Tumor Microenvironment Heterogeneity-Based Score System Predicts Clinical Prognosis and Response to Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Multiple Colorectal Cancer Cohorts

Despite immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy contributed to significant advances in cancer therapy, only a small percentage of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) respond to it. Identification of these patients will facilitate ICB application in CRC. In this study, we integrated multiple CRC cohorts (2,078 samples) to construct tumor microenvironment (TME) subtypes using TME indices calculated by CIBERSORT and ESTIMATE algorithms. Furthermore, a surrogate quantitative indicator, a tumor microenvironment immune gene (TMEIG) score system, was established using the key immune genes between TME clusters 1 and 2. The subsequent analysis demonstrated that TME subtypes and the TMEIG score system correlated with clinical outcomes of patients in multiple CRC cohorts and exhibited distinct immune statuses. Furthermore, Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) analysis indicated that patients with low TMEIG scores were more likely to benefit from ICB therapy. A study on two ICB cohorts (GSE78220 and IMvigor210) also validated that patients with low TMEIG scores exhibited higher ICB response rates and better prognoses after ICB treatment. The biomarker evaluation module on the TIDE website revealed that the TMEIG score was a robust predictive biomarker. Moreover, differential expression analysis, immunohistochemistry, qPCR experiments, and gene set prioritization module on the TIDE website demonstrated that the five genes that constitute the TMEIG score system (SERPINE1, FABP4, SCG2, CALB2, and HOXC6) were closely associated with tumorigenesis, immune cells, and ICB response indices. Finally, TMEIG scores could accurately predict the prognosis and ICB response of patients with CRC. SERPINE1, FABP4, SCG2, CALB2, and HOXC6 might be potential targets related to ICB treatment. Furthermore, our study provided new insights into precision ICB therapy in CRC.

Corrigendum: Exosomes: Potential biomarkers and functions in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.881794.].

Current insights in molecular characterization of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and treatment

There is a continuously rising incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) around the world, which parallels the increasing incidence of metabolic diseases. NAFLD is a range of liver conditions that contains simple non-alcoholic fatty liver and advanced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. In serious cases, NAFLD may develop into cirrhosis or even liver cancer. NAFLD has an intense relationship with metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is known that gut microbiota, and functional molecules such as adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase JNK, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) in progressing and treating NAFLD. Traditionally, the conventional and effective therapeutic strategy is lifestyle intervention. Nowadays, new medicines targeting specific molecules, such as farnesoid X receptor, PPARs, and GLP-1 receptor, have been discovered and shown beneficial effects on patients with NAFLD. In this article, we focus on the molecular mechanisms and therapeutic approaches to NAFLD.

SIRT4 and SIRT6 Serve as Novel Prognostic Biomarkers With Competitive Functions in Serous Ovarian Cancer

Sirtuins (SIRTs) are class III histone deacetylases (HDACs) that include seven members and are widely expressed in mammals. Accumulating evidence shows that sirtuins may have contradictory roles in various malignancies. They mainly participate in metabolic homeostasis, DNA damage repair, cell survival, and differentiation, as well as other cancer-related biological processes. To better understand their prognostic role and biological functions, we used comprehensive bioinformatic analyses to demonstrate the expression and mutation of sirtuin family member genes in ovarian cancer (OC), with a detailed focus on prognostic prediction, including the effectiveness of anti-OC drugs. Furthermore, the co-expression genes of SIRT4 and SIRT6 with contradictory survival prediction values in both overall and progression-free survival (PFS) times were further analyzed through Gene Ontology enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia annotation. Additionally, we performed and obtained the immunohistochemical staining patterns of these two biomarkers from the serous OC patient database and clinical patient samples to demonstrate their potential applicability in clinical pathology. According to our findings, SIRT4 and SIRT6 are novel prognostic biomarkers that may serve as contradictory competitors for OC cell survival. They are also sensitive biomarkers for the prediction of Avastin's anticancer effect. While SIRT4 is related to the immune response during oocyte maturation, SIRT6 participates in immune-related disease pathways and mitochondrial metabolism-mediated DNA translation. These findings contribute to the novel hypothesis that SIRT4 and SIRT6 act as contradictory competitors in the regulation of OC behavior. Further studies are required to validate our hypothesis.

Mapping of the T-cell Landscape of Biliary Tract Cancer Unravels Anatomic Subtype-Specific Heterogeneity

Biliary tract cancer (BTC), encompassing diseases such as intrahepatic (ICC), extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC), and gallbladder cancer, is not only increasing but also poses a significant and urgent health threat due to its high malignancy. Genomic differences point to the possibility that these subtypes represent distinct diseases. Elucidation of the specific distribution of T-cell subsets, critical to cancer immunity, across these diseases could provide better insights into the unique biology of BTC subtypes and help identify potential precision medicine strategies. To address this, we conducted single-cell RNA sequencing and T-cell receptor sequencing on CD3+ T cells from 36 samples from 16 patients with BTC across all subtypes and analyzed 355 pathologic slides to examine the spatial distribution of T cells and tertiary lymphoid structures. Compared with ICC and gallbladder cancer, ECC possessed a unique immune profile characterized by T-cell exhaustion, elevated CXCL13 expression in CD4+ T helper-like and CD8+CXCL13+ exhausted T cells, more mature tertiary lymphoid structures, and fewer desert immunophenotypes. Conversely, ICC displayed an inflamed immunophenotype with an enrichment of IFN-related pathways and high expression of LGALS1 in activated regulatory T cells, associated with immunosuppression. Inhibition of LGALS1 reduced tumor growth and regulatory T-cell prevalence in ICC mouse models. Overall, this study unveils T-cell diversity across BTC subtypes at the single-cell and spatial level that could open paths for tailored immunotherapies. Significance: Single-cell and spatial analyses detailed the T-cell characteristics specific to anatomic subtypes of biliary tract cancer, identifying unique immunologic features that could potentially be harnessed to improve patient outcomes.

SLC15A4 Serves as a Novel Prognostic Biomarker and Target for Lung Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

SLC15A family members are known as electrogenic transporters that take up peptides into cells through the proton-motive force. Accumulating evidence indicates that aberrant expression of SLC15A family members may play crucial roles in tumorigenesis and tumor progression in various cancers, as they participate in tumor metabolism. However, the exact prognostic role of each member of the SLC15A family in human lung cancer has not yet been elucidated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We investigated the SLC15A family members in lung cancer through accumulated data from TCGA and other available online databases by integrated bioinformatics analysis to reveal the prognostic value, potential clinical application and underlying molecular mechanisms of SLC15A family members in lung cancer.

RESULTS

Although all family members exhibited an association with the clinical outcomes of patients with NSCLC, we found that none of them could be used for squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and that SLC15A2 and SLC15A4 could serve as biomarkers for lung adenocarcinoma. In addition, we further investigated SLC15A4-related genes and regulatory networks, revealing its core molecular pathways in lung adenocarcinoma. Moreover, the IHC staining pattern of SLC15A4 in lung adenocarcinoma may help clinicians predict clinical outcomes.

CONCLUSION

SLC15A4 could be used as a survival prediction biomarker for lung adenocarcinoma due to its potential role in cell division regulation. However, more studies including large patient cohorts are required to validate the clinical utility of SLC15A4 in lung adenocarcinoma.

Noninvasive assessment of liver function reserve with fluorescent dosimetry of indocyanine green

Using in vivo multiphoton fluorescent dosimetry, we demonstrate that the clearance dynamics of Indocyanine Green (ICG) in the blood can quickly reveal liver function reserve. In normal rats, the ICG retention rate was below 10% at the 15-minute post-administration; While in the rat with severe hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the 15-minute retention rate is over 40% due to poor liver metabolism. With a 785 nm CW laser, the fluorescence dosimeter can evaluate the liver function reserve at a 1/10 clinical dosage of ICG without any blood sampling. In the future, this low-dosage ICG 15-minute retention dosimetry can be applied for the preoperative assessment of hepatectomy or timely perioperative examination.

Diagnostic and prognostic role of NR3C4 in breast cancer through a genomic network understanding

The androgen receptor (AR, NR3C4) is believed to participate in the development of breast cancer, but its molecular mechanism and role in prognosis is still controversial and opaque. This study aimed to explore the expression, associations with clinicopathologic features and underlying molecular mechanisms of AR in breast cancer. The present study investigated invasive breast carcinoma through comprehensive bioinformatics. The expression and mutation rate of AR in breast cancer was obtained from the TCGA database. Training survival prediction analysis was applied to the data extracted from the KM plotter database. The prediction of the survival cohort was validated using the bcGenExMiner database in breast cancer molecular subgroups. Represented immunohistochemical images of AR and its related expression with the molecular subtype status were generated. The underlying molecular mechanism for AR in breast cancer was analyzed with the GEO dataset and Gene Ontology. A protein-to-protein interaction network and core pathways were constructed to show the protein functions with AR. Our results show that AR expression was significantly higher in cancerous tissue than in normal breast tissue and differentially expressed in the clinical stages. AR would also generally be considered as a favorable prognostic biomarker when including the major molecular subtypes of breast cancer. AR IHC staining could be easily used in clinical applications. The major molecular functions for AR were regulating the cell cycle checkpoints and chromatin remodeling. Our investigation showed that AR expression level could be used as a favorable and independent prognostic prediction factor for the disease-free survival time in breast cancer, especially for the ER-positive subgroup. However, AR was not a sensitive prognostic biomarker for the prediction of overall survival time or for the PR and TBC subgroups. In terms of the underlying molecular mechanism, AR may mainly participate in the cell cycle checkpoints related to the G1/S transition of the mitotic cell cycle to control the subdivision of the epithelial terminal unit and chromatin remodeling in breast cancer.

Comprehensive analysis: Necroptosis-related lncRNAs can effectively predict the prognosis of glioma patients

Glioma is the most common and fatal primary brain tumor in humans. A significant role for long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in glioma is the regulation of gene expression and chromatin recombination, and immunotherapy is a promising cancer treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to identify necroptosis-related lncRNAs in glioma. In this study, we collected and evaluated the RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/, Data Release 32.0, March 29, 2022) glioma patients, and necroptosis-related lncRNAs were screened. Cox regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis were performed to construct a risk score formula to explore the different overall survival between high- and low-risk groups in TCGA. Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analysis (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG)) were performed to identify the function of screened genes. The immune correlation analysis showed that various immune cells and pathways positively associated with a patient's risk score. Furthermore, the analysis of the tumor microenvironment indicated many immune cells and stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment of glioma patients. Six necroptosis-related lncRNAs were concerned to be involved in survival and adopted to construct the risk score formula. The results showed that patients with high-risk scores held poor survival in TCGA. Compared with current clinical data, the area under the curve (AUC) of different years suggested that the formula had better predictive power. We verified that necroptosis-related lncRNAs play a significant role in the occurrence and development of glioma, and the constructed risk model can reasonably predict the prognosis of glioma. The results of these studies added some valuable guidance to understanding glioma pathogenesis and treatment, and these necroptosis-related lncRNAs may be used as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for glioma prevention.

Characterization of endoplasmic reticulum stress unveils ZNF703 as a promising target for colorectal cancer immunotherapy

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant tumors globally, with high morbidity and mortality. Endoplasmic reticulum is a major organelle responsible for protein synthesis, processing, and transport. Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) refers to the abnormal accumulation of unfolded and misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum, which are involved in tumorigenesis and cancer immunity. Nevertheless, the clinical significance of ERS remains largely unexplored in CRC.

METHODS

In present study, we performed an unsupervised clustering to identify two types of ERS-related subtypes [ERS clusters, and ERS-related genes (ERSGs) clusters] in multiple large-scale CRC cohorts. Through the utilization of machine learning techniques, we have successfully developed an uncomplicated yet robust gene scoring system (ERSGs signature). Furthermore, a series of analyses, including GO, KEGG, Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE), the Consensus Molecular Subtypes (CMS), were used to explore the underlying biological differences and clinical significance between these groups. And immunohistochemical and bioinformatics analyses were performed to explore ZNF703, a gene of ERSGs scoring system.

RESULTS

We observed significant differences in prognosis and tumor immune status between the ERS clusters as well as ERSGs clusters. And the ERSGs scoring system was an independent risk factor for overall survival; and exhibited distinct tumor immune status in multicenter CRC cohorts. Besides, analyses of TNM stages, CMS groups demonstrated that patients in advanced stage and CMS4 had higher ERSGs scores. In addition, the ERSGs scores inversely correlated with positive ICB response predictors (such as, CD8A, CD274 (PD-L1), and TIS), and directly correlated with negative ICB response predictors (such as, TIDE, T cell Exclusion, COX-IS). Notably, immunohistochemical staining and bioinformatics analyses revealed that ZNF70 correlated with CD3 + and CD8 + T cells infiltration.

CONCLUSION

Based on large-scale and multicenter transcriptomic data, our study comprehensively revealed the essential role of ERS in CRC; and constructed a novel ERSGs scoring system to predict the prognosis of patients and the efficacy of ICB treatment. Furthermore, we identified ZNF703 as a potentially promising target for ICB therapy in CRC.

Natural killer cells: a future star for immunotherapy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

The interplay between immune components and the epithelium plays a crucial role in the development and progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Natural killer (NK) cells, one of the main tumor-killing immune cell populations, have received increasing attention in HNSCC immunotherapy. In this review, we explore the mechanism underlying the interplay between NK cells and HNSCC. A series of immune evasion strategies utilized by cancer cells restrict HNSCC infiltration of NK cells. Overcoming these limitations can fully exploit the antineoplastic potential of NK cells. We also investigated the tumor-killing efficacy of NK cell-based immunotherapies, immunotherapeutic strategies, and new results from clinical trials. Notably, cetuximab, the most essential component of NK cell-based immunotherapy, inhibits the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway and activates the immune system in conjunction with NK cells, inducing innate effector functions and improving patient prognosis. In addition, we compiled information on other areas for the improvement of patient prognosis using anti-EGFR receptor-based monoclonal antibody drugs and the underlying mechanisms and prognoses of new immunotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of HNSCC.

Effect of miR-483-5p on apoptosis of lung cancer cells through targeting of RBM5

RBM5 has been reported to be a candidate tumor suppressor gene which plays an important role in the induction of apoptosis. In this study, we investigated the effect of miR-483-5p on apoptosis of lung cancer cells and the underlying mechanism. We found that the expression of miR-483-5p mRNA was significantly up-regulated in lung cancer compared with adjacent para-cancerous tissues by using real-time PCR. Silencing miR-483-5p promoted A549 cell apoptosis and enhanced caspase-3 activity by flow cytometry with annexin V-FITC/PI staining and caspase-3 activity report kit. Western blotting demonstrated that miR-483-5p mimicked down-regulated RBM5 protein expression and miR-483-5p inhibitor up-regulated RBM5 protein expression. With additional bioinformatics analysis, we confirmed that RBM5 is a target gene of miR-483-5p and is favored for treating NSCLC. The immunohistochemical pattern of RBM5 could be used to predictoutcome for NSCLC. In conclusion, our results support that RBM5 expression can be regulated by miR-483-5p which is a prognostic marker for NSCLC patients. miR-483-5p inhibitor plays a role in lung cancer through targeting RBM5 to induce apoptosis.

Expression of TXLNA in brain gliomas and its clinical significance: a bioinformatics analysis

BACKGROUND

To analyze the expression of TXLNA in brain gliomas and its clinical significance.

METHODS

Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis（GEPIA）and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas（CGGA）databases were retrieved as the methods. To assess the disparity between TXLNA expression in glioma and normal brain tissue. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve was employed to preliminarily evaluate the survival curves of the high and low expression groups, this was done for investigate the correlation between TXLNA expression level and the survival and prognosis of glioma. A Cox proportional regression risk model of multivariate nature was employed to evaluate the elements impacting the survival and prognosis of glioma. Gene pool enrichment analysis（GSEA）was used to investigate the related function of TXLNA in glioma. A Pearson correlation test and co-expression analysis were employed to identify the genes most associated with TXLNA expression.

RESULT

The enrichment analysis results were observably enriched in signal pathways for instance the cell cycle and completion and coordination cascade pathways, and it is evident that high expression of TXLNA in gliomas is related to a poor survival and a bad patient prognosis, thus making it an independent prognostic factor for gliomas. Genes such as STK40 and R1MS1 are significantly correlated with TXLNA, playing a synergistic or antagonistic role.

CONCLUSIONS

The prognosis of GBM patients is strongly linked to the high expression of TXLNA, which may be a viable therapeutic target for curbing cancer progression and creating new immunotherapies for GBM.

Integration of multi-omics data revealed the orphan CpG islands and enhancer-dominated c is-regulatory network in glioma

The complex transcriptional regulatory network leads to the poor prognosis of glioma. The role of orphan CpG islands (oCGIs) in the transcriptional regulatory network has been overlooked. We conducted a comprehensive exploration of the cis-regulatory roles of oCGIs and enhancers by integrating multi-omics data. Direct regulation of target genes by oCGIs or enhancers is of great importance in the cis-regulatory network. Furthermore, based on single-cell multi-omics data, we found that the highly activated cis-regulatory network in cluster 2 (C2) sustains the high proliferative potential of glioma cells. The upregulation of oCGIs and enhancers related genes in C2 results in glioma patients exhibiting resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. These findings were further validated through glioma cell line related experiments. Our study offers insight into the pathogenesis of glioma and provides a strategy to treat this challenging disease.

Understanding the functional inflammatory factors involved in therapeutic response to immune checkpoint inhibitors for pan-cancer

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) fight tumor progression by activating immune conditions. The inflammatory factors are playing a functional role in programmed death-1 (PD-1) or other immune checkpoints. They are involved in regulating the expression of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1), the only predictor recognized by the guidelines in response to ICIs. In addition, abundant components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) all interact with various immune factors contributing to the response to ICIs, including infiltration of various immune cells, extracellular matrix, and fibroblasts. Notably, the occurrence of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in patients receiving ICIs is increasingly observed in sundry organs. IrAEs are often regarded as an inflammatory factor-mediated positive feedback loop associated with better response to ICIs. It deserves attention because inflammatory factors were observed to be different when targeting different immune checkpoints or in the presence of different irAEs. In the present review, we address the research progresses on regulating inflammatory factors for an intentional controlling anti-cancer response with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

TMCO1, as a potential biomarker of prognosis and immunotherapy response, regulates head and neck squamous cell carcinoma proliferation and migration

Transmembrane and coiled-coil domains 1 (TMCO1), an endoplasmic reticulum transmembrane protein, actively regulates intracellular Ca2+ concentration and is associated with poor prognosis in several cancers. This study shows that TMCO1 is a potential biological prognostic indicator and therapeutic target for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) by regulating the proliferation and migration of cancer cells, especially migration. We obtained TMCO1 expression data of HNSCC and normal tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and other databases and verified them with immunohistochemical staining. The results showed that high TMCO1 expression was significantly associated with HNSCC survival and tumor progression and was an independent prognostic factor for HNSCC. In addition, nomogram and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, gene ontology, gene concentration and gene network analysis were used to reveal the function and regulatory mechanism of TMCO1. In vitro experiments confirmed that TMCO1 could promote proliferation, migration, invasion, adhesion and clonal formation of HNSCC cells. Furthermore, we analyzed the relationship between TMCO1 and tumor microenvironment, immune infiltration, immunotherapy and drug sensitivity, and found that patients with low TMCO1 expression were more suitable for immunotherapy, and suggested the selection of chemotherapy drugs. In conclusion, TMCO1 is a reliable biomarker in HNSCC, offering valuable guidance for clinical diagnosis and therapeutic strategies. These findings highlight its potential as a target for precision oncology in HNSCC.

SIRT4 is associated with microvascular infiltration, immune cell infiltration, and epithelial mesenchymal transition in hepatocellular carcinoma

AIMS

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. In the present study, we evaluated SIRT4 expression levels in HCC specimens and investigated the relationships between SIRT4 expression levels, clinicopathological factors, and microvascular infiltration (MVI) in HCC.

METHODS

The expression levels of SIRT4 in 108 HCC specimens were examined by immunohistochemical staining. MVI in HCC specimens was divided into three subtypes: M0, M1, and M2. Comprehensive bioinformatics analysis was carried out to demonstrate SIRT4's biological functions and expression-related prognostic value.

RESULTS

The diffuse cytoplasmic expression pattern of SIRT4 was observed in all adjacent nonneoplastic liver tissues. The levels of SIRT4 were higher in HCC than in any other type of cancer and normal tissues. In addition, the expression levels of SIRT4 were significantly decreased in HCC tissues when MVI was M1 or M2 (p=0.003) but were not related to the overall clinical outcome. To explain MVI regulated by SIRT4, we also found that SIRT4 expression correlated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and CD4+ T/NK cells and downregulated cancer-associated fibroblast cells. Also, there was a significant relationship between MVI and degree of cell differentiation (p=0.003), tumor size (p<0.001), alpha fetoprotein (AFP) (p=0.001), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (p=0.024), and γ-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT) (p=0.024). However, SIRT4 was not an independent prognostic marker of HCC.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrated an association between SIRT4 expression levels, MVI, immune cell infiltration, and potential biological functions, including EMT in the progression of HCC.

Transmembrane mucins in lung adenocarcinoma: understanding of current molecular mechanisms and clinical applications

The mucin family is a group of highly glycosylated macromolecules widely present in human epithelial cells and with subtypes of secreted and membrane-associated forms. The membrane-associated mucins, known as transmembrane mucins, are not only involved in the formation of mucus barrier but also regulate cell signal transduction in physiological and pathological status. Transmembrane mucins could contribute to lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis, and remodel the immune microenvironment involved in immune escape. Furthermore, transmembrane mucins have been explored as potential LUAD indicators for diagnosis and prognosis. The development of targeted therapy and immunotherapeutic drugs targeting transmembrane mucins has also provided broad application prospects for clinic. In the following review, we summarize the characteristic structures of diverse transmembrane mucins, regulatory roles in promoting the progression of LUAD, and the current situation of diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic strategies based on transmembrane mucins.

IGF-1R inhibitor PQ401 inhibits osteosarcoma cell proliferation, migration and colony formation

IGF-1R is expressed abnormally in osteosarcoma (OS) and could participate in its progression. In this study, we aimed to explore the effect of the IGF-1R inhibitor PQ401 as a treatment for OS. The relative expression of IGF-1R in OS patient tumors and the U2OS cell line were determined by qRT-PCR and by accessing information in a public database. Inhibition of cell proliferation by PQ401 was determined by MTT assay. Cell migration under low concentration treatment of PQ401 was carried out by transwell and wound healing assays. PQ401 induction of OS cell apoptosis was investigated by flow cytometry. Tumorigenesis under PQ401 treatment was evaluated by a colony formation assay. Finally, downstream blockage of the IGF-1R pathway was verified by western blotting. Our results show that the expression of IGF-1R was remarkably higher in OS cells, particularly in U2OS, than in other cancer-type cell lines. The inhibition of the IGF-1R pathway by PQ401 exhibited significant anticancer activity in the U2OS cell line in not only proliferation but also migration and colony formation. In addition, PQ401 is a strong inducer of OS cell apoptosis. Furthermore, western blotting was used to demonstrate that the IGF-1R related downstream pathway, including total ERK1/2, was significantly inhibited by PQ401. Thus, IGF-1R inhibition may represent a novel treatment for OS.

Identified a novel prognostic model of HCC basing on virus signature for guiding immunotherapy

Oncolytic viral immunotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses native or genetically modified viruses that selectively replicate and destroy tumor cells. In this study, we aimed to construct a virus-based prognostic model for risk assessment and prognosis prediction in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and determine the most appropriate virus as a candidate vector for oncolytic virus immunotherapy. Microbiome and RNA sequencing data and clinical information were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas, and viruses with prognostic value were identified (Deltabaculovirus, Sicinivirus, and Cytomegalovirus) to construct the prognostic model. Correlation analyses were performed to evaluate the predictive function of the viral signature. Bioinformatics analyses were conducted to explore the functional enrichment of viral expression in HCC. The risk score generated by this model could distinguish patients with different survival outcomes, have excellent reliability and accuracy, and could be used as an independent prognostic indicator. The high-risk score group showed significantly lower overall survival, and this trend was also observed in subgroups with different clinicopathological features. Furthermore, Deltabaculovirus positively correlated with amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism signaling pathways, peroxisomes, and complement coagulation cascades. In addition, Deltabaculovirus was significantly related to immune cell infiltration; therefore, patients with high Delta-baculovirus expression might respond better to HCC immunotherapy. Our study identified a promising predictive viral signature for assessing clinical prognosis and guiding immunotherapy in HCC. Deltabaculovirus might be a suitable viral vector for oncolytic virus immunotherapy.

Understanding of Endomucin: a Multifaceted Glycoprotein Functionality in Vascular Inflammatory-Related Diseases, Bone Diseases and Cancers

Endomucin (MUC14), encoded by EMCN gene, is an O-glycosylated transmembrane mucin that is mainly found in venous endothelial cells (ECs) and highly expressed in type H vessels of bone tissue. Its main biological functions include promoting endothelial generation and migration through the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway and inhibiting the adhesion of inflammatory cells to ECs. In addition, it induces angiogenesis and promotes bone formation. Due to the excellent functions of Endomucin in the above aspects, it provides a new research target for the treatment of vascular inflammatory-related diseases and bone diseases. Based on the current understanding of its function, the research of Endomucin mainly focuses on the above two diseases. As it is known, the progression of cancer is closely related to angiogenesis. Endomucin recently is found to be differentially expressed in a variety of tumors and correlated with survival rate. The biological role of Endomucin in cancer is opaque. This article introduces the research progress of Endomucin in vascular inflammatory-related diseases and bone diseases, discusses its application value and prospect in the treatment, and collects the latest research situation of Endomucin in tumors, to provide meaningful evidence for expanding the research field of Endomucin.

Ferroptosis inhibitor alleviates sorafenib-induced cardiotoxicity by attenuating KLF11-mediated FSP1-dependent ferroptosis

Sorafenib is a standard first-line drug for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, but the serious cardiotoxic effects restrict its therapeutic applicability. Here, we show that iron-dependent ferroptosis plays a vital role in sorafenib-induced cardiotoxicity. Remarkably, our in vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that ferroptosis inhibitor application neutralized sorafenib-induced heart injury. By analyzing transcriptome profiles of adult human sorafenib-treated cardiomyocytes, we found that Krüppel-like transcription factor 11 (KLF11) expression significantly increased after sorafenib stimulation. Mechanistically, KLF11 promoted ferroptosis by suppressing transcription of ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1), a seminal breakthrough due to its ferroptosis-repressing properties. Moreover, FSP1 knockdown showed equivalent results to glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) knockdown, and FSP1 overexpression counteracted GPX4 inhibition-induced ferroptosis to a substantial extent. Cardiac-specific overexpression of FSP1 and silencing KLF11 by an adeno-associated virus serotype 9 markedly improved cardiac dysfunction in sorafenib-treated mice. In summary, FSP1-mediated ferroptosis is a crucial mechanism for sorafenib-provoked cardiotoxicity, and targeting ferroptosis may be a promising therapeutic strategy for alleviating sorafenib-induced cardiac damage.

A KRAS-Associated Signature for Prognostic, Immune and Chemical Anti-Cancer Drug-Response Prediction in Colon Cancer

Background: KRAS mutation, one of the most important biological processes in colorectal cancer, leads to poor prognosis in patients. Although studies on KRAS have concentrated for a long time, there are currently no ideal drugs against KRAS mutations. Methods: Different expression analysis and weighted gene coexpression network analysis was conducted to select candidate genes. Log-rank tests and Cox regression picked out the prognostic genes to build a KRAS-related gene prognostic score (KRGPS). A nomogram based on KRGPS was built to predict survival of clinical patients. Comprehensive analysis showed the prognosis, immune microenvironment and response to immune therapy and chemotherapy in KRGPS subgroups. Results: We collected a KRGPS from the set of two genes GJB6 and NTNG1, with low-KRGSP patients having better progression-free survival (PFS). Low KRGPS is correlated with high infiltration of activated NK cells, plasma cells and activated memory CD4 T cells and that these cells benefit more from immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. However, high KRGPS is associated with high infiltration of activated mast cells, pathways of immune dysregulation and a high ratio of TP53 and KRAS mutations. KRGPS subgroups are also sensitive to chemotherapy differently. A nomogram, established based on the KRGPS and pathological stage, predict 3- and 5-years PFS well. Conclusions: The KRAS-associated score acts as a promising signature to distinguish prognosis, molecular and immune characteristics, and benefits from immune and chemical therapy. These KRAS-associated genes could be promising targets for drug design.