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BACKGROUND: One of the main reasons for cancer resistance to chemotherapy is the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in cancer tissues. It is also believed that CSCs are the unique originators of all tumor cells. On the other hand, the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition pathway (EMT) can act as the main agent of metastasis. Therefore, it is possible that targeting CSCs as well as the EMT pathway could help in cancer therapy. Considering that CSCs constitute only a small percentage of the total tumor mass, enrichment before study is necessary. In our previous study, CSCs were enriched in the human colon cancer cell line HT29 by induction of EMT. These CSC-enriched HT29 cells with mesenchymal morphology were named "HT29-shE". In the present study, these cells were used to investigate the effect of pioglitazone (Pio) and Cetuximab (Cet) in order to find CSC and EMT targeting agents. METHOD: The viability and IC50 rate of cells treated with different concentrations of Pio and Cet were evaluated using the MTT test. EMT and CSC markers and cell morphology were assessed in Pio and Cet treated and untreated HT29-shE cells using flow cytometry, realtime PCR, immunocytochemistry, and microscopic monitoring. RESULTS: The findings showed that Pio and Cet at concentrations of 250 µM and 40 µg/ml, respectively, decrease cell viability by 50%. Also, they were able to reduce the expression of CSC markers (CD133 and CD44) in the CSC enriched HT29 cell line. Furthermore, Pio and Cet could efficiently reduce the expression of vimentin as a mesenchymal marker and significantly upregulate the expression of E-cadherin as an epidermal marker of EMT and its reverse mesenchymal-- to-epithelial transition (MET). In addition, the mesenchymal morphology of HT29-shE changed into epithelial morphology after Cet treatment. CONCLUSION: Pio and Cet could inhibit EMT and reduce CSC markers in the EMT induced/CSC enriched cell line. We expect that focus on finding EMT/CSC-targeting agents like these drugs can be helpful for cancer treatment.
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Natural compounds are known to regulate stemness/self-renewal properties in colon cancer cells at molecular level. In the present study, we first time studied the colon cancer stem-like cells targeting potential of Kurarinone (KU) and explored the underlying mechanism. Cytotoxic potential of KU was checked in colon cancer cells. Colonosphere formation assay was performed to check the spheroid formation reduction potential of KU in HCT-116 cells by using phase-contrast microscopy. Stemness/self-renewal marker expression was studied at mRNA and protein levels in colonosphere. The qRT-PCR, western blot analysis, and flow cytometer techniques were used to assess the effect of KU treatment on cell cycle progression and apoptosis induction in colon cancer cells and colonosphere. Further, effect of KU treatment on pSTAT3 status and its nuclear translocation was also studied. KU treatment significantly decreased HCT-116 cell proliferation and reduced sphere formation potential at IC30 (8.71 µM) and IC50 (20.34 µM) concentrations compared to respective vehicle-treated groups, respectively. KU exposure significantly reduced the expression of CD44, c-Myc, Bmi-1, and Sox2 stemness/self-renewal markers in colonosphere in a dose-dependent manner. KU treatment inhibits JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway by reducing pSTAT3 levels and its nuclear translocation in HCT-116 cells and colonosphere at IC50 concentration. KU treatment significantly decreased the expression of CCND1 and CDK4 cell cycle-specific markers and arrested the HCT-116 cells and colonosphere in G1-phase. Further, KU treatment increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, apoptotic cell population, cleaved caspase 3, and PARP-1 in HCT-116 cells and colonosphere. In conclusion, KU treatment decreases stemness/self-renewal, induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in HCT-116 colonosphere by down-regulating CD44-JAK2-STAT3 axis. Thus, targeting stemness/self-renewal and other cancer hallmark(s) by KU through CD44/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway might be a novel strategy to target colon cancer stem-like cells.
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Antineoplásicos , Neoplasias del Colon , Flavonoides , Humanos , Apoptosis , Antineoplásicos/farmacología , Neoplasias del Colon/tratamiento farmacológico , Transducción de Señal , Proliferación Celular , Factor de Transcripción STAT3/metabolismo , Línea Celular Tumoral , Janus Quinasa 2/metabolismoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND:Clinical treatment for colon cancer mainly includes fluorouracil,irinotecan and oxaliplatin-based therapy.Studies have shown that membrane transport proteins such as ATP-binding cassette transport protein of G2(ABCG2)mediate the transport of these drugs.However,when patients develop resistance to these chemotherapeutic drugs,the high expression of ABCG2 leads to a significant decrease in the therapeutic effect and raises the problem of drug resistance in colon cancer.New drugs and treatments are urgently needed to improve the efficacy.Lycium barbarum polysaccharide has a wide range of biological activities.It can be used as anti-tumor drug to overcome the damage to normal cells in the process of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in tumor patients. OBJECTIVE:To explore the reversal effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide in combination with oxaliplatin on colon cancer drug-resistant cells through in vitro experiments to investigate the possible molecular mechanism of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide reversal on colon cancer drug-resistant cells. METHODS:Colon cancer cell line HCT116 and oxaliplatin-resistant cell line HCT116-OXR were selected for in vitro experiments.The optimal intervention concentration and intervention time of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide and oxaliplatin were determined by CCK8 assay of cell proliferation.Samples were further divided into the HCT116 control group,HCT116-OXR blank treatment group,Lycium barbarum polysaccharide group(2.5 mg/mL Lycium barbarum polysaccharide),and oxaliplatin group(10 μmol/L oxaliplatin),and Lycium barbarum polysaccharide + oxaliplatin group(2.5 mg/mL Lycium barbarum polysaccharide +10 μmol/L oxaliplatin).Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry.The protein expression levels of phosphomannose isomerase(PMI)and ABCG2 were detected by immunofluorescence and western blot assay.Phosphatidylinositol3-kinase(PI3K),protein kinase B(AKT),B-cell lymphoma 2(Bcl-2)and BCL2-Associated X(Bax)were detected by western blot assay. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)HCT116-OXR was more sensitive to Lycium barbarum polysaccharide compared to HCT116(P<0.05).(2)Compared with the HCT116-OXR blank group,Lycium barbarum polysaccharide + oxaliplatin could promote apoptosis of HCT116-OXR cells(P<0.05).The protein expression of Bcl-2 was significantly down-regulated(P<0.05);the protein expression of Bax was significantly up-regulated(P<0.05);the protein expression of ABCG2,PMI,PI3K and AKT was significantly down-regulated(P<0.05).(3)These results indicate that Lycium barbarum polysaccharide reverses drug resistance in colon cancer by inhibiting PMI/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway,which lays the foundation for studying the molecular mechanism of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide's sensitizing chemotherapeutic effects.
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Colorectal cancer stem cells are undifferentiated tumorigenic cells with malignant phenotypic characteristics in colorectal cancer and considered as the main cause of tumor recurrence, drug resistance, and metastasis through self-renewal and differentiated cloning. Colorectal cancer stem cells and various components in the tumor microenvironment are interdependent and influence one another. The relationship between tumor stem cells and other components in the tumor microenvironment may play an important role in the treatment of colorectal cancer. This review summarizes this relationship.
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BACKGROUND: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a type of tumor cell that are self-sustaining and can differentiate into several different types of cells. The present study aims to investigate the effect of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) on the biological behavior of colon CSCs (CCSCs) and to determine the underlying molecular mechanisms of liver metastasis in colorectal cancer. METHODS: Subsets of CCSCs were isolated from stem-like HCT116 cells and cocultured with CD133+ HPCs in vitro. Colony formation assay, and CCK-8 were used to assess the effects of HPCs on CCSC subsets. Invasive and migration assay were done to study the effects of HPCs mediated metastatic capacity of CCSC subsets. Expression of MMP-9, VEGF, E-cadherin and ß-catenin was analyzed by qPCR and Western blotting. RESULTS: CCK-8 and colony formation assays showed that HPCs significantly promoted proliferation and colony formation of the CCSC subsets (P=0.031). HPCs also significantly enhanced the migration (P=0.011) and invasive capacity (P=0.001) of the CCSC subsets. Quantitative PCR showed that MMP-9 and VEGF expression in CCSC subsets were significantly upregulated (P=0.000 and P=0.005). Western blotting showed that MMP-9, VEGF and ß-catenin expression in CCSC subsets were significantly upregulated (P=0.000, P=0.005, P=0.000). The protein expression levels of E-cadherin in the CCSC subsets was significantly downregulated (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: CD133+ HPCs enhanced migration, invasion and proliferation of CCSC subsets in vitro.
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In cancer treatment, the most attractive feature of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is it's homing to tumor tissues. MSC is an important part of the "colon cancer stem cell niche", but little research has been done on the tropism of human MSCs toward colon cancer stem cells (CCSCs). In this study, we first compared the effects of three tissue-derived MSCs (bone marrow, adipose tissue, and placenta) in vivo on colon tumor xenograft growth. Then, we analyzed the tropism of bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMSCs) toward normal intestinal epithelial cells (NCM460), parental colon cancer cells, CD133- /CD44-, and CD133+ /CD44+ colon cancer cells in vitro. Microarray analysis and in vitro experiments explored the mechanism of mediating the homing of BMSCs toward CCSCs. Compared with the parental and CD133- /CD44- colon cancer cells, CD133+ /CD44+ cells have a stronger ability to recruit BMSCs. In addition, BMSCs were significantly transformed into cancer-associated fibroblasts after being recruited by CCSCs. After coculture of BMSCs and CCSCs, the expression of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-32, and CCL20 was significantly increased. Compared with parental strains, CD133- /CD44- cells, and NCM460, BMSC secreted significantly more IL-8 after coculture with CD133+ /CD44+ cells. Low concentration of IL-8 peptide inhibitors (100 ng/ml) and CXC receptor 2 (CXCR2) inhibitors have little effect on the migration of BMSCs, but can effectively weaken CCSC stemness and promote dormant CSCs in the coculture system to re-enter into the cell cycle. The endogenous IL-8 knockout in BMSCs or BMSCs loaded with IL-8 and/or CXCR2 inhibitors will make the therapy of BMSC targeting CCSCs function at its best.
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Antígeno AC133/metabolismo , Neoplasias del Colon/patología , Receptores de Hialuranos/metabolismo , Interleucina-8/metabolismo , Células Madre Mesenquimatosas/metabolismo , Células Madre Neoplásicas/patología , Tropismo , Animales , Línea Celular Tumoral , Movimiento Celular , Proliferación Celular , Autorrenovación de las Células , Humanos , Masculino , Ratones Endogámicos BALB C , Ratones Desnudos , Células Madre Neoplásicas/metabolismo , Fenotipo , Ensayos Antitumor por Modelo de XenoinjertoAsunto(s)
Carcinoma/patología , Neoplasias del Colon/patología , Interleucina-8/metabolismo , Sistema de Señalización de MAP Quinasas , Células Madre Mesenquimatosas/citología , Células Madre Neoplásicas/citología , Antígeno AC133/metabolismo , Fibroblastos Asociados al Cáncer/citología , Fibroblastos Asociados al Cáncer/metabolismo , Carcinoma/metabolismo , Células Cultivadas , Neoplasias del Colon/metabolismo , Proteínas Quinasas Dependientes de AMP Cíclico/metabolismo , Transición Epitelial-Mesenquimal , Femenino , Factor 10 de Crecimiento de Fibroblastos/metabolismo , Células HCT116 , Humanos , Receptores de Hialuranos/metabolismo , Células Madre Mesenquimatosas/metabolismo , Células Madre Neoplásicas/metabolismo , Receptores de Interleucina-8B/metabolismoRESUMEN
Cancer stem cells, also known as tumor-initiating cells (TICs), are a population of aggressive and self-renewing cells that are responsible for the initiation and progression of many cancers, including colorectal carcinoma. Intratumoral hypoxia, i.e. reduced oxygen supply following uncontrolled proliferation of cancer cells, is thought to support TIC activity by inducing specific hypoxia-responsive mechanisms that are not yet entirely understood. Using previously established and fully characterized patient-derived TIC cultures, we could observe increased sphere and colony formation under hypoxic conditions. Mechanistically, microRNA (miRNA)-profiling experiments allowed us to identify miR-215 as one of the main hypoxia-induced miRNAs in primary colon TICs. Through stable overexpression of miR-215, followed by a set of functional in vitro and in vivo investigations, miR-215 was pinpointed as a negative feedback regulator, working against the TIC-promoting effects of hypoxia. Furthermore, we could single out LGR5, a bona fide marker of non-neoplastic intestinal stem cells, as a downstream target of hypoxia/miR-215 signaling. The strong tumor- and TIC-suppressor potential of miR-215 and the regulatory role of the hypoxia/miR-215/LGR5 axis may thus represent interesting points of attack for the development of innovative anti-CSC therapy approaches.
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Hipoxia de la Célula/fisiología , Neoplasias del Colon/metabolismo , Neoplasias del Colon/patología , MicroARNs/metabolismo , Células Madre Neoplásicas/metabolismo , Células Madre Neoplásicas/patología , Animales , Neoplasias del Colon/genética , Genes Supresores de Tumor , Xenoinjertos , Humanos , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos NOD , MicroARNs/genética , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/genética , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/metabolismo , Transducción de Señal , Esferoides Celulares , Células Tumorales Cultivadas , Regulación hacia ArribaRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Walnut phenolic extract (WPE) reduces proliferation and enhances differentiation of colon cancer stem cells (CSCs). The present study investigated the metabolic influence of WPE on the mitochondrial function of colon CSCs to determine its underlying mechanism. METHODS: CD133+CD44+ HCT116 colon cancer cells were selected by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and were treated with or without 40 µg/mL WPE. RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were further validated with RT-PCR. WPE-induced alterations in mitochondrial function were investigated through a mitochondrial stress test by determining cellular oxygen consumption rate (OCR), an indicator of mitochondrial respiration, and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), an indicator of glycolysis, which were further confirmed by glucose uptake and lactate production tests. RESULTS: RNA-Seq analysis identified two major functional clusters: metabolic and mitochondrial clusters. WPE treatment shifted the metabolic profile of cells towards the glycolysis pathway (ΔECAR = 36.98 mpH/min/ptn, p = 0.02) and oxidative pathway (ΔOCR = 29.18 pmol/min/ptn, p = 0.00001). Serial mitochondrial stimulations using respiration modulators, oligomycin, carbonyl cyanide-4 (trifluoromethoxy) phenylhydrazone, and rotenone/antimycin A, found an increased potential of mitochondrial respiration (ΔOCR = 111.5 pmol/min/ptn, p = 0.0006). WPE treatment also increased glucose uptake (Δ = 0.39 pmol/µL, p = 0.002) and lactate production (Δ = 0.08 nmol/µL, p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: WPE treatment shifts the mitochondrial metabolism of colon CSC towards more aerobic glycolysis, which might be associated with the alterations in the characteristics of colon CSC.
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Neoplasias del Colon/metabolismo , Juglans/metabolismo , Mitocondrias/metabolismo , Células Madre Neoplásicas/metabolismo , Extractos Vegetales/metabolismo , Diferenciación Celular , Proliferación Celular , Células Cultivadas , Metabolismo Energético , Glucólisis , Humanos , Consumo de OxígenoRESUMEN
Objective: Cancer stem cells play a crucial role in tumor multidrug resistance and metastasis, which can produce heterogeneous tumor cells and have self-renewal ability. The related literature reported that PRMT8 was overexpressed in tumor stem cells and pluripotent stem cells. However, it's unclear how PRMT8 acts on the stemness of colon tumor cells. This study is designed to detect functions by transfecting with PRMT8 plasmid to colon cancer cells. Methods: In this study we investigated colon cancer cell sphere and its differential expression of PRMT8 compared with colon cancer cells grown by static adherence. RKO Sphere formation assay was used to identify CSCs and verified PRMT8 and pluripotent transcription factors SOX2, OCT4, Nanog expression level in colon cell sphere. Colon cancer cell HCT-8 and RKO up-regulated PRMT8 expression by being transfected with PRMT8 plasmid to evaluate its effect on the stemness of colon tumor cell. Results: In RKO cell sphere, stem cell surface marker CD133 and CD44 were highly expressed. And PRMT8, SOX2, OCT4 and Nanog were also highly expressed in RKO cell sphere. After PRMT8 was up-regulated in HCT-8 and RKO cells, flow cytometry proved that PRMT8 group cells have a significant increase of the side population (SP) cells with cancer stem cell surface markers CD133 and CD44. And overexpression of PRMT8 in HCT-8 and RKO cells facilitated their aggressive traits, which contained proliferation, invasion and migration, as well as leading to their drug resistance. PRMT8 may play a role in colon cancer stem cells (CSC) through its regulation of pluripotent transcription factors, such as Nanog Homeobox (Nanog), octamer-binding transcription factor-4 (Oct4) and SRY-related high-mobility-group(HMG)-box protein-2 (Sox2). Conclusion: PRMT8 may promote the formation of colon cancer stem cells and, thus, be considered a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of malignant colon tumor.
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Antroquinonol (ANQ) is a ubiquinone derivative from the unique mushroom Antrodia camphorata, which exhibits broad-spectrum bioactivities. The effects of ANQ on cancer stem cell-like properties in colon cancer, however, remain unclear. In this study, we found that ANQ inhibited growth of colon cancer cells. The 50% growth inhibitions (GI50) of ANQ on HCT15 and LoVo were 34.8 ± 0.07 and 17.9 ± 0.07 µM. Moreover, ANQ exhibited inhibitory activities toward migration/invasion and tumorsphere formation of colon cancer cells. Mechanistically, ANQ inhibited pluripotent and cancer stem cell-related genes and down-regulated ß-catenin/T-cell factor (TCF) signaling. Moreover, activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/ß-catenin signaling axis was identified to be crucial for regulating the expressions of pluripotent genes, whereas suppression of PI3K/AKT by ANQ inhibited expressions of ß-catenin and downstream targets. Molecular docking identified the potential interaction of ANQ with PI3K. Our data show for the first time that the bioactive component of A. camphorata, ANQ, suppresses stem cell-like properties via targeting PI3K/AKT/ß-catenin signaling. ANQ could be a promising cancer prevention agent for colon cancer.
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Antrodia/química , Proliferación Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Células Madre Neoplásicas/citología , Células Madre Neoplásicas/efectos de los fármacos , Ubiquinona/análogos & derivados , Línea Celular Tumoral , Neoplasias del Colon/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias del Colon/genética , Neoplasias del Colon/metabolismo , Neoplasias del Colon/fisiopatología , Humanos , Simulación del Acoplamiento Molecular , Células Madre Neoplásicas/metabolismo , Fosfatidilinositol 3-Quinasas/química , Fosfatidilinositol 3-Quinasas/genética , Fosfatidilinositol 3-Quinasas/metabolismo , Transducción de Señal/efectos de los fármacos , Ubiquinona/química , Ubiquinona/farmacología , beta Catenina/genética , beta Catenina/metabolismoRESUMEN
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third highest mortality cancer in the United States and frequently metastasizes to liver and lung. Smad2 is a key element downstream of the TGF-ß signaling pathway to regulate cancer metastasis by promoting epithelial to mesenchymal transition and maintaining the cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotype. In this study, we show that hsa-miR-140-5p directly targets Smad2 and overexpression of hsa-miR-140-5p in CRC cell lines decreases Smad2 expression levels, leading decreased cell invasion and proliferation, and increasing cell cycle arrest. Ectopic expression of hsa-miR-140-5p in colorectal CSCs inhibited CSC growth and sphere formation in vitro by disrupting autophagy. We have systematically identified targets of hsa-miR-140-5p involved in autophagy. Furthermore, overexpression of hsa-miR-140-5p in CSCs abolished tumor formation and metastasis in vivo. In addition, there is a progressive loss of hsa-miR-140-5p expression from normal colorectal mucosa to primary tumor tissues, with further reduction in liver metastatic tissues. Higher hsa-miR-140 expression is significantly correlated with better survival in stage III and IV colorectal cancer patients.The functional and clinical significance of hsa-miR-140-5p suggests that it is a key regulator in CRC progression and metastasis, and may have potential as a novel therapeutic molecule to treat CRC.