Yitian Chen

Inhibition of ZEB1 reverses EMT and chemoresistance in docetaxel-resistant human lung adenocarcinoma cell line

Docetaxel has been used as one of the first‐line chemotherapies in solid tumors including advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, limited responses to chemotherapy are observed in clinic and the molecular mechanisms have not been fully understood. Emerging evidence suggests that epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in the processes of tumor metastasis as well as resistance towards anticancer agents. In this study, it was observed that docetaxel‐resistant human lung adenocarcinoma cell line (SPC‐A1/DTX) was typical of mesenchymal phenotype. SPC‐A1/DTX cell line has increased migratory and invasive capacity both in vitro and in vivo. Among the master EMT‐inducing transcriptional factors, ZEB1 was found to be significantly increased in SPC‐A1/DTX cell line. ZEB1 knockdown with RNA interference could reverse the EMT phenotype and inhibit the migratory ability of SPC‐A1/DTX cells. Furthermore, inhibition of ZEB1 significantly enhanced the chemosensitivity of SPC‐A1/DTX cells to docetaxel in vitro and in vivo and ectopic expression of ZEB1 increased the chemoresistance of SPC‐A1 cells to docetaxel. All these results provide experimental evidence that ZEB1 might be an attractive target for the treatment of human NSCLC. J. Cell. Biochem. 114: 1395–1403, 2013.

Let-7c Governs the Acquisition of Chemo- or Radioresistance and Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition Phenotypes in Docetaxel-Resistant Lung Adenocarcinoma

MicroRNA (miRNA) expression and functions have been reported to contribute to phenotypic features of tumor cells. Although targets and functional roles for many miRNAs have been described in lung adenocarcinoma (LAD), their pathophysiologic roles in phenotypes of chemoresistant LAD cells are still largely unclear. Previously, docetaxel (DTX)-resistant LAD cell lines (SPC-A1/DTX and H1299/DTX) were established by our laboratory and displayed chemo- or radioresistance and mesenchymal features with enhanced invasiveness and motility. Unbiased miRNA profiling indicated that let-7c (MIRLET7C) was significantly downregulated in SPC-A1/DTX cells. Ectopic let-7c expression increased the in vitro and in vivo chemo- or radiosensitivity of DTX-resistant LAD cells through enhanced apoptosis, reversal of epithelial-to-mesenchymal phenotypes, and inhibition of in vivo metastatic potential via inactivation of Akt phosphorylation, whereas a let-7c inhibitor decreased the chemo- or radiosensitivity of parental cells. Further investigation suggested that let-7c significantly reduced the luciferase activity of a Bcl-xL 3′-UTR-based reporter, concordant with reduced Bcl-xL protein levels. Additionally, siRNA-mediated Bcl-xL knockdown mimicked the same effects of let-7c precursor, and enforced Bcl-xL expression partially rescued the effects of let-7c precursor in DTX-resistant LAD cells. Furthermore, we found that Bcl-xL was significantly upregulated in DTX-nonresponding LAD tissues, and its expression was inversely correlated with let-7c expression. This study suggests an important role for let-7c in the molecular etiology of chemoresistant lung adenocarcinoma. Mol Cancer Res; 11(7); 699–713. ©2013 AACR.

MicroRNA-650 was a prognostic factor in human lung adenocarcinoma and confers the docetaxel chemoresistance of lung adenocarcinoma cells via regulating Bcl-2/Bax expression.

Increasing evidence shows that dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) is involved in malignant transformation. We investigated the clinical significance of miR-650 and its involvement in chemoresistance to docetaxel. Our results showed that the relative expression level of miR-650 was significantly higher in LAD tissues than in corresponding nontumor tissues and high level of miR-650 expression was found to be significantly associated with high incidence of lymph node metastasis, advanced clinical stage and poor prognosis of LAD patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that high miR-650 expression was an independent prognostic factor for survival. Also, we found that the level of miR-650 in LAD tissues was correlated with the response of patients to docetaxel-based chemotherapy. Silencing of miR-650 could increase the in vitro sensitivity of docetaxel-resistant LAD cells to docetaxel, while upregulation of miR-650 decreased the sensitivity of parental LAD cells to docetaxel both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, silencing of miR-650 could enhance the caspase-3-dependent apoptosis, which might be correlated with the decreased ratio of Bcl-2/Bax. Further researches suggested that inhibitor of growth 4 (ING4) was a direct target of miR-650. Downregulated or upregulated ING4 expression could partially rescue the effects of miR-650 inhibitor or mimics in docetaxel-resistant or parental LAD cells. Furthermore, we found that ING4 was upregulated in docetaxel-responding LAD tissues, and its expression was inversely correlated with miR-650. Thus, miR-650 is a novel prognostic marker in LAD and its expression is a potential indicator of chemosensitivity to docetaxel-based chemotherapy regimen.

Expression and clinical significance of CD73 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α in gastric carcinoma

AIM To investigate the expression of CD73 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in human gastric carcinoma, and explore their clinical significance and prognostic value. METHODS CD73 and HIF-1α expressions were detected by immunohistochemistry in consecutive sections of tissue samples from 68 gastric carcinoma patients. The peritumor tissues 2 cm away from the tumor were obtained and served as controls. The presence of CD73 and HIF-1α was analyzed by immunohistochemistry using the Envision technique. RESULTS CD73 and HIF-1α expressions in gastric carcinoma were significantly higher than those in gastric mucosal tissues as control (P < 0.001) and showed a close correlation (Spearman r = 0.390, P = 0.001). Overexpression of CD73 was positively correlated with differentiation of tumor (P = 0.000), histopathology (P = 0.041), depth of invasion (P < 0.001), nodal status (P = 0.003), metastasis (P = 0.013), and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage (P < 0.001). High expression of HIF-1α was positively correlated with tumor diameter (P = 0.031), depth of invasion (P = 0.022), and AJCC stage (P = 0.035). The overall survival rate was low in the patients with high expression of CD73 (P < 0.001). Moreover, CD73+/HIF-1α+ patients had the worst prognosis (P < 0.001). CD73 expression was proven to be an independent predictor for patients with gastric carcinoma by both multivariate Cox regression analysis (P = 0.021) and receiver operating characteristic curves (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION CD73 expression correlates closely with HIF-1α expression in gastric carcinoma. CD73 could be an independent prognostic indicator for gastric carcinoma.

Combining Antiangiogenic Therapy with Adoptive Cell Immunotherapy Exerts Better Antitumor Effects in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Models

Introduction Cytokine-induced killer cells (CIK cells) are a heterogeneous subset of ex-vivo expanded T lymphocytes which are characterized with a MHC-unrestricted tumor-killing activity and a mixed T-NK phenotype. Adoptive CIK cells transfer, one of the adoptive immunotherapy represents a promising nontoxic anticancer therapy. However, in clinical studies, the therapeutic activity of adoptive CIK cells transfer is not as efficient as anticipated. Possible explanations are that abnormal tumor vasculature and hypoxic tumor microenvironment could impede the infiltration and efficacy of lymphocytes. We hypothesized that antiangiogenesis therapy could improve the antitumor activity of CIK cells by normalizing tumor vasculature and modulating hypoxic tumor microenvironment. Methods We combined recombinant human endostatin (rh-endostatin) and CIK cells in the treatment of lung carcinoma murine models. Intravital microscopy, dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry were used to investigate the tumor vasculature and hypoxic microenvironment as well as the infiltration of immune cells. Results Our results indicated that rh-endostatin synergized with adoptive CIK cells transfer to inhibit the growth of lung carcinoma. We found that rh-endostatin normalized tumor vasculature and reduced hypoxic area in the tumor microenvironment. Hypoxia significantly inhibited the proliferation, cytotoxicity and migration of CIK cells in vitro and impeded the homing of CIK cells into tumor parenchyma ex vivo. Furthermore, we found that treatment with rh-endostatin significantly increased the homing of CIK cells and decreased the accumulation of suppressive immune cells in the tumor tissue. In addition, combination therapy produced higher level of tumor-infiltration lymphocytes compared with other treatments. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that rh-endostatin improves the therapeutic effect of adoptive CIK cells therapy against lung carcinomas and unmask the mechanisms of the synergistic antitumor efficacy, providing a new rationale for combining antiangiogenesis therapy with immunotherapy in the treatment of lung cancer.

Preconditioning chemotherapy with cisplatin enhances the antitumor activity of cytokine-induced killer cells in a murine melanoma model.

Accumulating evidence has indicated that preconditioning chemotherapy could eliminate the suppressive factors in antitumor immune response, thereby leading to the full release of the efficacy of the subsequent immunotherapy. In this study, a single subtoxic dose (5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) of cisplatin was chosen as the preconditioning chemotherapy in combination with cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells (4×10(6), intravenously) to treat the murine B16 melanoma xenografts. It was found that cisplatin pretreatment could enhance the antitumor activity of CIK cells. To explore the potential mechanisms underlying the efficacy-enhancing effect of cisplatin, the in vivo trafficking and distribution of the infused CIK cells were traced. It was found that cisplatin could augment the homing ability of CIK cells into the tumor, tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs), and spleen tissues. The endogenous effector cells, CD3(+) T lymphocytes also had an increased accumulation in the tumor and TDLNs after cisplatin precondition. Moreover, cisplatin could also modulate the percentages of myeloid cells, thus encouraging immune responses by increasing the percentages of dendritic cells and relieving the immunosuppression by preferentially eliminating the myeloid-derived suppressor cells. In conclusion, our findings suggested that cisplatin preconditioning chemotherapy could enhance the antitumor activity of CIK cells in a murine melanoma model, and this efficacy-enhancing effect was attributed to the augmented homing ability of exogenous and endogenous effector cells and the modulation of the myeloid cells.

MiR-200b regulates autophagy associated with chemoresistance in human lung adenocarcinoma

Chemoresistance remains a major clinical problem in combating human lung adenocarcinoma (LAD), and abnormal autophagy is closely associated with this phenomenon. In the present study, an inverse correlation between miR-200b and autophagy-associated gene 12 (ATG12) expressions was observed in docetaxel-resistant (SPC-A1/DTX and H1299/DTX) and sensitive (SPC-A1 and H1299) LAD cells as well as in tissue samples. Further study showed that miR-200b directly targeted ATG12 in LAD. Moreover, miR-200b-dependent ATG12 downregulation inhibited autophagy and enhanced the chemosensitivity of SPC-A1/DTX and H1299/DTX cells both in vivo and in vitro. LAD chemoresistance is therefore closely related to downregulation of miR-200b and the corresponding upregulation of ATG12. These results provide new evidence for the mechanisms governing the microRNA (miRNA)-ATG12 network and their possible contribution to autophagy modulation and LAD chemoresistance.

Update of Research on Drug Resistance in Small Cell Lung Cancer Chemotherapy

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is characterized by a short cell doubling time, rapid progression and early occurrence of blood-borne and lymph metastasis. The malignancy is the highest of all lung cancer types. Although SCLC has a relatively good initial response to chemotherapy as well as radiotherapy, relapse or disease progression may occur quickly after the initial treatment. Drug resistance, especially multi-drug resistance, is the most important cause of failure of SCLC chemotherapy. This article provides a brief update of research on mechanisms of drug resistance in SCLC and reversal strategies.

Cisplatin pretreatment enhances anti-tumor activity of cytokine-induced killer cells

AIM To investigate whether cisplatin (DDP) enhances the anti-tumor activity of cytokine- induced killer (CIK) cells in a murine colon adenocarcinoma model. METHODS Tumor size and weight served as indicators of therapeutic response. Immunohistochemistry was performed to observe intratumoral lymphocyte infiltration and tumor microvessel density. Changes in the percentage of regulatory T (Treg) cells within the spleens of tumor-bearing mice preconditioned with DDP were monitored using flow cytometry. RESULTS A marked T cell-dependent, synergistic anti-tumor effect of the combined therapy was observed (1968 ± 491 mm³ vs 3872 ± 216 mm³; P = 0.003). Preconditioning chemotherapy with DDP augmented the infiltration of CD3+ T lymphocytes into the tumor mass and reduced the percentage of both intratumoral and splenic Treg cells. CONCLUSION Preconditioning with DDP markedly enhances the efficacy of adoptively transferred CIK cells, providing a potential clinical modality for the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer.

Cancer associated fibroblasts: An essential role in the tumor microenvironment (Review)

Fibroblasts in the tumor stroma are well recognized as having an indispensable role in carcinogenesis, including in the initiation of epithelial tumor formation. The association between cancer cells and fibroblasts has been highlighted in several previous studies. Regulation factors released from cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) into the tumor microenvironment have essential roles, including the support of tumor growth, angiogenesis, metastasis and therapy resistance. A mutual interaction between tumor-induced fibroblast activation, and fibroblast-induced tumor proliferation and metastasis occurs, thus CAFs act as tumor supporters. Previous studies have reported that by developing fibroblast-targeting drugs, it may be possible to interrupt the interaction between fibroblasts and the tumor, thus resulting in the suppression of tumor growth, and metastasis. The present review focused on the reciprocal feedback loop between fibroblasts and cancer cells, and evaluated the potential application of anti-CAF agents in the treatment of cancer.