RESUMEN
Recent studies have demonstrated that the cell adhesion molecule, L1, is expressed in several malignant tumor types and its expression correlates with tumor progression and metastasis. However, the role of L1 in gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that L1 is expressed in GBC cells and plays an important role in the growth, motility, invasiveness, and adhesiveness of GBC cells. Specific depletion or overexpression of L1 in the GBC cell lines JCRB1033 and SNU-308, respectively, was achieved by lentivirus-mediated transduction and expression of an L1 mRNA-specific short hairpin RNA or full-length human L1. Stable depletion of L1 led to a significant decrease in GBC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, as well as decreased intracellular signaling through AKT and FAK. Overexpression of L1 in GBC cells enhanced these cellular activities. In a GBC xenograft nude mouse model, suppression of L1 markedly reduced tumor growth and increased the survival of tumor-bearing mice whereas L1 overexpression stimulated tumorigenicity. Taken together, these results suggest that L1 plays a crucial role in GBC progression and may be a novel therapeutic target in GBC treatment.
Asunto(s)
Adenocarcinoma/metabolismo , Adenocarcinoma/patología , Neoplasias de la Vesícula Biliar/metabolismo , Neoplasias de la Vesícula Biliar/patología , Molécula L1 de Adhesión de Célula Nerviosa/metabolismo , Animales , Western Blotting , Adhesión Celular , Línea Celular Tumoral , Movimiento Celular , Proliferación Celular , Progresión de la Enfermedad , Quinasa 1 de Adhesión Focal/metabolismo , Humanos , Técnicas In Vitro , Lentivirus/genética , Ratones , Ratones Desnudos , Molécula L1 de Adhesión de Célula Nerviosa/antagonistas & inhibidores , Molécula L1 de Adhesión de Célula Nerviosa/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas c-akt/metabolismo , ARN Interferente Pequeño/genéticaRESUMEN
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is an aggressive malignant tumor and is refractory to conventional chemotherapy. The aim of this study is therefore to elucidate the mechanism of chemoresistance in ICC which is not fully understood. We generated cisplatin resistant ICC cells via long term exposure to cisplatin and found that these cells are also resistant to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and gemcitabine. The chemoresistant cells showed enhanced Bcl-2 expression and reduced Bax expression compared to parental ICC cells. In addition, the resistant cells showed enhanced activation of AKT and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2. Inhibition of AKT activation by phosphoinocitide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002 resulted in reduced Bcl-2 expression and enhanced Bax expression and thus induced apoptosis in the resistant cells, whereas inhibition of ERK1/2 activation by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) inhibitor U0126 did not induce apoptosis without affecting the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax but decreased cell growth. Moreover, the inhibition of AKT or ERK1/2 sensitized the resistant cells to cisplatin and therefore resulted in greatly enhanced cisplatin-induced apoptosis and growth inhibition in the cells. The results indicate that AKT and ERK1/2 signaling mediate chemoresistance in the cells and could be important therapeutic targets for overcoming chemoresistance in ICC.
Asunto(s)
Resistencia a Antineoplásicos , Proteína Quinasa 1 Activada por Mitógenos/metabolismo , Proteína Quinasa 3 Activada por Mitógenos/metabolismo , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas c-akt/metabolismo , Antineoplásicos/farmacología , Neoplasias de los Conductos Biliares/enzimología , Conductos Biliares Intrahepáticos , Línea Celular Tumoral , Colangiocarcinoma/enzimología , Cisplatino/farmacología , Activación Enzimática , Humanos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/enzimología , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas c-bcl-2/metabolismo , Proteína X Asociada a bcl-2/metabolismoRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), a highly malignant hepatobiliary cancer, has a poor prognosis and is refractory to conventional therapies. The aim of this study is to discover a novel molecular target for the treatment of ICC. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: To discover novel cancer-associated membrane antigens expressed in ICC cells, we generated monoclonal antibodies (mAb) by immunizing mice with intact ICC cell lines and screened for those that bind to the plasma membrane of ICC cells but not to normal cells. The mAb A10-A3 was selected and its target antigen was identified as the L1 cell adhesion molecule. Expression of L1 in ICC was evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis of tumor samples from 42 ICC patients. The functional significance of L1 expression in the tumor progression of ICC was investigated by L1 suppression, L1 overexpression, and antibody treatment. RESULTS: L1 was not expressed in normal hepatocytes and intrahepatic bile duct epithelium but highly expressed in 40.5% of ICC patients, remarkably at the invasive front of the tumors. Suppression of L1 with short hairpin RNA significantly decreased proliferation, migration, and invasion of ICC cells in vitro. Consistently, L1 overexpression in ICC cells enhanced proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis resistance. In addition, L1 short hairpin RNA or anti-L1 mAb significantly reduced the tumor growth in nude mice bearing ICC xenograft. CONCLUSIONS: We identified that L1 is expressed in ICC. L1 plays an important role in the tumor progression of ICC by enhancing cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and survival. L1 may represent a novel therapeutic target for ICC.