Juan Li^*†1, Chunyan Liu^‡1, Dawei Li^§, Meng Wan^¶, Hong Zhang^†, Xiaoxia Zheng^†, Xuemei Jie^†, Pengju Zhang^¶, Jingjing Li^#, Hongchun Hou^†, Qing Sun^*

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.7, pp. 763-771, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15399955297355

Abstract OLFM4 has been shown to play an important role in tumor initiation and progression. This study aims to investigate the role of OLFM4 in metastatic cervical cancer and its underlying mechanism. Here we discover that OLFM4 expression is significantly reduced in metastatic cervical cancer. Accordingly, overexpression of OLFM4 inhibits epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration, and invasion in human cervical cancer cells. To further explore its molecular mechanisms, we reveal that OLFM4 augmentation interferes with mTOR signaling pathway, and the suppressive effects of OLFM4 on cell migration and invasion are largely weakened by phosphatidic acid (PA)-induced mTOR signal activation, which implicates the… More >

Tengyu Li, Jing Zhu, Shuai Zuo, Shanwen Chen, Ju Ma, Yongchen Ma, Shihao Guo, Pengyuan Wang, Yucun Liu

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.7, pp. 739-750, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15360541345000

Abstract The activated form of vitamin D3, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3], regulates numerous cellular processes, including inhibition of cancer progression. IL-1 has been reported to facilitate cancer development, especially by inducing an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in several malignant tumors. However, the underlying mechanism of 1,25(OH)2D3 and IL-1 in colorectal cancer (CRC) still remains largely unknown. To fill in this knowledge gap, we measured cell proliferation and invasion by CCK-8 and Transwell assays after stimulation with 1,25(OH)2D3 and IL-1 . E-cadherin and vimentin were chosen as markers of EMT measured by immunofluorescence, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and Western blot. The expression and function… More >

Chao Liu^*†, Min Jian^‡, Hong Qi^†, Wei-Zheng Mao^†

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.3, pp. 389-397, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15223159811838

Abstract Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to participate in multiple biological processes. However, the effects of miR-495 on gastric cancer (GC) remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore the functions of miR-495 in GC cell proliferation, metastasis, and apoptosis. SGC-7901 and BGC-823 cell lines were transfected with miR-495 mimic, miR-495 inhibitor, and negative controls (mimic control and inhibitor control). The expressions of miR-495, cell viability, migration, apoptosis, and apoptosis-related factors were examined by qRT-PCR, trypan blue staining, Transwell, flow cytometry, and Western blot, respectively. Simultaneously, key factor expression levels of EMT were detected by qRT-PCR and Western… More >

Qiang Li^*†1, Qi Liu^*1, Wanpeng Cheng^*, Huiyan Wei^*, Wenqian Jiang^*, Fang E^*, Yuan Yu^*, Jianfeng Jin^*, Chaoxia Zou^*‡

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.6, pp. 643-651, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15415906335771

Abstract Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) plays an important role in the progression of several malignancies including breast cancer. However, its role in breast cancer metastasis is still ambiguous. In this study, we observed the effect of HO-1 on mouse mammary carcinoma metastasis using the in vivo tumor metastasis model. Our results revealed that overexpression of HO-1 strongly inhibits the lung metastasis of 4T1 cells. In in vitro analysis, associated indices for epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration, and proliferation of 4T1 cells were evaluated. The results show that HO-1 inhibits EMT, migration, and proliferation of 4T1 cells. In addition, the Notch1/ Slug pathway is… More >

Jun Shan Ruan^*†, Huan Zhou^*, Lin Yang^‡, Ling Wang^*, Zong Sheng Jiang^§, Hong Sun^*, Shao Ming Wang^*†

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.5, pp. 593-600, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504017X15051723858706

Abstract Transforming growth factor- 1 (TGF- 1)-induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may contribute to tumor metastasis. TGF- 1-induced EMT in H1975 cells (a human NSCLC cell line) resulted in the adoption of mesenchymal responses that were predominantly mediated via the TGF- 1–integrin signaling pathway. Ursolic acid has been previously reported to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis in several cancers. However, whether ursolic acid can attenuate TGF- 1-induced EMT in H1975 cells and its underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, ursolic acid significantly attenuated the TGF- 1-induced decrease in E-cadherin level and elevated the level of… More >

Xiaofei Ning^*, Cong Wang^†, Meng Zhang^†, Kecheng Wang^*

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.4, pp. 399-406, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15179675206495

Abstract Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial step in tumor progression and is also involved in the acquisition of stem cell-like properties. Some miRNAs have been shown to function as either tumor suppressors or oncogenes in colon cancer. Here we investigated the role of miR-147 in the regulation of the stem cell-like traits of colon cancer cells. We observed that miR-147 was downregulated in several colon cancer cell lines, and overexpressed miR-147 decreased the expression of cancer stem cell (CSC) markers OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG in the colon cancer… More >

Jing Li^*†, Lian-mei Zhao^‡, Cong Zhang^‡, Meng Li^§, Bo Gao^†, Xu-hua Hu^†, Jian Cao^†, Gui-ying Wang^†

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.1, pp. 51-63, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15619783964700

Abstract Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in and regulate the biological process of colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. Our previous research identified differentially expressed lncRNAs in 10 CRC tissues and 10 matched nontumor tissues by next-generation sequencing (NGS). In this study, we identified an lncRNA, FEZF1 antisense RNA 1 (FEZF1-AS1), and further explored its function and mechanism in CRC. We verified that FEZF1-AS1 is highly expressed in CRC tissues and cell lines. Through functional experiments, we found that reduced levels of FEZF1-AS1 significantly suppressed CRC cell migration, invasion, and proliferation and inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, we discovered that reduced levels… More >

Huifang Lv, Honglin Hou, Huijun Lei, Caiyun Nie, Beibei Chen, Liangyu Bie, Lili Han, Xiaobing Chen

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.3, pp. 225-236, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15753718797664

Abstract S100 binding protein A16 (S100A16) expression levels are closely associated with microRNA (miRNA) processing. Higher levels of S100A16 are reported during the progression of many cancers. Our study mainly explored the interaction between S100A16 and miR-6884-5p in gastric cancer (GC). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to determine the level of S100A16 and miR-6884-5p in GC tissues and cell lines. The si-S100A16, pcDNA-S100A16, miR-6884-5p mimic or inhibitor was transfected into GC cells, and the effects of S100A16 and miR-6884-5p on the proliferation, invasion, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) were explored by qRT-PCR and Western blot assays. Luciferase assays were… More >

Wei Wei^*1, Xiao-Dong Ma^†1, Guan-Min Jiang^‡, Bin Shi^§, Wen Zhong^¶, Chun-Lei Sun^§, Liang Zhao^*, Yan-Jiao Hou^*, Hao Wang^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.4, pp. 423-438, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X15877284857868

Abstract Although oxaliplatin serves as one of the first-line drugs prescribed for treating colorectal cancer (CRC), the therapeutic effect is disappointing due to drug resistance. So far, the molecular mechanisms mediating oxaliplatin resistance remain unclear. In this study, we found the chemoresistance in oxaliplatin-resistant HCT116 cells (HCT116/OXA) was mediated by the upregulation of ERCC1 expression. In addition, the acquisition of resistance induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) as well as the Slug overexpression. On the contrary, Slug silencing reversed the EMT phenotype, decreased ERCC1 expression, and ameliorated drug resistance. Further mechanistical studies revealed the enhanced Slug expression resulted from the activation of AKT/… More >

Kairui Liu^*, Xiaolin Wu^*, Xian Zang^†, Zejian Huang^*, Zeyu Lin^‡, Wenliang Tan^*, Xiang Wu^*, Wenrou Hu^*, Baoqi Li^*, Lei Zhang^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.5, pp. 559-560, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X16032056440102

Abstract Overexpression of the tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 4 (TRAF4) has been detected in many cancer types and is considered to foster tumor progression. However, the role of TRAF4 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains elusive. In this study, we found that TRAF4 was highly expressed in HCC cell lines and HCC tissues compared with normal liver cell lines and adjacent noncancerous tissues. TRAF4 overexpression in HCC tissues was correlated with tumor quantity and vascular invasion. In vitro studies showed that TRAF4 was associated with HCC cell migration and invasion. An in vivo study verified that TRAF4 overexpression facilitated metastasis in… More >