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This study aimed to determine whether and how the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist liraglutide affects the chemoresistance and chemosensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine in vitro and in vivo. The GLP-1R and protein kinase A (PKA) levels were compared between the human pancreatic cancer cell line PANC-1 and the gemcitabine-resistant cell line PANC-GR. The in vitro effects of liraglutide on the cell proliferation and apoptosis as well as the nuclear factor-kappa B NF-κB expression levels of PANC-GR cells were evaluated. In addition, a mouse xenograft model of human pancreatic cancer was established by s.c. injection of PANC-1 cells, and the effects of liraglutide on the chemosensitivity were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. In contrast to PANC-1 cells, PANC-GR cells exhibited lower expression levels of GLP-1R and PKA. Incubation with liraglutide dose dependently inhibited the growth, promoted the apoptosis, and increased the expression of GLP-1R and PKA of PANC-GR cells. Similar effects of liraglutide were observed in another human pancreatic cancer cell line MiaPaCa-2/MiaPaCa-2-GR. Either the GLP-1R antagonist Ex-9, the PKA inhibitor H89, or the NF-κB activator lipopolysaccharide (LPS) could abolish the antiproliferative and proapoptotic activities of liraglutide. Additionally, each of these agents could reverse the expression of NF-κB and ABCG2, which was decreased by liraglutide treatment. Furthermore, liraglutide treatment increased the chemosensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine, as evidenced by in vitro and in vivo experiments. Thus, GLP-1R agonists are safe and beneficial for patients complicated with pancreatic cancer and diabetes, especially for gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer.

Objective To demonstrate the expression of abnormal spindle microtubule assembly (ASPM) in clinical osteosarcoma tissue specimens collected in our hospital, and to explore the function of ASPM in osteosarcoma in vitro and in vivo. Methods Tissue specimens from 82 cases of osteosarcoma were collected and analyzed by immunohistochemistry assay. We also investigated the relationship between ASPM expression and clinicopathological characteristics in the patients. We transfected shASPM plasmid and the empty control plasmid, respectively, and then used quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis to detect ASPM expression. Cell colony assay and MTT were used to observe the proliferation ability. In vivo study was undertaken to explore the ASPM function further. Results In this study, ASPM showed high expression in osteosarcoma tissue samples compared with non‐tumor normal tissues. ASPM was positively correlated with clinical pathological characteristics, including tumor size (P = 0.024) and clinical stage (P = 0.045). Our results further showed that ASPM depletion dramatically inhibited the proliferation of osteosarcoma cells (with fewer cells in the sh‐RNA‐ASPM group compared with the control group(P, Osteosarcoma is the most common types of bone malignancies with a poor prognosis. In recent years, targeted therapy has a great prospect in the treatment of osteosarcoma, and more effective therapeutic targets for this disease need to be developed. ASPM (Abnormal spindle‐like microcephaly‐associated) is involved in multiple cellular or developmental process, such as neurogenesis and brain growth. ASPM is also reported widely expressed in multiple tumor tissues and involved in the development and progression of several cancers. However, the potential role on ASPM on osteosarcoma is still unclear. In this study, we reported that ASPM was was positively correlated with clinical features including tumor size and clinical stage of osteosarcoma. Our results further showed that ASPM depletion dramatically inhibited the proliferation of osteosarcoma cells, and the in vivo assays further confirmed ASPM ablation markedly blocked tumor growth compared with control. Taken together, our data provides strong evidence that ASPM promotes osteosarcoma proliferation in vitro and in vivo, and indicates its potential role as a osteosarcoma therapeutic target.

In this study, we aim to explore the anti-tumor effect of liraglutide (Lira), an anti-diabetic medicine, on pancreatic cancer cell PANC-1 co-cultured with or without pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs). The chemical count kit-8 and Annexin V-FITC apoptosis detection were conducted to investigate the effect of Lira on cell viability and proliferation of PANC-1 with or without PSCs co-culture. Then, the wound healing and transwell experiments were performed to explore the influence of Lira on PANC-1 cells' migration and invasion capabilities. To identify the potential action mechanism of Lira on PANC-1, the expression of E-cadherin and N-cadherin and the intracellular calcium content in PANC-1, after Lira administration, were detected. The results indicated that Lira in 100 and 1,000 nmol/L, effectively decreased the cell viability and dose-dependently promoted cell apoptosis of PANC-1 co-cultured with or without PSCs. Lira significantly reduced the migration and invasion of PANC-1 and also reduced the inducing effect of PSCs to PANC-1. Lira effectively induced the expression of E-cadherin and suppressed the expression of N-cadherin with a dose-dependent manner. Otherwise, Lira significantly reduced the abnormal high content of calcium in PANC-1 and also weakened the elevation of calcium in PANC-1 induced by cell-cell interaction. The current study firstly indicated that Lira suppressed the cell proliferation, migration and invasion of PANC-1 with or without PSCs co-culture. This effect was partially due to the calcium modulation of Lira and its influence on Ca2+-binding proteins, such as E-cadherin and N-cadherin.

Emerging literature indicates the essential roles of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in the osteosarcoma (OS). However, the regulatory function and mechanism of FOXD2-AS1 in the OS is still elusive. In present research, the level of FOXD2-AS1 was significantly up-regulated in the OS tissue and cell lines compared to corresponding controls. The aberrant high-expression of FOXD2-AS1 indicated the poor clinical prognosis of OS patients. Transcription factor HIF-1α could bind with the promoter region of FOXD2-AS1 to activate the transcription in OS cells. Functionally, the knockdown of FOXD2-AS1 could repress the malignant biological properties of OS cells in vitro and vivo, including proliferation, invasion, apoptosis and tumor growth. Mechanistically, FOXD2-AS1 inhibited the expression of p21 via interacting with EZH2 to silence p21 gene expression. Overall, we conclude that FOXD2-AS1, induced by transcription factor HIF-1α, acts as an oncogene in the OS tumorigenesis and FOXD2-AS1 interacts with EZH2 to silence p21 protein. This finding could provide a novel insight and potential therapeutic target for the OS.

Osteosarcoma is the most common type of bone malignancies with a poor prognosis. In recent years, targeted therapy has shown great potential in the treatment of osteosarcoma, and more effective therapeutic targets for this disease need to be developed. APLNR is a seven transmembrane G-protein-coupled receptor expressed widely in multiple tissues. As has been reported, APLNR is involved in various physiological and pathological processes. Although APLNR plays a role in the development and progression of multiple tumors, the potential role of APLNR in osteosarcoma, a highly malignant tumor, remains unclear. Here, we reported that APLNR expression was correlated positively with clinical features including tumor size and stage of osteosarcoma. We found that APLNR knockdown inhibited the proliferation and invasion of osteosarcoma cells in vitro. In addition, APLNR could promote the progression and metastasis of osteosarcoma in mice. Collectively, this study showed the potential link between APLNR and osteosarcoma and suggested APLNR as a novel therapeutic target for osteosarcoma.