Journal: International Journal of Oncology

Article Title: Diverse roles of SERPINE1 in regulating cellular proliferation and invasion

doi: 10.3892/ijo.2026.5871

Figure Lengend Snippet: Prognostic significance and cellular functional states of SERPINE1. (A) Heatmap of survival (GEPIA2) showing the HRs for SERPINE1 expression across type of cancers (expression data and clinical survival data are sourced from The Cancer Genome Atlas projects. The cohort was split into two groups based on the expression level of SERPINE1. GEPIA2 employs a quartile-based cut-off: tumors with SERPINE1 expression levels at or above the 75th percentile are classified into the 'high expression' group, and those with SERPINE1 expression at or below the 25th percentile are classified into the 'low expression' group. This method minimizes the effects of outliers. Red and blue indicate higher and lower risks, respectively; highlighted boxes denote significant outcomes (P<0.05). (B) Kaplan-Meier curves for the significance of the effect of SERPINE1 on overall survival. The statistical significance of the difference between survival curves was computed using the log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test. The analysis outputs HR with its confidence interval and the log-rank P-value, all of which are annotated in the figure. (C) SERPINE1 expression in BRCA, LGG, and SKCM tumors compared with normal tissues (GEPIA2). For BRCA, there were 1,085 tumor samples and 291 normal samples; for LGG, 518 tumor samples and 207 normal samples; and for SKCM, 461 tumor samples and 558 normal samples. (D) Average correlation of SERPINE1 expression with functional states in cancers (CancerSEA database). Correlations with an absolute Spearman's ρ>0.3 and a Benjamini and Hochberg adjusted P-value (false discovery rate) <0.05 were considered significant. * P<0.05. SERPINE1, serine protease inhibitor clade e member 1; GEPIA2, gene expression profiling interactive analysis 2; HR, hazard ratio; BRCA, breast cancer; LGG, low-grade glioma; SKCM, skin cutaneous melanoma.

Article Snippet: Following the blocking of nonspecific binding sites using 5% skimmed milk (cat. no. P0216; Beyotime Biotechnology) or bovine serum albumin (cat. no. NGP0028A; Beyotime Biotechnology) for 1 h at room temperature, the membranes were incubated with primary antibodies (incubation overnight at 4°C) against SERPINE1 (cat. no. 13801-1-AP; Proteintech Group, Inc), GAPDH (cat. no. sc-25778; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.), MCM3 (cat. no. PA5-79646; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.), phosphorylated (p-)MCM3 (Ser112; cat. no. TA2362; Abmart Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd.), ERK (cat. no. sc-514302; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.), uPAR (cat. no. ab10379; Abcam), Histone H3 (cat. no. 4499), p-p53 (Ser15; cat. no. 9284), p53 (cat. no. 2524), p-SMAD3 (Ser423/425; cat. no. 9520), SMAD3 (cat. no. 9523), p-Rb (Ser807/811; cat. no. 8516), Rb (cat. no. 9309), CyclinD1 (cat. no. 55506), CyclinE1 (cat. no. 20808), p21 (cat. no. 2947), p-p38 (cat. no. 4511), p38 (cat. no. 8690), p-ERK (cat. no. 4370), p-JNK (cat. no. 9255), JNK (cat. no. 9252), p-AKT (Ser473; cat. no. 4060), AKT (cat. no. 9272), HSP90α (cat. no. 4877) and MMP-1 (cat. no. 54376) were from Cell Signaling Technology, Inc.) and subsequently incubated with the corresponding secondary antibodies (dilution 1:4,000) for 2 h at room temperature.

Techniques: Functional Assay, Expressing, Protease Inhibitor, Gene Expression

Journal: International Journal of Oncology

Article Title: Diverse roles of SERPINE1 in regulating cellular proliferation and invasion

doi: 10.3892/ijo.2026.5871

Figure Lengend Snippet: Diverse effects of SERPINE1 knockdown on cell proliferation. (A) Western blotting showing SERPINE1 protein levels in 231, H4, and C918 cells following transfection with the shSE1 and shc with GAPDH serving as the loading control. Band intensities were measured using ImageJ software and are presented as ratios. These ratios were calculated as (target protein/GAPDH levels) in the experimental group divided by those in the control group. Data represent mean ± SDs of three independent experiments. (B) Colony formation ability of shSE1 and control (shc) cells. Statistical significance was determined using a two-sided Student's t test. The data are presented as the means ± SDs of three independent experiments. (C-D) Xenograft tumors derived from (C) 231 and (D) C918 cells with shSE1 and shc cells; the tumor growth and weight were compared between shSE1 and shc groups. Statistical significance was determined using two-way ANOVA followed by Šídák's multiple comparisons test (tumor growth) and a two-sided Student's t test (tumor weight). The data are presented as the means ± SDs. n=5. (E-F) Lung metastatic foci in nude mice were stained with H&E and GFP (scale bar, 100 μ m). The fractions (numerator/denominator) adjacent to the images represent the lung metastatic focus rate (defined as the number of mice with lung metastases per total number of injected mice). The lung metastatic focus rate was: 4 of 6 for 231-shSE1 versus 5 of 6 for 231-shc; and 6 of 6 for both C918-shSE1 and C918-shc. Statistical significance was determined using a two-sided Student's t test. The data are presented as the means ± SDs. n=6. *** P<0.001, ** P<0.01. SERPINE1, serine protease inhibitor clade e member 1; shRNA, short hairpin RNA; shSE1, shRNA targeting SERPINE1; shc, shRNA scrambled control; H&E, hematoxylin and eosin staining; GFP, green fluorescent protein.

Article Snippet: Following the blocking of nonspecific binding sites using 5% skimmed milk (cat. no. P0216; Beyotime Biotechnology) or bovine serum albumin (cat. no. NGP0028A; Beyotime Biotechnology) for 1 h at room temperature, the membranes were incubated with primary antibodies (incubation overnight at 4°C) against SERPINE1 (cat. no. 13801-1-AP; Proteintech Group, Inc), GAPDH (cat. no. sc-25778; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.), MCM3 (cat. no. PA5-79646; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.), phosphorylated (p-)MCM3 (Ser112; cat. no. TA2362; Abmart Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd.), ERK (cat. no. sc-514302; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.), uPAR (cat. no. ab10379; Abcam), Histone H3 (cat. no. 4499), p-p53 (Ser15; cat. no. 9284), p53 (cat. no. 2524), p-SMAD3 (Ser423/425; cat. no. 9520), SMAD3 (cat. no. 9523), p-Rb (Ser807/811; cat. no. 8516), Rb (cat. no. 9309), CyclinD1 (cat. no. 55506), CyclinE1 (cat. no. 20808), p21 (cat. no. 2947), p-p38 (cat. no. 4511), p38 (cat. no. 8690), p-ERK (cat. no. 4370), p-JNK (cat. no. 9255), JNK (cat. no. 9252), p-AKT (Ser473; cat. no. 4060), AKT (cat. no. 9272), HSP90α (cat. no. 4877) and MMP-1 (cat. no. 54376) were from Cell Signaling Technology, Inc.) and subsequently incubated with the corresponding secondary antibodies (dilution 1:4,000) for 2 h at room temperature.

Techniques: Knockdown, Western Blot, Transfection, Control, Software, Derivative Assay, Staining, Injection, Protease Inhibitor, shRNA

Journal: International Journal of Oncology

Article Title: Diverse roles of SERPINE1 in regulating cellular proliferation and invasion

doi: 10.3892/ijo.2026.5871

Figure Lengend Snippet: SERPINE1-mediated cell cycle regulation. (A) The GO enrichment analysis of DEGs obtained from RNA-seq revealed significant changes in biological processes after SERPINE1 knockdown between shSE1 and shc groups across three cell lines. RNA-seq was performed using one biological replicate per group. (B) Heatmap of DEGs associated with the highlighted processes in (A). (C) Western blotting was performed on nuclear and cytoplasmic extracts to detect MCM3 and p-MCM3 levels (histone H3 and GAPDH were used as controls). The relative levels of p-MCM3 and MCM3 were normalized to the expression of histone H3 and GAPDH, respectively. The relative p-MCM3/MCM3 ratio was subsequently calculated. Data represent mean ± SDs of three independent experiments. (D) Flow cytometry of the cell cycle phase distribution (G 0 /G 1 , S, and G 2 /M phases). Statistical significance was determined using a two-sided Student's t test. The data are presented as the means ± SDs of three independent experiments. (E) Scatter plot of 89 cycle regulators from the protein array, highlighting SMAD3 and TP53. Blue indicates downregulated proteins (fold change ≥1.2); red indicates upregulated proteins (fold change ≤0.83); and grey indicates no change in the protein level. n=4 (F) RNA-seq data showing changes in the indicated gene expression between shSE1 and shc groups across three cell lines. RNA-seq was performed using one biological replicate per group. (G) Western blotting of the indicated proteins in C918 cells (shSE1 vs. shc). The ratios indicate the relative changes in the expression levels of the indicated proteins. Data represent mean ± SDs of three independent experiments. * P<0.05; ns, not significant. SERPINE1, serine protease inhibitor clade e member 1; GO, Gene Ontology; DEGs, differentially expressed genes; RNA-seq, RNA sequencing; shRNA, short hairpin RNA; shSE1, shRNA targeting SERPINE1; shc, shRNA scrambled control; FDR, false discovery rate; p-, phosphorylated.

Article Snippet: Following the blocking of nonspecific binding sites using 5% skimmed milk (cat. no. P0216; Beyotime Biotechnology) or bovine serum albumin (cat. no. NGP0028A; Beyotime Biotechnology) for 1 h at room temperature, the membranes were incubated with primary antibodies (incubation overnight at 4°C) against SERPINE1 (cat. no. 13801-1-AP; Proteintech Group, Inc), GAPDH (cat. no. sc-25778; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.), MCM3 (cat. no. PA5-79646; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.), phosphorylated (p-)MCM3 (Ser112; cat. no. TA2362; Abmart Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd.), ERK (cat. no. sc-514302; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.), uPAR (cat. no. ab10379; Abcam), Histone H3 (cat. no. 4499), p-p53 (Ser15; cat. no. 9284), p53 (cat. no. 2524), p-SMAD3 (Ser423/425; cat. no. 9520), SMAD3 (cat. no. 9523), p-Rb (Ser807/811; cat. no. 8516), Rb (cat. no. 9309), CyclinD1 (cat. no. 55506), CyclinE1 (cat. no. 20808), p21 (cat. no. 2947), p-p38 (cat. no. 4511), p38 (cat. no. 8690), p-ERK (cat. no. 4370), p-JNK (cat. no. 9255), JNK (cat. no. 9252), p-AKT (Ser473; cat. no. 4060), AKT (cat. no. 9272), HSP90α (cat. no. 4877) and MMP-1 (cat. no. 54376) were from Cell Signaling Technology, Inc.) and subsequently incubated with the corresponding secondary antibodies (dilution 1:4,000) for 2 h at room temperature.

Techniques: RNA Sequencing, Knockdown, Western Blot, Expressing, Flow Cytometry, Protein Array, Gene Expression, Protease Inhibitor, shRNA, Control

Journal: International Journal of Oncology

Article Title: Diverse roles of SERPINE1 in regulating cellular proliferation and invasion

doi: 10.3892/ijo.2026.5871

Figure Lengend Snippet: SERPINE1-mediated modulation of the ERK/p38 ratio and anoikis. (A) Upper panel: western blotting showing ERK, p-ERK, p38, and p-p38 levels. Quantitative data showed the p-ERK/ERK and p-p38/p38 ratios in SERPINE1 knockdown cells compared with control cells. Lower panel: western blotting analysis of p-AKT, AKT, p-JNK and JNK (normalized to total protein) levels in the shSE1 and shc groups. The numbers beneath the bands represent the ratios of the expression levels of the indicated proteins. Data represent mean ± SDs of three independent experiments. (B) PLAUR and HSP90AA1 mRNA and protein levels in shSE1 and shc cells analyzed using RNA-seq (left panel) and western blotting (right panel). The numbers beneath the bands represent the ratios of the expression levels of the indicated proteins and represent mean ± SDs of three independent experiments. RNA-seq was performed using one biological replicate per group. (C-D) Upper panel: (C) 231-shSE1 cells were infected with lentivirus containing PLAUR cDNA (ex-PLAUR) or the corresponding empty vector control (vec). (D) H4-shSE1 cells were transfected with siRNA targeting HSP90AA1 (si-HSP90AA1) or siNC. The expression levels of uPAR and HSP90α, as well as the activity of ERK and p38, were detected by western blotting, with GAPDH serving as the loading control. Data represent mean ± SDs of three independent experiments. Lower panel: Cell proliferation was assessed by CCK-8 assay in 231-shSE1 cells infected with ex-PLAUR or vec, and in H4-shSE1 cells transfected with si-HSP90AA1 or siNC. Statistical significance was determined using two-way ANOVA followed by Šídák's multiple comparisons test. The data are presented as the means ± SDs. n=6. (E) Morphology of shSE1 and shc cells cultured under suspension condition. (scale bar, 100 μ m). (F) Apoptotic cells cultured under suspension condition were analyzed by flow cytometry following Annexin V-PE/7AAD staining (72 h of suspension culture). Statistical significance was determined using a two-sided Student's t test. The data are presented as the means ± SDs of three independent experiments. ** P<0.01 *** P<0.001, ns, not significant. SERPINE1, serine protease inhibitor clade e member 1; p-, phosphorylated; shRNA, short hairpin RNA; shSE1, shRNA targeting SERPINE1; shc, shRNA scrambled control; PLAUR, plasminogen activator, urokinase receptor; HSP90AA1, heat shock protein 90 alpha family class a member 1; RNA-seq, RNA sequencing; vec, empty vector control; siRNA, short interfering RNA; siNC, negative control siRNA; uPAR, urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor; HSP90α, heat shock protein 90-alpha.

Article Snippet: Following the blocking of nonspecific binding sites using 5% skimmed milk (cat. no. P0216; Beyotime Biotechnology) or bovine serum albumin (cat. no. NGP0028A; Beyotime Biotechnology) for 1 h at room temperature, the membranes were incubated with primary antibodies (incubation overnight at 4°C) against SERPINE1 (cat. no. 13801-1-AP; Proteintech Group, Inc), GAPDH (cat. no. sc-25778; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.), MCM3 (cat. no. PA5-79646; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.), phosphorylated (p-)MCM3 (Ser112; cat. no. TA2362; Abmart Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd.), ERK (cat. no. sc-514302; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.), uPAR (cat. no. ab10379; Abcam), Histone H3 (cat. no. 4499), p-p53 (Ser15; cat. no. 9284), p53 (cat. no. 2524), p-SMAD3 (Ser423/425; cat. no. 9520), SMAD3 (cat. no. 9523), p-Rb (Ser807/811; cat. no. 8516), Rb (cat. no. 9309), CyclinD1 (cat. no. 55506), CyclinE1 (cat. no. 20808), p21 (cat. no. 2947), p-p38 (cat. no. 4511), p38 (cat. no. 8690), p-ERK (cat. no. 4370), p-JNK (cat. no. 9255), JNK (cat. no. 9252), p-AKT (Ser473; cat. no. 4060), AKT (cat. no. 9272), HSP90α (cat. no. 4877) and MMP-1 (cat. no. 54376) were from Cell Signaling Technology, Inc.) and subsequently incubated with the corresponding secondary antibodies (dilution 1:4,000) for 2 h at room temperature.

Techniques: Western Blot, Knockdown, Control, Expressing, RNA Sequencing, Infection, Plasmid Preparation, Transfection, Activity Assay, CCK-8 Assay, Cell Culture, Suspension, Flow Cytometry, Staining, Protease Inhibitor, shRNA, Small Interfering RNA, Negative Control

Journal: International Journal of Oncology

Article Title: Diverse roles of SERPINE1 in regulating cellular proliferation and invasion

doi: 10.3892/ijo.2026.5871

Figure Lengend Snippet: Variable effects of SERPINE1 on cell migration and invasion. (A) KEGG enrichment analysis via GSEA comparing high and low SERPINE1 expression in BRCA, LGG, and SKCM (TCGA dataset). Representative images and quantification of Transwell assays of the migration (B) of shSE1 and shc cells. Representative images and quantification of Transwell invasion assays through (C) Matrigel and (D) collagen type I. Cells from three random fields in triplicate wells were counted. Scale bar, 100 μ m. Statistical significance was determined using a two-sided Student's t test. The data are presented as the means ± SDs of three independent experiments. ** P<0.01, * P<0.05. SERPINE1, serine protease inhibitor clade e member 1; KEGG, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes; GSEA, gene set enrichment analysis; BRCA, breast cancer; LGG, low-grade glioma; SKCM, skin cutaneous melanoma; TCGA, The Cancer Genome Atlas; NES, normalized enrichment score; FDR, false discovery rate.

Article Snippet: Following the blocking of nonspecific binding sites using 5% skimmed milk (cat. no. P0216; Beyotime Biotechnology) or bovine serum albumin (cat. no. NGP0028A; Beyotime Biotechnology) for 1 h at room temperature, the membranes were incubated with primary antibodies (incubation overnight at 4°C) against SERPINE1 (cat. no. 13801-1-AP; Proteintech Group, Inc), GAPDH (cat. no. sc-25778; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.), MCM3 (cat. no. PA5-79646; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.), phosphorylated (p-)MCM3 (Ser112; cat. no. TA2362; Abmart Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd.), ERK (cat. no. sc-514302; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.), uPAR (cat. no. ab10379; Abcam), Histone H3 (cat. no. 4499), p-p53 (Ser15; cat. no. 9284), p53 (cat. no. 2524), p-SMAD3 (Ser423/425; cat. no. 9520), SMAD3 (cat. no. 9523), p-Rb (Ser807/811; cat. no. 8516), Rb (cat. no. 9309), CyclinD1 (cat. no. 55506), CyclinE1 (cat. no. 20808), p21 (cat. no. 2947), p-p38 (cat. no. 4511), p38 (cat. no. 8690), p-ERK (cat. no. 4370), p-JNK (cat. no. 9255), JNK (cat. no. 9252), p-AKT (Ser473; cat. no. 4060), AKT (cat. no. 9272), HSP90α (cat. no. 4877) and MMP-1 (cat. no. 54376) were from Cell Signaling Technology, Inc.) and subsequently incubated with the corresponding secondary antibodies (dilution 1:4,000) for 2 h at room temperature.

Techniques: Migration, Expressing, Protease Inhibitor

Journal: International Journal of Oncology

Article Title: Diverse roles of SERPINE1 in regulating cellular proliferation and invasion

doi: 10.3892/ijo.2026.5871

Figure Lengend Snippet: SERPINE1 regulates MMP activity. (A) MMP and TIMP levels in the supernatants of shSE1 and shc cells after 24 h of incubation and 10-fold concentration. Statistical significance was determined using a two-sided Student's t test. The data are presented as the means ± SDs. n=4. (B) Quantification of active MMP-1 and MMP-13 levels in cell lysates using fluorescence ELISA. Statistical significance was determined using two-way ANOVA followed by Šídák's multiple comparisons test. The data are presented as the means ± SDs of three independent experiments. (C) Western blotting showing the levels of the indicated proteins in H4-shSE1 cells at 72 h after transfection with the si-HSP90AA1 or siNC. The numbers beneath the bands represent the ratios of the expression levels of the indicated proteins and represent mean ± SDs of three independent experiments. (D) Representative images and quantification of Transwell invasion assays through Matrigel and collagen type I in H4-shSE1 cells transfected with the si-HSP90AA1 or siNC (scale bar, 100 μ m). Statistical significance was determined using a two-sided Student's t-test. The data are presented as the means ± SDs of three independent experiments. (E) Diagram showing the mechanisms underlying the effects of SERPINE1 on cancer proliferation and invasion. SERPINE1 knockdown influences cell proliferation and invasion through distinct signaling pathways. With respect to proliferation, SERPINE1 knockdown reduces TGF-β levels, and this reduction alters the activity of SMAD3, p53, and MCM3 to promote cell cycle progression. SERPINE1 knockdown interferes with the uPAR-mediated balance of the ERK/p38 ratio; it may also affect this ratio by modulating HSP90α expression and p38 activity, which suppress cell proliferation. In terms of invasion, SERPINE1 downregulation increases MMP-1 levels via the HSP90α-p38 pathway, thereby promoting cellular invasion. *** P<0.001, ** P<0.01, ns, not significant. SERPINE1, serine protease inhibitor clade e member 1; MMP, matrix metalloproteinases; TIMP, tissue inhibitors of metal proteases; shRNA, short hairpin RNA; shSE1, shRNA targeting SERPINE1; si, short interfering RNA; siHSP90AA1, short interfering heat shock protein 90 alpha family class a member 1; NC, negative control; uPAR, urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor; p-, phosphorylated; MCM3, minichromosome maintenance complex component 3; HSP90α, heat shock protein 90-alpha.

Article Snippet: Following the blocking of nonspecific binding sites using 5% skimmed milk (cat. no. P0216; Beyotime Biotechnology) or bovine serum albumin (cat. no. NGP0028A; Beyotime Biotechnology) for 1 h at room temperature, the membranes were incubated with primary antibodies (incubation overnight at 4°C) against SERPINE1 (cat. no. 13801-1-AP; Proteintech Group, Inc), GAPDH (cat. no. sc-25778; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.), MCM3 (cat. no. PA5-79646; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.), phosphorylated (p-)MCM3 (Ser112; cat. no. TA2362; Abmart Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd.), ERK (cat. no. sc-514302; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.), uPAR (cat. no. ab10379; Abcam), Histone H3 (cat. no. 4499), p-p53 (Ser15; cat. no. 9284), p53 (cat. no. 2524), p-SMAD3 (Ser423/425; cat. no. 9520), SMAD3 (cat. no. 9523), p-Rb (Ser807/811; cat. no. 8516), Rb (cat. no. 9309), CyclinD1 (cat. no. 55506), CyclinE1 (cat. no. 20808), p21 (cat. no. 2947), p-p38 (cat. no. 4511), p38 (cat. no. 8690), p-ERK (cat. no. 4370), p-JNK (cat. no. 9255), JNK (cat. no. 9252), p-AKT (Ser473; cat. no. 4060), AKT (cat. no. 9272), HSP90α (cat. no. 4877) and MMP-1 (cat. no. 54376) were from Cell Signaling Technology, Inc.) and subsequently incubated with the corresponding secondary antibodies (dilution 1:4,000) for 2 h at room temperature.

Techniques: Activity Assay, Incubation, Concentration Assay, Fluorescence, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, Western Blot, Transfection, Expressing, Knockdown, Protein-Protein interactions, Protease Inhibitor, shRNA, Small Interfering RNA, Negative Control