Cancers, Vol. 12, Pages 61: ERK Activation Modulates Cancer Stemness and Motility of a Novel Mouse Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Line

Cancers, Vol. 12, Pages 61: ERK Activation Modulates Cancer Stemness and Motility of a Novel Mouse Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Line Cancers doi: 10.3390/cancers12010061 Authors: Chen Liu Jang Hsu Yen Liu Chuang Wang Fu Kuo Chen We established the NHRI-HN1 cell line from a mouse tongue tumor induced by 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4-NQO)/arecoline, with further selection for cell stemness via in vitro sphere culture, to evaluate potential immunotherapies for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in East and Southeast Asia. In vivo and in vitro phenotypic characterization, including tumor growth, immune modulator administration, gene expression, morphology, migration, invasion, and sphere formation assays, were conducted. NHRI-HN1 cells are capable of generating orthotopic tumors in syngeneic mice. Interestingly, immune stimulation via CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG-ODN) dramatically reduced the tumor growth in NHRI-HN1 cell-injected syngeneic mice. The pathways enriched in genes that were differentially expressed in NHRI-HN1 cells when compared to non-tumorigenic cells were similar to those that were identified when comparing human OSCC and non-tumorous tissues. NHRI-HN1 cells have characteristics of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), including enhanced migration and invasion. NHRI-HN1 cells showed aggressive cell growth and sphere formation. The blockage of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation suppr...
Source: Cancers - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research