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Currie D, Wong N, Zane I, Rix T, Vardakastanis M, Claxton A, Ong KKV, Macmorland W, Poivet A, Brooks A, Niola P, Huntley D, Montano X. A Potential Prognostic Gene Signature Associated with p53-Dependent NTRK1 Activation and Increased Survival of Neuroblastoma Patients. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:722. [PMID: 38398114 PMCID: PMC10886603 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16040722] [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: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumour in children, comprising close to 10% of childhood cancer-related deaths. We have demonstrated that activation of NTRK1 by TP53 repression of PTPN6 expression is significantly associated with favourable survival in neuroblastoma. The molecular mechanisms by which this activation elicits cell molecular changes need to be determined. This is critical to identify dependable biomarkers for the early detection and prognosis of tumours, and for the development of personalised treatment. In this investigation we have identified and validated a gene signature for the prognosis of neuroblastoma using genes differentially expressed upon activation of the NTRK1-PTPN6-TP53 module. A random survival forest model was used to construct a gene signature, which was then assessed across validation datasets using Kaplan-Meier analysis and ROC curves. The analysis demonstrated that high BASP1, CD9, DLG2, FNBP1, FRMD3, IL11RA, ISGF10, IQCE, KCNQ3, and TOX2, and low BSG/CD147, CCDC125, GABRB3, GNB2L1/RACK1 HAPLN4, HEBP2, and HSD17B12 expression was significantly associated with favourable patient event-free survival (EFS). The gene signature was associated with favourable tumour histology and NTRK1-PTPN6-TP53 module activation. Importantly, all genes were significantly associated with favourable EFS in an independent manner. Six of the signature genes, BSG/CD147, GNB2L1/RACK1, TXNDC5, FNPB1, B3GAT1, and IGSF10, play a role in cell differentiation. Our findings strongly suggest that the identified gene signature is a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for neuroblastoma patients and that it is associated with neuroblastoma cell differentiation through the activation of the NTRK1-PTPN6-TP53 module.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Currie
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK; (D.C.); (N.W.); (I.Z.); (T.R.); (M.V.); (A.P.); (D.H.)
| | - Nicole Wong
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK; (D.C.); (N.W.); (I.Z.); (T.R.); (M.V.); (A.P.); (D.H.)
| | - Isabelle Zane
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK; (D.C.); (N.W.); (I.Z.); (T.R.); (M.V.); (A.P.); (D.H.)
| | - Tom Rix
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK; (D.C.); (N.W.); (I.Z.); (T.R.); (M.V.); (A.P.); (D.H.)
| | - Marios Vardakastanis
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK; (D.C.); (N.W.); (I.Z.); (T.R.); (M.V.); (A.P.); (D.H.)
| | - Amelia Claxton
- Innovation Hub, Comprehensive Cancer Centre, King’s College London, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT, UK; (A.C.); (K.K.V.O.)
| | - Karine K. V. Ong
- Innovation Hub, Comprehensive Cancer Centre, King’s College London, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT, UK; (A.C.); (K.K.V.O.)
| | - William Macmorland
- Tumour Immunology Group, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, London SE1 1UL, UK;
| | - Arthur Poivet
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK; (D.C.); (N.W.); (I.Z.); (T.R.); (M.V.); (A.P.); (D.H.)
| | - Anthony Brooks
- Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, UCL Genomics, London WC1N 1DZ, UK;
| | | | - Derek Huntley
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK; (D.C.); (N.W.); (I.Z.); (T.R.); (M.V.); (A.P.); (D.H.)
| | - Ximena Montano
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK; (D.C.); (N.W.); (I.Z.); (T.R.); (M.V.); (A.P.); (D.H.)
- Innovation Hub, Comprehensive Cancer Centre, King’s College London, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT, UK; (A.C.); (K.K.V.O.)
- School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, London W1W 6UW, UK
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Hostallero DE, Wei L, Wang L, Cairns J, Emad A. Preclinical-to-clinical Anti-cancer Drug Response Prediction and Biomarker Identification Using TINDL. GENOMICS, PROTEOMICS & BIOINFORMATICS 2023; 21:535-550. [PMID: 36775056 PMCID: PMC10787192 DOI: 10.1016/j.gpb.2023.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Prediction of the response of cancer patients to different treatments and identification of biomarkers of drug response are two major goals of individualized medicine. Here, we developed a deep learning framework called TINDL, completely trained on preclinical cancer cell lines (CCLs), to predict the response of cancer patients to different treatments. TINDL utilizes a tissue-informed normalization to account for the tissue type and cancer type of the tumors and to reduce the statistical discrepancies between CCLs and patient tumors. Moreover, by making the deep learning black box interpretable, this model identifies a small set of genes whose expression levels are predictive of drug response in the trained model, enabling identification of biomarkers of drug response. Using data from two large databases of CCLs and cancer tumors, we showed that this model can distinguish between sensitive and resistant tumors for 10 (out of 14) drugs, outperforming various other machine learning models. In addition, our small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown experiments on 10 genes identified by this model for one of the drugs (tamoxifen) confirmed that tamoxifen sensitivity is substantially influenced by all of these genes in MCF7 cells, and seven of these genes in T47D cells. Furthermore, genes implicated for multiple drugs pointed to shared mechanism of action among drugs and suggested several important signaling pathways. In summary, this study provides a powerful deep learning framework for prediction of drug response and identification of biomarkers of drug response in cancer. The code can be accessed at https://github.com/ddhostallero/tindl.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Earl Hostallero
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A, Canada; Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, Montreal, QC H2S, Canada
| | - Lixuan Wei
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Liewei Wang
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Junmei Cairns
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
| | - Amin Emad
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A, Canada; Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, Montreal, QC H2S, Canada; The Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A, Canada.
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Shao W, Li J, Piao Q, Yao X, Li M, Wang S, Song Z, Sun Y, Zheng L, Wang G, Liu L, Yu C, Huang Y, Bao Y, Sun L. FRMD3 inhibits the growth and metastasis of breast cancer through the ubiquitination-mediated degradation of vimentin and subsequent impairment of focal adhesion. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:13. [PMID: 36631457 PMCID: PMC9834407 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-05552-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Recurrence and metastasis are the main causes of breast cancer (BRCA)-related death and remain a challenge for treatment. In-depth research on the molecular mechanisms underlying BRCA progression has been an important basis for developing precise biomarkers and therapy targets for early prediction and treatment of progressed BRCA. Herein, we identified FERM domain-containing protein 3 (FRMD3) as a novel potent BRCA tumor suppressor which is significantly downregulated in BRCA clinical tissue and cell lines, and low FRMD3 expression has been closely associated with progressive BRCA and shortened survival time in BRCA patients. Overexpression and knockdown experiments have revealed that FRMD3 significantly inhibits BRCA cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and suppresses BRCA xenograft growth and metastasis in vivo as well. Mechanistically, FRMD3 can interact with vimentin and ubiquitin protein ligase E3A(UBE3A) to induce the polyubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation of vimentin, which subsequently downregulates focal adhesion complex proteins and pro-cancerous signaling activation, thereby resulting in cytoskeletal rearrangement and defects in cell morphology and focal adhesion. Further evidence has confirmed that FRMD3-mediated vimentin degradation accounts for the anti-proliferation and anti-metastasis effects of FRMD3 on BRCA. Moreover, the N-terminal ubiquitin-like domain of FRMD3 has been identified as responsible for FRMD3-vimentin interaction through binding the head domain of vimentin and the truncated FRMD3 with the deletion of ubiquitin-like domain almost completely loses the anti-BRCA effects. Taken together, our study indicates significant potential for the use of FRMD3 as a novel prognosis biomarker and a therapeutic target of BRCA and provides an additional mechanism underlying the degradation of vimentin and BRCA progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjun Shao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Quality of Cell and Gene Therapy Medicinal Products, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Jiawei Li
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Qianling Piao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Xinlei Yao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Mingyue Li
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Quality of Cell and Gene Therapy Medicinal Products, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Shuyue Wang
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Quality of Cell and Gene Therapy Medicinal Products, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Zhenbo Song
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Ying Sun
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Lihua Zheng
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Quality of Cell and Gene Therapy Medicinal Products, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Guannan Wang
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Quality of Cell and Gene Therapy Medicinal Products, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Lei Liu
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Quality of Cell and Gene Therapy Medicinal Products, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Chunlei Yu
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Quality of Cell and Gene Therapy Medicinal Products, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Yanxin Huang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Yongli Bao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Luguo Sun
- National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China.
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Chen TJ, Hsu BH, Lee SW, Yang CC, Tian YF, Kuo YH, Li WS, Tsai HH, Wu LC, Yeh CF, Chou CL, Lai HY. Overexpression of Dehydrogenase/Reductase 9 Predicts Poor Response to Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy and Poor Prognosis in Rectal Cancer Patients. Pathol Oncol Res 2022; 28:1610537. [PMID: 36277959 PMCID: PMC9582124 DOI: 10.3389/pore.2022.1610537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Objective: To reduce the risk of locoregional recurrence, the addition of neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is recommended before surgical management for rectal cancer patients. However, despite identical tumor histology, individual patient response to neoadjuvant CCRT varies greatly. Accordingly, a comprehensive molecular characterization that is used to predict CCRT efficacy is instantly needed. Methods: Pearson’s chi-squared test was utilized to correlate dehydrogenase/reductase 9 (DHRS9) expression with clinicopathological features. Survival curves were created applying the Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank test was conducted to compare prognostic utility between high and low DHRS9 expression groups. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was applied to identify independent prognostic biomarkers based on variables with prognostic utility at the univariate level. Results: Utilizing a public transcriptome dataset, we identified that the DHRS9 gene is the most considerably upregulated gene related to epithelial cell differentiation (GO: 0030855) among rectal cancer patients with CCRT resistance. Employing immunohistochemical staining, we also demonstrated that high DHRS9 immunoexpression is considerably associated with an aggressive clinical course and CCRT resistance in our rectal cancer cohort. Among all variables with prognostic utility at the univariate level, only high DHRS9 immunoexpression was independently unfavorably prognostic of all three endpoints (all p ≤ 0.048) in the multivariate analysis. In addition, applying bioinformatic analysis, we also linked DHRS9 with unrevealed functions, such as keratan sulfate and mucin synthesis which may be implicated in CCRT resistance. Conclusion: Altogether, DHRS9 expression may serve as a helpful predictive and prognostic biomarker and assist decision-making for rectal cancer patients who underwent neoadjuvant CCRT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tzu-Ju Chen
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Technology, Chung Hwa University of Medical Technology, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Bei-Hao Hsu
- Department of General Surgery, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Sung-Wei Lee
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Liouying, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Chieh Yang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
- Department of Pharmacy, Chia-Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Feng Tian
- Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Hsuan Kuo
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
- College of Pharmacy and Science, Chia Nan University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Shan Li
- Department of Medical Technology, Chung Hwa University of Medical Technology, Tainan, Taiwan
- Department of Pathology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
- Institute of Biomedical Science, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Hwa Tsai
- Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
- Trans-Omic Laboratory for Precision Medicine, Precision Medicine Center, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Li-Ching Wu
- Institute of Biomedical Science, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Trans-Omic Laboratory for Precision Medicine, Precision Medicine Center, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Fa Yeh
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
- Department of Environment Engineering and Science, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Lin Chou
- Department of Medical Technology, Chung Hwa University of Medical Technology, Tainan, Taiwan
- Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
- *Correspondence: Chia-Lin Chou, ; Hong-Yue Lai,
| | - Hong-Yue Lai
- Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
- Trans-Omic Laboratory for Precision Medicine, Precision Medicine Center, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
- *Correspondence: Chia-Lin Chou, ; Hong-Yue Lai,
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Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Multiple Susceptibility Loci for Malignant Neoplasms of the Brain in Taiwan. J Pers Med 2022; 12:jpm12071161. [PMID: 35887658 PMCID: PMC9323978 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12071161] [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: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary brain malignancy is a rare tumor with a global incidence of less than 10 per 100,000 people. Hence, there is limited power for identifying risk loci in individual studies, especially for Han Chinese. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in Taiwan, including 195 cases and 195 controls. We identified five new genes for malignant neoplasms of the brain: EDARADD (rs645507, 1p31.3, p = 7.71 × 10−5, odds ratio (OR) = 1.893), RBFOX1 (rs8044700, p = 2.35 × 10−5, OR = 2.36), LMF1 (rs3751667, p = 7.24 × 10−7, OR = 2.17), DPP6 (rs67433368, p = 8.32 × 10−5, OR = 3.94), and NDUFB9 (rs7827791, p = 9.73 × 10−6, OR = 4.42). These data support that genetic susceptibility toward GBM or non-GBM tumors is highly distinct, likely reflecting different etiologies. Combined with signaling analysis, we found that RNA modification may be related to major risk factors in primary malignant neoplasms of the brain.
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Chen Y, Hong C, Zhou Q, Qin Z. Roles of Cadherin2 in Thyroid Cancer. Front Oncol 2022; 12:804287. [PMID: 35756646 PMCID: PMC9218104 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.804287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The majority of drug-resistant cells in Thyroid cancer (THCA) tend to exhibit an Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype, and abnormal expression of the cell adhesion molecule Cadherin2 (CDH2) is a hallmark of EMT. However, the roles of CDH2 in THCA and its underlying mechanisms are unknown. Methods We analyzed the CDH2 expression in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and screened for genes positively associated with CDH2. Small interfering RNA and cell transfection were used for knocking down CDH2 in THCA cells, cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and immunofluorescence to detect cell proliferation. Binding miRNAs of CDH2 and CDH2-associated genes were predicted using the Encyclopedia of RNA Interactomes (ENCORI) database. The expression of genes in clinical THCA tissues was investigated from the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database and validated by qRT-PCR. We conducted the cell functions pathways of CDH2 and CDH2-associated gene FRMD3 by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. We also showed the correlation between CDH2 and FRMD3 expression and tumor immune infiltration. Results The expression of CDH2 was significantly higher in THCA tumor tissues compared to normal tissues. Moreover, there were strongly associations of CDH2 expression with the stages T and N. Cellular function assays showed that CDH2 exerted its growth-promoting activity of THCA. To better understand how CDH2 was regulated in THCA, we sought genes associated with CDH2. Correlation analysis revealed that there were negative correlations between genes (CDH2, FRMD3) and miRNAs (hsa-miR-410-3p, hsa-miR-411-5p, hsa-miR-299-5p). Moreover, CDH2 and FRMD3 expression were significantly higher in tumor tissues than in normal tissues, while hsa-miR-410-3p, hsa-miR-411-5p and hsa-miR-299-5p were significantly decreased in tumor tissues compared with normal tissues in THCA. GO and KEEG results showed that CDH2 and FRMD3 were strongly associated with immune-related functions. High expression of CDH2 and FRMD3 was linked to the suppression of immune cells. There were strong negativity correlations between CDH2, FRMD3 and T-cell exhaustion factors. Conclusion Our data indicated that CDH2 and CDH2-related gene FRMD3 might have the critical effects on altering tumors becoming ‘cold tumors’ eventually leading to immune checkpoint inhibitor resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Chen
- Cancer Center, Department of Medical Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chaojin Hong
- Cancer Center, Department of Medical Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qihao Zhou
- Cancer Center, Department of Medical Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhiquan Qin
- Cancer Center, Department of Medical Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
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Lai HY, Chiu CC, Kuo YH, Tsai HH, Wu LC, Tseng WH, Liu CL, Hsing CH, Huang SK, Li CF. High Stromal SFRP2 Expression in Urothelial Carcinoma Confers an Unfavorable Prognosis. Front Oncol 2022; 12:834249. [PMID: 35372028 PMCID: PMC8965759 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.834249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Urothelial carcinoma (UC) patients often bear clinical and genetic heterogeneity, which may differ in management and prognosis. Especially, patients with advanced/metastatic UC generally have a poor prognosis and survive for only few months. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling is found to be highly activated in several cancers, including UC. However, accumulated evidence has shown discordance between the Wnt/β-catenin signaling and UC carcinogenesis. Accordingly, we aim to get a better understanding of the molecular characterization of UC, focusing on the Wnt signaling, which may add value to guiding management more precisely. Patients and Methods Clinical data and pathological features were retrospectively surveyed. The correlations of secreted Frizzled-related protein 2 (SFRP2) immunoexpression with clinicopathological features were analyzed by Pearson's chi-square test. The Kaplan-Meier method with a log-rank test was employed to plot survival curves. All significant features from the univariate analysis were incorporated into the Cox regression model for multivariate analysis. Results Following data mining on a transcriptome dataset (GSE31684), we identified that 8 transcripts in relation to the Wnt signaling pathway (GO: 0016055) were significantly upregulated in advanced/metastatic bladder tumors. Among these transcripts, the SFRP2 level showed the most significant upregulation. Additionally, as SFRP2 is a putative Wnt inhibitor and may be expressed by stroma, we were interested in examining the immunoexpression and clinical relevance of stromal and tumoral SFRP2 in our urothelial carcinoma cohorts containing 295 urinary bladder UC (UBUC) and 340 upper urinary tract UC (UTUC) patients. We observed that high SFRP2 expression in stroma but not in tumors is significantly linked to aggressive UC features, including high tumor stage and histological grade, positive nodal metastasis, the presence of vascular and perineural invasion, and high mitotic activity in UBUC and UTUC. Moreover, high stromal SFRP2 expression significantly and independently predicted worse clinical outcomes in UBUC and UTUC. Utilizing bioinformatic analysis, we further noticed that stromal SFRP2 may link epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to UC progression. Conclusion Collectively, these results imply that stromal SFRP2 may exert oncogenic function beyond its Wnt antagonistic ability, and stromal SFRP2 expression can provide prognostic and therapeutic implications for UC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Yue Lai
- Center for Precision Medicine, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan,Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
| | | | - Yu-Hsuan Kuo
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Hwa Tsai
- Center for Precision Medicine, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan,Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Li-Ching Wu
- Center for Precision Medicine, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Hsin Tseng
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Liang Liu
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan,Division of Uro-Oncology, Department of Surgery, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Hsi Hsing
- Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan,Department of Anesthesiology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan,Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Steven K. Huang
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan,Department of Medical Science Industries, College of Health Sciences, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan, Taiwan,*Correspondence: Chien-Feng Li, ; Steven K. Huang,
| | - Chien-Feng Li
- Center for Precision Medicine, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan,Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan,Department of Clinical Pathology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan,National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan, Taiwan,Institute of Precision Medicine, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan,Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan,*Correspondence: Chien-Feng Li, ; Steven K. Huang,
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Hsa-miR-3651 could serve as a novel predictor for in-breast recurrence via FRMD3. Breast Cancer 2021; 29:274-286. [PMID: 34865205 PMCID: PMC8885475 DOI: 10.1007/s12282-021-01308-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Background MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs with pivotal regulatory functions in multiple cellular processes. Their significance as molecular predictors for breast cancer was demonstrated in the past 15 years. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of hsa-miR-3651 for predicting of local control (LC) in early breast cancer. Results By means of high-throughput technology, hsa-miR-3651 was found to be differentially expressed between patients who experienced local relapse compared to those without (N = 23; p = 0.0035). This result could be validated in an independent cohort of 87 patients using RT-qPCR (p < 0.0005). In a second analysis step with a chip-based microarray containing 70,523 probes of potential target molecules, FERM domain protein 3 (FRMD3) was found to be the most down-regulated protein (N = 21; p = 0.0016). Computational analysis employing different prediction algorithms revealed FRMD3 as a likely downstream target of hsa-miR-3651 with an 8mer binding site between the two molecules. This could be validated in an independent patient set (N = 20, p = 0.134). Conclusion The current study revealed that hsa-miR-3651 is a predictor of LC in early breast cancer via its putative target protein FRMD3. Since microRNAs interfere in multiple pathways, the results of this hypothesis generating study may contribute to the development of tailored therapies for breast cancer in the future. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12282-021-01308-y.
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