Sulforaphane Inhibits Self-renewal of Lung Cancer Stem Cells Through the Modulation of Polyhomeotic Homolog 3 and Sonic Hedgehog Signaling Pathways

Autor: Chunxia Yan, Xiang-Yang Li, Li Meng, Jiateng Zhong, Caijuan Qiao, Wang Shanshan, Wang Mingyong, Qianna Li, FanPing Wang
Rok vydání: 2019
Předmět:
DOI: 10.21203/rs.2.11459/v1
Popis: Background: Sulforaphane (SFN), an active compound in cruciferous vegetables has been characterized for its antiproliferative capacity. We investigated the role and molecular mechanism through which SFN regulates proliferation and self-renewal of lung cancer stem cells. Methods: Lung cancer stem cells (CD133-positive cells) were isolated by MACs and then measured by flow cytometry. The ability of cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assays and tumorsphere formation assays. The expressions of Sonic Hedgehog (Shh), Smoothened (Smo), Gli1 and Human Polyhomeotic Homolog 3 (PHC3) in cells were measured by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot assays. The expression of transcription factor SOX2 in lung cancer stem cells was also determined by western blot assay. Shh was knocked down by siRNA to further study the role of SFN and Shh signaling pathways in lung cancer. Results: SFN inhibited the proliferation of lung cancer cells and lung cancer stem cells simultaneously. Meanwhile, we observed that Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway, SOX2 and Polyhomeotic Homolog 3 (PHC3) were highly activated in lung cancer stem cells. Knock-down of Shh led to reduced H460 and A549 cells proliferation. Furthermore, we observed that SFN inhibited the activity of PHC3 and SHH signaling pathways in the lung cancer stem cells. In addition, SFN combined with Knock-down of Shh gene showed a greater effect on the proliferation of lung cancer cells. Conclusion: SFN is an effective new drug which can inhibit proliferation of lung cancer stem cells through the modulation of PHC3 and SHH signaling pathways. It provides a novel target for improving therapeutic efficacy for lung cancer stem cells.
Databáze: OpenAIRE