TY - JOUR
T1 - Hepatic stellate cells promote upregulation of epithelial cell adhesion molecule and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in hepatic cancer cells
AU - Nagahara, Teruya
AU - Shiraha, Hidenori
AU - Sawahara, Hiroaki
AU - Uchida, Daisuke
AU - Takeuchi, Yasuto
AU - Iwamuro, Masaya
AU - Kataoka, Junro
AU - Horiguchi, Shigeru
AU - Kuwaki, Takeshi
AU - Onishi, Hideki
AU - Nakamura, Shinichiro
AU - Takaki, Akinobu
AU - Nouso, Kazuhiro
AU - Yamamoto, Kazuhide
PY - 2015/9/1
Y1 - 2015/9/1
N2 - Microenvironment plays an important role in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness of cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is known as a tumor stemness marker of HCC. To investigate the relationship between microenvironment and stemness, we performed an in vitro co-culture assay. Four HCC cell lines (HepG2, Hep3B, HuH-7 and PLC/ PRF/5) were co-cultured with the TWNT-1 immortalized hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which create a microenvironment with HCC. Cell proliferation ability was analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM) and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, while migration ability was assessed by a wound healing assay. Expression of EpCAM was analyzed by immunoblotting and FCM. HCC cell lines were co-cultured with TWNT-1 treated with small interfering RNA (siRNA) for TGF-β and HB-EGF; we then analyzed proliferation, migration ability and protein expression using the methods described above. Proliferation ability was unchanged in HCC cell lines co-cultured with TWNT-1. Migration ability was increased in HCC cell lines (HepG2, Hep3B, HuH-7 and PLC/PRF/5) directly (216.2±67.0, 61.0±22.0, 124.0±66.2 and 51.5±40.3%) and indirectly (102.5±22.0, 84.6±30.9, 86.1±25.7 and 73.9±29.7%) co-cultured with TWNT-1 compared with the HCC uni-culture. Immunoblot analysis revealed increased EpCAM expression in the HCC cell lines co-cultured with TWNT-1. Flow cytometry revealed that the population of E-cadherin-/N-cadherin+ and EpCAM-positive cells increased and accordingly, EMT and stemness in the HCC cell line were activated. These results were similar in the directly and indirectly co-cultured samples, indicating that humoral factors were at play. Conversely, HCC cell lines co-cultured with siRNA-treated TWNT-1 showed decreased migration ability, a decreased population of EpCAM-positive and E-cadherin-/ N-cadherin+ cells. Taken together, humoral factors secreted from TWNT-1 promote upregulation of EpCAM and EMT in hepatic cancer cells.
AB - Microenvironment plays an important role in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness of cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is known as a tumor stemness marker of HCC. To investigate the relationship between microenvironment and stemness, we performed an in vitro co-culture assay. Four HCC cell lines (HepG2, Hep3B, HuH-7 and PLC/ PRF/5) were co-cultured with the TWNT-1 immortalized hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which create a microenvironment with HCC. Cell proliferation ability was analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM) and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, while migration ability was assessed by a wound healing assay. Expression of EpCAM was analyzed by immunoblotting and FCM. HCC cell lines were co-cultured with TWNT-1 treated with small interfering RNA (siRNA) for TGF-β and HB-EGF; we then analyzed proliferation, migration ability and protein expression using the methods described above. Proliferation ability was unchanged in HCC cell lines co-cultured with TWNT-1. Migration ability was increased in HCC cell lines (HepG2, Hep3B, HuH-7 and PLC/PRF/5) directly (216.2±67.0, 61.0±22.0, 124.0±66.2 and 51.5±40.3%) and indirectly (102.5±22.0, 84.6±30.9, 86.1±25.7 and 73.9±29.7%) co-cultured with TWNT-1 compared with the HCC uni-culture. Immunoblot analysis revealed increased EpCAM expression in the HCC cell lines co-cultured with TWNT-1. Flow cytometry revealed that the population of E-cadherin-/N-cadherin+ and EpCAM-positive cells increased and accordingly, EMT and stemness in the HCC cell line were activated. These results were similar in the directly and indirectly co-cultured samples, indicating that humoral factors were at play. Conversely, HCC cell lines co-cultured with siRNA-treated TWNT-1 showed decreased migration ability, a decreased population of EpCAM-positive and E-cadherin-/ N-cadherin+ cells. Taken together, humoral factors secreted from TWNT-1 promote upregulation of EpCAM and EMT in hepatic cancer cells.
KW - Cancer stem cells
KW - EpCAM
KW - Hepatic stellate cell
KW - Hepatocellular carcinoma
KW - Niche
KW - Notch
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84937204423&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84937204423&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3892/or.2015.4126
DO - 10.3892/or.2015.4126
M3 - Article
C2 - 26165819
AN - SCOPUS:84937204423
VL - 34
SP - 1169
EP - 1177
JO - Oncology Reports
JF - Oncology Reports
SN - 1021-335X
IS - 3
ER -
