Abstract
Objective
Autophagy is a programmed cell death procedure, which has essential functions in tumorigenesis. However, its temporal expression and function under different status are yet to be determined. This study aims to investigate the temporal expression of autophagy and its possible function in 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced hamster buccal-pouch cancer model (HBPCM).
Methods
A total of 50 hamster buccal-pouch tumorigenesis models were established by painting DMBA for 4, 8, 10 and 13 weeks. The expression and subcellular localization of LC3, Beclin 1 and Bcl-2 in buccal lesions were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting. DNA damage was observed by immunohistochemical staining of 8-oHdG. The relationship between Beclin 1 and Bcl-2 was analyzed by immunofluorescence colocalization.
Results
The expression levels of LC3 and Beclin 1 associated with autophagy in the experimental buccal pouch of HBPCM were significantly upregulated after 4 weeks (P<0.05), but gradually downregulated after 13 weeks of HBPCM induction. By contrast, the expression level of Bcl-2 was significantly upregulated after 13 weeks. The co-localized regions of Bcl-2 and Beclin 1 peaked after 4 weeks and then decreased gradually. The DNA damage in epithelial cells increased slightly after 4 weeks, and then rapidly decreased over the next 2 months.
Conclusion
Autophagy is motivated by a tumor suppressor that diminishes carcinogen-induced DNA damage. However, autophagy is gradually suppressed, which may be attributed to the interaction between Bcl-2 and Beclin 1. This result indicates that the promotion of autophagy may suppress malignant transformation and provide new insights on future potential treatments of HBPCM.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Neville BW, Day TA. Oral cancer and precancerous lesions. CA Cancer J Clin, 2002,52(4):195–215
Rivera C, Gallegos R, Figueroa C. Biomarkers of progression to oral cancer in patients with dysplasia: A systematic review. Mol Clin Oncol, 2020,13(5):42
Liu Q, Wang J, Wang B, et al. Paper based plasmonic platform for sensitive, noninvasive, and rapid cancer screening. Biosens Bioelectron, 2014,15(54):128–134
Gong C, Bauvy C, Tonelli G, et al. Beclin 1 and autophagy are required for the tumorigenicity of breast cancer stem-like/progenitor cells. Oncogene, 2013, 32(18):2261–2272
Chen N, Debnath J. Autophagy and tumorigenesis. FEBS Lett, 2010,584(7):1427–1435
Liu K, Lee J, Kim JY, et al. Mitophagy controls the activities of tumor suppressor p53 to regulate hepatic cancer stem cells. Mol Cell, 2017,68(2):281–292
Scherz-Shouval R, Elazar Z. Regulation of autophagy by ROS: physiology and pathology. Trends Biochem Sci, 2011,36(1):30–38
Liu K, Lee J, Ou JHJ. Autophagy and mitophagy in hepatocarcinogenesis. Mol Cell Oncol, 2018,5(2): e1405142
Das CK, Mandal M, Kögel D. Pro-survival autophagy and cancer cell resistance to therapy. Cancer Metastasis Rev, 2018,37(4):749–766
Zou YM, Hu GY, Zhao XQ, et al. Hypoxia-induced autophagy contributes to radioresistance via c-Jun-mediated Beclin1 expression in lung cancer cells. J Huazhong Univ Sci Technolog Med Sci, 2014,34(5):761–767
He C, Levine B. The Beclin 1 interactome. Curr Opin Cell Biol, 2010,22(2):140–149
Marquez RT, Xu L. Bcl-2:Beclin 1 complex: multiple, mechanisms regulating autophagy/apoptosis toggle switch. Am J Cancer Res, 2012,2(2):214–221
Wu SY, Lan SH, Cheng DE, et al. Ras-related tumorigenesis is suppressed by BNIP3-mediated autophagy through inhibition of cell proliferation. Neoplasia, 2011,13(12):1171–1182
van der Heijden M, Winton DJ, Wermeulen L. Turning off the BCL-2 switch to prevent intestinal tumorigenesis. Oncotarget, 2016,7(20):28763–28764
Eveson JW, MacDonald DG. Quantitative histological changes during early experimental carcinogenesis in the hamster cheek pouch. Br J Dermatol, 1978,98(6):639–644
Klaunig JE, Wang Z, Pu X, et al. Oxidative stress and oxidative damage in chemical carcinogenesis. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol, 2011,254(2):86–99
Chen YK, Yang SH, Huang AH, et al. Aberrant expression in multiple components of the transforming growth factor-beta1-induced Smad signaling pathway during 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced hamster buccal-pouch squamous-cell carcinogenesis. Oral Oncol, 2011,47(4):262–267
Tam NN, Nyska A, Maronpot RR, et al. Differential attenuation of oxidative/nitrosative injuries in early prostatic neoplastic lesions in TRAMP mice by dietary antioxidants. Prostate, 2006,66(1):57–69
Chen N, Karantza-Wadsworth V. Role and regulation of autophagy in cancer. Biochim Biophys Acta, 2009,1793(9):1516–1523
Zhou S, Zhao L, Kuang M, et al. Autophagy in tumorigenesis and cancer therapy: Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? Cancer Lett, 2012,323(2):115–127
Yoshioka A, Miyata H, Doki Y, et al. LC3, an autophagosome marker, is highly expressed in gastrointestinal cancers. Int J Oncol, 2008,33(3):461–468
Wu JS, Li L, Wang SS, et al. Autophagy is positively associated with the accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide-induced oral cancer. Oncology reports, 2018,40(6):3381–3391
Nagini S. Of humans and hamsters: the hamster buccal pouch carcinogenesis model as a paradigm for oral oncogenesis and chemoprevention. Anticancer Agents Med Chem, 2009,9(8):843–852
Koneri K, Goi T, Hirono Y, et al. Beclin 1 gene inhibits tumor growth in colon cancer cell lines. Anticancer Res, 2007,27(3B):1453–1457
Marino ML, Pellegrini P, Di Lernia G, et al. Autophagy is a protective mechanism for human melanoma cells under acidic stress. J Biol Chem, 2012,287(36):30 664–30 676
He C, Bassik MC, Moresi V, et al. Exercise-induced BCL2-regulated autophagy is required for muscle glucose homeostasis. Nature, 2012,481(7382):511–515
Pattingre S, Tassa A, Qu X, et al. Bcl-2 antiapoptotic proteins inhibit Beclin 1-dependent autophagy. Cell, 2005,122(6):927–939
Moon SM, Ahn MY, Kwon SM, et al. Homeobox C5 expression is associated with the progression of 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide-induced rat tongue carcinogenesis. J Oral Pathol Med, 2012,41(6):470–476
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors have no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Liu, Q., Liu, Y., Li, Se. et al. Bcl-2 Interacts with Beclin 1 and Regulates Autophagy in 7, 12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-Induced Hamster Buccal-Pouch Squamous-Cell Tumorigenesis. CURR MED SCI 41, 1198–1204 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-021-2472-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-021-2472-5