Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 1, 2025

A Model for Perineural Invasion in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
08:59

A Model for Perineural Invasion in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Published on: January 5, 2017

10.7K

Inhibition Mechanism of PinX1 Gene on Cancer Stem Cells of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Hua Xiang1, Linghui Liu2, Yuzhu Yuan3

  • 1Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Central Hospital of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (Enshi Clinical College, Wuhan University), Enshi, 445000, Hubei Province, China. xueque143812804@163.com.

Cellular and Molecular Biology (Noisy-Le-Grand, France)
|April 28, 2023
PubMed

Insights

PinX1 inhibits nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) stem cells by reducing telomerase activity. This finding offers a new therapeutic target for treating NPC, a cancer known for recurrence and metastasis.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) recurrence and metastasis are major causes of treatment failure and mortality.
  • PinX1, a nucleolar protein, interacts with telomere/telomerase and is conserved across species.
  • Previous research suggests PinX1 inhibits NPC tumor stem cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanism by which the PinX1 gene inhibits NPC tumor stem cells.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized CNE2 cells from NPC as experimental material.
  • Employed CD133 as a marker for tumor stem cells.
  • Transfected CD133+ cells with PinX1 overexpression plasmids and CD133- cells with PinX1 siRNA for functional studies.

Main Results:

  • Telomerase activity was significantly reduced in CD133+ cells overexpressing PinX1 (0.703 ± 0.086) compared to vector controls (0.928 ± 0.102).
  • PinX1 siRNA in CD133- cells showed comparable telomerase activity to controls (0.974 ± 0.046 vs. 1.001 ± 0.086).

Conclusions:

  • The PinX1 gene inhibits NPC stem cells.
  • This inhibition is achieved by suppressing telomerase activity.

More Related Videos

Combined Conditional Knockdown and Adapted Sphere Formation Assay to Study a Stemness-Associated Gene of Patient-derived Gastric Cancer Stem Cells09:24

Combined Conditional Knockdown and Adapted Sphere Formation Assay to Study a Stemness-Associated Gene of Patient-derived Gastric Cancer Stem Cells

Published on: May 9, 2020

4.4K
Through the Looking Glass: Time-lapse Microscopy and Longitudinal Tracking of Single Cells to Study Anti-cancer Therapeutics06:00

Through the Looking Glass: Time-lapse Microscopy and Longitudinal Tracking of Single Cells to Study Anti-cancer Therapeutics

Published on: May 14, 2016

11.1K

Related Concept Videos

Abnormal Proliferation02:23

Abnormal Proliferation

Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the...
4.6K
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways01:19

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways

Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
6.3K
Inhibition of Cdk Activity02:34

Inhibition of Cdk Activity

The orderly progression of the cell cycle depends on the activation of Cdk protein by binding to its cyclin partner. However, the cell cycle must be restricted when undergoing abnormal changes. Most cancers correlate to the deregulated cell cycle, and since Cdks are a central component of the cell cycle, Cdk inhibitors are extensively studied to develop anticancer agents. For instance, cyclin D associates with several Cdks, such as Cdk 4/6, to form an active complex. The cyclin D-Cdk4/6 complex...
4.8K
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:31

The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

Internal cellular stress, such as cellular injury or hypoxia, triggers intrinsic apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are the primary regulators of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. For example, during DNA damage, checkpoint proteins, such as Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM protein) and Checkpoints Factor-2 (Chk2) proteins, are activated. These proteins phosphorylate p53 which further activates pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, Bak, PUMA, and Noxa, and inhibits...
6.7K
Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance02:40

Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance

Early diagnosis and treatment can often cure cancer. However, even with treatment, residual cells called cancer stem cells (CSC) might remain, often causing tumor recurrence. These cancer stem cells possess the potential for self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation and are often responsible for the therapeutic resistance displayed in most cancers.
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
5.0K
Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes01:05

Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes

Genes usually encode proteins necessary for the proper functioning of a healthy cell. Mutations can often cause changes to the gene expression pattern, thereby altering the phenotype.
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
7.6K