Overexpression of ANLN contributed to poor prognosis of anthracycline-based chemotherapy in breast cancer patients

PP2A-B56 regulates Mid1 protein levels for proper cytokinesis in fission yeast

Protein phosphorylation regulates many steps in the cell division process including cytokinesis. In the fission yeast S. pombe, the anillin-like protein Mid1 sets the cell division plane and is regulated by phosphorylation. Multiple protein kinases act on Mid1, but no protein phosphatases have been shown to regulate Mid1. Here, we discovered that the conserved protein phosphatase PP2A-B56 is required for proper cytokinesis by promoting Mid1 protein levels. We find that par1Δ cells lacking the primary B56 subunit divide asymmetrically due to the assembly of misplaced cytokinetic rings that slide toward cell tips. These par1Δ mutants have reduced whole-cell levels of Mid1 protein, leading to reduced Mid1 at the cytokinetic ring. Restoring proper Mid1 expression suppresses par1Δ cytokinesis defects. This work identifies a new PP2A-B56 pathway regulating cytokinesis through Mid1, with implications for control of cytokinesis in other organisms.

ANLN and UBE2T are prognostic biomarkers associated with immune regulation in breast cancer: a bioinformatics analysis

OBJECTIVES

To screen and verify differential genes affecting the prognosis of breast cancer.

METHODS

Breast cancer gene expression datasets were downloaded from the GEO database, and original data were analyzed in R. The TIMER database was used to analyze the relationship between ANLN and UBE2T and immune cell infiltration.

RESULTS

Ten hub-key genes were identified, and survival analysis showed that UBE2T and ANLN were upregulated in breast cancer and their upregulation was associated with a poor prognosis. ANLN and UBE2T upregulation was associated with the prevalence of Th1 and Th2 cells, shifting the Th1/Th2 balance to Th2 in Basal and Luminal-B breast cancers, which indicates a poor prognosis (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

ANLN and UBE2T are potential biomarkers for predicting the prognosis of breast cancer.

Comprehensive analyses reveal the carcinogenic and immunological roles of ANLN in human cancers

Background

Anillin (ANLN) is an actin-binding protein that is essential for cell division and contributes to cell growth and migration. Although previous studies have shown that ANLN is related to carcinogenesis, no pan-cancer analyses of ANLN have been reported. Accordingly, in this study, we evaluated the carcinogenic roles of ANLN in various cancer types using online databases.

Methods

We evaluated the potential carcinogenic roles of ANLN using TIMER2 and Gene Expression Omnibus databases with 33 types of cancers. We further investigated the associations of ANLN with patient prognosis, genetic alterations, phosphorylation levels, and immune infiltration in multiple cancers using GEPIA2, cBioPortal, UACLAN, and TIMER2 databases. Additionally, the potential functions of ANLN were explored using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were used to determine ANLN mRNA and protein expression in colorectal cancer (CRC), gastric cancer (GC), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines.

Results

ANLN was overexpressed in various tumor tissues compared with corresponding normal tissues, and significant correlations between ANLN expression and patient prognosis, genetic alterations, phosphorylation levels, and immune infiltration were noted. Moreover, enrichment analysis suggested that ANLN functionally affected endocytosis, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, and oxytocin signaling pathways. Importantly, ANLN mRNA and protein expression levels were upregulated in gastrointestinal cancers, including CRC, GC, and HCC.

Conclusions

Our findings suggested that ANLN participated in tumorigenesis and cancer progression and may have applications as a promising biomarker of immune infiltration and prognosis in various cancers.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-022-02610-1.

Alternatively spliced ANLN isoforms synergistically contribute to the progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common cancer with high mortality. Anilin actin-binding protein (ANLN) has been reported to be associated with carcinogenesis in multiple tumors. However, the expression pattern and functional effects of ANLN in HNSCC remain to be unclear. Clinical data and online databases were used to analyze the expression of ANLN and its relationship with HNSCC patient survival. Expression of two major splice variants of ANLN was assessed in HNSCC tissues and cell lines. The functional effects and related mechanisms of ANLN isoforms were investigated in HNSCC in vitro and in vivo. Our study showed that patients with high expression of ANLN had a poor prognosis. The two primary isoforms of ANLN transcripts ANLN-201 and ANLN-210 were highly expressed in HNSCC tissues and cell lines. Knockout of ANLN restrained cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of SCC-9 cells. Mechanically, ANLN-201 could interact with c-Myc to keep its protein stability, thereby playing a oncogenic role in HNSCC. ANLN-210 could be transferred to macrophages via exosomes by binding to RNA-binding protein hnRNPC. Exosomal ANLN-210 promoted macrophage polarization via PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, thus stimulating tumor growth of HNSCC. ANLN was an independent prognostic factor in patients with HNSCC. Alternatively spliced ANLN isoforms collaboratively promote HNSCC tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo, which might provide the in-depth role and mechanism of ANLN in HNSCC development.

An interactive nomogram based on clinical and molecular signatures to predict prognosis in multiple myeloma patients

Although novel drugs and treatments have been developed and improved, multiple myeloma (MM) is still recurrent and difficult to cure. In the present study, the magenta module containing 400 hub genes was determined from the training dataset of GSE24080 through weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Then, using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) analysis, a fifteen-gene signature was firstly selected and the predictive performance for overall survival (OS) was favorable, which was identified by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves. The risk score model was constructed based on survival-associated fifteen genes from the Lasso model, which classified MM patients into high-risk and low-risk groups. Areas under the curve (AUC) of ROC curve and log-rank test showed that the high-risk group was correlated to the dismal survival outcome of MM patients, which was also identified in testing dataset of GSE9782. The calibration plot, the AUC value of the ROC curve and Concordance-index showed that the interactive nomogram with risk score could favorably predict the probability of multi-year OS of MM patients. Therefore, it may help clinicians make a precise therapeutic decision based on the easy-to-use tool of the nomogram.

Circular RNA circ-MMP11 Contributes to Lapatinib Resistance of Breast Cancer Cells by Regulating the miR-153-3p/ANLN Axis

Background

Drug-resistance is a major obstacle to the treatment of breast cancer. Circular RNA (circRNA) circ-MMP11 has been reported to be promoting the progression of breast cancer. This study is designed to explore the role and mechanism of circ-MMP11 in lapatinib resistance in breast cancer.

Methods

Circ-MMP11, microRNA-153-3p (miR-153-3p), and Anillin (ANLN) levels were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Cell viability, number of colonies, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were detected by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT), colony formation, flow cytometry, and transwell assays, respectively. Exosomes were exerted and detected by differential centrifugation and a transmission electron microscope. The protein levels of CD63, CD9, and ANLN were assessed by western blot assay. The binding relationship between miR-153-3p and circ-MMP11 or ANLN was predicted by circinteractome or starbase, and then verified by a dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down assay. The biological role of circ-MMP11 on breast cancer tumor growth and drug resistance was detected by the xenograft tumor model in vivo.

Results

Circ-MMP11 and ANLN were highly expressed, and miR-153-3p was decreased in LR breast cancer tissues and cells. Circ-MMP11 could be transported by exosomes. Furthermore, circ-MMP11 knockdown promoted lapatinib sensitivity by repressing cell viability, colony number, migration, invasion, and boosting apoptosis in LR breast cancer cells. Circ-MMP11 deficiency improved the drug sensitivity of breast cancer in vivo. Mechanically, circ-MMP11 could regulate ANLN expression through sponging miR-153-3p.

Conclusion

Circ-MMP11 could be transferred by exosomes in breast cancer cells. And circ-MMP11 functioned as a sponge of miR-153-3p to regulate ANLN expression, thereby promoting lapatinib resistance in breast cancer cells, providing therapeutic targets for the treatment of breast cancer.

Actin-Binding Proteins as Potential Biomarkers for Chronic Inflammation-Induced Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy

Actin-binding proteins (ABPs), by interacting with actin, regulate the polymerization, depolymerization, bundling, and cross-linking of actin filaments, directly or indirectly, thereby mediating the maintenance of cell morphology, cell movement, and many other biological functions. Consequently, these functions of ABPs help regulate cancer cell invasion and metastasis when cancer occurs. In recent years, a variety of ABPs have been found to be abnormally expressed in various cancers, indicating that the detection and interventions of unusual ABP expression to alter this are available for the treatment of cancer. The early stages of most cancer development involve long-term chronic inflammation or repeated stimulation. This is the case for breast cancer, gastric cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, melanoma, and colorectal cancer. This article discusses the relationship between chronic inflammation and the above-mentioned cancers, emphatically introduces relevant research on the abnormal expression of ABPs in chronic inflammatory diseases, and reviews research on the expression of different ABPs in the above-mentioned cancers. Furthermore, there is a close relationship between ABP-induced inflammation and cancer. In simple terms, abnormal expression of ABPs contributes to the chronic inflammation developing into cancer. Finally, we provide our viewpoint regarding these unusual ABPs serving as potential biomarkers for chronic inflammation-induced cancer diagnosis and therapy, and interventions to reverse the abnormal expression of ABPs represent a potential approach to preventing or treating the corresponding cancers.

Exome hits demystified: The next frontier

Severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have complex inheritance patterns, involving both common and rare variants. Whole exome sequencing is a promising approach to find out the rare genetic variants. We had previously reported several rare variants in multiplex families with severe mental illnesses. The current article tries to summarise the biological processes and pattern of expression of genes harbouring the aforementioned variants, linking them to known clinical manifestations through a methodical narrative review. Of the 28 genes considered for this review from 7 families with multiple affected individuals, 6 genes are implicated in various neuropsychiatric manifestations including some variations in the brain morphology assessed by magnetic resonance imaging. Another 15 genes, though associated with neuropsychiatric manifestations, did not have established brain morphological changes whereas the remaining 7 genes did not have any previously recorded neuropsychiatric manifestations at all. Wnt/b-catenin signaling pathway was associated with 6 of these genes and PI3K/AKT, calcium signaling, ERK, RhoA and notch signaling pathways had at least 2 gene associations. We present a comprehensive review of biological and clinical knowledge about the genes previously reported in multiplex families with severe mental illness. A 'disease in dish approach' can be helpful to further explore the fundamental mechanisms.

Actin-binding protein anillin promotes the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in mice

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common type of tumor with high mortality worldwide. Investigations associated with the molecular etiology of HCC and screening novel therapeutic targets are still urgently in need. Anillin (ANLN), as a type of evolutionarily conserved actin-binding protein, is involved in multiple cellular processes. ANLN widely affected the progression and metastasis of several types of cancer, and its overexpression was frequently demonstrated in previous studies. The present study demonstrated high expression of ANLN in human HCC tissues, which was also associated the prognosis of patients with HCC. The associations between ANLN expression and the clinicopathological features were determined, including the number of tumor nodes (P=0.011) and tumor size (P=0.003) of patients with HCC. It was found that ANLN promoted cell proliferation, invasion and migration of HCC cells in vitro, and affected tumor growth in vivo. Therefore, ANLN is suggested as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of HCC.

ANLN, Regulated by SP2, Promotes Colorectal Carcinoma Cell Proliferation via PI3K/AKT and MAPK Signaling Pathway

BACKGROUND

Aberrant expression of Anillin (ANLN) has been shown to function in the development of multiple cancers. However, its effects on colorectal carcinoma (CRC) remain unclear. We aimed to explore the role of ANLN in CRC development.

METHODS

By real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), Western blot, and immunohistochemistry (IHC), we assessed the expression level of ANLN in CRC tissues and cell lines. The role of ANLN in CRC cell proliferation was evaluated by CCK-8 assays, colony formation assays, EdU assays and cell cycle assays. A mouse tumorigenic model was established to evaluate the in vivo function of ANLN.

RESULTS

We found that ANLN was overexpressed in CRC tissues and cell lines. Highly expressed ANLN correlated with tumor size, tumor number, and stage in patients with CRC. Silencing ANLN in CRC cell lines suppressed proliferation both in vitro and in vivo and induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. Downregulation of ANLN led to reduced phosphorylated levels of AKT and ERK. However, total AKT protein showed no change. SP2, a critical transcription factor, was implicated in the upregulation of ANLN.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrated that ANLN regulates CRC cell proliferation via the PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathways, indicating that ANLN may represent a novel and effective target for CRC treatment.

Actin-binding protein Anillin promotes the progression of gastric cancer in vitro and in mice

BACKGROUND

To detect the expression levels of actin-binding protein anillin (ANLN) in human gastric cancer (GC) tissues and explore the possible involvement of ANLN in GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.

METHODS

The bioinformation analysis was performed in TCGA database to explore the expression of ANLN in human GC tissues and the difference of ANLN expression between multiple types of cancers. IHC assays and clinical pathological analysis were performed to confirm ANLN expression and its correlation with clinical features of GC patients. Colony formation, CCK-8, wound closure, and transwell assays were performed to detect its effects on GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Tumor growth was also measured using a xenograft animal model.

RESULTS

We found the high expression of ANLN in human GC tissues based on the results from TCGA database and IHC staining. We further noticed ANLN depletion resulted in the inhibition of GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Our data further confirmed that ANLN contributed to tumor growth of GC cells in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

We confirmed the involvement of ANLN in GC progression and thought ANLN could serve as a promising therapeutic target for GC.

Anillin is a prognostic factor and is correlated with genovariation in pancreatic cancer based on databases analysis

Pancreatic cancer has a low survival rate globally. Anillin (ANLN) is involved in the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer (PC). The present study used databases and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR to investigate the association between ANLN expression, clinical variables and the survival rate of patients with pancreatic cancer. Gene expression of ANLN in normal and cancer tissues was analyzed using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, Oncomine and Gene Expression database of Normal and Tumor tissues 2 and ANOVA, and the association between ANLN mRNA expression and ANLN genovariation was analyzed using cBioPortal. The association between ANLN expression and the survival, clinical, pathological and prognostic characteristics of PC was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival analysis, Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney-U tests, and logistic and Cox regression models. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) revealed the molecular pathways underpinning ANLN function in PC. Overexpression of ANLN was observed in PC cells (normal vs. tumor, P<0.01) and tissues (normal vs. tumor, P=0.008). Enhanced ANLN expression was associated with high tumor grade (grade 1 vs. grade 3, odds ratio: 5.662, P<0.001). However, ANLN expression was not associated with other clinical features (all P>0.05). K-M analysis suggested that increased ANLN expression was associated with poor survival (P=0.002). Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed the ANLN is an independent prognostic factor for PC (P<0.001). GSEA demonstrated the p53, cell cycle, DNA replication, mismatch repair, nucleotide excision repair and PC pathways were associated with low expression of ANLN. Overall, ANLN is more highly expressed in PC compared with in normal tissue, and is associated with poor differentiation. The expression of ANLN may be a novel prognostic marker of poor survival. Finally, ANLN exert its functions in PC through the p53, cell cycle, DNA replication, mismatch repair and nucleotide excision repair and pathways.

Anillin is an emerging regulator of tumorigenesis, acting as a cortical cytoskeletal scaffold and a nuclear modulator of cancer cell differentiation

Remodeling of the intracellular cytoskeleton plays a key role in accelerating tumor growth and metastasis. Targeting different cytoskeletal elements is important for existing and future anticancer therapies. Anillin is a unique scaffolding protein that interacts with major cytoskeletal structures, e.g., actin filaments, microtubules and septin polymers. A well-studied function of this scaffolding protein is the regulation of cytokinesis at the completion of cell division. Emerging evidence suggest that anillin has other important activities in non-dividing cells, including control of intercellular adhesions and cell motility. Anillin is markedly overexpressed in different solid cancers and its high expression is commonly associated with poor prognosis of patient survival. This review article summarizes rapidly accumulating evidence that implicates anillin in the regulation of tumor growth and metastasis. We focus on molecular and cellular mechanisms of anillin-dependent tumorigenesis that include both canonical control of cytokinesis and novel poorly understood functions as a nuclear regulator of the transcriptional reprogramming and phenotypic plasticity of cancer cells.

Identification and Validation of Novel Genes in Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma via Bioinformatics Analysis

Purpose

The conventional interventions of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) patients are mainly through surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy; however, it is hardly to improve survival rate. We aimed to investigate the differential expressed genes (DEGs) between ATC and normal thyroid gland through bioinformatics analysis of the microarray datasets and find new potential therapeutic targets for ATC.

Methods

Microarray datasets GSE9115, GSE29265, GSE33630, GSE53072, and GSE65144 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Compared with the normal tissue, GEO2R was conducted to screen the DEGs in each chip under the condition of |log FC| > l, adjusted P‐values (adj. P) < 0.05. The Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database was used to calculate PPI networks of DEGs with a combined score >0.4 as the cut-off criteria. The hub genes in the PPI network were visualized and selected according to screening conditions in Cytoscape software. In addition, the novel genes in ATC were screened for survival analysis using Kaplan–Meier plotter from those hub genes and validated by RT-qPCR.

Results

A total of 284 overlapping DEGs were obtained, including 121 upregulated and 161 downregulated DEGs. A total of 232 DEGs were selected by STRING database. The 50 hub genes in the PPI network were chosen according to three screening conditions. In addition, the Kaplan–Meier plotter database confirmed that high expressions of ANLN, CENPF, KIF2C, TPX2, and NDC80 were negatively correlated with poor overall survival of ATC patients. Finally, RT-qPCR experiments showed that KIF2C and CENPF were significantly upregulated in ARO cells and CAL-62 cells when compared to Nthy-ori 3–1 cells, TPX2 was upregulated only in CAL-62 cells, while ANLN and NDC80 were obviously decreased in ARO cells and CAL-62 cells.

Conclusion

Our study suggested that CENPF, KIF2C, and TPX2 might play a significant role in the development of ATC, which could be further explored as potential biomarkers for the treatment of ATC.

STARD4 promotes breast cancer cell malignancy

Breast cancer (BRCA) is one of the most common malignancies encountered in women worldwide. Lipid metabolism has been found to be involved in cancer progression. Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein-related lipid transfer 4 (STARD4) is an important cholesterol transporter involved in the regulatory mechanism of intracellular cholesterol homeostasis. However, to the best of our knowledge, the molecular functions of STARD4 in BRCA are unclear. Immunohistochemical staining and public dataset analysis were performed to investigate the expression levels of STARD4 in BRCA. In the present study, high expression of STARD4 was identified in BRCA samples and higher STARD4 expression was significantly associated with shorter distant metastasis-free survival time in patients with BRCA, which indicated that STARD4 may be associated with BRCA progression. Cell cytometry system Celigo^® analysis, Cell Counting K-8 assays, flow cytometry, wound healing assays and transwell assays were used to investigate the effects of STARD4 knockdown on proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis and migration in BRCA cells. Loss-of-function assays demonstrated that STARD4 acted as an oncogene to promote proliferation and cell cycle progression, while suppressing apoptosis in BRCA cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, knockdown of STARD4 significantly suppressed BRCA metastasis. To assess the mechanism of action of STARD4, microarray analysis was performed following STARD4 knockdown in MDA-MB-231 cells. The data were analyzed in detail using bioinformatics, and a series of genes, including E74 like ETS transcription factor 1, cAMP responsive element binding protein 1 and p21 (RAC1) activated kinase 2, which have been previously reported to be crucial genes implicated in the malignant phenotype of cancer cells, were identified to be regulated by STARD4. Loss-of function assays demonstrated that knockdown of STARD4 suppressed BRCA proliferation and migration. These findings suggested that STARD4 had an oncogenic effect in human BRCA progression.

ANLN Directly Interacts with RhoA to Promote Doxorubicin Resistance in Breast Cancer Cells

Background

Chemotherapy resistance is the leading cause of cancer treatment failure. This research was conducted to explore a potential link between actin-binding protein anillin (ANLN) and doxorubicin resistance in breast cancer.

Materials and Methods

We compared ANLN expression and 50% inhibition concentration (IC50) of doxorubicin in human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) and human breast cancer cells with doxorubicin resistance (MDA-MB-231/ADM). Co-immunoprecipitation was used to investigate the interaction between ANLN and RhoA. The cell viability, apoptosis, gene and protein expression were estimated by MTT, flow cytometry, quantitative real-time PCR and western blot.

Results

The doxorubicin resistance in MDA-MB-231/ADM cells (IC50 = 19.40 ± 1.16 μg/mL) was significantly higher than that in MDA-MB-231 cells (IC50 = 1.65 ± 0.23 μg/mL). ANLN was up-regulated in MDA-MB-231/ADM cells compared to MDA-MB-231 cells. Furthermore, ANLN overexpression promoted cell viability and inhibited apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells. The gene and protein expression of multidrug resistance (MDR1) and cancer resistance protein (BCRP) were enhanced by ANLN overexpression in MDA-MB-231 cells. ANLN silencing suppressed cell viability and the expression of MDR1 and BCRP and facilitated apoptosis in MDA-MB-231/ADM cells. Moreover, ANLN promoted RhoA activation by interacting with RhoA. ANLN up-regulation enhanced cell viability and the expression of MDR1 and BCRP and decreased apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells. The influence conferred by ANLN overexpression was effectively abolished by C3 transferase.

Conclusion

This work revealed that ANLN promoted doxorubicin resistance in breast cancer cells by activating RhoA. Thus, our study suggests a novel target for breast cancer treatment.

A two-gene-based prognostic signature for pancreatic cancer

The purpose of this study was to identify a vital gene signature that has prognostic value for pancreatic cancer based on gene expression datasets from the Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus. A total of 34 genes were obtained by the univariate analysis, which were significantly associated with the overall survival of PC patients. After further analysis, Anillin (ANLN) and Histone H1c (HIST1H1C) were identified and considered to be the most significant prognostic genes among the 34 genes. A prognostic model based on these two genes was constructed, and successfully distinguished pancreatic cancer survival into high-risk and low-risk groups in the training set and testing set. Subsequently, independent predictive factors, including the age, margin condition and risk score, were then employed to construct the nomogram model. The area under curve for the nomogram model was 0.826 at 0.5 years and 0.726 at 1 year, and the C-index of the nomogram model was 0.664 higher than the others variables alone. These findings have indicated that high expression of ANLN and HIST1H1C predicted poor outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer. The nomogram model based on the expression of two genes could be valuable for the guidance of clinical treatment.

LncRNA XIST promotes chemoresistance of breast cancer cells to doxorubicin by sponging miR-200c-3p to upregulate ANLN

The resistance of breast cancer cells to drugs is a major obstacle to effective cancer chemotherapy. Here, we study the function mechanisms of long non-coding RNA XIST in chemoresistance of breast cancer to doxorubicin. We examined the 50% inhibitive concentration of doxorubicin to MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-231/ADM cells, showing that the doxorubicin resistance of MDA-MB-231/ADM cells was much higher than MDA-MB-231 cells. The gene or protein expression of XIST and ANLN were also higher in MDA-MB-231/ADM cells than that in MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, XIST overexpression promoted cell proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of doxorubicin-treated MDA-MB-231 cells by promoting ANLN expression. XIST silencing inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis of doxorubicin-treated MDA-MB-231/ADM cells by inhibiting ANLN expression. Luciferase reporter assay showed that XIST functioned as a competing endogenous RNA to repress miR-200c-3p, which controlled its downstream target ANLN. In conclusion, these data reveal that XIST promotes chemoresistance of breast cancer cells to doxorubicin by sponging miR-200c-3p to upregulate ANLN. This work explores the relationship between lncRNA XIST and doxorubicin resistance in breast cancer cells and highlights a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of breast cancer.

An integrated prognosis model of pharmacogenomic gene signature and clinical information for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients following CHOP-like chemotherapy

Background

As the most common form of lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a clinical highly heterogeneous disease with variability in therapeutic outcomes and biological features. It is a challenge to identify of clinically meaningful tools for outcome prediction. In this study, we developed a prognosis model fused clinical characteristics with drug resistance pharmacogenomic signature to identify DLBCL prognostic subgroups for CHOP-based treatment.

Methods

The expression microarray data and clinical characteristics of 791 DLBCL patients from two Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases were used to establish and validate this model. By using univariate Cox regression, eight clinical or genetic signatures were analyzed. The elastic net-regulated Cox regression analysis was used to select the best prognosis related factors into the predictive model. To estimate the prognostic capability of the model, Kaplan–Meier curve and the area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) were performed.

Results

A predictive model comprising 4 clinical factors and 2 pharmacogenomic gene signatures was established after 1000 times cross validation in the training dataset. The AUC of the comprehensive risk model was 0.78, whereas AUC value was lower for the clinical only model (0.68) or the gene only model (0.67). Compared with low-risk patients, the overall survival (OS) of DLBCL patients with high-risk scores was significantly decreased (HR = 4.55, 95% CI 3.14–6.59, log-rank p value = 1.06 × 10⁻¹⁵). The signature also enables to predict prognosis within different molecular subtypes of DLBCL. The reliability of the integrated model was confirmed by independent validation dataset (HR = 3.47, 95% CI 2.42–4.97, log rank p value = 1.53 × 10⁻¹¹).

Conclusions

This integrated model has a better predictive capability to ascertain the prognosis of DLBCL patients prior to CHOP-like treatment, which may improve the clinical management of DLBCL patients and provide theoretical basis for individualized treatment.

Anillin regulates breast cancer cell migration, growth, and metastasis by non-canonical mechanisms involving control of cell stemness and differentiation

Background

Breast cancer metastasis is driven by a profound remodeling of the cytoskeleton that enables efficient cell migration and invasion. Anillin is a unique scaffolding protein regulating major cytoskeletal structures, such as actin filaments, microtubules, and septin polymers. It is markedly overexpressed in breast cancer, and high anillin expression is associated with poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of anillin in breast cancer cell migration, growth, and metastasis.

Methods

CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to deplete anillin in highly metastatic MDA-MB-231 and BT549 cells and to overexpress it in poorly invasive MCF10AneoT cells. The effects of anillin depletion and overexpression on breast cancer cell motility in vitro were examined by wound healing and Matrigel invasion assays. Assembly of the actin cytoskeleton and matrix adhesion were evaluated by immunofluorescence labeling and confocal microscopy. In vitro tumor development was monitored by soft agar growth assays, whereas cancer stem cells were examined using a mammosphere formation assay and flow cytometry. The effects of anillin knockout on tumor growth and metastasis in vivo were determined by injecting control and anillin-depleted breast cancer cells into NSG mice.

Results

Loss-of-function and gain-of-function studies demonstrated that anillin is necessary and sufficient to accelerate migration, invasion, and anchorage-independent growth of breast cancer cells in vitro. Furthermore, loss of anillin markedly attenuated primary tumor growth and metastasis of breast cancer in vivo. In breast cancer cells, anillin was localized in the nucleus; however, knockout of this protein affected the cytoplasmic/cortical events, e.g., the organization of actin cytoskeleton and cell-matrix adhesions. Furthermore, we observed a global transcriptional reprogramming of anillin-depleted breast cancer cells that resulted in suppression of their stemness and induction of the mesenchymal to epithelial trans-differentiation. Such trans-differentiation was manifested by the upregulation of basal keratins along with the increased expression of E-cadherin and P-cadherin. Knockdown of E-cadherin restored the impaired migration and invasion of anillin-deficient breast cancer cells.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates that anillin plays essential roles in promoting breast cancer growth and metastatic dissemination in vitro and in vivo and unravels novel functions of anillin in regulating breast cancer stemness and differentiation.

Screening of potential biomarkers and their predictive value in early stage non-small cell lung cancer: a bioinformatics analysis

Background

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains the first leading cause of death in malignancies worldwide. Despite the early screening of NSCLC by low-dose spiral computed tomography (CT) in high-risk individuals caused a 20% reduction in the mortality, there still exists imperative needs for the identification of novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer.

Methods

mRNA microarray datasets GSE19188, GSE33532, and GSE44077 were searched, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained using GEO2R. Functional and pathway enrichment analyses were performed for the DEGs using DAVID database. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was plotted with STRING and visualized by Cytoscape. Module analysis of the PPI network was done through MCODE. The overall survival (OS) analysis of genes from MCODE was performed with the Kaplan Meier-plotter.

Results

A total of 221 DEGs were obtained, which were mainly enriched in the terms related to cell division, cell proliferation, and signal transduction. A PPI network was constructed, consisting of 221 nodes and 739 edges. A significant module including 27 genes was identified in the PPI network. Elevated expression of these genes was associated with poor OS of NSCLC patients, including UBE2T, UNF2, CDKN3, ANLN, CCNB2, and CKAP2L. The enriched functions and pathways included protein binding, ATP binding, cell cycle, and p53 signaling pathway.

Conclusions

The DEGs in NSCLC have the potential to become useful targets for the diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC.

Systematic construction and validation of an immune prognostic model for lung adenocarcinoma

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), the most common non‐small‐cell lung cancer, is characterized by a dense lymphocytic infiltrate, which indicates that the immune system plays an active role in the development and growth of this cancer. However, no investigations to date have proposed robust models for predicting survival outcome for patients with LUAD in terms of tumour immunology. A total of 761 LUAD patients were included in this study, in which the database of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was utilized for discovery, and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was utilized for validation. Bioinformatics analysis and R language tools were utilized to construct an immune prognostic model and annotate biological functions. Lung adenocarcinoma showed a weakened immune phenotype compared with adjacent normal tissues. Immune‐related gene sets were profiled, an immune prognostic model based on 2 immune genes (ANLN and F2) was developed with the TCGA database to distinguish cases as having a low or high risk of unfavourable prognosis, and the model was verified with the GEO database. The model was prognostically significant in stratified cohorts, including stage I‐II, stage III‐IV and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant subsets, and was considered to be an independent prognostic factor for LUAD. Furthermore, the low‐ and high‐risk groups showed marked differences in tumour‐infiltrating leucocytes, tumour mutation burden, aneuploidy and PD‐L1 expression. In conclusion, an immune prognostic model was proposed for LUAD that is capable of independently identifying patients at high risk for poor survival, suggesting a relationship between local immune status and prognosis.

ANLN and TLE2 in Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer: A Functional and Clinical Evaluation Based on In Silico and In Vitro Data

Anilin actin binding protein (ANLN) and transducing-like enhancer protein 2 (TLE2) are associated with cancer patient survival and progression. The impact of their gene expression on progression-free survival (PFS) of patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) treated with radical cystectomy (RC) and subtype association has not yet been investigated. qRT-PCR was used to measure the transcript levels of ANLN and TLE2 in the Mannheim cohort, and validated in silico by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort. Uni- and multivariate Cox regression analyses identified predictors for disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS). In the Mannheim cohort, tumors with high ANLN expression were associated with lower OS and DSS, while high TLE2 expression was associated with a favorable OS. The TCGA cohort confirmed that high ANLN and low TLE2 expression was associated with shorter OS and disease-free survival (DFS). In both cohorts, multivariate analyses showed ANLN and TLE2 expression as independent outcome predictors. Furthermore, ANLN was more highly expressed in cell lines and patients with the basal subtype, while TLE2 expression was higher in cell lines and patients with the luminal subtype. ANLN and TLE2 are promising biomarkers for individualized bladder cancer therapy including cancer subclassification and informed MIBC prognosis.

Cathepsin L interacts with CDK2-AP1 as a potential predictor of prognosis in patients with breast cancer

Cathepsin L (CTSL) is a lysosomal acid cysteine protease that has been implicated in tumorigenesis and malignant progression. In the present study, the role of CTSL in tumorigenesis and prognosis of breast cancer was evaluated. The prognostic value of CTSL was analyzed using immunohistochemistry in patients with breast cancer, as well as online microarray datasets. CTSL expression was knocked down in the breast cancer cell line T-47D using RNA interference. MTT and colony formation assays were performed to assess the role of CTSL in the proliferation of breast cancer cells. Cell cycle progression and apoptosis were measured using flow cytometry. A physical interaction of CTSL and cyclin dependent kinase 2 associated protein 1 (CDK2-AP1) was determined using a glutathione S-transferase pull-down assay. Endogenous CTSL expression was high in breast cancer cells and exhibited an inverse association with CDK2-AP1 expression; aberrant expression of CTSL in breast cancer tissues predicted an improved clinical outcome and prognosis. In addition, CTSL knockdown decelerated the progression of breast cancer cells by arresting cell cycle progression and increasing apoptosis. Thus, CTSL may be a potential therapeutic target for treating patients with breast cancer.

MTMR3 is upregulated in patients with breast cancer and regulates proliferation, cell cycle progression and autophagy in breast cancer cells

As a member of the myotubularin family, myotubularin related protein 3 (MTMR3) has been demonstrated to participate in tumor development, including oral and colon cancer. However, little is known about its functional roles in breast cancer. In the present study, the expression of MTMR3 in breast cancer was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining of tumor tissues from 172 patients. Online data was then used for survival analysis from the PROGgeneV2 database. In vitro, MTMR3 expression was silenced in MDA-MB-231 cells via lentiviral shRNA transduction. MTT, colony formation and flow cytometry assays were performed in the control and MTMR3-silenced cells to evaluate the cell growth, proliferation and cell cycle phase distribution, respectively. Western blotting was used to evaluate the protein expression levels of autophagy-related markers. The results demonstrated that the expression of MTMR3 in breast cancer tissues was significantly increased compared with adjacent normal tissues. MTMR3 was highly expressed in triple-negative breast cancer and was associated with disease recurrence. MTMR3 knockdown in MDA-MB-231 cells inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest and autophagy. The present results indicated that MTMR3 may have an important role in promoting the progression of breast cancer, and its inhibition may serve as a promising therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment.

Integrative Genomic Analysis of OCT1 Reveals Coordinated Regulation of Androgen Receptor in Advanced Prostate Cancer

The ligand-dependent transcription factor androgen receptor (AR) plays a critical role in prostate cancer progression. We previously reported that Octamer transcription factor 1 (OCT1), an AR collaborative factor, facilitated the AR genomic bindings to regulate diverse programs of gene expression in AR-dependent prostate cancer cells. Repression of OCT1 binding can serve as a potential treatment strategy for advanced prostate cancer. However, the precise mechanism underlying the functions of OCT1 in advanced prostate cancer, especially lethal castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), is still unclear. To uncover specific OCT1 functions in disease progression, we explored global OCT1-binding regions by performing chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing in CRPC model 22Rv1 cells. We found that the OCT1 expression level and the obtained OCT1-binding regions increased in 22Rv1 cells compared with AR-dependent prostate cancer LNCaP cells. Interestingly, microarray analysis revealed that OCT1 regulates CRPC-specific target genes in addition to representative AR-regulated genes such as ACSL3. Pathway analysis showed the importance of OCT1 in regulating cell cycle‒related genes. By performing the chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, we validated anillin actin-binding protein (ANLN), which is highly expressed in CRPC and robustly regulated with OCT1 recruitment to the intron and promoter regions in 22Rv1 cells in comparison with LNCaP cells. Furthermore, knockdown of ANLN exhibited impaired cell growth and cell cycle progression, suggesting an important function of ANLN in CRPC cells. In conclusion, these findings raise the possibility that OCT1 coordinates AR signaling in a specific manner that is dependent on disease stage and promotes progression to CRPC.

Tangshen Formula Treatment for Diabetic Kidney Disease by Inhibiting Racgap1-stata5-Mediated Cell Proliferation and Restoring miR-669j-Arntl-Related Circadian Rhythm

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms of Tangshen formula (TSF) for treatment of diabetic kidney disease (DKD).

Material/Methods

Microarray dataset GSE90842 was collected from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, including renal cortical tissues from normal control (NC), DKD, and DKD mice given TSF for 12 weeks (TSF) (n=3). Differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using LIMMA method. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using data from the STRING database followed by module analysis. The Mirwalk2 database was used to predict the underlying miRNAs of DEGs. Function enrichment analysis was performed using the DAVID tool.

Results

A total of 2277 and 2182 genes were identified as DEGs between DKD and NC or TSF groups, respectively. After overlap, 373 DEGs were considered as common in 2 comparison groups. Function enrichment indicated common DEGs were related to cell proliferation (Asf1b, anti-silencing function 1B histone chaperone; Anln, anillin, actin-binding protein; Racgap1, Rac GTPase activating protein 1; and Stat5, signal transducer and activator of transcription 5) and circadian rhythm (Arntl, aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-like). Racgap1 was considered as a hub gene in the PPI network because it could interact with Asf1b, Anln, and Stat5. Arntl was regulated by miR-669j in the miRNA-DEGs network and this miRNA was also a DEG in 2 comparisons.

Conclusions

TSF may be effective for DKD by inhibiting Racgap1-stata5-mediated cell proliferation and restoring miR-669j-Arntl-related circadian rhythm.

Prognostic significance of ANLN in lung adenocarcinoma

Anillin actin binding protein (ANLN) is a biomarker of cancer progression and is overexpressed in lung adenocarcinoma. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of ANLN protein and RNA in the development of lung adenocarcinoma. The ANLN protein sequence was downloaded from The National Centre for Biotechnology information, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data was obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. All immunohistochemical staining pictures were adapted from the Human Protein Atlas. PyMOL software was employed to predict protein functional changes in response to mutations. Gene Set Enrichments Analysis was employed for pathway analysis. The results indicated that ANLN experiences genetic change and overexpression at the RNA and protein levels in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis revealed significant differences between high and low RNA-seq expression levels in ANLN, and patients exhibiting higher expression of ANLN had a relatively poor prognosis. Pathway analysis demonstrated that ANLN was involved in developmental processes via the regulation of nuclear division' pathway. In conclusion, ANLN has potential for use as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker to diagnoseand predict the outcome of lung adenocarcinoma.

Bioinformatic analysis reveals the key pathways and genes in early-onset breast cancer

Early-onset breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the female. To identify the differentially expressed genes and the key signaling pathways in early-onset breast cancer, we have carried out the bioinformatic analysis of an RNA array dataset in the GEO database, GSE109169, which was acquired from early-onset breast cancer patient. A total of 118 differentially expressed genes in early-onset breast cancer were significantly changed compared with that in adjacent normal tissues. Most of these genes are classified into three categories: signaling molecule, enzyme modulator, and hydrolase. Gene ontology terms reveal that most of these genes are involved in cellular and metabolic processes, biological regulation, binding and catalytic activities, and receptor regulation. Protein-protein interaction network was constructed and has two highly enriched modules: one with up-regulated genes and the other with down-regulated genes. The singling pathways are mainly enriched in the cellular immune system, lipid metabolism and other types of metabolic pathways. Finally, we have plotted the Kaplan-Meier curves of two up-regulated and two down-regulated genes for the overall survival prediction in breast cancer. These results greatly expand the current view of early-onset breast cancer and shed light on the discovery of drug candidates and the improvement for the prognosis.

Dual strands of the miR-223 duplex (miR-223-5p and miR-223-3p) inhibit cancer cell aggressiveness: targeted genes are involved in bladder cancer pathogenesis

Analyses of microRNA (miRNA) expression signatures obtained by RNA sequencing revealed that some passenger miRNAs (miR-144-5p, miR-145-3p, miR-149-3p, miR-150-3p, and miR-199a-3p) acted as anti-tumor miRNAs in several types of cancer cells. The involvement of passenger strands in the pathogenesis of human cancer is a novel concept. Based on the miRNA signature of bladder cancer (BC) obtained by RNA sequencing, we focused on both strands of the miR-223-duplex (miR-223-5p and miR-223-3p) and investigated their functional significance in BC cells. Ectopic expression of these miRNAs showed that both miR-223-3p (the guide strand) and miR-223-5p (the passenger strand) inhibited cancer cell migration and invasion of BC cells. The role of miR-223-5p (the passenger strand) has not been well studied. Combining gene expression studies and in silico database analyses, we demonstrated the presence of 20 putative target genes that could be regulated by miR-223-5p in BC cells. Among these targets, high expression of five genes (ANLN, INHBA, OIP5, CCNB1, and CDCA2) was significantly associated with poor prognosis of BC patients based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Moreover, we showed that a gene (ANLN) encoding a multifunctional actin-binding protein was directly regulated by miR-223-5p in BC cells. Overexpression of ANLN was observed in BC clinical specimens and high expression of ANLN was significantly associated with poor prognosis of BC patients. We suggest that studies of regulatory cancer networks, including the passenger strands of miRNAs, may provide new insights into the pathogenic mechanisms of BC.

Heat shock proteins in multiple myeloma

Heat shock proteins are molecular chaperones with a central role in protein folding and cellular protein homeostasis. They also play major roles in the development of cancer and in recent years have emerged as promising therapeutic targets. In this review, we discuss the known molecular mechanisms of various heat shock protein families and their involvement in cancer and in particular, multiple myeloma. In addition, we address the current progress and challenges in pharmacologically targeting these proteins as anti-cancer therapeutic strategies.