Additive effect of the AZGP1, PIP, S100A8 and UBE2C molecular biomarkers improves outcome prediction in breast carcinoma

Zinc Alpha-2-Glycoprotein (ZAG/AZGP1) secreted by triple-negative breast cancer promotes tumor microenvironment fibrosis

Obesity is a predisposition factor for breast cancer, suggesting a localized, reciprocal interaction between breast cancer cells and the surrounding mammary white adipose tissue. To investigate how breast cancer cells alter the composition and function of adipose tissue, we screened the secretomes of ten human breast cancer cell lines for the ability to modulate the differentiation of adipocyte stem and progenitor cells (ASPC). The screen identified a key adipogenic modulator, Zinc Alpha-2-Glycoprotein (ZAG/AZGP1), secreted by triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. TNBC-secreted ZAG inhibits adipogenesis and instead induces the expression of fibrotic genes. Accordingly, depletion of ZAG in TNBC cells attenuates fibrosis in white adipose tissue and inhibits tumor growth. Further, high expression of ZAG in TNBC patients, but not other clinical subtypes of breast cancer, is linked to poor prognosis. Our findings suggest a role of TNBC-secreted ZAG in promoting the transdifferentiation of ASPCs into cancer-associated fibroblasts to support tumorigenesis.

Investigating the immunological function of alpha-2-glycoprotein 1, zinc-binding in regulating tumor response in the breast cancer microenvironment

BACKGROUND

Alpha-2-glycoprotein 1, zinc-binding (ZAG), a secreted protein encoded by the AZGP1 gene, is structurally similar to HLA class I. Despite its presumed immunological function, little is known about its role in tumor immunity. In this study, we thus aimed to determine the relationship between the expression of AZGP1/ZAG and the immunological profiles of breast cancer tissues at both the gene and protein level.

METHODS

Using a publicly available gene expression dataset from a large-scale breast cancer cohort, we conducted gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to screen the biological processes associated with AZGP1. We analyzed the correlation between AZGP1 expression and immune cell composition in breast cancer tissues, estimated using CIBERSORTx. Previously, we evaluated the infiltration of 11 types of immune cells for 45 breast cancer tissues using flow cytometry (FCM). ZAG expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry on these specimens and analyzed for its relationship with immune cell infiltration. The action of ZAG in M1/M2 polarization models using primary cultures of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC)-derived macrophage (Mφ) was analyzed based on the expression of M1/M2 markers (CD86, CD80/CD163, MRC1) and HLA class I/II by FCM.

RESULTS

AZGP1 expression was negatively correlated with multiple immunological processes and specific immune cell infiltration including Mφ M1 using GSEA and CIBERSORTx. ZAG expression was associated with decreased infiltration of monocytes/macrophages, non-classical monocytes, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells in tumor tissues assessed using FCM. In in vitro analyses, ZAG decreased the expression of CD80, CD163, MRC1, and HLA classes I/II in the M1 polarization model and the expression of CD163 and MRC1 in the M2 polarization model.

CONCLUSION

ZAG is suggested to be a novel immunoregulatory factor affecting the Mφ phenotype in breast cancer tissues.

Role of UBE2C in Brain Cancer Invasion and Dissemination

Glioblastoma (GB) and brain metastases (BM) are the most common brain tumors in adults and are invariably associated with a dismal outcome. These highly malignant tumors share common features including increased invasion and migration of the primary or metastatic brain cancer cells, whose triggering mechanisms are largely unknown. Emerging evidence has suggested that the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2C (UBE2C), essential for controlling cell cycle progression, is overexpressed in diverse malignancies, including brain cancer. This review highlights the crucial role of UBE2C in brain tumorigenesis and its association with higher proliferative phenotype and histopathological grade, with autophagy and apoptosis suppression, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, migration, and dissemination. High expression of UBE2C has been associated with patients' poor prognosis and drug resistance. UBE2C has also been proven as a promising therapeutic target, despite the lack of specific inhibitors. Thus, there is a need to further explore the role of UBE2C in malignant brain cancer and to develop effective targeted therapies for patients with this deadly disease.

AZGP1 activation by lenvatinib suppresses intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma epithelial-mesenchymal transition through the TGF-β1/Smad3 pathway

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a primary liver malignancy and is characterized by highly aggressive and malignant biological behavior. Currently, effective treatment strategies are limited. The effect of lenvatinib on ICC is unknown. In this study, we found that AZGP1 was the key target of lenvatinib in ICC, and its low expression in ICC cancer tissues was associated with a poor prognosis in patients. Lenvatinib is a novel AZGP1 agonist candidate for ICC that inhibits ICC-EMT by regulating the TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway in an AZGP1-dependent manner. Furthermore, we found that lenvatinib could increase AZGP1 expression by increasing the acetylation level of H3K27Ac in the promoter region of the AZGP1 gene, thereby inhibiting EMT in ICC cells. In conclusion, lenvatinib activates AZGP1 by increasing the acetylation level of H3K27Ac on the AZGP1 promoter region and regulates the TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway in an AZGP1-dependent manner to inhibit ICC-EMT. This study offers new insight into the mechanism of lenvatinib in the treatment of ICC and provides a theoretical basis for new treatment methods.

The biology of SCUBE

The SCUBE [Signal peptide-Complement C1r/C1s, Uegf, Bmp1 (CUB)-Epithelial growth factor domain-containing protein] family consists of three proteins in vertebrates, SCUBE1, 2 and 3, which are highly conserved in zebrafish, mice and humans. Each SCUBE gene encodes a polypeptide of approximately 1000 amino acids that is organized into five modular domains: (1) an N-terminal signal peptide sequence, (2) nine tandem epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like repeats, (3) a large spacer region, (4) three cysteine-rich (CR) motifs, and (5) a CUB domain at the C-terminus. Murine Scube genes are expressed individually or in combination during the development of various tissues, including those in the central nervous system and the axial skeleton. The cDNAs of human SCUBE orthologs were originally cloned from vascular endothelial cells, but SCUBE expression has also been found in platelets, mammary ductal epithelium and osteoblasts. Both soluble and membrane-associated SCUBEs have been shown to play important roles in physiology and pathology. For instance, upregulation of SCUBEs has been reported in acute myeloid leukemia, breast cancer and lung cancer. In addition, soluble SCUBE1 is released from activated platelets and can be used as a clinical biomarker for acute coronary syndrome and ischemic stroke. Soluble SCUBE2 enhances distal signaling by facilitating the secretion of dual-lipidated hedgehog from nearby ligand-producing cells in a paracrine manner. Interestingly, the spacer regions and CR motifs can increase or enable SCUBE binding to cell surfaces via electrostatic or glycan-lectin interactions. As such, membrane-associated SCUBEs can function as coreceptors that enhance the signaling activity of various serine/threonine kinase or tyrosine kinase receptors. For example, membrane-associated SCUBE3 functions as a coreceptor that promotes signaling in bone morphogenesis. In humans, SCUBE3 mutations are linked to abnormalities in growth and differentiation of both bones and teeth. In addition to studies on human SCUBE function, experimental results from genetically modified mouse models have yielded important insights in the field of systems biology. In this review, we highlight novel molecular discoveries and critical directions for future research on SCUBE proteins in the context of cancer, skeletal disease and cardiovascular disease.

Prolactin-induced protein (PIP) increases the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to drug-induced apoptosis

We have previously shown that high expression of prolactin-induced protein (PIP) correlates with the response of breast cancer (BC) patients to standard adjuvant chemotherapy (doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide), which suggests that the absence of this glycoprotein is associated with resistance of tumor cells to chemotherapy. Therefore, in the present study, we analyzed the impact of PIP expression on resistance of BC cells to anti-cancer drugs and its biological role in BC progression. Expression of PIP and apoptotic genes in BC cell lines was analyzed using real-time PCR and Western blotting. PIP was detected in BC tissue specimens using immunohistochemistry. The tumorigenicity of cancer cells was analyzed by the in vivo tumor growth assay. Apoptotic cells were detected based on caspase-3 activation, Annexin V binding and TUNEL assay. The interaction of PIP with BC cells was analyzed using flow cytometry. Using two cellular models of BC (i.e. T47D cells with the knockdown of the PIP gene and MDA-MB-231 cells overexpressing PIP), we found that high expression of PIP resulted in (1) increased sensitivity of BC cells to apoptosis induced by doxorubicin (DOX), 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC), and paclitaxel (PAX), and (2) improved efficacy of anti-cancer therapy with DOX in the xenograft mice model. Accordingly, a clinical study revealed that BC patients with higher PIP expression were characterized by longer 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival. Subsequent studies showed that PIP up-regulated the expression of the following pro-apoptotic genes: CRADD, DAPK1, FASLG, CD40 and BNIP2. This pro-apoptotic activity is mediated by secreted PIP and most probably involves the specific surface receptor. This study demonstrates that a high expression level of PIP sensitizes BC cells to anti-cancer drugs. Increased sensitivity to chemotherapy is the result of pro-apoptotic activity of PIP, which is evidenced by up-regulation of specific pro-apoptotic genes. As high expression of PIP significantly correlated with a better response of patients to anti-cancer drugs, this glycoprotein can be a marker for the prognostic evaluation of adjuvant chemotherapy.

Validation of a Disease-Free Survival Prediction Model Using UBE2C and Clinical Indicators in Breast Cancer Patients

Objective

To explore the validation of a disease-free survival (DFS) model for predicting disease progression based on the combination of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 C (UBE2C) levels and clinical indicators in breast cancer patients.

Methods

We enrolled 121 patients with breast cancer, collected their baseline characteristics and follow-up data, and analyzed the UBE2C levels in tumor tissues. We studied the relationship between UBE2C expression in tumor tissues and disease progression events of patients. We used the Kaplan-Meier method for identifying the disease-free survival rate of patients, and the multivariate Cox regression analysis to study the risk factors affecting the prognosis of patients. We sought to develop and validate a model for predicting disease progression.

Results

We found that the level of expression of UBE2C could effectively distinguish the prognosis of patients. In the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the Area under the ROC Curve (AUC) = 0.826 (0.714-0.938) indicating that high levels of UBE2C was a high-risk factor for poor prognosis. After evaluating different models using the ROC curve, Concordance index (C-index), calibration curve, Net Reclassification Index (NRI), Integrated Discrimination Improvement Index (IDI), and other methods, we finally developed a model for the expression of Tumor-Node (TN) staging using Ki-67 and UBE2C, which had an AUC=0.870, 95% CI of 0.786-0.953. The traditional TN model had an AUC=0.717, and 95% CI of 0.581-0.853. Decision Curve Analysis (DCA) and Clinical Impact Curve (CIC) analysis indicated that the model had good clinical benefits and it was relatively simple to use.

Conclusion

We found that high levels of UBE2C was a high-risk factor for poor prognosis. The use of UBE2C in addition to other breast cancer-related indicators effectively predicted the possible disease progression, thus providing a reliable basis for clinical decision-making.

Development and validation of a short-term breast health measure as a supplement to screening mammography

Background

There is a growing body of evidence to support tears as a non-traditional biological fluid in clinical laboratory testing. In addition to the simplicity of tear fluid processing, the ability to access key cancer biomarkers in high concentrations quickly and inexpensively is significantly enhanced. Tear fluid is a dynamic environment rich in both proteomic and genomic information, making it an ideal medium for exploring the potential for biological testing modalities.

Methods

All protocols involving human subjects were reviewed and approved by the University of Arkansas IRB committee (13-11-289) prior to sample collection. Study enrollment was open to women ages 18 and over from October 30, 2017-June 19, 2019 at The Breast Center, Fayetteville, AR and Bentonville, AR. Convenience sampling was used and samples were age/sex matched, with enrollment open to individuals at any point of the breast health continuum of care. Tear samples were collected using the Schirmer strip method from 847 women. Concentration of selected tear proteins were evaluated using standard sandwich ELISA techniques and the resulting data, combined with demographic and clinical covariates, was analyzed using logistic regression analysis to build a model for classification of samples.

Results

Logistic regression analysis produced three models, which were then evaluated on cases and controls at two diagnostic thresholds and resulted in sensitivity ranging from 52 to 90% and specificity from 31 to 79%. Sensitivity and specificity variation is dependent on the model being evaluated as well as the selected diagnostic threshold providing avenues for assay optimization.

Conclusions and relevance

The work presented here builds on previous studies focused on biomarker identification in tear samples. Here we show successful early classification of samples using two proteins and minimal clinical covariates.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40364-022-00420-1.

Ceramide synthase 6 antisense RNA 1 contributes to the progression of breast cancer by sponging miR-16-5p to upregulate ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2C

Breast cancer (BC) is the most dangerous female mortality all over the world, described by unavoidable spread and metastaticity of BC cells. Increasing evidences verified that lncRNA play a major role in the tumorgenesis and development of BC cell. The purpose of this study is to investigate the roles of lncRNA ceramide synthase 6 antisense RNA 1 (CERS6-AS1) and ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2C (UBE2C) in BC and explore the regulatory association among miR-16-5p, CERS6-AS1, and UBE2C in BC. The CERS6-AS1 and UBE2C expression levels were determined by real time quantitative PCR in cell lines and tissues of BC. The function of CERS6-AS1 and UBE2C in the apoptosis, proliferation, and migration was confirmed by cell counting kit-8, Transwell, and flowcytometry tests. We performed tumor xenograft assay to validate the roles of CERS6-AS1 in vivo. The expression of UBE2C proteins was evaluated by Western Blot analysis. Moreover, the relationship among UBE2C, CERS6-AS1, and miR-16-5p was verified by luciferase report assay. It was found that CERS6-AS1 and UBE2C were meaningfully upregulated in BC, and knockdown of both CERS6-AS1 and UBE2C inhibited the BC cell proliferation and migration, whereas induced apoptosis. Mechanistically, CERS6-AS1 could facilitate BC progression by sponging miR-16-5p for upregulation of the UBE2C expression. The CERS6-AS1/miR-16-5p/UBE2C axis might be a prospective therapeutic target in the BC treatment by sponging miR-16-5p to upregulate UBE2C, which might contribute to the development of BC.

Using tears as a non-invasive source for early detection of breast cancer

The changing expression levels of ocular proteins in response to systemic disease has been well established in literature. In this study, we examined the ocular proteome to identify protein biomarkers with altered expression levels in women diagnosed with breast cancer. Tear samples were collected from 273 participants using Schirmer strip collection methods. Following protein elution, proteome wide trypsin digestion with Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to identify potential protein biomarkers with altered expression levels in breast cancer patients. Selected biomarkers were further validated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A total of 102 individual tear samples (51 breast cancer, 51 control) were analyzed by LC-MS/MS which identified 301 proteins. Spectral intensities between the groups were compared and 14 significant proteins (p-value <0.05) were identified as potential biomarkers in breast cancer patients. Three biomarkers, S100A8 (p-value = 0.0069, 7.8-fold increase), S100A9 (p-value = 0.0048, 10.2-fold increase), and Galectin-3 binding protein (p-value = 0.01, 3.0-fold increase) with an increased expression in breast cancer patients were selected for validation using ELISA. Validation by ELISA was conducted using 171 individual tear samples (75 Breast Cancer and 96 Control). Similar to the observed LC-MS/MS results, S100A8 (p-value <0.0001) and S100A9 (p-value <0.0001) showed significantly higher expression in breast cancer patients. However, galectin-3 binding protein had increased expression in the control group. Our results provide further support for using tear proteins to detect non-ocular systemic diseases such as breast cancer. Our work provides crucial details to support the continued evaluation of tear samples in the screening and diagnosis of breast cancer and paves the way for future evaluation of the tear proteome for screening and diagnosis of systemic diseases.

Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 2C (UBE2C) is a poor prognostic biomarker in invasive breast cancer

Background

The Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 2C (UBE2C) is essential for the ubiquitin–proteasome system and is involved in cancer cell migration and apoptosis. This study aimed to determine the prognostic value of UBE2C in invasive breast cancer (BC).

Methods

UBE2C was evaluated using the Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (n = 1980), The Cancer Genome Atlas (n = 854) and Kaplan–Meier Plotter (n = 3951) cohorts. UBE2C protein expression was assessed using immunohistochemistry in the BC cohort (n = 619). The correlation between UBE2C, clinicopathological parameters and patient outcome was assessed.

Results

High UBE2C mRNA and protein expressions were correlated with features of poor prognosis, including high tumour grade, large size, the presence of lymphovascular invasion, hormone receptor negativity and HER2 positivity. High UBE2C mRNA expression showed a negative association with E-cadherin, and a positive association with adhesion molecule N-cadherin, matrix metalloproteinases and cyclin-related genes. There was a positive correlation between high UBE2C protein expression and cell cycle-associated biomarkers, p53, Ki67, EGFR and PI3K. High UBE2C protein expression was an independent predictor of poor outcome (p = 0.011, HR = 1.45, 95% CI; 1.10–1.93).

Conclusion

This study indicates that UBE2C is an independent prognostic biomarker in BC. These results warrant further functional validation for UBE2C as a potential therapeutic target in BC.

The Therapeutic Potential of Zinc-Alpha2-Glycoprotein (AZGP1) in Fibrotic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by a long-term loss of kidney function and, in most cases, by progressive fibrosis. Zinc-alpha2-glycoprotein (AZGP1) is a secreted protein, which is expressed in many different tissues and has been associated with a variety of functions. In a previous study, we have shown in cell culture and in AZGP1 deficient mice that AZGP1 has protective anti-fibrotic effects. In the present study, we tested the therapeutic potential of an experimental increase in AZGP1 using two different strategies. (1) C57Bl/6J mice were treated systemically with recombinant AZGP1, and (2) a transgenic mouse strain was generated to overexpress AZGP1 conditionally in proximal tubular cells. Mice underwent unilateral uretic obstruction as a pro-fibrotic kidney stress model, and kidneys were examined after 14 days. Recombinant AZGP1 treatment was accompanied by better preservation of tubular integrity, reduced collagen deposition, and lower expression of injury and fibrosis markers. Weaker but similar tendencies were observed in transgenic AZGP1 overexpressing mice. Higher AZGP1 levels led to a significant reduction in stress-induced accumulation of tubular lipid droplets, which was paralleled by improved expression of key players in lipid metabolism and fatty acid oxidation. Together these data show beneficial effects of elevated AZGP1 levels in fibrotic kidney disease and highlight a novel link to tubular cell lipid metabolism, which might open up new opportunities for CKD treatment.

XOmiVAE: an interpretable deep learning model for cancer classification using high-dimensional omics data

The lack of explainability is one of the most prominent disadvantages of deep learning applications in omics. This 'black box' problem can undermine the credibility and limit the practical implementation of biomedical deep learning models. Here we present XOmiVAE, a variational autoencoder (VAE)-based interpretable deep learning model for cancer classification using high-dimensional omics data. XOmiVAE is capable of revealing the contribution of each gene and latent dimension for each classification prediction and the correlation between each gene and each latent dimension. It is also demonstrated that XOmiVAE can explain not only the supervised classification but also the unsupervised clustering results from the deep learning network. To the best of our knowledge, XOmiVAE is one of the first activation level-based interpretable deep learning models explaining novel clusters generated by VAE. The explainable results generated by XOmiVAE were validated by both the performance of downstream tasks and the biomedical knowledge. In our experiments, XOmiVAE explanations of deep learning-based cancer classification and clustering aligned with current domain knowledge including biological annotation and academic literature, which shows great potential for novel biomedical knowledge discovery from deep learning models.

Identification of potential salivary biomarker panels for oral squamous cell carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide with the maximum number of incidences and deaths reported from India. One of the major causes of poor survival rate associated with OSCC has been attributed to late presentation due to non-availability of a biomarker. Identification of early diagnostic biomarker will help in reducing the disease morbidity and mortality. We validated 12 salivary proteins using targeted proteomics, identified initially by relative quantification of salivary proteins on LC-MS, in OSCC patients and controls. Salivary AHSG (p = 0.0041**) and KRT6C (p = 0.002**) were upregulated in OSCC cases and AZGP1 (p ≤ 0.0001***), KLK1 (p = 0.006**) and BPIFB2 (p = 0.0061**) were downregulated. Regression modelling resulted in a significant risk prediction model (p < 0.0001***) consisting of AZGP1, AHSG and KRT6C for which ROC curve had AUC, sensitivity and specificity of 82.4%, 78% and 73.5% respectively for all OSCC cases and 87.9%, 87.5% and 73.5% respectively for late stage (T3/T4) OSCC. AZGP1, AHSG, KRT6C and BPIFB2 together resulted in ROC curve (p < 0.0001***) with AUC, sensitivity and specificity of 94%, 100% and 77.6% respectively for N0 cases while KRT6C and AZGP1 for N+ cases with ROC curve (p < 0.0001***) having AUC sensitivity and specificity of 76.8%, 73% and 69.4%. Our data aids in the identification of biomarker panels for the diagnosis of OSCC cases with a differential diagnosis between early and late-stage cases.

Tumour inflammation signature and expression of S100A12 and HLA class I improve survival in HPV-negative hypopharyngeal cancer

Hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPSCC) has a very poor prognosis. Local surgery may increase survival, but is often avoided due to significant post-op co-morbidities. Since prognostic markers are lacking, the aim was to find predictive biomarkers that identify patients whose response to oncological treatment is poor and who may benefit from primary surgery to increase survival. Pretreatment biopsies from 23 HPSCC patients, 3 human papillomavirus (HPV) positive and 20 HPV-negative, were analyzed for expression of 750 mRNAs using the Nanostring nCounter IO360 panel in relation to 3-year survival. Validation was performed through immunohistochemistry (IHC) for HLA class I and S100A12 in 74 HPV-negative HPSCC samples. Clustering identified a subset of HPV-negative HPSCC with favorable prognosis and a gene expression signature overexpressing calgranulins and immune genes, distinct from that of HPV-positive HPSCC. Enrichment analysis showed immune signaling, including the tumor inflammation signature, to be enriched in surviving patients. IHC validation confirmed high S100A12 and HLA class I expression to correlate with survival in HPV-negative HPSCC. This shows that immune activity is strongly related to survival in HPV-negative HPSCC. Enrichment of the tumor inflammation signature indicates a potential benefit of immunotherapy. Low expression of both HLA class I and S100A12 could be used to select patients for local surgery.

Prognostic Role of S100A8 in Human Solid Cancers: A Systematic Review and Validation

Background

S100A8 plays a key role in many cellular processes and is highly expressed in various solid cancers. However, the prognostic role of S100A8 has not been well defined. Therefore, we conducted a quantitative meta-analysis to investigate whether or not S100A8 could be used as a prognostic biomarker in solid tumors.

Methods

PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane library were searched to acquire relevant studies that evaluated the association between expression of S100A8 and prognosis of cancer patients. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted to evaluate the association between S100A8 overexpression and Overall Survival (OS), Disease-Free Survival (DFS), Recurrence-Free Survival (RFS), and Progression-Free Survival (PFS). The expression of S100A8 was also validated by Flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and western blot.

Results

A total of 2,817 patients from 13 independent studies, ranging from 43 to 1,117 patients in size, were statistically analyzed. Our results indicated that a high level of S100A8 expression was significantly associated with poor OS, poor DFS, and poor PFS/RFS. In term of clinical pathological characteristics, a high expression level of S100A8 was significantly associated with differentiation grades, lymphatic metastasis, ER statue, and PR statue. The validation studies showed that the expression of S100A8 was at high levels in MDA-MB-231 (79.7%), MDA-MB-453 (89.2%), HTB-9 (70.2%), and T24 (53.3%) cells and it was higher in breast cancer tissue and bladder cancer tissue than their corresponding para-carcinoma tissue.

Conclusions

S100A8 overexpression was significantly associated with poor clinical prognosis in cancer patients. S100A8 is potential a prognostic biomarker in breast cancer and bladder cancer. More well-designed studies with adequate prognostic data are needed to confirm the prognostic role of S100A8 revealed in this study.

Identification of key differentially expressed mRNAs and microRNAs in non-small cell lung cancer using bioinformatics analysis

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. However, the pathogenesis of NSCLC remains to be fully elucidated. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the differential expression of mRNAs and microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) in NSCLC and to determine how these RNA molecules interact with one another to affect disease progression. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were identified from the GSE18842, GSE32863 and GSE29250 datasets downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO database). Functional and pathway enrichment analysis were performed based on Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases. STRING, Cytoscape and MCODE were applied to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and to screen hub genes. The interactions between miRNAs and mRNAs were predicted using miRWalk 3.0 and a miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was constructed. The prognostic value of the identified hub genes was then evaluated via Kaplan-Meier survival analyses using datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas. A total of 782 DEGs and 46 DEMs were identified from the 3 GEO datasets. The enriched pathways and functions of the DEGs and target genes of the DEMs included osteoclast differentiation, cell adhesion, response to a drug, plasma membrane, extracellular exosome and protein binding. A subnetwork composed of 11 genes was extracted from the PPI network and the genes in this subnetwork were mainly involved in the cell cycle, cell division and DNA replication. A miRNA-gene regulatory network was constructed with 247 miRNA-gene pairs based on 6 DEMs and 210 DEGs. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that the expression of ubiquitin E2 ligase C, cell division cycle protein 20, DNA topoisomerase IIα, aurora kinase A and B, cyclin B2, maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase, slit guidance ligand 3, phosphoglucomutase 5, endomucin, cysteine dioxygenase type 1, dihydropyrimidinase-like 2, miR-130b, miR-1181 and miR-127 was significantly associated with overall survival of patients with lung adenocarcinoma. In the present study, a miRNA-mRNA regulatory network in NSCLC was established, which may provide future avenues for scientific exploration and therapeutic targeting of NSCLC.

UBE2C Overexpression Aggravates Patient Outcome by Promoting Estrogen-Dependent/Independent Cell Proliferation in Early Hormone Receptor-Positive and HER2-Negative Breast Cancer

We previously showed that UBE2C mRNA expression is significantly associated with poor prognosis only in patients with hormone receptor (HR)+/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)– breast cancer. In this study, we further reanalyzed the correlation between UBE2C mRNA expression and clinical outcomes in patients with HR+/HER2– breast cancer, and we investigated the molecular mechanism underlying the role of UBE2C modulation in disease progression in this subgroup of patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that high UBE2C expression was associated with significantly shorter survival of breast cancer patients with pN0 and pN1 tumors but not pN2/N3 tumors (P < 0.05). In vitro functional experiments in HR+/HER2– breast cancer cells showed that UBE2C expression is a tumorigenic factor, and that estrogen upregulated UBE2C mRNA and protein by directly binding to the UBE2C promoter region. UBE2C knockdown inhibited cell proliferation by affecting cell cycle progression, and UBE2C overexpression was associated with estrogen-independent growth. UBE2C depletion markedly increased the cytotoxicity of tamoxifen by inducing apoptosis. The present findings suggest that UBE2C overexpression is correlated with relapse and promotes estrogen-dependent/independent proliferation in early HR+/HER2– breast cancer.

Elemental Zn and its Binding Protein Zinc-α2-Glycoprotein are Elevated in HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is biologically distinct from HPV-negative HNSCC. Outside of HPV-status, few tumor-intrinsic variables have been identified that correlate to improved survival. As part of exploratory analysis into the trace elemental composition of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), we performed elemental quanitification by X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) on a small cohort (n = 32) of patients with HPV-positive and -negative OPSCC and identified in HPV-positive cases increased zinc (Zn) concentrations in tumor tissue relative to normal tissue. Subsequent immunohistochemistry of six Zn-binding proteins—zinc-α2-glycoprotein (AZGP1), Lipocalin-1, Albumin, S100A7, S100A8 and S100A9—revealed that only AZGP1 expression significantly correlated to HPV-status (p < 0.001) and was also increased in tumor relative to normal tissue from HPV-positive OPSCC tumor samples. AZGP1 protein expression in our cohort significantly correlated to a prolonged recurrence-free survival (p = 0.029), similar to HNSCC cases from the TCGA (n = 499), where highest AZGP1 mRNA levels correlated to improved overall survival (p = 0.023). By showing for the first time that HPV-positive OPSCC patients have increased intratumoral Zn levels and AZGP1 expression, we identify possible positive prognostic biomarkers in HNSCC as well as possible mechanisms of increased sensitivity to chemoradiation in HPV-positive OPSCC.

Suppression of OSCC malignancy by oral glands derived-PIP identified by iTRAQ combined with 2D LC-MS/MS

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy in head and neck cancer and a global cause of cancer-related death. Due to the poor survival rates associated with OSCC, there is a growing need to develop novel technologies and predictive biomarkers to improve disease diagnosis. The identification of new cellular targets in OSCC tumors will benefit such developments. In this study, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based proteomics analysis combined with 2-dimensional liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (2D LC-MS/MS) were used to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between tumor and normal tissues. Of the DEPs detected, the most significantly downregulated protein in OSCC tissue was prolactin-inducible protein (PIP). Clonogenic and 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) experiments showed that the proliferation capacity of OSCC cells overexpressing PIP decreased due to cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 checkpoint. Wound-healing and transwell assay further showed that PIP overexpression also reduced the migration and invasion of OSCC cells. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to analyze the expression in OSCC, indicating that PIP may be secreted by glandular cells and have an inhibitory effect on OSCC cells to produce. In western blot analysis, silencing studies confirmed that PIP mediates these effects through the AKT/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling axis in OSCC cells. Taken together, this study reveals PIP as a key mediator of OSCC cell growth, migration, and invasion through its effect on AKT/MAPK signaling.

Predictive value of AZGP1 following radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer: a cohort study and meta-analysis

AIMS

Zinc-alpha 2-glycoprotein (AZGP1) is a promising tissue biomarker to predict outcomes in men undergoing treatment for localised prostate cancer (PCa). We aimed to examine the association between AZGP1 expression and the endpoints: risk of biochemical failure (BF), initiating castration-based treatment, developing castration-resistant PCa (CRPC) and PCa-specific mortality following radical prostatectomy (RP).

METHODS

The study included a prospective cohort of 302 patients who underwent RP for PCa from 2002 to 2005. AZGP1 expression was analysed using immunohistochemistry on tissue microarray RP specimens and was scored semiquantitively as low or high expression. Risk of all endpoints was analysed using stratified cumulative incidences and cause-specific Cox regression, and validated with receiver operating curves, calibration and discrimination in competing-risk analyses. A meta-analysis was performed including previous studies investigating AZGP1 expression and risk of BF following RP.

RESULTS

Median time of follow-up was 14.0 years. The cumulative incidence of all endpoints was significantly higher in patients with low AZGP1 expression compared with patients with high AZGP1 expression (p<0.001). In a multivariate analysis, low AZGP1 expression increases the risk of BF (HR 2.7; 95% CI 1.9 to 3.8; p<0.0001), castration-based treatment (HR 2.2; 95% CI 1.2 to 4.2; p=0.01) and CRPC (HR 2.3; 95% CI 1.1 to 5.0; p=0.03). Validation showed a low risk of prediction error and a high model performance for all endpoints. In a meta-analysis, low AZGP1 was associated with BF (HR 1.7; 95% CI 1.2 to 2.5).

CONCLUSIONS

Low AZGP1 expression is associated with the risk of aggressive time-dependent outcomes in men undergoing RP for localised PCa.

Effect of STC2 gene silencing on colorectal cancer cells

Stanniocalcin 2 (STC2), a secretory glycoprotein hormone, regulates many biological processes including cell proliferation, apoptosis, tumorigenesis and atherosclerosis. However, the effect of STC2 on proliferation, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progression in human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells remains poorly understood. The expression level of STC2 was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot analysis. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to detect the viability of SW480 cells. The invasion and migration of cells were identified by wound healing and Transwell assays. The mRNA and protein expression levels of β-catenin, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9, E-cadherin and vimentin were assessed by qPCR and western blot analysis. In the present study, it was demonstrated that STC2 was highly expressed in the CRC cell lines. After silencing of STC2, the cell viability, migration and invasion were significantly reduced. Silencing of STC2 in the CRC Sw480 cells increased the expression of E-cadherin and decreased the expression of vimentin, MMP-2 and MMP-9, compared to those in the normal and empty vector group. Furthermore, the expression of β-catenin in the STC2 gene silenced group was suppressed, and the expression of β-catenin was reversed by Wnt activator, SB216763. These results demonstrated that STC2 participates in the development and progression of CRC by promoting CRC cell proliferation, survival and migration and activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Downregulation of CYB5D2 is associated with breast cancer progression

We report here that CYB5D2 is associated with tumor suppression function in breast cancer (BC). CYB5D2 expression was significantly reduced in tamoxifen resistant MCF7 cells and in MCF7 cell-derived xenografts treated with TAM. CYB5D2 overexpression induced apoptosis in MCF7 cells; CYB5D2 knockdown enhanced MCF7 cell proliferation. Using the TCGA and Curtis datasets within the Oncomine database, CYB5D2 mRNA expression was downregulated in primary BCs vs breast tissues and HER2-positive or triple negative BCs vs estrogen receptor (ER)-positive BCs. Using the TCGA and Metabric datasets (n = 817 and n = 2509) within cBioPortal, 660 and 4891 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in relation to CYB5D2 were identified. These DEGs were enriched in pathways governing cell cycle progression, progesterone-derived oocyte maturation, oocyte-meiosis, estrogen-mediated S-phase entry, and DNA metabolism. CYB5D2 downregulation decreased overall survival (OS, p = 0.0408). A CYB5D2-derived 21-gene signature was constructed and robustly correlated with OS shortening (p = 5.72e-12), and independently predicted BC deaths (HR = 1.28; 95% CI 1.08–1.52; p = 0.004) once adjusting for known clinical factors. CYB5D2 reductions displayed relationship with mutations in PIK3CA, GATA3, MAP3K1, CDH1, TP53 and RB1. Impressively, 85% (560/659) of TP53 mutations occurred in the 21-gene signature-positive BC. Collectively, we provide the first evidence that CYB5D2 is a candidate tumor suppressor of BC.

Stanniocalcin 2 expression is associated with a favourable outcome in male breast cancer

Breast cancer can occur in either gender; however, it is rare in men, accounting for <1% of diagnosed cases. In a previous transcriptomic screen of male breast cancer (MBC) and female breast cancer (FBC) occurrences, we observed that Stanniocalcin 2 (STC2) was overexpressed in the former. The aim of this study was to confirm the expression of STC2 in MBC and to investigate whether this had an impact on patient prognosis. Following an earlier transcriptomic screen, STC2 gene expression was confirmed by RT‐qPCR in matched MBC and FBC samples as well as in tumour‐associated fibroblasts derived from each gender. Subsequently, STC2 protein expression was examined immunohistochemically in tissue microarrays containing 477 MBC cases. Cumulative survival probabilities were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method and multivariate survival analysis was performed using the Cox hazard model. Gender‐specific STC2 gene expression showed a 5.6‐fold upregulation of STC2 transcripts in MBC, also supported by data deposited in Oncomine™. STC2 protein expression was a positive prognostic factor for disease‐free survival (DFS; Log‐rank; total p = 0.035, HR = 0.49; tumour cells p = 0.017, HR = 0.44; stroma p = 0.030, HR = 0.48) but had no significant impact on overall survival (Log‐rank; total p = 0.23, HR = 0.71; tumour cells p = 0.069, HR = 0.59; stroma p = 0.650, HR = 0.87). Importantly, multivariate analysis adjusted for patient age at diagnosis, node staging, tumour size, ER, and PR status revealed that total STC2 expression as well as expression in tumour cells was an independent prognostic factor for DFS (Cox regression; p = 0.018, HR = 0.983; p = 0.015, HR = 0.984, respectively). In conclusion, STC2 expression is abundant in MBC where it is an independent prognostic factor for DFS.

The miR 495-UBE2C-ABCG2/ERCC1 axis reverses cisplatin resistance by downregulating drug resistance genes in cisplatin-resistant non-small cell lung cancer cells

Cisplatin (DDP) resistance has become the leading cause of mortality in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). miRNA dysregulation significantly contributes to tumor progression. In this study, we found that miR-495 was significantly downregulated in lung cancer tissue specimens. This study aimed to elucidate the functions, direct target genes, and molecular mechanisms of miR-495 in lung cancer. miR-495 downregulated its substrate UBE2C through direct interaction with UBE2C 3′- untranslated region. UBE2C is a proto-oncogene activated in lung cancer; however, its role in chemotherapeutic resistance is unclear. Herein, UBE2C expression levels were higher in DDP-resistant NSCLC cells; this was associated with the proliferation, invasion, and DDP resistance in induced cisplatin-resistant NSCLC cells. Furthermore, epithelial–mesenchymal transitions (EMT) contributed to DDP resistance. Moreover, UBE2C knockdown downregulated vimentin. In contrast, E-cadherin was upregulated. Importantly, miR-495 and UBE2C were associated with cisplatin resistance. We attempted to evaluate their effects on cell proliferation and cisplatin resistance. We also performed EMT, cell migration, and invasion assays in DDP-resistant NSCLC cells overexpressing miR-495 and under-expressing UBE2C. Furthermore, in silico assays coupled with western blotting and luciferase assays revealed that UBE2C directly binds to the 5′-UTR of the drug-resistance genes ABCG2 and ERCC1. Furthermore, miR-495 downregulated ABCG2 and ERCC1 via regulation of UBE2C. Together, the present results indicate that the miR495-UBE2C-ABCG2/ERCC1 axis reverses DDP resistance via downregulation of anti-drug genes and reducing EMT in DDP-resistant NSCLC cells.

A novel molecular and clinical staging model to predict survival for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Current prognostic factors fail to accurately determine prognosis for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after surgery. Here, we constructed a survival prediction model for prognostication in patients with ESCC. Candidate molecular biomarkers were extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and Cox regression analysis was performed to determine significant prognostic factors. The survival prediction model was constructed based on cluster and discriminant analyses in a training cohort (N=205), and validated in a test cohort (N=207). The survival prediction model consisting of two genes (UBE2C and MGP) and two clinicopathological factors (tumor stage and grade) was developed. This model could be used to accurately categorize patients into three groups in the test cohort. Both disease-free survival and overall survival differed among the diverse groups (P<0.05). In summary, we have developed and validated a predictive model that is based on two gene markers in conjunction with two clinicopathological variables, and which can accurately predict outcomes for ESCC patients after surgery.

Protein S100-A8: A potential metastasis-associated protein for breast cancer determined via iTRAQ quantitative proteomic and clinicopathological analysis

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in females, with metastasis of this type of cancer frequently proving lethal. However, there are still no effective biomarkers to predict breast cancer metastasis. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to analyze breast cancer metastasis-associated proteins and evaluate the association between protein S100-A8 and the prognosis of breast cancer. The isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) proteomic technique was used to analyze the differential expression of proteins between fresh primary breast tumor (PBT) tissue and fresh paired metastatic lymph nodes (PMLN) tissue. Subsequently, immunohistochemical staining was used to locate and assess the expression of protein S100-A8 in benign breast disease (n=15), primary breast cancer with (n=109) or without (n=83) metastasis, and in paired metastatic lymph nodes (n=109) formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue. Staining scores were evaluated and the association between protein S100-A8 expression levels and the clinicopathological characteristics of 192 patients with breast cancer were evaluated using the χ² test. Kaplan-Meier and Cox hazards regression analyses were utilized to investigate the association between the expression of protein S100-A8 and the prognosis of patients with breast cancer. A total of 4,837 proteins were identified using the iTRAQ proteomic technique. Among these proteins, 643 differentially expressed proteins were revealed. Protein S100-A8 expression levels were identified to differ between PBT and PMLN tissues. Immunohistochemical staining suggested a significant difference between NMBT and PMLN (P=0.002), and also between PBT and PMLN (P<0.001). Cox hazards regression model analyses suggested that histological grade (P=0.031) and nodal status (P=0.001) were risk factors for lymph nodes metastasis of breast cancer. Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed no significant relationship between protein S100-A8 expression level and overall survival rate of patients with breast cancer. In conclusion, by using the iTRAQ proteomic technique and immunohistochemistry staining, it was identified that protein S100-A8 may be associated with lymph nodes metastasis of breast cancer and be a marker for progression of breast cancer.

AZGP1 inhibits soft tissue sarcoma cells invasion and migration

Background

One of the major challenges in soft tissue sarcomas is to identify factors that predict metastasis. AZGP1 is a potential biomarker of cancer progression, but its value in soft tissue sarcomas remains unknown. The aim of this study is to determine the expression level of AZGP1 in soft tissue sarcomas, and to analyze its influence on tumor progression.

Methods

AZGP1 immunohistochemistry (IHC) and RT-PCR were performed in 86 patients with soft tissue sarcomas. The relationships between AZGP1 levels and clinicopathologic features were analyzed. In vitro experiments were performed using fibrosarcoma (HT1080), rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) and synovial sarcoma (SW982) cell lines to corroborate our findings. We used lentiviral over-expression and knockdown assays to examine how changes of AZGP1 expressions might affect cellular migration and invasion.

Results

The quantitative RT-PCR results showed that AZGP1 expression was negatively correlated with metastasis and overall survival in soft tissue sarcomas (p < 0.05). Immunohistochemical staining showed lower expression of AZGP1 in patients with metastasis than in those without. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patients with low expression of AZGP1 had shorter overall (p = 0.056) and metastasis-free survivals (p = 0.038). These findings were corroborated by our in vitro experiments. Over-expression of AZGP1 significantly decreased RD cellular migration and invasion by 64% and 78%, respectively. HT1080 cells migration was inhibited by 2-fold, whereas their invasion was repressed by 7-fold after AZGP1 knockdown.

Conclusions

Our study reveals that reduced AZGP1 expression correlates with in vitro cellular migration and invasion. In vivo, it is associated with higher metastatic risk and shorter survival in patients with soft tissue sarcomas.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-017-3962-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

UBE2C promotes rectal carcinoma via miR-381

We aimed to characterize the expression pattern of UBE2C in rectal carcinoma and elucidate its fundamental involvement in rectal carcinoma biology. The relative expression of UBE2C in rectal carcinoma was determined by immunoblotting and QPCR. The cell viability was measured using CCK-8 assay. The anchorage-independent growth was evaluated with soft agar assay. Cell apoptosis was detected by Annexin V-PI staining. Invasion capacity was determined by transwell chamber. Tumor growth was monitored in xenograft mice model. We demonstrated that UBE2C was aberrantly up-regulated in rectal carcinoma. SiRNA-mediated knockdown of UBE2C significantly inhibited cell viability, proliferation, colony formation, invasion and induced apoptosis in vitro. Moreover, tumor growth in xenograft mice was markedly suppressed upon UBE2C silencing. Furthermore, we have identified that miR-381 was involved in regulation of UBE2C in rectal carcinoma. Here we demonstrated that UBE2C was over-expressed in rectal carcinoma, which was subjected to miR-381 modulation and in turn promoted cell proliferation, invasion and inhibited cell apoptosis.

The value of detection of S100A8 and ASAH1 in predicting the chemotherapy response for breast cancer patients

Chemotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of breast cancer. However, chemoresistance remains the main obstacle for effective treatment, leading to poor prognosis. This study aims to investigate the value of detection of S100A8 and ASAH1 in predicting the chemotherapy response. Miller and Payne grades were used to assess the chemotherapy response in breast cancers. The expression of S100A8 and ASAH1, as well as ER, PR, HER2 and Ki-67 were assessed by immunohistochemical staining in 120 cases of non-special type invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC-NOS). S100A8 expression was higher in chemosensitive breast cancers than chemoresistant ones. Moreover, S100A8 expression was significantly correlated with the molecular subtypes and histological grade, but not with patients' age, tumor size and lymph nodes status. However, there was no significant difference in ASAH1 expression between chemoresistant and chemosensitive group. We also found that higher ASAH1 expression was correlated with positive lymph nodes status, but not with age, tumor size, molecular subtypes and histological grade. S100A8 was valuable in predicting chemotherapy response in breast cancers. The expression of ASAH1 was associated significantly with lymph nodes metastasis, indicating that ASAH1 may serve as a biomarker to predict patients' lymph nodes status in breast cancers.

The clinicopathological significance of UBE2C in breast cancer: a study based on immunohistochemistry, microarray and RNA-sequencing data

BACKGROUND

Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2C (UBE2C) has been previously reported to correlate with the malignant progression of various human cancers, however, the exact molecular function of UBE2C in breast carcinoma (BRCA) remained elusive. We aimed to investigate UBE2C expression in BRCA and its clinical significance.

METHODS

The expression of UBE2C in 209 BRCA tissue samples and 53 adjacent normal tissue samples was detected using immunohistochemistry. The clinical role of UBE2C was analyzed. Public databases including the human protein atlas and Oncomine were used to assess UBE2C expression in BRCA. Moreover, the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database was employed to investigate the prognostic value of UBE2C in BRCA.

RESULTS

The positive expression rate of UBE2C in BRCA was 70.8% (148/209), and UBE2C expression in the adjacent breast tissue was negative. The expression of UBE2C was positively correlated with tumor size (r = 0.32, P < 0.001), histological grade (r = 0.237, P = 0.001), clinical stage (r = 0.198, P = 0.004), lymph node metastasis (r = 0.155, P = 0.026), HER2 expression level (r = 0.356, P < 0.001), Ki-67 expression level (r = 0.504, P < 0.001), and P53 expression level (r = 0.32, P = 0.001). Negative correlations were found between UBE2C expression and the ER (r = - 0.403, P < 0.001) and PR (r = - 0.468, P < 0.001) status. UBE2C gene expression data from the public databases all proved that UBE2C was overexpressed in BRCA. According to the TCGA data analysis, a higher positive expression of UBE2C was associated with worse survival of BRCA patients (P = 0.0428), and data from cBioPortal indicated that 11% of all sequenced BRCA patients possessed a gene alteration of UBE2C, predominately gene amplification and mRNA regulation.

CONCLUSION

Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2C might pose an oncogenic effect on the progression of BRCA.

Exceptionally high UBE2C expression is a unique phenomenon in basal-like type breast cancer and is regulated by BRCA1

Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 2C (UBE2C) is overexpressed in various types of cancer, leading to poor outcomes and drug resistance. UBE2C may also have a critical role in phenotypes associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer; however, the relationship between UBE2C expression and clinical outcome in breast cancer subtypes has not previously been investigated. We firstly analyzed breast cancer patient data and immunohistochemistry of breast cancer patient samples. We demonstrated that UBE2C was associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer, particularly basal-like breast cancer, a subtype with aggressive clinical features. Interestingly, we found that there was a close relationship between the expression of BRCA1 and UBE2C in the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. Upregulation of BRCA1 could inhibit the expression of UBE2C. In cells with BRCA1 silenced down, expression of UBE2C was obviously increased, with a concurrent decrease in cellular sensitivity to doxorubicin. Suppression of UBE2C expression by RNA interference led to decrease the mRNA expressions of BCRP, MRP1 and P-gp in doxorubicin-treated MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, treatment with 1μg/ml doxorubicin led to increased expression of UBE2C. The results show high expression of UBE2C is a potential prognostic factor of poor outcome in basal-like breast cancer. Moreover, loss of BRCA1 function results in an increase in UBE2C expression and chemical resistance to doxorubicin in breast cancer cells.

Functional proteomics outlines the complexity of breast cancer molecular subtypes

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease comprising a variety of entities with various genetic backgrounds. Estrogen receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative tumors typically have a favorable outcome; however, some patients eventually relapse, which suggests some heterogeneity within this category. In the present study, we used proteomics and miRNA profiling techniques to characterize a set of 102 either estrogen receptor-positive (ER+)/progesterone receptor-positive (PR+) or triple-negative formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded breast tumors. Protein expression-based probabilistic graphical models and flux balance analyses revealed that some ER+/PR+ samples had a protein expression profile similar to that of triple-negative samples and had a clinical outcome similar to those with triple-negative disease. This probabilistic graphical model-based classification had prognostic value in patients with luminal A breast cancer. This prognostic information was independent of that provided by standard genomic tests for breast cancer, such as MammaPrint, OncoType Dx and the 8-gene Score.

Downregulation of AZGP1 by Ikaros and histone deacetylase promotes tumor progression through the PTEN/Akt and CD44s pathways in hepatocellular carcinoma

Increasing evidence has shown that zinc-alpha2-glycoprotein (AZGP1) is associated with the progression and prognosis of several tumor types. However, little is known regarding the underlying molecular mechanisms of AZGP1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we report that transcription factor Ikaros bound to the AZGP1 promoter and increased its expression in HCC cells. The downregulation of AZGP1 was associated with histone deacetylation in HCC. In addition, the positive feedback regulation via acetylation of histone H4-mediated transactivation of the Ikaros promoter and the Ikaros-mediated transactivation of the acetylation of histone H4 were crucial for regulating AZGP1 expression in HCC cells. Moreover, low serum AZGP1 level in HCC patients was associated with poor prognosis. The ectopic overexpression of AZGP1 or recombinant AZGP1 protein inhibited HCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo, whereas silencing AZGP1 expression resulted in increased cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. In addition, we found that AZGP1 inhibited cell migration and invasion through the regulation of the PTEN/Akt and CD44s pathways. Collectively, our findings revealed the molecular mechanism of AZGP1 expression in HCC, providing new insights into the mechanisms underlying tumor progression.

The tumor microenvironment and inflammatory breast cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and very aggressive subtype of breast cancer with clinical manifestations similar to acute inflammation. The prognosis of IBC is still poor even though combination therapy with surgery, chemotherapy, and target therapy, mainly due to a lack of fully understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of IBC pathogenesis and progression. In the present article, we have comprehensively reviewed the connection of the pathogenesis of IBC and inflammation, immune reaction and cancer, particularly focused on the role and mechanism of tumor microenvironment related to IBC formation, tumor cell proliferation, migration, invasion and metastasis as well as the clinical manifestations of IBC. As the diverse cells including inflammatory cells, immune cells, and tumor cells and the soluble molecules produced by these cells in the microenvironment play an essential role in IBC development and progression. Therefore, anti-inflammatory therapy and immunotherapy with available agents warrant further investigation in the treatment of IBC.

Therapeutic vaccination based on side population cells transduced by the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor gene elicits potent antitumor immunity

Among cancer immunotherapies, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) gene-transduced tumor cell vaccine (GVAX) therapies appear promising and have been shown to be safe and effective in multiple clinical trials. However, the antitumor efficacies of GVAX therapy alone are in some cases limited. Here we showed that GVAX therapy targeting cancer stem cells (CSCs) substantially suppressed tumor development in syngeneic immunocompetent mice recapitulating normal immune systems. CSCs were isolated as side population (SP) cells from 4T1 murine breast carcinoma cell line and transduced with GM-CSF gene delivered by non-transmissible Sendai virus (4T1-SP/GM). Impaired tumorigenicity of subcutaneously injected 4T1-SP/GM depended on CD8⁺ T cells in concert with CD4⁺ T cells and natural killer cells. Mice therapeutically vaccinated with irradiated 4T1-SP/GM cells had markedly suppressed tumor development of subcutaneously transplanted 4T1-SP cells compared with those treated with irradiated cells of non-transduced 4T1-SP cells or non-SP (4T1-NSP/GM) cells. Tumor suppression was accompanied by the robust accumulation of mature dendritic cells at vaccination sites and T-helper type 1-skewed systemic cellular immunity. Our results suggested that CSC cell-based GVAX immunotherapy might be clinically useful for inducing potent tumor-specific antitumor immunity.

Loss of Expression of AZGP1 Is Associated With Worse Clinical Outcomes in a Multi-Institutional Radical Prostatectomy Cohort

BACKGROUND

Given the uncertainties inherent in clinical measures of prostate cancer aggressiveness, clinically validated tissue biomarkers are needed. We tested whether Alpha-2-Glycoprotein 1, Zinc-Binding (AZGP1) protein levels, measured by immunohistochemistry, and RNA expression, by RNA in situ hybridization (RISH), predict recurrence after radical prostatectomy independent of clinical and pathological parameters.

METHODS

AZGP1 IHC and RISH were performed on a large multi-institutional tissue microarray resource including 1,275 men with 5 year median follow-up. The relationship between IHC and RISH expression levels was assessed using the Kappa analysis. Associations with clinical and pathological parameters were tested by the Chi-square test and the Wilcoxon rank sum test. Relationships with outcome were assessed with univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models and the Log-rank test.

RESULTS

Absent or weak expression of AZGP1 protein was associated with worse recurrence free survival (RFS), disease specific survival, and overall survival after radical prostatectomy in univariable analysis. AZGP1 protein expression, along with pre-operative serum PSA levels, surgical margin status, seminal vesicle invasion, extracapsular extension, and Gleason score predicted RFS on multivariable analysis. Similarly, absent or low AZGP1 RNA expression by RISH predicted worse RFS after prostatectomy in univariable and multivariable analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

In our large, rigorously designed validation cohort, loss of AZGP1 expression predicts RFS after radical prostatectomy independent of clinical and pathological variables. Prostate 76:1409-1419, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Integration of Breast Cancer Secretomes with Clinical Data Elucidates Potential Serum Markers for Disease Detection, Diagnosis, and Prognosis

Cancer cells secrete factors that influence adjacent cell behavior and can lead to enhanced proliferation and metastasis. To better understand the role of these factors in oncogenesis and disease progression, estrogen and progesterone receptor positive MCF-7 cells, triple negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231, DT22, and DT28 cells, and MCF-10A non-transformed mammary epithelial cells were grown in 3D cultures. A special emphasis was placed on triple negative breast cancer since these tumors are highly aggressive and no targeted treatments are currently available. The breast cancer cells secreted factors of variable potency that stimulated proliferation of the relatively quiescent MCF-10A cells. The conditioned medium from each cell line was subjected to mass spectrometry analysis and a variety of secreted proteins were identified including glycolytic enzymes, proteases, protease inhibitors, extracellular matrix proteins, and insulin-like growth factor binding proteins. An investigation of the secretome from each cell line yielded clues about strategies used for breast cancer proliferation and metastasis. Some of the proteins we identified may be useful in the development of a serum-based test for breast cancer detection, diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring.

Overexpression of G6PD is associated with high risks of recurrent metastasis and poor progression-free survival in primary breast carcinoma

BACKGROUND

The present study aimed to investigate the expression of CYP27A1, CYP7B1, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PD), glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1), and pyruvate kinase isoform M2 (PKM2) in breast carcinoma tissue and evaluate their prognostic value for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

METHODS

A total of 20 patients treated with surgery for primary breast carcinoma were enrolled: 10 cases diagnosed with recurrent metastasis (A), along with their corresponding metastases specimen (AM) and 10 cases with no evidence of recurrence or metastasis (B). Baseline characteristics of patients including age, lymph node metastasis, molecular subtypes, tumor staging and size, and pathological classification were all collected. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the protein expression in tumor specimens.

RESULTS

Elevated G6PD protein levels were noted in group A compared with group AM and B (both P < 0.05), and PKM2 expression was also higher in group A when compared to group AM (P = 0.019), but similar with group B (P > 0.05). No association between clinicopathological parameters and the two proteins expression was observed. The G6PD protein expression was strongly associated with PFS of breast carcinoma patients (P = 0.021) but not for OS. According to the Kaplan-Meier analysis, mean PFS time of patients with G6PD-negative and G6PD-positive expression tumor were 71.36 ± 6.53 and 32.25 ± 5.67 months, respectively (P = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

The G6PD protein could be served as a potential prognostic biomarker for primary breast carcinoma, and overexpression of G6PD protein predicted a high risk of recurrent metastasis and poor PFS during follow-up.

Gene expression signature in mouse thyroid tissue after (131)I and (211)At exposure

BACKGROUND

(131)I and (211)At are used in nuclear medicine and accumulate in the thyroid gland and may impact normal thyroid function. The aim of this study was to determine transcriptional profile variations, assess the impact on cellular activity, and identify genes with biomarker properties in thyroid tissue after (131)I and (211)At administration in mice.

METHODS

To further investigate thyroid tissue transcriptional responses to (131)I and (211)At administration, we generated a new transcriptional dataset that includes re-evaluated raw intensity values from our previous (131)I and (211)At studies. Differential transcriptional profiles were identified by comparing treated and mock-treated samples using Nexus Expression 3.0 software. Further data analysis was performed using R/Bioconductor and IPA.

RESULTS

A total of 1144 genes were regulated. Hierarchical clustering subdivided the groups into two clusters containing the lowest and highest absorbed dose levels, respectively, and revealed similar transcriptional regulation patterns for many kallikrein-related genes. Twenty-seven of the 1144 genes were recurrently regulated after (131)I and (211)At exposure and divided into six clusters. Several signalling pathways were affected, including calcium, integrin-linked kinase, and thyroid cancer signalling, and the peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor network.

CONCLUSIONS

Substantial changes in transcriptional regulation were shown in (131)I and (211)At-treated samples, and 27 genes were identified as potential biomarkers for (131)I and (211)At exposure. Clustering revealed distinct differences between transcriptional profiles of both similar and different exposures, demonstrating the necessity for better understanding of radiation-induced effects on cellular activity. Additionally, ionizing radiation-induced changes in kallikrein gene expression and identified canonical pathways should be further assessed.

Inflammation-induced S100A8 activates Id3 and promotes colorectal tumorigenesis

The aberrant expression of S100A8 and S100A9 is linked to nonresolving inflammation and ultimately to carcinogenesis, whereas the underlying mechanism that allows inflammation to progress to specific cancer types remains unknown. Here, we report that S100A8 was induced by inflammation and then promoted colorectal tumorigenesis downstream by activating Id3 (inhibitor of differentiation 3). Using gene expression profiling and immunohistochemistry, we found that both S100A8 and S100A9 were upregulated in the chemically-induced colitis-associated cancer mouse model and in human colorectal cancer specimens. Furthermore, we showed that S100A8 and S100A9 acted as chemoattractant proteins by recruiting macrophages, promoting the proliferation and invasion of colon cancer cell, as well as spurring the cycle that culminates in the acceleration of cancer metastasis in a nude mouse model. S100A8 regulated colon cancer cell cycle and proliferation by inducing Id3 expression while inhibiting p21. Id3 expression was regulated by Smad5, which was directly phosphorylated by Akt1. Our study revealed a novel mechanism in which inflammation-induced S100A8 promoted colorectal tumorigenesis by acting upstream to activate the Akt1-Smad5-Id3 axis.

The Discovery of Novel Biomarkers Improves Breast Cancer Intrinsic Subtype Prediction and Reconciles the Labels in the METABRIC Data Set

BACKGROUND

The prediction of breast cancer intrinsic subtypes has been introduced as a valuable strategy to determine patient diagnosis and prognosis, and therapy response. The PAM50 method, based on the expression levels of 50 genes, uses a single sample predictor model to assign subtype labels to samples. Intrinsic errors reported within this assay demonstrate the challenge of identifying and understanding the breast cancer groups. In this study, we aim to: a) identify novel biomarkers for subtype individuation by exploring the competence of a newly proposed method named CM1 score, and b) apply an ensemble learning, as opposed to the use of a single classifier, for sample subtype assignment. The overarching objective is to improve class prediction.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

The microarray transcriptome data sets used in this study are: the METABRIC breast cancer data recorded for over 2000 patients, and the public integrated source from ROCK database with 1570 samples. We first computed the CM1 score to identify the probes with highly discriminative patterns of expression across samples of each intrinsic subtype. We further assessed the ability of 42 selected probes on assigning correct subtype labels using 24 different classifiers from the Weka software suite. For comparison, the same method was applied on the list of 50 genes from the PAM50 method.

CONCLUSIONS

The CM1 score portrayed 30 novel biomarkers for predicting breast cancer subtypes, with the confirmation of the role of 12 well-established genes. Intrinsic subtypes assigned using the CM1 list and the ensemble of classifiers are more consistent and homogeneous than the original PAM50 labels. The new subtypes show accurate distributions of current clinical markers ER, PR and HER2, and survival curves in the METABRIC and ROCK data sets. Remarkably, the paradoxical attribution of the original labels reinforces the limitations of employing a single sample classifiers to predict breast cancer intrinsic subtypes.

Zinc-α2-Glycoprotein Exerts Antifibrotic Effects in Kidney and Heart

Zinc-α2-glycoprotein (AZGP1) is a secreted protein synthesized by epithelial cells and adipocytes that has roles in lipid metabolism, cell cycling, and cancer progression. Our previous findings in AKI indicated a new role for AZGP1 in the regulation of fibrosis, which is a unifying feature of CKD. Using two models of chronic kidney injury, we now show that mice with genetic AZGP1 deletion develop significantly more kidney fibrosis. This destructive phenotype was rescued by injection of recombinant AZGP1. Exposure of AZGP1-deficient mice to cardiac stress by thoracic aortic constriction revealed that antifibrotic effects were not restricted to the kidney but were cardioprotective. In vitro, recombinant AZGP1 inhibited kidney epithelial dedifferentiation and antagonized fibroblast activation by negatively regulating TGF-β signaling. Patient sera with high levels of AZGP1 similarly attenuated TGF-β signaling in fibroblasts. Taken together, these findings indicate a novel role for AZGP1 as a negative regulator of fibrosis progression, suggesting that recombinant AZGP1 may have translational effect for treating fibrotic disease.

Gross cystic disease fluid protein-15/prolactin-inducible protein as a biomarker for keratoconus disease

Keratoconus (KC) is a bilateral degenerative disease of the cornea characterized by corneal bulging, stromal thinning, and scarring. The etiology of the disease is unknown. In this study, we identified a new biomarker for KC that is present in vivo and in vitro. In vivo, tear samples were collected from age-matched controls with no eye disease (n = 36) and KC diagnosed subjects (n = 17). Samples were processed for proteomics using LC-MS/MS. In vitro, cells were isolated from controls (Human Corneal Fibroblasts-HCF) and KC subjects (Human Keratoconus Cells-HKC) and stimulated with a Vitamin C (VitC) derivative for 4 weeks, and with one of the three transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) isoforms. Samples were analyzed using real-time PCR and Western Blots. By using proteomics analysis, the Gross cystic disease fluid protein-15 (GCDFP-15) or prolactin-inducible protein (PIP) was found to be the best independent biomarker able to discriminate between KC and controls. The intensity of GCDFP-15/PIP was significantly higher in healthy subjects compared to KC-diagnosed. Similar findings were seen in vitro, using a 3D culture model. All three TGF-β isoforms significantly down-regulated the expression of GCDFP-15/PIP. Zinc-alpha-2-glycoprotein (AZGP1), a protein that binds to PIP, was identified by proteomics and cell culture to be highly regulated. In this study by different complementary techniques we confirmed the potential role of GCDFP-15/PIP as a novel biomarker for KC disease. It is likely that exploring the GCDFP-15/PIP-AZGP1 interactions will help better understand the mechanism of KC disease.

Integration of mRNA expression profile, copy number alterations, and microRNA expression levels in breast cancer to improve grade definition

Defining the aggressiveness and growth rate of a malignant cell population is a key step in the clinical approach to treating tumor disease. The correct grading of breast cancer (BC) is a fundamental part in determining the appropriate treatment. Biological variables can make it difficult to elucidate the mechanisms underlying BC development. To identify potential markers that can be used for BC classification, we analyzed mRNAs expression profiles, gene copy numbers, microRNAs expression and their association with tumor grade in BC microarray-derived datasets. From mRNA expression results, we found that grade 2 BC is most likely a mixture of grade 1 and grade 3 that have been misclassified, being described by the gene signature of either grade 1 or grade 3. We assessed the potential of the new approach of integrating mRNA expression profile, copy number alterations, and microRNA expression levels to select a limited number of genomic BC biomarkers. The combination of mRNA profile analysis and copy number data with microRNA expression levels led to the identification of two gene signatures of 42 and 4 altered genes (FOXM1, KPNA4, H2AFV and DDX19A) respectively, the latter obtained through a meta-analytical procedure. The 42-based gene signature identifies 4 classes of up- or down-regulated microRNAs (17 microRNAs) and of their 17 target mRNA, and the 4-based genes signature identified 4 microRNAs (Hsa-miR-320d, Hsa-miR-139-5p, Hsa-miR-567 and Hsa-let-7c). These results are discussed from a biological point of view with respect to pathological features of BC. Our identified mRNAs and microRNAs were validated as prognostic factors of BC disease progression, and could potentially facilitate the implementation of assays for laboratory validation, due to their reduced number.

Clinical relevance of breast cancer-related genes as potential biomarkers for oral squamous cell carcinoma

Background

Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (OSCC) is a common cancer form with relatively low 5-year survival rates, due partially to late detection and lack of complementary molecular markers as targets for treatment. Molecular profiling of head and neck cancer has revealed biological similarities with basal-like breast and lung carcinoma. Recently, we showed that 16 genes were consistently altered in invasive breast tumors displaying varying degrees of aggressiveness.

Methods

To extend our findings from breast cancer to another cancer type with similar characteristics, we performed an integrative analysis of transcriptomic and proteomic data to evaluate the prognostic significance of the 16 putative breast cancer-related biomarkers in OSCC using independent microarray datasets and immunohistochemistry. Predictive models for disease-specific (DSS) and/or overall survival (OS) were calculated for each marker using Cox proportional hazards models.

Results

We found that CBX2, SCUBE2, and STK32B protein expression were associated with important clinicopathological features for OSCC (peritumoral inflammatory infiltration, metastatic spread to the cervical lymph nodes, and tumor size). Consequently, SCUBE2 and STK32B are involved in the hedgehog signaling pathway which plays a pivotal role in metastasis and angiogenesis in cancer. In addition, CNTNAP2 and S100A8 protein expression were correlated with DSS and OS, respectively.

Conclusions

Taken together, these candidates and the hedgehog signaling pathway may be putative targets for drug development and clinical management of OSCC patients.

Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme UBE2C is highly expressed in breast microcalcification lesions

Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 2C (UBE2C) contributes to ubiquitin-mediated proteasome degradation of cell cycle progression in breast cancer. Microcalcification (MC) is the most common mammographic feature of early breast cancer. In this study, we evaluated whether UBE2C could be a tumor marker of early breast cancer with MC found on screening mammography. UBE2C protein and mRNA expression were measured in breast core biopsy pairs of MC and adjacent non-MC breast tissue from each subject. Immunohistochemistry revealed UBE2C positivity in 69.4% of MC samples and 77.6% negativity in non-MC samples (p<0.0001). On RT-qPCR, 56.1% of malignant MC lesion samples showed high mRNA level of UBE2C and 80% of benign MC lesion samples showed a low level of UBE2C (p = 0.1766). We investigated the carcinogenic role of UBE2C in MCF-7 breast cancer cells with UBE2C knockdown; UBE2C knockdown downregulated cell proliferation and activated the cellular apoptosis pathway to inhibit cell colony formation. Furthermore, UBE2C expression was associated with that of carcinogenic genes human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2), cellular c-Ki-ras2 proto-oncogene (KRAS), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), C-C motif chemokine 5 (CCL5), neural precursor cell expressed, developmentally downregulated 9 (NEDD9) and Ras homolog family member C (RhoC). UBE2C may be a marker for diagnosis of nonpalpable breast lesions but not benign or malignant tumors in mammography core biopsies. Suppression of UBE2C may be a potential therapy target in breast cancer.