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Bladder cancer is one of the most common and deadly cancer worldwide. Current chemotherapy has shown limited efficacy in improving outcomes for patients. Nitroxoline, an old and widely used oral antibiotic, which was known to treat for urinary tract infection for decades. Recent studies suggested that nitroxoline suppressed the tumor progression and metastasis, especially in bladder cancer. However, the underlying mechanism for anti-tumor activity of nitroxoline remains unclear. Methods: CircRNA microarray was used to explore the nitroxoline-mediated circRNA expression profile of bladder cancer lines. Transwell and wound-healing assay were applied to evaluate the capacity of metastasis. ChIP assay was chosen to prove the binding of promotor and transcription factor. RNA-pulldown assay was performed to explore the sponge of circRNA and microRNA. Results: We first identified the circNDRG1 (has_circ_0085656) as a novel candidate circRNA. Transwell and wound-healing assay demonstrated that circNDRG1 inhibited the metastasis of bladder cancer. ChIP assay showed that circNDRG1 was regulated by the transcription factor EGR1 by binding the promotor of host gene NDRG1. RNA-pulldown assay proved that circNDRG1 sponged miR-520h leading to the overexpression of smad7, which was a negative regulatory protein of EMT. Conclusions: Our research revealed that nitroxoline may suppress metastasis in bladder cancer via EGR1/circNDRG1/miR-520h/smad7/EMT signaling pathway.

DOI： 10.7150/ijbs.69373

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In the present study, due to the complex and numerous targets of Sarcandrae Herb (also known as Zhong Jie Feng), network pharmacology was performed to analyze its therapeutic effect on 2 cervical cancer cell lines, which could assist with the development of novel therapies. The results suggested that the natural flavonoid quercetin (Que), the effective antitumor ingredient in SH, which is widely present in a variety of plants, may depend on the target, EGFR. Previous studies have shown that EGFR serves a crucial role in the occurrence and development of cervical cancer, but its downstream molecules and regulatory mechanisms remain unknown. The anti-cervical cancer cell properties of Que, which are present in ubiquitous plants, were examined in vitro to identify the association between Que and its underlying pathway using MTT assays, flow cytometry, western blot analysis and Transwell assays. It was found that Que reduced cervical cancer cell viability, promoted G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis, as well as inhibited cell migration and invasion. The Tyr1068 phosphorylation site of EGFR and the corresponding ERK target were also examined and the 2 kinases were markedly activated by Que. Furthermore, the EGFR inhibitor, afatinib and the ERK inhibitor, U0126 blocked the increase of EGFR and ERK phosphorylation, and resulted in a notable enhancement of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Therefore, to the best of our knowledge, the current results provided the first evidence that EGFR and ERK activation induced by Que could resist Que-induced anticancer activities. On this basis, the present study determined the role of EGFR and the underlying signaling pathways involved in the anti-cervical cancer malignant behavior induced by Que and identified the negative regulatory association.

DOI： 10.3892/ol.2021.13015

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Human RAD17, as an agonist of checkpoint signaling, plays an essential role in mediating DNA damage. This hospital-based case-control study aimed to explore the association between RAD17 rs1045051, a missense sin-gle nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), and prostate cancer risk. Subjects were 358 prostate cancer patients and 314 cancer-free urology patients undergoing treatment at the Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University in China. RAD17 gene polymorphism rs1045051 was evaluated by the SNaPshot method. Compared with the RAD17 gene polymorphism rs1045051 AA genotype, there was a higher risk of prostate cancer for the CC gen-otype (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.731, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] = 1.031-2.908, p = 0.038). Compared with the A allele, the C allele was significantly associated with the disease status (AOR = 1.302, 95%CI = 1.037-1.634, p = 0.023). All these findings indicate that in the SNP rs1045051, both the CC genotype and C allele may have a substantial influence on the prostate cancer risk.

DOI： 10.18926/AMO/62379

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Accumulating evidence has shown that Wnt signaling is deeply involved in male reproductive physiology, and malfunction of the signal path can cause pathological changes in genital organs and sperm cells. These abnormalities are diverse in manifestation and have been constantly found in the knockout models of Wnt studies. Nevertheless, most of the research solely focused on a certain factor in the Wnt pathway, and there are few reports on the overall relation between Wnt signals and male reproductive physiology. In our review, Wnt findings relating to the reproductive system were sought and summarized in terms of Wnt ligands, Wnt receptors, Wnt intracellular signals and Wnt regulators. By sorting out and integrating relevant functions, as well as underlining the controversies among different reports, our review aims to offer an overview of Wnt signaling in male reproductive physiology and pathology for further mechanistic studies.

DOI： 10.1093/molehr/gaaa085

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Accumulating evidence has shown that Wnt signaling is deeply involved in male reproductive physiology, and malfunction of the signal path can cause pathological changes in genital organs and sperm cells. These abnormalities are diverse in manifestation and have been constantly found in the knockout models of Wnt studies. Nevertheless, most of the research solely focused on a certain factor in the Wnt pathway, and there are few reports on the overall relation between Wnt signals and male reproductive physiology. In our review, Wnt findings relating to the reproductive system were sought and summarized in terms of Wnt ligands, Wnt receptors, Wnt intracellular signals and Wnt regulators. By sorting out and integrating relevant functions, as well as underlining the controversies among different reports, our review aims to offer an overview of Wnt signaling in male reproductive physiology and pathology for further mechanistic studies.

DOI： 10.1093/molehr/gaaa085

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BACKGROUND: Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is still considered incurable, even though the mechanisms of CRPC had been extensively researched. Studies have demonstrated that exosomes in the tumor microenvironment contribute to prostate cancer development and progression. However, the role of exosomes in the process of CRPC progression has not yet been determined. METHODS: Co-culturing and exosome treatment assays combined with in vitro and in vivo assays were performed to determine the function of exosomes in the transformation of androgen-dependent prostate cancer (ADPC) cells into androgen-independent cells. Then, the mRNA expression profiles of ADPC cells and ADPC cells co-cultured with androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC) cell-derived exosomes were studied using microarrays. After silencing the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX1), Western blotting, quantitative real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry (IHC) studies, and MTS assay were used to confirm the mechanisms of exosome participation in CRPC progression. RESULTS: The results showed that ADPC cells acquired tolerance for androgen deprivation due to the exosome-mediated communication between cells. AIPC cell-derived exosomes promoted the transformation of ADPC cells into androgen-independent cells in vivo and in vitro. Microarray analysis revealed that HMOX1 in ADPC cells was up-regulated after treatment with AIPC cell-derived exosomes. Further results showed that HMOX1 is overexpressed in human AIPC specimens and protects ADPC cells from androgen deprivation. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed that exosomes contribute to CRPC progression via promoting the transition of prostate cancer cells into an androgen-independent growth stage by activating HMOX1.

DOI： 10.2147/IJN.S281710

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Purpose: With the advance of screening techniques, there is a growing number of low-risk or intermediate-risk prostate cancer (PCa) cases, remaining a serious threat to men's health. To obtain better efficacy, a growing interest has been attracted to develop such emerging treatments as immunotherapy and focal therapy. However, few studies offer guidance on whether and how to combine these modalities against PCa. This study was designed to develop dual-functional nanoparticles (NPs) which combined photothermal therapy (PTT) with immunotherapy and determine the anti-tumor efficacy for PCa treatment. Methods: By a double emulsion technique, the drug nanocarrier, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) or PLGA, was applied for co-loading of a fluorescent dye, indocyanine green (ICG) and a toll-like receptor 7/8 (TLR7/8) agonist resiquimod (R848) to synthesize PLGA-ICG-R848 NPs. Next, we determined their characteristic features and evaluated whether they inhibited the cell viability in multiple PCa cell lines. After treatment with PLGA-ICG-R848, the maturation markers of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) were detected by flow cytometry. By establishing a subcutaneous xenograft model of mouse PCa, we explored both the anti-tumor effect and immune response following the NPs-based laser ablation. Results: With a mean diameter of 157.7 nm, PLGA-ICG-R848 exhibited no cytotoxic effect in PCa cells, but they significantly decreased RM9 cell viability to (3.9±1.0)% after laser irradiation. Moreover, PLGA-ICG-R848 promoted BMDCs maturation with the significantly elevated proportions of CD11c+CD86+ and CD11c+CD80+ cells. Following PLGA-ICG-R848-based laser ablation in vivo, the decreased bioluminescent signals indicated a significant inhibition of PCa growth, while the ratio of splenic natural killer (NK) cells in PLGA-ICG-R848 was (3.96±1.88)% compared with (0.99±0.10)% in PBS group, revealing the enhanced immune response against PCa. Conclusion: The dual-functional PLGA-ICG-R848 NPs under laser irradiation exhibit the anti-tumor efficacy for PCa treatment by combining PTT with immunotherapy.

DOI： 10.2147/IJN.S301552

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Repeated cycles of first-line chemotherapy drugs such as doxorubicin (DOX) and cisplatin (CIS) trigger frequent chemoresistance in recurrent urothelial bladder cancer (UBC). Nitroxoline (NTX), an antibiotic to treat urinary tract infections, has been recently repurposed for cancer treatment. Here we aimed to investigate whether NTX suppresses drug-resistant UBC and its molecular mechanism. The drug-resistant cell lines T24/DOX and T24/CIS were established by continual exposure of parental cell line T24 to DOX and CIS, respectively. T24/DOX and T24/CIS cells were resistant to DOX and CIS, respectively, but they were sensitive to NTX time- and dose-dependently. Overexpressions of STAT3 and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) were identified in T24/DOX and T24/CIS, which could be reversed by NTX. Western blot revealed that NTX downregulated p-STAT3, c-Myc, Cyclin D1, CDK4, CDK6, Bcl-xL, Mcl-1, and Survivin, which were further confirmed by Stattic, a selective STAT3 inhibitor. In vivo, NTX exhibited the significant anti-tumor effect in T24/DOX and T24/CIS tumor-bearing mice. These results suggested that NTX-induced P-gp reversal, G0/G1 arrest, and apoptosis in drug-resistant UBC were mediated by inhibition of STAT3 signaling. Our findings repurpose NTX as a novel STAT3 inhibitor to induce P-gp reversal, G0/G1 arrest, and apoptosis in drug-resistant UBC.

DOI： 10.7150/ijbs.63125

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Posaconazole (POS) is a novel antifungal agent, which has been repurposed as an anti-tumor drug for its potential inhibition of Hedgehog signaling pathway. Hedgehog pathway is reported to be abnormally activated in embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS), this study aimed to reveal whether POS could inhibit Hedgehog signaling pathway in ERMS. Following POS treatment, XTT viability assay was used to determine the cell proliferation of ERMS cell lines. Protein changes related to Hedgehog signaling, cell cycle and autophagy were detected by Western blot. The cell cycle distribution was analyzed by flow cytometry. Moreover, a subcutaneous tumor mouse model of ERMS was established to assess the anti-tumor effect of POS. POS was found to inhibit tumor progression by inducing G0/G1 arrest and autophagy of RD, RMS-YM, and KYM-1 cells dose-dependently. Western blot demonstrated that POS downregulated the expressions of SMO, Gli1, c-Myc, CDK4, and CDK6, while upregulated the expressions of autophagy-related proteins. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed a significant increase of LC3B puncta in POS-treated ERMS cells. Furthermore, POS treatment led to a significant inhibition of tumor growth in mice bearing ERMS. Our findings could provide a theoretical basis and have important clinical implications in developing POS as a promising agent against ERMS by targeting Hedgehog pathway.

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Prostate cancer stem cells (PrCSCs) are responsible for the development of castration-resistant disease and are associated with poor outcomes; however, the origin of PrCSCs is still not known due to the lack of a suitable model. In the current study, the human prostate cancer cell line 22RV1 was used to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) via the exogenous expression of four classic transcription factors (OCT-4, SOX2, KLF4, and C-MYC). The iPSCs were analyzed by phase contrast microscopy, real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence, alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity, and examined for karyotype and embryoid body and teratoma formation. The analyses demonstrated that the prostate cancer cells were successfully reprogrammed into iPSCs by characteristic human embryonic stem cell morphology, cell marker expression, AP activity, embryoid body, and pluripotency capability in generating all three embryonic germ layers. These results may provide a convenient and accessible model for studying the origin of PrCSCs and the process by which progenitor cells are transformed into PrCSCs.

DOI： 10.1089/cell.2020.0032

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REIC/Dkk-3 is a tumor suppressor, and its expression is significantly downregulated in a variety of human cancer types. A previous study performed yeast two-hybrid screening and identified the small glutamine-rich tetratricopeptide repeat-containing protein α (SGTA), known as a negative modulator of cytoplasmic androgen receptor (AR) signaling, which is a novel interacting partner of REIC/Dkk-3. The previous study also indicated that the REIC/Dkk-3 protein interferes with the dimerization of SGTA and then upregulates the AR transport and signaling in human prostate cancer PC3 cells. Since the transport of some steroid receptors to nucleus is conducted similarly by dynein motor-dependent way, the current study aimed to investigate the role of SGTA and REIC/Dkk-3 in the transport of other glucocorticoid receptors (GR). In vitro reporter assays for the cytoplasmic GR transport were performed in human prostate cancer PC3 cells and 293T cells. As for the SGTA protein, a suppressive effect on the GR transport to the nucleus was observed in the cells. As for the REIC/Dkk-3 protein, an inhibitory effect was observed for the GR transport in PC3 cells. Under the depleted condition of SGTA by short-hairpin (sh)RNA, the downregulation of GR transport by REIC/Dkk-3 was significantly enhanced compared with the non-depleted condition in PC3 cells, suggesting a compensatory role of REIC/Dkk-3 in the SGTA mediated inhibition of GR transport. The current study therefore demonstrated that SGTA inhibited the cytoplasmic transport of GR in 293T and PC3 cells, and REIC/Dkk-3 also inhibited the cytoplasmic transport of GR in PC3 cells. These results may be used to gain novel insight into the GR transport and signaling in normal and cancer cells.

DOI： 10.3892/etm.2020.8819

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Urolithiasis, a common condition in patients with spinal deformity, poses a challenge to surgical procedures and anesthetic management. A 51-year-old Chinese male presented with bilateral complex renal calculi. He was also affected by severe kyphosis deformity and spinal stiffness due to ankylosing spondylitis. Dr. Li performed the percutaneous nephrolithotomy under local infiltration anesthesia with the patient in a kneeling prone position, achieving satisfactory stone clearance with no severe complications. We found this protocol safe and effective to manage kidney stones in patients with spinal deformity. Local infiltration anesthesia may benefit patients for whom epidural anesthesia and intubation anesthesia are difficult.

DOI： 10.18926/AMO/58278

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Nitroxoline is considered to be an effective treatment for the urinary tract infections. Recently, it has been found to be effective against several cancers. However, few studies have examined the anti-tumor activity of nitroxoline in bladder cancer. The purpose of the study was to reveal the possible mechanisms how nitroxoline inhibited bladder cancer progression. In vitro assay, we demonstrated that nitroxoline inhibited bladder cancer cell growth and migration in a concentration-related manner. Western blot analysis demonstrated that nitroxoline downregulated the expressions of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins. Furthermore, treatment with nitroxoline in the C3H/He mice bladder cancer subcutaneous model resulted in significant inhibition of tumor growth. Moreover, the percentage of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) in peripheral blood cells significantly decreased after treatment of nitroxoline. Taken together, our results suggested that nitroxoline may be used as a potential drug for bladder cancer.

DOI： 10.7150/jca.47025

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OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of outer dense fiber (ODF) in multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella in Akap4 gene defect mice.
 Methods: Akap4 knock-out (KO) mouse model was established by using gene editing technology. Akap4-KO male mice were identified by genotype. Seven sexually mature male Akap4-KO mice served as an experimental group, and 7 sexually mature wild-type (WT) male mice served as a control group. The changes in body weight and testicular weight were measured. Computer aided sperm analysis (CASA) was used to detect sperm motility. Sperm morphology was detected by modified Periodic Acid-Schif (PAS) staining. The ultra-structure of sperm was observed under the scanning and transmission electron microscope. Sperm flagella associated protein expression and localization were detected by immunofluorescence. Spermatogenesis function of testis was evaluated by HE and PAS staining. Ultra-structure of seminiferous tubules was observed under the transmission electron microscope.
 Results: Akap4-KO mice had no natural fertility. The sperm motility of Akap4-KO male mice was lower than that of WT male mice (8.81% vs 46.02%, P<0.01). In Akap4-KO male mice the percentage of sperm, with shortened tail and coiled tail was 91.18% which was higher than that of WT male mice (P<0.01). There was no statistically significance in the testicular weight, spermatogensis function, and sperm count between the 2 groups (P>0.01). The longitudinal column of fibrous sheath in Akap4-KO male mice was absent, and the residues of transverse rib remained, which was consistent with the immunofluorescence localization of AKAP3 protein. No. 3 and No. 8 ODF in the principal piece were disordered, which was in consistent with ectopic localization of ODF2 protein.
 Conclusion: Multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella in mice are resulted from disorder of "9+2" microtubules and the abnormally expanded lumen at the proximal of the principal piece via causing dysplasia of the transverse rib due to Akap4 gene defect, and separation of the ODF of No. 3 and No. 8 via loss of longitudinal column.

DOI： 10.11817/j.issn.1672-7347.2019.190546

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Sperm fibrous sheath, a unique cytoskeletal structure, is implicated in various sperm physiological functions, such as sperm maturation, motility and capacitation. AKAP4 has been described to be required for structural and functional integrity of the fibrous sheath. We generated Akap4-knockout mice line using CRISPR-Cas9 system. Cytomorphology and motility of sperm and testes were studied, confirming loss of Akap4 led to abnormal sperm morphology, motility and infertility. The proteomic components of testes were studied and Akap4 was found to be significantly decreased in the Akap4-knockout mice. Testis single-cell RNA sequencing and analysis revealed three genes with significant change in the general cell population, i.e., Akap4, Haspin, and Ccdc38. The single-cell RNA expression profiles also showed that the major difference between Akap4-knockout and wild-type testes existed in the elongating cell cluster, where in the Akap4-knockout testes, a subgroup of elongating cells with marker genes involved in cell adhesion and migration were increased, while a subgroup of elongating cells marked by mitochondrial sheath genes were decreased. Our results revealed the complex and well-coordinated procedures of spermatogenesis, and substantiated Akap4's indispensable roles in the integrity of sperm flagellum and the step-wise maturation of spermatozoa.

DOI： 10.1016/j.ydbio.2019.06.017

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Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade is a promising therapeutic strategy against prostate cancer. Nitroxoline has been found to have effective anticancer properties in several cancer types. We investigated the efficacy of a combination therapy involving nitroxoline and PD-1 blockade in a prostate cancer mouse model. In our in vitro analysis, we found that nitroxoline inhibited the viability and proliferation of the mouse prostate cancer cell line RM9-Luc-PSA. Additionally, nitroxoline downregulated the expressions of phospho-PI3 kinase, phospho-Akt (Thr308), phospho-Akt (Ser473), phospho-GSK-3β, Bcl-2, and Bcl-xL. Nitroxoline also downregulated programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression levels in prostate cancer cell line and tumor tissue. In our murine prostate cancer orthotopic model, nitroxoline plus PD-1 blockade synergistically suppressed tumor growth when compared with nitroxoline or PD-1 blockade alone, leading to reductions in tumor weight, bioluminescence tumor signals, and serum prostate-specific antigen levels. Furthermore, fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis showed that the combination strategy significantly enhanced antitumor immunity by increasing CD44+CD62L+CD8+ memory T cell numbers and reducing myeloid-derived suppressor cell numbers in peripheral blood. In conclusion, our findings suggest that nitroxoline plus PD-1 blockade may be a promising treatment strategy in patients with prostate cancer.

DOI： 10.7150/ijbs.32259

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Bufalin, one of the active ingredients of the Chinese drug Chan su, exhibits significant antitumor activity against various cancer types. However, the role of bufalin in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains unclear. In the present study, it was demonstrated that bufalin inhibited cell proliferation, blocked the cell cycle in the G2/M phase, and reduced the metastasis of human RCC ACHN cells via the upregulation of p21waf/cip1 and E-cadherin and the downregulation of cyclin dependent kinase 1, cyclin B1, N-cadherin, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). Further mechanistic study revealed that bufalin reduced the expression of phosphorylated (phospho)-Akt and phospho-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Moreover, HIF-1α expression may be regulated through the inhibition of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mTOR signaling pathway. Thus, the present results suggest that bufalin induces cell cycle arrest and suppresses metastasis; this process may be associated with the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Accordingly, it is suggested that bufalin is a therapeutic agent for RCC.

DOI： 10.3892/ol.2018.9111

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Cancer stem cells (CSCs) that closely correlated with tumor growth, metastasis, provide a plausible explanation for chemoresistance and cancer relapse. CSCs are usually isolated and enriched from carcinoma cells, which is inconvenient, low-efficient, and even unreliable. Here, we converted mouse induced pluripotent stem cells (miPSCs) into prostate cancer stem-like cells with carcinoma microenvironment following exposure to conditioned medium (CM) derived from RM9, a mouse prostate cancer cell line. These transformed cells, termed as miPS-RM9CM, displayed CSCs properties, including spheroids morphology and expression of both stemness genes and cancer stem cells surface markers, such as Oct3/4, Sox2, Nanog, Klf-4, c-Myc, CD44, and CD133. In addition, in vivo transplantation experiment was performed to confirm the tumorigenicity. Furthermore, we used the model to assess conventional chemotherapeutic agent, docetaxel. The results showed that miPS-RM9CM cells exhibited increased resistance to docetaxel, however, high susceptibility to the cancer cell stemness inhibitor I (BBI-608). Our current study demonstrates that CM from cultured RM9 cells play a crucial role in the determination of cell fate from miPSCs to cancer stem-like cells and provide a potentially valuable system for the study of CSCs.

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Glaucocalyxin A (GLA), a major component isolated from Rabdosia japonica, has been proven to show anti-bacterial and anti-tumor biological characteristics according to previous studies. However, its potential effect on bladder cancer remains unknown. The present research aims to investigate the underlying mechanism in treating bladder cancer in vivo and in vitro. Cell proliferation was analyzed by CCK-8 assay and colony formation. Flow cytometry was used to measure the cell cycle distribution and apoptosis. The expressions of the cell cycle and apoptosis-related proteins were detected by western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. Meanwhile, the in vivo study was performed to evaluate the anti-tumor effect on a UMUC3 subcutaneous tumor of NOD/SCID mice model. GLA suppressed colony-formation ability, triggered G2/M arrest and promoted apoptosis of UMUC3 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, western blotting showed that GLA downregulated the expressions of PI3K p85, p-Akt, Bcl-2, CDK1, Cyclin B1 whereas upregulated the levels of PTEN, Bax, Cleaved Caspase-3. In vivo, GLA at a dosage of 20 mg/kg significantly inhibited tumor growth compared with the control group by intraperitoneal injection. These results suggested that GLA-related G2/M arrest and apoptosis in UMUC3 cells were mediated by a suppressed PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, which regulated p21Waf1/Cip1 as well as intrinsic caspase cascade. Collectively, our observations could help to develop new drugs targeting the PI3K/Akt pathway for the treatment of bladder cancer.

DOI： 10.7150/ijbs.23602

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The third member of the Dickkopf family (DKK-3), also known as reduced expression in immortalized cells (REIC), is a tumor suppressor present in a variety of tumor cells. Regarding the regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, exogenous DKK-1 and DKK-2 are reported to inhibit Wnt signaling by binding the associated effectors. However, whether exogenous DKK-3 inhibits Wnt signaling remains unclear. A recombinant protein of human full-length DKK-3 was used to investigate the exogenous effects of the protein in vitro in KPK1 human renal cell carcinoma cells. It was demonstrated that the expression of phosphorylated (p-)β-catenin (inactive form as the transcriptional factor) was increased in KPK1 cells treated with the exogenous DKK-3 protein. The levels of non-p-β-catenin (activated form of β-catenin) were consistently decreased. It was revealed that the expression of transcription factor (TCF) 1 and c-Myc, the downstream transcription factors of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, was inhibited following treatment with DKK-3. A cancer cell viability assay confirmed the anti-proliferative effects of exogenous DKK-3 protein, which was consistent with a suppressed Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascade. In addition, as low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6) is a receptor of DKK-1 and DKK-2 and their interaction on the cell surface inhibits Wnt/β-catenin signaling, it was examined whether the exogenous DKK-3 protein affects LRP6-mediated Wnt/β-catenin signaling. The LRP6 gene was silenced and the effects of DKK-3 on the time course of the upregulation of p-β-catenin expression were subsequently analyzed. Notably, LRP6 depletion elevated the base level of p-β-catenin; however, there was no significant effect on its upregulation course or expression pattern. These findings indicate that exogenous DKK-3 upregulates p-β-catenin and inhibits Wnt/β-catenin signaling in an LRP6-independent manner. Therefore, exogenous DKK-3 protein may inhibit the proliferation of KPK1 cells via inactivating Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

DOI： 10.3892/ol.2017.6833

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Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) management has undergone a major transformation over the past decade; immune checkpoint inhibitors are currently undergoing clinical trials and show promising results. However, the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with metastatic RCC (mRCC) is still limited. Lycorine, an alkaloid extracted from plants of the Amaryllidaceae family, is touted as a potential anti-cancer drug because of its demonstrative growth inhibition capacity (induction of cell cycle arrest and inhibition of vasculogenic mimicry formation). Moreover, T cell checkpoint blockade therapy with antibodies targeting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) has improved outcomes in cancer patients. However, the anti-tumor efficacy of combined lycorine and anti-CTLA-4 therapy remains unknown. Thus, we investigated a combination therapy of lycorine hydrochloride and anti-CTLA-4 using a murine RCC model. As a means of in vitro confirmation, we found that lycorine hydrochloride inhibited the viability of various RCC cell lines. Furthermore, luciferase-expressing Renca cells were implanted in the left kidney and the lung of BALB/c mice to develop a RCC metastatic mouse model. Lycorine hydrochloride and anti-CTLA-4 synergistically decreased tumor weight, lung metastasis, and luciferin-staining in tumor images. Importantly, the observed anti-tumor effects of this combination were dependent on significantly suppressing regulatory T cells while upregulating effector T cells; a decrease in regulatory T cells by 31.43% but an increase in effector T cells by 31.59% were observed in the combination group compared with those in the control group). We suggest that a combination of lycorine hydrochloride and anti-CTLA-4 is a viable therapeutic option for RCC patients.

DOI： 10.18632/oncotarget.15505

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OBJECTIVE: To illustrate a ligation-free technique and compare perioperative and postoperative outcomes of this technique versus the standard suture method. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study is a retrospective review of 233 consecutive patients with localized prostate cancer who underwent ligation-free technique (n = 180, Group 1) or standard ligation (n = 53, Group 2) at an academic institution from February 2010 to January 2014. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Operative time was significantly shorter in Group 1 than in Group 2 (148.47 vs. 164.25 min, p = 0.000). No difference in EBL was noted between the groups (191.11 vs. 185.06 mL, p = 0.055). Postoperative continence rates at 3, 6, and 12 months in Groups 1 and 2 were 40.0 versus 24.5, 54.4 versus 37.7, and 73.9 versus 71.7 %, respectively. These differences were statistically significant. No patient in either group had a positive apical surgical margin. During follow-up, tumor recurrence or metastasis was not observed in any patient. Limitations of the study include this retrospective study of a single-center experience and lack of potency appraisal. CONCLUSIONS: This present ligation-free technique showed a statistically significant shorter interval to recovery of continence and higher continence rates in short-term postoperative results by contrast to conventional suture ligation, but no significant difference was revealed in long-term urinary control. We offer this technique and the correlative data to provide more information for deeply understanding the precise construction of the dorsal vascular complex and the mechanism of urinary control.

DOI： 10.1007/s00345-016-1889-0

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Lycorine, an alkaloid extracted from Amaryllidaceae genera, exhibits antitumor activities against several human solid-tumor and leukemia cells with extensive influence on various cell signaling molecules. However, the effect of lycorine on bladder cancer has not yet been investigated. In this study, we demonstrated that lycorine induced apoptosis in human bladder cancer T24 cells, an effect that is mediated via inhibition of phospho-Akt expression and the consequent activation of caspase-3 and Bax in vitro. In an in vivo experiment, T24 cells were subcutaneously implanted in the right rear flank of nu/nu mice. Lycorine treatment for 14 days significantly inhibited tumor growth compared with that in controls. Collectively, our findings suggest that lycorine suppressed the Akt pathway and activated the intrinsic apoptotic cascade, leading to the apoptosis of bladder cancer cells. We suggest that lycorine can be a viable therapeutic option for bladder cancer patients.

DOI： 10.1016/j.bbrc.2016.12.168

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：INT INST ANTICANCER RESEARCH  

Background: Reduced expression in immortalized cell (REIC)/Dickkoph-3 (DKK3) is a tumor-suppressor gene, and its overexpression by adenovirus vector (Ad-REIC) exhibits a remarkable therapeutic effect on various human cancer types through a mechanism triggered by endoplasmic reticulum stress. Materials and Methods: We examined the direct anti-tumor effect of Ad-REIC gene therapy on lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma cell lines in vitro, and the distant bystander effect using immunocompetent mouse allograft models with bilateral flank tumors. Results: Ad-REIC treatment showed antitumor effect in many lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma cell lines in vitro. In an in vivo model, Ad-REIC treatment inhibited the growth not only of directly treated tumors but also of distant untreated tumors. By immunohistochemical analysis, infiltration of T-cells and natural killer (NK) cells and expression of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules were observed in bilateral tumors. Conclusion: Ad-REIC treatment not only had a direct antitumor effect but also an indirect bystander effect through stimulation of the immune system.

DOI： 10.21873/anticanres.11321

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Evading the reticuloendothelial system (RES) remains a critical challenge in the development of efficient delivery and diagnostic systems for cancer. Sialic acid (N-acetylneuraminic acid, Neu5Ac) is recognized as a "self" marker by major serum protein complement factor H and shows reduced interaction with the innate immune system via sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin (Siglec), which is known as one of the significant regulators of phagocytic evasion. Accordingly, we prepared different surface-modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and investigated the effects of sialic acid on cellular and immune responses of nanoparticles in vitro and in vivo. Sialic acid modification not only facilitates evasion of the RES by suppressing the immune response, but also enhances tumor accumulation via its active targeting ability. Therefore, sialic acid modification presents a promising strategy to advance nanotechnology towards the prospect of clinical translation.

DOI： 10.7150/thno.19061

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Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

The aim of this study was to detect PD-L1 expression in bladder rhabdomyosarcoma and its association with clinicopathological features and patient prognosis. PD-L1 expression was detected in paraffin-embedded sections obtained from 34 patients with bladder rhabdomyosarcoma via immunohistochemistry. Immunohistochemistry results were statistically analyzed to determine their association with patient clinicopathological features and survival outcomes. PD-L1-positive staining was observed in 47.1% (16/34) of patients. Metastatic tumor cells in the lymph nodes of two patients were positive for PD-L1 expression. PD-L1 expression was significantly different with regard to muscularis invasion, but the expression did not affect patient survival outcomes. We confirmed PD-L1 expression in bladder rhabdomyosarcoma, suggesting that PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors are potential therapeutic agents for patients with bladder rhabdomyosarcoma.

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Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English  

Stem-like prostate cancer (PrCa) cells, also called PrCa stem cells (PrCSCs) or PrCa tumor-initiating cells (PrTICs), are considered to be involved in the mediation of tumor metastasis and may be responsible for the poor prognosis of PrCa patients. Currently, the methods for PrTIC sorting are mainly based on cell surface marker or side population (SP). However, the rarity of these sorted cells limits the investigation of the molecular mechanisms and therapeutic strategies targeting PrTICs. For PrTIC enrichment, we induced cancer stem cell (CSC) properties in PrCa cells by transducing three defined factors (OCT3/4, SOX2, and KLF4), followed by culture with conventional serum-containing medium. The CSC properties in the transduced cells were evaluated by proliferation, cell cycle, SP assay, drug sensitivity technology, in vivo tumorigenicity, and molecular marker analysis of PrCSCs compared with parental cells and spheroids. After culture with serum-containing medium for 8 days, the PrCa cells transduced with the three factors showed significantly enhanced CSC properties in terms of marker gene expression, sphere formation, chemoresistance to docetaxel, and tumorigenicity. The percentage of CD133+/CD44+ cells was ninefold higher in the transduced cell population than in the adherent PC3 cell population (2.25 ± 0.62 vs. 0.25 ± 0.12 %, respectively), and the SP increased to 1.22 ± 0.18 % in the transduced cell population, but was undetectable in the adherent population. This method can be used to obtain abundant PrTIC material and enables a complete understanding of PrTIC biology and development of novel therapeutic agents targeting PrTICs.

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The dynamic interaction between tumor cells and their microenvironment induces a proinflammatory milieu that drives cancer development and progression. The S100A8/A9 complex has been implicated in chronic inflammation, tumor development, and progression. The cancer microenvironment contributes to the up-regulation of this protein complex in many invasive tumors, which is associated with the formation of pre-metastatic niches and poor prognosis. Changing adhesive preference of cancer cells is at the core of the metastatic process that governs the reciprocal interactions of cancer cells with the extracellular matrices and neighboring stromal cells. Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) have been confirmed to have high-level expression in various highly invasive tumors. The expression and function of CAMs are profoundly influenced by the extracellular milieu. S100A8/A9 mediates its effects by binding to cell surface receptors, such as heparan sulfate, TLR4 and RAGE on immune and tumor cells. RAGE has recently been identified as an adhesion molecule and has considerably high identity and similarity to ALCAM and MCAM, which are frequently over-expressed on metastatic malignant melanoma cells. In this study, we demonstrated that ALCAM and MCAM also function as S100A8/A9 receptors as does RAGE and induce malignant melanoma progression by NF-κB activation and ROS formation. Notably, MCAM not only activated NF-κB more prominently than ALCAM and RAGE did but also mediated intracellular signaling for the formation of lung metastasis. MCAM is known to be involved in malignant melanoma development and progression through several mechanisms. Therefore, MCAM is a potential effective target in malignant melanoma treatment.

DOI： 10.1007/s10585-016-9801-2

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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the antitumor effect of lycorine on renal cell carcinoma ACHN cells and explore the possible mechanism. METHODS: We used flow cytometry to examine the effect of lycorine on ACHN cell cycle and apoptosis. The cell proliferation, migration and invasion were assessed with MTS assay, wound healing assay, and Transwell assay, respectively. Colony forming assay was performed, and the mRNA and protein levels of Bax, Bcl-2, survivin, caspase-3, cyclin D1 and CDK4 were measured with qRT-PCR and Western blotting. RESULTS: Lycorine obviously inhibited the proliferation of ACHN cells with an IC(50) of 24.34 µmol/L. Lycorine also induced apoptosis of ACHN cells, caused cell cycle arrest at G(0)/G(1) phase, and suppressed the colony forming ability of the cells in a dose-dependent manner. The migration and invasion of ACHN cells were significantly inhibited by 5 µmol/L lycorine. Lycorine up-regulated the mRNA levels of CDK4, Bax, caspase-3 while down-regulated the levels of survivin, Bcl-2 and Cyclin D1; the protein levels of CDK4 and Bax were increased and cyclin D1, Bcl-2 and surviving expressions were decreased, but caspase-3 expression showed no significant changes following the treatment. CONCLUSION: Lycorine has obvious antitumor effect against ACHN cells, suggesting its value as a new therapeutic agent for renal cell carcinoma.

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Monitoring disease progression through imaging is playing an increasingly important role in the treatment of prostate cancer. Here, we report that primary mouse prostate cancer cell lines stably expressing luciferase and tumor biomarkers can be monitored through bioluminescence imaging along with assays of serum biomarkers and immune function. Tumorigenesis in immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice can be monitored in by collecting samples from the dorsal flank, dorsolateral prostate, and tail vein to obtain real-time subcutaneous, orthotopic, and metastasis indicators, respectively. We used this technique to confirm the therapeutic effect of immune checkpoint blockade. Our findings suggest the presented indicators are ideally suited for real-time tracking of drug responses, tumor progression and immune function.

DOI： 10.18632/oncotarget.8846

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In this study, we aimed to identify the influence of exonuclease 1 (EXO1) single-nucleotide polymorphism rs9350, which is involved in DNA mismatch repair, on prostate cancer risk in Chinese people. In our hospital-based case-control study, 214 prostate cancer patients and 253 cancer-free control subjects were enrolled from three hospitals in China. Genotyping for rs9350 was performed by the SNaPshot(®) method using peripheral blood samples. Consequently, a significantly higher prostate cancer risk was observed in patients with the CC genotype [odds ratio (OR) = 1.678, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1.130-2.494, P = 0.010] than in those with the CT genotype. Further, the CT/TT genotypes were significantly associated with increased prostate cancer risk (adjusted OR = 1.714, 95 % CI = 1.176-2.500, P = 0.005), and the C allele had a statistically significant compared with T allele (P = 0.009) of EXO1 (rs9350). Through stratified analysis, significant associations were revealed for the CT/TT genotype in the subgroup with diagnosis age >72 (adjusted OR = 1.776, 95 % CI = 1.051-3.002, P = 0.032) and in patients with localized disease subgroup (adjusted OR = 1.798, 95 % CI = 1.070-3.022, P = 0.027). In addition, we observed that patients with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels of ≤10 ng/mL were more likely to have the CT/TT genotypes than those with PSA levels of >10 ng/mL (P = 0.006). For the first time, we present evidence that the inherited EXO1 polymorphism rs9350 may have a substantial influence on prostate cancer risk in Chinese people. We believe that the rs9350 could be a useful biomarker for assessing predisposition for and early diagnosis of prostate cancer.

DOI： 10.1007/s13277-015-4298-x

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Eight new isocoumarin glycosides (1-8) were obtained from the solid culture of the wetland soil-derived fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (No. DTH12-10). Their chemical structures were elucidated by analyses of HR ESI-TOF MS, (1)H, (13)C NMR, (1)H-(1)H COSY, HSQC, and HMBC spectra. The absolute configurations were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction, circular dichroism (CD) spectrum, and chemical derivatization methods. In addition, inhibition of the biofilm formation and the secretion of virulence factor of the new isocoumarin glycosides against Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAOA (clinical isolates) were evaluated. The result revealed that compound 1 showed antibacterial activity comparable with (Z)-4-bromo-5-(bromomethylene)-2(5H)-furanone (BF).

DOI： 10.1016/j.bmcl.2016.01.074

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DOI： 10.1016/j.clgc.2015.04.006

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Language：English   Publisher：ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC  

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YM155, a small molecule inhibitor of the antiapoptotic protein survivin, has been developed as a potential anti-cancer drug. We investigated a combination therapy of YM155 and interleukin-2 (IL-2) in a mouse model of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). YM155 caused cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in renal cancer (RENCA) cells. Next, luciferase-expressing RENCA cells were implanted in the left kidney and the lung of BALB/c mice to develop RCC metastatic model. In this orthotopic renal and metastatic lung tumors models, YM155 and IL-2 additively decreased tumor weight, lung metastasis, and luciferin-stained tumor images. Also, the combination significantly suppressed regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells compared with single agent treatment. We suggest that a combination of YM155 and IL-2 can be tested as a potential therapeutic modality in patients with RCC.

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Reduced expression in immortalized cells (REIC)/Dickkopf (Dkk)-3 is a tumor-suppressor gene and has been studied as a promising therapeutic gene for cancer gene therapy. Intratumoral injection of an adenovirus vector carrying the human REIC/Dkk-3 gene (Ad-REIC) elicits cancer cell-specific apoptosis and anticancer immune responses. The cytokine-like effect of secretory REIC/Dkk-3 on the induction of dendritic cell (DC)-like cell differentiation from monocytes plays a role in systemic anticancer immunity. In the present study, we generated recombinant full-length and N-terminally truncated REIC/Dkk-3 to characterize the biological activity of the protein. During the purification procedure, we identified a 17 kDa cysteine-rich stable product (C17-REIC) showing limited degradation. Further analysis showed that the C17-REIC domain was sufficient for the induction of DC-like cell differentiation from monocytes. Concomitant with the differentiation of DCs, the REIC/Dkk-3 protein induced the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) at a level comparable to that of granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor. In a mouse model of subcutaneous renal adenocarcinoma, intraperitoneal injection of full-length and C17-REIC proteins exerted anticancer effects in parallel with the activation of immunocompetent cells such as DCs and cytotoxic T lymphocytes in peripheral blood. Taken together, our results indicate that the stable cysteine-rich core region of REIC/Dkk-3 is responsible for the induction of anticancer immune responses. Because REIC/Dkk-3 is a naturally circulating serum protein, the upregulation REIC/Dkk-3 protein expression could be a promising option for cancer therapy.

DOI： 10.3892/or.2015.3885

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the antitumor immune response of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) in an orthotopic bladder cancer model. The murine bladder cancer cell line MBT-2 was transurethrally implanted in the bladder of syngeneic female C3H/He mice. The animals were randomly divided into three treatment groups: Phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), low-dose BCG and high-dose BCG. The analyses of luciferin-stained tumor images 28 days after each treatment showed significant tumor growth inhibition in the high-dose group in comparison with that in the low-dose- or PBS-treated groups. In addition, the percentage of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in the high-dose group was significantly suppressed in comparison with that in the PBS and low-dose agent treatment groups. These findings are notable in terms of the clinical evaluations of this therapy for patients with bladder cancer. The outcomes of this study also provide important implications regarding antitumor immune responses in human cancer.

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Metastasis-associated in colon cancer-1 (MACC1) expression in tumor specimens is an independent prognostic indicator of metastasis, which has recently gained considerable attention in cancer research, due to its overexpression in several types of carcinoma. However, MACC1 expression patterns and its possible role in renal cell carcinoma remain unknown. This study aimed to investigate MACC1 expression in renal cell carcinoma via immunohistochemical analysis and determine the relationship between MACC1 expression and cancer prognosis. Positive MACC1 expression was found to significantly correlate with distant metastasis and TNM stage (P < 0.05). A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that patients with higher MACC1 expression had a significantly lower disease-free rate (P < 0.05). These results indicate that MACC1 expression is significantly associated with prognosis in patients with renal cell carcinoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the significance of MACC1 as a prognostic marker in renal cell carcinoma. MACC1 expression may be a useful target for the development of new therapeutic approaches, including molecular targeted therapeutic agents, for renal cell carcinoma.

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The Wnt signaling pathway plays a crucial role in human cancer development, and axis inhibition protein 2 (Axin2) is a master scaffold protein involved in Wnt signaling. Axin2 negatively regulates Wnt signaling and acts as a tumor suppressor protein. The present study evaluated the association between the Axin2 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2240308 [guanine (G)/adenine (A)] and the incidence of prostate cancer. In total, 103 patients with prostate cancer and 100 cancer-free control males were included in this case-control study, and were genotyped using the genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood samples. The results revealed a higher incidence of prostate cancer in the subjects with the homozygous GG genotype and a reduced cancer incidence in the patients with the GA genotype of the rs2240308 SNP (G/A) in the Axin2 gene. The adjusted odds ratio for carriers with the GA genotype was 0.377 (95% CI, 0.206-0.688; P=0.001) and that for the AA genotype was 0.830 (95% CI, 0.309-2.232; P=0.712) compared with the GG genotype. Therefore, the GA genotype was found to exhibit a protective effect that decreased the risk of prostate cancer. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the significant association between this SNP (rs2240308, G/A) and the risk of prostate cancer. This association indicates the possibility that the variations in the Axin2 gene in this position may play a significant role in promoting the development of cancer in the prostate. We believe that the Axin2 SNP (rs2240308) could be a useful biomarker for the predisposition and early diagnosis of the disease.

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For expression of genes in mammalian cells, various vectors have been developed using promoters including CMV, EF-1α, and CAG promoters and have been widely used. However, such expression vectors sometimes fail to attain sufficient expression levels depending on the nature of cargo genes and/or on host cell types. In the present study, we aimed to develop a potent promoter system that enables high expression levels of cargo genes ubiquitously in many different cell types. We found that insertion of an additional promoter downstream of a cargo gene greatly enhanced the expression levels. Among the constructs we tested, C-TSC cassette (C: CMV-RU5' located upstream; TSC: another promoter unit composed of triple tandem promoters, hTERT, SV40, and CMV, located downstream of the cDNA plus a polyadenylation signal) had the most potent capability, showing far higher efficiency than that of potent conventional vector systems. The results indicate that the new expression system is useful for production of recombinant proteins in mammalian cells and for application as a gene therapeutic measure.

DOI： 10.1007/s12033-014-9738-0

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Language：English   Publisher：WILEY-BLACKWELL  

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Gene expression systems with various promoters, including the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter, have been developed to increase the gene expression in a variety of normal and cancer cells. In particular, in the clinical trials of cancer gene therapy, a more efficient and robust gene expression system is required to achieve sufficient therapeutic outcomes. By inserting the triple translational enhancer sequences of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), Simian virus 40 (SV40) and CMV downstream of the sequence of the BGH polyA, we were able to develop a novel gene expression system that significantly enhances the expression of the genes of interest. We termed this novel gene expression cassette the super gene expression (SGE) system, and herein verify the utility of the SGE cassette for a replication-deficient adenoviral vector. We newly developed an adenoviral vector expressing the tumor suppressor, reduced expression in immortalized cells (REIC)/Dickkopf-3 (Dkk-3), based on the CMV promoter-driven SGE system (Ad-SGE-REIC) and compared the therapeutic utility of Ad-SGE-REIC with that of the conventional adenoviral vectors (Ad-CMV-REIC or Ad-CAG-REIC). The results demonstrated that the CMV promoter-SGE system allows for more potent gene expression, and that the Ad-SGE-REIC is superior to conventional adenoviral systems in terms of the REIC protein expression and therapeutic effects. Since the SGE cassette can be applied for the expression of various therapeutic genes using various vector systems, we believe that this novel system will become an innovative tool in the field of gene expression and gene therapy.

DOI： 10.3892/or.2013.2958

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Dynasore, a specific dynamin GTPase inhibitor, suppresses lamellipodia formation and cancer cell invasion by destabilizing actin filaments. In search for novel dynamin inhibitors that suppress actin dynamics more efficiently, dynasore analogues were screened. N'-[4-(dipropylamino)benzylidene]-2-hydroxybenzohydrazide (DBHA) markedly reduced in vitro actin polymerization, and dose-dependently inhibited phosphatidylserine-stimulated dynamin GTPase activity. DBHA significantly suppressed both the recruitment of dynamin 2 to the leading edge in U2OS cells and ruffle formation in H1299 cells. Furthermore, DBHA suppressed both the migration and invasion of H1299 cells by approximately 70%. Furthermore, intratumoral DBHA delivery significantly repressed tumor growth. DBHA was much less cytotoxic than dynasore. These results strongly suggest that DBHA inhibits dynamin-dependent actin polymerization by altering the interactions between dynamin and lipid membranes. DBHA and its derivative may be potential candidates for potent anti-cancer drugs.

DOI： 10.1016/j.bbrc.2013.11.118

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Cluster of differentiation (CD)24 was originally described as a B lymphocyte marker and has recently received considerable attention in cancer research as its overexpression has been observed in several types of carcinoma. The CD24 molecule is a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-linked cell surface protein that appears to be associated with aggressive cancers involving invasion and metastasis. However, the expression of CD24 in human bladder cancer and its clinical significance remains largely unknown and no association has been reported between CD24 overexpression and human bladder tumor recurrence. In the present study, the CD24 expression in cancer tissues obtained during transurethral surgery and the subsequent intra-bladder tumor recurrence following surgery were assessed. Immunohistochemical staining was performed and the intensity of CD24 staining was semi-quantitatively evaluated. CD24 expression was observed more frequently in high-grade bladder tumors (G2-G3) than low-grade tumors (G1). Positive CD24 expression was significantly associated with intra-bladder tumor recurrence following surgery and increased staining intensity was also correlated with recurrence. The positive association between CD24 expression and tumor recurrence was observed in each tumor category (stages Ta and T1, low and high grade). The results demonstrated that CD24 expression is significantly associated with bladder tumor recurrence. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to reveal the significance of CD24 as a predictor of bladder cancer recurrence. These insights may lead to future therapeutic strategies targeting CD24 to prevent the dissemination of bladder cancer cells and tumor recurrence.

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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of CD33⁺ HLA-DR⁻ myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the peripheral blood of patients with renal carcinoma and its correlation with the clinicopathological features of renal cancer. METHODS: Forty-four patients with renal carcinoma treated in our hospital between June, 2011 and October, 2012 and 18 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. Flow cytometry was performed to detect CD33⁺ HLA-DR⁻ MDSCs in the peripheral blood, and its correlation with the clinicopathological features of the patients were analyzed. RESULTS: The positivity rate of CD33⁺ HLA-DR⁻ MDSCs in the peripheral blood was significantly higher in the cancer patients than in the healthy controls [(1.91 ± 0.66)% vs (0.62 ± 0.22)%, P<0.001]. The expression levels of CD33⁺ HLA-DR⁻ MDSCs in patients with renal carcinoma showed significant differences between stage I+II [(1.46 ± 0.44)%] and stage III [(2.04 ± 0.35)%] patients (P<0.01) and between stage III and stage IV patients [(2.50 ± 0.64)%] (P<0.05), but did not differ significantly in respect of age or gender. CONCLUSION: CD33⁺ HLA-DR⁻ MDSCs expression in the peripheral blood is associated with tumor stage and differentiation in renal carcinoma and may play an important role in predicting the prognosis and tumor immunology of renal carcinoma.

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Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are thought to be crucial for understanding the biological roots of cancer, and are of increasing importance as a target for new anticancer agents. According to an expression analysis of the cell surface antigens of various types of cancer, CD133 is considered to be a potential marker of cancer stemness. In this study, a human urinary bladder cancer cell line (J82) was used to analyze the cancer stem cell-like characteristics of CD133+ bladder cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. The CD133 expression in the J82 cells was examined and the cells were immunomagnetically categorized into positive and negative subsets. The CD133- and CD133+ subsets were phenotypically divergent with regard to the cell growth pattern, while CD133+ cells tended to colonize during their growth. In CD133+ cells, the pluripotent stem cell factors Oct-4 and Sox-2 were upregulated, and a statistically significant proliferation increase was observed when compared to CD133- cells. The CD133+ subpopulation was more tolerant to the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin, and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), an agent instilled intravesically to treat bladder cancer. In addition, CD133+ J82 cells were more resistant to radiation treatment when compared to CD133- cells. The in vivo tumorigenesis of the CD133- and CD133+ subsets of J82 cancer cells was also examined by subcutaneously injecting them into nude mice. The tumor growth was more aggressive in the CD133+ subpopulation, showing a significant difference in the tumorigenic potential in these subsets. In conclusion, J82 human bladder cancer cells include CD133- and CD133+ subpopulations, while the CD133 molecule is a potential marker of the potential malignancy of human bladder cancer. In the present study, the CD133+ subpopulation was herein demonstrated to have certain characteristics consistent with those of cancer stem cells.

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A novel transcriptional system was developed that can robustly enhance cancer-specific gene expression. In the system, hTERT promoter-driven gene expression was enhanced by an advanced two-step transcriptional amplification (TSTA). This construct was used to develop a novel system for detection of bladder cancer cells. The current study evaluated the advanced TSTA system by examining the cancer-specific gene transcription in various bladder cancer cell lines. The system significantly enhanced cancer-specific luciferase gene expression in the bladder cancer cell lines in comparison to the previous expression system of one-step or conventional TSTA. The fold gain of the enhancement was significantly correlated to the telomerase activity of the cell lines. A green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene encoding plasmid vector was constructed where hTERT promoter-driving transcription is enhanced by the advanced TSTA to utilize the system for the imaging and detection of viable bladder cancer cells. The advanced TSTA-hTERT-GFP plasmid successfully induced cancer-specific gene expression, showing robust GFP expression in human bladder cancer cell lines, but no visible GFP expression in normal bladder urothelial cells. The control GFP plasmid with a CMV promoter yielded GFP expression in both normal bladder cells and cancer cells. The advanced TSTA-hTERT-GFP plasmid allowed selective visualization of viable human bladder cancer cells in mixed cell culture containing 10- and 100-fold more normal bladder urothelial cells. These findings indicate that the advanced TSTA-hTERT expressional system is a valuable tool for detecting viable bladder cancer cells. The current system can be applied for in vitro detection of bladder cancer cells in urine and other types of cancer cells disseminated in vivo.

DOI： 10.3892/ijo.2012.1417

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OCT-4, which is also known as POU5f1, is a key regulator of self-renewal in embryonic stem cells. The new cancer stem cell concept proposes that the expression of such genes is potentially correlated with tumorigenesis and can affect some aspects of the cancer behavior, such as recurrence or metastasis. This study investigated the association between OCT-4 expression in cancer tissues obtained by transurethral surgery and the clinical data to clarify the involvement of OCT-4 in human bladder malignancy. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that a positive rate of OCT-4 expression was significantly associated with the higher-grade cancer (G2 and G3) in comparison with that of the lower grade (G1). In addition, positive OCT-4 expression was significantly associated with the intra-bladder tumor recurrence after the operation. The staining intensity of OCT-4 expression was also correlated with tumor recurrence. These data indicate that positive OCT-4 expression may be involved in the development of high-grade bladder cancer and with the bladder cancer recurrence. This is the first study showing a correlation between the expression of OCT-4 and bladder cancer recurrence. OCT-4 may be a valuable clinical marker for the progression of bladder cancer and may be an attractive therapeutic target for the development of new medicines for the treatment of malignancy.

DOI： 10.1007/s12032-011-9962-4

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OBJECTIVE: To study the expression of OCT4 protein in bladder cancer and its correlation to the clinicopathologic features and prognosis of bladder cancer. METHODS: OCT4 mRNA and protein expression was detected in 5 bladder cancer cell lines (RT-4, Tcc-Sup, KK47, T24, and 5637) and 1 normal bladder cell lines by real-time PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to detect the expression of OCT4 protein in 46 bladder cancer samples. RESULTS: All the 5 bladder cancer cell lines expressed detectable levels of OCT4 mRNA and proteins, whereas the normal bladder cell line SV-HUC-1 was negative for OCT4 expression. The clinical bladder cancer tissues showed a high positivity rate of OCT4 expression (76.1%), which was not detected in normal bladder tissues. Specific OCT-4 signals were localized mainly in the nuclei of the cancer cells. The expression rate of OCT4 protein was significantly higher in bladder cancer tissue than in normal bladder epithelium (P<0.05), and showed a positive correlation to the grade of tumor differentiation and metastasis (P<0.05) but not to the patients' age, gender or TNM stage. CONCLUSION: OCT4 protein expression is associated with tumor differentiation and metastasis in bladder cancer and may play an important role in the early diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of bladder cancer.

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The preclinical safety and therapeutic efficacy of adenoviral vectors that express the REIC/Dkk-3 tumor suppressor gene (Ad-REIC) was examined for use in prostate cancer gene therapy. The Ad-human (h) and mouse (m) REIC were previously demonstrated to induce strong anti-cancer effects in vitro and in vivo, and we herein report the results of two in vivo studies. First, intra-tumor Ad-hREIC administration was examined for toxicity and therapeutic effects in a subcutaneous tumor model using the PC3 prostate cancer cell line. Second, intra-prostatic Ad-mREIC administration was tested for toxicity in normal mice. The whole-body and spleen weights, hematological and serum chemistry parameters, and histological evaluation of tissues from throughout the body were analyzed. Both experiments indicated that there was no significant difference in the examined parameters between the Ad-REIC-treated group and the control (PBS- or Ad-LacZ-treated) group. In the in vitro analysis using PC3 cells, a significant apoptotic effect was observed after Ad-hREIC treatment. Confirming this observation, the robust anti-tumor efficacy of Ad-hREIC was demonstrated in the in vivo subcutaneous prostate cancer model. Based on the results of these preclinical experiments, we consider the adenovirus-mediated REIC/Dkk-3 in situ gene therapy to be safe and useful for the clinical treatment of prostate cancer.

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The two-step transcriptional amplification (TSTA) system was previously reported to enhance the tissue-specific gene expression driven by weak promoters, but the enhancement of the gene expression is limited to use in in vitro and in vivo experimental situations. To achieve robust tissue-specific gene expression using the TSTA system, we developed an advanced TSTA system which includes polyglutamines and rat glucocorticoid receptor sequences between the GAL4 and VP16 sequences in the region of the first step of transcription. We evaluated the advanced TSTA system as a method to enhance the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) promoter-driving cancer-specific transcription in various cancer cell lines. As a result, the advanced TSTA enhanced cancer-specific luciferase gene expression in all of the examined cancer cell lines, when compared with both the one-step and conventional TSTA systems (an ~6- and ~17-fold enhancement, respectively). Notably, the enhancement of the hTERT driven expression by the conventional TSTA system was modest and even inferior to the one-step system in several cancer cell lines. We then constructed a luciferase gene encoding the adeno-associated virus vector in which the hTERT promoter-mediated expression was driven by the advanced TSTA or control systems. In an orthotopic liver tumor model, mice were treated with the vector via tail vein injection. An optical imaging device was used to visualize the in vivo luciferase expression in the orthotopic tumor. The advanced TSTA system significantly enhanced the luciferase expression compared with the one-step and conventional TSTA systems (18.0±1.0- and 15.9±0.85-fold gain, respectively). Therefore, the advanced TSTA system significantly improves hTERT-dependent cancer-specific gene expression both in vitro and in vivo when compared with the previous systems. Since the advanced TSTA method can also be applied to other site-specific gene expression systems using tissue-specific promoters, this approach is expected to become a valuable tool enabling in vivo site-specific targeting in the field of gene therapy and molecular imaging.

DOI： 10.3892/or.2011.1371

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Deficiencies in the human DNA repair gene WRN are the cause of Werner syndrome, a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by premature aging and a predisposition to cancer. This study evaluated the association of WRN Leu1074Phe (rs1801195), a common missense single nucleotide polymorphism in WRN, with prostate cancer susceptibility in Chinese subjects. One hundred and forty-seven prostate cancer patients and 111 male cancer-free control subjects from 3 university hospitals in China were included. Blood samples were obtained from each subject, and the single nucleotide polymorphism WRN Leu1074Phe was genotyped by using a Snapshot assay. The results showed that WRN Leu1074Phe was associated with the risk of prostate cancer in Chinese men and that the TG/GG genotype displayed a decreased prevalence of prostate cancer compared with the TT genotype (OR＝0.58, 95%CI:0.35-0.97, p＝0.039). Through stratified analysis, more significant associations were revealed for the TG/GG genotype in the subgroup with diagnosis age ≤ 72 yr (OR＝0.27, 95%CI:0.12-0.61, p＝0.002) and in patients with localized diseases (OR＝0.36, 95%CI:0.19-0.70, p＝0.003). However, no statistically significant difference was found in the subgroup with age ＞72 yr or in patients with advanced diseases. We concluded that the genetic variant Leu1074Phe in the DNA repair gene WRN might play a role in the risk of prostate cancer in Chinese subjects.

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REIC/Dkk-3 is a member of the Dickkopf family proteins known as Wnt-antagonists, and REIC/Dkk-3 expression is downregulated in a broad range of cancer types. REIC/Dkk-3 acts as a tumor suppressor in multiple cancer cell lines by inducing apoptosis through endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signaling. However, the intracellular interaction partners of REIC/Dkk-3 have not been fully elucidated. By employing yeast two-hybrid screening, we identified the human dynein light chain, Tctex-1, as a novel interaction partner of REIC/Dkk-3. We further disclosed that the interaction involves the 136-157 amino acid region of REIC/Dkk-3 by using the mammalian two-hybrid system. Interestingly, this binding region of REIC/Dkk-3 with Tctex-1 contains an amino acid sequence motif [-E-X-G-R-R-X-H-] which was previously reported as the Tctex-1 binding domain of dynein intermediate chain (DIC). Immunocytochemistry demonstrated that both REIC/Dkk-3 and Tctex-1 were localized around the ER of human fibroblasts, and the similar distribution pattern of the proteins suggests that their interaction occurs around the ER. This is the first study showing the interaction of a Dickkopf family protein with a dynein motor complex protein. The link between REIC/Dkk-3 and Tctex-1 may be of significance for understanding the molecular functions of the proteins in ER stress signaling and intracellular dynein motor dynamics, respectively.

DOI： 10.1016/j.bbrc.2011.07.109

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Language：Japanese  

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Other Link： https://search.jamas.or.jp/index.php?module=Default&action=Link&pub_year=2011&ichushi_jid=J01205&link_issn=&doc_id=20110620240112&doc_link_id=%2Fag6niria%2F2011%2F0069s5%2F113%2F0559-0563%26dl%3D0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.medicalonline.jp%2Fjamas.php%3FGoodsID%3D%2Fag6niria%2F2011%2F0069s5%2F113%2F0559-0563%26dl%3D0&type=MedicalOnline&icon=https%3A%2F%2Fjk04.jamas.or.jp%2Ficon%2F00004_2.gif

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Other Link： http://search.jamas.or.jp/link/ui/2011251185

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The tumor suppressor REIC/Dkk-3 is a secretory protein which was originally identified to be downregulated in human immortalized cells. In the present study, we investigated the expression pattern of REIC/Dkk-3 in various cell types to characterize its physiological functions. We first examined the expression level of REIC/Dkk-3 in a broad range of cancer cell types and confirmed that it was significantly downregulated in all of the cell types. We also examined the tissue distribution pattern in a variety of normal mouse organs. Ubiquitous REIC/Dkk-3 protein expression was observed in the organs. The expression was abundant in the liver, heart and brain tissue, but was absent in the spleen and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the subcellular localization of REIC/Dkk-3 had a punctate pattern around the nucleus, indicating its association with secretory vesicles. In cancer cells stably transfected with REIC/Dkk-3, the protein was predominantly localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) under observation with confocal microscopy. Because REIC/Dkk-3 was found to be abundantly expressed in the acinar epithelial cells of the mouse prostate, we analyzed the effects of recombinant REIC/Dkk-3 protein on the acinar morphogenesis of RWPE-1 cells, which are derived from human normal prostate epithelium. Statistically significant acinar growth was observed in the culture condition with 10 µg/ml REIC/Dkk-3 protein, implicating the soluble form in prostatic acinar development. Current results suggest that REIC/Dkk-3 may play a role in regulating the morphological process of normal tissue architecture through an autocrine and/or paracrine manner.

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP  

OBP-301 (a telomerase-specific, replication-competent adenovirus with hTERT promoter) was constructed in a previous study and it showed a strong anticancer effect by inducing cell lysis in human lung and prostate cancer cells. This study investigated the effectiveness of a combination therapy of OBP-301 and interleukin-2 (IL-2) in a mouse model of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The cell-killing effect of OBP-301 was confirmed in vitro in the RENCA cancer cells. In in vivo experiment, luciferase-expressing RENCA cells were implanted in the left kidney and lung of BALB/c mice to prepare the RCC metastatic model. The animals were randomly divided into four treatment groups: PBS, IL-2 alone, OBP-301 alone and the combination. The analyses of orthotopic tumor weight, lung metastasis and luciferin-stained tumor images 14 days after each treatment showed significant tumor growth inhibition in the combination group in comparison with that in the OBP-301- or IL-2-treated groups. In addition, the percentage of regulatory T-cells (Tregs) in the combination group was significantly suppressed in comparison with that in the PBS and single-agent treatment groups. The outcomes of this study suggest that tumor-specific oncolytic immunovirotherapy may become an attractive strategy for the treatment of human RCC. Cancer Gene Therapy (2010) 17, 484-491; doi:10.1038/cgt.2010.5; published online 19 February 2010

DOI： 10.1038/cgt.2010.5

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The reduced expression in immortalized cells (REIC)/Dickkopf (Dkk)-3, a member of the Dkk gene family, is a tumor suppressor in a broad range of cancers. REIC/Dkk-3 transfected stable clones of mouse prostate cancer RM9 cells (RM9-REIC) and the empty vector-transfected control clone cells (RM9-EV) were established. Clones were used to evaluate the anti-cancer effects and a proteomics analysis of REIC/Dkk-3 continuous expression was performed. The RM9-REIC cells show a feeble appearance and the cell membrane shows irregular buds known as blebs. In vitro cell proliferation was significantly suppressed in RM9-REIC clones in comparison to the control. The apoptosis assay was done under standard culture conditions and RM9-REIC showed a higher incidence of apoptosis. The RM9-EV and RM9-REIC cells were orthotopically implanted into a C57BL/6 mouse prostate. After 2 weeks, the tumor growth was significantly inhibited in RM9-REIC cells in comparison to the control. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was used to examine the modification of protein expression by the gene transfection. The analysis with mass spectrometry disclosed that expression of peroxiredoxin-1, GST-P1, transgelin-2, MRP-L12, ARD, GRP78 and Sorcin were increased and eEF1A-1 and cyclophilin-40 protein were decreased in RM9-REIC cells. Therefore, REIC/Dkk-3 stable transfectants show a reduction of malignancy in mouse prostate cancer RM9 cells in vitro and in vivo. The result of the proteomics analysis might provide important clues to clarify the anti-cancer molecular mechanism of REIC/Dkk-3 gene transfer.

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The REIC/Dkk-3 gene has been reported to be a tumor suppressor and the expression is significantly down-regulated in a broad range of cancer cell types. The protein is secretory, but the physiological function remains unclear. This study demonstrated that recombinant REIC/Dkk-3 protein induced the differentiation of human CD14+ monocytes into a novel cell type (REIC/Dkk-3Mo). REIC/Dkk-3Mo resembles immature dendritic cells generated with IL-4 and GM-CSF. Both these cell populations exhibit similar proportions of CD11c+, CD40+, CD86+ and HLA-DR+ cells and endocytic capacity, but REIC/Dkk-3Mo is negative for CD1a antigen. An analysis of the signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) pathways revealed that REIC/Dkk-3 induces phosphorylation of STAT 1 and STAT 3. Furthermore, intratumoral administration of REIC/Dkk-3 protein significantly suppressed tumor growth with CD11c+ and CD8+ (dendritic and killer T cell marker, respectively) cell accumulation and enhanced anti-cancer cytolytic activity of splenocytes. These data indicated a cytokine-like role of REIC/Dkk-3 protein in monocyte differentiation that might be exploited therapeutically.

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：International Institute of Anticancer Research  

Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is overexpressed in prostate cancer. Estrogen plays a central role in the development of prostate cancer. hTERT activity has been shown to be increased after estrogen treatment. Although significant efforts have been made to understand the role of estrogen, the telomerase connection with estrogen is poorly understood. In this report, we describe a proteomics approach for investigating the global changes in protein expression in estrogen-treated human prostate cancer PC-3 cells. PC-3 cells were seeded in medium and then treated with estrogen
the protein extract from these cells was used for two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis. The protein spots were subjected to comparative analysis by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). We observed that the expression of 17 proteins, including stress-induced phosphoprotein 1 and lamin-A/C was down-regulated, and that the expression of proteins such as subunit a of T-complex protein 1, tubulin alpha-1B, and other 13 proteins was up-regulated. These proteins may have been closely associated with estrogen-induced hTERT activity. The expression level of these proteins could be a useful parameter for evaluating the estrogen-induced hTERT activity in clinical specimens of human prostate cancer.

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Language：Japanese   Publisher：医学図書出版(株)  

再燃前立腺がんに対する新たな治療法として遺伝子治療の基礎研究は分子生物学の進歩に伴いその成果を挙げてきた。さらにこれらの基礎研究の成果を臨床に還元するための研究(トランスレーショナルリサーチ)としてわれわれは遺伝子治療臨床研究を実施してきた。われわれが実施してきた自殺遺伝子としてのHSV-tk遺伝子、Interleukin-12遺伝子、腫瘍融解アデノウイルス、新規がん抑制遺伝子REICを用いた遺伝子治療研究の成果を概説することで再燃前立腺がんに対する遺伝子治療の現況とその展望を述べた。(著者抄録)

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP  

We previously constructed OBP-301 ( Telomelysin, a telomerase-specific replication-competent adenovirus with human telomerase reverse transcriptase ( hTERT) promoter), which showed a strong anticancer effect by inducing cell lysis of human non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer cells. To investigate the utility of OBP-301 for prostate cancer treatment, we herein evaluate the cell killing and antitumor effects. First, in vitro hTERT-specific adenovirus transduction in human prostate cancer cells ( LNCaP, PC3, DU145) was confirmed using OBP-401 ( Telomelysin-green fluorescent protein ( GFP)). There was no detectable GFP transduction in the human prostate normal cells ( PrEC, PrSC). Consistently, the cell-killing effect of OBP-301 was observed only in the cancer cells. Second, using an in vivo subcutaneous LNCaP tumor model in nude mice, we demonstrated that three intratumoral OBP-301 injections ( 10(7) PFU per tumor x 3 days) were sufficient to eradicate the detectable LNCaP prostate tumor. We also demonstrated that the ispilateral treatment with OBP-301 significantly suppressed contralateral LNCaP tumor growth in both sides of the tumor model. Histological and immunohistochemical analyses revealed diffuse oncolytic degeneration and adenoviral E1A protein expression in both sides of the tumors. Therefore, in situ OBP-301 administration could be a promising therapeutic strategy against prostate cancer and its metastatic lesions.

DOI： 10.1038/cgt.2008.3

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Other Link： http://search.jamas.or.jp/link/ui/2007169134

Language：English   Publisher：THE JAPANESE UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION  

DOI： 10.5980/jpnjurol.98.458_1

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper, summary (international conference)   Publisher：JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD  

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper, summary (international conference)   Publisher：JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD  

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