• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.5461-5465
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• 2013

Oral cancer is one of the most commonly occurring cancers worldwide, decreasing the patient's survival rate due to tumor recurrence and metastasis. Menadione (Vitamin K3) is known to exhibit cytotoxicity in various cancer cells but the present study focused on its effects on viability, apoptosis, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), anchorage independent growth and migration of oral cancer cells. The results show that menadione is more cytotoxic to SAS (oral squamous carcinoma) cells but not to non-tumorigenic HEK293 and HaCaT cells. Menadione treatment increased the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins, Bax and p53, with a concurrent decrease in anti-apoptotic proteins, Bcl-2 and p65. Menadione induced the expression of E-cadherin but reduced the expression of EMT markers, vimentin and fibronectin. Menadione also inhibited anchorage independent growth and migration in SAS cells. These findings reveal and confirm that menadione is a potential candidate in oral cancer therapy as it exhibits cytotoxic, antineoplastic and antimigratory effects besides effectively blocking EMT in oral cancer cells.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.411-417
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• 1998

The possibility of application of membrane type immobilized adsorbent to the fed-batch or perfusion culture system with anchorage-independent cells as well as batch system was investigated. The improvement in cell density and cell viability due to the combination of immobilized adsorbent with each culture system was evaluated for the investigation, and the optimum culture system employing immobilized adsorbent system was suggested based on the results. It was observed that the system with immobilized adsorbent showed better cell growth and cell viability than that without immobilized adsorbent in every operation system of batch, fed-batch, and perfusion. In case of batch system, 200% improvement of maximum cell density was observed in the system where ammonium chloride was added on purpose. And 50% improvement of maximum cell density was observed in the fed-batch system where ammonium ion accumulates significantly, while small increase in maximum cell density was observed in the perfusion system where dilution of waste byproducts exists. Especially, the fed-batch system showed the most significant improvement on cell growth because both compensation of nutrient and removal of ammonium ion occurred simultaneously in the system. Therefore a combined system of immobilized adsorbent and fed-batch operation could be suggested as an optimum system with in situ removal of ammonium ion.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.149.3-150
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• 2003

[6]-Gingerol, a major pungent ingredient of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Zingiberaceae) has a wide array of pharmacologic effects. Our previous studies have demonstrated that [6]-gingerol inhibits mouse skin tumor promotion and anchorage-independent growth of cultured mouse epidermal cells stimulated with epidermal growth factor. In this study, we have investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying anti-tumor promoting effects of ［6］-gingerol on mouse skin carcinogenesis. (omitted)

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.75-75
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• 2002

Two types of normal human breast epithelial cells (HBECs) have already been established and characterized. Type I HBECs are deficient in gap junctional intercellular communication and are capable of anchorage-independent growth and of expressing luminal epithelial cell markers, a variant estrogen receptor (ER), and stem cell characteristics.(omitted)

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 2019

OCT4, also known as POU5F1 (POU domain class 5 transcription factor 1), is a transcription factor that acts as a master regulator of pluripotency in embryonic stem cells and is one of the reprogramming factors required for generating induced pluripotent stem cells. The human OCT4 encodes three isoforms, OCT4A, OCT4B, and OCT4B1, which are generated by alternative splicing. Currently, the functions and expression patterns of OCT4B remain largely unknown in malignancies, especially in human glioblastomas. Here, we demonstrated the function of OCT4B in human glioblastomas. Among the isoform of OCT4B, OCT4B-190 ($OCT4B^{19kDa}$) was highly expressed in human glioblastoma stem cells and glioblastoma cells and was mainly detected in the cytoplasm rather than the nucleus. Overexpression of $OCT4B^{19kDa}$ promoted colony formation of glioblastoma cells when grown in soft agar culture conditions. Clinical data analysis revealed that patients with gliomas that expressed OCT4B at high levels had a poorer prognosis than patients with gliomas that expressed OCT4B at low levels. Thus, $OCT4B^{19kDa}$ may play a crucial role in regulating cancer cell survival and adaption in a rigid environment.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.251-258
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• 2016

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been identified in multiple types of tissue and exhibit characteristic self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation abilities. However, the possibility of oncogenic transformation after transplantation is concerning. In this study, we investigated the tumorigenic potential of umbilical cord blood-derived MSCs (hUCB-MSCs) relative to MRC-5 and HeLa cells (negative and positive controls, respectively) both in vitro and in vivo. To evaluate tumorigenicity in vitro, anchorage-independent growth was assessed using the soft agar colony formation assay. hUCB-MSCs and MRC-5 cells formed few colonies, while HeLa cells formed a greater number of larger colonies, indicating that hUCB-MSCs and MRC-5 cells do not have anchorage-independent proliferation potential. To detect tumorigenicity in vivo, hUCB-MSCs were implanted as a single subcutaneous injection into BALB/c-nu mice. No tumor formation was observed in mice transplanted with hUCB-MSCs or MRC-5 cells based on macro- and microscopic examinations; however, all mice transplanted with HeLa cells developed tumors that stained positive for a human gene according to immunohistochemical analysis. In conclusion, hUCB-MSCs do not exhibit tumorigenic potential based on in vitro and in vivo assays under our experimental conditions, providing further evidence of their safety for clinical applications.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.428-433
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• 2015

Acetylshikonin, a natural naphthoquinone derivative compound, has been used for treatment of inflammation and cancer. In the present study, we have investigated whether acetylshikonin could regulate the NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling pathway, thereby leading to suppression of tumorigenesis. We observed that acetylshikonin significantly reduced proliferation of several cancer cell lines, including human pancreatic PANC-1 cancer cells. In addition, acetylshikonin inhibited phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or tumor necrosis-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$)-induced NF-${\kappa}B$ reporter activity. Proteome cytokine array and real-time RT-PCR results illustrated that acetylshikonin inhibition of PMA-induced production of cytokines was mediated at the transcriptional level and it was associated with suppression of NF-${\kappa}B$ activity and matrix metalloprotenases. Finally, we observed that an exposure of acetylshikonin significantly inhibited the anchorage-independent growth of PANC-1 cells. Together, our results indicate that acetylshikonin could serve as a promising therapeutic agent for future treatment of pancreatic cancer.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.11.1-11.5
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• 2023

Breast cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, and advanced breast cancer with metastases is incurable mainly with currently available therapies. Therefore, it is essential to understand molecular characteristics during the progression of breast carcinogenesis. Here, we report a dataset of whole genomes from the human mammary epithelial cell system derived from a reduction mammoplasty specimen. This system comprises pre-stasis 184D cells, considered normal, and seven cell lines along cancer progression series that are immortalized or additionally acquired anchorage-independent growth. Our analysis of the whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data indicates that those seven cancer progression series cells have somatic mutations whose number ranges from 8,393 to 39,564 (with an average of 30,591) compared to 184D cells. These WGS data and our mutation analysis will provide helpful information to identify driver mutations and elucidate molecular mechanisms for breast carcinogenesis.

• BMB Reports
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.159-165
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• 2015

Although the short isoform of ErbB3-binding protein 1 (Ebp1), p42 has been considered to be a potent tumor suppressor in a number of human cancers, whether p42 suppresses tumorigenesis of lung cancer cells has never been clarified. In the current study we investigated the tumor suppressor role of p42 in non-small cell lung cancer cells. Our data suggest that the expression level of p42 is inversely correlated with the cancerous properties of NSCLC cells and that ectopic expression of p42 is sufficient to inhibit cell proliferation, anchorage-independent growth, and invasion as well as tumor growth in vivo. Interestingly, p42 suppresses Akt activation and overexpression of a constitutively active form of Akt restores the tumorigenic activity of A549 cells that is ablated by exogenous p42 expression. Thus, we propose that p42 Ebp1 functions as a potent tumor suppressor of NSCLC through interruption of Akt signaling.

• BMB Reports
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.59-64
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• 2013

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and telomerase are considered attractive targets for anticancer therapy. The in vitro anticancer activity of the gold(I) compound auranofin was investigated using MDA-MB 231 human breast cancer cells, in which STAT3 is constitutively active. In cell culture, auranofin inhibited growth in a dose-dependent manner, and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), a scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS), markedly blocked the effect of auranofin. Incorporation of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine into DNA and anchorage-independent cell growth on soft agar were decreased by auranofin treatment. STAT3 phosphorylation and telomerase activity were also attenuated in cells exposed to auranofin, but NAC pretreatment restored STAT3 phosphorylation and telomerase activity in these cells. These findings indicate that auranofin exerts in vitro antitumor effects in MDA-MB 231 cells and its activity involves inhibition of STAT3 and telomerase. Thus, auranofin shows potential as a novel anticancer drug that targets STAT3 and telomerase.