpression in 76 UBC samples, differentiating among urothelial, fibroblast, and endothelial cells and among normoxic versus hypoxic areas. We additionally studied the functional effects of the HK2 inhibitor 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) in "in vitro" and "in vivo" preclinical UBC models. We showed that the expression of the glycolysis-related proteins is associated with UBC aggressiveness and poor prognosis. HK2 remained as an independent prognostic factor for disease-free and overall survival. 2DG decreased the UBC cell's viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion; the inhibition of cell cycle progression and apoptosis occurrence was also verified. A significant reduction in tumour growth and blood vessel formation upon 2DG treatment was observed in the chick chorioallantoic membrane assay. 2DG potentiated the cisplatin-induced inhibition of cell viability in a cisplatin-resistant subline. This study highlights HK2 as a prognostic biomarker for UBC patients and demonstrates the potential benefits of using 2DG as a glycolysis inhibitor. Future studies should focus on integrating 2DG into chemotherapy design, as an attempt to overcome cisplatin resistance.

Genetic Interference of FGFR3 Impedes Invasion of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma Cells by Alleviating RAS/MAPK Signal Activity.

Upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC) is a less common disease in Western countries but has a high level of prevalence in Asian populations. Compared to bladder cancer, unique etiologic and genomic factors are involved in UTUC. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) up-regulation has been proposed as a promising target for bladder cancer therapy. In this study, we aimed to profile the expression of FGFR3 in Asian and Caucasian UTUC tissues and to evaluate the in vitro therapeutic efficacy of small interference RNA (siRNA)-mediated FGFR3 silencing in UTUC treatment. The FGFR3 expression levels in renal pelvis tissues and microarray sections from Asian and Caucasian patients with UTUC, respectively, were measured via immunohistochemistry. The BFTC-909 and UM-UC-14 UTUC cell lines were used to examine the effects of FGFR3 silencing on proliferation, migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker expression, and signaling machinery. FGFR3 expression increased as the TNM stage increased in both Asian and Caucasian UTUC tumors, and no statistical difference was identified between the two groups. In vitro studies demonstrated that FGFR3 siRNA delivery significantly inhibited proliferation and migration and suppressed the expression of EMT markers and transcription factors in UTUC cells. Mechanistically, FGFR3 silencing alleviated the constitutive expression of RAS and the phosphorylation of MAPK signaling mediators, including ERK1/2 and JNK1/2. FGFR3 silencing elicited an apoptosis-inducing effect similar to that of FGFR inhibition. Conclusion: siRNA-targeted FGFR3 expression may impede the expansion and invasion of UTUC cells by alleviating the RAS/MAPK signaling pathway. The genetic interference of FGFR3 expression via siRNA in UTUC cells may constitute a useful therapeutic strategy.

BRD4 promotes the migration and invasion of bladder cancer cells through the Sonic hedgehog signaling pathway and enhances cisplatin resistance.

Platinum-based chemotherapy is a widely used strategy for bladder cancer (BCa) treatment. However, its clinical efficacy is affected by chemotherapy resistance via complex molecular mechanisms. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore new targets for BCa therapy. Here, we showed that bromodomain-4 protein (BRD4) expression is upregulated in BCa tissues and cells. Inhibition of BRD4 attenuated the migration and invasion of BCa cells, which was rescued by the Sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway activator recombinant human Sonic hedgehog peptide (rhSHH). We further found that cisplatin (DDP) suppressed the migration and invasion of BCa cells in vitro and inhibited tumor growth in vivo. However, overexpression of BRD4 weakened the pharmacological effects of DDP. In brief, our research revealed that BRD4 promotes migration and invasion by positively regulating the SHH pathway, drives DDP resistance in BCa, and is a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of BCa.

Exploiting protein family and protein network data to identify novel drug targets for bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer remains one of the most common forms of cancer and yet there are limited small molecule targeted therapies. Here, we present a computational platform to identify new potential targets for bladder cancer therapy. Our method initially exploited a set of known driver genes for bladder cancer combined with predicted bladder cancer genes from mutationally enriched protein domain families. We enriched this initial set of genes using protein network data to identify a comprehensive set of 323 putative bladder cancer targets. Pathway and cancer hallmarks analyses highlighted putative mechanisms in agreement with those previously reported for this cancer and revealed protein network modules highly enriched in potential drivers likely to be good targets for targeted therapies. 21 of our potential drug targets are targeted by FDA approved drugs for other diseases — some of them are known drivers or are already being targeted for bladder cancer (FGFR3, ERBB3, HDAC3, EGFR). A further 4 potential drug targets were identified by inheriting drug mappings across our in-house CATH domain functional families (FunFams). Our FunFam data also allowed us to identify drug targets in families that are less prone to side effects i.e., where structurally similar protein domain relatives are less dispersed across the human protein network. We provide information on our novel potential cancer driver genes, together with information on pathways, network modules and hallmarks associated with the predicted and known bladder cancer drivers and we highlight those drivers we predict to be likely drug targets.

Circular RNA VANGL1 knockdown suppressed viability, promoted apoptosis, and increased doxorubicin sensitivity through targeting miR-145-5p to regulate SOX4 in bladder cancer cells.

BackgroundBladder cancer is a common malignancy in the world. It is reported that circular RNA VANGL1 (circ_VANGL1) was involved in bladder cancer progression. However, the functional role and molecular mechanism of circ_VANGL1 in bladder cancer were still unclear.MethodsThe levels of circ_VANGL1, microRNA-145-5p (miR-145-5p), and Sex-determining region Y-related high-mobility group box 4 (SOX4) in bladder cancer tissues and cells were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain (RT-qPCR). The relative protein expression was detected by western blot. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and flow cytometry analysis were used to measure cell viability, IC50 value, and apoptosis rate. The interaction between miR-145-5p and circ_VANGL1 or SOX4 was predicted by online software starBase v2.0 or Targetscan and verified by the dual-luciferase reporter assay. Besides, xenograft mice model was used to detect the effects of circ_VANGL1 in vivo.ResultsThe level of circ_VANGL1 and SOX4 was increased, while miR-145-5p was decreased in bladder cancer tissues and cells. Knockdown of circ_VANGL1 suppressed viability, while promoted apoptosis and increased doxorubicin sensitivity in bladder cancer cells. Moreover, circ_VANGL1 acted as a sponge for miR-145-5p. In addition, miR-145-5p partially reversed the effects of miR-145-5p knockdown in T24 and J82 cells. SOX4 was a target of miR-145-5p and negatively regulated by miR-145-5p. Furthermore, miR-145-5p regulated SOX4 to affect cell progression in bladder cancer cells, including viability, apoptosis, and doxorubicin sensitivity. Besides, circ_VANGL1 suppressed tumor growth and enhanced the doxorubicin sensitivity in bladder cancer in vivo.Conclusioncirc_VANGL1 mediated cell viability, apoptosis, and doxorubicin sensitivity by regulating miR-145-5p/SOX4 axis in bladder cancer, providing a potential therapeutic target for bladder cancer therapy.

MP17-05 MYELOID CELLS IN BLADDER CANCER MICROENVIRONMENT DEGRADE HYALURONIC ACID INTO INFLAMMATORY LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT HYALURON

You have accessJournal of UrologyBladder Cancer: Basic Research & Pathophysiology II (MP17)1 Apr 2020MP17-05 MYELOID CELLS IN BLADDER CANCER MICROENVIRONMENT DEGRADE HYALURONIC ACID INTO INFLAMMATORY LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT HYALURON Paul Dominguez-Gutierrez*, Elizabeth Kwenda, Willim Donelan, Padraic O'Malley, Paul Crispen, and Sergei Kusmartsev Paul Dominguez-Gutierrez*Paul Dominguez-Gutierrez* More articles by this author , Elizabeth KwendaElizabeth Kwenda More articles by this author , Willim DonelanWillim Donelan More articles by this author , Padraic O'MalleyPadraic O'Malley More articles by this author , Paul CrispenPaul Crispen More articles by this author , and Sergei KusmartsevSergei Kusmartsev More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000000842.05AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a multifunctional glycosaminoglycan that is involved in tissue regeneration, inflammation response, and angiogenesis. HA is degraded by hyaluronidases (HYAL) 1-3 that cleave HA into specific low molecular weights (LMW) HA (<20KDa) that act as ligands for CD44, RHAMM, and ICAM-1. Multiple cancers have increased levels of HA, suggesting abnormal HA metabolism. This study sought to elucidate the role and factors associated with increased HA accumulation within the bladder cancer tumor microenvironment. METHODS: IRB approval and patient informed consent were given before collection of normal and tumor bladder tissue during cystectomy. 300µm precision-cut tissue slice were cultured for 3-14 days. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used for analysis of HA size using. To test the effect of the tumor microenvironment on normal cells, naïve myeloid cells were isolated from mouse bone marrow and cultured in plates precoated with high molecular weight (HMW) HA (>200KDa) in the presence or absence of human tumor conditioned media and examined using fluorescent microscopy. Realtime PCR was used to measure HYAL 1-3 expression and WES capillary electrophoresis was used to validate protein levels of Hyal2. RESULTS: Cultured slices from 25 bladder cancer patients were characterized by LMW-HA (Fig 1A). Normal bladder tissue was characterized by long structured linear pericellular HA, low inflammatory infiltrates, and > 200KDa HMW-HA (Fig1B). LMW-HA levels were undetectable in normal bladder samples. Furthermore, tumor bladder tissue was infiltrated with Hyal2 expressing myeloid cells. Hyal-2 expression in myeloid cells was upregulated by exposure to tumor-conditioned medium. CONCLUSIONS: Experimental and clinical samples of bladder cancer demonstrate high infiltration of Hyal-2 expressing myeloid cells. Increased Hyal-2 expression promotes degradation of HMW-HA into highly fragmented LMW-HA. This LMW-HA triggers inflammation via increased production of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors within the tumor microenvironment. Future studies should focus on Hyal-2 as a potential target for bladder cancer therapy and LMW-HA as a prognostic marker. Source of Funding: J&E King Florida Biomedical Research Program1923 Fund © 2020 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 203Issue Supplement 4April 2020Page: e227-e227 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2020 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Paul Dominguez-Gutierrez* More articles by this author Elizabeth Kwenda More articles by this author Willim Donelan More articles by this author Padraic O'Malley More articles by this author Paul Crispen More articles by this author Sergei Kusmartsev More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-2(PAI-2) overexpression supportsbladder cancer developmentin PAI-1 knockout mice in N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)-nitrosamine- induced bladdercancer mouse model

BackgroundAccumulating evidence suggests that plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) plays an important role in bladder tumorigenesis by regulating cell cycle. However, it remains unclear whether and how inhibition of PAI-1 suppresses bladder tumorigenesis.MethodsTo elucidate the therapeutic effect of PAI-1 inhibition, we tested its tumorigenicity in PAI-1 knockout (KO) mice exposed to a known bladder carcinogen.ResultsPAI-1 deficiency did not inhibit carcinogen-induced bladder cancer in mice although carcinogen-exposed wild type mice significantly increased PAI-1 levels in bladder tissue, plasma and urine. We found that PAI-1 KO mice exposed to carcinogen tended to upregulate protein C inhibitor (PAI-3), urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and tissue-type PA (tPA), and significantly increased PAI-2, suggesting a potential compensatory function of these molecules when PAI-1 is abrogated. Subsequent studies employing gene expression microarray using mouse bladder tissues followed by post hoc bioinformatics analysis and validation experiments by qPCR and IHC demonstrated that SERPING1 is further downregulated in PAI-1 KO mice exposed to BBN, suggesting that SERPING1 as a potential missing factor that regulate PAI-2 overexpression (compensation pathway).ConclusionsThese results indicate that serpin compensation pathway, specifically PAI-2 overexpression in this model, supports bladder cancer development when oncoprotein PAI-1 is deleted. Further investigations into PAI-1 are necessary in order to identify true potential targets for bladder cancer therapy.

Hsa_circ_0001361 promotes bladder cancer invasion and metastasis through miR-491-5p/MMP9 axis.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been increasingly indicated to be important participants in the development and progression of various malignant tumors. Our previous studies found that hundreds of circRNAs were aberrantly expressed in bladder cancer (BC) by high-throughput sequencing and we have confirmed that the downregulated circRNAs circHIPK3, circRNA BCRC-3, and circNR3C1 played inhibitory roles in BC progression. In this study, we focused on the upregulated circRNAs and identified a novel circular RNA, hsa_circ_0001361 (circ0001361), was expressed at high levels in BC tissues and cell lines based on RNA-Seq data and qRT-PCR analysis, and it was positively corelated with pathologic grade and muscle invasion. Moreover, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis implied that BC patients with high circ0001361 expression level had a poor overall survival. Functionally, circ0001361 promoted BC cell invasion and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo, but had no effect on cell cycle and proliferation. Mechanistically, RNA sequencing analysis indicated that MMP9 was upregulated in circ0001361-overexpressed BC cells, and MMP9 was verified to mediate circ0001361-induced cell migration and invasion. Furthermore, we demonstrated that circ0001361 could directly interact with miR-491-5p to upregulate MMP9 expression. Collectively, our findings indicate that circ0001361 plays oncogenic role in BC invasion and metastasis through targeting the miR-491-5p/MMP9 axis, and it might be a potential novel target for BC therapy.

Exosomal MicroRNA-9-3p Secreted from BMSCs Downregulates ESM1 to Suppress the Development of Bladder Cancer

Exosomes, carriers to transfer endogenous molecules, derived from bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have been reported to play a role in the progression of bladder cancer. Here we aimed to test the functional mechanism of microRNA-9-3p (miR-9-3p)-containing exosomes derived from BMSCs in bladder cancer. BMSCs were cocultured with bladder cancer cells, and exosomes secreted from BMSCs were identified. Next, the expression of miR-9-3p and endothelial cell-specific molecule 1 (ESM1) in bladder cancer tissues and cells was determined. Then effects of miR-9-3p and ESM1 via BMSC-derived exosomes on bladder cancer cell viability, migration, invasion, and apoptosis were determined by loss- and gain-of-function experiments and on in vivo tumor growth, and metastasis was assessed in nude mice. miR-9-3p expression was decreased and ESM1 was increased in bladder cancer. BMSCs inhibited bladder cancer cell viability, migration, and invasion, and induced apoptosis, whereas the addition of exosome secretion inhibitor GW4869 achieved the opposite effects. Moreover, exosomal miR-9-3p upregulation or ESM1 silencing suppressed bladder cancer cell viability, migration, and invasion; induced cell apoptosis; and inhibited in vivo tumor growth and metastasis. Taken together, BMSC-derived exosomal miR-9-3p suppressed the progression of bladder cancer through ESM1 downregulation, offering a potential novel therapeutic target for bladder cancer therapy.

Abstract 2939: Developing new therapeutic strategy to bladder cancer by targeting CK1 delta

Abstract Bladder cancer is a common malignancy with high recurrent rate, but targeted therapy other than immune checkpoint inhibitors is currently unavailable. Hence, there is an unmet medical need for the discovery of new therapeutic approach to bladder cancer. By investigating Oncomine database, the mRNA level of CK1 delta is higher in bladder cancer compared to normal tissue, which correlates with survival rate. The aim of this study is to develop new CK1 delta inhibitors and examine their therapeutic potential to bladder cancer as well as the pharmacological mechanisms. Cell viability, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, migration and downstream signaling pathway were analyzed. The results showed that treatment of CK1 delta inhibitors decreased cell viability and inhibited wnt/β-catenin pathway in bladder cancer cell lines. CK1 delta inhibitors increased the accumulation of sub-G1 phase by flow cytometry analysis, as well as the activation of caspase-3, 8, 9 and PARP cleavage by western blot, indicating the promotion of cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, necroptosis was also involved as evident by the rescuing effects by knocking down MLKL in bladder cancer cells. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that CK1 delta is a potential target for bladder cancer therapy in the future. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Yu-Chen Lin, Mei-chuan Chen, Jing-Ping Liou, Chun-Han Chen. Developing new therapeutic strategy to bladder cancer by targeting CK1 delta [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2939.

CircCDYL inhibits the expression of C-MYC to suppress cell growth and migration in bladder cancer

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been revealed to play important roles in modulating gene expression and are involved in several pathological processes. However, a large number of the circRNAs in bladder cancer progression remain undetermined. In this study, the expression level of circCDYL was detected by quantitative real-time PCR in bladder cancer tissues. The circCDYL over-expression plasmid was constructed and transfected into bladder cancer cell lines. The cell migration was detected by using transwell migration assay and wound healing assay, and cell cycles were detected by flow cytometry. The relative protein expression was detected by Western blotting. It was found that circCDYL was low expressed in bladder cancer tissues and cell lines. Functionally, over-expression of circCDYL inhibited cell growth and migration. Importantly, over-expression of circCDYL down-regulated the protein level of C-MYC in both EJ and T24T cells, while the mRNA level of C-MYC was not significantly reduced. Furthermore, over-expression of C-MYC could partly reverse the G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest induced by circCDYL in bladder cancer cells. Our findings suggest that circCDYL functions as a tumor suppressor in bladder cancer by down-regulating the expression of C-MYC, and this circular RNA might be used as a new target for bladder cancer therapy.

HSDL2 Promotes Bladder Cancer Growth In Vitro and In Vivo.

Bladder cancer is a common malignant urinary tumor, and patients with bladder cancer have poor prognosis. Abnormal lipid metabolism in peroxisomes is involved in tumor progression. Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-like 2 (HSDL2) localized in peroxisomes regulates fatty acid synthesis. In the present study, we reported that HSDL2 was upregulated in two human bladder cancer cell lines 5637 and T24 compared to normal human urothelial cells. Furthermore, lentiviral-mediated HSDL2 knockdown inhibited the proliferation and colony formation while promoted the apoptosis of human bladder cancer T24 cells in vitro. In nude mice HSDL2 knockdown inhibited the growth of T24 derived xenografts in vivo. In conclusion, our results suggest that HSDL2 plays an oncogenic role in bladder cancer and might serve as a potential target for bladder cancer therapy.

Inhibition of malignant human bladder cancer phenotypes through the down-regulation of the long non-coding RNA SNHG7

There is abundant evidence that long non-coding RNAs play important roles in the development of tumors. In the present study, our main aim was to explore the relationship between lncRNA SNHG7 and human bladder cancer cells, thus finding a novel target for bladder cancer therapy and diagnosis. Expression of lncRNA SNHG7 was evaluated using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in bladder tumor tissues and paired adjacent normal tissues from 72 patients diagnosed with urothelial bladder carcinoma. We analyzed the differences in expression according to grading and staging. Human bladder cancer cell lines UMUC, 5637, T24 and SW780 were transiently transfected with lncRNA SNHG7-specific siRNA and negative control siRNA. The changes in malignant phenotypes in transfected bladder cancer cells were determined using CCK-8 assay, wound-healing assay and ELISA. We found that lncRNA SNHG7 was correlated with human bladder cancer. lncRNA SNHG7 was overexpressed in bladder cancer tissues compared to paired normal tissues and expression of SNHG7 was higher in high-grade than low-grade tumors. The malignant phenotypes were significantly inhibited when we inhibited expression of lncRNA SNHG7 in several bladder cell lines. SNHG7 plays an oncogenic role in human bladder cancer and may be a potential novel therapeutic target for treating bladder cancer.

High-glucose promotes proliferation of human bladder cancer T24 cells by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Bladder cancer is the most prevalent genitourinary malignant disorder worldwide. We aimed to observe effects of high-glucose on bladder cancer proliferation and explore the associated mechanisms. Human bladder cancer cell line, T24, was divided into Blank, Control (Ctrl), 10 mmol/l, 20 mmol/l and 30 mmol/l group. T24 cell proliferation was evaluated by using multiple table tournament (MTT) assay and colony formation analysis, respectively. Quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay was employed to examine mRNA expression of Wnt-5a and β-catenin. Meanwhile, Western blot assay was used to evaluate expression of Wnt-5a and β-catenin protein. The linear regression analysis was utilized to analyze correlation between Wnt-5a/β-catenin expression and T24 cell proliferation. High-glucose significantly enhanced proliferation of T24 cells compared to that of Blank and Ctrl group (p < 0.05). High-glucose significantly promoted colony formation of T24 cells compared to that of Blank and Ctrl group (p < 0.05). High-glucose significantly up-regulated Wnt-5a mRNA and protein expression compared to that of Blank and Ctrl group (p < 0.01). High-glucose significantly increased β-catenin mRNA and protein expression compared to that of Blank and Ctrl group (p < 0.01). Effects of high-glucose on T24 cell proliferation were increased following with the enhanced glucose concentration. Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway molecules were correlated with colony formation of T24 cells (p < 0.05). High-glucose promoted the proliferation of T24 cells by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. This study would provide the novel targets for bladder cancer therapy.

Abstract 537: CK1 delta as a therapeutic target in bladder cancer

Abstract Bladder cancer is a common malignancy worldwide, but targeted therapy is currently unavailable. Therefore, there is an unmet medical need for bladder cancer patients. Oncomine database revealed that gene expression of CK1 delta is higher in bladder cancer compared to normal tissue. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of CK1 delta in the progression of bladder cancer, and the feasibility of CK1 delta as a therapeutic target. Lentiviral delivery of shRNA and CK1 delta inhibitors was used to modulate gene expression or kinase activity of CK1 delta in bladder cancer cell lines. Cell viability, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, migration and downstream signaling pathway were analyzed. The results showed that knocking down CK1 delta or treatment of CK1 delta inhibitors decreased cell viability and inhibited wnt/β-catenin pathway in bladder cancer cell lines. CK1 delta inhibitors increased the accumulation of sub-G1 phase by flow cytometry analysis, as well as the activation of caspase-3, 8, 9 and PARP cleavage by Western blot, indicating the promotion of cell apoptosis. Knocking down of CK1 delta and the treatment of CK1 delta inhibitors impaired cell migration activity, and altered protein expression of EMT markers, such as E-cadherin, vimentin, snail and slug. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that CK1 delta is a potential target for bladder cancer therapy. Citation Format: Chun-Han Chen. CK1 delta as a therapeutic target in bladder cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 537.

Role of mTORC2 and Nitric oxide in Bladder Cancer Invasion

BackgroundDespite accounting for around 17,000 deaths and 79,000 new diagnoses annually in the United States, treatment options for bladder cancer remain limited. The key driver of bladder cancer stage progression is increasing invasion into the bladder wall, which has limited response to current chemotherapy options and hence newer therapies directed against invasion are key to improving the treatment of bladder cancer. We have recently shown that arginine, the nitric oxide (NO) precursor, is implicated in bladder cancer progression. Our laboratory has also identified mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) as a driver of bladder cancer cell invasion. We evaluated the interaction between these two pathways to promote invasion.MethodsExpression of inducible and endothelial nitric oxide synthases (iNOS and eNOS) in FFPE tissue sections of progressive disease was assessed by IHC and correlated with histopathology, progression and stage based on moderate to strong expression (2+, 3+) compared to absent to weak expression (0, 1+). We utilized gene silencing methods and NOS inhibitors and NO scavenger for effects on bladder cancer invasion and migration. We assessed mTORC2 pathway activity and NOS levels in invasive cell tip protrusions called “invadopodia” and evaluated if mTORC2 regulates NOS localization. We used a novel zebrafish model to characterize the effects of mTORC2 and NO on bladder cancer metastases.ResultWe found that eNOS and iNOS are elevated in invasive human bladder tumors and cell lines and their ablation reduces bladder cancer cell migration and invasion by reorganizing the actin cytoskeleton and reducing invadopodia. mTORC2 silencing can affect levels of iNOS and eNOS in bladder cancer cell lines. Silencing of mTORC2, eNOS or iNOS reduced metastases of bladder cancer cells within zebrafish.ConclusionmTORC2 pathway is a key driver of bladder cancer invasion and metastases by regulating the NO pathway and both mTORC2 and NO can be targets for bladder cancer therapy, which would benefit patient outcomes.Support or Funding InformationPrevent Cancer Foundation Fellowship to DSCase Western Reserve University/Cleveland Clinic CTSA Grant Number UL1 RR024989 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a KL2 career development award (RR024990) and UCSD start‐up funding to DEHThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Role of mTORC2 and nitric oxide in bladder cancer invasion.

504 Background: In the United States, bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer, with an estimated 79,000 new diagnoses and 17,000 deaths in 2017, and the eleventh most common cancer worldwide. The key driver of bladder cancer stage progression is tumor cell invasion which has limited response to current chemotherapy options and hence, newer therapies directed against invasion are key to improving the treatment of bladder cancer. Our laboratory has identified mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) as a driver of bladder cancer cell invasion. We have also recently shown that arginine, the nitric oxide (NO) precursor, is implicated in bladder cancer progression. We evaluated the interaction between these two pathways to promote invasion. Methods: Expression of inducible and endothelial nitric oxide synthases (iNOS and eNOS) in FFPE tissue sections of progressive disease was assessed by IHC and correlated with histopathology, progression and stage based on moderate to strong expression (2+, 3+) compared to absent to weak expression (0, 1+).We utilized gene silencing methods and NOS inhibitors and NO scavenger for effects on bladder cancer invasion and migration. We assessed mTORC2 pathway activity and NOS levels in invasive cell tip protrusions called “invadopodia” and evaluated if mTORC2 regulates NOS localization and/or activity. We used a novel zebrafish model to characterize the effects of mTORC2 and NO on bladder cancer metastases. Results: We found that eNOS and iNOS are elevated in invasive human bladder tumors and cell lines and their ablation reduces bladder cancer cell migration and invasion. mTORC2 silencing can affect levels of iNOS and eNOS in bladder cancer cell lines. Silencing of mTORC2, eNOS or iNOS reduced metastases of bladder cancer cells within zebrafish. Conclusions: mTORC2 pathway is a key driver of bladder cancer invasion and metastases by regulating the NO pathway and both mTORC2 and NO can be targets for bladder cancer therapy, which would benefit patient outcomes.

The KMT1A-GATA3-STAT3 Circuit Is a Novel Self-Renewal Signaling of Human Bladder Cancer Stem Cells.

Purpose: Bladder cancer is one of the most common urinary malignancies worldwide characterized by a high rate of recurrence and no targeted therapy method. Bladder cancer stem cells (BCSCs) play a crucial role in tumor initiation, metastasis, and drug resistance. However, the regulatory signaling and self-renewal mechanisms of BCSCs remain largely unknown. Here, we identified a novel signal, the KMT1A-GATA3-STAT3 circuit, which promoted the self-renewal and tumorigenicity of human BCSCs.Experimental Design: In a discovery step, human BCSCs and bladder cancer non-stem cells (BCNSCs) isolated from primary bladder cancer samples #1 and #2, and the bladder cancer cell line EJ were analyzed by transcriptome microarray. In a validation step, 10 paired bladder cancer and normal tissues, different tumor cell lines, the public microarray datasets of human bladder cancer, and The Cancer Genome Atlas database were applied for the verification of gene expression.Results: KMT1A was highly expressed and responsible for the increase of tri-methylating lysine 9 of histone H3 (H3K9me3) modification in BCSCs compared with either BCNSCs or normal bladder tissue. GATA3 bound to the -1710∼-1530 region of STAT3 promoter and repressed its transcription. H3K9me3 modification on the -1351∼-1172bp region of the GATA3 promoter mediated by KMT1A repressed the transcription of GATA3 and upregulated the expression of STAT3. In addition, the activated STAT3 triggered self-renewal of BCSCs. Furthermore, depletion of KMT1A or STAT3 abrogated the formation of BCSC tumorspheres and xenograft tumors.Conclusions: KMT1A positively regulated the self-renewal and tumorigenicity of human BCSCs via KMT1A-GATA3-STAT3 circuit, in which KMT1A could be a promising target for bladder cancer therapy. Clin Cancer Res; 23(21); 6673-85. ©2017 AACR.