Abstract:
Placenta-specific protein 1 (PLAC-1) is a gene primarily expressed in the placenta and the testis. Interestingly, it is also found to be expressed in many solid tumors, and it is involved in malignant cell features. However, no evidence has been reported regarding the relationship between PLAC-1 and cancer stem cells (CSCs). In the current research, we explored the expression of the PLAC-1 molecule in prostate cancer stem cells (PCSCs) derived from the human PC-3 cell line. The enrichment of PCSCs was achieved using a three-dimensional cell culture technique known as the sphere-formation assay. To confirm the identity of PCSCs, we examined the expression of genes associated with stemness and pluripotency, such as SOX2, OCT4, Nanog, C-Myc, and KLF-4, as well as stem cell differentiation molecules like CD44 and CD133. These evaluations were conducted in both the PCSCs and the original tumor cells (parental cells) using real-time PCR and flow cytometry. Subsequently, we assessed the expression of the PLAC-1 molecule in both enriched cells and parental tumor cells at the gene and protein levels using the same techniques. The tumor cells from the PC-3 cell line formed spheroids with CSC characteristics in a non-adherent medium. The expression of SOX2, OCT4, Nanog, and C-Myc genes (p < 0.01), and the molecules CD44 and CD133 (p < 0.05) were significantly elevated in PCSCs compared to the parental cells. The expression of the PLAC-1 molecule in PCSCs showed a significant increase compared to the parental cells at both gene (p < 0.01) and protein (p < 0.001) levels. In conclusion, it was indicated for the first time that PLAC-1 is up-regulated in PCSCs derived from human PC-3 cell line. This study may propose PLAC-1 as a potential target in targeted therapies, which should be confirmed through further studies.
摘要:
胎盘特异性蛋白1(PLAC-1)是主要在胎盘和睾丸中表达的基因。有趣的是,它也被发现在许多实体瘤中表达,它与恶性细胞特征有关。然而,目前尚无关于PLAC-1与肿瘤干细胞(CSC)之间关系的证据报道.在目前的研究中,我们探讨了PLAC-1分子在源自人PC-3细胞系的前列腺癌干细胞(PCSCs)中的表达.使用称为球体形成测定的三维细胞培养技术实现PCSC的富集。为了确认PCSC的身份,我们检查了与干性和多能性相关的基因的表达,如SOX2,OCT4,Nanog,C-Myc,和KLF-4,以及干细胞分化分子,如CD44和CD133。使用实时PCR和流式细胞术在PCSC和原始肿瘤细胞(亲本细胞)中进行这些评估。随后,我们使用相同的技术在基因和蛋白质水平上评估了PLAC-1分子在富集细胞和亲本肿瘤细胞中的表达.来自PC-3细胞系的肿瘤细胞在非粘附培养基中形成具有CSC特征的球状体。SOX2,OCT4,Nanog,和C-Myc基因(p<0.01),并且分子CD44和CD133(p<0.05)在PCSCs中与亲本细胞相比显著升高。与亲本细胞相比,PCSC中PLAC-1分子的表达在基因(p<0.01)和蛋白质(p<0.001)水平均显示显著增加。总之,首次表明PLAC-1在源自人PC-3细胞系的PCSCs中上调。本研究可能提出PLAC-1作为靶向治疗的潜在靶点,这应该通过进一步的研究来证实。