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Frodella CM, Pruett SB, Ross MK, Kaplan BLF. Oxytocin and Vasopressin Gene Expression in the Brain as Potential Biomarkers for Cannabidiol Therapeutic Efficacy. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1273. [PMID: 38927480 PMCID: PMC11200880 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12061273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Over the last several years, there has been increased interest in cannabidiol (CBD) to treat various ailments such as pain, anxiety, insomnia, and inflammation. The potential for CBD as an anti-inflammatory therapy has come, in part, from its demonstrated ability to suppress neuroinflammation in autoimmune diseases, such as the mouse model of multiple sclerosis, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The increased use of CBD strongly suggests that more research is necessary to elucidate its safety and efficacy and determine the mechanisms by which it acts. Thus, we conducted two separate studies. In the first, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis of brains of female mice undergoing EAE in the presence and absence of CBD was conducted to identify potential genes that mediated its neuroprotective effects when efficacious. In the second, we assessed some of the same genes in male and female mice treated with CBD in the absence of an immune stimulus. Together, these data showed that CBD modestly increased oxytocin (Oxt) and arginine vasopressin (vasopressin, Avp) gene expression in the brains of mice, regardless of whether there was active inflammation. Overall, these data suggest that Oxt and Avp might act as biomarkers for CBD exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christa M. Frodella
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA; (C.M.F.); (S.B.P.); (M.K.R.)
| | - Stephen B. Pruett
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA; (C.M.F.); (S.B.P.); (M.K.R.)
| | - Matthew K. Ross
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA; (C.M.F.); (S.B.P.); (M.K.R.)
| | - Barbara L. F. Kaplan
- Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
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2
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Hawkey AB, Shekey N, Dean C, Asrat H, Koburov R, Holloway ZR, Kullman SW, Levin ED. Developmental exposure to pesticides that disrupt retinoic acid signaling causes persistent retinoid and behavioral dysfunction in zebrafish. Toxicol Sci 2024; 198:246-259. [PMID: 38237923 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfae001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Early developmental exposure to environmental toxicants may play a role in the risk for developing autism. A variety of pesticides have direct effects on retinoic acid (RA) signaling and as RA signaling has important roles in neurodevelopment, such compounds may cause developmental neurotoxicity through an overlapping adverse outcome pathway. It is hypothesized that a pesticide's embryonic effects on retinoid function may correspond with neurobehavioral disruption later in development. In the current studies, we determined the effects of RA-acting pesticides on neurobehavioral development in zebrafish. Buprofezin and imazalil caused generalized hypoactivity in the larval motility test, whereas chlorothalonil and endosulfan I led to selective hypoactivity and hyperactivity, respectively. With buprofezin, chlorothalonil, and imazalil, hypoactivity and/or novel anxiety-like behaviors persisted in adulthood and buprofezin additionally decreased social attraction responses in adulthood. Endosulfan I did not produce significant adult behavioral effects. Using qPCR analyses of adult brain tissue, we observed treatment-induced alterations in RA synthesis or catabolic genes, indicating persistent changes in RA homeostasis. These changes were compound-specific, with respect to expression directionality, and potential patterns of homeostatic disruption. Results suggest the likely persistence of disruptions in RA signaling well into adulthood and may represent compensatory mechanisms following early life stage exposures. This study demonstrates that early developmental exposure to environmental toxicants that interfere with RA signaling causes short as well as long-term behavioral disruption in a well-established zebrafish behavioral model and expand upon the meaning of the RA adverse outcome pathway, indicating that observed effects likely correspond with the nature of underlying homeostatic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew B Hawkey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515, USA
| | - Nathan Shekey
- Toxicology Program, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, USA
| | - Cassandra Dean
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
| | - Helina Asrat
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
| | - Reese Koburov
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
| | - Zade R Holloway
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
| | - Seth W Kullman
- Toxicology Program, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, USA
| | - Edward D Levin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
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3
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Kim HJ, Batara DC, Jeon YJ, Lee S, Beck S, Kim SH. The impact of MEIS1 TALE homeodomain transcription factor knockdown on glioma stem cell growth. Anim Cells Syst (Seoul) 2024; 28:93-109. [PMID: 38487309 PMCID: PMC10939110 DOI: 10.1080/19768354.2024.2327340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Myeloid ecotropic virus insertion site 1 (MEIS1) is a HOX co-factor necessary for organ development and normal hematopoiesis. Recently, MEIS1 has been linked to the development and progression of various cancers. However, its role in gliomagenesis particularly on glioma stem cells (GSCs) remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that MEIS1 is highly upregulated in GSCs compared to normal, and glioma cells and to its differentiated counterparts. Inhibition of MEIS1 expression by shRNA significantly reduced GSC growth in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. On the other hand, integrated transcriptomics analyses of glioma datasets revealed that MEIS1 expression is correlated to cell cycle-related genes. Clinical data analysis revealed that MEIS1 expression is elevated in high-grade gliomas, and patients with high MEIS1 levels have poorer overall survival outcomes. The findings suggest that MEIS1 is a prognostic biomarker for glioma patients and a possible target for developing novel therapeutic strategies against GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun-Jin Kim
- Animal Molecular Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Don Carlo Batara
- Animal Molecular Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Jun Jeon
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Seongsoo Lee
- Gwangju Center, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), Gwangju, Republic of Korea
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Samuel Beck
- Department of Dermatology, Center for Aging Research, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, USA
| | - Sung-Hak Kim
- Animal Molecular Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
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Liu L, Zhang Z, Jiang C, Zhu Y, Han R, Wu L, Xu Y. HOXC9 characterizes a suppressive tumor immune microenvironment and integration with multiple immune biomarkers predicts response to PD-1 blockade plus chemotherapy in lung adenocarcinoma. Aging (Albany NY) 2024; 16:4841-4861. [PMID: 38446596 PMCID: PMC10968688 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The quest for dependable biomarkers to predict responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) combined with chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer remains unfulfilled. HOXC9, known for its role in oncogenesis and creating a suppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), shows promise in enhancing predictive precision when included as a TME biomarker. This study explores the predictive significance of HOXC9 for ICI plus chemotherapy efficacy in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). METHODS Following the bioinformatic findings, assays were performed to ascertain the effects of Hoxc9 on oncogenesis and response to programmed death 1 (PD-1) blockade. Furthermore, a cohort of LUAD patients were prospectively enrolled to receive anti-PD-1 plus chemotherapy. Based on the expression levels, baseline characteristics, and clinical outcomes, the predictive potential of HOXC9, PD-L1, CD4, CD8, CD68, and FOXP3 was integrally analyzed. HOXC9 not only mediated oncogenesis, but also corelated with suppressive TME. CMT167 and LLC cell lines unveiled the impacts of Hoxc9 on proliferation, invasion, and migration. Subsequently, tumor-bearing murine models were established to validate the inverse relationship between Hoxc9 expression and effective CD8+ T cells. RESULTS Inhibition of Hoxc9 significantly curtailed tumor growth (P<0.05), independent of PD-1 blockade. In patient studies, while individual markers fell short in prognosticating survival, a notable elevation in CD8-positive expression was observed in responders (P=0.042). Yet, the amalgamation of HOXC9 with other markers provided a more distinct differentiation between responders and non-responders. Notably, patients displaying PD-L1+/HOXC9- and CD8+/HOXC9- phenotypes exhibited significantly prolonged progression-free survival. CONCLUSIONS The expression of HOXC9 may serve as a biomarker to amplifying predictive efficacy for ICIs plus chemotherapy, which is also a viable oncogene and therapeutic target for immunotherapy in LUAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Liu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Zhenshan Zhang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200433, China
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center, Fudan University Cancer Hospital, Shanghai 201315, China
| | - Chenxue Jiang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Yaoyao Zhu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Ruiqin Han
- State Key Laboratory of Common Mechanism Research for Major Disease, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Leilei Wu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Yaping Xu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200433, China
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Cao W, Lan J, Zeng Z, Yu W, Lei S. Gastrodin Induces Ferroptosis of Glioma Cells via Upregulation of Homeobox D10. Molecules 2023; 28:8062. [PMID: 38138552 PMCID: PMC10745471 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28248062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastrodin, the primary bioactive compound found in Gastrodia elata, has been shown to exhibit neuroprotective properties in a range of neurological disorders. However, the precise mechanisms through which gastrodin influences glioma cells remain unclear, and there is a scarcity of data regarding its specific effects. To ascertain the viability of glioma cell lines LN229, U251, and T98, the CCK-8 assay, a colony formation assay, and a 3D culture model were employed, utilizing varying concentrations of gastrodin (0, 5, 10, and 20 μM). Gastrodin exhibited a notable inhibitory effect on the growth of glioma cells, as evidenced by its ability to suppress colony formation and spheroid formation. Additionally, gastrodin induced ferroptosis in glioma cells, as it can increase the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and peroxidized lipids, and reduced the levels of glutathione. Using a subcutaneous tumor model, gastrodin was found to significantly inhibit the growth of the T98 glioma cell line in vivo. Using high-throughput sequencing, PPI analysis, and RT-qPCR, we successfully identified Homeobox D10 (HOXD10) as the principal target of gastrodin. Gastrodin administration significantly enhanced the expression of HOXD10 in glioma cells. Furthermore, treatment with gastrodin facilitated the transcription of ACSL4 via HOXD10. Notably, the inhibition of HOXD10 expression impeded ferroptosis in the cells, which was subsequently restored upon rescue with gastrodin treatment. Overall, our findings suggest that gastrodin acts as an anti-cancer agent by inducing ferroptosis and inhibiting cell proliferation in HOXD10/ACSL4-dependent pathways. As a prospective treatment for gliomas, gastrodin will hopefully be effective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenpeng Cao
- Department of Anatomy, School of Basic Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China;
- Key Laboratory of Human Brain Bank for Functions and Diseases, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Jinzhi Lan
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China; (J.L.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Zhirui Zeng
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China; (J.L.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Wenfeng Yu
- Department of Anatomy, School of Basic Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China;
- Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Shan Lei
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China; (J.L.); (Z.Z.)
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Mamatjan Y, Voisin MR, Nassiri F, Moraes FY, Bunda S, So J, Salih M, Shirahata M, Ono T, Shimizu H, Schrimpf D, von Deimling A, Aldape KD, Zadeh G. Integrated molecular analysis reveals hypermethylation and overexpression of HOX genes to be poor prognosticators in isocitrate dehydrogenase mutant glioma. Neuro Oncol 2023; 25:2028-2041. [PMID: 37474126 PMCID: PMC10628942 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noad126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diffuse gliomas represent over 80% of malignant brain tumors ranging from low-grade to aggressive high-grade lesions. Within isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutant gliomas, there is a high variability in survival and a need to more accurately predict outcome. METHODS To identify and characterize a predictive signature of outcome in gliomas, we utilized an integrative molecular analysis (using methylation, mRNA, copy number variation (CNV), and mutation data), analyzing a total of 729 IDH-mutant samples including a test set of 99 from University Health Network (UHN) and 2 validation cohorts including the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). RESULTS Cox regression analysis of methylation data from the UHN cohort identified CpG-based signatures that split the glioma cohort into 2 prognostic groups strongly predicting survival that were validated using 2 independent cohorts from TCGA and DKFZ (all P-values < .0001). The methylation signatures that predicted poor outcomes also exhibited high CNV instability and hypermethylation of HOX gene probes. Integrated multi-platform analyses using mRNA and methylation (iRM) showed that parallel HOX gene overexpression and simultaneous hypermethylation were significantly associated with increased mutational load, high aneuploidy, and worse survival (P-value < .0001). A 7-HOX gene signature was developed and validated using the most significantly associated HOX genes with patient outcome in both 1p/19q codeleted and non-codeleted IDHmut gliomas. CONCLUSIONS HOX gene methylation and expression provide important prognostic information in IDH-mutant gliomas that are not captured by current molecular diagnostics. A 7-HOX gene signature of outcome shows significant survival differences in both 1p/19q codeleted and non-codeleted IDH-mutant gliomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasin Mamatjan
- Princess Margaret Cancer Center and MacFeeters-Hamilton Center for Neuro-Oncology Research, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Faculty of Science, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Mathew R Voisin
- Princess Margaret Cancer Center and MacFeeters-Hamilton Center for Neuro-Oncology Research, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Farshad Nassiri
- Princess Margaret Cancer Center and MacFeeters-Hamilton Center for Neuro-Oncology Research, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Fabio Y Moraes
- Department of Oncology, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Severa Bunda
- Princess Margaret Cancer Center and MacFeeters-Hamilton Center for Neuro-Oncology Research, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jonathan So
- Department of Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mira Salih
- Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Neuro-Oncology/Neurosurgery, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka, Japan
| | - Mitsuaki Shirahata
- Department of Neuro-Oncology/Neurosurgery, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka, Japan
| | - Takahiro Ono
- Department of Neurosurgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Shimizu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan
| | - Daniel Schrimpf
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Andreas von Deimling
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kenneth D Aldape
- Laboratory of Pathology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Gelareh Zadeh
- Princess Margaret Cancer Center and MacFeeters-Hamilton Center for Neuro-Oncology Research, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Wen J, Liu F, Cheng Q, Weygant N, Liang X, Fan F, Li C, Zhang L, Liu Z. Applications of organoid technology to brain tumors. CNS Neurosci Ther 2023; 29:2725-2743. [PMID: 37248629 PMCID: PMC10493676 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Lacking appropriate model impedes basic and preclinical researches of brain tumors. Organoids technology applying on brain tumors enables great recapitulation of the original tumors. Here, we compared brain tumor organoids (BTOs) with common models including cell lines, tumor spheroids, and patient-derived xenografts. Different BTOs can be customized to research objectives and particular brain tumor features. We systematically introduce the establishments and strengths of four different BTOs. BTOs derived from patient somatic cells are suitable for mimicking brain tumors caused by germline mutations and abnormal neurodevelopment, such as the tuberous sclerosis complex. BTOs derived from human pluripotent stem cells with genetic manipulations endow for identifying and understanding the roles of oncogenes and processes of oncogenesis. Brain tumoroids are the most clinically applicable BTOs, which could be generated within clinically relevant timescale and applied for drug screening, immunotherapy testing, biobanking, and investigating brain tumor mechanisms, such as cancer stem cells and therapy resistance. Brain organoids co-cultured with brain tumors (BO-BTs) own the greatest recapitulation of brain tumors. Tumor invasion and interactions between tumor cells and brain components could be greatly explored in this model. BO-BTs also offer a humanized platform for testing the therapeutic efficacy and side effects on neurons in preclinical trials. We also introduce the BTOs establishment fused with other advanced techniques, such as 3D bioprinting. So far, over 11 brain tumor types of BTOs have been established, especially for glioblastoma. We conclude BTOs could be a reliable model to understand brain tumors and develop targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Wen
- Department of NeurosurgeryXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- Hypothalamic‐pituitary Research CenterXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric DisordersXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Fangkun Liu
- Department of NeurosurgeryXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- Hypothalamic‐pituitary Research CenterXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric DisordersXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Quan Cheng
- Department of NeurosurgeryXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- Hypothalamic‐pituitary Research CenterXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric DisordersXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Nathaniel Weygant
- Academy of Integrative MedicineFujian University of Traditional Chinese MedicineFuzhouFujianChina
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Integrative Medicine in GeriatricsFujian University of Traditional Chinese MedicineFuzhouFujianChina
| | - Xisong Liang
- Department of NeurosurgeryXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- Hypothalamic‐pituitary Research CenterXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric DisordersXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Fan Fan
- Department of NeurosurgeryXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- Hypothalamic‐pituitary Research CenterXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric DisordersXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Chuntao Li
- Department of NeurosurgeryXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- Hypothalamic‐pituitary Research CenterXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric DisordersXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Liyang Zhang
- Department of NeurosurgeryXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- Hypothalamic‐pituitary Research CenterXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric DisordersXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Zhixiong Liu
- Department of NeurosurgeryXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- Hypothalamic‐pituitary Research CenterXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric DisordersXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
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Jangam SV, Briere LC, Jay KL, Andrews JC, Walker MA, Rodan LH, High FA, Yamamoto S, Sweetser DA, Wangler MF. A de novo missense variant in EZH1 associated with developmental delay exhibits functional deficits in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 2023; 224:iyad110. [PMID: 37314226 PMCID: PMC10411565 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
EZH1, a polycomb repressive complex-2 component, is involved in a myriad of cellular processes. EZH1 represses transcription of downstream target genes through histone 3 lysine27 (H3K27) trimethylation (H3K27me3). Genetic variants in histone modifiers have been associated with developmental disorders, while EZH1 has not yet been linked to any human disease. However, the paralog EZH2 is associated with Weaver syndrome. Here we report a previously undiagnosed individual with a novel neurodevelopmental phenotype identified to have a de novo missense variant in EZH1 through exome sequencing. The individual presented in infancy with neurodevelopmental delay and hypotonia and was later noted to have proximal muscle weakness. The variant, p.A678G, is in the SET domain, known for its methyltransferase activity, and an analogous somatic or germline mutation in EZH2 has been reported in patients with B-cell lymphoma or Weaver syndrome, respectively. Human EZH1/2 are homologous to fly Enhancer of zeste (E(z)), an essential gene in Drosophila, and the affected residue (p.A678 in humans, p.A691 in flies) is conserved. To further study this variant, we obtained null alleles and generated transgenic flies expressing wildtype [E(z)WT] and the variant [E(z)A691G]. When expressed ubiquitously the variant rescues null-lethality similar to the wildtype. Overexpression of E(z)WT induces homeotic patterning defects but notably the E(z)A691G variant leads to dramatically stronger morphological phenotypes. We also note a dramatic loss of H3K27me2 and a corresponding increase in H3K27me3 in flies expressing E(z)A691G, suggesting this acts as a gain-of-function allele. In conclusion, here we present a novel EZH1 de novo variant associated with a neurodevelopmental disorder. Furthermore, we found that this variant has a functional impact in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharayu V Jangam
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Lauren C Briere
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Kristy L Jay
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jonathan C Andrews
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Melissa A Walker
- Department of Neurology, Division of Neurogenetics, Child Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Lance H Rodan
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Frances A High
- Division of Medical Genetics and Metabolism, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | | | - Shinya Yamamoto
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - David A Sweetser
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Division of Medical Genetics and Metabolism, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Michael F Wangler
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Zheng ZQ, Yuan GQ, Zhang GG, Nie QQ, Wang Z. Development and validation of a predictive model in diagnosis and prognosis of primary glioblastoma patients based on Homeobox A family. Discov Oncol 2023; 14:108. [PMID: 37351805 DOI: 10.1007/s12672-023-00726-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Homeobox A (HOXA) family is involved in the development of malignancies as either tumor suppressors or oncogenes. However, their roles in glioblastoma (GBM) and clinical significance have not been fully elucidated. METHODS HOXA mutation and expressions in pan-cancers were investigated using GSCA and Oncomine, which in GBM were validated by cBioPortal, Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA), and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets. Kaplan-Meier analyses were conducted to determine prognostic values of HOXAs at genetic and mRNA levels. Diagnostic roles of HOXAs in tumor classification were explored by GlioVis and R software. Independent prognostic HOXAs were identified using Cox survival analyses, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, quantitative real-time PCR, and immunohistochemical staining. A HOXAs-based nomogram survival prediction model was developed and evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis, time-dependent Area Under Curve, calibration plots, and Decision Curve Analysis in training and validation cohorts. RESULTS HOXAs were highly mutated and overexpressed in pan-cancers, especially in CGGA and TCGA GBM datasets. Genetic alteration and mRNA expression of HOXAs were both found to be prognostic. Specific HOXAs could distinguish IDH mutation (HOXA1-7, HOXA9, HOXA13) and molecular GBM subtypes (HOXA1-2, HOXA9-11, HOXA13). HOXA1/2/3/10 were confirmed to be independent prognostic members, with high expressions validated in clinical GBM tissues. The HOXAs-based nomogram model exhibited good prediction performance and net benefits for patients in training and validation cohorts. CONCLUSION HOXA family has diagnostic values, and the HOXAs-based nomogram model is effective in survival prediction, providing a novel approach to support the treatment of GBM patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zong-Qing Zheng
- Department of Neurosurgery & Brain and Nerve Research Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, 215006, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Gui-Qiang Yuan
- Beijing Neurosurgical Institute & Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Guo-Guo Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery & Brain and Nerve Research Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, 215006, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Qian-Qian Nie
- Department of Neurosurgery & Brain and Nerve Research Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, 215006, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Zhong Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery & Brain and Nerve Research Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, 215006, Jiangsu Province, China.
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10
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Kechin AA, Koryukov MA, Smertina MA, Borobova VS, Oscorbin IP, Ivanov AA, Bakharev SY, Boyarskikh UA, Kushlinskii NE, Filipenko ML. Differences in Transcriptomic Profiles of Brain and Thyroid Tumors with NTRK Gene Rearrangement. Bull Exp Biol Med 2023:10.1007/s10517-023-05815-0. [PMID: 37335445 DOI: 10.1007/s10517-023-05815-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
For tumors with chimeric NTRK genes, entrectinib and larotrectinib can be prescribed regardless of tumor localization. We compared changes in the transcriptional activity of genes in brain tumors (BT) and thyroid cancer (TC) with rearrangement (NTRK+) and without rearrangement (NTRK-) of the NTRK genes using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. We revealed an increase in the transcription of the JUN gene in NTRK+ samples in comparison with NTRK- samples: by 1.6 times for BT (p=0.239) and by 2.5 times for TC (p=0.003). The transcription of eight HOX genes in NTRK+ BT samples was also increased (by 85-725 times, p<0.05) in comparison with NTRK-. In NTRK+ TC samples, the level of miR-31 and miR-542 was statistically significantly higher (by 3 and 2.5 times, respectively) than in NTRK-samples. For the NTRK+ BT samples, the levels of miR-10b, miR-182, and miR-21 more than 5-fold surpassed the corresponding values in NTRK-samples (p<0.05). These findings reflect differences in activation of gene transcription resulting from NTRK gene rearrangement in BT and TC.
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Affiliation(s)
- A A Kechin
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia.
- Novosibirsk National Research State University, Novosibirsk, Russia.
| | - M A Koryukov
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
- Novosibirsk National Research State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - M A Smertina
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - V S Borobova
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
- Novosibirsk National Research State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - I P Oscorbin
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - A A Ivanov
- Altai Regional Oncological Center, Barnaul, Russia
| | | | - U A Boyarskikh
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - N E Kushlinskii
- N. N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia
| | - M L Filipenko
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
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11
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Liu Y, Wu Z, Feng Y, Gao J, Wang B, Lian C, Diao B. Integration analysis of single-cell and spatial transcriptomics reveal the cellular heterogeneity landscape in glioblastoma and establish a polygenic risk model. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1109037. [PMID: 37397378 PMCID: PMC10308022 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1109037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Glioblastoma (GBM) is adults' most common and fatally malignant brain tumor. The heterogeneity is the leading cause of treatment failure. However, the relationship between cellular heterogeneity, tumor microenvironment, and GBM progression is still elusive. Methods Integrated analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptome sequencing (stRNA-seq) of GBM were conducted to analyze the spatial tumor microenvironment. We investigated the subpopulation heterogeneity of malignant cells through gene set enrichment analyses, cell communications analyses, and pseudotime analyses. Significantly changed genes of the pseudotime analysis were screened to create a tumor progress-related gene risk score (TPRGRS) using Cox regression algorithms in the bulkRNA-sequencing(bulkRNA-seq) dataset. We combined the TPRGRS and clinical characteristics to predict the prognosis of patients with GBM. Furthermore, functional analysis was applied to uncover the underlying mechanisms of the TPRGRS. Results GBM cells were accurately charted to their spatial locations and uncovered their spatial colocalization. The malignant cells were divided into five clusters with transcriptional and functional heterogeneity, including unclassified malignant cells and astrocyte-like, mesenchymal-like, oligodendrocytes-progenitor-like, and neural-progenitor-like malignant cells. Cell-cell communications analysis in scRNA-seq and stRNA-seq identified ligand-receptor pairs of the CXCL, EGF, FGF, and MIF signaling pathways as bridges implying that tumor microenvironment may cause malignant cells' transcriptomic adaptability and disease progression. Pseudotime analysis showed the differentiation trajectory of GBM cells from proneural to mesenchymal transition and identified genes or pathways that affect cell differentiation. TPRGRS could successfully divide patients with GBM in three datasets into high- and low-risk groups, which was proved to be a prognostic factor independent of routine clinicopathological characteristics. Functional analysis revealed the TPRGRS associated with growth factor binding, cytokine activity, signaling receptor activator activity functions, and oncogenic pathways. Further analysis revealed the association of the TPRGRS with gene mutations and immunity in GBM. Finally, the external datasets and qRT-PCR verified high expressions of the TPRGRS mRNAs in GBM cells. Conclusion Our study provides novel insights into heterogeneity in GBM based on scRNA-seq and stRNA-seq data. Moreover, our study proposed a malignant cell transition-based TPRGRS through integrated analysis of bulkRNA-seq and scRNA-seq data, combined with the routine clinicopathological evaluation of tumors, which may provide more personalized drug regimens for GBM patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaxuan Liu
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Basic Medicine, General Hospital of Central Theatre Command, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zhenyu Wu
- Department of Urology, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong, China
| | - Yueyuan Feng
- Cancer Hospital, The First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong, China
| | - Jiawei Gao
- College of Medicine, JiShou University, Xiangxi, Hunan, China
| | - Bo Wang
- College of Medicine, JiShou University, Xiangxi, Hunan, China
| | - Changlin Lian
- Cancer Hospital, The First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong, China
| | - Bo Diao
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Basic Medicine, General Hospital of Central Theatre Command, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Wuhan General Hospital of Guangzhou Command and Hubei Key Laboratory of Central Nervous System Tumor and Intervention, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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12
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Fedoseyeva VB, Novosadova EV, Nenasheva VV, Novosadova LV, Grivennikov IA, Tarantul VZ. Transcription of HOX Genes Is Significantly Increased during Neuronal Differentiation of iPSCs Derived from Patients with Parkinson's Disease. J Dev Biol 2023; 11:23. [PMID: 37367477 DOI: 10.3390/jdb11020023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most serious movement disorder, but the actual cause of this disease is still unknown. Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural cultures from PD patients carry the potential for experimental modeling of underlying molecular events. We analyzed the RNA-seq data of iPSC-derived neural precursor cells (NPCs) and terminally differentiated neurons (TDNs) from healthy donors (HD) and PD patients with mutations in PARK2 published previously. The high level of transcription of HOX family protein-coding genes and lncRNA transcribed from the HOX clusters was revealed in the neural cultures from PD patients, while in HD NPCs and TDNs, the majority of these genes were not expressed or slightly transcribed. The results of this analysis were generally confirmed by qPCR. The HOX paralogs in the 3' clusters were activated more strongly than the genes of the 5' cluster. The abnormal activation of the HOX gene program upon neuronal differentiation in the cells of PD patients raises the possibility that the abnormal expression of these key regulators of neuronal development impacts PD pathology. Further research is needed to investigate this hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viya B Fedoseyeva
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Moscow 123182, Russia
| | - Ekaterina V Novosadova
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Moscow 123182, Russia
| | - Valentina V Nenasheva
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Moscow 123182, Russia
| | - Lyudmila V Novosadova
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Moscow 123182, Russia
| | - Igor A Grivennikov
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Moscow 123182, Russia
| | - Vyacheslav Z Tarantul
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Moscow 123182, Russia
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13
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Morello G, La Cognata V, Guarnaccia M, D'Agata V, Cavallaro S. Cracking the Code of Neuronal Cell Fate. Cells 2023; 12:cells12071057. [PMID: 37048129 PMCID: PMC10093029 DOI: 10.3390/cells12071057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional regulation is fundamental to most biological processes and reverse-engineering programs can be used to decipher the underlying programs. In this review, we describe how genomics is offering a systems biology-based perspective of the intricate and temporally coordinated transcriptional programs that control neuronal apoptosis and survival. In addition to providing a new standpoint in human pathology focused on the regulatory program, cracking the code of neuronal cell fate may offer innovative therapeutic approaches focused on downstream targets and regulatory networks. Similar to computers, where faults often arise from a software bug, neuronal fate may critically depend on its transcription program. Thus, cracking the code of neuronal life or death may help finding a patch for neurodegeneration and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Morello
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation, National Research Council (CNR-IRIB), 95126 Catania, Italy
| | - Valentina La Cognata
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation, National Research Council (CNR-IRIB), 95126 Catania, Italy
| | - Maria Guarnaccia
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation, National Research Council (CNR-IRIB), 95126 Catania, Italy
| | - Velia D'Agata
- Section of Human Anatomy and Histology, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95124 Catania, Italy
| | - Sebastiano Cavallaro
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation, National Research Council (CNR-IRIB), 95126 Catania, Italy
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14
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Wang T, Liu M, Jia M. Integrated Bioinformatic Analysis of the Correlation of HOXA10 Expression with Survival and Immune Cell Infiltration in Lower Grade Glioma. Biochem Genet 2023; 61:238-257. [PMID: 35836029 DOI: 10.1007/s10528-022-10258-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Homeobox A10 (HOXA10) encodes a transcription factor that regulates developmental processes. Whether HOXA10 mRNA levels in lower grade glioma (LGG) correlate with survival and immune cell infiltration has not been evaluated. The differential expression of HOXA10 in different tumors and their corresponding normal tissues was evaluated by exploring public datasets. The correlations between HOXA10 and survival, tumor immune cell infiltration, diverse gene mutation characteristics, and tumor mutation burden in LGG were also investigated using several independent datasets. Pathway enrichment analysis was conducted to identify HOXA10-associated signaling pathways. We found that HOXA10 expression levels did not significantly differ between LGG tumors and normal tissues. Upon assessing the association between HOXA10 expression and immune cell infiltration in LGG, as expected, HOXA10 gene mRNA levels were positively associated with B-cell and dendritic cell infiltration levels in public online datasets. Different HOXA10 expression groups showed diverse gene mutation characteristics and TMB, and low HOXA10 expression was closely related to improved LGG patient survival. Pathway enrichment analysis of HOXA10-associated genes indicated that the cell cycle signaling pathway may participate in affecting the outcomes of LGG patients. Our findings showed that HOXA10 expression was associated with LGG prognosis and tumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Wang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong Medicine and Health Key Laboratory of Abdominal Medical Imaging, Shandong Lung Cancer Institute, Shandong Institute of Neuroimmunology, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Mingqian Liu
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Ming Jia
- Department of Cancer Center, The Secondary Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 247 Beiyuan Street, Jinan, 250033, Shandong, China.
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15
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Moss RM, Sorajja N, Mills LJ, Moertel CL, Hoang TT, Spector LG, Largaespada DA, Williams LA. Sex differences in methylation profiles are apparent in medulloblastoma, particularly among SHH tumors. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1113121. [PMID: 37035203 PMCID: PMC10080161 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1113121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Medulloblastoma, the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor, displays marked sex differences in prevalence of the four main molecular subgroups: SHH, WNT, Group 3 and Group 4. Males are more frequently diagnosed with SHH, Group 3 and 4 tumors, which have worse prognoses than WNT tumors. Little is known about sex differences in methylation profiles within subgroups. Methods Using publicly available methylation data (Illumina HumanMethylation450K array), we compared beta values for males versus females. Differentially methylated positions (DMP) by sex within medulloblastoma subgroups were identified on the autosomes. DMPs were mapped to genes and Reactome pathway analysis was run by subgroup. Kaplan-Meier survival curves (Log-Rank p-values) were assessed for each sex within subgroup. MethylCIBERSORT was used to investigate the tumor microenvironment using deconvolution to estimate the abundances of immune cell types using DNA methylation data. Results There were statistically significant differences in sex by medulloblastoma subgroups (chi-squared p-value=0.00004): Group 3 (n=144; 65% male), Group 4 (n=326; 67% male), SHH (n=223; 57% male) and WNT (n=70; 41% male). Females had worse survival than males for SHH (p-value=0.02). DMPs by sex were identified within subgroups: SHH (n=131), Group 4 (n=29), Group 3 (n=19), and WNT (n=16) and validated in an independent dataset. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering showed that sex-DMPs in SHH did not correlate with other tumor attributes. Ten genes with sex DMPs (RFTN1, C1orf103, FKBP1B, COL25A1, NPDC1, B3GNT1, FOXN3, RNASEH2C, TLE1, and PHF17) were shared across subgroups. Significant pathways (p<0.05) associated with DMPs were identified for SHH (n=22) and Group 4 (n=4) and included signaling pathways for RET proto-oncogene, advanced glycosylation end product receptor, regulation of KIT, neurotrophic receptors, NOTCH, and TGF-β. In SHH, we identified DMPs in four genes (CDK6, COL25A1, MMP16, PRIM2) that encode proteins which are the target of therapies in clinical trials for other cancers. There were few sex differences in immune cell composition within tumor subgroups. Conclusion There are sexually dimorphic methylation profiles for SHH medulloblastoma where survival differences were observed. Sex-specific therapies in medulloblastoma may impact outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M. Moss
- Division of Epidemiology & Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Natali Sorajja
- Division of Epidemiology & Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Macalester College, St. Paul, MN, United States
| | - Lauren J. Mills
- Division of Epidemiology & Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Christopher L. Moertel
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Brain Tumor Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Thanh T. Hoang
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Logan G. Spector
- Division of Epidemiology & Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - David A. Largaespada
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Brain Tumor Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Lindsay A. Williams
- Division of Epidemiology & Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Brain Tumor Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- *Correspondence: Lindsay A. Williams,
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16
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K27M in canonical and noncanonical H3 variants occurs in distinct oligodendroglial cell lineages in brain midline gliomas. Nat Genet 2022; 54:1865-1880. [PMID: 36471070 PMCID: PMC9742294 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-022-01205-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Canonical (H3.1/H3.2) and noncanonical (H3.3) histone 3 K27M-mutant gliomas have unique spatiotemporal distributions, partner alterations and molecular profiles. The contribution of the cell of origin to these differences has been challenging to uncouple from the oncogenic reprogramming induced by the mutation. Here, we perform an integrated analysis of 116 tumors, including single-cell transcriptome and chromatin accessibility, 3D chromatin architecture and epigenomic profiles, and show that K27M-mutant gliomas faithfully maintain chromatin configuration at developmental genes consistent with anatomically distinct oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). H3.3K27M thalamic gliomas map to prosomere 2-derived lineages. In turn, H3.1K27M ACVR1-mutant pontine gliomas uniformly mirror early ventral NKX6-1+/SHH-dependent brainstem OPCs, whereas H3.3K27M gliomas frequently resemble dorsal PAX3+/BMP-dependent progenitors. Our data suggest a context-specific vulnerability in H3.1K27M-mutant SHH-dependent ventral OPCs, which rely on acquisition of ACVR1 mutations to drive aberrant BMP signaling required for oncogenesis. The unifying action of K27M mutations is to restrict H3K27me3 at PRC2 landing sites, whereas other epigenetic changes are mainly contingent on the cell of origin chromatin state and cycling rate.
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17
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Zheng D, Ning J, Xia Y, Ruan Y, Cheng F. Comprehensive analysis of a homeobox family gene signature in clear cell renal cell carcinoma with regard to prognosis and immune significance. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1008714. [PMID: 36387262 PMCID: PMC9660242 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1008714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The homeobox (HOX) family genes have been linked to multiple types of tumors, while their effect on malignant behaviors of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and clinical significance remains largely unknown. Here, we comprehensively analyzed the expression profiles and prognostic value of HOX genes in ccRCC using datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) databases. We developed a prognostic signature comprising eight HOX genes (HOXB1, HOXA7, HOXB5, HOXD8, HOXD9, HOXB9, HOXA9, and HOXA11) for overall survival prediction in ccRCC and it allowed patients to be subdivided into high- and low-risk groups. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis in all the internal and external cohorts revealed significant difference in clinical outcome of patients in different risk groups, indicating the satisfactory predictive power of the signature. Additionally, we constructed a prognostic nomogram by integrating signature-derived risk score and clinical factors such as gender, age, T and M status, which might be helpful for clinical decision-making and designing tailored management schedules. Immunological analysis revealed that the regulatory T cells (Tregs) infiltrated differently between the two subgroups in both TCGA and ICGC cohorts. ssGSEA method showed that the enrichment scores for mast cells were significantly lower in high-risk group compared with the low-risk group, which was consistent in both TCGA and ICGC cohorts. As for the related immune function, the enrichment scores of APC co-inhibition, para-inflammation, and type II IFN response were consistently lower in high-risk group in both cohorts. Of the eight HOX genes, the mRNA and protein levels of HOXD8 were downregulated in ccRCC than that in normal tissues, and decreased expression of HOXD8 was associated with increased tumor grade and stage, and lymph node metastasis. Survival analysis revealed that lower expression of HOXD8 predicted worse overall survival in ccRCC. In conclusion, our HOX gene-based signature was a favorable indicator to predict the prognosis of ccRCC cases and associated with immune cell infiltration. HOXD8 might be a tumor suppressor gene in ccRCC and a potential predictor of tumor progression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Yuan Ruan
- *Correspondence: Fan Cheng, ; Yuan Ruan,
| | - Fan Cheng
- *Correspondence: Fan Cheng, ; Yuan Ruan,
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18
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Hirtz A, Lebourdais N, Thomassin M, Rech F, Dumond H, Dubois-Pot-Schneider H. Identification of Gender- and Subtype-Specific Gene Expression Associated with Patient Survival in Low-Grade and Anaplastic Glioma in Connection with Steroid Signaling. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14174114. [PMID: 36077653 PMCID: PMC9454517 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14174114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Gliomas are primary brain tumors that are initially slow growing but progress to be more aggressive and, ultimately, fatal within a few years. They are more common in men than in women, suggesting a protective role for female hormones. By analyzing patient data collected in the public TGCA-LGG database, we have demonstrated a link between the expression level of key steroid biosynthesis enzymes or hormone receptors with patient survival, in ways that are dependent on gender and molecular subtype. We also determined the genes which expression associated with these actors of steroid signaling and the functions they perform, to decipher the mechanisms underlying gender-dependent differences. Together, these results establish, for the first time, the involvement of hormones in low-grade and anaplastic gliomas and provide clues for refining their classification and, thus, facilitating more personalized management of patients. Abstract Low-grade gliomas are rare primary brain tumors, which fatally evolve to anaplastic gliomas. The current treatment combines surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. If gender differences in the natural history of the disease were widely described, their underlying mechanisms remain to be determined for the identification of reliable markers of disease progression. We mined the transcriptomic and clinical data from the TCGA-LGG and CGGA databases to identify male-over-female differentially expressed genes and selected those associated with patient survival using univariate analysis, depending on molecular characteristics (IDH wild-type/mutated; 1p/19q codeleted/not) and grade. Then, the link between the expression levels (low or high) of the steroid biosynthesis enzyme or receptors of interest and survival was studied using the log-rank test. Finally, a functional analysis of gender-specific correlated genes was performed. HOX-related genes appeared to be differentially expressed between males and females in both grades, suggesting that a glioma could originate in perturbation of developmental signals. Moreover, aromatase, androgen, and estrogen receptor expressions were associated with patient survival and were mainly related to angiogenesis or immune response. Therefore, consideration of the tight control of steroid hormone production and signaling seems crucial for the understanding of glioma pathogenesis and emergence of future targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Hirtz
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, F-54000 Nancy, France
| | | | | | - Fabien Rech
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, F-54000 Nancy, France
- Université de Lorraine, CHRU-Nancy, Service de Neurochirurgie, F-54000 Nancy, France
| | - Hélène Dumond
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, F-54000 Nancy, France
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El-Meligui YM, Hassan NM, Kassem AB, Gouda NA, Mohanad M, Hamouda MA, Salahuddin A. Impact of HOXB4 and PRDM16 Gene Expressions on Prognosis and Treatment Response in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients. Pharmgenomics Pers Med 2022; 15:663-674. [PMID: 35782688 PMCID: PMC9241994 DOI: 10.2147/pgpm.s368640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common type of leukemia among adults and is characterized by various genetic abnormalities. HOXB4 and PRDM16 are promising markers of AML. Our objective is to assess the potential roles of HOXB4 and PRDM16 as prognostic and predictive markers in newly diagnosed AML patients and determine the correlation between their expressions and other prognostic markers as FLT3-ITD, NPM1 exon 12 mutations, response to treatment, and patient’s survival. Methods This study included 83 de novo AML adult patients. All patients were subjected to clinical, morphological, cytochemical, and molecular analysis to detect HOXB4 and PRDM16 gene expressions and FLT3-ITD, NPM1 exon 12 mutations. Results The results showed that a low expression of HOXB4 was found in 31.3% of AML patients, whereas a high expression of PRDM16 was evident in 33.8% of AML patients. FLT3-ITD mutations were detected in 6 patients (7.2%), while NPM1 exon 12 mutations were detected in 7 patients (19.4%) out of 36 patients with intermediate genetic risk. Out of the 50 patients who achieved complete remission (CR), relapse occurred in 16% of the cases. Low expression of HOXB4 and high expression of PRDM16 were associated with CR of 32% and 28%, respectively, and a short overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Conclusion Further larger study should be conducted to verify that high PRDM16 and low HOXB4 gene expressions could be used as a poor prognostic predictor for AML. The correlation between PRDM16 and HOXB4 gene expressions and FLT3-ITD and NPM1 exon 12 mutations might have a role on CR, relapse, OS, and, however, this should be clarified in analysis with a larger number of samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yomna M El-Meligui
- Clinical Pathology Department, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Naglaa M Hassan
- Clinical Pathology Department, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Amira B Kassem
- Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt
- Correspondence: Amira B Kassem, Email
| | - Nora A Gouda
- Cancer Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Marwa Mohanad
- Biochemistry Department, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, Giza, Egypt
| | - Manal A Hamouda
- Clinical Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Menoufia University, Shibin El Kom, Egypt
| | - Ahmad Salahuddin
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt
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20
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MEOX2 Regulates the Growth and Survival of Glioblastoma Stem Cells by Modulating Genes of the Glycolytic Pathway and Response to Hypoxia. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14092304. [PMID: 35565433 PMCID: PMC9099809 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14092304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Glioblastoma is the most common incurable primary brain tumor in adults, typically leading to death within 15 months of diagnosis. Although there is an ongoing debate in the scientific community about the precise cellular origin of this tumor, glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs), which are able to self-renew, yield a full tumor mass, and determine chemo- and radio-resistance, are recognized to have a pivotal role. Our research aims to understand the role of the mesenchyme homeobox 2 (MEOX2) transcription factor in GSCs where it is strongly and specifically expressed. We have found that MEOX2 is indeed important for the survival of these cells. In fact, when we reduce its expression in two different GSC lines, they undergo a massive death accompanied by the inhibition of key genes of the glycolytic metabolism, the main source of energy for these cells. Our results reveal a novel function for MEOX2 in glioblastoma and suggest a mechanism through which GSCs may survive even in unfavorable conditions. Abstract The most widely accepted hypothesis for the development of glioblastoma suggests that glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs) are crucially involved in tumor initiation and recurrence as well as in the occurrence of chemo- and radio-resistance. Mesenchyme homeobox 2 (MEOX2) is a transcription factor overexpressed in glioblastoma, whose expression is negatively correlated with patient survival. Starting from our observation that MEOX2 expression is strongly enhanced in six GSC lines, we performed shRNA-mediated knock-down experiments in two different GSC lines and found that MEOX2 depletion resulted in the inhibition of cell growth and sphere-forming ability and an increase in apoptotic cell death. By a deep transcriptome analysis, we identified a core group of genes modulated in response to MEOX2 knock-down. Among these genes, the repressed ones are largely enriched in genes involved in the hypoxic response and glycolytic pathway, two strictly related pathways that contribute to the resistance of high-grade gliomas to therapies. An in silico study of the regulatory regions of genes differentially expressed by MEOX2 knock-down revealed that they mainly consisted of GC-rich regions enriched for Sp1 and Klf4 binding motifs, two main regulators of metabolism in glioblastoma. Our results show, for the first time, the involvement of MEOX2 in the regulation of genes of GSC metabolism, which is essential for the survival and growth of these cells.
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21
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Le Boiteux E, Guichet PO, Masliantsev K, Montibus B, Vaurs-Barriere C, Gonthier-Gueret C, Chautard E, Verrelle P, Karayan-Tapon L, Fogli A, Court F, Arnaud P. The Long Non-Coding RNA HOXA-AS2 Promotes Proliferation of Glioma Stem Cells and Modulates Their Inflammation Pathway Mainly through Post-Transcriptional Regulation. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23094743. [PMID: 35563134 PMCID: PMC9102906 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23094743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioblastomas represent approximatively half of all gliomas and are the most deadly and aggressive form. Their therapeutic resistance and tumor relapse rely on a subpopulation of cells that are called Glioma Stem Cells (GSCs). Here, we investigated the role of the long non-coding RNA HOXA-AS2 in GSC biology using descriptive and functional analyses of glioma samples classified according to their isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) gene mutation status, and of GSC lines. We found that HOXA-AS2 is overexpressed only in aggressive (IDHwt) glioma and GSC lines. ShRNA-based depletion of HOXA-AS2 in GSCs decreased cell proliferation and altered the expression of several hundreds of genes. Integrative analysis revealed that these expression changes were not associated with changes in DNA methylation or chromatin signatures at the promoter of the majority of genes deregulated following HOXA-AS2 silencing in GSCs, suggesting a post-transcriptional regulation. In addition, transcription factor binding motif enrichment and correlation analyses indicated that HOXA-AS2 affects, directly or indirectly, the expression of key transcription factors implicated in GCS biology, including E2F8, E2F1, STAT1, and ATF3, thus contributing to GCS aggressiveness by promoting their proliferation and modulating the inflammation pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Le Boiteux
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Inserm, GReD, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France; (E.L.B.); (B.M.); (C.V.-B.); (C.G.-G.); (A.F.)
| | - Pierre-Olivier Guichet
- ProDiCeT UR 24144, Université de Poitiers, F-86000 Poitiers, France; (P.-O.G.); (K.M.); (L.K.-T.)
- Laboratoire de Cancérologie Biologique, CHU de Poitiers, F-86000 Poitiers, France
| | - Konstantin Masliantsev
- ProDiCeT UR 24144, Université de Poitiers, F-86000 Poitiers, France; (P.-O.G.); (K.M.); (L.K.-T.)
- Laboratoire de Cancérologie Biologique, CHU de Poitiers, F-86000 Poitiers, France
| | - Bertille Montibus
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Inserm, GReD, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France; (E.L.B.); (B.M.); (C.V.-B.); (C.G.-G.); (A.F.)
| | - Catherine Vaurs-Barriere
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Inserm, GReD, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France; (E.L.B.); (B.M.); (C.V.-B.); (C.G.-G.); (A.F.)
| | - Céline Gonthier-Gueret
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Inserm, GReD, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France; (E.L.B.); (B.M.); (C.V.-B.); (C.G.-G.); (A.F.)
| | - Emmanuel Chautard
- Pathology Department, Jean Perrin Center, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France;
- INSERM, U1240 IMoST, Université Clermont Auvergne, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Pierre Verrelle
- CIMB, INSERM U1196 CNRS UMR9187, Curie Institute, F-91400 Orsay, France;
- Radiotherapy Department, Curie Institute, F-75248 Paris, France
- CNRS UMR 9187, INSERM U1196, Institut Curie, PSL Research University and Paris-Saclay University, F-91405 Orsay, France
| | - Lucie Karayan-Tapon
- ProDiCeT UR 24144, Université de Poitiers, F-86000 Poitiers, France; (P.-O.G.); (K.M.); (L.K.-T.)
- Laboratoire de Cancérologie Biologique, CHU de Poitiers, F-86000 Poitiers, France
| | - Anne Fogli
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Inserm, GReD, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France; (E.L.B.); (B.M.); (C.V.-B.); (C.G.-G.); (A.F.)
- Radiation Oncology Department, Institut Curie, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Franck Court
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Inserm, GReD, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France; (E.L.B.); (B.M.); (C.V.-B.); (C.G.-G.); (A.F.)
- Correspondence: (F.C.); (P.A.)
| | - Philippe Arnaud
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Inserm, GReD, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France; (E.L.B.); (B.M.); (C.V.-B.); (C.G.-G.); (A.F.)
- Correspondence: (F.C.); (P.A.)
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22
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Deforzh E, Uhlmann EJ, Das E, Galitsyna A, Arora R, Saravanan H, Rabinovsky R, Wirawan AD, Teplyuk NM, El Fatimy R, Perumalla S, Jairam A, Wei Z, Mirny L, Krichevsky AM. Promoter and enhancer RNAs regulate chromatin reorganization and activation of miR-10b/HOXD locus, and neoplastic transformation in glioma. Mol Cell 2022; 82:1894-1908.e5. [PMID: 35390275 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
miR-10b is silenced in normal neuroglial cells of the brain but commonly activated in glioma, where it assumes an essential tumor-promoting role. We demonstrate that the entire miR-10b-hosting HOXD locus is activated in glioma via the cis-acting mechanism involving 3D chromatin reorganization and CTCF-cohesin-mediated looping. This mechanism requires two interacting lncRNAs, HOXD-AS2 and LINC01116, one associated with HOXD3/HOXD4/miR-10b promoter and another with the remote enhancer. Knockdown of either lncRNA in glioma cells alters CTCF and cohesin binding, abolishes chromatin looping, inhibits the expression of all genes within HOXD locus, and leads to glioma cell death. Conversely, in cortical astrocytes, enhancer activation is sufficient for HOXD/miR-10b locus reorganization, gene derepression, and neoplastic cell transformation. LINC01116 RNA is essential for this process. Our results demonstrate the interplay of two lncRNAs in the chromatin folding and concordant regulation of miR-10b and multiple HOXD genes normally silenced in astrocytes and triggering the neoplastic glial transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgeny Deforzh
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Erik J Uhlmann
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Eashita Das
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Aleksandra Galitsyna
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Center of Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow 143026, Russia
| | - Ramil Arora
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Harini Saravanan
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rosalia Rabinovsky
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Aditya D Wirawan
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Nadiya M Teplyuk
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rachid El Fatimy
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Sucika Perumalla
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Anirudh Jairam
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Zhiyun Wei
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Leonid Mirny
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Anna M Krichevsky
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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23
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Comprehensive Landscape of HOXA2, HOXA9, and HOXA10 as Potential Biomarkers for Predicting Progression and Prognosis in Prostate Cancer. J Immunol Res 2022; 2022:5740971. [PMID: 35372588 PMCID: PMC8970952 DOI: 10.1155/2022/5740971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Prostate cancer (PCa) is recognized as a common malignancy in male patients. The homeobox A cluster (HOXA) family members have been confirmed to be implicated in the development of several types of tumors. However, the expression pattern and prognostic values of HOXA genes in PCa have not been investigated. In this study, we analyzed TCGA datasets and identified six HOXA family members which showed a dysregulated expression in PCa specimens compared with nontumor specimens. We also explored the potential mechanisms involved in the dysregulation of HOXA family members in PCa, and the results of Pearson's correlation revealed that most HOXA members were negatively related to the methylation degree. Moreover, we explored the prognostic values of HOXA family members and identified six survival-related HOXA members. Importantly, HOXA2, HOXA9, and HOXA10 were identified as critical PCa-related genes which were abnormally expressed in PCa and associated with clinical outcomes of PCa patients. Then, we explored the association between the above three genes and immune cell infiltration. We observed that the levels of HOXA2, HOXA9, and HOXA10 were associated with the levels of immune infiltration of several kinds of immune cells. Overall, our findings identified the potential values of the HOXA family for outcome prediction in PCa, which might facilitate personalized counselling and treatment in PCa.
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24
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Foroutan A, Haghshenas S, Bhai P, Levy MA, Kerkhof J, McConkey H, Niceta M, Ciolfi A, Pedace L, Miele E, Genevieve D, Heide S, Alders M, Zampino G, Merla G, Fradin M, Bieth E, Bonneau D, Dieterich K, Fergelot P, Schaefer E, Faivre L, Vitobello A, Maitz S, Fischetto R, Gervasini C, Piccione M, van de Laar I, Tartaglia M, Sadikovic B, Lebre AS. Clinical Utility of a Unique Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Signature for KMT2A-Related Syndrome. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031815. [PMID: 35163737 PMCID: PMC8836705 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Wiedemann–Steiner syndrome (WDSTS) is a Mendelian syndromic intellectual disability (ID) condition associated with hypertrichosis cubiti, short stature, and characteristic facies caused by pathogenic variants in the KMT2A gene. Clinical features can be inconclusive in mild and unusual WDSTS presentations with variable ID (mild to severe), facies (typical or not) and other associated malformations (bone, cerebral, renal, cardiac and ophthalmological anomalies). Interpretation and classification of rare KMT2A variants can be challenging. A genome-wide DNA methylation episignature for KMT2A-related syndrome could allow functional classification of variants and provide insights into the pathophysiology of WDSTS. Therefore, we assessed genome-wide DNA methylation profiles in a cohort of 60 patients with clinical diagnosis for WDSTS or Kabuki and identified a unique highly sensitive and specific DNA methylation episignature as a molecular biomarker of WDSTS. WDSTS episignature enabled classification of variants of uncertain significance in the KMT2A gene as well as confirmation of diagnosis in patients with clinical presentation of WDSTS without known genetic variants. The changes in the methylation profile resulting from KMT2A mutations involve global reduction in methylation in various genes, including homeobox gene promoters. These findings provide novel insights into the molecular etiology of WDSTS and explain the broad phenotypic spectrum of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aidin Foroutan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada; (A.F.); (S.H.)
- Verspeeten Clinical Genome Centre, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada; (P.B.); (M.A.L.); (J.K.); (H.M.)
| | - Sadegheh Haghshenas
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada; (A.F.); (S.H.)
- Verspeeten Clinical Genome Centre, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada; (P.B.); (M.A.L.); (J.K.); (H.M.)
| | - Pratibha Bhai
- Verspeeten Clinical Genome Centre, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada; (P.B.); (M.A.L.); (J.K.); (H.M.)
| | - Michael A. Levy
- Verspeeten Clinical Genome Centre, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada; (P.B.); (M.A.L.); (J.K.); (H.M.)
| | - Jennifer Kerkhof
- Verspeeten Clinical Genome Centre, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada; (P.B.); (M.A.L.); (J.K.); (H.M.)
| | - Haley McConkey
- Verspeeten Clinical Genome Centre, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada; (P.B.); (M.A.L.); (J.K.); (H.M.)
| | - Marcello Niceta
- Genetics and Rare Diseases Research Division, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (M.N.); (A.C.); (M.T.)
| | - Andrea Ciolfi
- Genetics and Rare Diseases Research Division, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (M.N.); (A.C.); (M.T.)
| | - Lucia Pedace
- Department of Pediatric Onco-Hematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (L.P.); (E.M.)
| | - Evelina Miele
- Department of Pediatric Onco-Hematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (L.P.); (E.M.)
| | - David Genevieve
- Medical Genetic Department for Rare Diseases and Personalized Medicine, Reference Center AD SOOR, AnDDI-RARE, Groupe DI, Inserm U1183—Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Biotherapy, Montpellier University, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France;
| | - Solveig Heide
- Department of Genetics, Referral Center for Intellectual Disabilities, APHP Sorbonne University, Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital, 75013 Paris, France;
| | - Mariëlle Alders
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Giuseppe Zampino
- Center for Rare Diseases and Congenital Defects, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy;
- Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, 20123 Roma, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Merla
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, Università di Napoli “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy;
- Laboratory of Regulatory and Functional Genomics, Fondazione Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Mélanie Fradin
- Service de Génétique, CHU de Rennes, 35203 Rennes, France;
| | - Eric Bieth
- Medical Genetics Department, University of Angers, CHU Angers, 49000 Angers, France;
| | - Dominique Bonneau
- Department of genetics, CHU d’Angers, 49000 Angers, France and MitoVasc, UMR CNRS 6015-INSERM 1083, University of Angers, 49055 Angers, France;
| | - Klaus Dieterich
- CHU Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1209, Institute of Advanced Biosciences, Université Grenoble Alpes, 38000 Grenoble, France;
| | - Patricia Fergelot
- Medical Genetics Department, Inserm U1211, Reference Center AD SOOR, AnDDI-RARE, Bordeaux University, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux, 33076 Bordeaux, France;
| | - Elise Schaefer
- Service de Génétique Médicale—Institut de Génétique Médicale d’Alsace—Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, 67091 Strasbourg, France;
| | - Laurence Faivre
- Inserm, UMR1231, Equipe GAD, Bâtiment B3, Université de Bourgogne Franche Comté, 15 boulevard du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, 21000 Dijon, France; (L.F.); (A.V.)
- Unité Fonctionnelle Innovation en Diagnostic Génomique des Maladies Rares, FHU-TRANSLAD, Department of Medical Genetics, Dijon University Hospital, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Antonio Vitobello
- Inserm, UMR1231, Equipe GAD, Bâtiment B3, Université de Bourgogne Franche Comté, 15 boulevard du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, 21000 Dijon, France; (L.F.); (A.V.)
- Unité Fonctionnelle Innovation en Diagnostic Génomique des Maladies Rares, FHU-TRANSLAD, Department of Medical Genetics, Dijon University Hospital, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Silvia Maitz
- Clinical Pediatric Genetics Unit, Pediatrics Clinics, MBBM Foundation, S. Gerardo Hospital, 20900 Monza, Italy;
| | - Rita Fischetto
- Clinical Genetics Unit, Department of Pediatric Medicine, Giovanni XXIII Children’s Hospital, 02115 Bari, Italy;
| | - Cristina Gervasini
- Medical Genetics, Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20142 Milan, Italy;
| | - Maria Piccione
- Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother and Child Care “G. D’Alessandro”, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Ingrid van de Laar
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Marco Tartaglia
- Genetics and Rare Diseases Research Division, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (M.N.); (A.C.); (M.T.)
| | - Bekim Sadikovic
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada; (A.F.); (S.H.)
- Verspeeten Clinical Genome Centre, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada; (P.B.); (M.A.L.); (J.K.); (H.M.)
- Correspondence: (B.S.); (A.-S.L.)
| | - Anne-Sophie Lebre
- Team Physiopathologie des Maladies Psychiatriques, GDR3557-Institut de Psychiatrie, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, Université de Paris, 75006 Paris, France
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Reims, Pôle de Biologie Médicale et Pathologie, Service de GénéTique, 51100 Reims, France
- Correspondence: (B.S.); (A.-S.L.)
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25
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Desaulniers D, Vasseur P, Jacobs A, Aguila MC, Ertych N, Jacobs MN. Integration of Epigenetic Mechanisms into Non-Genotoxic Carcinogenicity Hazard Assessment: Focus on DNA Methylation and Histone Modifications. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:10969. [PMID: 34681626 PMCID: PMC8535778 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222010969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetics involves a series of mechanisms that entail histone and DNA covalent modifications and non-coding RNAs, and that collectively contribute to programing cell functions and differentiation. Epigenetic anomalies and DNA mutations are co-drivers of cellular dysfunctions, including carcinogenesis. Alterations of the epigenetic system occur in cancers whether the initial carcinogenic events are from genotoxic (GTxC) or non-genotoxic (NGTxC) carcinogens. NGTxC are not inherently DNA reactive, they do not have a unifying mode of action and as yet there are no regulatory test guidelines addressing mechanisms of NGTxC. To fil this gap, the Test Guideline Programme of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development is developing a framework for an integrated approach for the testing and assessment (IATA) of NGTxC and is considering assays that address key events of cancer hallmarks. Here, with the intent of better understanding the applicability of epigenetic assays in chemical carcinogenicity assessment, we focus on DNA methylation and histone modifications and review: (1) epigenetic mechanisms contributing to carcinogenesis, (2) epigenetic mechanisms altered following exposure to arsenic, nickel, or phenobarbital in order to identify common carcinogen-specific mechanisms, (3) characteristics of a series of epigenetic assay types, and (4) epigenetic assay validation needs in the context of chemical hazard assessment. As a key component of numerous NGTxC mechanisms of action, epigenetic assays included in IATA assay combinations can contribute to improved chemical carcinogen identification for the better protection of public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Desaulniers
- Environmental Health Sciences and Research Bureau, Hazard Identification Division, Health Canada, AL:2203B, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada
| | - Paule Vasseur
- CNRS, LIEC, Université de Lorraine, 57070 Metz, France;
| | - Abigail Jacobs
- Independent at the Time of Publication, Previously US Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, MD 20852, USA;
| | - M. Cecilia Aguila
- Toxicology Team, Division of Human Food Safety, Center for Veterinary Medicine, US Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD 20852, USA;
| | - Norman Ertych
- German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Diedersdorfer Weg 1, 12277 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Miriam N. Jacobs
- Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Public Health England, Chilton OX11 0RQ, UK;
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26
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Ge F, Tie W, Zhang J, Zhu Y, Fan Y. Expression of the HOXA gene family and its relationship to prognosis and immune infiltrates in cervical cancer. J Clin Lab Anal 2021; 35:e24015. [PMID: 34606634 PMCID: PMC8605136 DOI: 10.1002/jcla.24015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The homeobox A cluster (HOXA) gene family is participated in multiple biological functions in human cancers. To date, little is known about the expression profile and clinical significance of HOXA genes in cervical cancer. Methods We downloaded RNASeq data of cervical cancer from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The difference in HOXA family expression was analyzed using independent samples t test. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to assess the effect of HOXA family expression on survival, and a nomogram predicting survival was generated. We assessed the infiltration difference in immune cells and expression difference of immunity biomarkers between two groups with different expression level of HOXA genes through Immune Cell Abundance Identifier (ImmuCellAI) and independent samples t test, respectively. Results Our results showed that the HOXA1 gene was upregulated, while the HOXA10 and HOXA11 were downregulated in cervical cancer. Downregulation of HOXA1 was related to a poor outcome for cervical cancer patient. We also identified a significantly increased abundance of T helper 2 cells (Th2) and higher expression of PD‐L1 in cervical cancer patients with lower expression of HOXA10 and HOXA11. The gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) results indicated that HOXA1 and HOXA11 were involved in immune responses pathways and participated in the activation of a variety of classic signaling pathways related to the progression of human cancer. Conclusion This study comprehensively analyzed different HOXA genes applying public database to determine their expression patterns, potential diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment values in cervical cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fenfen Ge
- Department of Gynecology, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Weiwei Tie
- Department of Gynecology, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Junli Zhang
- Department of Gynecology, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Yingying Zhu
- Department of Gynecology, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Yingying Fan
- Department of Gynecology, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
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27
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Ding F, Chen P, Bie P, Piao W, Cheng Q. HOXA5 Is Recognized as a Prognostic-Related Biomarker and Promotes Glioma Progression Through Affecting Cell Cycle. Front Oncol 2021; 11:633430. [PMID: 34485110 PMCID: PMC8416157 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.633430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioma is malignant tumor derives from glial cells in the central nervous system. High-grade glioma shows aggressive growth pattern, and conventional treatments, such as surgical removal and chemo-radiotherapy, archive limitation in the interference of this process. In this work, HOXA5, from the HOX family, was identified as a glioma cell proliferation-associated factor by investigating its feature in the TCGA and CGGA data set. High HOXA5 expression samples contain unfavorable clinical features of glioma, including IDH wild type, un-methylated MGMT status, non-codeletion 1p19q status, malignant molecular subtype. Survival analysis indicates that high HOXA5 expression samples are associated with worse clinical outcome. The CNVs and SNPs profile difference further confirmed the enrichment of glioma aggressive related biomarkers. In the meantime, the activation of DNA damage repair-related pathways and TP53-related pathways is also related to HOXA5 expression. In cell lines, U87MG and U251, by interfering HOXA5 expression significantly inhibit glioma progression and apoptosis, and cell cycle is arrested at the G2/M phase. Collectively, increased HOXA5 expression can promote glioma progression via affecting glioma cell proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengqin Ding
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, People's Hospital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, First Affiliated Hospital of Northwest Minzu University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Ping Chen
- Medical Experiment Center, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Pengfei Bie
- Department of Neurosurgery, People's Hospital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, First Affiliated Hospital of Northwest Minzu University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Wenhua Piao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, People's Hospital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, First Affiliated Hospital of Northwest Minzu University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Quan Cheng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Clinical Diagnosis and Therapy Center for Glioma of Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
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Chen M, Qu Y, Yue P, Yan X. The Prognostic Value and Function of HOXB5 in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Front Genet 2021; 12:678368. [PMID: 34421991 PMCID: PMC8376581 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.678368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Currently, cytogenetic and genetic markers are the most important for risk stratification and treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Despite the identification of many prognostic factors, relatively few have made their way into clinical practice. Therefore, the identification of new AML biomarkers is useful in the prognosis and monitoring of AML and contributes to a better understanding of the molecular basis of the disease. Homeobox (HOX) genes are transcription factors that lead to cell differentiation blockade and malignant self-renewal. However, the roles of HOX genes in AML are still not fully understood and need further exploration, which may provide new strategies for the prognosis and monitoring of AML. Methods We analyzed the RNA sequencing and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), VIZOME, GSE13159, and GSE9476 cohorts. Analyses were performed with GraphPad 7, the R language, and several online databases. We applied quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western Blotting, CCK8 cell proliferation assays, and flow cytometry to verify the conclusions of the bioinformatics analysis. Results We identified HOXB5 as the only gene among the HOX family that was not only elevated in AML but also a significant prognostic marker in AML patients. HOXB5 was highly expressed in AML patients with NPM1, FLT3, or DNMT3A mutations and was expressed at the highest level in patients with NPM1-FLT3-DNMT3A triple-mutant AML. Gene Ontology analysis and gene set enrichment analysis revealed that HOXB5 showed a negative correlation with the myeloid cell differentiation signature and that the tumor necrosis factor/nuclear factor κB signaling pathway was involved in the molecular mechanism. Moreover, we performed in silico protein–protein interaction analysis and 450K TCGA DNA methylation data analysis and found that HOXB5 interacted with two HOX genes (HOXA7 and HOXB4) that were commonly regulated by DNA methylation levels. Conclusion HOXB5 is associated with the malignant development of AML and may be a treatment target and biomarker for AML prognosis prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao Chen
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yi Qu
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Pengjie Yue
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Xiaojing Yan
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
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Le Boiteux E, Court F, Guichet PO, Vaurs-Barrière C, Vaillant I, Chautard E, Verrelle P, Costa BM, Karayan-Tapon L, Fogli A, Arnaud P. Widespread overexpression from the four DNA hypermethylated HOX clusters in aggressive (IDHwt) glioma is associated with H3K27me3 depletion and alternative promoter usage. Mol Oncol 2021; 15:1995-2010. [PMID: 33720519 PMCID: PMC8334257 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In human, the 39 coding HOX genes and 18 referenced noncoding antisense transcripts are arranged in four genomic clusters named HOXA, B, C, and D. This highly conserved family belongs to the homeobox class of genes that encode transcription factors required for normal development. Therefore, HOX gene deregulation might contribute to the development of many cancer types. Here, we study HOX gene deregulation in adult glioma, a common type of primary brain tumor. We performed extensive molecular analysis of tumor samples, classified according to their isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH1) gene mutation status, and of glioma stem cells. We found widespread expression of sense and antisense HOX transcripts only in aggressive (IDHwt) glioma samples, although the four HOX clusters displayed DNA hypermethylation. Integrative analysis of expression, DNA methylation, and histone modification signatures along the clusters revealed that HOX gene upregulation relies on canonical and alternative bivalent CpG island promoters that escape hypermethylation. H3K27me3 loss at these promoters emerges as the main cause of widespread HOX gene upregulation in IDHwt glioma cell lines and tumors. Our study provides the first comprehensive description of the epigenetic changes at HOX clusters and their contribution to the transcriptional changes observed in adult glioma. It also identified putative 'master' HOX proteins that might contribute to the tumorigenic potential of glioma stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Le Boiteux
- CNRS, Inserm, GReD, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Franck Court
- CNRS, Inserm, GReD, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Pierre-Olivier Guichet
- INSERM-U1084, Poitiers, France.,Poitiers University, France.,Department of Cancer Biology, Poitiers Hospital, France
| | | | - Isabelle Vaillant
- CNRS, Inserm, GReD, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Emmanuel Chautard
- Pathology Department, Jean Perrin Center, Clermont-Ferrand, France.,INSERM, U1240 IMoST, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Pierre Verrelle
- CIMB, INSERM U1196 CNRS UMR9187, Curie Institute, Orsay, France.,Radiotherapy Department, Curie Institute, Paris, France.,Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Bruno M Costa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Lucie Karayan-Tapon
- INSERM-U1084, Poitiers, France.,Poitiers University, France.,Department of Cancer Biology, Poitiers Hospital, France
| | - Anne Fogli
- CNRS, Inserm, GReD, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France.,Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Clermont-Ferrand Hospital, France
| | - Philippe Arnaud
- CNRS, Inserm, GReD, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Abstract
Knowledge of the role of HOX proteins in cancer has been steadily accumulating in the last 25 years. They are encoded by 39 HOX genes arranged in 4 distinct clusters, and have unique and redundant function in all types of cancers. Many HOX genes behave as oncogenic transcriptional factors regulating multiple pathways that are critical to malignant progression in a variety of tumors. Some HOX proteins have dual roles that are tumor-site specific, displaying both oncogenic and tumor suppressor function. The focus of this review is on how HOX proteins contribute to growth or suppression of metastasis. The review will cover HOX protein function in the critical aspects of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, in cancer stem cell sustenance and in therapy resistance, manifested as distant metastasis. The emerging role of adiposity in both initiation and progression of metastasis is described. Defining the role of HOX genes in the metastatic process has identified candidates for targeted cancer therapies that may combat the metastatic process. We will discuss potential therapeutic opportunities, particularly in pathways influenced by HOX proteins.
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Bivalent Genes Targeting of Glioma Heterogeneity and Plasticity. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22020540. [PMID: 33430434 PMCID: PMC7826605 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Gliomas account for most primary Central Nervous System (CNS) neoplasms, characterized by high aggressiveness and low survival rates. Despite the immense research efforts, there is a small improvement in glioma survival rates, mostly attributed to their heterogeneity and complex pathophysiology. Recent data indicate the delicate interplay of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms in regulating gene expression and cell differentiation, pointing towards the pivotal role of bivalent genes. Bivalency refers to a property of chromatin to acquire more than one histone marks during the cell cycle and rapidly transition gene expression from an active to a suppressed transcriptional state. Although first identified in embryonal stem cells, bivalent genes have now been associated with tumorigenesis and cancer progression. Emerging evidence indicates the implication of bivalent gene regulation in glioma heterogeneity and plasticity, mainly involving Homeobox genes, Wingless-Type MMTV Integration Site Family Members, Hedgehog protein, and Solute Carrier Family members. These genes control a wide variety of cellular functions, including cellular differentiation during early organism development, regulation of cell growth, invasion, migration, angiogenesis, therapy resistance, and apoptosis. In this review, we discuss the implication of bivalent genes in glioma pathogenesis and their potential therapeutic targeting options.
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miR-615 Fine-Tunes Growth and Development and Has a Role in Cancer and in Neural Repair. Cells 2020; 9:cells9071566. [PMID: 32605009 PMCID: PMC7408929 DOI: 10.3390/cells9071566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that function as epigenetic modulators regulating almost any gene expression. Similarly, other noncoding RNAs, as well as epigenetic modifications, can regulate miRNAs. This reciprocal interaction forms a miRNA-epigenetic feedback loop, the deregulation of which affects physiological processes and contributes to a great diversity of diseases. In the present review, we focus on miR-615, a miRNA highly conserved across eutherian mammals. It is involved not only during embryogenesis in the regulation of growth and development, for instance during osteogenesis and angiogenesis, but also in the regulation of cell growth and the proliferation and migration of cells, acting as a tumor suppressor or tumor promoter. It therefore serves as a biomarker for several types of cancer, and recently has also been found to be involved in reparative processes and neural repair. In addition, we present the pleiad of functions in which miR-615 is involved, as well as their multiple target genes and the multiple regulatory molecules involved in its own expression. We do this by introducing in a comprehensible way the reported knowledge of their actions and interactions and proposing an integral view of its regulatory mechanisms.
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