scholarly journals Mapping cellular-scale internal mechanics in 3D tissues with thermally responsive hydrogel probes

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Mok ◽  
Sara Al Habyan ◽  
Charles Ledoux ◽  
Wontae Lee ◽  
Katherine N. MacDonald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Tissue Mechanics ◽  
Tissue Elasticity ◽  
Multicellular Spheroids ◽  
Thermally Responsive ◽  
Cancer Spheroids

Abstract Local tissue mechanics play a critical role in cell function, but measuring these properties at cellular length scales in living 3D tissues can present considerable challenges. Here we present thermoresponsive, smart material microgels that can be dispersed or injected into tissues and optically assayed to measure residual tissue elasticity after creep over several weeks. We first develop and characterize the sensors, and demonstrate that internal mechanical profiles of live multicellular spheroids can be mapped at high resolutions to reveal broad ranges of rigidity within the tissues, which vary with subtle differences in spheroid aggregation method. We then show that small sites of unexpectedly high rigidity develop in invasive breast cancer spheroids, and in an in vivo mouse model of breast cancer progression. These focal sites of increased intratumoral rigidity suggest new possibilities for how early mechanical cues that drive cancer cells towards invasion might arise within the evolving tumor microenvironment.

scholarly journals Mapping cellular-scale internal stiffness in 3D tissues with smart material hydrogel probes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Mok ◽  
Sara Al Habyan ◽  
Charles Ledoux ◽  
Wontae Lee ◽  
Katherine MacDonald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Function ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Material Design ◽  
Smart Material ◽  
Tissue Stiffness ◽  
Multicellular Spheroids ◽  
Architectural Patterns ◽  
Small Sites ◽  
Cancer Spheroids

AbstractLocal stiffness plays a critical role in cell function, but measuring rigidity at cellular length scales in living 3D tissues presents considerable challenges. Here we present thermoresponsive, smart material microgels that can be dispersed or injected into tissues and optically assayed to measure internal tissue stiffness over several weeks. We first develop the material design principles to measure tissue stiffness across physiological ranges, with spatial resolutions approaching that of individual cells. Using the microfabricated sensors, we demonstrate that mapping internal stiffness profiles of live multicellular spheroids at high resolutions reveal distinct architectural patterns, that vary with subtle differences in spheroid aggregation method. Finally, we determine that small sites of unexpectedly high stiffness (> 250 kPa) develop in invasive breast cancer spheroids, and in in vivo mouse model tumors as the cancer progresses towards metastatic disease. These highly focal sites of increased intratumoral stiffness likely form via active cell mechanical behavior, and suggest new possibilities for how early mechanical cues that drive cancer cells towards invasion might arise within the evolving tumor microenvironment.

scholarly journals Long noncoding RNA PVT1 promotes breast cancer proliferation and metastasis by binding miR-128-3p and UPF1

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuiyi Liu ◽  
Weiqun Chen ◽  
Hui Hu ◽  
Tianzhu Zhang ◽  
Tangwei Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Noncoding Rna ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Gene And Protein Expression ◽  
Proliferation And Metastasis

Abstract Background Mounting evidence supports that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have critical roles during cancer initiation and progression. In this study, we report that the plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) lncRNA is involved in breast cancer progression. Methods qRT-PCR and western blot were performed to detect the gene and protein expression. Colony formation would healing and transwell assays were used to detect cell function. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down experiments were used to examine the mechanisms interaction between molecules. Orthotopic mouse models were established to evaluate the influence of PVT1 on tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Results PVT1 is significant upregulated in breast cancer patients’ plasma and cell lines. PVT1 promotes breast cancer cell proliferation and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, PVT1 upregulates FOXQ1 via miR-128-3p and promotes epithelial–mesenchymal transition. In addition, PVT1 binds to the UPF1 protein, thereby inducing epithelial–mesenchymal transition, proliferation and metastasis in breast cancer cells. Conclusion PVT1 may act as an oncogene in breast cancer through binding miR-128-3p and UPF1 and represents a potential target for BC therapeutic development.

Long Noncoding RNA PVT1 Promotes Breast Cancer Proliferation and Metastasis by Binding mIR-128-3p and UPF1

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuiyi Liu ◽  
Weiqun Chen ◽  
Hui Hu ◽  
Tianzhu Zhang ◽  
Tangwei Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Noncoding Rna ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Gene And Protein Expression ◽  
Proliferation And Metastasis

Abstract Background: Mounting evidence support that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have critical roles during cancer initiation and progression. In this study, we report that the plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) lncRNA is involved in breast cancer progression. Methods: qRT-PCR and western blot were performed to detect the gene and protein expression. Colony formation, would healing and transwell assays were used to detect cell function. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down experiments were used to examine the mechanisms interaction between molecules. Orthotopic mouse models were established to evaluate the influence of PVT1 on tumor growth and metastasis in vivo.Results: PVT1 is significant upregulated in breast cancer patients’ plasma and cell lines. PVT1 promotes breast cancer cell proliferation and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, PVT1 upregulates FOXQ1 by competitively sponging miR-128-3p and promotes epithelial–mesenchymal transition. In addition, PVT1 binds to the UPF1 protein, thereby inducing epithelial–mesenchymal transition, proliferation and metastasis in breast cancer cells.Conclusion: PVT1 may act as an oncogene in breast cancer through binding miR-128-3p and UPF1 and represents a potential target for BC therapeutic development.

scholarly journals RNF141 interacts with KRAS to promote colorectal cancer progression

Oncogene ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiuna Zhang ◽  
Xiaoyu Jiang ◽  
Jie Yin ◽  
Shiying Dou ◽  
Xiaoli Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Tumor Growth ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Ring Finger ◽  
Immunohistochemical Analysis ◽  
Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation

AbstractRING finger proteins (RNFs) play a critical role in cancer initiation and progression. RNF141 is a member of RNFs family; however, its clinical significance, roles, and mechanism in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain poorly understood. Here, we examined the expression of RNF141 in 64 pairs of CRC and adjacent normal tissues by real-time PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemical analysis. We found that there was more expression of RNF141 in CRC tissue compared with its adjacent normal tissue and high RNF141 expression associated with T stage. In vivo and in vitro functional experiments were conducted and revealed the oncogenic role of RNF141 in CRC. RNF141 knockdown suppressed proliferation, arrested the cell cycle in the G1 phase, inhibited migration, invasion and HUVEC tube formation but promoted apoptosis, whereas RNF141 overexpression exerted the opposite effects in CRC cells. The subcutaneous xenograft models showed that RNF141 knockdown reduced tumor growth, but its overexpression promoted tumor growth. Mechanistically, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry indicated RNF141 interacted with KRAS, which was confirmed by Co-immunoprecipitation, Immunofluorescence assay. Further analysis with bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) and Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) pull-down assays showed that RNF141 could directly bind to KRAS. Importantly, the upregulation of RNF141 increased GTP-bound KRAS, but its knockdown resulted in a reduction accordingly. Next, we demonstrated that RNF141 induced KRAS activation via increasing its enrichment on the plasma membrane not altering total KRAS expression, which was facilitated by the interaction with LYPLA1. Moreover, KRAS silencing partially abolished the effect of RNF141 on cell proliferation and apoptosis. In addition, our findings presented that RNF141 functioned as an oncogene by upregulating KRAS activity in a manner of promoting KRAS enrichment on the plasma membrane in CRC.

scholarly journals Splicing factor SRSF1 promotes breast cancer progression via oncogenic splice switching of PTPMT1

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun-Xian Du ◽  
Yi-Hong Luo ◽  
Si-Jia Zhang ◽  
Biao Wang ◽  
Cong Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
High Risk Group ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Binding Motif ◽  
Ki 67 ◽  
Tissue Samples

Abstract Background Intensive evidence has highlighted the effect of aberrant alternative splicing (AS) events on cancer progression when triggered by dysregulation of the SR protein family. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanism in breast cancer (BRCA) remains elusive. Here we sought to explore the molecular function of SRSF1 and identify the key AS events regulated by SRSF1 in BRCA. Methods We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the expression and clinical correlation of SRSF1 in BRCA based on the TCGA dataset, Metabric database and clinical tissue samples. Functional analysis of SRSF1 in BRCA was conducted in vitro and in vivo. SRSF1-mediated AS events and their binding motifs were identified by RNA-seq, RNA immunoprecipitation-PCR (RIP-PCR) and in vivo crosslinking followed by immunoprecipitation (CLIP), which was further validated by the minigene reporter assay. PTPMT1 exon 3 (E3) AS was identified to partially mediate the oncogenic role of SRSF1 by the P-AKT/C-MYC axis. Finally, the expression and clinical significance of these AS events were validated in clinical samples and using the TCGA database. Results SRSF1 expression was consistently upregulated in BRCA samples, positively associated with tumor grade and the Ki-67 index, and correlated with poor prognosis in a hormone receptor-positive (HR+) cohort, which facilitated proliferation, cell migration and inhibited apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. We identified SRSF1-mediated AS events and discovered the SRSF1 binding motif in the regulation of splice switching of PTPMT1. Furthermore, PTPMT1 splice switching was regulated by SRSF1 by binding directly to its motif in E3 which partially mediated the oncogenic role of SRSF1 by the AKT/C-MYC axis. Additionally, PTPMT1 splice switching was validated in tissue samples of BRCA patients and using the TCGA database. The high-risk group, identified by AS of PTPMT1 and expression of SRSF1, possessed poorer prognosis in the stage I/II TCGA BRCA cohort. Conclusions SRSF1 exerts oncogenic roles in BRCA partially by regulating the AS of PTPMT1, which could be a therapeutic target candidate in BRCA and a prognostic factor in HR+ BRCA patient.

scholarly journals Time-Programmed Delivery of Sorafenib and Anti-CD47 Antibody via a Double-Layer-Gel Matrix for Postsurgical Treatment of Breast Cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liping Huang ◽  
Yiyi Zhang ◽  
Yanan Li ◽  
Fanling Meng ◽  
Hongyu Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Immune Escape ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Thermally Responsive ◽  
Immunosuppressive Microenvironment

AbstractThe highly immunosuppressive microenvironment after surgery has a crucial impact on the recurrence and metastasis in breast cancer patients. Programmable delivery of immunotherapy-involving combinations through a single drug delivery system is highly promising, yet greatly challenging, to reverse postoperative immunosuppression. Here, an injectable hierarchical gel matrix, composed of dual lipid gel (DLG) layers with different soybean phosphatidylcholine/glycerol dioleate mass ratios, was developed to achieve the time-programmed sequential delivery of combined cancer immunotherapy. The outer layer of the DLG matrix was thermally responsive and loaded with sorafenib-adsorbed graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles. GO under manually controlled near-infrared irradiation generated mild heat and provoked the release of sorafenib first to reeducate tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and promote an immunogenic tumor microenvironment. The inner layer, loaded with anti-CD47 antibody (aCD47), could maintain the gel state for a much longer time, enabling the sustained release of aCD47 afterward to block the CD47-signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα) pathway for a long-term antitumor effect. In vivo studies on 4T1 tumor-bearing mouse model demonstrated that the DLG-based strategy efficiently prevented tumor recurrence and metastasis by locally reversing the immunosuppression and synergistically blocking the CD47-dependent immune escape, thereby boosting the systemic immune responses.

scholarly journals CD4+ regulatory T cells require CTLA-4 for the maintenance of systemic tolerance

2009 ◽  
Vol 206 (2) ◽  
pp. 421-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randall H. Friedline ◽  
David S. Brown ◽  
Hai Nguyen ◽  
Hardy Kornfeld ◽  
JinHee Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Regulatory T Cells ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Lymphoproliferative Disease ◽  
In Trans ◽  
And Function

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) plays a critical role in negatively regulating T cell responses and has also been implicated in the development and function of natural FOXP3+ regulatory T cells. CTLA-4–deficient mice develop fatal, early onset lymphoproliferative disease. However, chimeric mice containing both CTLA-4–deficient and –sufficient bone marrow (BM)–derived cells do not develop disease, indicating that CTLA-4 can act in trans to maintain T cell self-tolerance. Using genetically mixed blastocyst and BM chimaeras as well as in vivo T cell transfer systems, we demonstrate that in vivo regulation of Ctla4−/− T cells in trans by CTLA-4–sufficient T cells is a reversible process that requires the persistent presence of FOXP3+ regulatory T cells with a diverse TCR repertoire. Based on gene expression studies, the regulatory T cells do not appear to act directly on T cells, suggesting they may instead modulate the stimulatory activities of antigen-presenting cells. These results demonstrate that CTLA-4 is absolutely required for FOXP3+ regulatory T cell function in vivo.

scholarly journals CircNR3C2 promotes HRD1-mediated tumor-suppressive effect via sponging miR-513a-3p in triple-negative breast cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya Fan ◽  
Jia Wang ◽  
Wen Jin ◽  
Yifei Sun ◽  
Yuemei Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Rna Sequencing ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Triple Negative Breast Cancer ◽  
Triple Negative ◽  
Proteasomal Degradation ◽  
Circular Rnas ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition

Abstract Background E3 ubiquitin ligase HRD1 (HMG-CoA reductase degradation protein 1, alias synoviolin with SYVN1 as the official gene symbol) was found downregulated and acting as a tumor suppressor in breast cancer, while the exact expression profile of HRD1 in different breast cancer subtypes remains unknown. Recent studies characterized circular RNAs (circRNAs) playing an regulatory role as miRNA sponge in tumor progression, presenting a new viewpoint for the post-transcriptional regulation of cancer-related genes. Methods Examination of the expression of HRD1 protein and mRNA was implemented using public microarray/RNA-sequencing datasets and breast cancer tissues/cell lines. Based on public RNA-sequencing results, online databases and enrichment/clustering analyses were used to predict the specific combinations of circRNA/miRNA that potentially govern HRD1 expression. Gain-of-function and rescue experiments in vitro and in vivo were executed to evaluate the suppressive effects of circNR3C2 on breast cancer progression through HRD1-mediated proteasomal degradation of Vimentin, which was identified using immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation, and in vitro ubiquitination assays. Results HRD1 is significantly underexpressed in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) against other subtypes and has an inverse correlation with Vimentin, inhibiting the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal transition) process of breast cancer cells via inducing polyubiquitination-mediated proteasomal degradation of Vimentin. CircNR3C2 (hsa_circ_0071127) is also remarkably downregulated in TNBC, negatively correlated with the distant metastasis and lethality of invasive breast carcinoma. Overexpressing circNR3C2 in vitro and in vivo leads to a crucial enhancement of the tumor-suppressive effects of HRD1 through sponging miR-513a-3p. Conclusions Collectively, we elucidated a bona fide circNR3C2/miR-513a-3p/HRD1/Vimentin axis that negatively regulates the metastasis of TNBC, suggesting that circNR3C2 and HRD1 can act as potential prognostic biomarkers. Our study may facilitate the development of therapeutic agents targeting circNR3C2 and HRD1 for patients with aggressive breast cancer.

scholarly journals ATG9A Is Overexpressed in Triple Negative Breast Cancer and Its In Vitro Extinction Leads to the Inhibition of Pro-Cancer Phenotypes

Cells ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurore Claude-Taupin ◽  
Leïla Fonderflick ◽  
Thierry Gauthier ◽  
Laura Mansi ◽  
Jean-René Pallandre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Triple Negative Breast Cancer ◽  
Triple Negative ◽  
Cancer Cell Line ◽  
Cancer Tissue ◽  
The Future ◽  
Cancer Phenotypes

Early detection and targeted treatments have led to a significant decrease in mortality linked to breast cancer (BC), however, important issues need to be addressed in the future. One of them will be to find new triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) therapeutic strategies, since none are currently efficiently targeting this subtype of BC. Since numerous studies have reported the possibility of targeting the autophagy pathway to treat or limit cancer progression, we analyzed the expression of six autophagy genes (ATG9A, ATG9B, BECLIN1, LC3B, NIX and P62/SQSTM1) in breast cancer tissue, and compared their expression with healthy adjacent tissue. In our study, we observed an increase in ATG9A mRNA expression in TNBC samples from our breast cancer cohort. We also showed that this increase of the transcript was confirmed at the protein level on paraffin-embedded tissues. To corroborate these in vivo data, we designed shRNA- and CRISPR/Cas9-driven inhibition of ATG9A expression in the triple negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-436, in order to determine its role in the regulation of cancer phenotypes. We found that ATG9A inhibition led to an inhibition of in vitro cancer features, suggesting that ATG9A can be considered as a new marker of TNBC and might be considered in the future as a target to develop new specific TNBC therapies.

scholarly journals T-cell lineage commitment and cytokine responses of thymic progenitors

Blood ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 1850-1860 ◽  
Author(s):  
TA Moore ◽  
A Zlotnik
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Cell Lineage ◽  
Lineage Commitment ◽  
Organ Cultures ◽  
Cell Commitment

The earliest steps of intrathymic differentiation recently have been elucidated. It has been reported that both CD4lo (CD44+ CD25- c-kit+ CD3- CD4lo CD8-) and pro-T cells (CD44+ CD25+ c-kit+ CD3- CD4- CD8-, representing the next step in maturation) exhibit germline T-cell receptor beta and gamma loci, suggesting that neither population is exclusively committed to the T-cell lineage. Several groups have shown that CD4lo cells retain the capacity to generate multiple lymphoid lineages in vivo; however, the lineage commitment status of pro-T cells is unknown. To determine when T-cell lineage commitment occurs, we examined the ability of sorted CD4lo and pro-T cells to generate lymphoid lineage cells in vivo or in fetal thymic organ cultures (FTOCs). When intravenously injected into scid mice, CD4lo cells generated both T and B cells, whereas the progeny of pro-T cells contained T cells exclusively. Fetal thymic organ cultures repopulated with CD4lo cells contained both T and natural killer (NK) cells, whereas cultures repopulated with pro-T cells contained T cells almost exclusively. These observations strongly suggest that T-cell lineage commitment occurs during the transition of CD4lo to pro-T cells. Because it is likely that the thymic microenvironment plays a critical role in T-cell commitment, we compared the responses of CD4lo and pro-T cells to various cytokine combinations in vitro, as well as the ability of the cultured cells to repopulate organ cultures. Cytokine combinations that maintained T-cell repopulation potential for both CD4lo and pro-T cells were found. CD4lo cells proliferated best in response to the combination containing interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-3, IL- 6, IL-7, and stem cell factor (SCF). Unlike CD4lo cells, pro-T cells were much more dependent upon IL-7 for proliferation and FTOC repopulation. However, combinations of cytokines lacking IL-7 were found that maintained the T-cell repopulating potential of pro-T cells, suggesting that, whereas this cytokine is clearly very important for normal pro-T cell function, it is not an absolute necessity during early T-cell expansion and differentiation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document