Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid upregulates reticulophagy receptor expression and promotes cell death in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a common clinical condition with a poor prognosis and few effective treatment options.Potent anticancer agents for treating HCC must be identified.Epigenetics plays an essential role in HCC tumorigenesis.Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid(SAHA),the most common histone deacetylase inhibitor agent,triggers many forms of cell death in HCC.However,the underlying mechanism of action remains unclear.Family with sequence similarity 134 member B(FAM134B)-induced reticulophagy,a selective autophagic pathway,participates in the decision of cell fate and exhibits anticancer activity.This study focused on the relationship between FAM134B-induced reticulophagy and SAHA-mediated cell death.AIM To elucidate potential roles and underlying molecular mechanisms of reticulophagy in SAHA-induced HCC cell death.METHODS The viability,apoptosis,cell cycle,migration,and invasion of SAHA-treated Huh7 and MHCC97L cells were measured.Proteins related to the reticulophagy pathway,mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum(ER)contact sites,intrinsic mitochondrial apoptosis,and histone acetylation were quantified using western blotting.ER and lysosome colocalization,and mitochondrial Ca^(2+)levels were characterized via confocal microscopy.The level of cell death was evaluated through Hoechst 33342 staining and propidium iodide colocalization.Chromatin immunoprecipitation was used to verify histone H4 lysine-16 acetylation in the FAM134B promoter region.RESULTS After SAHA treatment,the proliferation of Huh7 and MHCC97L cells was significantly inhibited,and the migration and invasion abilities were greatly blocked in vitro.This promoted apoptosis and caused G1 phase cells to increase in a concentration-dependent manner.Following treatment with SAHA,ER-phagy was activated,thereby triggering autophagy-mediated cell death of HCC cells in vitro.Western blotting and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that SAHA regulated FAM134B expression by enhancing the histone H4 lysine-16 acetylation in the FAM134B promoter region.Further,SAHA disturbed the Ca^(2+)homeostasis and upregulated the level of autocrine motility factor receptor and proteins related to mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum contact sites in HCC cells.Additionally,SAHA decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential levels,thereby accelerating the activation of the reticulophagy-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and promoting HCC cell death in vitro.CONCLUSION SAHA stimulates FAM134B-mediated ER-phagy to synergistically enhance the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway,thereby enhancing HCC cell death.

Histone deacetylase inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid alleviates liver fibrosis by suppressing the transforming growth factor-β1 signal pathway

Background: Histone deacetylases(HDACs) inhibitors are new anti-fibrotic drugs that inhibit the activity of hepatic stellate cells. The present study focused on the anti-fibrotic function of HDAC inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid(SAHA) by suppressing transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1) signaling. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to induce liver fibrosis with carbon tetrachloride(CCl 4) and LX2 cell(human hepatic stellate cell line) was stimulated by TGF-β1. Both animals and cells were treated with SAHA. The Smad7 and connective tissue growth factor(CTGF) mRNA levels were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction(PCR). Western blotting was used to examine the protein levels of CTGF, Histone H3(H3), Smad7, Smad2/3, Acetyl-Histone H3(AH3), HDAC2, α-smooth muscle actin( α-SMA), HDAC6, p-Smad2/3 and HDAC8. In addition, the TGF-β1 and liver enzyme levels from rat serum were detected. Histopathological changes were examined by hematoxylin and eosin(HE), Sirius red and Masson trichrome staining. The α-SMA expression was detected by immumohistochemical staining. Results: Compared with control group, the TGF-β1 and liver enzyme levels from rat serum, together with the mRNA levels of CTGF and protein levels of CTGF, HDAC2, α-SMA, HDAC6, p-Smad2/3 and HDAC8 were elevated in fibrotic rats( P < 0.01). But the Smad7 mRNA and AH3 protein levels were notably suppressed in the fibrotic rats( P < 0.01). Pathological examination showed the typical changes of liver fibrosis in the fibrotic rats. After the treatment with SAHA, the levels of liver enzymes, TGF-β1, CTGF, HDAC2, α-SMA, HDAC6, p-Smad2/3 and HDAC8 were reduced( P < 0.01) and Smad7 and AH3 protein contents were elevated in liver fibrotic rats( P < 0.01). Moreover, immumohistochemistry showed that SAHA significantly suppressed the α-SMA protein content in fibrotic liver( P < 0.01). Conclusion: The HDAC inhibitor SAHA alleviated liver fibrosis by suppressing the TGF-β1 signaling.

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor SAHA Induces Expression of Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 4 and Inhibits Replication of Human Cytomegalovirus

Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid(SAHA) is a histone deacetylase inhibitor that shows marked efficacy against many types of cancers and is approved to treat severe metastatic cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. In addition to its anticancer activity,SAHA has significant effects on the growth of many viruses. The effect of SAHA on replication of human cytomegalovirus(HCMV) has not, however, been investigated. Here, we showed that the replication of HCMV was significantly suppressed by treatment with SAHA at concentrations that did not show appreciable cytotoxicity. SAHA reduced transcription and protein levels of HCMV immediate early genes, showing that SAHA acts at an early stage in the viral life-cycle. RNAsequencing data mining showed that numerous pathways and molecules were affected by SAHA. Interferon-mediated immunity was one of the most relevant pathways in the RNA-sequencing data, and we confirmed that SAHA inhibits HCMV-induced IFN-mediated immune responses using quantitative Real-time PCR(qRT-PCR). Fatty acid-binding protein 4(FABP4), which plays a role in lipid metabolism, was identified by RNA-sequencing. We found that FABP4 expression was reduced by HCMV infection but increased by treatment with SAHA. We then showed that knockdown of FABP4 partially rescued the effect of SAHA on HCMV replication. Our data suggest that FABP4 contributes to the inhibitory effect of SAHA on HCMV replication.

Potential therapeutic effect of epigenetic therapy on Ireatment-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer

Although adenocarcinomas of the prostate are relatively indolent, some patients with advanced adenocarcinomas show recurrence of treatment-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer, which is highly aggressive and lethal. Detailed biological features of treatment-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer have not been characterized owing to limited biopsies/resections and the lack of a cellular model. In this study, we used a unique cellular model （LNCaP/NE1.8） to investigate the potential role of cancer stem cells in treatment-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer with acquired resistance to hormonal therapy and chemotherapy. We also studied the role of cancer stem cells in enhancing invasion in treatment-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer cells that recurred after long-term androgen-ablation treatment. Using an in vitro system mimicking clinical androgen-ablation, our results showed that the neuroendocrine-like subclone NE1.8 cells were enriched with cancer stem cells. Compared to parental prostate adenocarcinoma LNCaP cells, NE1.8 cells are more resistant to androgen deprivation therapy and chemotherapeutic agents and show increased cancer cell invasiveness. Results from this study also suggest a potential epigenetic therapeutic strategy using suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, as a chemotherapeutic agent for therapy-resistant treatment-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer cells to minimize the risk of prostate cancer recurrence and metastasis.