Prostate cancer (PCa) cells are heterogeneous, containing a variety of cancer cells with phenotypical and functional discrepancies in the tumor microenvironment, where prostate cancer stem cells (PCSCs) play a vital role in PCa development. Our earlier studies have shown that ALDH(hi)CD44(+) (DP) PCa cells and the corresponding ALDH(lo)CD44(-) (DN) PCa cells manifest as PCSCs and non-PCSCs, respectively, but the underlying mechanisms regulating stemness of the PCSCs are not completely understood. To tackle this issue, we have performed RNA-Sequencing and bioinformatic analysis in DP (versus DN) cells in this study. We discovered that, PER3 (period circadian regulator 3), a circadian rhythm gene, is significantly downregulated in DP cells. Overexpression of PER3 in DP cells significantly suppressed their sphere- and colony-forming abilities as well as tumorigenicity in immunodeficient hosts. In contrast, knockdown of PER3 in DN cells dramatically promoted their colony-forming and tumor-initiating capacities. Clinically, PER3 is downregulated in human prostate cancer specimens and PER3 expression levels are highly correlated with the prognosis of the PCa patient. Mechanistically, we observed that low levels of PER3 stimulates the expression of BMAL1, leading to the phosphorylation of beta-catenin and the activation of the WNT/beta-catenin pathway. Together, our results indicate that PER3 negatively regulates stemness of PCSCs via WNT/beta-catenin signaling in the tumor microenvironment, providing a novel strategy to treat PCa patients.
基金:
National Natural Science Foundation of China [81602592, 81802973]; Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province [2020CFB844]; Key Project of the Health Commission of Hubei Province [WJ2019Z006]
第一作者单位:[1]Huazhong Univ Sci & Technol,Tongji Hosp,Dept Stomatol,Tongji Med Coll,Wuhan,Peoples R China
通讯作者:
通讯机构:[5]Wuhan Univ, Sch & Hosp Stomatol, State Key Lab Breeding Base Basic Sci Stomatol Hu, Wuhan, Peoples R China[6]Wuhan Univ, Sch & Hosp Stomatol, Key Lab Oral Biomed, Minist Educ KLOBM, Wuhan, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式(GB/T 7714):
Li Qilin,Xia Ding,Wang Zhihua,et al.Circadian Rhythm Gene PER3 Negatively Regulates Stemness of Prostate Cancer Stem Cells via WNT/β-Catenin Signaling in Tumor Microenvironment[J].FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY.2021,9:doi:10.3389/fcell.2021.656981.
APA:
Li, Qilin,Xia, Ding,Wang, Zhihua,Liu, Bo,Zhang, Jing...&Chen, Xin.(2021).Circadian Rhythm Gene PER3 Negatively Regulates Stemness of Prostate Cancer Stem Cells via WNT/β-Catenin Signaling in Tumor Microenvironment.FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY,9,
MLA:
Li, Qilin,et al."Circadian Rhythm Gene PER3 Negatively Regulates Stemness of Prostate Cancer Stem Cells via WNT/β-Catenin Signaling in Tumor Microenvironment".FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 9.(2021)