Aagesenali2334

BACKGROUND/AIM Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and a major cause of cancer-related mortality among women. Previous studies have reported that microRNA-miR-187*, which is one of the non-coding parts of the genome producing small conserved ribonucleic acids, is associated with various cancers. In this study, we explored the function of miR-187* in cervical cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS miR-187* mimic, WWOX reporter constructs, siRNA and overexpression constructs were transfected into SiHa cells to investigate the function and regulatory mechanisms of miR-187*. RESULTS Exogenous miR-187* was found to increase the oncogenic phenotypes of SiHa cells. The tumor suppressor gene WWOX is a novel target of miR-187* in SiHa cells. WWOX siRNA suppressed endogenous WWOX expression and increased the oncogenic phenotypes of SiHa cells. Exogenous WWOX expression was able to suppress the oncogenic phenotypes of SiHa cells and rescue cells from miR-187*-induced migration. CONCLUSION miR-187* seems to enhance SiHa cervical cancer cell oncogenicity via suppression of the WWOX pathway. BACKGROUND/AIM Anti-cancer drug resistance restricts the efficacy of chemotherapy in malignant tumors. Casein kinase 2α (CK2α) is highly expressed in 5-fluorouracil (5FU)-resistant colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. We hypothesized that inhibition of CK2α might reduce CRC resistance to 5FU. MATERIALS AND METHODS To investigate the role of CK2α in 5FU-resistant CRC cells, we assessed cell viability, apoptosis, cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) activity, cell-cycle progression, invasion, and sphere formation in 5FU-resistant CRC cells. RESULTS CK2α levels were significantly increased in 5FU-resistant CRC cells compared to those in wild-type CRC cells. During exposure to 5FU, viability, CDK4 activity, cell-cycle progression, invasion, and sphere formation were enhanced, while apoptosis was decreased in 5FU-resistant CRC cells. These effects were mediated by the inhibiting effects of CK2α on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Combination of CK2α knockdown with 5FU treatment promoted apoptosis of 5FU-resistant CRC cells by inducing ER stress. CONCLUSION 5FU treatment in combination with a CK2α inhibitor may exert a synergistic effect against drug-resistant cancer cells. BACKGROUND/AIM Niclosamide is an antihe-minthic drug that has shown cytotoxic effects on non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cells. However, the exact mechanisms underlying the anti-tumour activity of niclosamide in NSCLC cancer cells remains to be defined. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antitumor activity of niclosamide in human A549 and CL1-5 non-small cell lung cancer cells using in vitro and in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS We investigated the effects of niclosamide on cell viability, apoptosis, the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP; Δϕm), and autophagy and apoptosis-related protein expression in human A549 and CL1-5 non-small cell lung cancer cells. RESULTS Niclosamide induced mainly caspase-independent apoptosis through apoptosis-inducible factor (AIF) translocation to the nucleus upon mitochondria damage. Moreover, niclosamide-induced autophagy may act as adaptive response against apoptosis. AMPK/AKT/mTOR pathway were involved in niclosamide-induced cell death and autophagy in response to ATP depletion. Furthermore, niclosamide efficiently suppressed tumor growth and induce autophagy in vivo. CONCLUSION Niclosamide induced apoptosis by activating the intrinsic and caspase-independent pathway in human A549 and CL1-5 non-small cell lung cancer cells. Bcl 2 inhibitor Therefore, niclosamide is a potential candidate for anti-NSCLC therapy. BACKGROUND/AIM The aim of the study was to examine the efficacy of the combination of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors with other inhibitors for the treatment of ALK-positive lymphomas. This approach is predicted to be an alternative way for suppressing ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). MATERIALS AND METHODS We treated ALK-positive ALCL cell lines, KARPAS-299 and SU-DHL-1, with the ALK inhibitor alectinib and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor everolimus. RESULTS The ALK inhibitor alectinib had a selective ALK-dependent inhibitory effect on ALK-positive cancer cell proliferation. Treatment with alectinib or everolimus inhibited target molecules, and their combination augmented their inhibitory effect on the mTOR pathway. Furthermore, the combination treatment significantly inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase in ALK-positive ALCL cells. CONCLUSION The combination of both inhibitors synergistically inhibits ALK-positive ALCL cell growth via the ALK/mTOR pathway. BACKGROUND/AIM Cancer cells are frequently exposed to microenvironmental stresses, including amino acid deprivation and hypoxia, which are often targeted for cancer therapy. Here, we examined the effect of hypoxia in cysteine-deprived breast cancer cells and the mechanism to counteract the hypoxia effect. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cell death was determined by annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide staining. Expression of mRNAs and proteins was determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis, respectively. RESULTS Cysteine deprivation or sulfasalazine, a potent inhibitor of cysteine/glutamate transporter, induced cell death by activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) up-regulation. Hypoxia significantly suppressed cell death and ATF4 up-regulation induced by cysteine deprived conditions. In addition, tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand reversed the effect of hypoxia on cysteine deprived conditions. CONCLUSION Prevention of hypoxia may be a means for augmenting the effect of amino acid deprivation as a strategy for cancer therapy. BACKGROUND/AIM As metastasis accounts for most breast cancer (BC)-related deaths, identifying key players becomes research priority. Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF15), a member of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily, is affected by the actin cytoskeleton and has been associated with cancer. However, its exact role in BC cell invasiveness is vague. MATERIALS AND METHODS GDF15 short-hairpin (shRNA)-mediated silencing was used to inhibit GDF15 expression in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 BC cells and gene expression of relevant focal adhesion (FA) genes, cell migration, invasion and tumor spheroid invasion were subsequently analyzed. RESULTS GDF15 silencing promoted cell migration, cell invasion as well as tumor spheroid invasion and up-regulated urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and FA genes, integrin-linked kinase (ILK), LIM zinc finger domain containing 1 (LIMS1), α-parvin (PARVA), and RAS suppressor-1 (RSU1). Computational analysis of Cancer Genome Atlas BC dataset however, revealed no significant correlation between GDF15 expression and metastasis pointing towards a more complex molecular interplay between GDF15, actin cytoskeleton and FA-related genes which ultimately affects their expression pattern, in vivo.