Filaggrin gene polymorphism associated with Epstein-Barr virus-associated tumors in China

JAG1 is correlated to suppressive immune microenvironment and predicts immunotherapy resistance in lung adenocarcinoma

Background

The current exploration of the tumor immune microenvironment is enthusiastic, but few studies explored the impact of angiogenesis on the immune microenvironment. Immunotherapy combined with anti-angiogenesis therapy has become one of the first-line treatment for lung adenocarcinoma. Our study aimed to explore the reasons for resistance of immunotherapy, and explore markers for immunotherapy combined with anti-angiogenesis therapy.

Methods

First, by unsupervised clustering of 36 angiogenesis-related genes in lung adenocarcinoma patients from TCGA database, AGS1 and AGS2 groups were distinguished with significantly different clinical outcomes. Secondly, the immune microenvironment and metabolic characteristics were analyzed. Next, we used the GDSC and GEO database to analyze therapeutic responses. Then, through multivariate Cox regression, the hub gene: JAG1, significantly related to prognosis was selected, and further verified by multi-omics data. Finally, we validated that patient with high JAG1 expression had a low immune-infiltrating tumor microenvironment through single-cell transcriptomic data.

Results

Compared with the AGS1 group, AGS2 showed an immune "cold" phenotype with lower lymphocyte infiltration, and was associated with worse prognoses. At the same time, the immunosuppressive TGF-β response was significantly higher in AGS2. Furthermore, the glycolysis ability of the AGS2 was stronger than AGS1. The expression of JAG1 was significantly higher in the AGS2, and was significantly negatively correlated with the degree of immune infiltration, accompanying with higher glycolytic capacity. The above results indicate that patients with high expression of JAG1 may lead to immunosuppressive phenotype due to its strong glycolytic capacity, thus making immunotherapy resistance.

Conclusion

Patients with high expression of JAG1 enhanced glycolytic capacity was likely to cause suppressed immune microenvironment. JAG1 may be a marker for resistance of immunotherapy. Combining anti-angiogenesis therapy could be considered to improve the prognosis of those patients.

Association of FLG mutation with tumor mutation load and clinical outcomes in patients with gastric cancer

Background: Stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in the world with a poor prognosis due to genetic heterogeneity. The present study aimed to explore potential prognostic predictors and therapeutic targets that can be used for STAD treatment.

Methods: We collected relevant data of STAD patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), including somatic mutation, transcriptome, and survival data. We performed a series of analyses such as tumor mutational burden (TMB), immune infiltration, and copy number variation (CNV) analysis to evaluate the potential mechanism of filaggrin (FLG) mutation in gastric cancer. Gene ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were performed for annotation of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The STRING online database was used to construct the protein–protein interaction (PPI) and ceRNA network and hub genes were identified. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to determine the effect of selected DEGs on tumor prognosis.

Results: The FLG-mutant group (FLG-MT) showed a higher mutation load and immunogenicity in gastric cancer. GO and KEGG analyses identified and ranked unique biologic processes and immune-related pathway maps that correlated with the FLG-mutant target. GSEA analysis showed that several tumorigenesis and metastasis-related pathways were indeed enriched in FLG-mutant tumor tissue. Both cell cycle–related pathways and the DNA damage and repair associated pathways were also enriched in the FLG-MT group. The FLG mutations resulted in increased gastric cancer sensitivity to 24 chemotherapeutic drugs. The ceRNA network was established using Cytoscape and the PPI network was established in the STRING database. The results of the prognostic information further demonstrated that the OS and DFS were significantly higher in FLG mutation carriers, and the FLG gene mutation might be a protective factor.

Conclusion: The multiple molecular mechanisms of the FLG gene in STAD are worthy of further investigation and may reveal novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers for STAD treatment.

Bioinformatic Analyzes of the Association Between Upregulated Expression of JUN Gene via APOBEC-Induced FLG Gene Mutation and Prognosis of Cervical Cancer

Globally, cervical cancer (CC) is the most common malignant tumor of the female reproductive system and its incidence is only second after breast cancer. Although screening and advanced treatment strategies have improved the rates of survival, some patients with CC still die due to metastasis and drug resistance. It is considered that cancer is driven by somatic mutations, such as single nucleotide, small insertions/deletions, copy number, and structural variations, as well as epigenetic changes. Previous studies have shown that cervical intraepithelial neoplasia is associated with copy number variants (CNVs) and/or mutations in cancer-related genes. Further, CC is also related to genetic mutations. The present study analyzed the data on somatic mutations of cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CESC) in the Cancer Genome Atlas database. It was evident that the Apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme-catalyzed polypeptide-like (APOBEC)-related mutation of the FLG gene can upregulate the expression of the JUN gene and ultimately lead to poor prognosis for patients with CC. Therefore, the findings of the current study provide a new direction for future treatment of CC.

Filaggrin gene mutations with special reference to atopic dermatitis

Purpose of review

Mutations in the Filaggrin gene can cause absent or reduced filaggrin protein, leading to impaired keratinization and skin barrier defect, which produce characteristic phenotypes. In this short review, we report current evidence on the topic with special reference to atopic dermatitis, suggest future directions, and discuss therapeutic implications.

Recent findings

Numerous candidate gene association studies, genome-wide association studies, studies on copy number variations and most recently, sequencing studies, have confirmed the robust association of mutations in the Filaggrin gene with atopic dermatitis, and have also linked these mutations with several other disorders.

Summary

Filaggrin gene defects remain the strongest identified genetic risk factors for atopic dermatitis. Taken in conjunction with other genes found to be associated with this condition, genetic screening and identification of individuals at risk for atopic dermatitis could lead to personalized therapy. Manipulation of genetic regulatory elements to increase the amount of filaggrin protein in deficient individuals is an attractive treatment option for the future.

Association of regenerating gene 1A single-nucleotide polymorphisms and nasopharyngeal carcinoma susceptibility in southern Chinese population

Objective

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common malignancy in Southern China and Southeast Asia. Genetic susceptibility is a major contributing factor in determining the individual risk of NPC in these areas. To test the association between NPC and variants in regenerating gene 1A (REG1A), we conducted a hospital-based case–control study in a Cantonese-speaking population from Guangdong province.

Methods

We endeavored to determine whether genetic variants of the REG1A gene were associated with the risk of NPC amidst the Cantonese population in a hospital-based case–control study using polymerase chain reaction-restriction and direct sequencing analysis in 211 NPC patients and 150 healthy controls. The association between NPC risk and the 14C/T, 20C/T, 369G/T, 1201A/G, and 2922C/T polymorphisms was examined after adjustment for age and sex.

Results

We found an increased risk of developing NPC in individuals with REG1A 2922C/T variant genotype (p = 0.003, OR 0.419, 95% CI 0.235–0.746), and after adjustment for sex and age (p = 0.003, OR 0.406, 95% CI 0.226–0.732). No association between other polymorphisms (14C/T, 20C/T, 369G/T, and 1201A/G) and the risk of NPC was observed, before or after adjustment for age and sex.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that the REG1A 2922C/T polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of developing NPC in a Cantonese population from Guangdong province. Larger studies are required to confirm our findings and unravel the underlying mechanisms.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s00405-019-05645-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.