Elucidation of Altered Pathways in Tumor-Initiating Cells of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Useful Cell Model System for Drug Screening

FAM83H regulated by glis3 promotes triple-negative breast cancer tumorigenesis and activates the NF-κB signaling pathway

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive and invasive form of breast cancer (BC) with a high mortality rate and a lack of effective targeted drugs. Family with sequence similarity 83 member H (FAM83H) is critically implicated in tumorigenesis. However, the potential role of FAM83H in TNBC remains elusive. Here, we discovered that FAM83H exhibited high expression in tumor tissues of patients with TNBC and was associated with TNM stage. Gain- or loss-of-function experiments were conducted to explore the biological role of FAM83H in TNBC. Subsequently, functional enrichment analysis confirmed that FAM83H overexpression promoted TNBC cell proliferation, invasion, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), accompanied by upregulation of cyclin E, cyclin D, Vimentin, N-cadherin and Slug. As observed, FAM83H knockdown showed anti-cancer effects, such as fostering apoptosis and inhibiting tumorigenicity and metastasis of TNBC cells. Mechanistically, FAM83H activated the NF-κB signaling pathway. Moreover, a dual-luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that GLIS family zinc finger 3 (GLIS3) bound to the promoter of FAM83H and enhanced its transcription. Notably, overexpression of GLIS3 significantly stimulated TNBC cell proliferation and invasion, and all of this was reversed by rescue experiments involving the knockdown of FAM83H. Overall, FAM83H exacerbates tumor progression, and in-depth understanding of FAM83H as a therapeutic target for TNBC will provide clinical translational potential for intervention therapy.

Unraveling Biomarker Signatures in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review for Targeted Approaches

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most aggressive subtypes of breast cancer, marked by poor outcomes and dismal prognosis. Due to the absence of targetable receptors, chemotherapy still represents the main therapeutic option. Therefore, current research is now focusing on understanding the specific molecular pathways implicated in TNBC, in order to identify novel biomarker signatures and develop targeted therapies able to improve its clinical management. With the aim of identifying novel molecular features characterizing TNBC, elucidating the mechanisms by which these molecular biomarkers are implicated in the tumor development and progression, and assessing the impact on cancerous cells following their inhibition or modulation, we conducted a literature search from the earliest works to December 2023 on PubMed, Scopus, and Web Of Science. A total of 146 studies were selected. The results obtained demonstrated that TNBC is characterized by a heterogeneous molecular profile. Several biomarkers have proven not only to be characteristic of TNBC but also to serve as potential effective therapeutic targets, holding the promise of a new era of personalized treatments able to improve its prognosis. The pre-clinical findings that have emerged from our systematic review set the stage for further investigation in forthcoming clinical trials.

GLIS Family Zinc Finger 3 Promotes Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Progression by Inducing Cell Proliferation, Migration and Invasion, and Activating the NF-κB Signaling Pathway

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) puts a great threat to women's health. GLIS family zinc finger 3 (GLIS3) belongs to the GLI transcription factor family and acts as a critical factor in cancer progression. Nevertheless, the part of GLIS3 played in TNBC is not known. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining analysis displayed that GLIS3 was highly expressed in TNBC tissues. The effect of GLIS3 on the malignant phenotype of TNBC was tested in two different cell lines according to GLIS3 regulation. Upregulation of GLIS3 promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of TNBC cell lines, whereas the knockdown of GLIS3 suppressed these tumor activities. Inhibition of GLIS3 induced TNBC cell apoptosis. Furthermore, study as immunofluorescence and electrophoretic mobility shift assay confirmed that the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway activated by GLIS3 played an important role in TNBC cells' malignant phenotype. In conclusion, the present work demonstrated that GLIS3 acts as a crucial element in TNBC progression via activating the NF-κB signaling pathway. Accordingly, above mentioned findings indicated that modulation of GLIS3 expression is a potential tactic to interfere with the progression of TNBC.

Genome Instability-Associated Long Non-Coding RNAs Reveal Biomarkers for Glioma Immunotherapy and Prognosis

Genome instability is a hallmark of tumors and is involved in proliferation, invasion, migration, and treatment resistance of many tumors. However, the relationship of genome instability with gliomas remains unclear. Here, we constructed genome instability-derived long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-based gene signatures (GILncSig) using genome instability-related lncRNAs derived from somatic mutations. Multiple platforms were used to confirm that the GILncSig were closely related to patient prognosis and clinical characteristics. We found that GILncSig, the glioma microenvironment, and glioma cell DNA methylation-based stemness index (mDNAsi) interacted with each other to form a complex regulatory network. In summary, this study confirmed that GILncSig was an independent prognostic indicator for patients, distinguished high-risk and low-risk groups, and affected immune-cell infiltration and tumor-cell stemness indicators (mDNAsi) in the tumor microenvironment, resulting in tumor heterogeneity and immunotherapy resistance. GILncSig are expected to provide new molecular targets for the clinical treatment of patients with gliomas.

Dihydromyricetin Exhibits Antitumor Activity in Nasopharyngeal Cancer Cell Through Antagonizing Wnt/β-catenin Signaling

BACKGROUND

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been demonstrated to play a vital role in a diversity of biological processes in cancers. With the emergence of new evidence, the important function of CSCs in the formation of multidrug resistance of nasopharyngeal cancer has been demonstrated. Dysregulated Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is an important contributor to chemoresistance and maintenance of CSCs-like characteristics. This research aims to investigate comprehensively the function of dihydromyricetin (DMY), a natural flavonoid drug, on the cisplatin (cis) resistance and stem cell properties of nasopharyngeal cancer.

METHODS

In this study, the functional role of DMY in nasopharyngeal cancer progression was comprehensively investigated in vitro and in vivo, and then its relationship with CSCs-like phenotypes and multiple oncogenes was analyzed.

RESULTS

In parallel assays, the growth inhibitory action of cis was enhanced by the addition of DMY in cis-resistant nasopharyngeal cancer cell lines (Hone1/cis and CNE1/cis). Functional assays showed that DMY markedly diminished the stem cell properties of nasopharyngeal cells, such as colony and tumor-sphere formation. In vivo data showed that the growth of Hone1 CSCs formed tumor xenograft was inhibited significantly by the administration of DMY. Additionally, DMY could impair the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and regulate the expression of downstream proteins in nasopharyngeal cancer cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study clarified the anti-tumor activity of DMY through blocking the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in nasopharyngeal cancer. Therefore, DMY could be a novel therapeutic agent for nasopharyngeal cancer treatment.

Signaling pathways essential for triple-negative breast cancer stem-like cells

Since the discovery of breast cancer stem cells (CSCs), a significant effort has been made to identify and characterize these cells. It is a generally believe that CSCs play an important role in cancer initiation, therapy resistance, and progression of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive breast cancer subtype with poor prognosis. Thus, therapies targeting these cells would be a valuable addition to standard treatments that primarily target more differentiated, rapidly dividing TNBC cells. Although several cell surface and intracellular proteins have been described as biomarkers for CSCs, none of these are specific to this population of cells. Recent research is moving toward cellular signaling pathways as targets and biomarkers for CSCs. The WNT pathway, the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway, and the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway have recently been identified to play a key role in proliferation, survival, and differentiation of CSCs, including those of breast cancer. In this review, we assess recent findings related to these three pathways in breast CSC, with particular focus on TNBC CSCs, and discuss how targeting these pathways, in combination with current standard of care, might prove effective and improve the prognosis of TNBC patients.

Phosphoproteomic strategies in cancer research: a minireview

Understanding the cellular processes is central to comprehend disease conditions and is also true for cancer research. Proteomic studies provide significant insight into cancer mechanisms and aid in the diagnosis and prognosis of the disease. Phosphoproteome is one of the most studied complements of the whole proteome given its importance in the understanding of cellular processes such as signaling and regulations. Over the last decade, several new methods have been developed for phosphoproteome analysis. A significant amount of these efforts pertains to cancer research. The current use of powerful analytical instruments in phosphoproteomic approaches has paved the way for deeper and sensitive investigations. However, these methods and techniques need further improvements to deal with challenges posed by the complexity of samples and scarcity of phosphoproteins in the whole proteome, throughput and reproducibility. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the variety of steps used in phosphoproteomic methods applied in cancer research including the enrichment and fractionation strategies. This will allow researchers to evaluate and choose a better combination of steps for their phosphoproteome studies.

Increased Cholesterol Biosynthesis Is a Key Characteristic of Breast Cancer Stem Cells Influencing Patient Outcome

Tumor eradication may be greatly improved by targeting cancer stem cells (CSCs), as they exhibit resistance to conventional therapy. To gain insight into the unique biology of CSCs, we developed patient-derived xenograft tumors (PDXs) from ER^- breast cancers from which we isolated mammospheres that are enriched for CSCs. Comparative global proteomic analysis was performed on patient tumor tissues and corresponding PDXs and mammospheres. Mammospheres exhibited increased expression of proteins associated with de novo cholesterol synthesis. The clinical relevance of increased cholesterol biosynthesis was verified in a large breast cancer cohort showing correlation with shorter relapse-free survival. RNAi and chemical inhibition of the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway reduced mammosphere formation, which could be rescued by a downstream metabolite. Our findings identify the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway as central for CSC propagation and a potential therapeutic target, as well as providing a mechanistic explanation for the therapeutic benefit of statins in breast cancer.

The effect of compound kushen injection on cancer cells: Integrated identification of candidate molecular mechanisms

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) preparations are often extracts of single or multiple herbs containing hundreds of compounds, and hence it has been difficult to study their mechanisms of action. Compound Kushen Injection (CKI) is a complex mixture of compounds extracted from two medicinal plants and has been used in Chinese hospitals to treat cancer for over twenty years. To demonstrate that a systematic analysis of molecular changes resulting from complex mixtures of bioactives from TCM can identify a core set of differentially expressed (DE) genes and a reproducible set of candidate pathways. We used in vitro cancer models to measure the effect of CKI on cell cycle phases and apoptosis, and correlated those phenotypes with CKI induced changes in gene expression. We treated two cancer cell lines with or without CKI and assessed the resulting phenotypes by employing cell viability and proliferation assays. Based on these results, we carried out high-throughput transcriptome data analysis to identify genes and candidate pathways perturbed by CKI. We integrated these differential gene expression results with previously reported results and carried out validation of selected differentially expressed genes. CKI induced cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in the cancer cell lines tested. In these cells CKI also altered the expression of 363 core candidate genes associated with cell cycle, apoptosis, DNA replication/repair, and various cancer pathways. Of these, 7 are clinically relevant to cancer diagnosis or therapy, 14 are cell cycle regulators, and most of these 21 candidates are downregulated by CKI. Comparison of our core candidate genes to a database of plant medicinal compounds and their effects on gene expression identified one-to-one, one-to-many and many-to-many regulatory relationships between compounds in CKI and DE genes. By identifying genes and promising candidate pathways associated with CKI treatment based on our transcriptome-based analysis, we have shown that this approach is useful for the systematic analysis of molecular changes resulting from complex mixtures of bioactives.

Rediscovery of NF-κB signaling in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: How genetic defects of NF-κB pathway interplay with EBV in driving oncogenesis?

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a unique EBV-associated subtype of head and neck cancer, which has the highest incidence in Southern China and eastern South Asia. The interaction between genetic risk factors and environmental challenge, have been considered to contribute to the development of nasopharyngeal carcinogenesis. Constitutive activation of NF-κB signaling has been seen in NPC tissues and is associated with unfavorable prognosis. Recently, several whole exome sequencing study consistently revealed that high frequency mutations of NF-κB pathway negative regulators is common in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which reinforce the importance of NF-κB driving oncogenesis. This review focuses on the current state of research in role of NF-κB in NPC carcinogenesis. We summarized the newly identified loss of function (LOF) mutations on NF-κB negative regulators leading to it's activation bypass LMP-1 stimulation. We discussed the critical role of NF-κB activation in immortalization and transformation of nasopharygeal epithelium. We also depicted how NF-κB signaling mediated chronic inflammation contribute to persistent EBV infection, immune evasion of EBV infected cells, metabolic reprogramming, and cancer stem cells (CSCs) formation in NPC. Lastly, we discussed the clinical resonance of targeting NF-κB for NPC precise therapy.