HBXIP expression predicts patient prognosis in breast cancer

The abundances of LTF and SOD2 in amniotic fluid are potential biomarkers of gestational age and preterm birth

Neonates who are born preterm (PT) are usually characterized by immature physiological development, and preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality if intensive medical care is not available to PTB neonates. Early prediction of a PTB enables medical personnel to make preparations in advance, protecting the neonate from the subsequent health risks. Therefore, many studies have worked on identifying invasive or noninvasive PT biomarkers. In this study, we collected amniocentesis-derived (at the second trimester of gestation) amniotic fluid (AF) samples. At delivery, AF samples were classified into PTB or full-term birth (FTB). We first applied protein mass spectrometry technology to globally screen AF proteins, followed by specific protein validation with ELISA. We identified four protein biomarkers of PTB, including lactotransferrin (LTF), glutathione-disulfide reductase (GSR), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2). Further analyses demonstrated that their abundances were negatively correlated with neonatal weight and gestational age. In addition, by mimicking survival rate analysis widely used in tumor biology, we found that LTF and SOD2 were prognostic factors of gestational age, with higher levels denoting shorter gestational age. Finally, using the abundances of the four protein biomarkers, we developed a prediction model of PTB with an auROC value of 0.935 (sensitivity = 0.94, specificity = 0.89, p value = 0.0001). This study demonstrated that the abundances of specific proteins in amniotic fluid were not only the prognostic factors of gestational age but also the predictive biomarkers of PTB. These four AF proteins enable identification of PTB early in the second trimester of gestation, facilitating medical intervention to be applied in advance.

Hbxip is essential for murine embryogenesis and regulates embryonic stem cell differentiation through activating mTORC1

HBXIP, also named LAMTOR5, has been well characterized as a transcriptional co-activator in various cancers. However, the role of Hbxip in normal development remains unexplored. Here, we demonstrated that homozygous knockout of Hbxip leads to embryonic lethality, with retarded growth around E7.5, and that depletion of Hbxip compromises the self-renewal of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), with reduced expression of pluripotency genes, reduced cell proliferation and decreased colony-forming capacity. In addition, both Hbxip−/− ESCs and E7.5 embryos displayed defects in ectodermal and mesodermal differentiation. Mechanistically, Hbxip interacts with other components of the Ragulator complex, which is required for mTORC1 activation by amino acids. Importantly, ESCs depleted of Ragulator subunits, Lamtor3 or Lamtor4, displayed differentiation defects similar to those of Hbxip−/− ESCs. Moreover, Hbxip−/−, p14−/− and p18−/− mice, lacking subunits of the Ragulator complex, also shared similar phenotypes, embryonic lethality and retarded growth around E7-E8. Thus, we conclude that Hbxip plays a pivotal role in the development and differentiation of the epiblast, as well as the self-renewal and differentiation of ESCs, through activating mTORC1 signaling.

HBXIP: a potential prognosis biomarker of colorectal cancer which promotes invasion and migration via epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Hepatitis B X-interacting protein (HBXIP) is highly expressed in many cancers, but the correlation between the expression of HBXIP and the clinical significance and underlying molecular mechanisms in colorectal cancer (CRC) is still unclear. We selected 186 specimens from CRC patients for analyzing the relationship between the expression of HBXIP and the clinical-pathological features by immunohistochemistry. Migration and invasion experiments were performed to examine the effect of HBXIP on CRC cell metastasis. Besides, we also explored the possible molecular mechanism of HBXIP regulation of CRC cell metastasis by Western blot. Our data indicated that the HBXIP was overexpressed in CRC tissues. High HBXIP expression was correlated with metastasis and shorter survival times in patients with CRC and served as an independent factor for poor prognosis. Moreover, HBXIP promotes CRC metastasis by enhancing the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Our findings provide the first evidence that HBXIP induces EMT to promote metastasis and predicts the poor prognosis of CRC. Therefore, HBXIP may become a new target for CRC treatment.

The oncoprotein HBXIP facilitates metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by activation of MMP15 expression

Background: Due to the high recurrence and metastasis rate, the clinical outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are still unsatisfactory. Hepatitis B virus X-interacting protein (HBXIP) has been reported to play crucial roles in carcinogenesis.

Purpose: We aimed to reveal the functional significance and underlying mechanism of HBXIP in HCC metastasis. Methods: Cell transwell assay, in vivo metastasis model, real-time PCR, western blot analysis, luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were applied.

Results: Here, we detected the HBXIP expression level and determined its clinical significance in HCC. We found that HBXIP was significantly upregulated in HCC tissues, and correlated with vascular invasion, tumor metastasis and worse prognosis of HCC patients. HBXIP enhanced cell migration and invasion in vitro, and promoted the metastasis of HCC in vivo. Furthermore, we confirmed that HBXIP increased MMP15 expression through association with proto-oncogene c-myc. Depletion of c-myc abolished HBXIP-mediated MMP-15 upregulation. We also observed a positive correlation between HBXIP and MMP15 expression in HCC tissues.

Conclusion: Our results establish a novel function for HBXIP-MMP15 regulation in HCC metastasis and suggest its candidacy as a new prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC metastasis.

Oncoprotein LAMTOR5 Activates GLUT1 Via Upregulating NF-κB in Liver Cancer

Objective

Accumulating reports reveal that serving as an oncogenic factor LAMTOR5 is involved in the progression of many specific cancers. Glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) is frequently identified in many cancers. However, it remains unexplored whether GLUT1 plays a role in LAMTOR5-enhanced liver cancer. Here, we aim to decipher the function of LAMTOR5 in the regulation of GLUT1 in liver cancer.

Methods

The effect of LAMTOR5 on GLUT1 was analyzed using Western blotting and RT-PCR assay. Dose-increased over-expression or silencing of LAMTOR5 was performed through transient transfection. LAMTOR5-activated GLUT1 promoter was revealed by luciferase reporter assay. The regulation of GLUT1 by LAMTOR5/NF-κB was examined via Western blotting and luciferase reporter assays.

Results

The data showed that in liver cancer cells under the administration with dose-increased LAMTOR5, the level of mRNA and protein of GLUT1 was obviously raised. Our data revealed that the activities of GLUT1 promoter were induced by LAMTOR5. Then, we found that the elevation of GLUT 1 mediated by LAMTOR5 slowed when the inhibitor or siRNAs of NF-κB was introduced into the liver cancer cells. Conclusion. LAMTOR5 is responsible for the activation of GLUT1 via transcription factor NF-κB in liver cancer.

HBXIP protein overexpression predicts the poor prognosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis B virus X-interacting protein (HBXIP) is associated with a variety of tumors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological significance of HBXIP expression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and to explore its potential as a biomarker for PDAC.

METHODS

Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was performed on 126 PDAC tissues, 36 paraneoplastic tissues and 22 normal pancreatic tissues. The relationship between high levels of HBXIP expression and pathological features of PDAC patients was evaluated by chi-squared values.

RESULTS

The positive rate of HBXIP protein in PDAC tissues was 85.7% (108/126), which was significantly higher than that of adjacent pancreatic tissue (41.7%, 15/36) and normal pancreas (18.2%, 4/22). In addition, strong positive expression of HBXIP was associated with tumor size, positive lymph node metastasis, clinical stage and 80-month overall survival. Patient's age, gender, degree of differentiation, Ki-67 expression index, and calcification were, however, not associated with high levels of HBXIP expression.

CONCLUSIONS

We present association between HBXIP expression and the pathological features of patients with PDAC.

Oncogenic HBXIP enhances ZEB1 through Sp1 to accelerate breast cancer growth

Background

There is abundant evidence to indicate that HBXIP functions as an oncoprotein and transcription co‐activator during the development and promotion of cancers. In multiple cancers, ZEB1 serves as a transcription activator to regulate gene expression. We explored the roles of ZEB1 in HBXIP‐induced breast cancer growth.

Methods

HBXIP regulation of ZEB1 was evaluated by reverse transcription PCR and immunoblotting. The stimulation of ZEB1 promoter by HBXIP and/or Sp1 was tested using luciferase reporter gene analysis. The alteration of cell proliferation mediated by HBXIP‐induced ZEB1 was tested using methyl‐thiazolyl‐tetrazolium and 5‐Ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation analysis. ZEB1 and HBXIP expression in human breast cancer tissues was analyzed using quantitative real‐time PCR. The relationship between HBXIP and ZEB1 was confirmed by Pearson's correlation coefficient.

Results

We observed dose‐dependent upregulation of ZEB1 by HBXIP in breast cancer cells. HBXIP can activate the ZEB1 promoter by interacting with transcription factor Sp1. Cell viability and EdU incorporation analysis showed that HBXIP could drive cell proliferation by enhancing ZEB1 in breast cancer. Using quantitative real‐time PCR, ZEB1 overexpression and a positive relationship between ZEB1 and HBXIP were observed in clinical breast cancer samples.

Conclusion

Oncogenic HBXIP controls the transcription regulation of ZEB1 by co‐activating Sp1, thereby accelerating breast cancer growth.

The prevalence and clinicopathological features of breast cancer patients with hepatitis B virus infection in China

We performed a case-control study to investigate the prevalence and clinicopathological features of breast cancer patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in China. The clinical data for 2,796 female patients with newly diagnosed, primary breast cancer were evaluated. A total of 234 breast cancer patients with HBV infection (the case group; positive for hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg]) and 444 breast cancer patients without HBV infection (the control group; negative for HBsAg, hepatitis B surface antibody, hepatitis B envelope antigen, hepatitis B envelope antibody, and hepatitis B core antibody) were selected for study. Analysis of the clinicopathological features revealed that the metastatic axillary lymph node ratio was lower in the case group than the control group, as was the proportion of patients with pathological T stage ≥T2. No differences in the expression levels of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, p53, or Ki67 were observed between the case and control groups. These data indicate that the rate of HBV infection is high among female breast cancer patients in China, and that HBsAg-positive breast cancer patients were generally diagnosed at an earlier stage and had fewer lymph node metastases.

HBXIP suppression reduces cell proliferation and migration and its overexpression predicts poor prognosis in non-small-cell lung cancer

Emerging evidence has demonstrated that the high expression of HBXIP has been correlated with many cancers. With evaluation of the functional role of HBXIP in non-small-cell lung cancer, the primary aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between HBXIP expression and the prognosis of non-small-cell lung cancer patients. The protein levels of HBXIP were detected using western blotting in non-small-cell lung cancer cells. Cell proliferation and migration assays were measured to evaluate the function of HBXIP in non-small-cell lung cancer cells. A total of 120 non-small-cell lung cancer patients with strict follow-up and 60 adjacent non-tumor lung tissues were selected for immunohistochemical staining of the HBXIP protein. The localization of the HBXIP protein was detected in A549 non-small-cell lung cancer cells using immunofluorescence staining. The correlation between HBXIP expression and the clinicopathological features of non-small-cell lung cancer patients was analyzed by a chi-squared and Fisher’s exact test. The overall survival rates of all of the non-small-cell lung cancer patients were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method, and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. In function, we showed that suppression of HBXIP decreased A549 cell proliferation and migration. HBXIP protein showed a mainly cytoplasmic staining pattern in non-small-cell lung cancer using immunohistochemical staining in paraffin-embedded non-small-cell lung cancer tissues and immunofluorescence staining in A549 cells. The HBXIP protein had strong positive staining in the non-small-cell lung cancer tissues, which was significantly higher than the percentage of adjacent non-tumor tissues. The overexpression of HBXIP was closely correlated with histological grade, clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, and lower overall survival rates of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. Moreover, multivariate analysis suggested that HBXIP emerged as a significant independent prognostic factor along with clinical stage in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. In conclusion, a high level of expression of HBXIP is associated with the progression of non-small-cell lung cancer and may be a useful biomarker for poor prognostic evaluation and a potential molecular therapy target for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.

Clinical study on the relationship between hepatitis B virus infection and risk of breast cancer: a large sized case-control and single center study in southwest of China

Purpose

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is reported to be associated with early-onset breast cancer, while, as a hepadnavirus, hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection is more common than HCV in China. In this article, it is aimed to study the relationship between HBV infection and risk of breast cancer in China.

Methods

The clinical data of 2452 cases of initially diagnosed breast cancer and 1926 cases of benign breast disease (as controls) with the consecutive reports of HBV serological markers and liver function tests, available in the Electronic Medical Records of the Breast Cancer Center of Chongqing, the southwest of China, from January 2011 to March 2015, were collected for analysis.

Results

The average age of the initially diagnosed breast cancer patients was 50.3±11.3 years with the age peaking about 40- 49yeaers (39.7%). The positive rate (8.2%) of hepatitis B surface antigen in breast cancer patients was relatively higher than that (7.8%) in controls (P>0.05). While, the positive rate (66.4%)of hepatitis B core antibody in breast cancer patients was significantly higher than that (53.7%) in controls (P<0.05), so were the similar results in the age groups of 40-49 years, after multiple layer analysis stratified by age and compare HBV markers adjusting age with binary logistic regression. Meanwhile, the status of albumin, aminotransferase and aspartate transaminase (41.4 g/L, 22.9 U/L, 22.0 U/L) in breast cancer patients were significantly poorer than those (44.1 g/L,16.8 U/L, 19.2 U/L) in controls (P<0.05).

Conclusions

Exposure to HBV infection may be a risk factor for breast cancer and may be also related to the earlier age onset of breast cancer (peaked around 40-49 years) among Chinese females.

HBXIP over expression as an independent biomarker for cervical cancer

BACKGROUND

Emerging evidence demonstrated that hepatitis B virus X-interacting protein (HBXIP) has broad roles in cancers. However, high-level expression of HBXIP has been correlated with human malignancies, suggesting roles in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. The aim of the study is to investigate the role and mechanism of HBXIP oncogene and the correlation to the clinicopathological status in cervical cancers.

METHODS

A total of 107 cervical cancer patients with strict follow-up, 105 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and 31 normal cervical epithelia samples were selected for immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of HBXIP protein. Additionally, the cervical cancer cell line of SiHa was included in this study. The relationship between HBXIP expression and clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed to verify the clinical value of HBXIP protein expression in patient prognosis, and survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS

HBXIP protein showed a mainly cytoplasmic staining pattern in cervical cancers by using IHC staining in paraffin embedded cervical cancer tissues and IF staining in SiHa cervical cancer cells. The strongly positive rate of HBXIP protein expression was significantly higher in cervical SCCs and CINs than in normal cervical epithelia. HBXIP protein over-expression was significantly correlated with the clinical stage, differentiation, lymph node metastasis, HPV infection, the over-expression of P63 and overall survival rates in cervical cancer. All of these data defined that HBXIP was involved in the progression of the cervical cancer. However, the detailed mechanism need to the further study.

CONCLUSIONS

HBXIP over-expression appears to associate with cervical cancer progression, and may potentially be used as a cervical cancer biomarker for the early diagnosis, prognostic evaluation and therapeutic target for cervical cancer.

Hepatitis B X-interacting protein promotes cisplatin resistance and regulates CD147 via Sp1 in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the highest mortality rate of all female reproductive malignancies. Drug resistance is a major cause of treatment failure in malignant tumors. Hepatitis B X-interacting protein acts as an oncoprotein, regulates cell proliferation, and migration in breast cancer. We aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of hepatitis B X-interacting protein on resistance to cisplatin in human ovarian cancer cell lines. The mRNA and protein levels of hepatitis B X-interacting protein were detected using RT-PCR and Western blotting in cisplatin-resistant and cisplatin-sensitive tissues, cisplatin-resistant cell lines A2780/CP and SKOV3/CP, and cisplatin-sensitive cell lines A2780 and SKOV3. Cell viability and apoptosis were measured to evaluate cellular sensitivity to cisplatin in A2780/CP cells. Luciferase reporter gene assay was used to determine the relationship between hepatitis B X-interacting protein and CD147. The in vivo function of hepatitis B X-interacting protein on tumor burden was assessed in cisplatin-resistant xenograft models. The results showed that hepatitis B X-interacting protein was highly expressed in ovarian cancer of cisplatin-resistant tissues and cells. Notably, knockdown of hepatitis B X-interacting protein significantly reduced cell viability in A2780/CP compared with cisplatin treatment alone. Hepatitis B X-interacting protein and cisplatin cooperated to induce apoptosis and increase the expression of c-caspase 3 as well as the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. We confirmed that hepatitis B X-interacting protein up-regulated CD147 at the protein expression and transcriptional levels. Moreover, we found that hepatitis B X-interacting protein was able to activate the CD147 promoter through Sp1. In vivo, depletion of hepatitis B X-interacting protein decreased the tumor volume and weight induced by cisplatin. Taken together, these results indicate that hepatitis B X-interacting protein promotes cisplatin resistance and regulated CD147 via Sp1 in ovarian cancer cell lines. Impact statement We found that hepatitis B X-interacting protein (HBXIP) was able to activate the CD147 promoter through Sp1. In vivo, depletion of HBXIP decreased the tumor volume and weight induced by CP. Taken together, these results indicate that HBXIP promotes cisplatin resistance and regulated CD147 via Sp1 in ovarian cancer cell lines.

The oncoprotein HBXIP up-regulates FGF4 through activating transcriptional factor Sp1 to promote the migration of breast cancer cells

We have reported that the oncoprotein hepatitis B X-interacting protein (HBXIP) is able to promote migration of breast cancer cells. Fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4) is a multipotent growth factor and is highly expressed in various human cancers. However, the regulatory mechanism of FGF4 in breast cancer remains poorly understood. In the present study, we report that HBXIP is able to up-regulate FGF4 to enhance the migration of breast cancer cells. Immunohistochemistry staining showed that HBXIP and FGF4 were highly expressed in clinical metastatic lymph nodes of breast tumor. The expression levels of HBXIP were positively related to those of FGF4 in clinical breast cancer tissues. Then, we validated that HBXIP up-regulated the expression of FGF4 at the levels of promoter, mRNA and protein by luciferase reporter gene assays, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. Moreover, we found that HBXIP was able to activate FGF4 promoter through transcriptional factor Sp1 by luciferase reporter gene assays. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that HBXIP coactivated Sp1 to stimulate FGF4 promoter. In function, we showed that HBXIP promoted breast cancer cell migration through FGF4 by wound healing and transwell cell migration assays. Thus, we conclude that the oncoprotein HBXIP up-regulates FGF4 through activating transcriptional factor Sp1 to promote the migration of breast cancer cells. Therapeutically, HBXIP may serve as a novel target in breast cancer.