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Notch1 and PI3K/Akt signaling blockers DAPT and LY294002 coordinately inhibit metastasis of gastric cancer through mutual enhancement

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Abstract

Purpose

Blockade of either Notch1 or PI3K/Akt pathway inhibits metastasis of gastric cancer. However, whether blockade of both pathways coordinately exerts such an effect remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of combined treatment with Notch1 signaling blocker DAPT and PI3K/Akt signal blocker LY294002 on metastasis of gastric cancer.

Methods

Notch intracellular domain (NICD) and phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) levels in gastric cancer tissues and their adjacent normal tissue samples and gastric cancer SGC7901 and AGS cells and normal GES-1 cells were determined using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. The effects of combined DAPT and LY294002 on metastasis of gastric cancer were evaluated by examining migration and invasion potential of SGC7901 cells using wound healing and transwell assays, determining changes in the levels of epithelial–mesenchymal transition biomarkers and MMP-9, Notch1, HES1, and phosphorylation of Akt in gastric cancer SGC7901 cells and/or AGS cells in vitro using Western blotting, and metastasis of gastric cancer to lungs in BALB/c nude mice after treatment.

Results

NICD and p-Akt levels were significantly higher in gastric cancer tissues and SGC7901 and AGS cells than those in the normal control and GES-1 cells. Migration and invasion potential of SGC7901 cells, EMT biomarkers and MMP-9 in SGC7901 cells, and metastasis of gastric cancer to lungs in mice were coordinately inhibited by DAPT and LY294002. In addition, DAPT and LY294002 coordinately inhibited the levels of Notch1, HES1, and p-Akt in gastric cancer cells.

Conclusion

DAPT and LY294002 coordinately inhibited metastasis of gastric cancer through mutual enhancement.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Department of Education of Hubei Province (Grant No. B2018109), Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province of China (2016CFB530), Faculty Development Foundation of Hubei University of Medicine (2014QDJZR01), and Department of Health of Xuhui District of Shanghai (SHXH201402).

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Author notes

  1. Xingchun Peng, Jianrui Zhou and Bin Li equally contributed to this study.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, No. 30, South Renmin Road, Shiyan, 442000, Hubei, China

    Xingchun Peng, Yamin Zuo & Xinsheng Gu

  2. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, Hubei, China

    Jianrui Zhou

  3. Department of Pathology, Shanghai Xuhui Central Hospital, Zhongshan-Xuhui Hospital, Shanghai Clinical Center, Fudan University, CAS, Shanghai, 200031, China

    Bin Li

  4. Department of Neurosurgery, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, Hubei, China

    Tao Zhang

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  1. Xingchun Peng
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  2. Jianrui Zhou
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  3. Bin Li
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  4. Tao Zhang
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Contributions

XP, JZ, and BL collected and analyzed data. TZ and YZ collected data. XP and XG conceived the study and wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Xinsheng Gu.

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Peng, X., Zhou, J., Li, B. et al. Notch1 and PI3K/Akt signaling blockers DAPT and LY294002 coordinately inhibit metastasis of gastric cancer through mutual enhancement. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 85, 309–320 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00280-019-03990-4

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