Role of Extracellular Matrix in Development and Cancer Progression

Activity of ROCKII not ROCKI promotes pulmonary metastasis of melanoma cells via modulating Smad2/3-MMP9 and FAK-Src-VEGF signalling

Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase (ROCK) inhibition decreases tumourogenic growth, proliferation and angiogenesis. Multifaceted evidences are there about the role of ROCK in cancer progression, but isoform specific analysis in secondary pulmonary melanoma is still unaddressed. This study explored the operating function of ROCK in the metastasis of B16F10 mice melanoma cell line. Inhibition by KD-025 indicated dual wielding role of ROCKII as it is associated with the regulation of MMP9 activity responsible for extra-cellular matrix (ECM) degradation as well as angiogenic invasion as an effect of Src-FAK-STAT3 interaction dependent VEGF switching. We found the assisting role of ROCKII, not ROCKI in nuclear localization of Smads that effectively increased MMP9 expression and activity (p < 0.01). This cleaved the protein components of ECM thereby played a crucial role in tissue remodeling at secondary site during establishment of metastatic tumour. ROCKII phosphorylation at Ser¹³⁶⁶ as an activation of the same was imprinted essential for oncogenic molecular bagatelle leading to histo-architectural change of pulmonary tissue with extracellular matrix degradation as a consequence of invasion. Direct correlation of pROCKIISer¹³⁶⁶ with MMP9 as well as VEGF expression in vivo studies cue to demonstrate the importance of pROCKIISer¹³⁶⁶ inhibition in the context of angiogenesis, and metastasis suggesting ROCKII signaling as a possible target for the treatment of secondary lung cancer specially in metastatic melanoma.

Cellular Environment and Phenotypic Heterogeneity: How Data-Driven Modeling Finds the Smoking Gun

The cellular environment modifies cellular phenotypes, in particular, the stress response phenotype, which easily exhibits high phenotypic heterogeneity due to the common characteristics of its regulatory networks. The aim of this work is to quantify and interpret the impact of collagen type I, a major component of the cellular environment, on the phenotypic heterogeneity of the cellular response. Our approach combines in an original way the monitoring of the response of a single cell and the mathematical modeling of the network. After a detailed statistical description of the phenotypic heterogeneity of the cellular response, the mathematical modeling explains how the observed changes can be explained by an induced increase in the average expression of a central protein of the regulatory network. The predictions of the data-driven model are fully consistent with the biochemical measurements performed. The framework presented here is also a new general methodology to study phenotypic heterogeneity, although we focus here on the response to proteotoxic stress in HeLa cells.

Ordered micropattern arrays fabricated by lung-derived dECM hydrogels for chemotherapeutic drug screening

AIMS

This study aims to evaluate ECM-coated micropattern arrays derived from decellularization of native porcine lungs as a novel three-dimensional cell culture platform.

METHODS

ECM derived from decellularization of native porcine lungs was exploited to prepare hydrogels. Then, dECM-coated micropattern arrays were fabricated at four different diameters (50, 100, 150 and 200 ​μm) using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Two lung cancer cell lines, A549 and H1299, were tested on a dECM-coated micropattern array as a novel culture platform for cell adhesion, distribution, proliferation, viability, phenotype expression, and drug screening to evaluate the cytotoxicity of paclitaxel, doxorubicin and cisplatin.

RESULTS

The ECM derived from decellularization of native porcine lungs supported cell adhesion, distribution, viability and proliferation better than collagen I and Matrigel as the coated matrix on the surface. Moreover, the optimal diameter of the micropattern arrays was 100-150 ​μm, as determined by measuring the morphology, viability, proliferation and phenotype of the cancer cell spheroids. Cell spheroids of A549 and H1299 on dECM-coated micropattern arrays showed chemoresistance to anticancer drugs compared to that of the monolayer. The different distributions of HIF-1α, MCL-1 (in the center) and Ki-67 and MRP2 (in the periphery) of the spheroids demonstrated the good establishment of basal-lateral polarity and explained the chemoresistance phenomenon of spheroids.

CONCLUSIONS

This novel three-dimensional cell culture platform is stable and reliable for anticancer drug testing. Drug screening in dECM-coated micropattern arrays provides a powerful alternative to existing methods for drug testing and metabolic profiling in the drug discovery process.

An unexpected role for the conserved ADAM-family metalloprotease ADM-2 in Caenorhabditis elegans molting

Molting is a widespread developmental process in which the external extracellular matrix (ECM), the cuticle, is remodeled to allow for organismal growth and environmental adaptation. Studies in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans have identified a diverse set of molting-associated factors including signaling molecules, intracellular trafficking regulators, ECM components, and ECM-modifying enzymes such as matrix metalloproteases. C. elegans NEKL-2 and NEKL-3, two conserved members of the NEK family of protein kinases, are essential for molting and promote the endocytosis of environmental steroid-hormone precursors by the epidermis. Steroids in turn drive the cyclic induction of many genes required for molting. Here we report a role for the sole C. elegans ADAM–meltrin metalloprotease family member, ADM-2, as a mediator of molting. Loss of adm-2, including mutations that disrupt the metalloprotease domain, led to the strong suppression of molting defects in partial loss-of-function nekl mutants. ADM-2 is expressed in the epidermis, and its trafficking through the endo-lysosomal network was disrupted after NEKL depletion. We identified the epidermally expressed low-density lipoprotein receptor–related protein, LRP-1, as a candidate target of ADM-2 regulation. Whereas loss of ADM-2 activity led to the upregulation of apical epidermal LRP-1, ADM-2 overexpression caused a reduction in LRP-1 levels. Consistent with this, several mammalian ADAMs, including the meltrin ADAM12, have been shown to regulate mammalian LRP1 via proteolysis. In contrast to mammalian homologs, however, the regulation of LRP-1 by ADM-2 does not appear to involve the metalloprotease function of ADM-2, nor is proteolytic processing of LRP-1 strongly affected in adm-2 mutants. Our findings suggest a noncanonical role for an ADAM family member in the regulation of a lipoprotein-like receptor and lead us to propose that endocytic trafficking may be important for both the internalization of factors that promote molting as well as the removal of proteins that can inhibit the process.

The molecular and cellular features of molting in nematodes share many similarities with cellular and developmental processes that occur in mammals. This includes the degradation and reorganization of extracellular matrix materials that surround cells, as well as the intracellular machineries that allow cells to sample and modify their environments. In the current study, we found an unexpected function for a conserved protein that cleaves other proteins on the external surface of cells. Rather than promoting molting through extracellular matrix reorganization, however, the ADM-2 protease appears to function as a negative regulator of molting. This observation can be explained in part by data showing that ADM-2 negatively regulates a cell surface receptor required for molting. Surprisingly, it appears to do so through a mechanism that does not involve proteolysis. Our data provide insights into the mechanisms controlling molting and link several conserved proteins to show how they function together during development.

Macrophage-Derived Extracellular Vesicles: A Promising Tool for Personalized Cancer Therapy

The incidence of cancer is increasing dramatically, affecting all ages of the population and reaching an ever higher worldwide mortality rate. The lack of therapies' efficacy is due to several factors such as a delay in diagnosis, tumor regrowth after surgical resection and the occurrence of multidrug resistance (MDR). Tumor-associated immune cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME) deeply affect the tumor's progression, leading to several physicochemical changes compared to physiological conditions. In this scenario, macrophages play a crucial role, participating both in tumor suppression or progression based on the polarization of onco-suppressive M1 or pro-oncogenic M2 phenotypes. Moreover, much evidence supports the pivotal role of macrophage-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) as mediators in TME, because of their ability to shuttle the cell-cell and organ-cell communications, by delivering nucleic acids and proteins. EVs are lipid-based nanosystems with a broad size range distribution, which reflect a similar composition of native parent cells, thus providing a natural selectivity towards target sites. In this review, we discuss the impact of macrophage-derived EVs in the cancer's fate as well as their potential implications for the development of personalized anticancer nanomedicine.

Laminin-integrin a6b4 interaction activates notch signaling to facilitate bladder cancer development

Background

Laminins are high-molecular weight (400 ~ 900 kDa) proteins in extracellular matrix, which serve as major component of the basal lamina, and play a crucial role in promoting tumor cell migration. This study aimed at characterizing the role of laminin in promoting cancer development, and elucidating the mechanism of tumor progression driven by laminin-Notch signaling in bladder cancer.

Methods

2D collagen/laminin culture system was established and CCK-8/transwell assay was conducted to evaluate the proliferation/migration ability of Biu-87 and MB49 cells cultured on 2D gels. Activation of integrins-Notch1 signaling was determined by western blotting. Orthotopic bladder cancer mice model was established to assess the therapeutic effects of Notch inhibitor.

Results

Our study demonstrated that extracellular laminin can trigger tumor cell proliferation/migration through integrin α6β4/Notch1 signaling in bladder cancer. Inhibition of Telomere repeat-binding factor 3 (TRB3)/Jagged Canonical Notch Ligand 1 (JAG1) signaling suppressed Notch signals activation induced by laminin-integrin axis. In MB49 orthotopic bladder cancer mice model, Notch inhibitor SAHM1 efficiently improved tumor suppressive effects of chemotherapy and prolonged survival time of tumor-bearing mice.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we show that, in bladder cancer, extracellular laminin induced the activation of Notch pathway through integrin α6β4/TRB3/JAG3, and disclosed a novel role of laminin in bladder cancer cells proliferation or migration.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-09645-7.

Identification of immune-related lncRNA panel for predicting immune checkpoint blockade and prognosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Purpose

Immunotherapy is changing head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treatment pattern. According to the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) guidelines, immunotherapy has been deemed as first‐line recommendation for recurrent/metastatic HNSCC, marking that advanced HNSCC has officially entered the era of immunotherapy. Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) impact every step of cancer immunity. Therefore, reliable immune‐lncRNAs able to accurately predict the immune landscape and survival of HNSCC are crucial to clinical management.

Methods

In the current study, we downloaded the transcriptomic and clinical data of HNSCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas and identified differentially expressed immune‐related lncRNAs (DEir‐lncRNAs). Further then, Cox and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analyses were performed to identify proper DEir‐lncRNAs to construct optimal risk model. Low‐risk and high‐risk groups were classified based on the optimal cut‐off value generated by the areas under curve for receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC), and Kaplan–Meier survival curves were utilized to validate the prediction model. We then evaluated the model based on the clinical factors, immune cell infiltration, and chemotherapeutic and immunotherapeutic efficacy between two groups.

Results

In our study, we identified 256 Deir‐lncRNAs in HNSCC. A total of 18 Deir‐lncRNA pairs (consisting of 35 Deir‐lncRNAs) were used to construct a risk model significantly associated with survival of HNSCC. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis confirmed that our risk model could be served as an independent prognostic indicator. Besides, HNSCC patients with low‐risk score significantly enriched of CD8⁺ T cell, and corelated with high chemosensitivity and immunotherapeutic sensitivity.

Conclusion

Our risk model could be served as a promising clinical prediction indicator, effective discoursing of the immune cell infiltration of HNSCC patients, and distinguishing patients who could benefit from chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Assessing the impact of gestational age of donors on the efficacy of amniotic epithelial cell-derived extracellular vesicles in experimental bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Background and rationale

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a potential cell-free regenerative medicine. Human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs) are a viable source of cell therapy for diseases like bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). However, little is known about the impact of gestational age of the donor on the quality of hAEC-derived EVs.

Aims

To determine the impact of gestational age on hAEC-derived EVs in experimental BPD.

Results

Term hAEC-derived EVs displayed a significantly higher density of surface epitopes (CD142 and CD133) and induced greater macrophage phagocytosis compared to preterm hAEC-EVs. However, T cell proliferation was more significantly suppressed by preterm hAEC-EVs. Using a model of experimental BPD, we observed that term but not preterm hAEC-EVs improved tissue-to-airspace ratio and septal crest density. While both term and preterm hAEC-EVs reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines on postnatal day 7, the improvement in lung injury was associated with increased type II alveolar cells which was only observed in term hAEC-EV treatment group. Furthermore, only neonatal term hAEC-EVs reduced airway hyper-responsiveness, mitigated pulmonary hypertension and protected against right ventricular hypertrophy at 6 weeks of age.

Conclusion

Term hAEC-EVs, but not preterm hAEC-EVs, have therapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of BPD-like lung injury. Therefore, the impact of donor criteria should be considered when applying perinatal cells-derived EV therapy for clinical use.

RNA Sequencing of Tumor-Educated Platelets Reveals a Three-Gene Diagnostic Signature in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

There is no cost-effective, accurate, and non-invasive method for the detection of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in clinical practice. We aimed to investigate the diagnostic potential of tumor-educated platelets in ESCC. In this study, seventy-one ESCC patients and eighty healthy individuals were enrolled and divided into a training cohort (23 patients and 27 healthy individuals) and a validation cohort (48 patients and 53 healthy individuals). Next-generation RNA sequencing was performed on platelets isolated from peripheral blood of all participants, and a support vector machine/leave-one-out cross validation (SVM/LOOCV) approach was used for binary classification. A diagnostic signature composed of ARID1A, GTF2H2, and PRKRIR discriminated ESCC patients from healthy individuals with 91.3% sensitivity and 85.2% specificity in the training cohort and 87.5% sensitivity and 81.1% specificity in the validation cohort. The AUC was 0.924 (95% CI, 0.845–0.956) and 0.893 (95% CI, 0.821–0.966), respectively, in the training cohort and validation cohort. This 3-gene platelet RNA signature could effectively discriminate ESCC from healthy control. Our data highlighted the potential of tumor-educated platelets for the noninvasive diagnosis of ESCC. Moreover, we found that keratin and collagen protein families and ECM-related pathways might be involved in tumor progression and metastasis of ESCC, which might provide insights to understand ESCC pathobiology and advance novel therapeutics.

Mimicking Tumor Microenvironment by 3D Bioprinting: 3D Cancer Modeling

The tumor microenvironment typically comprises cancer cells, tumor vasculature, stromal components like fibroblasts, and host immune cells that assemble to support tumorigenesis. However, preexisting classic cancer models like 2D cell culture methods, 3D cancer spheroids, and tumor organoids seem to lack essential tumor microenvironment components. 3D bioprinting offers enormous advantages for developing in vitro tumor models by allowing user-controlled deposition of multiple biomaterials, cells, and biomolecules in a predefined architecture. This review highlights the recent developments in 3D cancer modeling using different bioprinting techniques to recreate the TME. 3D bioprinters enable fabrication of high-resolution microstructures to reproduce TME intricacies. Furthermore, 3D bioprinted models can be applied as a preclinical model for versatile research applications in the tumor biology and pharmaceutical industries. These models provide an opportunity to develop high-throughput drug screening platforms and can further be developed to suit individual patient requirements hence giving a boost to the field of personalized anti-cancer therapeutics. We underlined the various ways the existing studies have tried to mimic the TME, mimic the hallmark events of cancer growth and metastasis within the 3D bioprinted models and showcase the 3D drug-tumor interaction and further utilization of such models to develop personalized medicine.

Tuning Hydrogel Adhesivity and Degradability to Model the Influence of Premetastatic Niche Matrix Properties on Breast Cancer Dormancy and Reactivation

Dormant, disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) can persist for decades in secondary tissues before being reactivated to form tumors. The properties of the premetastatic niche can influence the DTC phenotype. To better understand how matrix properties of premetastatic niches influence DTC behavior, three hydrogel formulations are implemented to model a permissive niche and two nonpermissive niches. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based hydrogels with varying adhesivity ([RGDS]) and degradability ([N-vinyl pyrrolidinone]) are implemented to mimic a permissive niche with high adhesivity and degradability and two nonpermissive niches, one with moderate adhesivity and degradability and one with no adhesivity and high degradability. The influence of matrix properties on estrogen receptor positive (ER⁺ ) breast cancer cells (MCF7s) is determined via a multimetric analysis. MCF7s cultured in the permissive niche adopted a growth state, while those in the nonpermissive niche with reduced adhesivity and degradability underwent tumor mass dormancy. Complete removal of adhesivity while maintaining high degradability induced single cell dormancy. The ability to mimic reactivation of dormant cells through a dynamic increase in [RGDS] is also demonstrated. This platform provides the capability of inducing growth, dormancy, and reactivation of ER⁺  breast cancer and can be useful in understanding how premetastatic niche properties influence cancer cell fate.

Nidogen: A matrix protein with potential roles in musculoskeletal tissue regeneration

Basement membrane proteins are known to guide cell structures, differentiation, and tissue repair. Although there is a wealth of knowledge on the functions of laminins, perlecan, and type IV collagen in maintaining tissue homeostasis, not much is known about nidogen. As a key molecule in the basement membrane, nidogen contributes to the formation of a delicate microenvironment that proves necessary for stem cell lineage-specific differentiation. In this review, the expression of nidogen is delineated at both cellular and tissue levels from embryonic to adult stages of development; the effect of nidogens is also summarized in the context of musculoskeletal development and regeneration, including but not limited to adipogenesis, angiogenesis, chondrogenesis, myogenesis, and neurogenesis. Furthermore, potential mechanisms underlying the role of nidogens in stem cell-based tissue regeneration are also discussed. This concise review is expected to facilitate our existing understanding and utilization of nidogen in tissue engineering and regeneration.

Engineering complexity in human tissue models of cancer

Major progress in the understanding and treatment of cancer have tremendously improved our knowledge of this complex disease and improved the length and quality of patients' lives. Still, major challenges remain, in particular with respect to cancer metastasis which still escapes effective treatment and remains responsible for 90% of cancer related deaths. In recent years, the advances in cancer cell biology, oncology and tissue engineering converged into the engineered human tissue models of cancer that are increasingly recapitulating many aspects of cancer progression and response to drugs, in a patient-specific context. The complexity and biological fidelity of these models, as well as the specific questions they aim to investigate, vary in a very broad range. When selecting and designing these experimental models, the fundamental question is "how simple is complex enough" to accomplish a specific goal of cancer research. Here we review the state of the art in developing and using the human tissue models in cancer research and developmental drug screening. We describe the main classes of models providing different levels of biological fidelity and complexity, discuss their advantages and limitations, and propose a framework for designing an appropriate model for a given study. We close by outlining some of the current needs, opportunities and challenges in this rapidly evolving field.

Phenotypical, functional and transcriptomic comparison of two modified methods of hepatocyte differentiation from human induced pluripotent stem cells

Directed differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into hepatocytes could provide an unlimited source of liver cells, and therefore holds great promise for regenerative medicine, disease modeling, drug screening and toxicology studies. Various methods have been established during the past decade to differentiate human iPSCs into hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) using growth factors and/or small molecules. However, direct comparison of the differentiation efficiency and the quality of the final HLCs between different methods has rarely been reported. In the current study, two hepatocyte differentiation methods were devised, termed Method 1 and 2, through modifying existing well-known hepatocyte differentiation strategies, and the resultant cells were compared phenotypically and functionally at different stages of hepatocyte differentiation. Compared to Method 1, higher differentiation efficiency and reproducibility were observed in Method 2, which generated highly homogeneous functional HLCs at the end of the differentiation process. The cells exhibited morphology closely resembling primary human hepatocytes and expressed high levels of hepatic protein markers. More importantly, these HLCs demonstrated several essential characteristics of mature hepatocytes, including major serum protein (albumin, fibronectin and α-1 antitrypsin) secretion, urea release, glycogen storage and inducible cytochrome P450 activity. Further transcriptomic comparison of the HLCs derived from the two methods identified 1,481 differentially expressed genes (DEGs); 290 Gene Ontology terms in the biological process category were enriched by these genes, which were further categorized into 34 functional classes. Pathway analysis of the DEGs identified several signaling pathways closely involved in hepatocyte differentiation of pluripotent stem cells, including 'signaling pathways regulating pluripotency of stem cells', 'Wnt signaling pathway', 'TGF-beta signaling pathway' and 'PI3K-Akt signaling pathway'. These results may provide a molecular basis for the differences observed between the two differentiation methods and suggest ways to further improve hepatocyte differentiation in order to obtain more mature HLCs for biomedical applications.

Role of mechanosensitive channels/receptors in atherosclerosis

Mechanical forces are critical physical cues that can affect numerous cellular processes regulating the development, tissue maintenance, and functionality of cells. The contribution of mechanical forces is especially crucial in the vascular system where it is required for embryogenesis and for maintenance of physiological function in vascular cells including aortic endothelial cells, resident macrophages, and smooth muscle cells. Emerging evidence has also identified a role of these mechanical cues in pathological conditions of the vascular system such as atherosclerosis and associated diseases like hypertension. Of the different mechanotransducers, mechanosensitive ion channels/receptors are gaining prominence due to their involvement in numerous physiological and pathological conditions. However, only a handful of potential mechanosensory ion channels/receptors have been shown to be involved in atherosclerosis, and their precise role in disease development and progression remains poorly understood. Here, we provide a comprehensive account of recent studies investigating the role of mechanosensitive ion channels/receptors in atherosclerosis. We discuss the different groups of mechanosensitive proteins and their specific roles in inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, macrophage foam cell formation, and lesion development, which are crucial for the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Results of the studies discussed here will help in developing an understanding of the current state of mechanobiology in vascular diseases, specifically in atherosclerosis, which may be important for the development of innovative and targeted therapeutics for this disease.

Ordered micropattern arrays fabricated by lung-derived dECM hydrogels for chemotherapeutic drug screening

Aims

This study aims to evaluate ECM-coated micropattern arrays derived from decellularization of native porcine lungs as a novel three-dimensional cell culture platform.

Methods

ECM derived from decellularization of native porcine lungs was exploited to prepare hydrogels. Then, dECM-coated micropattern arrays were fabricated at four different diameters (50, 100, 150 and 200 ​μm) using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Two lung cancer cell lines, A549 and H1299, were tested on a dECM-coated micropattern array as a novel culture platform for cell adhesion, distribution, proliferation, viability, phenotype expression, and drug screening to evaluate the cytotoxicity of paclitaxel, doxorubicin and cisplatin.

Results

The ECM derived from decellularization of native porcine lungs supported cell adhesion, distribution, viability and proliferation better than collagen I and Matrigel as the coated matrix on the surface. Moreover, the optimal diameter of the micropattern arrays was 100–150 ​μm, as determined by measuring the morphology, viability, proliferation and phenotype of the cancer cell spheroids. Cell spheroids of A549 and H1299 on dECM-coated micropattern arrays showed chemoresistance to anticancer drugs compared to that of the monolayer. The different distributions of HIF-1α, MCL-1 (in the center) and Ki-67 and MRP2 (in the periphery) of the spheroids demonstrated the good establishment of basal-lateral polarity and explained the chemoresistance phenomenon of spheroids.

Conclusions

This novel three-dimensional cell culture platform is stable and reliable for anticancer drug testing. Drug screening in dECM-coated micropattern arrays provides a powerful alternative to existing methods for drug testing and metabolic profiling in the drug discovery process.

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Lung dECM hydrogels can be used as a beneficial coating matrix for supporting cell adhesion, viability and proliferation.

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Ordered micropattern arrays provide a novel platform for spheroid formation, phenotype expression and drug screening.

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The heterogeneous distributions of the cancer spheroids established basal-lateral polarity and explained the chemoresistance.

Identification, function, and biological relevance of POGLUT2 and POGLUT3

O-glycosylation of Epidermal Growth Factor-like (EGF) repeats plays crucial roles in protein folding, trafficking and function. The Notch extracellular domain has been used as a model to study these mechanisms due to its many O-glycosylated EGF repeats. Three enzymes were previously known to O-glycosylate Notch EGF repeats: Protein O-Glucosyltransferase 1 (POGLUT1), Protein O-Fucosyltransferase 1 (POFUT1), and EGF Domain Specific O-Linked N-Acetylglucosamine Transferase (EOGT). All of these modifications affect Notch activity. Recently, POGLUT2 and POGLUT3 were identified as two novel O-glucosyltransferases that modify a few Notch EGF repeats at sites distinct from those modified by POGLUT1. Comparison of these modification sites revealed a putative consensus sequence which predicted modification of many extracellular matrix proteins including fibrillins (FBNs) and Latent TGFβ-binding proteins (LTBPs). Glycoproteomic analysis revealed that approximately half of the 47 EGF repeats in FBN1 and FBN2, and half of the 18 EGF repeats in LTBP1, are modified by POGLUT2 and/or POGLUT3. Cellular assays showed that loss of modifications by POGLUT2 and/or POGLUT3 significantly reduces FBN1 secretion. There is precedent for EGF modifications to affect protein-protein interactions, as has been demonstrated by research of POGLUT1 and POFUT1 modifications on Notch. Here we discuss the identification and characterization of POGLUT2 and POGLUT3 and the ongoing research that continues to elucidate the biological significance of these novel enzymes.

Type XX Collagen Is Elevated in Circulation of Patients with Solid Tumors

In the tumor microenvironment, the extracellular matrix (ECM) has been recognized as an important part of cancer development. The dominant ECM proteins are the 28 types of collagens, each with a unique function in tissue architecture. Type XX collagen, however, is poorly characterized, and little is known about its involvement in cancer. We developed an ELISA quantifying type XX collagen, named PRO-C20, using a monoclonal antibody raised against the C-terminus. PRO-C20 and PRO-C1, an ELISA targeting the N-terminal pro-peptide of type I collagen, was measured in sera of 219 patients with various solid cancer types and compared to sera levels of 33 healthy controls. PRO-C20 was subsequently measured in a separate cohort comprising 36 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and compared to 20 healthy controls and 11 patients with chronic pancreatitis. PRO-C20 was significantly elevated in all cancers tested: bladder, breast, colorectal, head and neck, kidney, lung, melanoma, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, and stomach cancer (p < 0.01−p < 0.0001). PRO-C1 was only elevated in patients with ovarian cancer. PRO-C20 could discriminate between patients and healthy controls with AUROC values ranging from 0.76 to 0.92. Elevated levels were confirmed in a separate cohort of patients with PDAC (p < 0.0001). High PRO-C20 levels (above 2.57 nM) were predictive of poor survival after adjusting for the presence of metastasis, age, and sex (HR: 4.25, 95% CI: 1.52−11.9, p-value: 0.006). Circulating type XX collagen is elevated in sera of patients with various types of cancer and has prognostic value in PDAC. If validated, PRO-C20 may be a novel biomarker for patients with solid tumors and can help understand the ECM biology of cancer.

Recent research advances of the biomimetic tumor microenvironment and regulatory factors on microfluidic devices: A systematic review

Tumor microenvironment is a multicomponent system consisting of tumor cells, noncancer cells, extracellular matrix, and signaling molecules, which hosts tumor cells with integrated biophysical and biochemical elements. Because of its critical involvement in tumor genesis, invasion, metastasis, and resistance, the tumor microenvironment is emerging as a hot topic of tumor biology and a prospective therapeutic target. Unfortunately, the complex of microenvironment modeling in vitro is technically challenging and does not effectively generalize the local tumor tissue milieu. Recently, significant advances in microfluidic technologies have provided us with an approach to imitate physiological systems that can be utilized to mimic the characterization of tumor responses with pathophysiological relevance in vitro. In this review, we highlight the recent progress and innovations in microfluidic technology that facilitates the tumor microenvironment study. We also discuss the progress and future perspective of microfluidic bionic approaches with high efficiency for the study of tumor microenvironment and the challenges encountered in cancer research, drug discovery, and personalized therapy.

Unraveling Cancer Metastatic Cascade Using Microfluidics-based Technologies

Cancer has long been a leading cause of death. The primary tumor, however, is not the main cause of death in more than 90% of cases. It is the complex process of metastasis that makes cancer deadly. The invasion metastasis cascade is the multi-step biological process of cancer cell dissemination to distant organ sites and adaptation to the new microenvironment site. Unraveling the metastasis process can provide great insight into cancer death prevention or even treatment. Microfluidics is a promising platform, that provides a wide range of applications in metastasis-related investigations. Cell culture microfluidic technologies for in vitro modeling of cancer tissues with fluid flow and the presence of mechanical factors have led to the organ-on-a-chip platforms. Moreover, microfluidic systems have also been exploited for capturing and characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) that provide crucial information on the metastatic behavior of a tumor. We present a comprehensive review of the recent developments in the application of microfluidics-based systems for analysis and understanding of the metastasis cascade from a wider perspective.

Epigenetic alterations at distal enhancers are linked to proliferation in human breast cancer

Aberrant DNA methylation is an early event in breast carcinogenesis and plays a critical role in regulating gene expression. Here, we perform genome-wide expression-methylation Quantitative Trait Loci (emQTL) analysis through the integration of DNA methylation and gene expression to identify disease-driving pathways under epigenetic control. By grouping the emQTLs using biclustering we identify associations representing important biological processes associated with breast cancer pathogenesis including regulation of proliferation and tumor-infiltrating fibroblasts. We report genome-wide loss of enhancer methylation at binding sites of proliferation-driving transcription factors including CEBP-β, FOSL1, and FOSL2 with concomitant high expression of proliferation-related genes in aggressive breast tumors as we confirm with scRNA-seq. The identified emQTL-CpGs and genes were found connected through chromatin loops, indicating that proliferation in breast tumors is under epigenetic regulation by DNA methylation. Interestingly, the associations between enhancer methylation and proliferation-related gene expression were also observed within known subtypes of breast cancer, suggesting a common role of epigenetic regulation of proliferation. Taken together, we show that proliferation in breast cancer is linked to loss of methylation at specific enhancers and transcription factor binding and gene activation through chromatin looping.

Tumor Microenvironment Shapes Colorectal Cancer Progression, Metastasis, and Treatment Responses

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most devastating diseases that accounts for numerous deaths worldwide. Tumor cell-autonomous pathways, such as the oncogenic signaling activation, significantly contribute to CRC progression and metastasis. Recent accumulating evidence suggests that the CRC microenvironment also profoundly promotes or represses this process. As the roles of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in CRC progression and metastasis is gradually uncovered, the importance of these non-cell-autonomous signaling pathways is appreciated. However, we are still at the beginning of this TME function exploring process. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the TME in CRC progression and metastasis by focusing on the gut microbiota and host cellular and non-cellular components. We also briefly discuss TME-remodeling therapies in CRC.

Microsphere sensors for characterizing stress fields within three-dimensional extracellular matrix

Stress in the three-dimensional extracellular matrix is one of the key cues in regulating multiscale biological processes. Thus far, noticeable progress in methods and techniques (e.g., micropipette aspiration, AFM, and molecule probes) has been made to quantify stress in cell microenvironment at different length scales. Among them, the microsphere sensor-based method (MSS-based method) has emerged as an advantageous approach over conventional techniques in quantifying stress in situ and in vivo at cellular and supra-cellular scales. This method is implemented by seven sequential steps, including fabrication, modification, characterization, cell adhesion, imaging, displacement field extraction and stress calculation. Precise control of each step and inter-tunning between steps can provide quantitative characterization of stress field. However, detailed procedural information associated with each step and process has been scattered. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of MSS-based method, systematically summarizing the principles and research progresses. Firstly, the basic principles are introduced, and the specific experiment and calculation processes of MSS-based method are presented in detail. Then, recent advances and applications of this method are summarized. Finally, perspectives of the limitations and development trends of MSS-based method are discussed. This specific and comprehensive review would provide a guideline for the widespread application of MSS-based method as an advantageous method for in situ and in vivo stress characterization at cellular and supra-cellular scale within three-dimensional extracellular matrix. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: In this review, a method based on a microsphere sensor (MSS-based method) as an advantageous approach over conventional techniques in quantifying stress in situ and in vivo at cellular and supra-cellular scales is introduced and discussed. This technique is implemented by seven sequential steps, including fabrication, modification, characterization, cell junction, imaging, displacement field extraction, and stress calculation. Precise control of each step and inter-tunning between steps can provide quantitative stress field. However, detailed procedural information associated with each step has been scattered. Thus, a comprehensive review collating recent advances and perspective discussions is a necessity to introduce a better option for quantifying the stress field in biological processes at the cellular and supra-cellular scales.

Comprehensive Analysis of an Individualized Immune-Related lncRNA Pair Signature in Gastric Cancer

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have diverse functions, including immune regulation. Increasing studies have reported immune-related lncRNAs in the prognosis of multiple cancers. In this study, we developed an individualized signature containing 13 immune-related lncRNA pairs (IRLPs) which could predict the overall survival, disease-free survival, progression-free survival, and disease-specific survival of gastric cancer (GC) patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort, and internal and external validations, signature comparisons, and subgroup analyses further confirmed its superiority, stability, and generalizability. Notably, this signature also showed good applicability in discriminating the prognosis of pan-cancer patients. Then, we constructed and validated a nomogram for overall survival based on the signature and clinical factors, which allowed more accurate predictions of GC prognosis. In addition, we revealed that the low survival rate of patients with high-risk scores may be due to their aggressive clinical features, enriched cancer-related signaling pathways, the infiltration of specific immunosuppressive cells, and low tumor mutation burden. We further predicted obviously worse immunotherapeutic responses in the high-risk groups and identified some candidate compounds targeting GC risk group differentiation. This signature based on the IRLPs may be promising for predicting the survival outcomes and immunotherapeutic responses of GC patients in clinical practice.

Identification and Quantification of Iron Metabolism Landscape on Therapy and Prognosis in Bladder Cancer

The morbidity of bladder cancer (BLCA) is high and has gradually elevated in recent years. BLCA is also characterized by high recurrence and high invasiveness. Due to the drug resistance and lack of effective prognostic indicators, the prognosis of patients with BLCA is greatly affected. Iron metabolism is considered to be a pivot of tumor occurrence, progression, and tumor microenvironment (TME) in tumors, but there is little research in BLCA. Herein, we used univariate COX regression analysis to screen 95 prognosis-related iron metabolism-related genes (IMRGs) according to transcription RNA sequencing and prognosis information of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. TCGA-BLCA cohort was clustered into four distinct iron metabolism patterns (C1, C2, C3, and C4) by the non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm. Survival analysis showed that C1 and C3 patterns had a better prognosis. Gene set variant analysis (GSVA) revealed that C2 and C4 patterns were mostly enriched in carcinogenic and immune activation pathways. ESTIMATE and single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) also confirmed the level of immune cell infiltration in C2 and C4 patterns was significantly elevated. Moreover, the immune checkpoint genes in C2 and C4 patterns were observably overexpressed. Studies on somatic mutations showed that the tumor mutation burden (TMB) of C1 and C4 patterns was the lowest. Chemotherapy response assessment revealed that C2 pattern was the most sensitive to chemotherapy, while C3 pattern was the most insensitive. Then we established the IMRG prognosis signature (IMRGscore) by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), including 13 IMRGs (TCIRG1, CTSE, ATP6V0A1, CYP2C8, RNF19A, CYP4Z1, YPEL5, PLOD1, BMP6, CAST, SCD, IFNG, and ASIC3). We confirmed IMRGscore could be utilized as an independent prognostic indicator. Therefore, validation and quantification of iron metabolism landscapes will help us comprehend the formation of the BLCA immunosuppressive microenvironment, guide the selection of chemotherapeutic drugs and immunotherapy, and predict the prognosis of patients.

The Matrisome Is Associated with Metabolic Reprograming in Stem-like Phenotypes of Gastric Cancer

Simple Summary

Our results suggested a correlation between the metabolic reprogramming associated with the high-matrisome group and stem-like phenotype in gastric cancer. Carbohydrate sulfotransferase 7 was found to be associated with the signaling transduction of overexpressed oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in the high-matrisome group. The high expression of glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis-chondroitin sulfate metabolic pathway genes was associated with poor prognosis.

Abstract

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an important regulator of all cellular functions, and the matrisome represents a major component of the tumor microenvironment. The matrisome is an essential component comprising genes encoding ECM glycoproteins, collagens, and proteoglycans; however, its role in cancer progression and the development of stem-like molecular subtypes in gastric cancer is unknown. We analyzed gastric cancer data from five molecular subtypes (n = 497) and found that metabolic reprograming differs based on the state of the matrisome. Approximately 95% of stem-like cancer type samples of gastric cancer were in the high-matrisome category, and energy metabolism was considerably increased in the high-matrisome group. Particularly, high glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis-chondroitin sulfate metabolic reprograming was associated with an unfavorable prognosis. Glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis-chondroitin sulfate metabolic reprograming may occur according to the matrisome status and contribute to the development of stem-like phenotypes. Our analysis suggests the possibility of precision medicine for anticancer therapies.

The Interplay between Cell-Extracellular Matrix Interaction and Mitochondria Dynamics in Cancer

The tumor microenvironment, in particular the extracellular matrix (ECM), plays a pivotal role in controlling tumor initiation and progression. In particular, the interaction between cancer cells and the ECM promotes cancer cell growth and invasion, leading to the formation of distant metastasis. Alterations in cancer cell metabolism is a key hallmark of cancer, which is often associated with alterations in mitochondrial dynamics. Recent research highlighted that, changes in mitochondrial dynamics are associated with cancer migration and metastasis-these has been extensively reviewed elsewhere. However, less is known about the interplay between the extracellular matrix and mitochondria functions. In this review, we will highlight how ECM remodeling associated with tumorigenesis contribute to the regulation of mitochondrial function, ultimately promoting cancer cell metabolic plasticity, able to fuel cancer invasion and metastasis.

Discoidin Domain Receptor 2 Expression as Worse Prognostic Marker in Invasive Breast Cancer

Discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR2) is arising as a promising therapeutic target in breast carcinoma (BC). The ability of DDR2 to bind to collagen promotes protumoral responses in cancer cells that influence the tumor microenvironment (TME). Nonetheless, the interrelation between DDR2 expression and TME modulation during BC progression remains poorly known. For this reason, we aim to evaluate the correlation between intratumoral expression of DDR2 and the infiltration of the main TME cell populations, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). First, collagen and DDR2 expression levels were analyzed in human invasive BC samples. Then, DDR2 status correlation with tumor aggressiveness and patient survival were retrieved from different databases. Subsequently, the main pathways, cell types, and tissues correlated with DDR2 expression in BC were obtained through bioinformatics approach. Finally, we studied the association of DDR2 expression with the recruitment of CAFs and TAMs. Our findings showed that, together with the expected overexpression of TME markers, DDR2 was upregulated in tumor samples. Besides, we uncovered that altered TME markers were linked to DDR2 expression in invasive BC patients. Consequently, DDR2 modulates the stromal reaction through CAFs and TAMs infiltration and could be used as a potential worse prognostic factor in the treatment response of invasive BC.

Decellularized Pig Kidney with a Micro-Nano Secondary Structure Contributes to Tumor Progression in 3D Tumor Model

In spite of many anti-cancer drugs utilized in clinical treatment, cancer is still one of the diseases with the highest morbidity and mortality worldwide, owing to the complexity and heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment. Compared with conventional 2D tumor models, 3D scaffolds could provide structures and a microenvironment which stimulate native tumor tissues more accurately. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is the main component of the cell in the microenvironment that is mainly composed of three-dimensional nanofibers, which can form nanoscale fiber networks, while the decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) has been widely applied to engineered scaffolds. In this study, pig kidney was used as the source material to prepare dECM scaffolds. A chemical crosslinking method was used to improve the mechanical properties and other physical characteristics of the decellularized pig kidney-derived scaffold. Furthermore, a human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) was used to further investigate the biocompatibility of the scaffold to fabricate a tumor model. The results showed that the existence of nanostructures in the scaffold plays an important role in cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. Therefore, the pig kidney-derived matrix scaffold prepared by decellularization could provide more cell attachment sites, which is conducive to cell adhesion and proliferation, physiological activities, and tumor model construction.

Modulation of Cell-Cycle Progression by Hydrogen Peroxide-Mediated Cross-Linking and Degradation of Cell-Adhesive Hydrogels

The cell cycle is known to be regulated by features such as the mechanical properties of the surrounding environment and interaction of cells with the adhering substrates. Here, we investigated the possibility of regulating cell-cycle progression of the cells on gelatin/hyaluronic acid composite hydrogels obtained through hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-mediated cross-linking and degradation of the polymers by varying the exposure time to H₂O₂ contained in the air. The stiffness of the hydrogel varied with the exposure time. Human cervical cancer cells (HeLa) and mouse mammary gland epithelial cells (NMuMG) expressing cell-cycle reporter Fucci2 showed the exposure-time-dependent different cell-cycle progressions on the hydrogels. Although HeLa/Fucci2 cells cultured on the soft hydrogel (Young’s modulus: 0.20 and 0.40 kPa) obtained through 15 min and 120 min of the H₂O₂ exposure showed a G2/M-phase arrest, NMuMG cells showed a G1-phase arrest. Additionally, the cell-cycle progression of NMuMG cells was not only governed by the hydrogel stiffness, but also by the low-molecular-weight HA resulting from H₂O₂-mediated degradation. These results indicate that H₂O₂-mediated cross-linking and degradation of gelatin/hyaluronic acid composite hydrogel could be used to control the cell adhesion and cell-cycle progression.

Targeting Type I Collagen for Cancer Treatment

Collagen is the most abundant protein in animals. Interactions between tumor cells and collagen influence every step of tumor development. Type I collagen is the main fibrillar collagen in the extracellular matrix and is frequently up-regulated during tumorigenesis. The binding of type I collagen to its receptors on tumor cells promotes tumor cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and metastasis. Type I collagen also regulates the efficacy of tumor therapies, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. Furthermore, type I collagen fragments are diagnostic markers of metastatic tumors and have prognostic value. Inhibition of type I collagen synthesis has been reported to have anti-tumor effects in animal models. However, collagen has also been shown to possess anti-tumor activity. Therefore, the roles that type I collagen plays in tumor biology are complex and tumor type-dependent. In this review, we discuss the expression and regulation of synthesis of type I collagen, as well as the role up-regulated type I collagen plays in various stages of cancer progression. We also discuss the role of collagen in tumor therapy. Finally, we highlight several recent approaches targeting type I collagen for cancer treatment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Identification of Significant Genes and Pathways Associated with Tenascin-C in Cancer Progression by Bioinformatics Analysis

Background

Tenascin-C (TNC) is a large glycoprotein of the extracellular matrix which associated with poor clinical outcomes in several malignancies. TNC over-expression is repeatedly observed in several cancer tissues and promotes several processes in tumor progression. Until quite recently, more needs to be known about the potential mechanisms of TNC as a key player in cancer progression and metastasis.

Materials and Methods

In the present study, we performed a bioinformatics analysis of breast and colorectal cancer expression microarray data to survey TNC role and function with holistic view. Gene expression profiles were analyzed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between normal samples and cancer biopsy samples. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks of the DEGs with CluePedia plugin of Cytoscape software were constructed. Furthermore, after PPI network construction, gene-regulatory networks analysis was performed to predict long noncoding RNAs and microRNAs associated with TNC and cluster analysis was performed. Using the Clue gene ontology (GO) plugin of Cytoscape software, the GO and pathway enrichment analysis were performed.

Results

PPI and DEGs-miRNA-lncRNA regulatory networks showed TNC is a significant node in a huge network, and one of the main gene with high centrality parameters. Furthermore, from the regulatory level perspective, TNC could be significantly impressed by miR-335-5p. GO analysis results showed that TNC was significantly enriched in cancer-related biological processes.

Conclusions

It is important to identify the TNC underlying molecular mechanisms in cancer progression, which may be clinically useful for tumor-targeting strategies. Bioinformatics analysis provides an insight into the significant roles that TNC plays in cancer progression scenarios.

Reductionist Three-Dimensional Tumor Microenvironment Models in Synthetic Hydrogels

Simple Summary

Tumors exist in a complex, three-dimensional environment which helps them to survive, grow, metastasize, and resist drug treatment. Simple, reproducible, in vitro models of this environment are necessary in order to better understand tumor behavior. Naturally derived polymers are great 3D cell culture substrates, but they often lack the tunability and batch-to-batch consistency which can be found in synthetic polymer systems. In this review, we describe the current state of and future directions for tumor microenvironment models in synthetic hydrogels.

Abstract

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a determining role in everything from disease progression to drug resistance. As such, in vitro models which can recapitulate the cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions that occur in situ are key to the investigation of tumor behavior and selecting effective therapeutic drugs. While naturally derived matrices can retain the dimensionality of the native TME, they lack tunability and batch-to-batch consistency. As such, many synthetic polymer systems have been employed to create physiologically relevant TME cultures. In this review, we discussed the common semi-synthetic and synthetic polymers used as hydrogel matrices for tumor models. We reviewed studies in synthetic hydrogels which investigated tumor cell interactions with vasculature and immune cells. Finally, we reviewed the utility of these models as chemotherapeutic drug-screening platforms, as well as the future directions of the field.

KDF1 Promoted Proliferation and Metastasis of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer via Wnt/Beta-Catenin Pathway: TCGA-Based Data Mining and Experimental Validation

Objectives: It has been reported that keratinocyte differentiation factor 1 (KDF1) was related to proliferation, differentiation, and cell cycle. However, the role of KDF1 has not been reported in ovarian cancer. The present study investigated the function and the potential mechanism of KDF1 in ovarian cancer.

Methods: We evaluated the prognostic value in ovarian cancer based on data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The Kruskal–Wallis test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and logistic regression were used to evaluate the relationship between KDF1 expression and clinicopathologic features. The Cox regression and the Kaplan–Meier method were adopted to evaluate prognosis-related factors. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) gene enrichment analysis, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were performed to identify the key biological process related to KDF1. Then the expression of KDF1 in ovarian cancer tissues was validated by streptavidin–peroxidase (SP) immunohistochemistry. The proliferation and invasion ability of KDF1 were determined by EdU and Transwell assay, respectively, with KDF1 gene silencing and overexpression. The mRNA expression of KDF1 was determined by qPCR. The protein expression of KDF1 was determined using the Western blot.

Methods: By performing differential expression analysis on the ovarian cancer data of the TCGA database, it was found that KDF1 is highly expressed in ovarian cancer patients and associated with poorer overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of ovarian cancer patients. The highly expressed KDF1 may reduce cell adhesion according to GO, KEGG, and GSEA results. After analysis combining the relevant clinical features, we found that the high expression of KDF1 is an independent prognostic factor of ovarian cancer and associated with platinum resistance and tumor metastasis in ovarian cancer. At the same time, the BioGRID database showed that there might be protein–protein interaction between KDF1 and E-cadherin. Then we further validated that the high expression of KDF1 had a close correlation with the stage and grade of ovarian cancer in ovarian cancer tissue chips. Silencing KDF1 inhibited the proliferation and invasion ability of SKOV3 cells. By contrast, ectopic expression of KDF1 promoted the proliferation and invasion ability of A2780 cells. We also found that KDF1 can interact with E-cadherin and regulate the expression of Wnt5A and β-catenin, hence activating Wnt/β-catenin pathway via in vitro and vivo experiments.

Conclusions: Based on the bioinformatics analysis, in vitro experiments, and an in vivo study, it is indicated that KDF1 played an important role in ovarian cancer progression and might be a therapeutic target for patients with ovarian cancer.

Transcriptomic comparison of ovarian granulosa cells between adult sheep and prepubertal lambs

BACKGROUND

The oocyte development ability of prepubertal animals is significantly lower than that of adult animals. Granulosa cells (GCs) have an important function on regulation of follicular and oocyte development. Therefore, analysis of GC characteristics can be used to explore the developmental mechanism of follicles and oocytes.

RESULTS

In order to understand the possible reasons for the differences in follicle and oocyte development between lambs and adult sheep, we utilized high-throughput sequencing technique to analyze the transcriptome of GCs from follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) superstimulated adult ewes and prepubertal lambs. Adult ewes were treated with FSH for 3 days (group A) and lambs were FSH-treated for 2 days (group B) or 3 days (group C). Transcriptome analysis of GCs showed that there were 405 and 159 differentially expressed genes from A vs. B and A vs. C, respectively. The results indicated that prolonging the FSH-treatment of lambs made the GC state of lambs more similar to the adult ewes, but there were still a large number of differentially expressed genes between adult ewes and lambs. Further analysis showed that many differently expressed genes were implicated in cell proliferation and apoptosis, oocyte development and follicular ovulation. Cellular examination demonstrated that fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4), which was highly expressed in lamb GCs, had a potential of promoting cell apoptosis. Cytoplasmic phospholipase A2 (PLA2G4A), which was expressed lowly in lamb GCs, may be responsible for reduced synthesis of prostaglandins in cells and impaired follicle/oocyte development. In contrast, glutathione S-transferase β-1 (GSTT2B) and forkhead boxO6 (FOXO6) had no apparent effect on the proliferation and apoptosis of GCs.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study found dramatic transcriptomic differences in GCs between lambs and adult sheep, which may explain the possible reasons for the defects of follicle and oocyte development in lambs compared to adult sheep. Our data provides important information for further understanding the mechanism of follicular development in prepubertal animals and improving their oocyte developmental competence.

The Impact of Obesity, Adipose Tissue, and Tumor Microenvironment on Macrophage Polarization and Metastasis

Tumor metastasis is a major cause of death in cancer patients. It involves not only the intrinsic alterations within tumor cells, but also crosstalk between these cells and components of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Tumorigenesis is a complex and dynamic process, involving the following three main stages: initiation, progression, and metastasis. The transition between these stages depends on the changes within the extracellular matrix (ECM), in which tumor and stromal cells reside. This matrix, under the effect of growth factors, cytokines, and adipokines, can be morphologically altered, degraded, or reorganized. Many cancers evolve to form an immunosuppressive TME locally and create a pre-metastatic niche in other tissue sites. TME and pre-metastatic niches include myofibroblasts, immuno-inflammatory cells (macrophages), adipocytes, blood, and lymphatic vascular networks. Several studies have highlighted the adipocyte-macrophage interaction as a key driver of cancer progression and dissemination. The following two main classes of macrophages are distinguished: M1 (pro-inflammatory/anti-tumor) and M2 (anti-inflammatory/pro-tumor). These cells exhibit distinct microenvironment-dependent phenotypes that can promote or inhibit metastasis. On the other hand, obesity in cancer patients has been linked to a poor prognosis. In this regard, tumor-associated adipocytes modulate TME through the secretion of inflammatory mediators, which modulate and recruit tumor-associated macrophages (TAM). Hereby, this review describes the cellular and molecular mechanisms that link inflammation, obesity, and cancer. It provides a comprehensive overview of adipocytes and macrophages in the ECM as they control cancer initiation, progression, and invasion. In addition, it addresses the mechanisms of tumor anchoring and recruitment for M1, M2, and TAM macrophages, specifically highlighting their origin, classification, polarization, and regulatory networks, as well as their roles in the regulation of angiogenesis, invasion, metastasis, and immunosuppression, specifically highlighting the role of adipocytes in this process.

Identification of a novel m6A-related lncRNA pair signature for predicting the prognosis of gastric cancer patients

Background

Accumulating studies have demonstrated that lncRNAs play vital roles in the prognosis of gastric cancer (GC); however, the prognostic value of N6-methyladenosine-related lncRNAs has not been fully reported in GC. This study aimed to construct and validate an m6A-related lncRNA pair signature (m6A-LPS) for predicting the prognosis of GC patients.

Methods

GC cohort primary data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas. We analysed the coexpression of m6A regulators and lncRNAs to identify m6A-related lncRNAs. Based on cyclical single pairing along with a 0-or-1 matrix and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator-penalized regression analyses, we constructed a novel prognostic signature of m6A-related lncRNA pairs with no dependence upon specific lncRNA expression levels. All patients were divided into high-risk and low-risk group based on the median risk score. The predictive reliability was evaluated in the testing dataset and whole dataset with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Gene set enrichment analysis was used to identify potential pathways.

Results

Fourteen m6A-related lncRNA pairs consisting of 25 unique lncRNAs were used to construct the m6A-LPS. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that the high-risk group had poor prognosis. The area under the curve for 5-year overall survival was 0.906, 0.827, and 0.882 in the training dataset, testing dataset, and whole dataset, respectively, meaning that the m6A-LPS was highly accurate in predicting GC patient prognosis. The m6A-LPS served as an independent prognostic factor for GC patients after adjusting for other clinical factors (p < 0.05). The m6A-LPS had more accuracy and a higher ROC value than other prognostic models for GC. Functional analysis revealed that high-risk group samples mainly showed enrichment of extracellular matrix receptor interactions and focal adhesion. Moreover, N-cadherin and vimentin, known biomarkers of epithelial–mesenchymal transition, were highly expressed in high-risk group samples. The immune infiltration analysis showed that resting dendritic cells, monocytes, and resting memory CD4 T cells were significantly positively related to the risk score. Thus, m6A-LPS reflected the infiltration of several types of immune cells.

Conclusions

The signature established by pairing m6A-related lncRNAs regardless of expression levels showed high and independent clinical prediction value in GC patients.

Transcriptomic and proteomic insights into patulin mycotoxin-induced cancer-like phenotypes in normal intestinal epithelial cells

Patulin (PAT) is a natural contaminant of fruits (primarily apples) and their products. Significantly, high levels of contamination have been found in fruit juices all over the world. Several in vitro studies have demonstrated PAT's ability to alter intestinal structure and function. However, in real life, the probability of low dose long-term exposure to PAT to humans is significantly higher through contaminated food items. Thus, in the present study, we have exposed normal intestinal cells to non-toxic levels of PAT for 16 weeks and observed that PAT had the ability to cause cancer-like properties in normal intestinal epithelial cells after chronic exposure. Here, our results showed that chronic exposure to low doses of PAT caused enhanced proliferation, migration and invasion ability, and the capability to grow in soft agar (anchorage independence). Moreover, an in vivo study showed the appearance of colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACFs) in PAT-exposed Wistar rats, which are well, establish markers for early colon cancer. Furthermore, as these neoplastic changes are consequences of alterations at the molecular level, here, we combined next-generation RNA sequencing with liquid chromatography mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis to investigate the possible underlying mechanisms involved in PAT-induced neoplastic changes.

The Induced Expression of BPV E4 Gene in Equine Adult Dermal Fibroblast Cells as a Potential Model of Skin Sarcoid-like Neoplasia

The equine sarcoid is one of the most common neoplasias in the Equidae family. Despite the association of this tumor with the presence of bovine papillomavirus (BPV), the molecular mechanism of this lesion has not been fully understood. The transgenization of equine adult cutaneous fibroblast cells (ACFCs) was accomplished by nucleofection, followed by detection of molecular modifications using high-throughput NGS transcriptome sequencing. The results of the present study confirm that BPV-E4- and BPV-E1^E4-mediated nucleofection strategy significantly affected the transcriptomic alterations, leading to sarcoid-like neoplastic transformation of equine ACFCs. Furthermore, the results of the current investigation might contribute to the creation of in vitro biomedical models suitable for estimating the fates of molecular dedifferentiability and the epigenomic reprogrammability of BPV-E4 and BPV-E4^E1 transgenic equine ACFC-derived sarcoid-like cell nuclei in equine somatic cell-cloned embryos. Additionally, these in vitro models seem to be reliable for thoroughly recognizing molecular mechanisms that underlie not only oncogenic alterations in transcriptomic signatures, but also the etiopathogenesis of epidermal and dermal sarcoid-dependent neoplastic transformations in horses and other equids. For those reasons, the aforementioned transgenic models might be useful for devising clinical treatments in horses afflicted with sarcoid-related neoplasia of cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues.

Crosstalk of tumor stromal cells orchestrates invasion and spreading of gastric cancer

Tumors contain various stromal cells that support cancer progression. Some types of cancer, such as scirrhous gastric cancer, are characterized by large areas of fibrosis accompanied by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Asporin (ASPN) is a small leucine-rich proteoglycan highly expressed in CAFs of various tumors. ASPN accelerates CAF migration and invasion, resulting in CAF-led cancer cell invasion. In addition, ASPN further upregulated the expression of genes specific to a characteristic subgroup of fibroblasts in tumors. These cells were preferentially located at the tumor periphery and could be generated by a unique mechanism involving the CAF-mediated education of normal fibroblasts (CEFs). In this review, we at first describe recent findings regarding the function of ASPN in the tumor microenvironment, as well as the mechanism involved in the generation of CEFs. CAFs are derived from heterogeneous origins besides resident normal fibroblasts. Among them, CAFs derived from mesothelial cells (mesothelial cell-derived CAF [MC-CAFs]) play pivotal roles in peritoneal carcinomatosis. We observed that MC-CAFs on the surfaces of organs also participate in tumor formation by infiltrating into the parenchyma, promoting local invasion by gastric cancers. This review also highlights the potential functions of macrophages in the formation of MC-CAFs in gastric cancers, by transfer the contents of cancer cell-derived extracellular vesicles.

Cell and Tissue Nanomechanics: From Early Development to Carcinogenesis

Cell and tissue nanomechanics, being inspired by progress in high-resolution physical mapping, has recently burst into biomedical research, discovering not only new characteristics of normal and diseased tissues, but also unveiling previously unknown mechanisms of pathological processes. Some parallels can be drawn between early development and carcinogenesis. Early embryogenesis, up to the blastocyst stage, requires a soft microenvironment and internal mechanical signals induced by the contractility of the cortical actomyosin cytoskeleton, stimulating quick cell divisions. During further development from the blastocyst implantation to placenta formation, decidua stiffness is increased ten-fold when compared to non-pregnant endometrium. Organogenesis is mediated by mechanosignaling inspired by intercellular junction formation with the involvement of mechanotransduction from the extracellular matrix (ECM). Carcinogenesis dramatically changes the mechanical properties of cells and their microenvironment, generally reproducing the structural properties and molecular organization of embryonic tissues, but with a higher stiffness of the ECM and higher cellular softness and fluidity. These changes are associated with the complete rearrangement of the entire tissue skeleton involving the ECM, cytoskeleton, and the nuclear scaffold, all integrated with each other in a joint network. The important changes occur in the cancer stem-cell niche responsible for tumor promotion and metastatic growth. We expect that the promising concept based on the natural selection of cancer cells fixing the most invasive phenotypes and genotypes by reciprocal regulation through ECM-mediated nanomechanical feedback loop can be exploited to create new therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment.

Exploiting ECM remodelling to promote immune-mediated tumour destruction

Cancer immunotherapy represents a significant breakthrough in cancer treatment mainly due to the ability to harness the activities of cancer-specific T cells. Despite this, most cancers remain resistant to T cell attack. Many reasons have been proposed to explain this, ranging from a lack of antigenicity through to the immunosuppressive effects of the tumour microenvironment. In this review, we examine the relationship between the immune system and a key component of the tumour microenvironment, namely the extracellular matrix (ECM). Specifically, we explore the reciprocal effects of immune cells and the tumour ECM and how the processes underpinning this relationship act to either promote or restrain tumour progression.

Extracellular and Intracellular Skeletons: How Do They Involve in Apoptosis

Apoptosis plays a key role in removing abnormal or senescent cells, maintaining the overall health of the tissue, and coordinating individual development. Recently, it has been discovered that the intracellular cytoskeleton plays a role in the apoptotic process. In addition, the regulatory role of extracellular matrix (ECM) fibrous proteins, which can be considered as the extracellular skeleton, in the process of apoptosis is rarely summarized. In this review, we collect the latest knowledge about how fibrous proteins inside and outside cells regulate apoptosis. We describe how ECM fibrous proteins participate in the regulation of death receptor and mitochondrial pathways through various signaling cascades mediated by integrins. We then explore the molecular mechanisms by which intracellular intermediate filaments regulate cell apoptosis by regulating death receptors on the cell membrane surface. Similarly, we report on novel supporting functions of microtubules in the execution phase of apoptosis and discuss their formation mechanisms. Finally, we discuss that the polypeptide fragments formed by caspase degradation of ECM fibrous proteins and intracellular intermediate filament act as local regulatory signals to play different regulatory roles in apoptosis.

Screening and Identification of Novel Potential Biomarkers for Breast Cancer Brain Metastases

Brain metastases represent a major cause of mortality among patients with breast cancer, and few effective targeted treatment options are currently available. Development of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for breast cancer brain metastases (BCBM) is therefore urgently needed. In this study, we compared the gene expression profiles of the brain metastatic cell line MDA-MB-231-BR (231-BR) and its parental MDA-MB-231, and identified a total of 84 genes in the primary screening through a series of bioinformatic analyses, including construction of protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks by STRING database, identification of hub genes by applying of MCODE and Cytohubba algorithms, identification of leading-edge subsets of Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), and identification of most up-regulated genes. Eight genes were identified as candidate genes due to their elevated expression in brain metastatic 231-BR cells and prognostic values in patients with BCBM. Then we knocked down the eight individual candidate genes in 231-BR cells and evaluated their impact on cell migration through a wound-healing assay, and four of them (KRT19, FKBP10, GSK3B and SPANXB1) were finally identified as key genes. Furthermore, the expression of individual key genes showed a correlation with the infiltration of major immune cells in the brain tumor microenvironment (TME) as analyzed by Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), suggesting possible roles of them in regulation of the tumor immune response in TME. Therefore, the present work may provide new potential biomarkers for BCBM. Additionally, using GSEA, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Enrichment Analysis, we determined the top enriched cellular functions or pathways in 231-BR cells, which may help better understand the biology governing the development and progression of BCBM.

Application of Porcine Kidney-Derived Extracellular Matrix as Coating, Hydrogel, and Scaffold Material for Renal Proximal Tubular Epithelial Cell

Background

Human renal proximal tubular epithelial (RPTE) cell is a very useful tool for kidney-related experiments in vitro/ex vivo. However, only a few primary RPTE cells can be obtained through kidney biopsy, the proliferation rate of primary cell is very low, and the cultured cell properties are easily altered in artificial conditions. Thus, RPTE cell usage is very tricky; we applied porcine kidney-derived extracellular matrix (renal ECM) as coating, hydrogel, and scaffold material to increase cell proliferation and maintain cellular properties providing three-dimensional (3D) niche, which can be a valuable cell delivery vehicle.

Methods

Porcine renal ECM was prepared by decellularization using 1% Triton X-100, solubilized with 0.5 M acetic acid. The final protein concentration was adjusted to 10 μg/μL (pH 7.0). The efficacies as coating, hydrogel, and scaffold materials were analyzed through cell morphology, proliferation rate, renal-associated gene expressions, chemical composition, and microstructure evaluation. The efficacies as a coating material were compared with Matrigel, collagen type 1 (col1), gelatin, fibrinogen, and thrombin. After confirmation of coating effects, the effective concentration range was decided. The efficacies as hydrogel and scaffold materials were compared with hyaluronic acid (HA) and col1, respectively.

Results

As the coating material, renal ECM showed a higher cell proliferation rate compared to other materials, except for Matrigel. Renal-associated gene expressions were significantly enhanced in the renal ECM than other materials. Coating effect on cell proliferation was dependent on the renal ECM concentration, and the effective concentration ranged from 30 to 100 μg. As the hydrogel material, renal ECM showed a distinct inner cell network morphology and significantly increased renal-associated gene expressions, compared to HA hydrogel. As the scaffold material, renal ECM showed specific amide peaks, enhanced internal porosity, cell proliferation rate, and renal-associated gene expression compared to the col1 scaffold.

Conclusions

We concluded that renal ECM can be a suitable material for RPTE cell culture and usage. More practically, the coated renal ECM stimulates RPTE cell proliferation, and the hydrogel and scaffold of renal ECM provide useful 3D culture niche and cell delivery vehicles maintaining renal cell properties.

Cancer-on-a-Chip: Models for Studying Metastasis

The microfluidic-based cancer-on-a-chip models work as a powerful tool to study the tumor microenvironment and its role in metastasis. The models recapitulate and systematically simplify the in vitro tumor microenvironment. This enables the study of a metastatic process in unprecedented detail. This review examines the development of cancer-on-a-chip microfluidic platforms at the invasion/intravasation, extravasation, and angiogenesis steps over the last three years. The on-chip modeling of mechanical cues involved in the metastasis cascade are also discussed. Finally, the popular design of microfluidic chip models for each step are discussed along with the challenges and perspectives of cancer-on-a-chip models.

RapidET: a MEMS-based platform for label-free and rapid demarcation of tumors from normal breast biopsy tissues

The rapid and label-free diagnosis of malignancies in ex vivo breast biopsy tissues has significant utility in pathology laboratories and operating rooms. We report a MEMS-based platform integrated with microchips that performs phenotyping of breast biopsy tissues using electrothermal sensing. The microchip, fabricated on a silicon substrate, incorporates a platinum microheater, interdigitated electrodes (IDEs), and resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) as on-chip sensing elements. The microchips are integrated onto the platform using a slide-fit contact enabling quick replacement for biological measurements. The bulk resistivity (ρ B ), surface resistivity (ρ S ), and thermal conductivity (k) of deparaffinized and formalin-fixed paired tumor and adjacent normal breast biopsy samples from N = 8 patients were measured. For formalin-fixed samples, the mean ρ B for tumors showed a statistically significant fold change of 4.42 (P = 0.014) when the tissue was heated from 25 °C to 37 °C compared to the adjacent normal tissue, which showed a fold change of 3.47. The mean ρ S measurements also showed a similar trend. The mean k of the formalin-fixed tumor tissues was 0.309 ± 0.02 W m-1 K-1 compared to a significantly higher k of 0.563 ± 0.028 W m-1 K-1 for the adjacent normal tissues. A similar trend was observed in ρ B, ρ S, and k for the deparaffinized tissue samples. An analysis of a combination of ρ B , ρ S , and k using Fisher's combined probability test and linear regression suggests the advantage of using all three parameters simultaneously for distinguishing tumors from adjacent normal tissues with higher statistical significance.