Melatonin inhibits ESCC tumor growth by mitigating the HDAC7/β-catenin/c-Myc positive feedback loop and suppressing the USP10-maintained HDAC7 protein stability
Abstract
Background: Melatonin, a natural hormone secreted by the pineal gland, has been reported to exhibit antitumor properties through diverse mechanisms of action. However, the oncostatic function of melatonin on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains elusive. This study was conducted to investigate the potential effect and underlying molecular mechanism of melatonin as single anticancer agent against ESCC cells.
Methods: ESCC cell lines treated with or without melatonin were used in this study. In vitro colony formation and EdU incorporation assays, and nude mice tumor xenograft model were used to confirm the proliferative capacities of ESCC cells. RNA-seq, qPCR, Western blotting, recombinant lentivirus-mediated target gene overexpression or knockdown, plasmids transfection and co-IP were applied to investigate the underlying molecular mechanism by which melatonin inhibited ESCC cell growth. IHC staining on ESCC tissue microarray and further survival analyses were performed to explore the relationship between target genes' expression and prognosis of ESCC.
Results: Melatonin treatment dose-dependently inhibited the proliferative ability and the expression of histone deacetylase 7 (HDAC7), c-Myc and ubiquitin-specific peptidase 10 (USP10) in ESCC cells (P < 0.05). The expressions of HDAC7, c-Myc and USP10 in tumors were detected significantly higher than the paired normal tissues from 148 ESCC patients (P < 0.001). Then, the Kaplan-Meier survival analyses suggested that ESCC patients with high HDAC7, c-Myc or USP10 levels predicted worse overall survival (Log-rank P < 0.001). Co-IP and Western blotting analyses further revealed that HDAC7 physically deacetylated and activated β-catenin thus promoting downstream target c-Myc gene transcription. Notably, our mechanistic study validated that HDAC7/β-catenin/c-Myc could form the positive feedback loop to enhance ESCC cell growth, and USP10 could deubiquitinate and stabilize HDAC7 protein in the ESCC cells. Additionally, we verified that inhibition of the HDAC7/β-catenin/c-Myc axis and USP10/HDAC7 pathway mediated the anti-proliferative action of melatonin on ESCC cells.
Conclusions: Our findings elucidate that melatonin mitigates the HDAC7/β-catenin/c-Myc positive feedback loop and inhibits the USP10-maintained HDAC7 protein stability thus suppressing ESCC cell growth, and provides the reference for identifying biomarkers and therapeutic targets for ESCC.
See also:
- Official Web Site: The Di Bella Method;
- Melatonin use in cancer patients have started in 1974, when melatonin prepared according to Prof. Di Bella’s formulation [...]. For 11 days was administered to the patient, admitted to the general medical ward at the Maggiore-Pizzardi Hospital in Bologna, very slowly (over approx. 8 hours) and intravenously administered 1000 mg of melatonin for 11 days. During the course of each day, the patient was intravenously administered 4 saline drips of 500 ml, each containing ten 25 mg bottles of freeze-dried melatonin, lasting 2 hours, totaling 1000 mg per day. No other drug of any kind was administered in order to ascertain the effect of the MLT without interference [...]. From Melatonin with adenosine solubilized in water and stabilized with glycine for oncological treatment - technical preparation, effectivity and clinical findings;
- About Melatonin - In vitro, review and in vivo publications;
- Publication: Melmethoatonin anticancer effects: Review (from Di Bella's Foundation);
- Publication: Key aspects of melatonin physiology: 30 years of research (from Di Bella's Foundation);
- Somatostatin in oncology, the overlooked evidences - In vitro, review and in vivo publications;
- Publication, 2018 Jul: Over-Expression of GH/GHR in Breast Cancer and Oncosuppressor Role of Somatostatin as a Physiological Inhibitor (from Di Bella's Foundation);
- Publication, 2019 Aug: The Entrapment of Somatostatin in a Lipid Formulation: Retarded Release and Free Radical Reactivity (from Di Bella's Foundation);
- Publication, 2019 Sep: Effects of Somatostatin and Vitamin C on the Fatty Acid Profile of Breast Cancer Cell Membranes (from Di Bella's Foundation);
- Publication, 2019 Sep: Effects of somatostatin, curcumin, and quercetin on the fatty acid profile of breast cancer cell membranes (from Di Bella's Foundation);
- Publication, 2020 Sep: Two neuroendocrine G protein-coupled receptor molecules, somatostatin and melatonin: Physiology of signal transduction and therapeutic perspectives (from Di Bella's Foundation);
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- Prolactin inhibitors in oncology - In vitro, review and in vivo publications;
- Oesophageal squamocellular carcinoma: a complete and objective response;
- Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: clinical records on 17 patients treated with Di Bella's Method;
- Complete objective response to biological therapy of plurifocal breast carcinoma;
- Pleural Mesothelioma: clinical records on 11 patients treated with Di Bella's Method;
- Malignant pleural mesothelioma, stage T3-T4. Consideration of a case study;
- Neuroblastoma: Complete objective response to biological treatment;
- Large B-cells Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Stage IV-AE: a Case Report;






