Jiaze An

Increased mitochondrial fission promotes autophagy and hepatocellular carcinoma cell survival through the ROS-modulated coordinated regulation of the NFKB and TP53 pathways

ABSTRACT Mitochondrial morphology is dynamically remodeled by fusion and fission in cells, and dysregulation of this process is closely implicated in tumorigenesis. However, the mechanism by which mitochondrial dynamics influence cancer cell survival is considerably less clear, especially in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we systematically investigated the alteration of mitochondrial dynamics and its functional role in the regulation of autophagy and HCC cell survival. Furthermore, the underlying molecular mechanisms and therapeutic application were explored in depth. Mitochondrial fission was frequently upregulated in HCC tissues mainly due to an elevated expression ratio of DNM1L to MFN1, which significantly contributed to poor prognosis of HCC patients. Increased mitochondrial fission by forced expression of DNM1L or knockdown of MFN1 promoted the survival of HCC cells both in vitro and in vivo mainly by facilitating autophagy and inhibiting mitochondria-dependent apoptosis. We further demonstrated that the survival-promoting role of increased mitochondrial fission was mediated via elevated ROS production and subsequent activation of AKT, which facilitated MDM2-mediated TP53 degradation, and NFKBIA- and IKK-mediated transcriptional activity of NFKB in HCC cells. Also, a crosstalk between TP53 and NFKB pathways was involved in the regulation of mitochondrial fission-mediated cell survival. Moreover, treatment with mitochondrial division inhibitor-1 significantly suppressed tumor growth in an in vivo xenograft nude mice model. Our findings demonstrate that increased mitochondrial fission plays a critical role in regulation of HCC cell survival, which provides a strong evidence for this process as drug target in HCC treatment.

Leukocyte telomere length predicts overall survival in hepatocellular carcinoma treated with transarterial chemoembolization.

Previous studies have reported that telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes can predict the clinical outcome of several cancers. However, whether leukocyte telomere length is associated with the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be determined. In this study, relative telomere length (RTL) in peripheral blood leukocytes was measured using a real-time PCR-based method for 269 HCC patients treated with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) from two independent hospitals. The association between RTL and the overall survival (OS) of HCC was analyzed. The immunological function of the HCC patients with different leukocyte RTLs was evaluated. Multivariate analyses indicated that long leukocyte RTL was significantly associated with poor OS of HCC patients, with a hazard ratio of 2.04 (95% confidence interval, 1.46-2.86; P < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier analyses showed a significant difference of median survival time between patients with long and short RTL (log rank P < 0.001). Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analyses showed that the long RTL group had a significantly increased percentage of CD4(+)CD25(+)FOXP3(+) Treg in CD4(+) T cells compared with short RTL group (P = 0.002). In conclusion, our results suggest that leukocyte RTL may serve as an independent prognostic marker for HCC patients treated with TACE.

Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission promotes cell proliferation through crosstalk of p53 and NF-κB pathways in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Mitochondria are highly dynamic and undergo constant fusion and fission that are essential for maintaining physiological functions of cells. Recently, we have reported that increased mitochondrial fission promotes autophagy and apoptosis resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell through ROS-mediated coordinated regulation of NF-κB and p53 pathways. However, little is known about the roles of mitochondrial dynamics in HCC cell proliferation, another key feature of cancer cells. In this study, we systematically investigated the functional role of mitochondrial fission in the regulation of HCC cell proliferation. Furthermore, the underlying molecular mechanisms were deeply explored. We found that, increased mitochondrial fission by forced expression of Drp1 promoted the proliferation of HCC cells both in vitro and in vivo mainly by facilitating G1/S phase transition of cell cycle. Whereas, Drp1 knockdown or treatment with mitochondrial division inhibitor-1 induced significant G1 phase arrest in HCC cells and reduced tumor growth in the xenotransplantation model. We further demonstrated that the proliferation-promoting role of Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission was mediated via p53/p21 and NF-κB/cyclins pathways. Moreover, the crosstalk between p53 and NF-κB pathways was proved to be involved in the regulation of mitochondrial fission-mediated cell proliferation. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission plays a critical role in the regulation of cell cycle progression and HCC cell proliferation. Thus, targeting Drp1-dependent mitochondrial fission may provide a novel strategy for suppressing tumor growth of HCC.

A Meta-Analysis of Array-CGH Studies Implicates Antiviral Immunity Pathways in the Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background The development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is significantly correlated to the accumulation of genomic alterations. Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH) has been applied to a wide range of tumors including HCCs for the genome-wide high resolution screening of DNA copy number changes. However, the relevant chromosomal variations that play a central role in the development of HCC still are not fully elucidated. Methods In present study, in order to further characterize the copy number alterations (CNAs) important to HCC development, we conducted a meta-analysis of four published independent array-CGH datasets including total 159 samples. Results Eighty five significant gains (frequency ≥25%) were mostly mapped to five broad chromosomal regions including 1q, 6p, 8q, 17q and 20p, as well as two narrow regions 5p15.33 and 9q34.2-34.3. Eighty eight significant losses (frequency ≥25%) were most frequently present in 4q, 6q, 8p, 9p, 13q, 14q, 16q, and 17p. Significant correlations existed between chromosomal aberrations either located on the same chromosome or the different chromosomes. HCCs with different etiologies largely exhibited surprisingly similar profiles of chromosomal aberrations with only a few exceptions. Furthermore, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis indicated that the genes affected by these chromosomal aberrations were significantly enriched in 31 canonical pathways with the highest enrichment observed for antiviral immunity pathways. Conclusions Taken together, our findings provide novel and important clues for the implications of antiviral immunity-related gene pathways in the pathogenesis and progression of HCC.

SNP rs2057482 in HIF1A gene predicts clinical outcome of aggressive hepatocellular carcinoma patients after surgery

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) plays an important role in tumor growth and metastasis. Genetic variations of HIF1A gene have been shown to influence the developing risk and prognosis in many types of human malignancies. However, their association with clinical outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients remains unclear. To investigate the predictive role of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in HIF1A gene in HCC patients’ outcomes, we genotyped three functional SNPs (rs2057482, rs1957757 and rs2301113) in HIF1A gene and assessed their associations with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of 492 surgical HCC patients. The patients with variant alleles (CT+TT) of SNP rs2057482 had a significantly lower recurrence risk when compared with patients with the CC genotype. In stratified analysis, the protective effect of rs2057482 CT+TT genotype was more evident in patients with adverse strata, compared with patients with favorable strata. Additionally, strong joint predictive effect between rs2057482 genotypes and AFP level, stage or differentiation were observed. Functional assay also indicated the significant effect of rs2057482 on gene expression. In conclusion, SNP rs2057482 in HIF1A gene is significantly associated with clinical outcomes of Chinese HCC patients after surgery, especially in those with aggressive status, which warrants further validation in other patient populations.

Mitochondrial fission forms a positive feedback loop with cytosolic calcium signaling pathway to promote autophagy in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Both mitochondrial morphology and the level of cytosolic calcium [Ca2+]c are actively changed and play critical roles in a number of malignancies. However, whether communications existed between these two processes to ingeniously control the malignant phenotype are far from clear. We investigated the reciprocal regulation between mitochondrial fission and cytosolic calcium signaling in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Furthermore, the underlying molecular mechanisms and the synergistic effect on autophagy were explored. Our results showed that mitochondrial fission increased the [Ca2+]c and calcium oscillation in HCC cells. We further found that mitochondrial fission-mediated calcium signaling was dependent on ROS-activated NF-κB pathways, which facilitated the expression of STIM1 and subsequent store-operated calciumentry. Additionally, we also demonstrated that increase in [Ca2+]c promoted mitochondrial fission by up-regulating expression of Drp1 and FIS1 via transcription factors NFATC2 and c-Myc, respectively. Moreover, the positive feedback loop significantly promoted HCC cell global autophagy by Ca2+/CAMKK/AMPK pathway. Our data demonstrate a positive feedback loop between mitochondrial fission and cytosolic calcium signaling and their promoting role in autophagy of HCC cells, which provides evidence for this loop as a potential drug target in tumor treatment.

A genetic variant in primary miR-378 is associated with risk and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in a Chinese population.

Background MiR-378 has been reported to be related to cell survival, tumor growth and angiogenesis and may participate in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and prognosis. Genetic variants in primary miR-378 (pri-miR-378) may impact miR-378 expression and contribute to HCC risk and survival. This study aimed to assess the associations between a genetic variant in primary miR-378 and HCC susceptibility and prognosis. Methods We conducted a case-control study to analyze the association of rs1076064 in pri-miR-378 with hepatocellular carcinoma risk in 1300 HCC patients with positive hepatitis B virus (HBV) and 1344 HBV carriers. Then, we evaluated the correlation between the polymorphism and hepatocellular carcinoma prognosis in 331 HCC patients at either intermediate or advanced stage without surgical treatment. Results The variant genotypes of rs1076064 were associated with a decreased HCC risk in HBV carriers [Adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.90, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 0.81–1.00, P = 0.047]. Moreover, HCC patients with the variant genotypes were associated with a better survival [Adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 0.70, 95% CIs = 0.59–0.83, P<0.0001 in an additive genetic model]. The reporter gene assay showed that the variant G allele of rs1076064 exerted higher promoter activity than the A allele. Conclusions These findings indicate that rs1076064 may be a biomarker for HCC susceptibility and prognosis through altering pri-miR-378 transcription.

Genetic variations of mitochondrial genome modify risk and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma patients

BACKGROUND Previous studies have indicated that mitochondrial genetic variations were associated with the risk of many cancers. However, there are few reports on the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or haplogroups of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and the risk or prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS In order to investigate the predictive and prognostic role of mtDNA SNPs and haplogroups in HCC, the mitochondrial genome of 188 HCC patients and 344 healthy controls were sequenced by next generation sequencing technology. Then, logistic regression analysis was used to determine the effect of mtDNA SNP or haplogroup on risk and prognosis of HCC patients. RESULTS The haplogroup M7 had an odds ratio (OR) of 0.47 (95% CI=0.24-0.91; P=0.026) to develop HCC. The frequency of 152T/C, 199T/C, 4048G/A, 9824T/C, 15784T/C, 16185C/T and 16399A/G was significantly different between HCC patients and the controls. In addition, multivariate analysis with COX hazards model showed that the patients with haplogroup M8 had lower survival rate than the patients with haplogroup D4 (HR=2.62, 95% CI=1.03-6.68; P=0.044). Three SNPs 15784T/C, 16185C/T and 16399A/G were also identified to have a statistically significant association with postoperative survival in HCC. CONCLUSIONS To date, these results provide the first evidence that mtDNA SNPs and haplogroups may be potential risk factors for susceptibility and survival of HCC patients.

Genome-wide association study identifies a new locus at 7q21.13 associated with hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. In China, chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains the major risk factor for HCC. In this study, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) among Chinese populations to identify novel genetic loci contributing to susceptibility to HBV-related HCC. Experimental Design: GWAS scan is performed in a collection of 205 HBV-related HCC trios (each trio includes an affected proband and his/her both parents), and 355 chronic HBV carriers with HCC (cases) and 360 chronic HBV carriers without HCC (controls), followed by two rounds of replication studies totally consisting of 3,796 cases and 2,544 controls. Results: We identified a novel association signal within the CDK14 gene at 7q21.13 (index rs10272859, OR = 1.28, P = 9.46 × 10−10). Furthermore, we observed that the at-risk rs10272859[G] allele was significantly associated with higher mRNA expression levels of CDK14 in liver tissues. Chromosome conformation capture assays in liver cells confirmed that a physical interaction exists between the promoter region of CDK14 and the risk-associated SNPs in strong linkage disequilibrium with the index rs10272859 at 7q21.13. This index rs10272859 also showed significant association with the survival of HCC patients. Conclusions: Our findings highlight a novel locus at 7q21.13 conferring both susceptibility and prognosis to HBV-related HCC, and suggest the CDK14 gene to be the functional target of the 7q21.13 locus. Clin Cancer Res; 24(4); 906–15. ©2017 AACR.

Genetic variants in glucose-6-phosphate isomerase gene as prognosis predictors in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND Metabolic reprogramming is an important hallmark of cancer cells, including the alterations of activity and expression of enzymes in glucose metabolism. Previous studies have demonstrated the critical role of glucise-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI) in cancer initiation, metastasis and progression. However, the significance of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in GPI gene has not been investigated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS In this study, a total of 3 functional SNPs in GPI gene were genotyped in 492 HCC patients with surgical treatment. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model and Kaplan-Meier curve were used for the analysis of overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). RESULTS The homozygous variant genotypes of rs7248411 in mRNA splice sites of GPI gene were significantly associated with an increased risk of death in the multivariate analysis (Hazard ratio [HR], 2.07; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.16-3.68 in a recessive model). In stratified analysis, the association remained significant in patients with high α-fetal protein (AFP) level (HR=2.37, 95% CI 1.25-4.49). Moreover, we identified the interaction between rs7248411 and AFP level in predicting the prognosis of HCC patients (P for interaction<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that GPI gene polymorphism may serve as potential biomarkers to predict the OS of HCC. Further studies with different ethnicities are needed to validate our findings and generalize its clinical utility.