TDG is down-regulated in mCRC samples and CRC cells.
To explore the role of TDG in CRC, we analyzed the relationship between TDG expression and TNM and stage in CRC patient samples using publicly available CRC gene expression RNAseq data from TCGA database. The relationship between its expression and the overall survival of CRC patients was also analyzed. TDG expression was not associated with tumor topography (T), lymphatic metastasis (N), and stages in patients, but had a significantly correlation with distant metastasis (M). In patients of metastatic CRC (M1), TDG expression decreased significantly (Fig. 1a). In addition, low TDG expression was associated with poor overall survival in CRC patients (Fig. 1b). We further examined TDG expression in clinical CRC patient tissues and human colon cancer cells. Compared with the CRC tissue without metastasis, TDG protein was remarkably down regulated in CRC tissue with tumor metastasis (Fig. 1c). Lower TDG mRNA (Fig. 1d) and protein expression (Fig. 1e) were also detected in human CRC cells compared to those of normal human colonic epithelial cell NCM460. These results indicate that TDG is down regulated in mCRC (metastasis CRC) samples and human CRC cells and is associated with CRC metastasis and prognosis of CRC patients.
TDG inhibits CRC metastasis in vitro and in vivo.
We constructed a TDG overexpression vector with Flag-tag to explore its role in CRC. The control vector and it were transfected into two kinds of human CRC cells, HCT116 and SW480, respectively. qRT-PCR and Western blotting were applied to verify the overexpression of TDG. The results showed that compared with the control (Ctrl.), the mRNA level (Fig. 2a) and protein level (Fig. 2b) of TDG in TDG overexpression group (TDG) were significantly increased in both two kinds of cells. Transwell assay was used to detect the effect of TDG on the migration and invasion of CRC cells (Fig. 2c). The results showed that the number of HCT116 and SW480 cells passed through the chamber with or without Matrigel had a significant reduction in the TDG group compared with the control, indicating the declining of cell migration and invasion induced by TDG. Then, we detected the molecular changes related with tumor migration and invasion. The results of qRT-PCR showed that there was no significant difference of the mRNA levels of MMP2, MMP9, and TIMP1 between the TDG group and the Ctrl. group, however, the mRNA level of TIMP2 increased significantly in the TDG group compared with the control (Fig. 2d). Data of western blotting also showed that the protein level of TIMP2 increased significantly in the TDG group, with no changes of the TIMP1 protein level and decreases of the MMP2 and MMP9 protein in the TDG group compared with the control (Fig. 2e). These results indicate that TDG could significantly inhibit the migration and invasion ability of CRC cells.
We then established a mice metastasis model to explore the effect of TDG on the metastasis of CRC cells in vivo. Lentiviruses of TDG-Flag and the control were constructed and infected into HCT116 respectively to make the stable overexpression cells, HCT116-Lv-TDG, and the control cells, HCT116-Lv-Ctrl. They were injected into the tail of nude mice, and 3 weeks later, the metastasis imaging was obtained using small animal live imaging system. There were metastases sites in the lung of nude mice in the HCT116-Lv-Ctrl group, but no metastases in the HCT116-Lv-TDG group (Fig. 2f), that is, the overexpression of TDG could inhibit the metastases of human colon cancer cells in vivo. This data is consistent with the results of TDG inhibiting the migration and invasion of colon cancer cells.
TDG could bind to DNMT3A and promote the ubiquitination and degradation of DNMT3A
Previous researches reported that TDG played an important role in the epigenetic regulation of gene demethylation by interacting with DNMT3A. So, we focused our research on the interaction of TDG and DNMT3A in human CRC cells. We transfected the TDG overexpression vector and the control vector into HCT116 and SW480 cells, respectively, and examined the changes of DNMT3A using qRT-PCR and Western blotting. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the mRNA level of DNMT3A between two groups (Fig. 3a), however, the protein level of DNMT3A in TDG overexpression group decreased significantly compared with that of the Ctrl. group (Fig. 3b). Co-IP assay confirmed that TDG could bind to DNMT3A in HCT116 cell (Fig. 3c and d). So, there is an interaction of TDG and DNMT3A, and TDG could downregulate the expression of DNMT3A post-translationally in human CRC cells.
To further explore the mechanism of TDG regulating the expression of DNMT3A, we added 1µM of imine cyclohexanone (CHX), a protein synthesis inhibitor, into HCT116 cells of the TDG group, extracted protein lysates after 0h, 1h, 2h and 3h, and performed Western blotting. The results showed that CHX addition made the TDG-induced DNMT3A protein declining significantly faster than the control (Fig. 3e). Moreover, 1µM of MG132, a proteasome inhibitor, was applied into HCT116 cells of the Ctrl. group and the TDG group. After 24 hours, protein lysate was extracted and subjected to Western blotting. The results showed that MG132 inhibited the TDG-induced downregulation of DNMT3A protein (Fig. 3f). These data suggested that TDG might be involved in the proteasomal degradation of DNMT3A protein. We then performed Co-IP experiment to capture the DNMT3A protein and its interactors, and detect the binding amount of ubiquitin (Fig. 3g). The ubiquitination of DNMT3A protein in the TDG group increased significantly compared with that of the Ctrl. Group. So, we propose that TDG binds to DNMT3A and promotes its ubiquitination and degradation.
Knockdown of DNMT3A suppress the migration and invasion of CRC cells.
To verify the role of DNMT3A in the migration and invasion of CRC cells, we designed and purchased DNMT3A interference fragments, and transfected them into HCT116 and SW480, respectively. The results of qRT-PCR (Fig. 4a) and western blotting (Fig. 4b) verified the knockdown of both DNMT3A mRNA and DNMT3A protein in cells of the siDNMT3A group (siDNMT3A-1, siDNMT3A-2). Transwell assay was then used to detect changes in the migration and invasion of these two cell lines (Fig. 4c). The results showed that compared with that of the control group (NC), the migration and invasion ability of HCT116 and SW480 of the siDNMT3A group was reduced. Therefore, knockdown of DNMT3A could suppress the migration and invasion ability of human CRC cells.
DNMT3A binds to the TIMP2 promoter to regulate its methylation level.
Previous studies have reported that TIMP2 was hypermethylated in CRC, which may contribute to the high metastasis of CRC. We used online databases UALCAN (http://ualcan.path.uab.edu/) and found that the promoter region of TIMP2 was hypermethylated in CRC samples (Fig. 5a). Next, we treated HCT116 cells with different concentrations of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza) for 72 hours, and detect the changes of TIMP2 mRNA. As the concentration of 5-Aza increased, the mRNA level of TIMP2 increased significantly, which suggested that the TIMP2 mRNA level could be regulated by methylation in human CRC cells (Fig. 5b).
DNMT3A belongs to the family of methyltransferases, which can regulate gene expression by methylating CpG islands in the promoter region of target genes. To explore the regulatory effect of DNMT3A on TIMP2 expression, we transfected DNMT3A interference fragment and the control into HCT116 and SW480 respectively, and examined the changes of TIMP2 expression by qRT-PCR and Western blotting. The results showed that the mRNA level and protein level (Fig. 5c) of TIMP2 in the siDNMT3A group (siDNMT3A-1, siDNMT3A-2) were significantly higher than those in the control group (NC). Therefore, we assumed that DNMT3A may regulate the transcription level of TIMP2 by methylating the CpG island region in the TIMP2 promoter.
Using Online software (http://www.urogene.org/methprimer2/), we analyzed the 2000bp DNA sequence upstream of TIMP2, found 3 potential CpG islands, and designed 3 pairs of Chip primers for these region (Fig. 5d and Table s1). Then they were utilized to perform PCR amplification on the DNA fragments that was precipitated by DNMT3A antibody or IgG from HCT116 lysate. The PCR products were identified by agarose gel electrophoresis. Among them, the product amplified using primer pair 2 was significantly higher in the DNMT3A group than in the IgG group (Fig. 5d). This data indicates that DNMT3A could bind with the primer pair 2 region of TIMP2 promoter. Next, we used MSP experiment to directly verify the methylation effect of DNMT3A on the TIMP2 promoter. Methylated primers (TIMP2-M1 and TIMP2-M2) and non-methylated primers (TIMP2-U1 and TIMP2-U2) were designed for potential CpG islands in the TIMP2 promoter region. The imaging results showed that consistent with the result after 5-Aza treatment, the siDNMT3A group had a significant reduction in the products amplified using the methylated primers, while the products amplified using non-methylated primers significantly increased compared to those of the NC group, (Fig. 5e). These data show that DNMT3A could directly bind to the TIMP2 promoter region to change its methylation status, thereby regulating the transcription of TIMP2 in CRC cells.
TDG-DNMT3A-TIMP2 affects colon cancer cell migration and invasion
Since TDG could bind to DNMT3A and promote its degradation, and DNMT3A could bind to the TIMP2 promoter to regulate its methylation and TIMP2 transcription, Does TDG also change the methylation of TIMP2 promoter, and inhibit CRC metastasis through these TDG-DNMT3A-TIMP2 pathway? We firstly used MSP experiment to examine the TDG-influenced methylation of TIMP2 promoter. The imaging results showed that compared with the Ctrl. group, the products amplified using the methylated primers in the TDG overexpression group were significantly reduced, while the products amplified using the non-methylated primers were significantly increased (Fig. 6a). Thus, TDG could induce the hypomethylation of the TIMP2 promoter, which in turn increase the transcription and expression of TIMP2 (Fig. 2d and e).
Next, to verify that TDG inhibits the migration and invasion of colon cancer cells through DNMT3A-TIMP2, we performed rescue experiment. TDG overexpression plasmid and DNMT3A overexpression plasmid were co-transfected into HCT116 and SW480 separately or not. Data of transwell assay showed that overexpression of DNMT3A could partially reverse the decreased migration and invasion ability of colon cancer cells induced by TDG overexpression (Fig. 6b). Similarly, overexpression of DNMT3A also partially reversed the increase in TIMP2 mRNA and protein levels in CRC cells induced by TDG overexpression (Fig. 6c). Therefore, TDG promotes the ubiquitin and degradation of DNMT3A by binding with it, decreases the methylation level of TIMP2 promoter and increases the transcription and expression of TIMP2, and inhibits the migration and invasion ability of human CRC cells. Our finding will enrich the regulatory mechanism of TDG in tumors, and provide new ideas for the treatment of CRC.