CTHRC1 overexpression predicts poor survival and enhances epithelial-mesenchymal transition in colorectal cancer

CTHRC1: An Emerging Hallmark of Pathogenic Fibroblasts in Lung Fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic, progressive, irreversible lung disease characterized by fibrotic scarring in the lung parenchyma. This condition involves the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) due to the aberrant activation of myofibroblasts in the alveolar environment. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling is a crucial driver of fibrogenesis because it promotes excessive ECM deposition, thereby leading to scar formation and lung damage. A primary target of TGF-β signaling in fibrosis is Collagen Triple Helix Repeat Containing 1 (CTHRC1), a secreted glycoprotein that plays a pivotal role in ECM deposition and wound repair. TGF-β transcriptionally regulates CTHRC1 in response to tissue injury and controls the wound healing response through functional activity. CTHRC1 may also play an essential role in re-establishing and maintaining tissue homeostasis after wound closure by modulating both the TGF-β and canonical Wnt signaling pathways. This dual function suggests that CTHRC1 regulates tissue remodeling and homeostasis. However, deregulated CTHRC1 expression in pathogenic fibroblasts has recently emerged as a hallmark of fibrosis in multiple organs and tissues. This review highlights recent studies suggesting that CTHRC1 can serve as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for fibrosis in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, systemic sclerosis, and post-COVID-19 lung fibrosis. Notably, CTHRC1 expression is responsive to antifibrotic drugs that target the TGF-β pathway, such as pirfenidone and bexotegrast, indicating its potential as a biomarker of treatment success. These findings suggest that CTHRC1 may present new opportunities for diagnosing and treating patients with lung fibrosis.

Transcript and protein signatures derived from shared molecular interactions across cancers are associated with mortality

BACKGROUND

Characterization of shared cancer mechanisms have been proposed to improve therapy strategies and prognosis. Here, we aimed to identify shared cell-cell interactions (CCIs) within the tumor microenvironment across multiple solid cancers and assess their association with cancer mortality.

METHODS

CCIs of each cancer were identified by NicheNet analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data from breast, colon, liver, lung, and ovarian cancers. These CCIs were used to construct a shared multi-cellular tumor model (shared-MCTM) representing common CCIs across cancers. A gene signature was identified from the shared-MCTM and tested on the mRNA and protein level in two large independent cohorts: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA, 9185 tumor samples and 727 controls across 22 cancers) and UK biobank (UKBB, 10,384 cancer patients and 5063 controls with proteomics data across 17 cancers). Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association of the signature with 10-year all-cause mortality, including sex-specific analysis.

RESULTS

A shared-MCTM was derived from five individual cancers. A shared gene signature was extracted from this shared-MCTM and the most prominent regulatory cell type, matrix cancer-associated fibroblast (mCAF). The signature exhibited significant expression changes in multiple cancers compared to controls at both mRNA and protein levels in two independent cohorts. Importantly, it was significantly associated with mortality in cancer patients in both cohorts. The highest hazard ratios were observed for brain cancer in TCGA (HR [95%CI] = 6.90[4.64-10.25]) and ovarian cancer in UKBB (5.53[2.08-8.80]). Sex-specific analysis revealed distinct risks, with a higher mortality risk associated with the protein signature score in males (2.41[1.97-2.96]) compared to females (1.84[1.44-2.37]).

CONCLUSION

We identified a gene signature from a comprehensive shared-MCTM representing common CCIs across different cancers and revealed the regulatory role of mCAF in the tumor microenvironment. The pathogenic relevance of the gene signature was supported by differential expression and association with mortality on both mRNA and protein levels in two independent cohorts.

The dawn of a new Era: mRNA vaccines in colorectal cancer immunotherapy

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a typical cancer that accounts for 10% of all new cancer cases annually and nearly 10% of all cancer deaths. Despite significant progress in current classical interventions for CRC, these traditional strategies could be invasive and with numerous adverse effects. The poor prognosis of CRC patients highlights the evident and pressing need for more efficient and targeted treatment. Novel strategies regarding mRNA vaccines for anti-tumor therapy have also been well-developed since the successful application for the prevention of COVID-19. mRNA vaccine technology won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, signaling a new direction in human anti-cancer treatment: mRNA medicine. As a promising new immunotherapy in CRC and other multiple cancer treatments, the mRNA vaccine has higher specificity, better efficacy, and fewer side effects than traditional strategies. The present review outlines the basics of mRNA vaccines and their advantages over other vaccines and informs an available strategy for developing efficient mRNA vaccines for CRC precise treatment. In the future, more exploration of mRNA vaccines for CRC shall be attached, fostering innovation to address existing limitations.

The role of collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1) in cancer development and progression

INTRODUCTION

Collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1) is a protein that has been implicated in pro-migratory pathways, arterial tissue-repair processes, and inhibition of collagen deposition via the regulation of multiple signaling cascades. Studies have also demonstrated an upregulation of CTHRC1 in multiple cancers where it has been linked to enhanced proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. However, the understanding of the exact role and mechanisms of CTHRC1 in cancer is far from complete.

AREAS COVERED

This review focuses on analyzing the role of CTHRC1 in cancer as well as its associations with clinicopathologies and cancer-related processes and signaling. We have also summarized the available literature information regarding the role of CTHRC1 in tumor microenvironment and immune signaling. Finally, we have discussed the mechanisms associated with CTHRC1 regulations, and opportunities and challenges regarding the development of CTHRC1 as a potential target for cancer management.

EXPERT OPINION

CTHRC1 is a multifaceted protein with critical roles in cancer progression and other pathological conditions. Its association with lower overall survival in various cancers, and impact on the tumor immune microenvironment make it an intriguing target for further research and potential therapeutic interventions in cancer.

CTHRC1 promotes colorectal cancer progression by recruiting tumor-associated macrophages via up-regulation of CCL15

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) represent a key factor in the tumor immune microenvironment (TME), exerting significant influence over tumor migration, invasion, immunosuppressive features, and drug resistance. Collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1), a 30 KDa protein which was secreted during the tissue-repair process, is highly expressed in several malignant tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Previous studies demonstrated that CTHRC1 expression in TAMs was positively correlated to M2 macrophage polarization and liver metastasis, while our discovery suggesting a novel mechanism that CTHRC1 secreted from cancer cell could indirectly interplay with TAMs. In this study, the high expression level of CTHRC1 was evaluated in CRC based on GEO and TCGA databases. Further, CTHRC1 was detected high in all stages of CRC patients by ELISA and was correlated to poor prognosis. Multispectral imaging of IHC demonstrated that M2 macrophage infiltration was increased accompanied with CTHRC1 enrichment, suggesting that CTHRC1 may have chemotactic effect on macrophages. In vitro, CTHRC1 could have chemotactic ability of macrophage in the presence of HT-29 cell line. Cytokine microarray revealed that CTHRC1 could up-regulate the CCL15 level of HT-29, pathway analysis demonstrated that CTHRC1 could regulate CCL15 by controlling the TGFβ activation and Smad phosphorylation level. In vivo, knocking down of CTHRC1 from CT-26 also inhibits tumor formation. In conclusion, CTHRC1 could promote the chemotactic ability of macrophages by up-regulating CCL15 via TGFβ/Smad pathway; additionally, a high level of CTHRC1 could promote macrophage's M2 polarization. This discovery may be related to tumor immune tolerance and tumor immunotherapy resistance in CRC. KEY MESSAGES: CTHRC1 promotes CRC progression by up-regulating CCL15 via TGF-β/Smad pathways to further recruit tumor-associated macrophages. By the means of autocrine or paracrine, CTHRC1 can indeed promote macrophage chemotaxis and enhance the infiltration of macrophages in tumor tissues but in the presence of tumor cells. CAFs were another source of CTHRC1, indicating CTHRC1 can infiltrate tumor islet as well as the stomal and be secreted from both tumor cells and CAFs. This study validated CTHRC1 as a potential immune therapy target CRC.

Mesothelin expression correlates with elevated inhibitory immune activity in patients with colorectal cancer

The expression of the protein Mesothelin (MSLN) is highly variable in several malignancies including colorectal cancer (CRC) and high levels are associated with aggressive clinicopathological features and worse patient survival. CRC is both a common and deadly cancer; being the third most common in incidence and second most common cause of cancer related death. While systemic therapy remains the primary therapeutic option for most patients with stage IV (metastatic; m) CRC, their disease eventually becomes treatment refractory, and 85% succumb within 5 years. Microsatellite-stable (MSS) CRC tumors, which affect more than 90% of patients with mCRC, are generally refractory to immunotherapeutic interventions. In our current work, we characterize MSLN levels in CRC, specifically correlating expression with clinical outcomes in relevant CRC subtypes and explore how MSLN expression impacts the status of immune activation and suppression in the peritumoral microenvironment. High MSLN expression is highly prevalent in CMS1 and CMS4 CRC subtypes as well as in mCRC tissue and correlates with higher gene mutation rates across the patient cohorts. Further, MSLN-high patients exhibit increased M1/M2 macrophage infiltration, PD-L1 staining, immune-inhibitory gene expression, enrichment in inflammatory, TGF-β, IL6/JAK/STAT3, IL2/STAT5 signaling pathways and mutation in KRAS and FBXW7. Together, these results suggest MSLN protein is a potential target for antigen-specific therapy and supports investigation into its tumorigenic effects to identify possible therapeutic interventions for patients with high MSLN expressing MSS CRC.

Predicting key gene related to immune infiltration and myofibroblast-like valve interstitial cells in patients with calcified aortic valve disease based on bioinformatics analysis

BACKGROUND

Calcified aortic valve disease (CAVD) is the most prevalent valvular disease that can be treated only through valve replacement. We aimed to explore potential biomarkers and the role of immune cell infiltration in CAVD progression through bioinformatics analysis.

METHODS

Differentially ex-pressed genes (DEGs) were screened out based on three microarray datasets: GSE12644, GSE51472 and GSE83453. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed to evaluate gene expression differences. Machine learning algorithms and DEGs were used to screen key gene. We used CIBERSORT to evaluate the immune cell infiltration of CAVD and evaluated the correlation between the biomarkers and infiltrating immune cells. We also compared bioinformatics analysis results with the valve interstitial cells (VICs) gene expression in single-cell RNA sequencing.

RESULTS

Collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1) was identified as the key gene of CAVD. We identified a cell subtype valve interstitial cells-fibroblast, which was closely associated with fibro-calcific progress of aortic valve. CTHRC1 highly expressed in the VIC subpopulation. Immune infiltration analysis demonstrated that mast cells, B cells, dendritic cells and eosinophils were involved in pathogenesis of CAVD. Correlation analysis demonstrated that CTHRC1 was correlated with mast cells mostly.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, the study suggested that CTHRC1 was a key gene of CAVD and CTHRC1 might participate in the potential molecular pathways involved in the connection between infiltrating immune cells and myofibroblast phenotype VICs.

CTHRC1, a novel gene with multiple functions in physiology, disease and solid tumors (Review)

Collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1) is a gene discovered in 2005; it is highly conserved, and no homologous proteins have been disclosed thus far. A number of studies have shown that CTHRC1 is present in normal tissues and organs, and it has vital functions in physiological processes, including participating in the regulation of metabolism, arterial remodeling, bone formation and myelination of the peripheral nervous system. It has been reported that abnormal expression of CTHRC1 is involved in the carcinogenesis of various human organs, such as the breast, colon, pancreas, lung, stomach and liver. Therefore, the present review aims to collate all known findings and results on the regulation of CTHRC1 expression and related signaling pathways. To conclude, this review also provides a hypothesis of the functional mechanism of this gene.

CTHRC1 is associated with immune cell infiltration and functions as an adverse marker for prognosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1) is a secreted glycoprotein that decreases the deposition of collagen matrix and accelerates tumor metastasis. However, the relationship between CTHRC1 and the outcomes of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes remains unclear. In the present study, the transcriptional level of CTHRC1 and its association with overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) time in diverse cancer types were evaluated using The Cancer Genome Atlas, Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER), ONCOMINE and Kaplan-Meier plotter databases. The association of CTHRC1 expression level with the clinicopathological parameters of patients with HNSCC from The University of ALabama at Birmingham CANcer data analysis Portal (UALCAN) database were also evaluated. Enrichment analysis of CTHRC1 was carried out using gene set enrichment analysis software. CIBERSORT and TIMER databases were used to evaluate the relationship between the expression level of CTHRC1 and the proportion of tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TICs) in multiple cancer types. Moreover, immunohistochemistry was used to verify the expression of CTHRC1 in clinical samples of HNSCC. CTHRC1 was upregulated in HNSCC and high expression of CTHRC1 was associated with worsening clinicopathologic parameters and shorter OS and RFS times. There were eight HALLMARK gene sets, 1,231 immune signature gene sets and 14 KEGG gene sets significantly enriched in the high CTHRC1 expression group, while no gene set was enriched in the low CTHRC1 expression group. The expression of CTHRC1 was closely correlated with the proportion of TICs, where the expression of CTHRC1 was significantly positively correlated with the amount of infiltrated M0 and M2 macrophages, and significantly negatively associated with the levels of M1 macrophages. These findings suggest that CTHRC1 is an adverse prognostic marker and is associated with immune cell infiltration in HNSCC.

Collagen Triple Helix Repeat Containing 1 Deficiency Protects Against Airway Remodeling and Inflammation in Asthma Models In Vivo and In Vitro

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by airway remodeling and lung inflammation. Collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1), a glycoprotein, is involved in multiple pathological processes, including inflammation and fibrosis. However, the function of CTHRC1 in asthma remains unclear. In the present study, the mouse asthma model was successfully generated by sensitizing and challenging mice with ovalbumin (OVA). CTHRC1 expression at both RNA and protein levels was significantly upregulated in lung tissues of asthmatic mice. Asthmatic mice exhibited significant airway remodeling as evidenced by increased bronchial wall and smooth muscle cell layer thickness, goblet cell hyperplasia and collagen deposition, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), but those characteristics were reversed by CTHRC1 silencing. The cell model with transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) induction in bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) was conducted to verify the effects of CTHRC1 on EMT, a classic mechanism that mediates airway remodeling. The results showed that TGF-β1 stimulation increased CTHRC1 expression, and CTHRC1 knockdown inhibited TGF-β1-induced EMT. OVA-treated mice also showed increased inflammatory cell infiltration and the production of OVA-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, and IL-13, which were decreased by CTHRC1 downregulation. The effects of CTHRC1 on OVA-induced airway inflammation were further determined by treating BEAS-2B cells with IL-13, in which CTHRC1 knockdown reduced the IL-13-induced secretion of pro-inflammatory factors, including IL-4 and IL-5. In conclusion, these results indicate that CTHRC1 silencing attenuates asthmatic airway remodeling and inflammation in vivo and in vitro, suggesting that CTHRC1 may be a potential target for asthma treatment.

Relationship between Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition and Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Colorectal Liver Metastases

The liver is the most common metastatic site in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Indeed, 25-30% of the cases develop colorectal liver metastasis (CLM), showing an extremely poor 5-year survival rate and resistance to conventional anticancer therapies. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) provide a nurturing microenvironment for CRC metastasis, promoting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through the TGF-β signaling pathway, thus driving tumor cells to acquire mesenchymal properties that allow them to migrate from the primary tumor and invade the new metastatic site. EMT is known to contribute to the disruption of blood vessel integrity and the generation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), thus being closely related to high metastatic potential in numerous solid cancers. Despite the fact that it is well-recognized that the crosstalk between tumor cells and the inflammatory microenvironment is crucial in the EMT process, the association between the EMT and the role of TAMs is still poorly understood. In this review, we elaborated on the role that TAMs exert in the induction of EMT during CLM development. Since TAMs are the major source of TGF-β in the liver, we also focused on novel insights into their role in TGF-β-induced EMT.

Cancer-Associated Stromal Fibroblast-Derived Transcriptomes Predict Poor Clinical Outcomes and Immunosuppression in Colon Cancer

Background: Previous studies revealed that colonic cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are associated with the modulation of the colon tumor microenvironment (TME). However, identification of key transcriptomes and their correlations with the survival prognosis, immunosuppression, tumor progression, and metastasis in colon cancer remains lacking. Methods: We used the GSE46824, GSE70468, GSE17536, GSE35602, and the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) datasets for this study. We identified the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, hub genes, and survival-associated genes in colon cancer. Finally, we investigated the correlation of key genes with the survival prognosis, immunosuppression, and metastasis. Results: We identified 246 common DEGs between the GSE46824 and GSE70468 datasets of colonic CAFs, which included 72 upregulated and 174 downregulated genes. The upregulated pathways are mainly involved with cancers and cellular signaling, and downregulated pathways are involved with immune regulation and cellular metabolism. The search tool for the retrieval of interacting genes (STRING)-based analysis identified 15 hub genes and 9 significant clusters in colonic CAFs. The upregulation of CTHRC1, PDGFC, PDLIM3, NTM, and SLC16A3 and downregulation of FBN2 are correlated with a shorter survival time in colon cancer. The CTHRC1, PDGFC, PDLIM3, and NTM genes are positively correlated with the infiltration of tumor-associated macrophages (TAM), macrophages, M2 macrophages, the regulatory T cells (Tregs), T cell exhaustion, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), indicating the immunosuppressive roles of these transcriptomes in colon cancer. Moreover, the CTHRC1, PDGFC, PDLIM3, NTM, and SLC16A3 genes are gradually increased from normal tissue to the tumor and tumor to the metastatic tumor, and FBN2 showed the reverse pattern. Furthermore, the CTHRC1, FBN2, PDGFC, PDLIM3, and NTM genes are positively correlated with the metastatic scores in colon cancer. Then, we revealed that the expression value of CTHRC1, FBN2, PDGFC, PDLIM3, NTM, and SLC16A3 showed the diagnostic efficacy in colonic CAFs. Finally, the expression level of CTHRC1, PDGFC, and NTM genes are consistently altered in colon tumor stroma as well as in the higher CAFs-group of TCGA COAD patients. Conclusion: The identified colonic CAFs-derived key genes are positively correlated with survival prognosis, immunosuppression, tumor progression, and metastasis.

Classification of colon adenocarcinoma based on immunological characterizations: Implications for prognosis and immunotherapy

Accurate immune molecular typing is pivotal for screening out patients with colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) who may benefit from immunotherapy and whose tumor microenvironment (TME) was needed for reprogramming to beneficial immune-mediated responses. However, little is known about the immune characteristic of COAD. Here, by calculating the enrichment score of immune characteristics in three online COAD datasets (TCGA-COAD, GSE39582, and GSE17538), we identified 17 prognostic-related immune characteristics that overlapped in at least two datasets. We determined that COADs could be stratified into three immune subtypes (IS1–IS3), based on consensus clustering of these 17 immune characteristics. Each of the three ISs was associated with distinct clinicopathological characteristics, genetic aberrations, tumor-infiltrating immune cell composition, immunophenotyping (immune “hot” and immune “cold”), and cytokine profiles, as well as different clinical outcomes and immunotherapy/therapeutic response. Patients with the IS1 tumor had high immune infiltration but immunosuppressive phenotype, IS3 tumor is an immune “hot” phenotype, whereas those with the IS2 tumor had an immune “cold” phenotype. We further verified the distinct immune phenotype of IS1 and IS3 by an in-house COAD cohort. We propose that the immune subtyping can be utilized to identify COAD patients who will be affected by the tumor immune microenvironment. Furthermore, the ISs may provide a guide for personalized cancer immunotherapy and for tumor prognosis.

CTHRC1 is a Potential Prognostic Biomarker and Correlated with Macrophage Infiltration in Breast Cancer

Background

Tumor immune cell infiltration is closely associated with the occurrence and development of tumors. Collagen triple helix repeats containing 1 (CTHRC1), a regulator of collagen expression and cell migration, is involved in the metastasis and invasion of tumors. However, the role of CTHRC1 in breast cancer remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of CTHRC1, and further explore its association with immune infiltration in breast cancer.

Methods

CTHRC1 expression pattern and prognostic value were analyzed using ONCOMINE, PrognoScan, GEPIA, and Kaplan–Meier Plotter databases. We then detected CTHRC1 mRNA levels in breast cancer tissues and paired normal breast tissues by Q-PCR. Subsequently, the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) database was used to determine the methylation status of CTHRC1. Furthermore, CTHRC1 mutations were investigated using the Catalogue of Somatic mutations in Cancer (COSMIC) and cBioPortal databases. We also assessed the correlation between CTHRC1 expression and immune cell infiltration using TIMER. In addition, The relationship of CTHRC1 expression with the immune marker sets of various immune cells was evaluated using GEPIA and TIMER.

Results

CTHRC1 was highly expressed in a variety of tumors, including breast cancer. Elevated CTHRC1 expression was related to a poor prognosis. Notably, CTHRC1 expression was significantly associated with macrophage infiltration, especially the immune infiltration gene marker set of M2. Copy number variations, DNA mutations and methylation states might be potential mechanisms for regulating CTHRC1 expression. Protein digestion and absorption, human papillomavirus infection, ECM-receptor interaction, focal adhesion, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways were identified as the potential CTHRC1-driven signaling pathways.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that CTHRC1 could be a promising immune-related biomarker for the treatment of breast cancer patients.

CTHRC1 targeted by miR-30a-5p regulates cell adhesion, invasion and migration in lung adenocarcinoma

The morbidity of lung cancer ranks first among all cancers. Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a classification of lung cancer, and cell invasion and migration of LUAD are the main causes for its high mortality. Therefore, further exploring the potential mechanism of LUAD metastasis may provide bases for following targeted drug development and treatment of LUAD. In this study, clinical data as well as gene expression profiles were obtained from TCGA-LUAD and GEO to analyze CTHRC1 expression. The result found that CTHRC1 was significantly high in LUAD. Similar results were also discovered in 4 cancer cell lines. Moreover, overexpressed/knock-down CTHRC1 cell lines were constructed. It was uncovered that overexpressing CTHRC1 promoted LUAD cell migration and invasion, and inhibited cell adhesion, while knocked down CTHRC1 had the opposite effect. Afterward, the upstream miRNAs that regulated CTHRC1 were predicted by several bioinformatics websites. It was testified by dual-luciferase method that CTHRC1 was negatively mediated by miR-30a-5p. Overexpressed miR-30a-5p suppressed cell invasion/migration, and increased cell adhesion, while overexpressing CTHRC1 as well reversed such impacts. In conclusion, it was disclosed in this study that CTHRC1 worked as a cancer promoter in LUAD, and miR-30a-5p could target and downregulate CTHRC1 to regulate cell adhesion, and inhibited LUAD cell invasion and migration. These results elucidated at cellular level that upregulated CTHRC1 may be a marker protein for LUAD metastasis.

CTHRC1 expressed in periodontitis and human periodontal fibroblasts exposed to inflammatory stimuli

OBJECTIVES

Collagen triple helix repeat containing-1 (CTHRC1) is a glycoprotein that can be secreted extracellularly and is involved in the regulation of collagen matrix in a variety of diseases. The expression level of CTHRC1 in periodontitis was detected in the present study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The gingival tissues from clinically healthy subjects (15 cases) and those with periodontitis (30 cases) were taken for immunohistochemical staining. Lipopolysaccharide of the Porphyromonas gingivalis was added in the periodontal ligament fibroblast culture in vitro. Cells were collected and the mRNA levels of the intracellular CTHRC1 and protein expression of the extracellular CTHRC1 were detected.

RESULTS

The protein expression of CTHRC1 in the periodontitis group was higher than that of the clinically healthy group. The in vitro cell experiments showed that 10 μg/mL of P.g LPS could induce a significant increase in protein secretion of CTHRC1, and 5 μg/mL P.g LPS had a significant effect on promoting the mRNA expression of CTHRC1.

CONCLUSION

CTHRC1 might be involved in the development of periodontitis and the expression level might be significantly correlated with the stimulation of P.g LPS on fibroblasts. Different stimulation intensities of P.g LPS might result in different expression patterns of CTHRC1.

Identification of Tumor Antigens and Design of mRNA Vaccine for Colorectal Cancer Based on the Immune Subtype

mRNA vaccines have become a promising alternative to conventional cancer immunotherapy approaches. However, its application on colorectal cancer (CRC) remains poorly understood. We herein identified potential antigens for designing an effective mRNA vaccine, further to build an immune landscape for the accurate selection of patients for mRNA vaccine therapy. Raw transcriptome data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases were retrieved. Consensus clustering algorithm was applied to divide the CRC samples into four immune subtypes. Immunogenomics analysis was further integrated to characterize the immune microenvironment of each immune subtype. Six tumor antigens were found to be associated with poor prognosis and infiltration of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) in CRC patients. Furthermore, each of the immune subtypes showed differential cellular and molecular features. The IS2 and IS4 exhibited significantly improved survival and higher immune cell infiltration compared with IS1 and IS3. Immune checkpoint molecules and human leukocyte antigen also showed significant differential expression in four immune subtypes. Moreover, we performed graph structure learning-based dimensionality reduction to visualize the immune landscape of CRC. Our results revealed a complex immune landscape that may provide directions for mRNA vaccine treatment of CRC and define appropriate vaccination patients.

CTHRC1 facilitates bladder cancer cell proliferation and invasion through regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

INTRODUCTION

Emerging evidence has illustrated that Collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1) is crucial for tumorigenesis and development. However, the effects of CTHRC1 on bladder cancer progression remain largely unclear. Here, we aim to investigate the function and mechanism of CTHRC1 in behaviors of bladder cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Interference assays were applied to determine the biological functions of CTHRC1. The expression of CTHRC1 was examined by quantitative real time-PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blot and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis. Effects of CTHRC1 on proliferation, migration and invasion were evaluated by CCK-8, colony formation, flow cytometry, EdU staining, wound healing, transwell and western blot assays. Bladder cancer cells transfected with sh-CTHRC1 were injected into nude mice to explore the effect of CTHRC1 on tumorigenesis in vivo.

RESULTS

CTHRC1 expression was increased in bladder cancer tissues and cell lines compared with normal controls, and associated with advanced clinical stage and lymph node metastasis. Also, patients with high levels of CTHRC1 expression were found to have a poor prognosis. Knockdown of CTHRC1 alleviated bladder cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro and impeded tumorigenesis in vivo. Moreover, mechanistic investigation indicated that CTHRC1 could regulate the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data demonstrated that CTHRC1 played an oncogenic role in bladder cancer by modulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, which sheds novel light on diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer.

Atypical cyclin P regulates cancer cell stemness through activation of the WNT pathway

PURPOSE

Cancer stem cells represent a cancer cell subpopulation that has been found to be associated with metastasis and chemoresistance. Therefore, it is vital to identify mechanisms regulating cancer stemness. Previously, we have shown that the atypical cyclin P (CCNP), also known as CNTD2, is upregulated in lung and colorectal cancers and is associated with a worse clinical prognosis. Given that other cyclins have been implicated in pluripotency regulation, we hypothesized that CCNP may also play a role in cancer stemness.

METHODS

Cell line-derived spheroids, ex vivo intestinal organoid cultures and induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were used to investigate the role of CCNP in stemness. The effects of CCNP on cancer cell stemness and the expression of pluripotency markers and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters were evaluated using Western blotting and RT-qPCR assays. Cell viability was assessed using a MTT assay. The effects of CCNP on WNT targets were monitored by RNA-seq analysis. Data from publicly available web-based resources were also analyzed.

RESULTS

We found that CCNP increases spheroid formation in breast, lung and colorectal cancers, and upregulates the expression of stemness (CD44, CD133) and pluripotency (SOX2, OCT4, NANOG) markers. In addition, we found that CCNP promotes resistance to anticancer drugs and induces the expression of multidrug resistance ABC transporters. Our RNA-seq data indicate that CCNP activates the WNT pathway, and that inhibition of this pathway abrogates the increase in spheroid formation promoted by CCNP. Finally, we found that CCNP knockout decreases OCT4 expression in iPSCs, further supporting the notion that CCNP is involved in stemness regulation.

CONCLUSION

Our results reveal CCNP as a novel player in stemness and as a potential therapeutic target in cancer.

Pan-cancer analysis combined with experiments predicts CTHRC1 as a therapeutic target for human cancers

BACKGROUND

The function of collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1) as an oncogene has been reported in a growing number of publications. Bioinformatics methods represent a beneficial approach to examine the mechanism and function of the CTHRC1 gene in the disease process of cancers from a pan-cancer perspective.

METHODS

In this study, using the online databases UCSC, NCBI, HPA, TIMER2, Oncomine, GEPIA, UALCAN, cBioPortal, COSMIC, MEXPRESS, STRING, CCLE, LinkedOmics, GTEx, TCGA, CGGA, and SangerBox, we focused on the relationship between CTHRC1 and tumorigenesis, progression, methylation, immunity, and prognosis. qPCR was used to detect CTHRC1 expression in glioma tissues and cell lines.

RESULTS

The pan-cancer analysis showed that CTHRC1 was overexpressed in most tumors, and a significant correlation was observed between CTHRC1 expression and the prognosis of patients with cancer. CTHRC1 genetic alterations occur in diverse tumors and are associated with tumor progression. Levels of CTHRC1 promoter methylation were decreased in most cancer tissues compared with normal tissues. In addition, CTHRC1 coordinated the activity of ICP genes through diverse signal transduction pathways, was also associated with immune cell infiltration and the tumor microenvironment, and potentially represented a promising immunotherapy target. We identified CTHRC1-related genes across cancers using the GEPIA2 tool. The single-gene GO analysis of CTHRC1 across cancers showed that it was involved in some signaling pathways and biological processes, such as the Wnt signaling pathway, cell migration, and positive regulation of protein binding. The expression and function of CTHRC1 were also further verified in glioma tissues and cell lines.

CONCLUSIONS

CTHRC1 is overexpressed in various cancer types and functions as an important oncogene that may promote tumorigenesis and development through different mechanisms. CTHRC1 may represent an important therapeutic target for human cancers.

Cancer-associated fibroblast-secreted collagen triple helix repeat containing-1 promotes breast cancer cell migration, invasiveness and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are continuously activated and are one of the most important cellular components of the tumor matrix. The role of CAFs in the tumor microenvironment has been widely recognized. However, the underlying molecular mechanism by which CAFs promote tumor characteristics in breast cancer (BC) remains poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential mechanisms and the possible pathways of collagen triple helix repeat containing-1 (CTHRC1) in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of BC cells. The level of CTHRC1 in BC tissues was found to be higher than that in adjacent-normal tissues. CAFs isolated from BC tissues secreted significantly greater amounts of CTHRC1 than normal fibroblasts. Furthermore, CAFs promoted the migration, invasiveness and EMT of BC cells by secreting CTHRC1, which activates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. However, the use of neutralizing antibodies towards CTHRC1, or the specific inhibitor Dickkopf-1, to inhibit the Wnt/β catenin pathway significantly alleviated the CAF-induced malignant phenotypes of BC cells. Collectively, the data indicate that CAFs in the tumor microenvironment promote BC cell malignant behaviors via the CTHRC1/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Furthermore, weakening CAF-BC cell communication by suppressing CTHRC1 expression may be a novel strategy for treating BC.

Proteomic profile of mesothelial exosomes isolated from peritoneal dialysis effluent of children with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is the worldwide recognized preferred dialysis treatment for children affected by end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). However, due to the unphysiological composition of PD fluids, the peritoneal membrane (PM) of these patients may undergo structural and functional alterations, which may cause fibrosis. Several factors may accelerate this process and primary kidney disease may have a causative role. In particular, patients affected by steroid resistant primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a rare glomerular disease leading to nephrotic syndrome and ESKD, seem more prone to develop peritoneal fibrosis. The mechanism causing this predisposition is still unrecognized. To better define this condition, we carried out, for the first time, a new comprehensive comparative proteomic mass spectrometry analysis of mesothelial exosomes from peritoneal dialysis effluent (PDE) of 6 pediatric patients with focal segmental glomerular sclerosis (FSGS) versus 6 patients affected by other primary renal diseases (No FSGS). Our omic study demonstrated that, despite the high overlap in the protein milieu between the two study groups, machine learning allowed to identify a core list of 40 proteins, with ANXA13 as most promising potential biomarker, to distinguish, in our patient population, peritoneal dialysis effluent exosomes of FSGS from No FSGS patients (with 100% accuracy). Additionally, the Weight Gene Co-expression Network Analysis algorithm identified 17 proteins, with PTP4A1 as the most statistically significant biomarker associated to PD vintage and decreased PM function. Altogether, our data suggest that mesothelial cells of FSGS patients are more prone to activate a pro-fibrotic machinery. The role of the proposed biomarkers in the PM pathology deserves further investigation. Our results need further investigations in a larger population to corroborate these findings and investigate a possible increased risk of PM loss of function or development of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis in FSGS patients, thus to eventually carry out changes in PD treatment and management or implement new solutions.

CTHRC1 expression is a novel shared diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of survival in six different human cancer subtypes

According to the previous reports, the collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1) causes tumorigenesis by modulating the tumor microenvironment, however, the evidence is limited to a few human cancer subtypes. In the current study, we analyzed and validated the CTHRC1 expression variations in 24 different human cancer tissues paired with normal tissues using publically available databases. We observed that CTHRC1 was overexpressed in all the 24 major subtypes of human cancers and its overexpression was significantly associated with the reduced overall survival (OS) duration of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC), kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD), and Uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC). This implies that CTHRC1 plays a significant role in the development and progression of these cancers. We further noticed that CTHRC1 was also overexpressed in HNSC, KIRC, LIHC, LUAD, STAD, and UCEC patients of different clinicopathological features. Pathways enrichment analysis revealed the involvement of CTHRC1 associated genes in seven diverse pathways. We also explored few interesting correlations between CTHRC1 expression and promoter methylation, genetic alterations, CNVs, CD8+ T immune cells infiltration, and tumor purity. In conclusion, CTHRC1 can serve as a shared diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in HNSC, KIRC, LIHC, LUAD, STAD, and UCEC patients of different clinicopathological features.

A Prognostic Signature Constructed by CTHRC1 and LRFN4 in Stomach Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) is the most common histological type of stomach cancer, which causes a considerable number of deaths worldwide. This study aimed to identify its potential biomarkers with the notion of revealing the underlying molecular mechanisms.

METHODS

Gene expression profile microarray data were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The "limma" R package was used to screen the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between STAD and matched normal tissues. The Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) was used for function enrichment analyses of DEGs. The STAD dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was used to identify a prognostic gene signature, which was verified in another STAD dataset from the GEO database. CIBERSORT algorithm was used to characterize the 22 human immune cell compositions. The expression of LRFN4 and CTHRC1 in tissues was determined by quantitative real-time PCR from the patients recruited to the present study.

RESULTS

Three public datasets including 90 STAD patients and 43 healthy controls were analyzed, from which 44 genes were differentially expressed in all three datasets. These genes were implicated in biological processes including cell adhesion, wound healing, and extracellular matrix organization. Five out of 44 genes showed significant survival differences. Among them, CTHRC1 and LRFN4 were selected for construction of prognostic signature by univariate Cox regression and stepwise multivariate Cox regression in the TCGA-STAD dataset. The fidelity of the signature was evaluated in another independent dataset and showed a good classification effect. The infiltration levels of multiple immune cells between high-risk and low-risk groups had significant differences, as well as two immune checkpoints. TIM-3 and PD-L2 were highly correlated with the risk score. Multiple signaling pathways differed between the two groups of patients. At the same time, the expression level of LRFN4 and CTHRC1 in tissues analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR were consistent with the in silico findings.

CONCLUSION

The present study constructed the prognostic signature by expression of CTHRC1 and LRFN4 for the first time via comprehensive bioinformatics analysis, which provided the potential therapeutic targets of STAD for clinical treatment.

A Tumor Progression Related 7-Gene Signature Indicates Prognosis and Tumor Immune Characteristics of Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer is a common gastrointestinal malignancy. Since it is often diagnosed in the advanced stage, its mortality rate is high. Traditional therapies (such as continuous chemotherapy) are not satisfactory for advanced gastric cancer, but immunotherapy has shown great therapeutic potential. Gastric cancer has high molecular and phenotypic heterogeneity. New strategies for accurate prognostic evaluation and patient selection for immunotherapy are urgently needed.

METHODS

Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to identify hub genes related to gastric cancer progression. Based on the hub genes, the samples were divided into two subtypes by consensus clustering analysis. After obtaining the differentially expressed genes between the subtypes, a gastric cancer risk model was constructed through univariate Cox regression, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and multivariate Cox regression analysis. The differences in prognosis, clinical features, tumor microenvironment (TME) components and immune characteristics were compared between subtypes and risk groups, and the connectivity map (CMap) database was applied to identify potential treatments for high-risk patients.

RESULTS

WGCNA and screening revealed nine hub genes closely related to gastric cancer progression. Unsupervised clustering according to hub gene expression grouped gastric cancer patients into two subtypes related to disease progression, and these patients showed significant differences in prognoses, TME immune and stromal scores, and suppressive immune checkpoint expression. Based on the different expression patterns between the subtypes, we constructed a gastric cancer risk model and divided patients into a high-risk group and a low-risk group based on the risk score. High-risk patients had a poorer prognosis, higher TME immune/stromal scores, higher inhibitory immune checkpoint expression, and more immune characteristics suitable for immunotherapy. Multivariate Cox regression analysis including the age, stage and risk score indicated that the risk score can be used as an independent prognostic factor for gastric cancer. On the basis of the risk score, we constructed a nomogram that relatively accurately predicts gastric cancer patient prognoses and screened potential drugs for high-risk patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that the 7-gene signature related to tumor progression could predict the clinical prognosis and tumor immune characteristics of gastric cancer.

CTHRC1 promotes liver metastasis by reshaping infiltrated macrophages through physical interactions with TGF-β receptors in colorectal cancer

Metastasis is a major cause of cancer-related deaths. Tumor-intrinsic properties can determine whether tumor metastasis occurs or not. Here, by comparing the gene expression patterns in primary colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with or without metastasis, we found that Collagen Triple Helix Repeat Containing 1 (CTHRC1) in primary CRC served as a metastasis-associated gene. Animal experiments verified that CTHRC1 secreted by CRC cells promoted hepatic metastasis, which was closely correlated with macrophage infiltration. Depletion of macrophages by liposomal clodronate largely abolished the promoting effect of CTHRC1 on CRC liver metastasis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that CTHRC1 modulated macrophage polarization to M2 phenotypes through TGF-β signaling. A mechanistic study revealed that CTHRC1 bound directly to TGF-β receptor II and TGF-β receptor III, stabilized the TGF-β receptor complex, and activated TGF-β signaling. The combination treatment of CTHRC1 monoclonal antibody and anti-PD-1 blocking antibody effectively suppressed CRC hepatic metastasis. Taken together, our data demonstrated that CTHRC1 is an intrinsic marker of CRC metastasis and further revealed that CTHRC1 promoted CRC liver metastasis by reshaping infiltrated macrophages through TGF-β signaling, suggesting that CTHRC1 could be a potential biomarker for the early prediction of and a therapeutic target of CRC hepatic metastasis.

CTHRC1 promotes growth, migration and invasion of trophoblasts via reciprocal Wnt/β-catenin regulation

Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy complication that is characterized by high blood pressure and is associated with high maternal and fetal morbidities. At a mechanistic level, PE is characterized by reduced invasion ability of trophoblasts. Collagen triple helix repeat containing-1 (CTHRC1) is a well-known tumor-promoting factor in several malignant tumors, but its role in trophoblasts remains unknown. In this study, we characterized the expression of CTHRC1 in placenta tissue samples from PE pregnancies and from normal pregnancies. We used the trophoblasts cell lines HTR-8/SVneo and JEG-3 to investigate the role of CTHRC1 in cell migration, invasion and proliferation. Western blot, PCR and TOP/FOP luciferase activity assays were used to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying these cell behaviors. Placenta tissue samples obtained from pregnant women with PE expressed lower levels of CTHRC1 than those of placenta tissues from women with normal pregnancies. Down-regulation of CTHRC1 impaired cell proliferation, migration and invasion of trophoblasts, while CTHRC1 overexpression promoted nuclear translocation of β-catenin, a result that was further confirmed by TOP/FOP luciferase activity assay. Our findings suggest that CTHRC1 promotes migration and invasion of trophoblasts via reciprocal Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Down-regulation of CTHRC1 may be a potential mechanism underpinning the development of preeclampsia.

[Effects of RNA interference of CTHRC1 on proliferation and apoptosis of thyroid papillary cancer TCP-1 cells in vitro]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the role of CTHRC1 in regulating the proliferation and apoptosis of papillary thyroid cancer cells.

OBJECTIVE

Papillary thyroid cancer TPC-1 cells were transfected with a small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting CTHRC1, with the cells transfected with a scrambled sequence as the negative control. The changes in cell proliferation and apoptosis were assessed using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry with AV/PI double staining, respectively. The expression of c-caspase-3, c-PARP1 and phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in the cells were examined with Western blotting.

OBJECTIVE

Transfection with the siRNA sequence significantly decreased the mRNA and protein levels of CTHRC1 in TCP-1 cells (P < 0.05). Compared with blank and negative control cells, TCP-1 cells with RNA interference of CTHRC1 showed significantly lowered proliferative activity and enhanced cell apoptosis (P < 0.05) with significantly increased expressions of c-caspase-3 and c-PARP1 and phosphorylation of ERK1/2 (P < 0.05).

OBJECTIVE

RNA interference of CTHRC1 promotes the proliferation and inhibits apoptosis of papillary thyroid cancer cells possibly by activating the ERK1/2 pathway.

CTHRC1 Is a Prognostic Biomarker and Correlated With Immune Infiltrates in Kidney Renal Papillary Cell Carcinoma and Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma

Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) and kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma (KIRP) are the most common RCC types. RCC has high immune infiltration levels, and immunotherapy is currently one of the most promising treatments for RCC. Collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1) is an extracellular matrix protein that regulates tumor invasion and modulates the tumor microenvironment. However, the association of CTHRC1 with the prognosis and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes of KIRP and KIRC has not been reported. We examined the CTHRC1 expression differences in multiple tumor tissues and normal tissues via exploring TIMER, Oncomine, and UALCAN databases. Then, we searched the Kaplan-Meier plotter database to evaluate the correlation of CTHRC1 mRNA level with clinical outcomes. Subsequently, the TIMER platform and TISIDB website were chosen to assess the correlation of CTHRC1 with tumor immune cell infiltration level. We further explored the causes of aberrant CTHRC1 expression in tumorigenesis. We found that CTHRC1 level was significantly elevated in KIRP and KIRC tissues relative to normal tissues. CTHRC1 expression associates with tumor stage, histology, lymph node metastasis, and poor clinical prognosis in KIRP. The CTHRC1 level correlates to tumor grade, stage, nodal metastasis, and worse survival prognosis. Additionally, CTHRC1 is positively related to different tumor-infiltrating immune cells in KIRP and KIRC. Moreover, CTHRC1 was closely correlated with the gene markers of diverse immune cells. Also, high CTHRC1 expression predicted a worse prognosis in KIRP and KIRC based on immune cells. Copy number variations (CNV) and DNA methylation might contribute to the abnormal upregulation of CTHRC1 in KIRP and KIRC. In conclusion, CTHRC1 can serve as a biomarker to predict the prognosis and immune infiltration in KIRP and KIRC.

BGN and COL11A1 Regulatory Network Analysis in Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Reveals That BGN Influences CRC Cell Biological Functions and Interacts with miR-6828-5p

Purpose

We explored specific expression profiles of BGN and COL11A1 genes and studied their biological functions in CRC using bioinformatics tools.

Patients and Methods

A total of 68 pairs of cancer and non-cancerous tissues from CRC patients were enrolled in this study. Methods we used in this articles including: qRT-PCR, Western blot analysis, ELISA, GO and KEGG regulatory network analysis, tumor infiltration, luciferase reporter-based protein and etc.

Results

According to The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data, BGN and COL11A1 expression levels were significantly higher in CRC patient samples than in samples from healthy controls. Moreover, levels were much higher in late-stage CRC than in early-stage disease, warranting evaluation of these genes as CRC prognostic biomarkers. Subsequently, qRT-PCR, Western blot analysis, and ELISA results obtained from analyses of CRC cells, tissues, and patient sera aligned with TCGA results. GO and KEGG regulatory network analysis revealed BGN- and COL11A1-associated genes that were functionally related to extracellular matrix (ECM) receptor pathway activation, with transcription factor genes RELA and NFKB1 positively associated with BGN expression and CEBPZ and SIRT1 with COL11A1 expression. Meanwhile, BGN and COL11A1 expression were separately and significantly correlated to tumor infiltration by six immune cell types. Additionally, kinase genes PLK1 and LYN appeared to be downstream targets of differentially expressed BGN and COL11A1, respectively. In addition, the expression of PLK1 mRNA was down-regulated while BGN was down-regulated. Finally, BGN effects on CRC cell proliferation, cycle, apoptosis, invasion, and migration were studied using molecular biological methods, including luciferase reporter-based protein analysis, qRT-PCR, and Western blot results, which revealed that miR-6828-5p may regulate BGN expression.

Conclusion

We speculate that the use of BGN and COL11A1 as CRC biomarkers would improve CRC staging, while also providing several novel targets for use in the development of more effective CRC treatments.

Dynamic Evolution of the Cthrc1 Genes, a Newly Defined Collagen-Like Family

Collagen triple helix repeat containing protein 1 (Cthrc1) is a secreted glycoprotein reported to regulate collagen deposition and to be linked to the Transforming growth factor β/Bone morphogenetic protein and the Wnt/planar cell polarity pathways. It was first identified as being induced upon injury to rat arteries and was found to be highly expressed in multiple human cancer types. Here, we explore the phylogenetic and evolutionary trends of this metazoan gene family, previously studied only in vertebrates. We identify Cthrc1 orthologs in two distant cnidarian species, the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis and the hydrozoan Clytia hemisphaerica, both of which harbor multiple copies of this gene. We find that Cthrc1 clade-specific diversification occurred multiple times in cnidarians as well as in most metazoan clades where we detected this gene. Many other groups, such as arthropods and nematodes, have entirely lost this gene family. Most vertebrates display a single highly conserved gene, and we show that the sequence evolutionary rate of Cthrc1 drastically decreased within the gnathostome lineage. Interestingly, this reduction coincided with the origin of its conserved upstream neighboring gene, Frizzled 6 (FZD6), which in mice has been shown to functionally interact with Cthrc1. Structural modeling methods further reveal that the yet uncharacterized C-terminal domain of Cthrc1 is similar in structure to the globular C1q superfamily domain, also found in the C-termini of collagens VIII and X. Thus, our studies show that the Cthrc1 genes are a collagen-like family with a variable short collagen triple helix domain and a highly conserved C-terminal domain structure resembling the C1q family.

The Distribution and Localization of Collagen Triple Helix Repeat Containing-1 in Naturally and Experimentally Avian Leukosis Virus Subgroup J-Infected Chickens

Collagen triple helix repeat containing-1 (CTHRC1) has recently been identified as avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) replication-dependent factor that remarkably facilitates ALV-J replication via interaction with the envelope glycoprotein (SU) of ALV-J. However, the dynamic distribution and localization of CTHRC1 in various tissues upon ALV-J infection are still unknown. In this study, data revealed that the levels of CTHRC1 were significantly increased in various tissues and that the protein was mainly located in the cytoplasm and nucleus of parenchymal cells in tissues of chickens that were infected by ALV-J naturally and experimentally. Interestingly, CTHRC1 was also observed in leukocytes other than erythrocytes in congested veins of ALV-J-infected tissues. Consequently, the positive cells in these veins were confirmed as lymphocytes by laser confocal microscopy. Taken together, these results conclude that the CTHRC1 is an inducible protein and exhibited ubiquitous expression in ALV-J-infected chickens, which may provide basic information for in-depth study of ALV-J infection and replication mechanisms.

The Role of CTHRC1 in Regulation of Multiple Signaling and Tumor Progression and Metastasis

Collagen triple helix repeat containing-1 (CTHRC1) has been identified as cancer-related protein. CTHRC1 expresses mainly in adventitial fibroblasts and neointimal smooth muscle cells of balloon-injured vessels and promotes cell migration and tissue repair in response to injury. CTHRC1 plays a pivotal role in some pathophysiological processes, including increasing bone mass, preventing myelination, and reversing collagen synthesis in many tumor cells. The ascended expression of CTHRC1 is related to tumorigenesis, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis in various human malignancies, including gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, keloid, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, epithelial ovarian cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, cervical cancer, non-small-cell lung carcinoma, and melanoma. And molecules that regulate the expression of CTHRC1 include miRNAs, lncRNAs, WAIF1, and DPAGT1. Many reports have pointed that CTHRC1 could exert different effects through several signaling pathways such as TGF-β, Wnt, integrin β/FAK, Src/FAK, MEK/ERK, PI3K/AKT/ERK, HIF-1α, and PKC-δ/ERK signaling pathways. As a participant in tissue remodeling or immune response, CTHRC1 may promote early-stage cancer. Several recent studies have identified CTHRC1 as an effectual prognostic biomarker for predicting tumor recurrence or metastasis. It is worth noting that CTHRC1 has different cellular localization and mechanisms of action in different cells and different microenvironments. In this article, we focus on the advances in the signaling pathways mediated by CTHRC1 in tumors.

Comprehensive analysis reveals CTHRC1, SERPINE1, VCAN and UPK1B as the novel prognostic markers in gastric cancer

Background

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant diseases worldwide, the incidence and mortality for GC is still high, thus it is urgently important to identify the effective and reliable biomarkers to evaluate GC and the underlying molecular events.

Methods

The study integrated four Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) profile datasets and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs), screened key genes by performing the Kaplan-Meier analysis, univariate and multivariate-cox analysis. Further analysis were performed to evaluate and validate the prognostic value of the key genes based on TCGA database and online websites. In addition, mechanism analysis of the key genes was performed thought biological processes and KEGG pathway analysis.

Results

In the study, 192 DEGs (92 up-regulated and 100 down-regulated) were identified from the GEO and TCGA datasets. Next, gene ontology (GO) for DEGs focused primarily on cell adhesion, extracellular region and extracellular matrix structural constituent. Then four significant key genes were screened by performed the Kaplan-Meier analysis, univariate and multivariate-cox analysis. By using Kaplan-Meier plotter and OncoLnc, the expression level was associated with a worse prognosis. In addition, the area under curve (AUC) for time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) indicated a moderate diagnostic value. Furthermore, the expression of collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1), serpin family E member 1 (SERPINE1), Versican (VCAN) was associated with tumor size, Uroplakin 1B (UPK1B) expression was associated with distant metastasis. Finally, multiple biological processes and signaling pathway associated with key genes revealed the underlying mechanism in GC.

Conclusions

Taken together, CTHRC1, SERPINE1, VCAN, UPK1B were novel potential prognostic molecular markers for GC, which acted as oncogene to promote the development of GC.

Cyclovirobuxine D inhibits colorectal cancer tumorigenesis via the CTHRC1‑AKT/ERK‑Snail signaling pathway

Cyclovirobuxine D (CVB-D) is an alkaloid, which is mainly derived from Buxus microphylla. It has been reported that CVB-D has positive effects on breast cancer, gastric cancer and other malignant tumors. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no reports regarding the effects of CVB-D on colorectal cancer (CRC). The purpose of the present study was to determine the anticancer effects of CVB-D and further elucidate its molecular mechanism(s). DLD-1 and LoVo cell lines were selected to evaluate the antitumor effect of CVB-D. Cytotoxicity, viability and proliferation were evaluated by the MTT and colony formation assays. Flow cytometry was used to detect the effects on apoptosis and the cell cycle in CVB-D-treated CRC cells. The migration and invasion abilities of CRC cells were examined by wound healing and Transwell assays. In addition, RNA sequencing, bioinformatics analysis and western blotting were performed to investigate the target of drug action and clarify the molecular mechanisms. A xenograft model was established using nude mice, and ultrasound was employed to assess the preclinical therapeutic effects of CVB-D in vivo. It was identified that CVB-D inhibited the proliferation, migration, stemness, angiogenesis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of CRC cells, and induced apoptosis and S-phase arrest. In addition, CVB-D significantly inhibited the growth of xenografts. It is notable that CVB-D exerted anticancer effects in CRC cells partly by targeting collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1), which may be upstream of the AKT and ERK pathways. CVB-D exerted anticancer effects through the CTHRC1-AKT/ERK-Snail signaling pathway. Targeted therapy combining CTHRC1 with CVB-D may offer a promising novel therapeutic approach for CRC treatment.

CTHRC1 promotes gastric cancer metastasis via HIF-1α/CXCR4 signaling pathway

Metastasis is the main cause of gastric cancer (GC) related death and the underlying mechanisms still remain unclear. Collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1) protein is known to be involved in tissue remodeling processes and closely associated with carcinogenesis and metastasis in solid tumors, but the functional role of CTHRC1 and its underlying mechanism with tumor metastasis in GC have not been fully illuminated. In the present study, CTHRC1 was highly expressed in tumor tissues and associated with poor prognosis of GC according to TCGA and GEO database. Functional studies revealed that CTHRC1 overexpression in GC significantly increased cell migration and invasion capacity. However, the promoting effects were abolished subsequent to silencing of CXCR4. In addition, CTHRC1 increased CXCR4 expression through upregulating HIF-1α expression, which eventually contributed to the promotion of cell migration and invasion. Inhibiting HIF-1α expression decreased CXCR4 expression and suppressed cell migration and invasion in GC. These results substantiated our hypothesis that HIF-1α/CXCR4 signaling pathway mediated the promoting effect of CTHRC1 on cell migration and invasion in GC.

High CTHRC1 expression may be closely associated with angiogenesis and indicates poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma patients

Background

This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of the potential biomarker collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients.

Methods

A total of 210 LUAD patients diagnosed between 2003 and 2016 in the Department of Pathology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were included in this study. The expression of CTHRC1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and microvessel density (MVD, determined by CD34 immunostaining) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in LUAD tissues. The association between the expression of these proteins and clinicopathological features or clinical outcomes was analyzed.

Results

Here, we confirmed that CTHRC1 expression was associated with prognosis and can serve as a significant predictor for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in LUAD. Additionally, we observed that CTHRC1 expression was positively associated with tumor angiogenesis markers, such as VEGF expression (P < 0.001) and MVD (P < 0.01). Then, we performed gene set enrichment analysis (GESA) and cell experiments to confirm that enhanced CTHRC1 expression can promote VEGF levels. Based on and cox regression analysis, a predictive model that included CTHRC1, VEGF and MVD was constructed and confirmed as a more accurate independent predictor for OS (P = 0.001) and PFS (P < 0.001) in LUAD than other parameters.

Conclusions

These results demonstrated that high CTHRC1 expression may be closely related to tumor angiogenesis and poor prognosis in LUAD. The predictive model based on the CTHRC1 level and tumor angiogenesis markers can be used to predict LUAD patient prognosis more accurately.

CTHRC1 May Serve As A Prognostic Biomarker For Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a common malignant cancer and the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1) has been increasingly reported to be involved in tumorigenesis and/or tumor progression. However, limited data are available regarding the role of CTHRC1 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods

Paraffin-embedded specimens from a total of 29 patients with HCC were collected in our study. The expression of CTHRC1 in hepatocellular carcinoma was evaluated using immunohistochemistry and bioinformatics analysis. Furthermore, Spearman analysis was performed to identify factors of correlation between CTHRC1 and clinicopathological features. Survival curves for hepatocellular carcinoma were produced using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log rank test.

Results

In this study, we confirmed that CTHRC1 is highly expressed in tissues and hepatoma cell lines. The statistical analysis revealed that the levels of CTHRC1 were significantly correlated with cirrhosis (P=0.024), tumor size (P=0.006), vascular invasion (P<0.001), TNM stage (P<0.001), and BCLC stage (P<0.001). High expression of CTHRC1 in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues is significantly associated with poor survival.

Conclusion

CTHRC1 may serve as a prognostic biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma.

CTHRC1 and PD‑1/PD‑L1 expression predicts tumor recurrence in prostate cancer

Collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1) is a gene that has been associated with tumor progression in human prostate cancer (PC). The tumor immune microenvironment has been linked with disease outcome in PC. In the present study, the correlation between CTHRC1 with PC recurrence and the tumor immunological microenvironment was investigated. Using the data supplied by the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER), the expression of CTHRC1, programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), and programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) were analyzed. Immunohistochemical staining of CTHRC1, PD-1 and PD-L1 was performed using a tissue microarray construction of prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD) specimens. In PRAD, an association was reported between the CTHRC1 expression and the disease free survival (DFS) rate (P=0.022). Overexpression of CTHRC1 was correlated with increased levels of PD-1 (R=0.272, P=0.021) and PD-L1 (R=0.298, P=0.016), elevated levels of infiltrating B cells (P=9.51e⁻¹¹), CD4⁺ cells (P=1.51e⁻¹¹), macrophages (P=8.25e⁻⁵), neutrophils (P=2.17e⁻⁹) and dendritic cells (P=3.13e⁻¹³). Bioinformatics analysis revealed that CTHRC1 was correlated with the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9, mucin 1 and solute carrier organic anion transporter family member 2B1 genes, which exert an influence in PRAD. The occurrence of this condition is most likely to be associated with regulation of the tumor microenvironment. Taken together, we demonstrated that the prognosis and immunity of PC are closely linked to CTHRC1 upregulation. Furthermore, these results suggest that the immune function of PC may be suppressed by CTHRC1-targeting therapy.

CTHRC1 overexpression predicts poor survival and enhances epithelial-mesenchymal transition in colorectal cancer

Collagen triple helix repeat containing (CTHRC1), which was identified as a cancer‐related factor, is a promigratory protein involved in multiple processes, including vascular remodeling, antifibrosis, metabolism, bone formation, and cancer. In this study, we aimed to investigate the clinical significance and possible role of CTHRC1 in the process of epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) in colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, we revealed that CTHRC1 mRNA and protein levels are both upregulated in CRC tissues compared with those of paired noncancerous tissues. Moreover, the overexpression of CTHRC1 correlated with poor prognosis in patients with CRC (especially colon cancer). Furthermore, we showed that CTHRC1 induced EMT and promoted cell motility in CRC cells. Importantly, we demonstrated that CTHRC1 promoted EMT by activating transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) signaling, revealing a possible effective therapeutic treatment for patients with CRC.