Accumulating evidence has suggested that microRNAs play important roles in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and are involved in drug resistance. miR-21-5p was overexpressed in a variety of cancers and promoted the tumorigenesis; however, the function of miR-21-5p in HCC still remains unknown. In this study, our results showed that miR-21-5p was highly expressed in HCC tissues and cell lines. Notably, the level of miR-21-5p was relatively higher in cisplatin (DDP)-resistant HCC patients. Overexpression of miR-21-5p attenuated the inhibitory effect of DDP on the proliferation and apoptosis of HCC cells. Mechanistically, the luciferase report assay-identified FAS ligand (FASLG) was a direct target of miR-21-5p. Overexpression of miR-21-5p decreased both the mRNA and protein levels of FASLG in HCC cells. FASLG was downregulated in HCC tissues and was significantly negatively correlated with the expression of miR-21-5p. Restoring the expression of FASLG upregulated the chemosensitivity of HCC cells expressing miR-21-5p. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that miR-21-5p targeted FASLG and suppressed the sensitivity of HCC cells to DDP treatment.

Gastric cancer (GC) is a common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. As a result of the lack of reliable diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers for GC, patient prognosis is still poor. Therefore, there is an urgent need for studies examining the underlying pathogenesis of GC in order to find effective biomarkers. LRRN1 (leucine-rich repeat neuronal protein-1) is a type I transmembrane protein that plays an important role in the process of nerve development and regeneration. However, its role in cancer, especially in GC, remains unclear. In the present study, we found that LRRN1 expression is upregulated in GC tissues and that high LRRN1 expression is associated with poor prognosis. siRNA and shRNA-mediated knockdowns of LRRN1 expression promoted GC cell apoptosis and activation of the Fas/FasL pathway. LRRN1 knockdown also resulted in upregulation of JUN, a subunit of the transcription factor AP-1 (activator protein-1). This suggests that LRRN1 suppresses GC cell apoptosis by downregulating AP-1, resulting in inhibition of the Fas/FasL pathway. These results confirm that LRRN1 plays a significant role in GC pathogenesis. Moreover, LRRN1 may be a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for GC.

Reversine, a 2,6‑diamino‑substituted purine analogue, has been reported to be effective in tumor suppression via induction of cell growth arrest and apoptosis of cancer cells. However, it remains unclear whether reversine exerts anticancer effects on human colorectal cancer cells. In the present study, in vitro experiments were conducted to investigate the anticancer properties of reversine in human colorectal cancer cells. The effect of reversine on human colorectal cancer cell lines, SW480 and HCT‑116, was examined using a WST‑1 cell viability assay, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, DNA fragmentation, small interfering RNA (siRNA) and western blotting. Reversine treatment demonstrated cytotoxic activity in human colorectal cancer cells. It also induced apoptosis by activating poly(ADP‑ribose) polymerase, caspase‑3, ‑7 and ‑8, and increasing the levels of the pro‑apoptotic protein second mitochondria‑derived activator of caspase/direct inhibitor of apoptosis‑binding protein with low pI. The pan‑caspase inhibitor Z‑VAD‑FMK attenuated these reversine‑induced apoptotic effects on human colorectal cancer cells. Additionally, reversine treatment induced cell cycle arrest in the subG1 and G2/M phases via increase in levels of p21, p27 and p57, and decrease in cyclin D1 levels. The expression of Fas and death receptor 5 (DR5) signaling proteins in SW480 and HCT116 cells was upregulated by reversine treatment. Reversine‑induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest were suppressed by inhibition of Fas and DR5 expression via siRNA. In conclusion, Reversine treatment suppressed tumor progression by the inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis via upregulation of the Fas and DR5 signaling pathways in human colorectal cancer cells. The present study indicated that reversine may be used as a novel anticancer agent in human colorectal cancer.

The aim of the present study was to verify the effects of fluoxetine on dysregulation of apoptosis and invasive potential in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) SK-Hep1 and Hep3B cells. Cells were treated with different concentrations of fluoxetine for different times. MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide) assays were used for testing the effects of fluoxetine on cell viability. The regulation of apoptosis signaling, and anti-apoptotic, proliferation, and metastasis-associated proteins after fluoxetine treatment were assayed by flow cytometry and Western blotting assay. The detection of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) activation after fluoxetine treatment was performed by NF-κB reporter gene assay. The results demonstrated that fluoxetine significantly reduced cell viability, cell migration/invasion, NF-κB, extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) activation, and expression of anti-apoptotic (Cellular FLICE (FADD-like IL-1β-converting enzyme)-inhibitory protein (C-FLIP), Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL-1), X-Linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XAIP), and Survivin), proliferation (Cyclin-D1), angiogenesis (vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)), and metastasis-associated proteins (matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9)). Fluoxetine also significantly induced apoptosis, unregulated extrinsic (activation of first apoptosis signal protein and ligand (Fas/FasL), and caspase-8) and intrinsic (loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) pathways and increased Bcl-2 homologous antagonist killer (BAK) apoptosis signaling. Taken together, these results demonstrated that fluoxetine induced apoptosis through extrinsic/intrinsic pathways and diminished ERK/NF-κB-modulated anti-apoptotic and invasive potential in HCC cells in vitro.

Natural killer (NK) cell killing of melanoma cells involves perforin-mediated delivery of granzymes from NK cells to cancer cells; however, how melanoma cells die remains poorly characterized. Here, we examined the dying process of melanoma cells by using time-lapse imaging. Upon contact with NK cells, B16-F10 cells rounded and most of them showed membrane rupture (98 min); however, B16 parent cells showed writhing and delayed membrane rupture (235 min). This morphological difference depended on the expression levels of myosin regulatory light chain 9 (MYL9) but not activating ligands (CD112, CD155, Rae-1, and MULT-1), SPI, FasL, or PD-L1. Taken together, our data show that melanoma cells show two distinct types of morphological changes upon contact with NK cells and suggest that a strategy to decrease MYL9 expression by melanoma cells may improve the efficacy of NK cell-based immunotherapy.

Advanced-stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) is usually a fatal malignancy despite optimal use of currently available treatments. In this preclinical study of novel CTCL therapy, we performed in vitro and ex vivo experiments to determine the efficacy of combination treatment with a panel of BET bromodomain inhibitors (BETi) (JQ1, OTX015, CPI-0610, I-BET762) and HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) (SAHA/Vorinostat, Romidepsin). BETi/HDACi combinations were synergistic (combination index <1) against cell viability and induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. Apoptosis was uniformly enhanced. From a mechanistic standpoint, proliferative drivers c-Myc, Cyclin D1, NFkB, and IL-15Rα were reduced. Inhibitory CDKN1A was increased. CDKN1B, IL-7R, IL-17Rα, STAT3, and STAT5 alterations varied. There were significant increases in extrinsic apoptotic pathway death receptors and ligands (FasL, DR4, DR5, TRAIL, and TNFR1). At clinically tolerable levels of single agents, Romidepsin (1 nM) + OTX015 (125 nM) induced the greatest apoptosis (60%_80%) at 96 hours. Ex vivo studies of leukemic CTCL cells obtained from patients with Sezary syndrome also showed higher levels of apoptosis (about 60%-90%) in response to combination treatments relative to single agents. In contrast, combination treatment of normal CD4+ T cells induced only minimal apoptosis (<10%). Our findings show that the mechanism of action of BETi/HDACi therapy in CTCL involves induction of both cell cycle arrest and apoptosis with reduced proliferative drivers and enhanced expression of apoptotic extrinsic pathway death receptors and ligands. Relative to single agents, the superior anti-CTCL effects of BETi/HDACi combinations in vitro and ex vivo provide a rationale for clinical trials exploring their efficacy as therapy for CTCL.

Interleukin 24 (IL-24) is a tumor-suppressing protein, which inhibits angiogenesis and induces cancer cell-specific apoptosis. We have shown that IL-24 regulates apoptosis through phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha (eIF2α) during endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in cancer. Although multiple stresses converge on eIF2α phosphorylation, the cellular outcome is not always the same. In particular, ER stress-induced apoptosis is primarily regulated through the extent of eIF2α phosphorylation and activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) action. Our studies show for the first time that cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) activation is required for IL-24-induced cell death in a variety of breast cancer cell lines and this event increases ATF4 activity. We demonstrate an undocumented role for PKA in regulating IL-24-induced cell death, whereby PKA stimulates phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and upregulates extrinsic apoptotic factors of the Fas/FasL signaling pathway and death receptor 4 expression. We also demonstrate that phosphorylation and nuclear import of tumor suppressor TP53 occurs downstream of IL-24-mediated PKA activation. These discoveries provide the first mechanistic insights into the function of PKA as a key regulator of the extrinsic pathway, ER stress, and TP53 activation triggered by IL-24.

Despite recent tremendous progress, targeting of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) as a cancer therapy has limited success in many clinical trials, in part due to inactivation of death inducing signaling complex (DISC)-mediated caspase-8 signaling cascade in highly malignant tumors such as glioblastoma. In this study, screening of constituents derived from Astilbe rivularis for TRAIL-sensitizing activity identified C-27-carboxylated oleanolic acid derivatives (C27OAs) including 3β-hydroxyolean-12-en-27-oic acid (C27OA-1), 3β,6β,7α-trihydroxyolean-12-en-27-oic acid (C27OA-2), and 3β-trans-p-coumaroyloxy-olean-12-en-27-oic acid (C27OA-3) as novel TRAIL sensitizers. Interestingly, these C27OAs did not affect apoptotic cell death induced by either ligation of other death receptor (DR) types, such as TNF and Fas or DNA damaging agents, which suggests that C27OAs effectively and selectively sensitize TRAIL-mediated caspase-8 activation. Mechanistically, C27OAs upregulate the expression of cell surface DR5 and DISC formation without affecting downstream intracellular apoptosis-related proteins. The upregulation of DR5 expression by C27OAs strictly depends on transactivation of C/EBP homology protein, which is regulated through the p38 MAPK pathway, rather than p53 and intracellular reactive oxygen species status. Taken together, our results identify the novel C27OAs as TRAIL sensitizers targeting the upstream DISC assembly of DR5, and provide a rationale for further development of C27OAs for facilitating TRAIL-based chemotherapy in glioblastoma patients.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Cervical cancer is one of the deadliest gynecological cancers in USA. The role of Trichomonas Vaginalis (T. Vag) in the etiology or pathogenesis of cervical cancer is still poorly understood and controversial.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clonogenic assay, PCNA staining, TUNEL staining and caspase-3 activity assay were used to investigate the direct in vitro effect of T. Vag on human cervical cancer by using HeLa cells. We further investigated the potential molecular mechanisms using RT-PCR and immunohistochemical staining.
RESULTS: We found that culture supernatant of T. Vag inhibited growth of HeLa cervical cancer cells and this correlated with up-regulation of p15. We also found that culture supernatant of T. Vag induced apoptosis of HeLa cells and this correlated with up-regulation of Fas, TRAIL and TRAILR1.
CONCLUSION: Culture supernatant of T. Vag inhibits growth of HeLa cervical cancer cells by inhibition of proliferation and promotion of apoptosis. Our study might be helpful to address the association between the development of cervical cancer and infection of T. Vag.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Left- and right-sided colon cancers are considered to be two different diseases and have altered outcomes. However, specific molecules to predict the prognosis of left- and right-sided colon cancers are currently lacking.
METHODS: Expression profiling of colon cancer were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of left- and right-sided colon cancers were compared by DESeq analysis. The prognostic values of DEGs were assessed by univariate and multivariate Cox regression. Prognostic index models of two side colon cancers were conducted with prognostic values genes, respectively. Interaction of DEGs was then analyzed by the protein-protein interaction (PPI). Different biology function of two sides of colon cancer was assessed by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA).
RESULTS: A total of 167 DEGs were identified between left- and right-sided colon cancers based on TCGA data. Using univariate COX regression analysis, five genes (PHACTR3, CKMT2, CYP2W1, ERFE, HOXC4) were related to overall survival in left-sided, and eight distinguishable genes (EREG, ERFE, HOXC6, SLC22A31, TFF1, GFI1, ZG16, RASL10B) in right-sided. Further, left-sided prognostic model was established with PHACTR3 and CKMT2 (HR=2.040; 95%CI=1.004-4.145; P=0.049). Distinguishable prognostic signature for right-sided colon cancer was established based on EREG, ERFE, GFI1, and RASL10B (HR=3.530; 95%CI: 1.934-6.444; P< 0.001) in multivariate analysis. PPI analysis of 167 DEGs showed that CCL5, GNG4, GNLY, GZMH, DRD2, and FASLG genes were at the core of interaction network. In GSEA function analysis, four pathways, including antigen processing and presentation, natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity, intestinal immune network for Iga production, and type I diabetes mellitus, were significantly enriched in the DEGs of the right-sided colon cancer.
CONCLUSIONS: This study constructs a panel of potential prognostic model of left- and right-sided colon cancers, respectively. We also provide molecular biological alterations between left- and right-sided colon cancers.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an essential but not a sufficient cervical cancer etiological factor. Cancer promoters, such as host genetic mutations, significantly modulate therapeutic responses and susceptibility. In cervical cancer, of interest have been viral clearing genes and HPV oncoprotein targets, for which conflicting data have been reported among different populations. This expert analysis evaluates cervical cancer genetic susceptibility biomarkers studied in African populations. Notably, the past decade has seen Africa as a hotbed of biomarker and precision medicine innovations, thus potentially informing worldwide biomarker development strategies. We conducted a critical literature search in PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases for case-control studies reporting on cervical cancer genetic polymorphisms among Africans. We found that seven African countries conducted cervical cancer molecular epidemiology studies in one of Casp8, p53, CCR2, FASL, HLA, IL10, TGF-beta, and TNF-alpha genes. This analysis reveals a remarkable gap in cervical cancer molecular epidemiology among Africans, whereas cervical cancer continues to disproportionately have an impact on African populations. Genome-wide association, whole exome- and whole-genome sequencing studies confirmed the contribution of candidate genes in cervical cancer. With such advances and omics technologies, the role of genetic susceptibility biomarkers can be exploited to develop novel interventions to improve current screening, diagnostic and prognostic methods worldwide. Exploring these genetic variations is crucial because African populations are genetically diverse and some variants or their combined effects are yet to be discovered and translated into tangible clinical applications. Thus, translational medicine and flourishing system sciences in Africa warrant further emphasis in the coming decade.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the 3rd leading cause of tumor‑associated mortality worldwide. The efficacy of paclitaxel, a frequently used GC chemotherapeutic agent, is hindered due to drug resistance, dose‑induced toxicity and adverse side effects. Silibinin, an active compound of a widely consumed dietary supplement, milk thistle extract, has recently been demonstrated to have strong antitumor efficacy in a human GC cell model. Thus, to enhance the efficacy of GC treatment, the present study evaluated whether silibinin exerted a synergistic therapeutic effect with paclitaxel. It was observed that the combination of silibinin‑paclitaxel was able to trigger cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The cell cycle arrest assay indicated that silibinin and paclitaxel alone induced a G2/M phase arrest, and the silibinin‑paclitaxel combination strongly inhibited G2/M cells from entering the S phase. The apoptosis assay and western blot analysis of poly‑ADP‑ribose polymerase, pro‑caspase 3 and pro‑caspase 8 demonstrated that silibinin synergized with paclitaxel in promoting SGC‑7901 GC cell apoptosis. Furthermore, upregulation of the ratio of apoptosis regulator Bcl‑2/apoptosis regulator BAX and tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 6 (Fas)/Fas ligand indicated that the silibinin‑paclitaxel combination activated the death receptor‑mediated pathway in SGC‑7901 cells. The results of the present study suggested that silibinin enhanced the therapeutic potential of paclitaxel against human GC SGC‑7901 cells.

Combination therapy with chemotherapeutics is attracting increasing attention as an important treatment option for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) due to its complex pathological characteristics. In this study, as a new therapy strategy, combination treatment of LEP-2a (a non-toxic polysaccharide from Lachnum sp.) with cyclophosphamide (CTX) was investigated. Results showed that combination treatment with LEP-2a and CTX processed a significantly synergistic anti-tumor effect in H22 tumor-bearing mice through Fas/FasL mediated caspase-dependent death pathway and mitochondria apoptosis pathway. Moreover, our study indicated that LEP-2a played a crucial role in enhancement of immune response, inhibition of tumor angiogenesis and down-regulation of survival associated proteins. Notably, side effects induced by CTX were relieved after LEP-2a treatment. These results support the conception that LEP-2a has the potential as an ideal adjuvant agent for a more effective combination therapy with CTX against HCC.

This study investigated the enhanced antiproliferative effect of

Bladder cancer (BC) is the most common malignant disease. The developing of economically sustainable and available agents for the treatment of BC is required. Purple sweet potato anthocyanin (PSPA) has been shown to have antitumor abilities. The present study aimed to evaluate the potential role of PSPA in BC treatment. CCK-8 assay was used to assess the viability of BC cells. Flow cytometry assays were performed to evaluate the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), cell apoptosis and cell-cycle distribution. Real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and western blot analysis were performed to determine the expression of the target genes. The results of this study revealed that PSPA reduced the viability of BC in a dose-dependent manner. The MMP collapse was aggravated by the PSPA treatment. The apoptosis rate was higher in the PSPA groups than that in the control group. The expression of the pro-apoptosis genes, including cleaved caspase-3, Fas, Fasl, Bcl-2-associated X proteins (Bax) and anti-apoptotic gene (Bcl-2) was induced and decreased by PSPA, respectively. The cell-cycle progression was suppressed by the presence of PSPA. The activation of the phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase/Akt (PI3K/Akt) signaling pathway was suppressed by PSPA treatment during BC treatment. The PI3K/Akt signaling was closely related to the antitumor effect of PSPA in BC. The present study provided evidence regarding the treatment of BC and enhanced the understanding of the potential role that PSPA plays in cancer prevention.

Corilagin, a gallotannin, is one of the major active components of many ethnopharmacological plants and exhibits antitumor, anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties. In recent years, corilagin has provoked much attention due to its antitumor activity, yet the mechanisms attributed to its anticancer actions are largely unknown. In our previous research, our group reported that corilagin could inhibit the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells by inducing G2/M phase arrest. In the present study, observation of the morphological changes showed that corilagin induced the apoptosis of HCC cells as determined by AO/EB and Hoechst 33258 staining assays. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis was carried out to calculate the apoptotic rate which was 24.1% following treatment with corilagin (37.5 µM). At the molecular level, mitochondrial membrane potential assay and western blot analysis showed that the mitochondrial transmembrane potential was reduced and the rate of release of cytochrome c was increased, which led to the activation of caspase-9, caspase-3 and cleavage of PARP in the cytoplasm indicating activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Moreover, following treatment with corilagin, we noted upregulation of Fas and FasL and activation of caspase-8 which represented activation of the death receptor pathway, and we also observed downregulation of Bcl-2 and survivin which was also attributed to the antitumor effect of corilagin. These results suggest that corilagin significantly induced the apoptosis of HCC cells through both the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and the death receptor pathway, and corilagin is a potential complementary anticancer herbal drug for HCC therapy.

Nogo-B is a member of the Nogo/Reticulon-4 family and has been reported to be an inducer of apoptosis in certain types of cancer cells. However, the role of Nogo-B in human cancer remains less understood. Here, we demonstrated the functions of Nogo-B in colorectal cancer cells. In clinical colorectal cancer specimens, Nogo-B was obviously overexpressed, as determined by immunohistochemistry; and Western blot analysis showed its expression level to be significantly up-regulated. Furthermore, knockdown of Nogo-B in two colorectal cancer cell lines, SW480 and DLD-1, by transfection with si-RNA (siR) resulted in significantly reduced cell viability and a dramatic increase in apoptosis with insistent overexpression of cleaved caspase-8 and cleaved PARP. The transfection with Nogo-B plasmid cancelled that apoptosis induced by siRNogoB in SW480 cells. Besides, combinatory treatment with siR-Nogo-B/staurosporine (STS) or siR-Nogo-B/Fas ligand (FasL) synergistically reduced cell viability and increased the expression of apoptotic signaling proteins in colorectal cancer cells. These results strongly support our contention that Nogo-B most likely played an oncogenic role in colorectal cancer cells, mainly by negatively regulating the extrinsic apoptotic pathway in them. Finally, we revealed that suppression of Nogo-B caused down-regulation of c-FLIP, known as a major anti-apoptotic protein, and activation of caspase-8 in the death receptor pathway. Interaction between Nogo-B and c-FLIP was shown by immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence studies. In conclusion, Nogo-B was shown to play an important negative role in apoptotic signaling through its interaction with c-FLIP in colorectal cancer cells, and may thus become a novel therapeutic target for colorectal cancer.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-protein-coding transcripts shown to play important roles in tumourigenesis and tumour progression. Our study aimed to examine expression of the lncRNA MAGI2-AS3 in breast cancer and to explore its function in cancer cell growth. First, MAGI2-AS3 expression levels in clinical samples and cell lines were determined by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The functional significance of MAGI2-AS3 in cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis was then examined in vitro. Our results showed MAGI2-AS3 to be down-regulated in breast cancer tissues compared to normal adjacent tissues. Moreover, MAGI2-AS3 markedly inhibited breast cancer cell growth and increased expression of Fas and Fas ligand (FasL). In conclusion, our data suggest that MAGI2-AS3 expression is decreased in breast cancer and that MAGI2-AS3 plays an important role as a tumour suppressor by targeting Fas and FasL signalling. These results provide new insight into novel clinical treatments for breast cancer.

CD95 (Fas) is a complex integral protein that can be expressed in many cells. It induces apoptosis when interacted with its ligand CD95L (FasL). However, cancer cells are resistant to CD95-induced apoptosis because of the changes in death domain (DD) of CD95 (procaspase-8 and c-Flip). In this study, magnetic nanoparticles and lipid-based gene transfection methods were performed to provide active Fas expression in breast cancer cells. Plasmid DNA (pDNA), which can express both human Fas and GFP, was transfected to MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Expression of c-FLIP and caspase-8 and effect of monoclonal antibody FasL for apoptosis stimulation were investigated. Also transfection success of methods and effects on surface protein were compared. Western blot results indicated that MCF-7 cells do not express caspase-8 but express large amount of c-FLIP

Luteolin (3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone), which exists in fruits, vegetables, and medicinal herbs, is used in Chinese traditional medicine for treating various diseases, such as hypertension, inflammatory disorders, and cancer. However, the gene-regulatory role of luteolin in cancer prevention and therapy has not been clarified. Herein, we demonstrated that treatment with luteolin resulted in a significant decrease in the viability of human leukemia cells. In the present study, by evaluating fragmentation of DNA and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), we found that luteolin was able to induce PARP cleavage and nuclear fragmentation as well as an increase in the sub-G

cFLIP is a key regulator of the anti‑apoptotic mechanism and its association with FAS‑mediated apoptosis has been widely studied and well documented. However, the equipoise between its two isoforms i.e. the long isoform cFLIP(L) and the short isoform cFLIP(S) during FAS‑mediated apoptosis remains to be revealed. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the regulatory effect of these isoforms on FasL‑mediated apoptosis in renal carcinoma. Our results revealed that FasL treatment to Caki cells induced the expression of cFLIP(S) and downregulated the expression of cFLIP(L) in a concentration‑ and time‑dependent manner. Furthermore, our results indicated that cell death receptor‑mediated apoptosis inducers such as TNF‑α and TRAIL, induced apoptosis in Caki cells along with downregulation of cFLIP(L), however, they had no effect on the expression of cFLIP(S). In addition, FasL‑mediated cFLIP(L) downregulation was prevented by pan‑caspase inhibitor (z‑VAD‑fmk), however pan‑caspase inhibitor did not have an effect on FasL‑induced cFLIP(S) upregulation. Furthermore, FasL induced upregulation of the expression of cFLIP(S) at the post‑translational level. Furthermore, pretreatment of Caki cells with ROS scavengers (N‑acetylcysteine and glutathione) prevented the downregulation of cFLIP(L), the upregulation of cFLIP(S) and apoptosis induced by FasL. Collectively, these data indicated that a novel pathway of cFLIP(L)/(S) differential expression pattern was associated with FasL‑induced apoptosis and modulated by ROS generation.

Olaparib is a potent orally bioavailable poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor (PARPi), approved for BRCA-mutated ovarian and breast cancers. We recently showed that olaparib at clinically achievable concentrations exerts anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in vitro as monotherapy against primary acute myeloid leukemia (AML) blasts, while sparing normal bone marrow (BM) hematopoietic cells. Since AML expresses low levels of death receptors that may contribute to apoptosis resistance, in this study we investigated whether the anti-leukemia activity of olaparib involves modulation of FAS and TRAIL receptors DR5 and DR4. Our data show that the primary AML samples tested express FAS and DR5 transcripts at levels lower than normal BM. In this context, apoptosis triggered by olaparib is associated with a dose-dependent up-regulation of death receptors expression and caspase 8 activation. Olaparib-mediated FAS up-regulation requires NF-κB activation, as indicated by the increase of p65 phosphorylation and decrease of IκBα. Moreover, FAS up-regulation is abrogated by pretreatment of AML cells with two different NF-κB inhibitors. These results indicate that NF-κB activation and consequent induction of death receptor expression contribute to the anti-leukemia effect of olaparib in AML.

A galactan ROH05 was isolated from the roots of Ophiopogon japonicus and further purified by DEAE Sepharose™ Fast Flow columns. The molecular weight of ROH05 was estimated to be 16.7kDa. ROH05 was composed of galactose only. According to the methylation analysis and the results of IR and NMR spectra, the backbone of ROH05 was composed of 1, 4-linked β-D-galactose and 1, 4, 6-linked β-D-galactose, while the branch of this polysaccharide was terminal-linked β-D-galactose attached at C-6 position of 1, 4-linked β-D-galactose directly. The acetylated galactan, ROH05A was prepared by the acetic anhydride-pyridine method. The acetylation modification mainly occurred at C-2, C-3 and C-6 positions of 1, 4-linked β-D-galactose, and C-6 position of terminal-linked β-D-galactose. Bioactivity test showed that ROH05A might inhibit both BxPC-3 and PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells growth in a dose-dependent manner without significant toxicity to LO2 cells. In addition, the cells apoptosis was triggered since cleaved caspase-3 and FasL were activated while p53, p21, Bax expression were up-regulated by ROH05A as well.

BACKGROUND: Bladder cancer (BCa) is the seventh most common cancer among males worldwide. Some reliable markers in blood, urine, and tumor tissue, including clinicopathologic variables, molecular and inflammatory markers, gene polymorphisms, and tumor gene expression profiles are identified for predicting response to BCG immunotherapy in high-risk BCa patients.
AIMS: We aimed to determine if FAS and FASL polymorphisms are associated with lack of response to BCG in patients with BCa.
METHODS: The study included patients with primary non-muscle invasive BCa that had undergone transurethral resection (TUR). Patient demographics, BCa characteristics, use of BCG immunotherapy, lack of response to BCG (if administered), BCa recurrence, and fatty acid synthetase/fatty acid syntethase ligand (FAS/FASL) polymorphisms were investigated.
RESULTS: The study included 127 patients with primary BCa. Mean age of the 107 (84.3%) male and 20 (15.7%) female patients was 59.3 ± 13.2 years. Among the patients that received BCG immunotherapy, more FAS homozygous patients had BCa recurrence than FAS polymorphism-negative patients (P < 0.001) and more patients with homozygote FASL polymorphisms had BCa recurrence than those with heterozygous FASL polymorphisms and no polymorphism.
CONCLUSION: Evaluation of FAS/FASL polymorphisms can predict lack of response to BCG immunotherapy and prevent the loss of valuable time before such alternative treatments as early cystectomy are initiated.

BACKGROUND: Molecular epidemiological studies have demonstrated a closer association between Fas/FasL polymorphisms and head and neck cancer (HNC) risk, and the results of these published studies were inconsistent. We therefore performed this meta-analysis to explore the associations between Fas/FasL polymorphisms and HNC risk.
METHODS: Four online databases (PubMed, Embase, CNKI, and Wanfang) were searched. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (95% CIs) were calculated to assess the association between Fas -670A>G, Fas -1377G>A, and FasL -844C>T polymorphisms and HNC risk. In addition, heterogeneity, accumulative/sensitivity analysis, and publication bias were conducted to check the statistical power.
RESULTS: Overall, 9 related publications (20 independent case-control studies) involving 3179 patients and 4217 controls were identified. Significant association of protective effects was observed between FasL -844C>T polymorphism and HNC risk in codominant and dominant model models (CT vs CC: OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.79-1.00, P = .05, I = 38.3%, CT+TT vs CC: OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.79-0.98, P = .02, I = 35.8%). Furthermore, the similar protective effects were observed the subgroup analysis of in Asian population and population-based controls group.
CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis indicated that FasL -844C>T polymorphism plays a protective role against HNC development, but the Fas -670A>G and Fas -1377G>A polymorphisms maybe not associated with HNC risk.

Apoptosis, the cell's natural mechanism for death, is a promising target for anticancer therapy. Both the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways use caspases to carry out apoptosis through the cleavage of hundreds of proteins. In cancer, the apoptotic pathway is typically inhibited through a wide variety of means including overexpression of antiapoptotic proteins and under-expression of proapoptotic proteins. Many of these changes cause intrinsic resistance to the most common anticancer therapy, chemotherapy. Promising new anticancer therapies are plant-derived compounds that exhibit anticancer activity through activating the apoptotic pathway.

In a previous study, we constructed a MHSP65-TCL anti-lung cancer vaccine with Lewis lung carcinoma TCL plus MHSP65, and illustrated its anti-lung cancer effect through specific and nonspecific anti-tumor immunity. However, TCL contains some immunoinhibit components such as FasL. If this component can be eliminated from TCL, the anti-tumor immunity of MHSP65-TCL constructed with TCL should be improved. In the present study, we knocked down FasL from Lewis lung carcinoma cells and prepared MHSP65-(FasL-/TCL) with this cell line's TCL. After further investigation, MHSP65-(FasL-/TCL) exhibited a better ability to reduce splenocytes apoptosis, promote its activation and secretion of secretingTNF-β, IL-2 compared with MHSP65-(FasL+/TCL). Accordingly, specific and nonspecific antitumor immunity induced by MHSP65-(FasL-/TCL) is stronger than that of MHSP65-(FasL+/TCL). In vivo, MHSP65-(FasL-/TCL) immunization can prolong survival of Lewis lung carcinoma bearing mice. Thus, we report that the anti-lung cancer effect of MHSP65-TCL can be improved by removal of FasL from the TCL. It provides a new route to construct MHSP65-TCL and other antitumor vaccines based on TCL.

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) holds promising value for cancer therapy due to its capacity to induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Nevertheless, TRAIL therapy is greatly hampered by its resistance. Irigenin (Iri), isoflavonoids, can be isolated from the rhizome of Belamcanda chinensis, and has been shown anti-cancer properties. In this study, we explored if Iri could enhance TRAIL-regulated apoptosis in TRAIL resistant gastric cancer cells. Iri significantly potentiated TRAIL-triggered cytotoxicity. Iri alone and TRAIL alone showed no effective role in apoptosis induction, whereas combined treatment with Iri and TRAIL markedly induced apoptosis in cancer cells, as evidenced by the up-regulation of cleaved Caspase-8/-9/-3 and PARP. Additionally, the sensitization to TRAIL was along with the enhancement of pro-apoptotic proteins, including FAS-associated protein with death domain (FADD), death receptor 5 (DR5) and Bax. And suppressing FADD, DR5 and Bax by si RNA significantly reduced the apoptosis and enhanced the cell viability induced by the co-application of Iri and TRAIL. Moreover, the sensitization to TRAIL was accompanied by the decrease of Cellular-FLICE inhibitory protein (c-FLIP), Bcl-2 and Survivin. Additionally, Iri could sensitize TRAIL to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). Pre-treatment of N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), ROS scavenger, attenuated Iri plus TRAIL-induced apoptosis and improved cell viability. Finally, combination of Iri and TRAIL inhibited tumor growth in the xenograft model. Collectively, our present study gave new insights into the effects of Iri on potentiating TRAIL-sensitivity, and suggested that Iri could be a potential candidate for sensitizer of TRAIL-resistant cancer cell treatment.

Quinacrine has been used for therapeutic drugs in some clinical settings. In the present study, we demonstrated that quinacrine decreased the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) induced by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin-1 (IL-1) α in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. Quinacrine inhibited ICAM-1 mRNA expression and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB)-responsive luciferase reporter activity following a treatment with TNF-α and IL-1α. In the NF-κB signaling pathway, quinacrine did not markedly affect the TNF-α-induced degradation of the inhibitor of NF-κB or the TNF-α-induced phosphorylation of the NF-κB subunit, p65, at Ser-536 and its subsequent translocation to the nucleus. In contrast, a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay showed that quinacrine prevented the binding of p65 to the ICAM-1 promoter following TNF-α stimulation. Moreover, TNF-α and the Fas ligand effectively reduced the viability of A549 cells in the presence of quinacrine only. Quinacrine down-regulated the constitutive and TNF-α-induced expression of c-FLIP and Mcl-1 in A549 cells. These results revealed that quinacrine inhibits ICAM-1 transcription by blocking the DNA binding of p65 and sensitizes A549 cells to TNF-α and the Fas ligand.

Melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer, is notoriously resistant to all current available therapies. Inhibitor of growth 4 (ING4), a novel member of the ING family of proteins, has previously been shown to play a critical role in the development of multiple tumors by regulating apoptosis, proliferation, cell cycle progress, migration and invasion. However, the functional role of ING4 in human melanoma remains unclear. To fully understand its potential role in human melanoma, in the present study, lentivirus (LV)‑ING4 and LV‑ING4‑short hairpin RNA were constructed and transfected into human melanoma A375 cells. First, the effect of overexpressing or downregulating ING4 on the apoptosis of the transfected melanoma cells and cluster of differentiation (CD)3+ T cells was investigated. In the present study, we found that the late apoptotic cells, and not the early apoptotic cells, were more in LV-ING4 group compared with LV-control, and both the early and late apoptosis of CD3+ T cells was significantly observed in A375 cells transfected with LV-ING4 compared with LV-control. Importantly, it was determined whether the overexpression of ING4 significantly induce apoptotic cell death via Fas/FasL (Fas death receptor/FasL) pathway activation and downregulation of poly(ADP‑ribose) polymerase, caspase‑3 and caspase‑8 in the melanoma cells and CD3+ T cells. These results demonstrated that overexpression of ING4 can induce the apoptosis of melanoma cells and CD3+ T cells through signaling pathways such as the Fas/FasL pathway, and that ING4 gene therapy for melanoma treatment is a novel approach.