Background
Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) accounts for most (85 to 90%) of the primary liver cancers and ranks as the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men. Globally, approximately 50% of the cases occur in China [
1‐
3]. Historically, the high mortality rate of HCC is due to the advanced stage and frequent recurrence after surgical resection, and the majority of the patients are virtually limited to surgical treatment or chemotherapy [
4‐
6]. Therefore, an in-depth study of the molecular pathogenesis could contribute by providing reliable predictors of HCC and a basis for effective therapeutic strategies, which is a promising approach to improve the survival rate [
7].
Integrins are heterodimeric cell surface receptors consisting of 18 α-subunits and 8 β-subunits regulating diverse biological functions in cancers, including proliferation, adhesion, migration and invasion. Multifarious integrins involved in the disease progression and their correlation to oncogenes make them attractive targets for tumour therapy [
8]. ITGB5,which associates only with ITGαV [
9], has been linked to a variety of pathological conditions by several studies. ITGB5 enhances cell survival through cooperating with endothelial growth factor receptor 2(VEGF2) to inhibit extrinsic apoptosis [
10‐
12]. The contribution of ITGB5 to angiogenesis has been well established [
13‐
15]. Accumulating evidence supports the pivotal role of ITGB5 in facilitating cancer cell migration, invasion and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) [
16‐
19]. In 2015, a remarkable publication demonstrated that exosomal ITGB5 governed liver tropism, which was associated with liver metastasis in several malignancies, including colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer and gastric cancer [
20]. However, the role of ITGB5 in HCC is unknown.
The WNT/β-catenin signalling pathway mediates various cell biological functions in widely diverse cancer processes [
21‐
23]. β-catenin is a component of the cell surface cadherin protein complex, whose stabilization is indispensable for the activation of the WNT/β-catenin pathway [
22]. A large body of evidence has indicated that alterations in β-catenin activity are correlated to the development of HCC, including the proliferation, migration and differentiation [
23]. The association of integrin with β-catenin has also been published in relation to melanoma and colorectal cancer [
24,
25]. Meanwhile, the interplay between ITGB5 and β-catenin can still not be elucidated in HCC.
The present study provides evidence that ITGB5 potently facilitates the tumorigenesis and progression of HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. For the first time, we focused on the relationship between ITGB5 and β-catenin in HCC, revealing that the expression of ITGB5 positively correlated with the stability of β-catenin leading to an increase in β-catenin. In addition, our findings implied that miR-185 participated in the mediation of the cell growth and migration in HCC by directly regulating ITGB5. Therefore, our data indicated that miR-185-ITGB5-β-catenin pathway may play an important role in HCC tumorigenesis.
Methods
Cell culture and reagents
The human HCC cell line Huh-7 was obtained from the Cell Bank of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Shanghai, China), and the MHCC-97 Lcell line was obtained from Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University (Shanghai, China). These cell lines were grown in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% foetal bovine serum (FBS), 1% penicillin, streptomycin and 0.1% Savelt ™. They were maintained in a humidified atmosphere with 5% CO2 at 37 °C. The following antibodies and reagents were used: the antibody to ITGB5 (1:500, Abcam, #ab15459), beta-catenin (1:1000, Proteintech Group, #51067-2-AP), beta-actin (1:1000, Proteintech Group, #60008-1-Ig), ubiquitin (1:1000,Cell Signalling Technology,#3393), Cyclin D1 (1:500, Cell Signaling Technology,#2978), c-Myc (1:500, Cell Signaling Technology,#13,987), MG132 (Calbiochem), puromycin (Mediatech), cycloheximide (CHX) (Inalco Spa Milano Italy), Savelt™ (Hanbio Co.LTD 1:1000) and polybrene (Sigma).
Western blot analysis and co-immunoprecipitation
For western blot analysis, cells were lysed with RIPA buffer (150 mM NaCl, 0.5% sodium deoxycholate, 0.1% SDS, 1% NP40, 1 mM EDTA, and 50 mM Tris (pH = 8.0)). After boiling with loading buffer for 15 min, the supernatants were loaded onto SDS–PAGE gels. Nitrocellulose membranes (Millipore) were incubated with primary antibodies, and then, they were incubated and visualized by HRP conjugate.
For immunoprecipitation (IP) experiments, cultured cells were washed in cold PBS and lysed in lysis buffer (20 mM Tris pH = 7.4, 0.15 M NaCl, 1 mM EDTA, 1 mM EGTA, 1% TritonX-100, 0.0025 MNa2P2O7, 1 mM β-glycerol phosphate, 1 mM Na3VO4, and 1 mM NaF) with an EDTA-free protease inhibitor mixture (Roche Applied Science) and PMSF. Cell lysates were then incubated on ice for 10 min, centrifuged, and precleared by incubation with protein A/G beads (Roche) for 1 h at 4 °C. For IP bead preparation, 30 μl of protein A/G beads was incubated with 5 μg of antibodies for 2 h at 4 °C. IPs were carried out overnight at 4 °C, and the beads were centrifuged, washed and subsequently boiled for 5 min in SDS protein loading buffer to elute bound protein. IP lysates were subjected to Western blotting with the indicated antibodies.
Huh-7 and MHCC-97 L cells with the treatment as indicated (1 × 103 cells per well) were plated into 6 well plates and cultured at 37 °C equipped with 5% CO2. Cells were fed with fresh growth medium every 3 days. Colonies were allowed to form for 2 weeks and were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde, stained with crystal violet, washed with water to remove excess stain, and counted using Image J software. Each experiment was repeated three times.
Transwell assays
The transwell system was used for the determination of cell migration. Cells were seeded in serum-free medium in chambers (8.00 mm pores, BD, Biosciences), and then, they were allowed to migrate across the uncoated inserts using serum-containing medium for 24 h. Cells on the apical surface of the insert were scraped off, and the membranes invaded with cells were fixed with 1% paraformaldehyde and stained with crystal violet. Cell counts are expressed as the average number of cells per field of view. Three independent experiments were performed.
RNA interference and virus infection
RNA interference was performed as previously described [
26,
27]. The shRNA was purchased from Sigma. The various targeting sequences were as follows:ITGB5-1,5-CCCGCTATGAAATGGCTTCAA-3; ITGB5-2, 5-GCATCCAACCAGATGGACTAT-3;and β-catenin, 5-AGGTGCTATCTGTCTGCTCTA-3. The primers 5′- gcGAATTCATGCCGCGGGCCCCGGCG.
-3′ and 5′- gcGGATCCTCAGTCCACAGTGCCATT-3′ were used to generate plasmids encoding full-length ITGB5. ITGB5 cDNA was purchased from Genecopoeia,Inc. (A8639). To generate lentivirus expressing ITGB5, HEK 293 T cells grown on a 6 cm dish were transfected with 2 μg pCDH-ITGB5 or control vector (pCDH), 1.5 μg psPax2, and 0.5 μg pMD2G. 24 h after the transfection, cells were cultured with DMEM containing 10% FBS for an additional 24 h. The culture medium containing lentiviral particles was centrifuged at 1000 g for 5 min. Viral particles collected in the supernatant were used for infection. In order to establish the stable cell line, the puromycin was used as a selection marker for the infected cells. The expression efficiency was evaluated by western blot analysis.
Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction assay (Q-PCR)
The total RNA was isolated using Trizol (Invitrogen). One microgram of total RNA was used to synthesize cDNA using the PrimeScript™ RT reagent kit (Takara, RR047A) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The primers were as follows:ITGB5up: 5-GTCTGCTAATCCACCCAAAATG-3,dn:5- TCTCTATCTCACCTCCACAGC-3;and actin up: 5-GACCTGACTGACTACCTCATGAAGAT-3, dn: 5-GTCACACTTCATGATGGAGTTGAAGG-3.The primers for mature miR-185 were purchased from Takara.
Introduction of microRNA mimics and inhibitors
Mimics and inhibitors of miRNA-185 were synthesized by the Genepharma Company (Shanghai, People’s Republic of China). For each transfection in a six-well plate, 100 nM miRNA mimics, mimic control or inhibitor, or inhibitor control were used. The transfection of melanoma cells by oligofectamine (Invitrogen) was performed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Protein stability assay and in vivo ubiquitination assay
To assess protein stability, cells were treated with cycloheximide (CHX) (20 mmol/L) for the indicated times(2,4, or 6 h). Cell extracts were prepared, and the expression levels of the indicated proteins were detected with western blotting. The ubiquitination assay was performed as previously described [
28,
29].
MHCC-97 L and Huh-7 cells were transfected with the TOP-FLASH and FOP-FLASH reporter plasmids together with pRL-TK. Luciferase activity was measured in a 1.5-ml Eppendorf tube with the Promega Dual-Luciferases Reporter Assay kit (Promega E1980) according to manufacturer’s protocols after transfection. Relative renilla luciferase activity was normalized to firefly luciferase activity. The assay was performed as previously described [
29‐
31].
Tissue microarray, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and histological studies
The HCC tissue microarrays containing 61 HCC tissues and 35 normal tissues were purchased from Shanghai Outdo Biotech (Shanghai, China). The characteristics of the patients and their tumors were collected through review of medical records and pathologic reports. Informed consent with approval of the ethics committee of Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province was obtained. All of the methods in this study were in accordance with the approved guidelines. Sections were stained with Masson’s trichrome and H&E (haematoxylin and eosin) for histopathological examination. For immunohistochemistry, sections were subjected to antigen retrieval using microwave heating at 95 °C in citrate buffer (pH = 6.0, for β-catenin) or boiling in Tris-EDTA buffer(pH = 9.0, for ITGB5). The indicated antibodies specific forITGB5 (1:100, abcam, #ab15459) and β-catenin (1:50, Proteintech Group, #51067-2-AP) were diluted according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
The degrees of immunostaining were reviewed and scored by two independent observers. The proportion of the stained cells and the extent of the staining were used as criteria of evaluation. For each case, at least 1000 tumor cells were analyzed. For each sample, the proportion of ITGB5 and β-catenin -expressing cells varied from 0 to 100%, and the intensity of staining varied from weak to strong. One score was given according to the percentage of positive cells as:< 5% of the cells:1 point; 6–35% of the cells:2 point; 36–70% of the cells:3 point; > 70% of the cells: 4 point. Another score was given according to the intensity of staining as: negative staining: 1 point; weak staining (light yellow): 2 point; moderate staining (yellowish brown): 3 point; and strong staining (brown): 4 point. A final score was then calculated by multiple the above two scores. If the final score was equal or bigger than four, the protein expression in the tumor was considered high; otherwise, the protein expression in the tumor was considered low. The high expression of miR-185 in HCC tissues was defined to more than 2 fold higher than in normal tissues. On the contrary, we defined it low expression.
Animal experiments
Animal studies were carried out in accordance with the National Institute of Health’s Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, with the approval of the Animal Research Committee of Dalian Medical University. Male nude mice (4–6 weeks old, 18–20 g) were obtained from the SPF Laboratory Animal Centre of Dalian Medical University (Dalian, China). The mice were used for experiments after they had been acclimatized for 1 week. Stable MHCC-97 L cells (1 × 107) that were suspended in 200 μl of PBS were subcutaneously inoculated in mice. Five mice (n = 5) was used in each of the experiments. After 5 weeks, all animals were killed by cervical decapitation, the tumour weights were measured and the tumour tissues were excised aseptically. The protocol was approved by the Animal Care and Ethics Committee of Dalian Medical University.
Mass spectrometry
Immunoprecipitates were resolved on 12% SDS page. Gels were minimally stained with Coomassie Brilliant Blue to differentiate IgG bands. Each lane was then cut into three molecular weight regions. These bands were digested with 100 ng of trypsin overnight. LTQ Orbitrap Velos (Thermo Fisher Scientific) was run in a data-dependent mode, where each sample was eluted in 5–30% acetonitrile gradient. Spectral data were then searched against the human protein RefSeq database in Proteome Discoverer1.3 Suites with Mascot software.
Statistical analysis
All results are shown as the mean ± S.D. of multiple independent experiments, not technical replicates. Detailed P values for each panel in the figures are stated in the corresponding legends. A Student’s t-test, a Mann-Whitney test (for two group comparisons) or a Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA followed by Dunn’s multiple comparison tests (for more than two group comparisons) was used for statistical analyses. All statistical analyses were performed with GraphPad Prism 5 and SPSS 19.0 software. All statistical tests were two-sided, and P values < 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant.
Discussion
HCC is the third most common cause of cancer mortality worldwide, and tumour recurrence due to de novo tumours and dissemination are the predominant causes leading to the high mortality [
1,
4,
32,
33].The present study demonstrated that ITGB5 is a critical regulator of the tumorigenic potential of HCC, not only facilitating cancer cell growth but also promoting cell migration. In clinical data, we found that ITGB5 expression was frequently increased in tumour tissues compared to adjacent normal specimens correlating with older patients, a large tumour size and an advanced clinical stage. In functional experiments, the depletion of ITGB5 by shRNA markedly inhibits HCC cell clone formation, which reflects the ITGB5 function in the replicative potential of cancer cells. Importantly, the knock down of ITGB5 effectively attenuates the migratory ability of HCC cells and vice versa.
Canonically, integrins affect intracellular signalling by activating integrin-associated kinases due to lack of enzymatic activity [
8,
9,
34], and mechanistic studies of ITGB5 mainly focus on activating Src-FAK and MEK-ERK signalling pathways, which profoundly contribute to the tumorigenic capacity of the malignancies [
19]. In our present experiments, results show the novel role of ITGB5 in HCC, which interacted with β-catenin and upregulated β-catenin expression. When ITGB5 had dysregulated expression, the protein level of β-catenin was subsequently altered in HCC cells, which was consistent with the clinical specimen for immunohistochemistry correlation analyses. Interestingly, we noticed that the increase of β-catenin by ITGB5 is in a transcription-independent manner, and the mRNA level of β-catenin did not change when ITGB5 was overexpressed or knocked down, suggesting that ITGB5 is likely to control β-catenin in the phase of protein translation and/or degradation. A series of experiments revealed that the regulation of ITGB5 on β-catenin mainly relied on inhibiting its degradation. Using a protein stability assay and immunoprecipitation assays, we confirmed that ITGB5depletion triggers the strong ubiquitylation of β-catenin. However, the in-depth molecular basis by which ITGB5 regulates the ubiquitylation of β-catenin is still unclear, and the underlying mechanisms will be investigated in our future work.
The expression level of ITGB5 was increased in HCC. However, the mechanism is still unknown. Previous reports indicated that gene expression is partially regulated by a class of miRNAs, and identifying the target gene of miRNA that is involved in the malignancy behaviours is important for exploring the molecular mechanisms [
35]. In our manuscript, we revealed novel candidate miRNAs that could regulate ITGB5 expression. Among the 6 miRNAs, both miR-271 and miR-185 suppressed the luciferase activity of ITGB5 3′UTR, and miR-185 decreased the protein level of ITGB5 most significantly. Previously, miR-185 has been demonstrated to be a key suppressor in HCC [
36,
37], which was similar with our result. Nonetheless, the reason for the downregulation of miR-185 in HCC still remains to be discovered in the future.
Collectively, the current study provides a novel insight into the function of ITGB5 in HCC. ITGB5, negatively modulated by miR-185, promoted tumour growth and migration by regulating β-catenin stability in vitro and in vivo. An increase of ITGB5 was associated with β-catenin upregulation and a decrease in miR-185 in HCC tissues. Thus, our data suggested that ITGB5 may be a novel diagnostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target in HCC.