UBE2T mediates the stemness properties of breast cancer cells through the mTOR signaling pathway

Objectives:This study aimed to reveal the role and possible mechanism of the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 2T(UBE2T)in the biological activities of breast cancer stem cells(BCSCs).Methods:The specific protein and gene expression were quantified by Western blotting and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction,the proportion of BCSCs was examined by flow cytometry,and the self-renewal and proliferation of BCSCs were verified by serial sphere formation and soft agar.Results:Increasing expression of UBE2T was drastically found in breast cancer than that in adjacent tissues.Furthermore,UBE2T overexpression significantly increased the proportion of BCSCs in breast cancer cells and promoted their self-renewal and proliferation.Silent UBE2T exhibited the opposite functions.UBE2T increased the levels of the mammalian target of rapamycin and the phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin.Mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)inhibitor rapamycin inhibited the function of UBE2T in BCSCs.Conclusion:UBE2T plays a role in BCSCs through mTOR pathway and may suggest a novel therapeutic strategy for breast cancer.

IN SITU IMAGING OF BREAST CANCER CELLS USING GREEN SEMICONDUCTOR QUANTUM DOTS

The breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in women. To establish an early stage in situ imaging of breast cancer cells, green quantum dots （QDs） are used as a fluorescent signal generator. The QDs based imaging of breast cancer cells involves anti-HER2/neu antibody for labeling the over expressed HER2 on the surface of breast cancer cells. The complete assay involves breast cancer cells, biotin labeled antibody and streptavidin conjugated QDs. The breast cancer cells are grown in culture plates and exposed to the biotin labeled antibodies, and then exposed to streptavidin labeled QDs to utilize the strong and stable biotin-streptavidin interaction. Fluorescent images of the complete assay for breast cancer cells are evaluated on a microscope with a UV light source. Results show that the breast cancer cells in the complete assay are used as fluorescent cells with brighter signals compared with those labeled by the organic dye using similar parameters and the same number of cells.

Effect of poly(ethylene glycol) modified polyethylenimine polyelectrolyte complex on pharmaceutical characteristics and uptake on breast cancer cell

Cationic polyethylenimine （PEI） with dextran fluorescein anionic （DFA） or oligodeoxynucleotide （ODN） could form polyelectrolyte complex by self-assembly as a gene delivery vector. This study was designed to investigate the effects on pharmaceutical characteristics and cell uptake PEI after a long-circulation modification with poly（ethylene glycol） （PEG）. DFA or ODN reacted with PEI or PEI-PEG to form polyelectrolyte complexes. Surface characters of these complexes and the retardation of ODN by PEI and PEI-PEG were evaluated. The uptake rates of DFA/PEI and DFA/PEI-PEG complexes by MCF-7 cells were evaluated by flow cytometry. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was utilized to visualize the internalization of these complexes. ODN/PEI complex showed the dependence of their size and ξ potential on the N/P ratio. ODN/PEI-PEG complex were much less affected by N/P ratio and their size was around 30 100 nm. PEI and PEI-PEG retarded ODN even at N/P ratio as low as 4, and complete retardation was found at N/P ratio of 8. The uptake rate by MCF-7 cells was direct correlated to the DFA concentration and incubation time, and the uptake rate could exceed 99% under the selected condition. The results in this study showed that PEI self-assembly polyelectrolyte complex after stealth or long circulation modification may increase the ability as a gene vector to delivery genes into cells.

Inhibitory Effects of Mild Hyperthermia plus Docetaxel Therapy on ER(+/–) Breast Cancer Cells and Action Mechanisms

Summary： The purpose of this study was to verify that a combination of mild hyperthermia and do- cetaxel chemotherapy produces synergistic antitumor effects and to explore the action mechanisms of this treatment approach. The effects of docetaxel on the proliferation of cells from the estrogen receptor （ER）-positive human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 and the ER-negative human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-453 were examined by 3-（4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl）-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide （MTT） assay, and effective experimental concentrations of docetaxel were determined. The effects of mild hy- perthermia plus docetaxel therapy on apoptosis rate in the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-453 human breast cancer cell lines were analyzed by using flow cytometry with Annexin-V fluorescein isothiocyanate （FITC）/propidium iodide （PI） staining. The effects of these combined treatments on cell cycle progres- sion in the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-453 human breast cancer cell lines were examined by using flow cy- tometry. The effects of these combined treatments on the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and proteins in the mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） pathways were analyzed by using Western blotting. The effects of these combined treatments on the expression of the heat shock protein 70 （HSP70） and the multi-drug resistance （MDR） gene product P-glycoprotein （Pgp） were examined by using Western blotting. The results showed that the half-maximal inhibitory concentration （IC50） of do- cetaxel for MCF-7 and MDA-MB-453 cells was 19.57±1.12 and 21.64±2.31 gmol/L respectively. Mild hyperthermia with docetaxel therapy could increase apoptosis rate in the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-453 cells. Apoptosis rate in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-453 cells was increased from （23.66±3.59）% and （18.51±3.17）% in docetaxel treatment group to （47.12±6.73）% and （55.16±7.42）% in mild hyperthermia plus docetaxel group, indicating that the mild hyperthermia and docetaxel therapeutic approaches exhib- ited significant synergistic antitumor effects. Treatments of mild hyperthermia plus docetaxel induced G2/M cell cycle arrest in the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-453 cells. Western blotting demonstrated that pro- teins in the MAPK pathway were expressed at higher levels in docetaxel-treated cells following mild hypothermia than those in cells treated with docetaxel alone. As compared with blank control group, cells from the mild hyperthermia plus docetaxel group exhibited significantly decreased B-cell lym- phoma 2 （Bcl-2） protein expression but slightly increased Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax） expression. Western blotting results revealed that HSP70 and Pgp expression levels were significantly increased following mild hypothermia. It was concluded that treatments of mild hyperthermia plus docetaxel in- hibited the proliferation of human breast cancer cells, promoted apoptosis of breast cancer cells, and produced synergistic antitumor effects.

Activation of Rac1-PI3K/Akt is required for epidermal growth factorinduced PAK1 activation and cell migration in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells

Epidermal growth factor （EGF） may increase cell motility, an event implicated in cancer cell invasion and metastasis. However, the underlying mechanisms for EGF-induced cell motility remain elusive. In this study, we found that EGF treatment could activate Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 （Racl）, PI3K/Akt and p21- actived kinase （PAK1） along with cell migration. Ectopic expression of PAK1 K299R, a dominant negative PAK1 mutant, could largely abolish EGF-induced cell migration. Blocking PI3K/Akt signalling with LY294002 or Akt siRNA remarkably inhibited both EGF-induced PAK1 activation and cell migration. Furthermore, expression of dominant-negative Racl （T17N） could largely block EGF-induced PI3K/Akt-PAK1 activation and cell migration. Interestingly, EGF could induce a significant production of ROS, and N-acetyl-L-cysteine, a scavenger of ROS which abolished the EGF-induced ROS generation, cell migration, as well as activation of PI3K/Akt and PAK, but not Racl. Our study demonstrated that EGF-induced cell migration involves a cascade of signalling events, including activation of Racl, generation of ROS and subsequent activation of PI3K/Akt and PAK1.

Piperine suppresses growth and migration of human breast cancer cells through attenuation of Rac1 expression

Objective:To investigate the effect of piperine on human breast cancer cells.Methods:The effect of piperine on proliferation and migration of human breast cancer cells,MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231,was investigated using colony formation assays,wound healing assays,Matrigel migration assays,flow cytometry,RT-qPCR,and Western blotting assays.Results:Piperine inhibited the growth of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells and suppressed colony formation.Cell reduction at the G_(0)/G_(1) phase and cell arrest at the G_(2)/M phase were observed in breast cancer cells.However,the significant effect was only demonstrated in MDA-MB-231 cells.Moreover,cancer cell migration was suppressed by piperine at low concentration.RT-qPCR and Western blotting assays showed that piperine downregulated Rac1 gene and protein expression.Conclusions:Piperine could inhibit growth and migration of breast cancer cells by reducing Rac1 gene and protein expression.

Effects of bisphenol compounds on the growth and epithelial mesenchymal transition of MCF-7 CV human breast cancer cells

Bisphenol-A（BPA） has been considered as an endocrine disrupting chemical（EDC） because it can exert estrogenic properties.For bisphenol-S（BPS） and bisphenol-F（BPF） that are BPA analogs and substitutes,their risk to estrogendependent cancer has been reported rarely compared with the numerous cases of BPA.In this study,we examined whether BPA,BPS,and BPF can lead to the proliferation,migration,and epithelial mesenchymal transition（EMT） of MCF-7 clonal variant（MCF-7 CV） breast cancer cells expressing estrogen receptors（ERs）.In a cell viability assay,BPA,BPS,and BPF significantly increased proliferation of MCF-7 CV cells compared to control（DMSO） as did17β-estradiol（E2）.In Western blotting assay,BPA,BPS,and BPF enhanced the protein expression of cell cycle progression genes such as cyclin D1 and E1.In addition,MCF-7 CV cells lost cell to cell contacts and acquired fibroblast-like morphology by the treatment of BPA,BPS,or BPF for 24 hours.In cell migration assay,BPA,BPS,and BPF accelerated the migration capability of MCF-7 CV cells as did E2.In relation with the EMT process,BPA,BPS,and BPF increased the protein expression of N-cadherin,while they decreased the protein expression of Ecadherin.When BPA,BPS,and BPF were co-treated with ICI 182,780,an ER antagonist,proliferation effects were reversed,the expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin E1 was downregulated,and the altered cell migration and expression of N-cadherin and E-cadherin by BPA,BPS,and BPF were restored to the control level.Thus,these results imply that BPS and BPF also have the risk of breast cancer progression as much as BPA in the induction of proliferation and migration of MCF-7 CV cells by regulating the protein expression of cell cycle-related genes and EMT markers via the ER-dependent pathway.

Effect of Cytokine on the Expression of Sodium Iodide Symporter Gene in Breast Cancer Cell

Objective: To investigate the effect of cytokines (TNF-α,IFN-γ and IL-6) on the expression of sodium-iodide symporter(NIS)gene in breast cancer cell(MCF-7). Methods:The breast cancer cell was cultureds with negative control culture or culture with different concentrations of cytokines for 72 h.NIS gene mRNA in breast cancer cells cultured was determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). Results:Expression of sodium-iodide symporter mRNA can be found decreasing along with increasing the concentration of cytokine dose-dependently. Conclusion: Cytokine may play a role in iodide-uptake modulating in breast cancer cells by their effect on NIS gene expression.

Cytotoxic Effect of Chitosan Based Nanocomposite Synthesized by Radiation： In Vitro Liver and Breast Cancer Cell Line

A silver nanoparticle （AgNP） is likely to provide an attractive object for combining a variety of biochemical properties with great therapeutic potential by using radiation. The present study explores the ICs0 value of chitosan-poly （vinyl alcohol） hydrogel （Cs/PVA） and Ag-doped chitosan-poly （vinyl alcohol） （Cs/PVA/Ag） nanocomposite in view of their anticancer application. The aim was to develop （Cs/PVA） based hydrogel synthesized by gamma radiation which could behave both as a nanoreactor for Ag nanoparticle with promising anticancer applications. The （Cs/PVA/Ag） nanocomposite was confirmed by FTIR （Fourier transform infrared） spectroscopy, XRD （X-ray diffraction） and EDX （energy dispersive X-ray） analysis. The anti-cancer activity of the prepared nanocomposites was demonstrated in human liver cancer cell line （HEPG2） and breast cancer cell lines （MCF7）. It has significant effects against human liver cancer cell line HEPG2 compared to breast cancer cell line MCF7. Further quantitative analysis on the molecular and protein levels is still required to confirm the impact of chitosan on genotoxic effect before reaching a final conclusion and starting its biomedical application.

Cu(II) Benzoylpyridine Thiosemicarbazone Complexes: Inhibition of Human Topoisomerase IIα and Activity against Breast Cancer Cells

The focus of this research is on the study of a series of copper (II) benzoylpyridine thiosemicarbazone complexes. Of the six benzoylpyridine thiosemicarbazone ligands used in this study, two are reported for the first time;2-benzoylpyridine tert-butyl thiosemicarbazone (BZP-tBTSC), and 2-benzoylpyridine benzyl thiosemicarbazone (BZP-BzTSC). Once characterized by NMR, melting point, and MS, these mono-anionic tridentate ligands were then reacted with Cu2+ to form the new square planar metal complexes [Cu(BZP-tBTSC)Cl] and [Cu(BZP-BzTSC)Cl]. All of the copper complexes display marked inhibition of human topoisomerase IIα. The [Cu(BZP-tBTSC)Cl] complex shows marked activity against human breast cancer cell lines.

QCM Detection of Adhesion, Spreading and Proliferation of Human Breast Cancer Cells (MCF-7) on a Gold Surface

The quartz crystal microbalance （QCM） was used to monitor the one-day incubation of human breast cancer cells （MCF-7） on the gold electrode. In combination with an optical microscope simulation experiment, the cell-population pictures at various stages, the QCM responses to the cells＇ adhesion, spreading and proliferation on the electrode surface were discussed. The △f0 and △R1 responses were found mainly from mixed effects of viscodensity and surface stress, and in proportion to the cell coverage, rather than to the number of cells at the electrode. The significant fore-and-aft changes in cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of the ferri-ferrocyanide redox couple also proved that the cells were adhesion to the gold surface.

Cyclin E Expression and Chemotherapeutic Sensitivity in Breast Cancer Cells

The effects of the cyclin E expression levels on chemotherapeutic sensitivity of breast cancer cell line were explored. After the cyclin E expression was knockdown in MDA-MB-435 by RNA interference, FACS analysis and SA-β-gal staining were used to evaluate the response sensitivity of breast cancer cells to DNA damage drugs （adriamycin, etc.）. Adriamycin could induce G1 arrest in cyclin E knockdown MDA-MB-435 breast cell line and increase the percentage of cell senescence in cyclin E knockdown MDA-MB-435 cells. It was suggested that cyclin E knockdown could increase the chemotherapeutic sensitivity of breast cancer cells to DNA damage drugs.

Effect of Estrogen on Telomerase Activity in Human Breast Cancer Cells

To investigate the effects of estrogen(E 2) on telomerase activity and its mechanism in human breast cancer cells, estrogen receptor positive MCF-7 cells were treated with different concentrations of E 2 Telomerase activity was measured by using TRAP-ELISA method, the cell cycle phases analyzed by using flow cytometry, and the expression of Cyclin D 1 detected by using immunohistochemistry method The results showed that telomerase activity levels were increased in MCF-7 cells treated with 10 -8 mol/L E 2 during the observed period ( P <0 05), and E 2 increased telomerase activity levels in a dose-dependent manner(10 -10 -10 -8 mol/L); Simultaneously, the cell cycle phases of MCF-7 cells treated with 10 -8 mol/L E 2 were changed significantly: G 0/G 1 phase decreased from 60 52% to 50 93%, S phase increased from 29 03% to 30 83%; However, the expression of Cyclin D 1 was decreased It was concluded that estrogen can upregulate telomerase activity of MCF-7 cells, and the effect can be blocked by antiestrogen tamoxifen Its mechanism may be closely associated with modulation of cell cycle phases

Investigating the effects of Pentoxifylline on human breast cancer cells using Raman spectroscopy

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in a global scenario.In the present study,biochemical changes exerted upon Pentoxifylline(PTX)treatment had been ap-praised in human breast cancer cells using Raman spectrosecopy.There are no clinically approved methods to monitor such therapeutic responses available.The spectral profiling is suggestive of changes in DNA,protein and lipid contents showing a linear relationship with drug dosage.Further,multivariate analysis using principal component based linear-discriminant-analysis(PC-LDA)was employed for dlassifying the control and the PTX treated groups.These findings support the feasibility of Raman spectroscopy as an alternate/adjunct label-free,objective method for monitoring drug-induced modifications against breast cancer cells.

The Influence of Phorbol Ester on the Effect of Tamoxifen in Breast Cancer Cells

To investigate the correlation between the activity of kinases in the growth factor signal transduction pathway and the development of resistance of breast cancer to tamoxifen, reporter gene regulated by the regulating fragment of CCD1 was transfected into the MCF 7 cells, and the influence of tamoxifen on the reporter gene expression was examined under different conditions of TPA treatment. Our results showed that the reporter gene expression was inhibited by tamoxifen and promoted by TPA. Furthermore, tamoxifen exerts an agonist effect on the reporter gene expression when the cells was treated by TPA previously for 12 h. It is concluded that TPA could induce estrogen like effect of tamoxifen on estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells and it may be one of the mechanisms responsible for the development of tamoxifen resistance.

THE EFFECTS OF ESTRADIOL ON BREAST CANCER CELL LINES

The estradiol effects on breast cancer cell lines including estrogen receptors (ER) positive and negative were studied with flow cytometry analysis, scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), immunogold and immunofluorescence staining techniques. The results showed that estradiol markedly stimulated the division and proliferation of the ER( + ) MCF-7 cells at 10 nM, but had no marked effect on the cell cycle of the ER(-) H466B cells at the same concentration, and that tamo-xifen inhibited the stimulation of estradiol on MCF-7 cells. Estradiol obviously influenced the ultrastruc-ture of MCF-7 cells. Immunocytochemical localization of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on the MCF-7 cell membrane surface indicated that one of the mechanisms involving the growth of MCF-7 breast cancer cell and the stimulating effect on MCF-7 cells growth by estradiol is autocrine secretion.

REVERSION OF MULTIDRUG RESISTANCE IN THE P-GLYCOPROTEIN POSITIVE BREAST CANCER CELL LINE(MCF-7/ADR) BY INTRODUCTION OF HAMMERHEAD RIBOZYME

A hammerhead ribozyme which site-specifically cleaved the GUC position in canon 880 of the mdr1 mRNA was designed. The target site was chosen between the two ATP binding sites, which may be important for the function of the P-Gp as an ATP-dependent pump. A DNA sequence encoding the ribozyme gene was then incorporated into a eukaryotic expression vector (pH Apr-1 neo) and transfected into the breast cancer cell line MCF-7/Adr, which is resistant to adriamycin and expresses the MDR phenotype. The ribozyme was stably expressed in the cell line by the RNA dot blotting assay. The result of Northern blot assay showed that the expressed ribozyme could decrease the level of mdrl mRNA expression by 83. 5 %; and the expressed ribozyme could inhibite the formation of p-glycoprotein detected by immuno- cy-tochemistry assay and could reduce the cell’s resistance to adrimycin; this means that the resistant cells were 1 000-fold more resistant than the parental cell line(MCF-7), whereas those cell clones that showed ribozyme expression were only 6-fold more resistant than the parental cell line. These results show that a potentially useful tool is at hand which may inactivate MDR1 mRNA and revert the multidrug resistance phenotype.

Studies on mechanism of cis9,trans11-CLA and trans10,cis12-CLA inducing apoptosis of human breast cancer cell line MCF-7

Objective： The aim of the study was to explore the activities of cis9, trans11-CLA （C9, t11-CLA） and transl0, cis12-CLA （t10, c12-CLA） inhibiting tumor, and investigate their relationships with PPARy and apoptotic proteins, and mechanism of anti-cancer. Methods： The inhibitory rate, cell growth curve and apoptotic morphological observation of MCF-7 cells were obtained by MTT assay, trypan blue staining and Hoechst33342 fluorescence staining. The apoptotic rate and cell cycle were detected with flow cytometry. Transcriptional level of genes was detected with RT-PCR semi-quantitative method, and Western blot was performed to detect proteins levels. Results： The two CLA isomers could reduce cell proliferation （P 〈 0.05）, increase apoptotic rate （P 〈 0.05）, and increase obviously the transcriptional and protein levels of PPARy （P 〈 0.01）. The synchronism and correlation between the effects of CLA to PPARy and apoptotic proteins Bax, Bcl-2, Caspase 3 changes were found with the dose- and time-dependent manners. There was cooperative relation between the levels of PPARy and the rates of Bax/Bcl-2, Caspase 3 （small fragment） by experiments of PPARy inhibitor GW9662 and ligand Rosiglitazone. Conclusion： The apoptotic pathway of PPARy-Bcl-2-Caspase 3 signaling was found. The C9, t11-CLA and tl0, c12-CLA could inhibit MCF-7 cell proliferation and promote apoptosis via activating PPARy-Bcl-2-Caspase 3 pathway. CLA may be a kind of activator of PPARv.

In Vivo Selection of Phage Sequences and Characterization of Peptide-specific Binding to Breast Cancer Cells

OBJECTIVE To screen specific polypeptide target binding to breast cancer xenografts in vivo from a phage-displayed peptide library in order to provide peptide sequences for breast cancer tumor-targeting diagnosis and therapy. METHODS A mouse model for carrying breast cancer xenografts was established using Tientsin Albinao Ⅱ mice （TA Ⅱ）. A 12-peptide library was biopanned through 4 rounds. Phages were recovered and titrated from tumor xenografts and control tissue （liver）. The distribution of phages was detected by immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS Phage homing to breast cancer was enriched through 4 rounds of biopanning, being 14-fold of that recovered from liver tissue. A peptide sequence, ASANPFPTKALL was characterized by randomly picked-up clones which appeared most frequently. Immunohistochemical staining revealed phage localization in cancer xenografts 40 min after injection of the enriched phages. When a specific phage was tested individually, the phage reclaimed from breast cancer xenografts was 14 times as those from control tissues. CONCLUSION Tumor-specific homing peptides may provide an effective tool for breast cancer target therapy. The in vivo phage display selection technique employed in this study was feasible and applicable to screening peptides that home to breast cells.

Angiotensin-(1-7)Changes Apoptosis-Related Genes Expression in Human Breast Cancer Cell Line T47D

Angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)] is a heptapeptide of the renin-angiotensin system with vasodilator and anti-proliferative properties. In the present study, we aim to investigate whether Ang-(1-7) induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells and whether the altered expression of apoptosis-related genes is involved in this process. Human breast cell line T47D was treated with angiotensin-(1-7) and angiotensin II (Ang II). Cell proliferation and apoptosis were quantified using hemocytometer and flow cytometry, respectively. The expression of 84 apoptosis-related genes was evaluated through qPCR array. Ang-(1-7), as opposed to Ang II, decreased proliferation and increased apoptosis in T47D cells. Moreover, many pro-apoptotic genes were up-regulated, such as BAK1, BAX, BCL2L1, BID and BIK. In addition, some anti-apoptotic genes as AKT1 and XIAP were down-regulated by heptapeptide. Although a deeper study should be performed, our results support the hypothesis that Ang-(1-7) could change the expression of several genes related to apoptosis, interfering directly in the molecular pathways associated with the survival of breast cancer cells.