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Liu F, Wang Q, Wang Z, Zhang S, Ni Q, Chang H. ETV4 promotes the progression of cholangiocarcinoma by regulating glycolysis via the TGF-β signaling. Transl Oncol 2024; 47:102035. [PMID: 38878613 PMCID: PMC11225894 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2024.102035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Considerable studies show that ETS variant 4 (ETV4) plays an important roles in multitudinous tumor. This study investigated its function in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) progression and revealed the underlying mechanisms. METHODS The expression of ETV4 in CCA was evaluated using TCGA database and the single-cell analysis based on GSE189903 dataset. ETV4 expression in CCA human specimens was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry, and western blot. Cell Counting Kit-8, EdU, colony formation, wound healing, and Transwell assays were used to analyze the effects of ETV4. Extracellular acidification rate, oxygen consumption rate, glucose uptake, and lactate production were used to measure glycolysis in CAA cells. Western blot was performed to explore glycolysis-related proteins. Tumor growth was evaluated in mice xenograft tumors. RESULTS ETV4 was up-regulated in CCA epithelial cells. The high-expression of ETV4 was associated with poor prognosis of patients with CCA. ETV4 overexpression enhanced the proliferation, migration, invasion, and glycolysis of CCA cells; ETV4 silencing led to the contrary effects. Mechanistically, ETV4 activates TGF-β/Smad2/3 signaling pathway. In mice xenograft mode, ETV4 silencing inhibits the tumor growth, the expression of glycolysis-related proteins and TGF-β/Smad2/3 pathway proteins. CONCLUSIONS ETV4 functions as an essential factor in the roles of TGF-β1 in CCA cells, and may be a promising target for TGF-β1-mediated CCA progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangfeng Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, China.
| | - Qianchang Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, China
| | - Zhengjian Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, China
| | - Shizhe Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, China
| | - Qingqiang Ni
- Department of Hepatobiliary surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, China
| | - Hong Chang
- Department of Hepatobiliary surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, China
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Li K, Lv J, Wang J, Wei Y, Zhang Y, Lin J, Zhu Q. CircZNF609 inhibited bladder cancer immunotherapy sensitivity via enhancing fatty acid uptake through IGF2BP2/CD36 pathway. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 137:112485. [PMID: 38878487 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.112485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are gaining attention for their involvement in immune escape and immunotherapy sensitivity regulation. CircZNF609 is a well-known oncogene in various solid tumours. Our previous research revealed its role in reducing the chemosensitivity of bladder cancer (BCa) to cisplatin. However, the underlying role of circZNF609 in BCa immune escape and immunotherapy sensitivity remains unknown. We conducted BCa cells-CD8 + T cells co-culture assays, cell line-derived xenograft and patient-derived xenograft mouse models with human immune reconstitution to further confirm the role of circZNF609 in BCa immune escape and immunotherapy sensitivity. Overexpression of circZNF609 promoted BCa immune escape in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circZNF609 was bound to IGF2BP2, enhancing its interaction with the 3'-untranslated region of CD36. This increased the stability of the CD36 mRNA, leading to enhanced fatty acid uptake by BCa cells and fatty acid depletion within the tumour microenvironment. Additionally, the nuclear export of circZNF609 was regulated by DDX39B. CircZNF609 promoted immune escape and suppressed BCa immunotherapy sensitivity by regulating the newly identified circZNF609/IGF2BP2/CD36 cascade. Therefore, circZNF609 holds potential as both a biomarker and therapeutic target in BCa immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Li
- Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jiancheng Lv
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yong Wei
- Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yetao Zhang
- Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jianzhong Lin
- Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Qingyi Zhu
- Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
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Wang Z, Chen DN, Huang XY, Zhu JM, Lin F, You Q, Lin YZ, Cai H, Wei Y, Xue XY, Zheng QS, Xu N. Machine learning-based autophagy-related prognostic signature for personalized risk stratification and therapeutic approaches in bladder cancer. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 138:112623. [PMID: 38991630 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.112623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Bladder cancer (BCa) is a highly lethal urological malignancy characterized by its notable histological heterogeneity. Autophagy has swiftly emerged as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in diverse cancer types. Nonetheless, the currently accessible autophagy-related signature specific to BCa remains limited. METHODS A refined autophagy-related signature was developed through a 10-fold cross-validation framework, incorporating 101 combinations of machine learning algorithms. The performance of this signature in predicting prognosis and response to immunotherapy was thoroughly evaluated, along with an exploration of potential drug targets and compounds. In vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to verify the regulatory mechanism of hub gene. RESULTS The autophagy-related prognostic signature (ARPS) has exhibited superior performance in predicting the prognosis of BCa compared to the majority of clinical features and other developed markers. Higher ARPS is associated with poorer prognosis and reduced sensitivity to immunotherapy. Four potential targets and five therapeutic agents were screened for patients in the high-ARPS group. In vitro and vivo experiments have confirmed that FKBP9 promotes the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of BCa. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our study developed a valuable tool to optimize risk stratification and decision-making for BCa patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Wang
- Department of Urology, Urology Research Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China; Department of Urology, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350212, China
| | - Dong-Ning Chen
- Department of Urology, Urology Research Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China; Department of Urology, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350212, China
| | - Xu-Yun Huang
- Department of Urology, Urology Research Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China; Department of Urology, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350212, China
| | - Jun-Ming Zhu
- Department of Urology, Urology Research Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China; Department of Urology, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350212, China
| | - Fei Lin
- Department of Urology, Urology Research Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China; Department of Urology, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350212, China
| | - Qi You
- Department of Urology, Urology Research Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China; Department of Urology, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350212, China
| | - Yun-Zhi Lin
- Department of Urology, Urology Research Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China; Department of Urology, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350212, China
| | - Hai Cai
- Department of Urology, Urology Research Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China; Department of Urology, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350212, China
| | - Yong Wei
- Department of Urology, Urology Research Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China; Department of Urology, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350212, China
| | - Xue-Yi Xue
- Department of Urology, Urology Research Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China; Department of Urology, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350212, China
| | - Qing-Shui Zheng
- Department of Urology, Urology Research Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China; Department of Urology, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350212, China.
| | - Ning Xu
- Department of Urology, Urology Research Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China; Department of Urology, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350212, China; Fujian Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Cancer, the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China.
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Ma Q, Wu F, Liu X, Zhao C, Sun Y, Li Y, Zhang W, Ju H, Wang Y. 20-hydroxyecdysone suppresses bladder cancer progression via inhibiting USP21: A mechanism associated with deubiquitination and degradation of p65. Transl Oncol 2024; 45:101958. [PMID: 38663220 PMCID: PMC11059137 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2024.101958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignancies of the urinary tract and a prevalent cancer worldwide, still requiring efficient therapeutic agents and approaches. 20-Hydroxyecdysone (20-HE), a steroid hormone, can be found in insects and few plants and mediate numerous biological events to control the progression of varying diseases; however, its impacts on bladder cancer remain unclear. In the study, we found that 20-HE treatments effectively inhibited the viability and proliferation of bladder cancer cells and induced apoptosis by activating Caspase-3. The migratory and invasive potential of bladder cancer cells was markedly repressed by 20-HE in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibitory effects of 20-HE on bladder cancer were confirmed in an established xenograft mouse model, as indicated by the markedly reduced tumor growth rates and limited lung and lymph node metastasis. High-throughput RNA sequencing was performed to explore dysregulated genes in bladder cancer cells after 20-HE treatment. We identified ubiquitin-specific protease 21 (USP21) as a key deubiquitinating enzyme for bladder cancer progression and a positive correlation between USP21 and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)/p65 in patients. Furthermore, 20-HE treatments markedly reduced USP21 expression, NF-κB/p65 mRNA, stability and phosphorylated NF-κB/p65 expression levels in bladder cancer cells, which were validated in animal tumor tissues. Mechanistic studies showed that USP21 directly interacted with and stabilized p65 by deubiquitinating its K48-linked polyubiquitination in bladder cancer cells, which could be abolished by 20-HE treatment, contributing to p65 degradation. Finally, we found that USP21 overexpression could not only facilitate the proliferation, migration, and invasion of bladder cancer cells, but also significantly eliminated the suppressive effects of 20-HE on bladder cancer. Notably, 20-HE could still perform its anti-tumor role in bladder cancer when USP21 was knocked down with decreased NF-κB/p65 expression and activation, revealing that USP21 suppression might not be the only way for 20-HE during bladder cancer treatment. Collectively, all our results clearly demonstrated that 20-HE may function as a promising therapeutic strategy for bladder cancer treatment mainly through reducing USP21/p65 signaling expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Ma
- School of Basic and Forensic Medicine, Baotou Medical College, Baotou, China; School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China; Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College, Baotou, China; Department of Pharmacy, Southern University of Science and Technology Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Fei Wu
- School of Basic and Forensic Medicine, Baotou Medical College, Baotou, China
| | - Xiaohui Liu
- School of Basic and Forensic Medicine, Baotou Medical College, Baotou, China
| | - Cuifang Zhao
- School of Basic and Forensic Medicine, Baotou Medical College, Baotou, China
| | - Yang Sun
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College, Baotou, China
| | - Yuanyuan Li
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College, Baotou, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- School of Basic and Forensic Medicine, Baotou Medical College, Baotou, China; Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College, Baotou, China
| | - Hongge Ju
- School of Basic and Forensic Medicine, Baotou Medical College, Baotou, China; Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College, Baotou, China.
| | - Yukun Wang
- School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China; Department of Pharmacy, Southern University of Science and Technology Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
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Yang P, He S, Ye L, Weng H. Transcription Factor ETV4 Activates AURKA to Promote PD-L1 Expression and Mediate Immune Escape in Lung Adenocarcinoma. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2024:1-11. [PMID: 38781935 DOI: 10.1159/000537754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The occurrence and progression of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) impair T-cell immune responses, causing immune escape and subsequently affecting the efficacy of immunotherapy in patients. Aurora kinase A (AURKA) is upregulated in varying cancers, but its role in LUAD immune escape is elusive. This work attempted to explore molecular mechanisms of AURKA regulation in LUAD immune escape. METHODS Through bioinformatics analysis, AURKA level in LUAD was evaluated, and potential upstream transcription factors of AURKA were predicted using hTFtarget. ETS variant transcription factor 4 (ETV4) expression in LUAD was analyzed through The Cancer Genome Atlas. Pearson's correlation analysis was then utilized to test the correlation between AURKA and ETV4. Interaction and binding between AURKA and ETV4 were validated through dual-luciferase assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) tested relative mRNA expression of AURKA and ETV4 in LUAD cells, cell counting kit-8 assayed cell viability, and Western blot analysis was conducted to determine the protein level of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). Coculture of LUAD cells with activated CD8+ T cells was carried out, and an LDH assay was used to assess the cytotoxicity of CD8+ T cells against LUAD cells. Interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels in the coculture system were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Western blot assessed protein levels of JAK2, p-JAK2, STAT3, and p-STAT3. RESULTS Compared to normal tissues, AURKA and ETV4 were upregulated in tumor tissues, and AURKA presented a negative association with CD8+ T-cell immune infiltration but a positive association with PD-L1. qRT-PCR unveiled significantly upregulated mRNA of AURKA and ETV4 in LUAD cells compared to normal lung epithelial cells. Knockdown of AURKA significantly decreased cell viability and PD-L1 protein level in LUAD cells, enhanced cytotoxicity of CD8+ T cells against LUAD cells and IFN-γ, IL-2, and TNF-α expression, while overexpression of AURKA yielded opposite results. Furthermore, the knockdown of ETV4 could reverse the oncogenic characteristics of cells caused by AURKA overexpression. CONCLUSION Our study illustrated that ETV4/AURKA axis promoted PD-L1 expression, suppressed CD8+ T-cell activity, and mediated immune escape in LUAD by regulating the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Yang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, People's Hospital of Fujian Province, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shangxiang He
- Department of Medical Oncology, Shanghai Artemed Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Ling Ye
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, People's Hospital of Fujian Province, Fuzhou, China
| | - Heng Weng
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, People's Hospital of Fujian Province, Fuzhou, China
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Yang W, Wu Z, Cai S, Li Z, Wang W, Wu J, Luo H, Ye X. Tumor lymphangiogenesis index reveals the immune landscape and immunotherapy response in lung adenocarcinoma. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1354339. [PMID: 38638428 PMCID: PMC11024352 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1354339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Lymphangiogenesis (LYM) has an important role in tumor progression and is strongly associated with tumor metastasis. However, the clinical application of LYM has not progressed as expected. The potential value of LYM needs to be further developed in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients. Methods The Sequencing data and clinical characteristics of LUAD patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas and GEO databases. Multiple machine learning algorithms were used to screen feature genes and develop the LYM index. Immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint expression, Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) algorithm and drug sensitivity analysis were used to explore the correlation of LYM index with immune profile and anti-tumor therapy. Results We screened four lymphangiogenic feature genes (PECAM1, TIMP1, CXCL5 and PDGFB) to construct LYM index based on multiple machine learning algorithms. We divided LUAD patients into the high LYM index group and the low LYM index group based on the median LYM index. LYM index is a risk factor for the prognosis of LUAD patients. In addition, there was a significant difference in immune profile between high LYM index and low LYM index groups. LUAD patients in the low LYM index group seemed to benefit more from immunotherapy based on the results of TIDE algorithm. Conclusion Overall, we confirmed that the LYM index is a prognostic risk factor and a valuable predictor of immunotherapy response in LUAD patients, which provides new evidence for the potential application of LYM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weichang Yang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Zhijian Wu
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Shanshan Cai
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Zhouhua Li
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Wenjun Wang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Juan Wu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Hongdan Luo
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Xiaoqun Ye
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
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Miao D, Shi J, Lv Q, Tan D, Zhao C, Xiong Z, Zhang X. NAT10-mediated ac 4C-modified ANKZF1 promotes tumor progression and lymphangiogenesis in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma by attenuating YWHAE-driven cytoplasmic retention of YAP1. Cancer Commun (Lond) 2024; 44:361-383. [PMID: 38407929 PMCID: PMC10962679 DOI: 10.1002/cac2.12523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lymphatic metastasis is one of the most common metastatic routes and indicates a poor prognosis in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). N-acetyltransferase 10 (NAT10) is known to catalyze N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) modification of mRNA and participate in many cellular processes. However, its role in the lymphangiogenic process of ccRCC has not been reported. This study aimed to elucidate the role of NAT10 in ccRCC lymphangiogenesis, providing valuable insights into potential therapeutic targets for intervention. METHODS ac4C modification and NAT10 expression levels in ccRCC were assessed using public databases and clinical samples. Functional investigations involved manipulating NAT10 expression in cellular and mouse models to study its role in ccRCC. Mechanistic insights were gained through a combination of RNA sequencing, mass spectrometry, co-immunoprecipitation, RNA immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, and site-specific mutation analyses. RESULTS We found that ac4C modification and NAT10 expression levels increased in ccRCC. NAT10 promoted tumor progression and lymphangiogenesis of ccRCC by enhancing the nuclear import of Yes1-associated transcriptional regulator (YAP1). Subsequently, we identified ankyrin repeat and zinc finger peptidyl tRNA hydrolase 1 (ANKZF1) as the functional target of NAT10, and its upregulation in ccRCC was caused by NAT10-mediated ac4C modification. Mechanistic analyses demonstrated that ANKZF1 interacted with tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein epsilon (YWHAE) to competitively inhibit cytoplasmic retention of YAP1, leading to transcriptional activation of pro-lymphangiogenic factors. CONCLUSIONS These results suggested a pro-cancer role of NAT10-mediated acetylation in ccRCC and identified the NAT10/ANKZF1/YAP1 axis as an under-reported pathway involving tumor progression and lymphangiogenesis in ccRCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daojia Miao
- Department of UrologyUnion Hospital, Tongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiP. R. China
- Institute of UrologyUnion Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiP. R. China
| | - Jian Shi
- Department of UrologyUnion Hospital, Tongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiP. R. China
- Institute of UrologyUnion Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiP. R. China
| | - Qingyang Lv
- Department of UrologyUnion Hospital, Tongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiP. R. China
- Institute of UrologyUnion Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiP. R. China
| | - Diaoyi Tan
- Department of UrologyUnion Hospital, Tongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiP. R. China
- Institute of UrologyUnion Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiP. R. China
| | - Chuanyi Zhao
- Department of UrologyUnion Hospital, Tongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiP. R. China
- Institute of UrologyUnion Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiP. R. China
| | - Zhiyong Xiong
- Department of UrologyUnion Hospital, Tongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiP. R. China
- Institute of UrologyUnion Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiP. R. China
| | - Xiaoping Zhang
- Department of UrologyUnion Hospital, Tongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiP. R. China
- Institute of UrologyUnion Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanHubeiP. R. China
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Qin J, Wei F, Ren X. Neutrophils in the era of single-cell RNA sequencing: functions and targeted therapies in cancer. Cancer Biol Med 2024; 20:j.issn.2095-3941.2024.0012. [PMID: 38318923 PMCID: PMC10845925 DOI: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2024.0012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Qin
- National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, China
- Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin 300060, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin 300060, China
- Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, China
| | - Feng Wei
- National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, China
- Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin 300060, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin 300060, China
- Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, China
| | - Xiubao Ren
- National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, China
- Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin 300060, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin 300060, China
- Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, China
- Department of Biotherapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, China
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Tan Z, Chen X, Li H, Huang Y, Fu S, Ding M, Wang J, Wang H. HES4 is a potential biomarker for bladder cancer: a Mendelian randomization study. J Cancer 2024; 15:1624-1641. [PMID: 38370367 PMCID: PMC10869984 DOI: 10.7150/jca.92657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Patients with bladder cancer (BLCA) have a poor prognosis and little progress has been made in treatment. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to employ Mendelian randomization (MR) and transcriptome analysis to identify a novel biomarker that could be used to reliably diagnose BLCA. Methods: TCGA-BLCA and GSE121711 datasets were obtained from public databases. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) data of BLCA outcome (373,295 samples containing 9,904,926 single nucleotide polymorphisms) were obtained through the IEU OpenGWAS database. Differentially expressed genes were applied as exposure factors, and MR analysis was performed to identify genes that had a causal relationship with BLCA. Then, the patients were divided into high and low expression groups according to the expression levels of candidate genes, and genes with survival differences were identified. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression were used to investigate the prognostic value of the expression of these genes. A nomogram was constructed based on independent prognostic factors, and we analyzed the functions and pathways associated with the identified genes as well as their relationship with the immune microenvironment. Results: HES4 was identified as a biomarker. HES4 status, age, and stage were identified as independent prognostic factors, and an excellent nomogram was established. Bioinformatic analysis suggested that HES4 might be associated with the activation of the immune response, bone development, and cancer pathways. The BLCA samples were divided into high and low HES4 groups. The stromal score and 33 immune cells were remarkably different between the two groups, with HES4 expression being negatively correlated with macrophages and mast cells, and positively correlated with eosinophils and central memory CD4+ T cells. Finally, HES4 was up-regulated in cancer samples in both TCGA-BLCA and GSE121711 datasets. Conclusion: This study identified HES4 as an independent prognostic factor for BLCA outcome based on MR and transcriptome analysis, which provides useful information for future research on and treatment of BLCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyong Tan
- Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
- Urological disease clinical medical center of Yunnan province, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
- Scientific and Technological Innovation Team of Basic and Clinical Research of Bladder Cancer in Yunnan Universities, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaorong Chen
- Department of Kidney Transplantation, The Third Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Haihao Li
- Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
- Urological disease clinical medical center of Yunnan province, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
- Scientific and Technological Innovation Team of Basic and Clinical Research of Bladder Cancer in Yunnan Universities, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yinglong Huang
- Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
- Urological disease clinical medical center of Yunnan province, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
- Scientific and Technological Innovation Team of Basic and Clinical Research of Bladder Cancer in Yunnan Universities, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Shi Fu
- Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
- Urological disease clinical medical center of Yunnan province, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
- Scientific and Technological Innovation Team of Basic and Clinical Research of Bladder Cancer in Yunnan Universities, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Mingxia Ding
- Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
- Urological disease clinical medical center of Yunnan province, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
- Scientific and Technological Innovation Team of Basic and Clinical Research of Bladder Cancer in Yunnan Universities, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiansong Wang
- Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
- Urological disease clinical medical center of Yunnan province, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
- Scientific and Technological Innovation Team of Basic and Clinical Research of Bladder Cancer in Yunnan Universities, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Haifeng Wang
- Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
- Urological disease clinical medical center of Yunnan province, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
- Scientific and Technological Innovation Team of Basic and Clinical Research of Bladder Cancer in Yunnan Universities, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 347, Dianmian Street, Wuhua District, Kunming, 650101, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
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Wang F, Zhang G, Xu T, Ma J, Wang J, Liu S, Tang Y, Jin S, Li J, Xing N. High and selective cytotoxicity of ex vivo expanded allogeneic human natural killer cells from peripheral blood against bladder cancer: implications for natural killer cell instillation after transurethral resection of bladder tumor. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:24. [PMID: 38245792 PMCID: PMC10799482 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-02955-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is treated with transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) followed by intravesical instillation of chemotherapy or Bacillus Calmette-Guérin therapy. However, these treatments have a high recurrence rate and side effects, emphasizing the need for alternative instillations. Previously, we revealed that expanded allogeneic human natural killer (NK) cells from peripheral blood are a promising cellular therapy for prostate cancer. However, whether NK cells exhibit a similar killing effect in bladder cancer (BCa) remains unknown. METHODS Expansion, activation, and cryopreservation of allogeneic human NK cells obtained from peripheral blood were performed as we previously described. In vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated using the cell counting kit-8. The levels of perforin, granzyme B, interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, and chemokines (C-C-motif ligand [CCL]1, CCL2, CCL20, CCL3L1, and CCL4; C-X-C-motif ligand [CXCL]1, CXCL16, CXCL2, CXCL3, and CXCL8; and X-motif ligand 1 and 2) were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of CD107a, major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I), MHC-I polypeptide-related sequences A and B (MICA/B), cytomegalovirus UL16-binding protein-2/5/6 (ULBP-2/5/6), B7-H6, CD56, CD69, CD25, killer cell Ig-like receptors (KIR)2DL1, KIRD3DL1, NKG2D, NKp30, NKp46, and CD16 of NK cells or BCa and normal urothelial cells were detected using flow cytometry. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using lactate dehydrogenase assay in patient-derived organoid models. BCa growth was monitored in vivo using calipers in male NOD-scid IL2rg-/- mice subcutaneously injected with 5637 and NK cells. Differential gene expressions were investigated using RNA sequence analysis. The chemotaxis of T cells was evaluated using transwell migration assays. RESULTS We revealed that the NK cells possess higher cytotoxicity against BCa lines with more production of cytokines than normal urothelial cells counterparts in vitro, demonstrated by upregulation of degranulation marker CD107a and increased interferon-γ secretion, by MICA/B/NKG2D and B7H6/NKp30-mediated activation. Furthermore, NK cells demonstrated antitumor effects against BCa in patient-derived organoids and BCa xenograft mouse models. NK cells secreted chemokines, including CCL1/2/20, to induce T-cell chemotaxis when encountering BCa cells. CONCLUSIONS The expanded NK cells exhibit potent cytotoxicity against BCa cells, with few toxic side effects on normal urothelial cells. In addition, NK cells recruit T cells by secreting a panel of chemokines, which supports the translational application of NK cell intravesical instillation after TURBT from bench to bedside for NMIBC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangming Wang
- Department of Urology, Tsinghua University Affiliated Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University Clinical Institute, Beijing, 102218, China
| | - Gang Zhang
- Department of Urology, Tsinghua University Affiliated Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University Clinical Institute, Beijing, 102218, China
| | - Tianli Xu
- BOE Regenerative Medicine Technology Co. Ltd, Beijing, 100015, China
| | - Jianlin Ma
- BOE Regenerative Medicine Technology Co. Ltd, Beijing, 100015, China
| | - Jing Wang
- BOE Regenerative Medicine Technology Co. Ltd, Beijing, 100015, China
| | - Shuai Liu
- BOE Regenerative Medicine Technology Co. Ltd, Beijing, 100015, China
| | - Yuzhe Tang
- Department of Urology, Tsinghua University Affiliated Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University Clinical Institute, Beijing, 102218, China
| | - Song Jin
- Department of Urology, Tsinghua University Affiliated Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University Clinical Institute, Beijing, 102218, China
| | - Jianxing Li
- Department of Urology, Tsinghua University Affiliated Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University Clinical Institute, Beijing, 102218, China.
| | - Nianzeng Xing
- Department of Urology, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, National Cancer Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
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11
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Wei W, Liu K, Huang X, Tian S, Wang H, Zhang C, Ye J, Dong Y, An Z, Ma X, Wang B, Huang Y, Zhang X. EIF4A3-mediated biogenesis of circSTX6 promotes bladder cancer metastasis and cisplatin resistance. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:2. [PMID: 38163881 PMCID: PMC10759346 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-023-02932-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cisplatin (CDDP)-based chemotherapy is a standard first-line treatment for metastatic bladder cancer (BCa) patients, and chemoresistance remains a major challenge in clinical practice. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as essential regulators in carcinogenesis and cancer progression. However, the role of circRNAs in mediating CDDP chemosensitivity has yet to be well elucidated in BCa. METHODS CircSTX6 (hsa_circ_0007905) was identified by mining the public circRNA datasets and verified by Sanger sequencing, agarose gel electrophoresis, RNase R treatment and qRT-PCR assays. Then, function experiments were performed to evaluate the effects of circSTX6 on BCa metastasis. Luciferase reporter assay, RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA stability assay, Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and Immunofluorescence (IF) were conducted to evaluate the interaction among circSTX6, miR-515-3p, PABPC1 and SUZ12. Animal experiments were performed to explore the function of circSTX6 in tumor metastasis and CDDP sensitivity. RESULTS We identified that circSTX6 was significantly upregulated in clinical samples and cells of BCa. Functionally, circSTX6 promoted cell migration and invasion both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circSTX6 could act as a miR-515-3p sponge and abolish its effect on SUZ12. Moreover, circSTX6 was confirmed to increase the stability of SUZ12 mRNA by interacting with a mRNA stabilizer PABPC1 and subsequently promote the expression of SUZ12. Importantly, silencing of circSTX6 improved the chemosensitivity of CDDP-resistant bladder cancer cells to CDDP. Furthermore, in vivo analysis supported that knockdown of circSTX6 attenuated CDDP resistance in BCa tumors. CONCLUSION These studies demonstrate that circSTX6 plays a pivotal role in BCa metastasis and chemoresistance, and has potential to serve as a therapeutic target for treatment of BCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjie Wei
- Department of Urology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
- Medical School of PLA, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Kan Liu
- Department of Urology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
| | - Xing Huang
- Department of Urology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
- Medical School of PLA, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Shuo Tian
- Department of Urology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
- Medical School of PLA, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Hanfeng Wang
- Department of Urology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
- Medical School of PLA, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Chi Zhang
- Department of Urology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
| | - Jiali Ye
- Department of Urology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
- Medical School of PLA, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Yuhao Dong
- Department of Urology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
- Medical School of PLA, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Ziyan An
- Department of Urology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
- Medical School of PLA, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Xin Ma
- Department of Urology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
| | - Baojun Wang
- Department of Urology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China.
| | - Yan Huang
- Department of Urology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China.
| | - Xu Zhang
- Department of Urology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China.
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12
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Liu H, Shi H, Sun Y. Identification of a novel lymphangiogenesis signature associated with immune cell infiltration in colorectal cancer based on bioinformatics analysis. BMC Med Genomics 2024; 17:2. [PMID: 38167072 PMCID: PMC10763205 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-023-01781-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lymphangiogenesis plays an important role in tumor progression and is significantly associated with tumor immune infiltration. However, the role and mechanisms of lymphangiogenesis in colorectal cancer (CRC) are still unknown. Thus, the objective is to identify the lymphangiogenesis-related genes associated with immune infiltration and investigation of their prognosis value. METHODS mRNA expression profiles and corresponding clinical information of CRC samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. The lymphangiogenesis-related genes (LymRGs) were collected from the Molecular Signatures database (MSigDB). Lymphangiogenesis score (LymScore) and immune cell infiltrating levels were quantified using ssGSEA. LymScore) and immune cell infiltrating levels-related hub genes were identified using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Univariate Cox and LASSO regression analyses were performed to identify the prognostic gene signature and construct a risk model. Furthermore, a predictive nomogram was constructed based on the independent risk factor generated from a multivariate Cox model. RESULTS A total of 1076 LymScore and immune cell infiltrating levels-related hub genes from three key modules were identified by WGCNA. Lymscore is positively associated with natural killer cells as well as regulator T cells infiltrating. These modular genes were enriched in extracellular matrix and structure, collagen fibril organization, cell-substrate adhesion, etc. NUMBL, TSPAN11, PHF21A, PDGFRA, ZNF385A, and RIMKLB were eventually identified as the prognostic gene signature in CRC. And patients were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups based on the median risk score, the patients in the high-risk group indicated poor survival and were predisposed to metastasis and advanced stages. NUMBL and PHF21A were upregulated but PDGFRA was downregulated in tumor samples compared with normal samples in the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database. CONCLUSION Our finding highlights the critical role of lymphangiogenesis in CRC progression and metastasis and provides a novel gene signature for CRC and novel therapeutic strategies for anti-lymphangiogenic therapies in CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Wuxi Fifth People's Hospital Affiliated to Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Huiwen Shi
- Department of General Surgery, No.971 Hospital of PLA Navy, Qingdao, China
| | - Yinggang Sun
- Department of General Surgery, The 960th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Jinan, China.
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Zhan Q, Liu B, Situ X, Luo Y, Fu T, Wang Y, Xie Z, Ren L, Zhu Y, He W, Ke Z. New insights into the correlations between circulating tumor cells and target organ metastasis. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:465. [PMID: 38129401 PMCID: PMC10739776 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01725-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Organ-specific metastasis is the primary cause of cancer patient death. The distant metastasis of tumor cells to specific organs depends on both the intrinsic characteristics of the tumor cells and extrinsic factors in their microenvironment. During an intermediate stage of metastasis, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are released into the bloodstream from primary and metastatic tumors. CTCs harboring aggressive or metastatic features can extravasate to remote sites for continuous colonizing growth, leading to further lesions. In the past decade, numerous studies demonstrated that CTCs exhibited huge clinical value including predicting distant metastasis, assessing prognosis and monitoring treatment response et al. Furthermore, increasingly numerous experiments are dedicated to identifying the key molecules on or inside CTCs and exploring how they mediate CTC-related organ-specific metastasis. Based on the above molecules, more and more inhibitors are being developed to target CTCs and being utilized to completely clean CTCs, which should provide promising prospects to administer advanced tumor. Recently, the application of various nanomaterials and microfluidic technologies in CTCs enrichment technology has assisted to improve our deep insights into the phenotypic characteristics and biological functions of CTCs as a potential therapy target, which may pave the way for us to make practical clinical strategies. In the present review, we mainly focus on the role of CTCs being involved in targeted organ metastasis, especially the latest molecular mechanism research and clinical intervention strategies related to CTCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinru Zhan
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Bixia Liu
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Xiaohua Situ
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Yuting Luo
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Tongze Fu
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Yanxia Wang
- Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Zhongpeng Xie
- Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Lijuan Ren
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Ying Zhu
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China.
| | - Weiling He
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
- School of Medicine, Xiang'an Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen University, 361000, Xiamen, Fujian, P.R. China.
| | - Zunfu Ke
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China.
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China.
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Zhang Y, Chen Y, Chen Z, Zhou X, Chen S, Lan K, Wang Z, Zhang Y. Identification of P3H1 as a Predictive Prognostic Biomarker for Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma Based on the Cancer Genome Atlas Database. Pharmgenomics Pers Med 2023; 16:1041-1053. [PMID: 38058295 PMCID: PMC10697085 DOI: 10.2147/pgpm.s437974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose The extracellular matrix in the tumor microenvironment are closely related to the development of tumors. This study's primary aim is to study the association between prolyl 3-hydroxylase 1 (P3H1) which mainly expresses collagen in extracellular matrix and the progression and prognosis of bladder cancer (BC). Methods The clinical and transcriptome data were acquired from the cancer genome atlas database. BLCAsubtyping is used to evaluate tissue subtypes of BC. The COX proportional hazards can be used to evaluate the survival process's influencing factors. Immunohistochemistry was used to identify differences in the expression of P3H1 in cancer and paired adjacent tissues. GSEA was used to investigate the underlying biological processes. Finally, ssGSEA, TIMER and pRRophetic were used to study the relationship between P3H1 and immune cell infiltration and drug sensitivity. Results The expression of P3H1 was substantially higher in highly invasive BC samples than in low invasive BC. P3H1 was an independent predictor of overall survival (HR = 1.12, p = 0.03). P3H1 expression was significantly higher in tumor tissues than adjacent normal tissues in clinical tissue samples, and was significantly higher in highly stage cancer than low stage cancer samples. Samples with high P3H1 expression had a higher level of immune cell infiltration and immune function, as well as a significant correlation with macrophage and dendritic cell infiltration and TGF-beta, Th1 cells, and macrophage regulation (cor >0.3, p <0.05). P3H1 high expression samples were substantially more sensitive to docetaxel, cisplatin, vinblastine, camptothecin, paclitaxel, and other medicines than P3H1 low expression samples. Discussion P3H1 is a possible oncogene and an independent predictor of poor prognosis in BC; it also has enhanced sensitivity to docetaxel, cisplatin, vinblastine, camptothecin, paclitaxel, and other medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanfeng Zhang
- Department of Urology, Shantou Central Hospital, Shantou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yang Chen
- Department of Nursing, Bishan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhiming Chen
- Department of Pathology, Shantou Central Hospital, Shantou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xinye Zhou
- Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Shantou Central Hospital, Shantou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shaochuan Chen
- Department of Urology, Shantou Central Hospital, Shantou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Kaijian Lan
- Department of Urology, Shantou Central Hospital, Shantou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhiping Wang
- Department of Urology, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yonghai Zhang
- Department of Urology, Shantou Central Hospital, Shantou, People’s Republic of China
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15
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Xiao LY, Su YL, Huang SY, Chen YH, Hsueh PR. Chitinase 3-like-1 Expression in the Microenvironment Is Associated with Neutrophil Infiltration in Bladder Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15990. [PMID: 37958973 PMCID: PMC10648396 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242115990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Bladder cancer is a common cancer with well-established therapeutic strategies. However, recurrence occurs in 50% of patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, and 20% of patients progress to muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The 5-year survival rate for muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients is disappointingly low, ranging from 36% to 48%. A molecular marker of interest is chitinase 3-like-1 (CHI3L1), which is elevated in various cancers, including bladder cancer. In addition to its role in cancer cells, CHI3L1 also has regulatory abilities in immune cells. Neutrophil infiltration has been shown to positively correlate with overall survival, progression-free survival, and relapse-free survival in bladder cancer patients. However, the relationship between CHI3L1 and neutrophils remain poorly understood. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between CHI3L1 level and protumor neutrophil infiltration in bladder cancer. We analyzed the GSE128959 dataset and the data of a bladder cancer cohort undergoing chemotherapy. We observed higher expression of CHI3L1 in bladder cancer patients with invasive or chemotherapy-resistance. Our results revealed a positive correlation between CHI3L1 expression and protumor neutrophil infiltration. Elevated CHI3L1 expression was associated with genes which were related to the recruitment and infiltration of neutrophils. Consequently, CHI3L1 may serve as a novel evaluation factor for the degree of neutrophil infiltration in advanced bladder cancer in those scheduled for chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Yi Xiao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404327, Taiwan;
| | - Yu-Li Su
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
- Genomic & Proteomic Core Laboratory, Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Yu Huang
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hua Chen
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
| | - Po-Ren Hsueh
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404327, Taiwan;
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404327, Taiwan
- Ph.D. Program for Aging, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404327, Taiwan
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Chen J, Zhang Z, Nie Z, Qiu J. Effects of intravenous chemotherapy after TURBT for high-risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer: results of a retrospective study. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:13905-13913. [PMID: 37540255 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-05206-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study compared the efficacy and safety of intravenous chemotherapy combined with intravesical chemotherapy versus intravesical chemotherapy alone for high-risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (HRNMIBC) patients after transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT) surgery. METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed on 349 HRNMIBC cases admitted to TangDu hospital between January 2014 and June 2019. After TURBT, 262 patients received intravesical chemotherapy alone, whereas 87 patients underwent intravesical chemotherapy in combination with intravenous chemotherapy. The recurrence rate and progression rate were assessed by Chi-square test, the prognostic factors for tumor recurrence were predicted by univariable and multivariable Cox hazards analyses, recurrence-free survival (RFS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS In this study, the recurrence rate was 24.7% (19/77) in the intravenous chemotherapy combined group and 41.6% (102/245) in the intravesical chemotherapy group, while the progression rate was 6.5% (5/77) and 14.3% (35/245) in the two groups respectively. The two groups differed significantly in recurrence rate (p = 0.007) while the progression rate did not show a significant difference (p = 0.071). Multivariable analyses revealed that additional intravenous chemotherapy treatment was an independent prognostic factor for tumor recurrence in the cohort (hazard ratio [HR], 0.495, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.275-0.892, p = 0.019). Kaplan-Meier curves showed significant differences in RFS and PFS between the two groups, with a log-rank P value of p < 0.005 and p = 0.045, respectively. Grade 3/4 toxicity was reported in 2 of 77 patients in the intravenous chemotherapy combined group, including nausea/vomiting 1.3% (1/77) and hypoleukemia 1.3% (1/77). CONCLUSION Intravenous chemotherapy of gemcitabine and cisplatin combined with intravesical chemotherapy after TURBT can effectively reduce the postoperative recurrence rate, most toxicities were minor and reversible, and it may be considered as a new choice for HRNMIBC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zhiming Zhang
- Department of Urology, TangDu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Zhiyong Nie
- Department of Urology, TangDu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jianxin Qiu
- Department of Urology, TangDu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
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Hong X, Chen X, Wang H, Xu Q, Xiao K, Zhang Y, Chi Z, Liu Y, Liu G, Li H, Fang J, Lin T, Zhang Y. A HER2-targeted Antibody-Drug Conjugate, RC48-ADC, Exerted Promising Antitumor Efficacy and Safety with Intravesical Instillation in Preclinical Models of Bladder Cancer. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2302377. [PMID: 37824205 PMCID: PMC10646285 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202302377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
More than half of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients eventually relapse even if treated with surgery and BCG without optional bladder-preserving therapy. This study aims to investigate the antitumor activity and safety of a HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate, RC48-ADC, intravesical instillation for NMIBC treatment. In this preclinical study, it is revealed that human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression scores of 1+, 2+, and 3+ are recorded for 16.7%, 56.2%, and 14.6% of NMIBC cases. The antitumor effect of RC48-ADC is positively correlated with HER2 expression in bladder cancer (BCa) cell lines and organoid models. Furthermore, RC48-ADC is revealed to exert its antitumor effect by inducing G2/M arrest and caspase-dependent apoptosis. In an orthotopic BCa model, tumor growth is significantly inhibited by intravesical instillation of RC48-ADC versus disitamab, monomethyl auristatin E, epirubicin, or phosphate-buffered saline control. The potential toxicity of intravesical RC48-ADC is also assessed by dose escalation in normal nude mice and revealed that administration of RC48-ADC by intravesical instillation is safe within the range of effective therapeutic doses. Taken together, RC48-ADC demonstrates promising antitumor effects and safety with intravesical administration in multiple preclinical models. These findings provide a rational for clinical trials of intravesical RC48-ADC in NMIBC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuwei Hong
- Department of UrologyShantou Central HospitalShantouGuangdong515031P. R. China
- Department of UrologySun Yat‐Sen Memorial HospitalSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouGuangdong510120P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene RegulationSun Yat‐Sen Memorial HospitalSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouGuangdong510120P. R. China
| | - Xu Chen
- Department of UrologySun Yat‐Sen Memorial HospitalSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouGuangdong510120P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene RegulationSun Yat‐Sen Memorial HospitalSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouGuangdong510120P. R. China
| | - Hongjin Wang
- Department of UrologySun Yat‐Sen Memorial HospitalSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouGuangdong510120P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene RegulationSun Yat‐Sen Memorial HospitalSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouGuangdong510120P. R. China
| | - Qingchun Xu
- Department of UrologyShantou Central HospitalShantouGuangdong515031P. R. China
| | - Kanghua Xiao
- Department of UrologySun Yat‐Sen Memorial HospitalSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouGuangdong510120P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene RegulationSun Yat‐Sen Memorial HospitalSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouGuangdong510120P. R. China
| | - Yuanfeng Zhang
- Department of UrologyShantou Central HospitalShantouGuangdong515031P. R. China
| | - Zepai Chi
- Department of UrologyShantou Central HospitalShantouGuangdong515031P. R. China
| | - Yeqing Liu
- Department of PathologySun Yat‐Sen Memorial HospitalSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouGuangdong510120P. R. China
| | - Guangyao Liu
- School of MedicineSouth China University of TechnologyGuangzhouGuangdong510120P. R. China
| | - Hong Li
- BioMed LaboratoryGuangzhou Jingke Biotech GroupGuangzhouGuangdong510120P. R. China
| | - Jianmin Fang
- RemeGenLtd.YantaiShandong264006P. R. China
- School of Life Science and TechnologyTongji UniversityShanghai200092P. R. China
| | - Tianxin Lin
- Department of UrologySun Yat‐Sen Memorial HospitalSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouGuangdong510120P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene RegulationSun Yat‐Sen Memorial HospitalSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouGuangdong510120P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Centre for Urological DiseasesGuangzhouGuangdong510120P. R. China
| | - Yonghai Zhang
- Department of UrologyShantou Central HospitalShantouGuangdong515031P. R. China
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Lu J, Lai J, Xiao K, Peng S, Zhang Y, Xia Q, Liu S, Cheng L, Zhang Q, Chen Y, Chen X, Lin T. A clinically practical model for the preoperative prediction of lymph node metastasis in bladder cancer: a multicohort study. Br J Cancer 2023; 129:1166-1175. [PMID: 37542107 PMCID: PMC10539530 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-023-02383-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to construct a clinically practical model to precisely predict lymph node (LN) metastasis in bladder cancer patients. METHODS Four independent cohorts were included. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression with multivariate logistic regression were applied. The diagnostic efficacy of LN score and CT/MRI was compared by accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and area under curve (AUC). RESULTS A total of 606 patients were included to develop a basic prediction model. After multistep gene selection, the LN metastasis prediction model was constructed with 5 genes. The model can accurately predict LN metastasis with an AUC of 0.781. For clinically practical use, we transformed the model into a Fast LN Scoring System using the SYSMH cohort (n = 105). High LN score patients exhibited a 72.2% LN metastasis rate, while low LN score patients showed a 3.4% LN metastasis rate. The LN score achieved a superior accuracy than CT/MRI (0.882 vs. 0.727). Application of LN score can correct the diagnosis of 88% (22/25) patients who were misdiagnosed by CT/MRI. DISCUSSION The clinically practical LN score can precisely, rapidly, and conveniently predict LN status, which will assist preoperative diagnosis for LN metastasis and guide precise therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junlin Lu
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Jiajian Lai
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Kanghua Xiao
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Shengmeng Peng
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Yangjie Zhang
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Qidong Xia
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430030, Wuhan, Hubei, P. R. China
| | - Sen Liu
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Liang Cheng
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Yuelong Chen
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Xu Chen
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China.
- Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Urological Diseases, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China.
| | - Tianxin Lin
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China.
- Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Urological Diseases, 510120, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China.
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Song Y, Peng Y, Qin C, Wang Y, Yang W, Du Y, Xu T. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 mutation attenuates response to immune checkpoint blockade in metastatic urothelial carcinoma by driving immunosuppressive microenvironment. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:e006643. [PMID: 37777251 PMCID: PMC10546120 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-006643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy holds promise in metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC). Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) mutation drives T-cell-depleted microenvironment in UC, which led to the hypothesis that FGFR3 mutation might attenuate response to ICB in patients with metastatic UC. The study aims to compare prognosis and response between patients with FGFR3-mutated and FGFR3-wildtype metastatic UC after ICB therapy, and decode the potential molecular mechanisms. METHODS Based on the single-arm, multicenter, phase 2 trial, IMvigor210, we conducted a propensity score matched (PSM) analysis. After a 1:1 ratio PSM method, 39 patients with FGFR3-mutated and 39 FGFR3-wildtype metastatic UC treated with atezolizumab were enrolled. A meta-analysis through systematical database retrieval was conducted for validation. In addition, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on three FGFR3-mutated and three FGFR3-wildtype UC tumors and analyzed 58,069 single cells. RESULTS The PSM analysis indicated FGFR3-mutated patients had worse overall survival (OS) in comparison to FGFR3-wildtype patients (HR=2.11, 95% CI=(1.16 to 3.85), p=0.015) receiving atezolizumab. The median OS was 9.2 months (FGFR3-mutated) versus 21.0 months (FGFR3-wildtype). FGFR3-mutated patients had lower disease control rate than FGFR3-wildtype patients (41.0% vs 66.7%, p=0.023). The meta-analysis involving 938 patients with metastatic UC confirmed FGFR3 mutation was associated with worse OS after ICB (HR=1.28, 95% CI=(1.04 to 1.59), p=0.02). Single-cell RNA transcriptome analysis identified FGFR3-mutated UC carried a stronger immunosuppressive microenvironment compared with FGFR3-wildtype UC. FGFR3-mutated UC exhibited less immune infiltration, and lower T-cell cytotoxicity. Higher TREM2+ macrophage abundance in FGFR3-mutated UC can undermine and suppress the T cells, potentially contributing to the formation of an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Lower inflammatory-cancer-associated fibroblasts in FGFR3-mutated UC recruited less chemokines in antitumor immunity but expressed growth factors to promote FGFR3-mutated malignant cell development. FGFR3-mutated UC carried abundance of malignant cells characterized by high hypoxia/metabolism and low interferon response phenotype. CONCLUSIONS FGFR3 mutation can attenuate prognosis and response to ICB in patients with metastatic UC. FGFR3-mutated UC carries a stronger immunosuppressive microenvironment in comparison with FGFR3-wildtype UC. Inhibition of FGFR3 might activate the immune microenvironment, and the combination of FGFR inhibitor targeted therapy and ICB might be a promising therapeutic regimen in metastatic UC, providing important implications for UC clinical management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxuan Song
- Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yun Peng
- Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Caipeng Qin
- Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yulong Wang
- Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Wenbo Yang
- Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yiqing Du
- Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Xu
- Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
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Zhao S, Gong H, Liang W. Characterization of platelet-related genes and constructing signature combined with immune-related genes for predicting outcomes and immunotherapy response in lung squamous cell carcinoma. Aging (Albany NY) 2023; 15:6969-6992. [PMID: 37477536 PMCID: PMC10415560 DOI: 10.18632/aging.204886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is a highly malignant subtype of non-small cell lung cancer with poor prognosis. Platelets are known to play a critical role in cancer development and progression, and recent studies suggest that they can also regulate immune response in tumors. However, the relationship between platelet-related genes (PRGs) and LUSC prognosis and tumor microenvironments remains unclear. In this study, we used multiple bioinformatics algorithms to identify 25 dysregulated PRGs that were significantly associated with LUSC prognosis. We found that PRGs were involved in multiple biological processes, particularly in the tumor microenvironment, and that platelet-related scores (PRS) were a risk factor. Additionally, we established a 6-gene prognostic signature combining PRGs and immune-related genes that accurately predicted outcomes and immunotherapy efficacy in LUSC patients. Our study provides a comprehensive analysis of the biological functions and potential therapeutic targets of PRGs in LUSC, which may inform the development of new treatments for this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyi Zhao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery and Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University and Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease and China State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease and National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Clinical Medicine, The First Clinical Medical School of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Han Gong
- Department of Thoracic Surgery and Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University and Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease and China State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease and National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou, China
- Molecular Biology Research Center and Center for Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Wenhua Liang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery and Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University and Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease and China State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease and National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou, China
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Lv J, Wu Q, Li K, Bai K, Yu H, Zhuang J, Sun H, Yang H, Yang X, Lu Q. Lysine N-methyltransferase SETD7 promotes bladder cancer progression and immune escape via STAT3/PD-L1 cascade. Int J Biol Sci 2023; 19:3744-3761. [PMID: 37564199 PMCID: PMC10411476 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.87182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: The immunotherapy sensitivity of patients with bladder cancer (BCa) remains low. As the role of protein methylation in tumorigenesis and development becomes clearer, the role of lysine N-methyltransferase SET domain containing 7 (SETD7) in the progression and immune escape of BCa is worth studying. Methods: The correlation between lysine methyltransferase family and prognosis or immunotheray sensitivity of BCa patients were analyzed, and SETD7 was screened out because of the significant correlation between its expression and survival data or immunotherapy sensitivity. The expression of SETD7 in BCa tissues and cell lines were explored. The functions of SETD7 were investigated by proliferation and migration assays. The role of SETD7 in BCa immune escape was validated by analyzing the correlation between SETD7 expression and tumor microenvironment (TME)-related indicators. The results were further confirmed by conducting BCa cell-CD8+ T cell co-culture assays and tumorigenesis experiment in human immune reconstitution NOG mice (HuNOG mice). Bioinformatic prediction, CO-IP, qRT-PCR, and western blot were used to validate the SETD7/STAT3/PD-L1 cascade. Results: SETD7 was highly expressed in BCa, and it was positively associated with high histological grade and worse prognosis. SETD7 promoted the proliferation and migration of BCa cells. The results of bioinformatics, in vitro co-culture, and in vivo tumorigenesis assays showed that SETD7 could inhibit the chemotoxis and cytotoxicity of CD8+ T cells in BCa TME. Mechanistically, bioinformatics analysis, CO-IP assay, qRT-PCR, and western blot results indicated that SETD7 could increase the expression of PD-L1 via binding and promoting STAT3. Conclusions: Taken together, SETD7 indicated poor prognosis and promoted the progression and immune escape of BCa cells. It has great potential to act as a new indicator for BCa diagnosis and treatment, especially immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Haiwei Yang
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Xiao Yang
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Qiang Lu
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
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Zhu Z, Li X, Liu D, Li Z. A novel signature of aging-related genes associated with lymphatic metastasis for survival prediction in patients with bladder cancer. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1140891. [PMID: 37441420 PMCID: PMC10335803 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1140891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The predominant and most prevalent form of metastatic bladder cancer (BCa) is lymphatic metastasis, which is associated with a highly dismal prognosis for patients. Aging-related genes (ARGs) are believed to contribute significantly to tumor development. However, the effect of ARGs on lymphatic metastasis of BCa is unclear. This research sought to establish a prognosis model based on ARGs associated with lymphatic metastasis in BCa. Methods We downloaded BCa data from the TCGA and GEO databases and ARGs from the Aging Atlas database. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) approach was applied to obtain the characteristic ARGs of risk signature in the TCGA cohort. Verification was done using the GSE13507 dataset. The R package 'ConsensusClusterPlus' was employed to identify the molecular subtypes based on the characteristic ARGs. Protein-Protein interaction network, MCODE analysis, enrichment analysis (KEGG, GO, GSEA), and immune infiltration analysis were performed to investigate underlying mechanisms. EdU, migration and invasion assays, wound healing assays, immunofluorescence staining, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction were conducted to evaluate the impact of ELN on the proliferative, migratory, and invasive capacities of BCa cells. Results We identified 20 differently expressed ARGs. A four ARGs risk signature (EFEMP1, UCHL1, TP63, ELN) was constructed in the TCGA cohort. The high-risk group (category) recorded a reduced overall survival (OS) rate relative to the low-risk category (hazard ratio, 2.15; P <0.001). The risk score could predict lymphatic metastasis in TCGA cohort (AUC=0.67). The GSE13507 dataset was employed to verify the validity of this risk score. Based on the four ARGs, two distinct aging profiles (Cluster 1 and Cluster 2) were discovered utilizing the ConsensusClusterPlus, and Cluster 2 possessed a favorable OS in contrast with Cluster 1 (hazard ratio, 0.69; P =0.02). Classical tumor signaling pathways, ECM-associated signaling pathways, and immune-related signaling pathways participate in BCa progression. ELN recombinant protein affected the expression of collagen and increased migration and invasiveness in BCa cells. Conclusion We constructed a four-ARG risk signature and identified two aging molecular subtypes. This signature could serve as an effective survival predictor for patients with BCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiguo Zhu
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining Medical University, Jining, China
- Medical Research Center, Postdoctoral Mobile Station of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jining, China
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital (Shenzhen), Sun Yet-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiaoli Li
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital (Shenzhen), Sun Yet-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Deqian Liu
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Zhonghai Li
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining Medical University, Jining, China
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Chen H, Yang W, Li Y, Ma L, Ji Z. Leveraging a disulfidptosis-based signature to improve the survival and drug sensitivity of bladder cancer patients. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1198878. [PMID: 37325625 PMCID: PMC10266281 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1198878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Disulfidptosis is a recently discovered form of cell death. However, its biological mechanisms in bladder cancer (BCa) are yet to be understood. Methods Disulfidptosis-related clusters were identified by consensus clustering. A disulfidptosis-related gene (DRG) prognostic model was established and verified in various datasets. A series of experiments including qRT-PCR, immunoblotting, IHC, CCK-8, EdU, wound-healing, transwell, dual-luciferase reporter, and ChIP assays were used to study the biological functions. Results We identified two DRG clusters, which exhibited distinct clinicopathological features, prognosis, and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) landscapes. A DRG prognostic model with ten features (DCBLD2, JAM3, CSPG4, SCEL, GOLGA8A, CNTN1, APLP1, PTPRR, POU5F1, CTSE) was established and verified in several external datasets in terms of prognosis and immunotherapy response prediction. BCa patients with high DRG scores may be characterized by declined survival, inflamed TIME, and elevated tumor mutation burden. Besides, the correlation between DRG score and immune checkpoint genes and chemoradiotherapy-related genes indicated the implication of the model in personalized therapy. Furthermore, random survival forest analysis was performed to select the top important features within the model: POU5F1 and CTSE. qRT-PCR, immunoblotting, and immunohistochemistry assays showed the enhanced expression of CTSE in BCa tumor tissues. A series of phenotypic assays revealed the oncogenetic roles of CTSE in BCa cells. Mechanically, POU5F1 can transactivate CTSE, promoting BCa cell proliferation and metastasis. Conclusions Our study highlighted the disulfidptosis in the regulation of tumor progression, sensitivity to therapy, and survival of BCa patients. POU5F1 and CTSE may be potential therapeutic targets for the clinical treatment of BCa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Zhigang Ji
- Department of Urology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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24
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Deng D, Li X, Qi T, Dai Y, Liu N, Li H. A novel platelet risk score for stratifing the tumor immunophenotypes, treatment responses and prognosis in bladder carcinoma: results from real-world cohorts. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1187700. [PMID: 37214475 PMCID: PMC10192868 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1187700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Although the durable efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in BLCA has been confirmed in numerous studies, not all patients benefit from their application in the clinic. Platelets are increasingly being found to be closely associated with cancer progression and metastasis; however, their comprehensive role in BLCA remains unclear. Methods: We comprehensively explored platelet expression patterns in BLCA patients using an integrated set of 244 related genes. Correlations between these platelet patterns with tumor microenvironment (TME) subtypes, immune characteristics and immunotherapy efficacies were explored. In addition, a platelet risk score (PRS) was generated for individual prognosis and verified the ability to predict prognosis, precise TME phenotypes, and immunotherapy efficacies. Results: Genes were clustered into two patterns that represented different TME phenotypes and had the ability to predict immunotherapy efficacy. We constructed a PRS that could predict individual prognosis with satisfactory accuracy using TCGA-BLCA. The results remained consistent when PRS was validated in the GSE32894 and Xiangya cohort. Moreover, we found that our PRS was positively related to tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in the TCGA-BLCA and Xiangya cohort. As expected, patients with higher PRS exhibited more sensitive to immunotherapy than patients with lower PRS. Finally, we discovered that a high PRS indicated a basal subtype of BLCA, whereas a low PRS indicated a luminal subtype. Conclusion: Platelet-related genes could predict TME phenotypes in BLCA. We constructed a PRS that could predict the TME, prognosis, immunotherapy efficacy, and molecular subtypes in BLCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dingshan Deng
- Department of Urology, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Xiaowen Li
- Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Tiezheng Qi
- Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yuanqing Dai
- Department of Urology, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Neng Liu
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Teaching and Research Section of Clinical Nursing, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Huihuang Li
- Department of Urology, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
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Chen H, Yang W, Ji Z. Machine learning-based identification of tumor-infiltrating immune cell-associated model with appealing implications in improving prognosis and immunotherapy response in bladder cancer patients. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1171420. [PMID: 37063886 PMCID: PMC10102422 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1171420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundImmune cells are crucial components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and regulate cancer cell development. Nevertheless, the clinical implications of immune cell infiltration-related mRNAs for bladder cancer (BCa) are still unclear.MethodsA 10-fold cross-validation framework with 101 combinations of 10 machine-learning algorithms was employed to develop a consensus immune cell infiltration-related signature (IRS). The predictive performance of IRS in terms of prognosis and immunotherapy was comprehensively evaluated.ResultsThe IRS demonstrated high accuracy and stable performance in prognosis prediction across multiple datasets including TCGA-BLCA, eight independent GEO datasets, our in-house cohort (PUMCH_Uro), and thirteen immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) cohorts. Additionally, IRS was superior to traditional clinicopathological features (e.g., stage and grade) and 94 published signatures. Furthermore, IRS was an independent risk factor for overall survival in TCGA-BLCA and several GEO datasets, and for recurrence-free survival in PUMCH_Uro. In the PUMCH_Uro cohort, patients in the high-IRS group were characterized by upregulated CD8A and PD-L1 and TME of inflamed and immunosuppressive phenotypes. As predicted, these patients should benefit from ICI therapy and chemotherapy. Furthermore, in the ICI cohorts, the high-IRS group was related to a favorable prognosis and responders have dramatically higher IRS compared to non-responders.ConclusionsGenerally, these indicators suggested the promising application of IRS in urological practices for the early identification of high-risk patients and potential candidates for ICI application to prolong the survival of individual BCa patients.
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