IU Indianapolis ScholarWorks :: Browsing by Author "Xie, Jingwu"

Browsing by Author "Xie, Jingwu"

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Activation of hedgehog signaling is not a frequent event in ovarian cancers
(BioMed Central, 2009-11-27) Yang, Ling; He, Jing; Huang, Shuhong; Zhang, Xiaoli; Bian, Yuehong; He, Nonggao; Zhang, Hongwei; Xie, Jingwu; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
The hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway regulates many processes of development and tissue homeostasis. Activation of hedgehog signaling has been reported in about 30% of human cancer including ovarian cancer. Inhibition of hedgehog signaling has been pursued as an effective strategy for cancer treatment including an ongoing phase II clinical trial in ovarian cancer. However, the rate of hedgehog signaling activation in ovarian cancer was reported differently by different groups. To predict the successful for future clinical trials of hedgehog signaling inhibitors in ovarian cancer, we assessed hedgehog pathway activation in 34 ovarian epithelial tumor specimens through analyses of target gene expression by in-situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and real-time PCR. In contrast to previous reports, we only detected a small proportion of ovarian cancers with hedgehog target gene expression, suggesting that identification of the tumors with activated hedgehog signaling activation will facilitate chemotherapy with hedgehog signaling inhibitors.
A critical role of AREG for bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis
(BMC, 2021) Zhang, Mary Yinghua; Fang, Shuyi; Gao, Hongyu; Zhang, Xiaoli; Gu, Dongsheng; Liu, Yunlong; Wan, Jun; Xie, Jingwu; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
We report our discovery of an important player in the development of skin fibrosis, a hallmark of scleroderma. Scleroderma is a fibrotic disease, affecting 70,000 to 150,000 Americans. Fibrosis is a pathological wound healing process that produces an excessive extracellular matrix to interfere with normal organ function. Fibrosis contributes to nearly half of human mortality. Scleroderma has heterogeneous phenotypes, unpredictable outcomes, no validated biomarkers, and no effective treatment. Thus, strategies to slow down scleroderma progression represent an urgent medical need. While a pathological wound healing process like fibrosis leaves scars and weakens organ function, oral mucosa wound healing is a scarless process. After re-analyses of gene expression datasets from oral mucosa wound healing and skin fibrosis, we discovered that several pathways constitutively activated in skin fibrosis are transiently induced during oral mucosa wound healing process, particularly the amphiregulin (Areg) gene. Areg expression is upregulated ~ 10 folds 24hrs after oral mucosa wound but reduced to the basal level 3 days later. During bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis, a commonly used mouse model for skin fibrosis, Areg is up-regulated throughout the fibrogenesis and is associated with elevated cell proliferation in the dermis. To demonstrate the role of Areg for skin fibrosis, we used mice with Areg knockout, and found that Areg deficiency essentially prevents bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis. We further determined that bleomycin-induced cell proliferation in the dermis was not observed in the Areg null mice. Furthermore, we found that inhibiting MEK, a downstream signaling effector of Areg, by selumetinib also effectively blocked bleomycin-based skin fibrosis model. Based on these results, we concluded that the Areg-EGFR-MEK signaling axis is critical for skin fibrosis development. Blocking this signaling axis may be effective in treating scleroderma.
Deciphering the role of hedgehog signaling in pancreatic cancer.
(JBR, 2016-09) Gu, Dongsheng; Schlotman, Kelly E.; Xie, Jingwu; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine
Pancreatic cancer, mostly pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), is a leading cause of cancer-related death in the US, with a dismal median survival of 6 months. Thus, there is an urgent unmet need to identify ways to diagnose and to treat this deadly cancer. Although a number of genetic changes have been identified in pancreatic cancer, their mechanisms of action in tumor development, progression and metastasis are not completely understood. Hedgehog signaling, which plays a major role in embryonic development and stem cell regulation, is known to be activated in pancreatic cancer; however, specific inhibitors targeting the smoothened molecule failed to improve the condition of pancreatic cancer patients in clinical trials. Furthermore, results regarding the role of Hh signaling in pancreatic cancer are controversial with some reporting tumor promoting activities whereas others tumor suppressive actions. In this review, we will summarize what we know about hedgehog signaling in pancreatic cancer, and try to explain the contradicting roles of hedgehog signaling as well as the reason(s) behind the failed clinical trials. In addition to the canonical hedgehog signaling, we will also discuss several non-canonical hedgehog signaling mechanisms.
Defective TGFβ signaling in bone marrow-derived cells prevents Hedgehog-induced skin tumors
(American Association for Cancer Research, 2014-01-15) Fan, Qipeng; Gu, Dongsheng; Liu, Hailan; Yang, Ling; Zhang, Xiaoli; Yoder, Mervin C.; Kaplan, Mark H.; Xie, Jingwu; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine
Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in cancer cells drives changes in the tumor microenvironment that are incompletely understood. Here we report that Hh- driven tumors exhibit an increase in myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) and a decrease in T cells, indicative of an immune suppressive tumor microenvironment. This change was associated with activated TGFβ signaling in several cell types in BCCs. We determined that TGFβ signaling in bone marrow (BM)-derived cells, not keratinocytes, regulates MDSC and promotes tumor development. Tgfbr2 deficiency in the BM-derived cells also reduced the size of previously developed tumors in mice. We identified CCL2 as the major chemokine attracting MDSC to tumor, whose expression was Tgfbr2-dependent, whereas its receptor CCR2 was highly expressed in MDSC population. CCL2 alone was sufficient to induce migration of MDSC. Moreover, the CCR2 inhibitors prevented MDSC migration towards skin cells in vitro, reduced MDSC accumulation and Hh signaling-driven tumor development in mice. Our results reveal a signaling network critical for Hh signaling in cancer cells to establish an effective immune suppressive microenvironment during tumor development.
Distinct transcriptomic landscapes of cutaneous basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas
(Elsevier, 2019) Wan, Jun; Dai, Hongji; Zhang, Xiaoli; Liu, Sheng; Lin, Yuan; Somani, Ally-Khan; Xie, Jingwu; Han, Jiali; Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine
The majority of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is cutaneous basal cell carcinoma (BCC) or squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), which are also called keratinocyte carcinomas, as both of them originate from keratinocytes. The incidence of keratinocyte carcinomas is over 5 million per year in the US, three-fold higher than the total incidence of all other types of cancer combined. While there are several reports on gene expression profiling of BCC and SCC, there are significant variations in the reported gene expression changes in different studies. One reason is that tumor-adjacent normal skin specimens were not included in many studies as matched controls. Furthermore, while numerous studies of skin stem cells in mouse models have been reported, their relevance to human skin cancer remains unknown. In this report, we analyzed gene expression profiles of paired specimens of keratinocyte carcinomas with their matched normal skin tissues as the control. Among several novel findings, we discovered a significant number of zinc finger encoding genes up-regulated in human BCC. In BCC, a novel link was found between hedgehog signaling, Wnt signaling, and the cilium. While the SCC cancer-stem-cell gene signature is shared between human and mouse SCCs, the hair follicle stem-cell signature of mice was not highly represented in human SCC. Differential gene expression (DEG) in human BCC shares gene signature with both bulge and epidermal stem cells. We have also determined that human BCCs and SCCs have distinct gene expression patterns, and some of them are not fully reflected in current mouse models.
Functional significance of Hippo/YAP signaling for drug resistance in colorectal cancer
(Wiley, 2018) Song, Ruolan; Gu, Dongsheng; Zhang, Lining; Zhang, Xiaoli; Yu, Beiqin; Liu, Bingya; Xie, Jingwu; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer‐related death worldwide. While early stage colorectal cancer can be removed by surgery, patients with advanced disease are treated by chemotherapy, with 5‐Fluorouracil (5‐FU) as a main ingredient. However, most patients with advanced colorectal cancer eventually succumb to the disease despite some responded initially. Thus, identifying molecular mechanisms responsible for drug resistance will help design novel strategies to treat colorectal cancer. In this study, we analyzed an acquired 5‐FU resistant cell line, LoVo‐R, and determined that elevated expression of YAP target genes is a major alteration in the 5‐FU resistant cells. Hippo/YAP signaling, a pathway essential for cell polarity, is an important regulator for tissue homeostasis, organ size, and stem cells. We demonstrated that knockdown of YAP1 sensitized LoVo‐R cells to 5‐FU treatment in cultured cells and in mice. The relevance of our studies to colorectal cancer patients is reflected by our discovery that high expression of YAP target genes in the tumor was associated with an increased risk of cancer relapse and poor survival in a larger cohort of colorectal cancer patients who underwent 5‐FU‐related chemotherapy. Taken together, we demonstrate a critical role of YAP signaling for drug resistance in colorectal cancer.
Genetic Evidence for XPC-KRAS Interactions During Lung Cancer Development.
(Elsevier, 2015-10-20) Zhang, Xiaoli; He, Nonggao; Gu, Dongsheng; Wickliffe, Jeff; Salazar, James; Boldogh, Istavan; Xie, Jingwu; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine
Lung cancer causes more deaths than breast, colorectal and prostate cancers combined. Despite major advances in targeted therapy in a subset of lung adenocarcinomas, the overall 5-year survival rate for lung cancer worldwide has not significantly changed for the last few decades. DNA repair deficiency is known to contribute to lung cancer development. In fact, human polymorphisms in DNA repair genes such as xeroderma pigmentosum group C (XPC) are highly associated with lung cancer incidence. However, the direct genetic evidence for the role of XPC for lung cancer development is still lacking. Mutations of the Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (Kras) or its downstream effector genes occur in almost all lung cancer cells, and there are a number of mouse models for lung cancer using these mutations. Using activated Kras, KrasLA1, as a driver for lung cancer development in mice, we showed for the first time that mice with KrasLA1 and Xpc knockout had worst outcomes in lung cancer development, and this phenotype was associated with accumulated DNA damage. Using cultured cells, we demonstrated that induced expression of oncogenic KRASG12V led to increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as well as DNA damage, and both can be suppressed by anti-oxidants. Thus, it appears that XPC may help repair DNA damage caused by KRAS-mediated production of ROS.
GLI1-mediated regulation of side population is responsible for drug resistance in gastric cancer
(Impact Journals, 2017-04-18) Yu, Beiqin; Gu, Dongsheng; Zhang, Xiaoli; Li, Jianfang; Liu, Bingya; Xie, Jingwu; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Chemotherapy is frequently used for gastric cancer treatment. Most patients with advanced gastric cancer eventually succumb to the disease despite some patients responded initially to chemotherapy. Thus, identifying molecular mechanisms responsible for cancer relapse following chemotherapy will help design new ways to treat gastric cancer. In this study, we revealed that the residual cancer cells following treatment with chemotherapeutic reagent cisplatin have elevated expression of hedgehog target genes GLI1, GLI2 and PTCH1, suggestive of hedgehog signaling activation. We showed that GLI1 knockdown sensitized gastric cancer cells to CDDP whereas ectopic GLI1 expression decreased the sensitivity. Further analyses indicate elevated GLI1 expression is associated with an increase in tumor sphere formation, side population and cell surface markers for putative cancer stem cells. We have evidence to support that GLI1 is critical for maintenance of putative cancer stem cells through direct regulation of ABCG2. In fact, GLI1 protein was shown to be associated with the promoter fragment of ABCG2 through a Gli-binding consensus site in gastric cancer cells. Disruption of ABCG2 function, through ectopic expression of an ABCG2 dominant negative construct or a specific ABCG2 inhibitor, increased drug sensitivity of cancer cells both in culture and in mice. The relevance of our studies to gastric cancer patient care is reflected by our discovery that high ABCG2 expression was associated with poor survival in the gastric cancer patients who underwent chemotherapy. Taken together, we have identified a molecular mechanism by which gastric cancer cells gain chemotherapy resistance.
The Hedgehog pathway: role in cell differentiation, polarity and proliferation.
(Springer, 2015-02) Jia, Yanfei; Wang, Yunshan; Xie, Jingwu; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine
Hedgehog (Hh) is first described as a genetic mutation that has "spiked" phenotype in the cuticles of Drosophila in later 1970s. Since then, Hh signaling has been implicated in regulation of differentiation, proliferation, tissue polarity, stem cell population and carcinogenesis. The first link of Hh signaling to cancer was established through discovery of genetic mutations of Hh receptor gene PTCH1 being responsible for Gorlin syndrome in 1996. It was later shown that Hh signaling is associated with many types of cancer, including skin, leukemia, lung, brain and gastrointestinal cancers. Another important milestone for the Hh research field is the FDA approval for the clinical use of Hh inhibitor Erivedge/Vismodegib for treatment of locally advanced and metastatic basal cell carcinomas. However, recent clinical trials of Hh signaling inhibitors in pancreatic, colon and ovarian cancer all failed, indicating a real need for further understanding of Hh signaling in cancer. In this review, we will summarize recent progress in the Hh signaling mechanism and its role in human cancer.
Identifying therapeutic targets in gastric cancer: the current status and future direction
(Oxford University Press, 2016-01) Yu, Beiqin; Xie, Jingwu; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine
Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Our basic understanding of gastric cancer biology falls behind that of many other cancer types. Current standard treatment options for gastric cancer have not changed for the last 20 years. Thus, there is an urgent need to establish novel strategies to treat this deadly cancer. Successful clinical trials with Gleevec in CML and gastrointestinal stromal tumors have set up an example for targeted therapy of cancer. In this review, we will summarize major progress in classification, therapeutic options of gastric cancer. We will also discuss molecular mechanisms for drug resistance in gastric cancer. In addition, we will attempt to propose potential future directions in gastric cancer biology and drug targets.

Browsing by Author "Xie, Jingwu"

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