Vasohibin-1 expression detected by immunohistochemistry correlates with prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer

m6A methylation-mediated regulation of LncRNA MEG3 suppresses ovarian cancer progression through miR-885-5p and the VASH1 pathway

BACKGROUND

Ovarian cancer poses a serious threat to women's health. Due to the difficulty of early detection, most patients are diagnosed with advanced-stage disease or peritoneal metastasis. We found that LncRNA MEG3 is a novel tumor suppressor, but its role in tumor occurrence and development is still unclear.

METHODS

We investigated the expression level of MEG3 in pan-cancer through bioinformatics analysis, especially in gynecological tumors. Function assays were used to detect the effect of MEG3 on the malignant phenotype of ovarian cancer. RIP, RNA pull-down, MeRIP-qPCR, actinomycin D test were carried out to explore the m6A methylation-mediated regulation on MEG3. Luciferase reporter gene assay, PCR and Western blot were implemented to reveal the potential mechanism of MEG3. We further confirmed the influence of MEG3 on tumor growth in vivo by orthotopic xenograft models and IHC assay.

RESULTS

In this study, we discovered that MEG3 was downregulated in various cancers, with the most apparent downregulation in ovarian cancer. MEG3 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of ovarian cancer cells. Overexpression of MEG3 suppressed the degradation of VASH1 by negatively regulating miR-885-5p, inhibiting the ovarian cancer malignant phenotype. Furthermore, we demonstrated that MEG3 was regulated at the posttranscriptional level. YTHDF2 facilitated MEG3 decay by recognizing METTL3‑mediated m6A modification. Compared with those injected with vector control cells, mice injected with MEG3 knockdown cells showed larger tumor volumes and faster growth rates.

CONCLUSION

We demonstrated that MEG3 is influenced by METTL3/YTHDF2 methylation and restrains ovarian cancer proliferation and metastasis by binding miR-885-5p to increase VASH1 expression. MEG3 is expected to become a therapeutic target for ovarian cancer.

Revealing the inhibitory effect of VASH1 on ovarian cancer from multiple perspectives

The function of Vasohibin-1 (VASH1) in human cancer has not been thoroughly or comprehensively examined. Here, we identified the tumor suppressor part of VASH1 across cancers, including epithelial ovarian tumors. Our study carefully contrasted the expression of VASH1 in pancancer and nontumorous tissues in a public database to explore its regulatory role in clinical prognosis, diagnosis, tumor purity, and immune cell infiltration. Next, we explored the antitumor mechanism of VASH1 through drug sensitivity, functional enrichment, and phenotypic experiments in ovarian cancer. Research suggests that the expression of VASH1 in neoplastic tissues is lower than that in normal tissues. VASH1 affects the OS and RFS of several tumor types. In addition, VASH1 expression resulted in a high OS and RFS in the diagnosis of tumor and nontumor tissues and negatively regulated tumor purity. Moreover, VASH1 controls the tumor microenvironment by regulating immunocyte infiltration. In ovarian cancer, VASH1 can serve as a biomarker to estimate the efficacy of chemotherapy. Functional enrichment analysis suggests that VASH1 plays a tumor suppressor role by regulating the extracellular matrix receptor pathway. VASH1 inhibition of the malignant phenotype of ovarian cancer cells was further confirmed by in vivo experiments. These results indicate that VASH1 acts as a cancer-inhibiting factor and potential therapeutic target in ovarian cancer.

Tumor Microenvironment in Mixed Neuroendocrine Non-Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: Interaction between Tumors and Immune Cells, and Potential Effects of Neuroendocrine Differentiation on the Tumor Microenvironment

The tumor microenvironment is considered to play a pivotal role in various human malignancies. Neuroendocrine and non-neuroendocrine neoplasms are considered to have different tumor microenvironments. However, owing to differences in the systemic and/or local immune statuses, tumor microenvironments in different patients may be difficult to compare. Mixed neuroendocrine non-neuroendocrine neoplasms (MiNENs), although rare, could be useful for exploring the effects of neuroendocrine differentiation on the tumor microenvironment, because both neuroendocrine and non-neuroendocrine components are present in the same tumor. Here, we examined 33 cases of histologically confirmed MiNENs and evaluated the influence of neuroendocrine differentiation on the tumor microenvironment by comparing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, tumor-associated macrophages, and other relevant factors in the two components the same tumor. The immunoreactivity of those examined above was evaluated quantitatively. The values of vasohibin-1-positive density (p < 0.0001) and immunoreactivity (p < 0.0001) (representing the neoangiogenesis status) were significantly higher in neuroendocrine as compared to non-neuroendocrine areas of the same tumors. In addition, the Foxp3/CD8 (p = 0.0717) and the PD-1/CD8 ratios (p = 0.0176) (representing tumor immunity suppression) tend to increase in neuroendocrine carcinomas. Immunoreactivity of CD163, a marker of M2-like macrophages, was also higher in the neuroendocrine areas. Our findings indicate that neuroendocrine and non-neuroendocrine tumors differ from each other with respect to the characteristics of both tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment.

Tumor Microenvironment in Mixed Neuroendocrine Non-Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: Interaction between Tumors and Immune Cells, and Potential Effects of Neuroendocrine Differentiation on the Tumor Microenvironment

The tumor microenvironment is considered to play a pivotal role in various human malignancies. Neuroendocrine and non-neuroendocrine neoplasms are considered to have different tumor microenvironments. However, owing to differences in the systemic and/or local immune statuses, tumor microenvironments in different patients may be difficult to compare. Mixed neuroendocrine non-neuroendocrine neoplasms (MiNENs), although rare, could be useful for exploring the effects of neuroendocrine differentiation on the tumor microenvironment, because both neuroendocrine and non-neuroendocrine components are present in the same tumor. Here, we examined 33 cases of histologically confirmed MiNENs and evaluated the influence of neuroendocrine differentiation on the tumor microenvironment by comparing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, tumor-associated macrophages, and other relevant factors in the two components the same tumor. The immunoreactivity of those examined above was evaluated quantitatively. The values of vasohibin-1-positive density (p < 0.0001) and immunoreactivity (p < 0.0001) (representing the neoangiogenesis status) were significantly higher in neuroendocrine as compared to non-neuroendocrine areas of the same tumors. In addition, the Foxp3/CD8 (p = 0.0717) and the PD-1/CD8 ratios (p = 0.0176) (representing tumor immunity suppression) tend to increase in neuroendocrine carcinomas. Immunoreactivity of CD163, a marker of M2-like macrophages, was also higher in the neuroendocrine areas. Our findings indicate that neuroendocrine and non-neuroendocrine tumors differ from each other with respect to the characteristics of both tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment.

Prognostic significance of vasohibin-1 and vasohibin-2 immunohistochemical expression in gastric cancer

PURPOSE

It was recently identified that the vasohibin family may regulate angiogenesis through suppression by the vasohibin-1 gene and promotion by the vasohibin-2 gene. We assessed vasohibin expression in gastric cancer patients and its effect on their prognosis.

METHODS

We evaluated vasohibin immunohistochemical expression in 210 patients with gastric cancer, who underwent radical surgery. The patients were divided first into a vasohibin-1-positive group and a vasohibin-1-negative group, and then into groups with high or low vasohibin-2 expression, to allow us to investigate the clinicopathological factors of prognosis retrospectively.

RESULTS

There were 139 patients in the vasohibin-1-positive group and 71 patients in the vasohibin-1-negative group, among which there were and 108 with high vasohibin-2 expression and 102 with low vasohibin-2 expression. Vasohibin-1 was associated with Ly (P = 0.003) and pT (P = 0.037), whereas vasohibin-2 was associated with Ly (P < 0.001), V (P < 0.001) and pStage (P < 0.001). Overall, cancer-specific and relapse-free survival rates were lower in the vasohibin-1-positive (P = 0.034, P < 0.001, P = 0.002, respectively) and high vasohibin-2 expression (P = 0.004, P = 0.003, P < 0.001, respectively) groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that vasohibin-1 expression was associated with cancer-specific (P = 0.014, hazard ratio [HR] 4.454) and relapse-free (P = 0.035, HR 2.557) survival and vasohibin-2 expression tended to influence relapse-free survival (P = 0.051, HR 2.061). Grouping patients by vasohibin expression status combinations showed correlation among their expressions (P = 0.005). Overall, cancer-specific and relapse-free survival rates were lowest in the vasohibin-1-positive and high vasohibin-2 expression group.

CONCLUSION

Our findings demonstrate that vasohibin-1 and vasohibin-2 could be novel biomarkers for predicting gastric cancer prognosis.

miR-335-5p induces insulin resistance and pancreatic islet β-cell secretion in gestational diabetes mellitus mice through VASH1-mediated TGF-β signaling pathway

Multiple studies have reported different methods in treating gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM); however, the relationship between miR-335-5p and GDM still remains unclear. Here, this study explores the effect of miR-335-5p on insulin resistance and pancreatic islet β-cell secretion via activation of the TGFβ signaling pathway by downregulating VASH1 expression in GDM mice. The GDM mouse model was established and mainly treated with miR-335-5p mimic, miR-335-5p inhibitor, si-VASH1, and miR-335-5p inhibitor + si-VASH1. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was conducted to detect fasting blood glucose (FBG) fasting insulin (FINS). The OGTT was also used to calculate a homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). A hyperglycemic clamp was performed to measure the glucose infusion rate (GIR), which estimated β-cell function. Expressions of miR-335-5p, VASH1, TGF-β1, and c-Myc in pancreatic islet β-cells were determined by RT-qPCR, western blot analysis, and insulin release by ELISA. The miR-335-5p mimic and si-VASH1 groups showed elevated blood glucose levels, glucose area under the curve (GAUC), and HOMA-IR, but a reduced GIR and positive expression of VASH1. Overexpression of miR-335-5p and inhibition of VASH1 contributed to activated TGFβ1 pathway, higher c-Myc, and lower VASH1 expressions, in addition to downregulated insulin and insulin release levels. These findings provided evidence that miR-335-5p enhanced insulin resistance and suppressed pancreatic islet β-cell secretion by inhibiting VASH1, eventually activating the TGF-β pathway in GDM mice, which provides more clinical insight on the GDM treatment.

Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) regulates tumor angiogenesis and predicts recurrence and prognosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is the catalytic subunit of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) and regulates tumor malignancy by gene silencing via histone methylation. In this study we investigate the role of EZH2 in angiogenesis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).

METHODS

The influence of EZH2 on tumor angiogenesis was examined by bioinformatics analysis of a public database. We also assessed the correlation between EZH2 and vasohibin 1 (VASH1) expression in 47 patients with ICC by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and in vitro gene silencing assays. The prognostic significance of EZH2 and VASH1 expression by IHC was also examined in the ICC cohort.

RESULTS

Bioinformatics analysis showed that EZH2 was associated with several angiogenesis gene sets in the public database. EZH2 suppressed VASH1 expression in in vitro assays and IHC studies. EZH2-high/VASH1-low status was independently associated with poor disease-free survival (P = 0.019) and poor overall survival (P = 0.0055).

CONCLUSION

The current study demonstrated that high EZH2 expression was associated with activation of tumor angiogenesis, and activation of the EZH2-mediated angiogenesis pathway predicted the prognosis of patients with ICC.

Expression of vasohibin-1 and -2 predicts poor prognosis among patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus

Vasohibin (VASH) -1 and -2 are novel angiogenic regulators. The aim of the present study was to assess the prognostic values of VASH1 expression and VASH2 expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). A total of 209 patients with ESCC were investigated. Resected tumor specimens were immunostained using anti-CD34 antibody, anti-VASH1 antibody and anti-VASH2 antibody. The ratio of the microvessels density and the VASH1 density as the VASH1-positive ratio were defined and the patients were divided into two groups (a high VASH1 group and a low VASH1 group) according to the average value. The patients were also divided into two groups (a high VASH2 group and a low VASH2 group) according to VASH2 expression upon immunostaining. The clinical outcomes of these two groups were then evaluated. The high VASH1 group contained 106 patients (50.7%). The high VASH2 group contained 48 patients (23.0%). Long-term survival was significantly poorer in the high VASH1 group compared with that in the low VASH1 group. A slight correlation between VASH1 expression and VASH2 expression was observed. The low VASH1/low VASH2 group had a better prognosis than the other three groups with different combinations of VASH1 and VASH2 expression levels. The present study showed that high VASH1 expression and high VASH2 expression may be novel independent predictors of a poor prognosis in patients with ESCC and that a slight correlation between VASH1 and VASH2 expression existed. The present findings suggest that combined evaluation of VASH1 and VASH2 expression should provide an improved understanding of their clinicopathological features.

Association between TAp73, p53 and VASH1 expression in lung adenocarcinoma

TAp73 and p53 are involved in regulating tumor angiogenesis and vasohibin-1 (VASH1) is an anti-angiogenic factor. Whether TAp73 regulates angiogenesis positively or negatively is controversial. The status of P53 may determine the effect of TAp73 on angiogenesis. To the best of our knowledge it has not been previously reported whether TAp73, p53 and VASH1 are coexpressed in lung cancer. We profiled the association between TAp73 and p53 and VASH1 expression in lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) and investigated the function of TAp73 in regulating tumor angiogenesis. TAp73, p53 and VASH1 expression in 53 human LAC tissues and the adjacent normal tissues were evaluated using immunohistochemistry. The positive expression rates of p53, TAp73 and VASH1 were significantly higher (92.6, 97.7 and 67.4%, respectively) in LAC tissue compared with paraneoplastic lung tissue (7.4, 2.3 and 32.6%, respectively, P<0.01). Pearson's correlation coefficient showed a significant positive correlation between p53 and TAp73 (r=0.474, P<0.01) and TAp73α and VASH1 (r=0.367, P<0.01). The positive expression rate of p53 and VASH1 was almost significantly correlated (r=0.187, P=0.055). Similarly, p53 expression intensity had a significant positive correlation with TAp73α (r=0.517, P<0.01) and with VASH1 (r=0.277, P<0.01), as did TAp73α with VASH1 (r=0.351, P<0.01). TAp73, p53 (mutant) and VASH1 expression was significantly higher in LAC tissue compared with paraneoplastic lung tissue. The expression trends of the three proteins were significantly positively correlated with each other in LAC. These results suggest that TAp73 may suppress tumor angiogenesis in LAC.

Vasohibin 1 inhibits Adriamycin resistance in osteosarcoma cells via the protein kinase B signaling pathway

Vasohibin (VASH)1 functions as a negative feedback modulator of angiogenesis in vascular endothelial cells. Mesenchymal VASH1 has been demonstrated to be negatively associated with tumor progression, however studies regarding VASH1 in tumor cells and its functions remain limited. The function of VASH1 in osteosarcoma remains unknown. In the present study, it was confirmed that osteosarcoma cells express decreased levels of VASH1 compared with that expressed by human osteoblast cells. 143B cells with decreased VASH1 expression revealed increased Adriamycin (ADR) resistance compared with U-2OS cells with increased VASH1 expression. Subsequent to manipulating VASH1 expression via transfection, results revealed that overexpression of VASH1 in 143B cells inhibited P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression and ADR resistance significantly; silencing VASH1 in U-2OS cells enhanced P-gp expression and ADR resistance significantly. Research into the molecular mechanism was performed and the results identified that protein kinase B (AKT) and extracellular signal-related kinase signal pathways were both stimulated by VASH1, but only AKT inhibitor LY294002 was identified to efficiently counteract increases in P-gp expression that had been induced by silencing of VASH1 in U-2OS cells. ADR resistance promoted by silencing VASH1 in U-2OS cells was also counteracted by LY294002. In conclusion, the present study confirmed the low expression of VASH1 in osteosarcoma cells. It was identified that VASH1 was able to inhibit drug resistance in osteosarcoma cells through regulation of P-gp via the AKT signal pathway. This demonstrated a negative regulation function of VASH1 in osteosarcoma, deepened understanding of the function of VASH1 in tumors and suggests a basis for further studies in to the functions of VASH1.

Prognostic value of urokinase plasminogen activator system in non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Current relevant research suggests there are significant differences between the expression of the urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) system in cancer tissues and in normal tissues. However, the potential effectiveness of the uPA system as a prognostic biomarker of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. In the present study, a systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to evaluate the relevance of the uPA system in the prognosis of patients with NSCLC. Using the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases, data from relevant academic journal articles were extracted and subjected to analysis. Associations between expression profiles pertaining to the uPA system and the overall survival (OS) of patients with NSCLC were analyzed. The study incorporated data from 11 independent journal articles and these reports included a total of 937 patients with NSCLC. The meta-analysis results revealed that increased expression of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and PA inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) exhibited no significant association with poor OS [hazard ratio (HR)-uPA=1.07 (0.87-1.31), P=0.53; HR-PAI-1=1.02 (0.63-1.65), P=0.94]. Similarly, reduced expression of PAI type 2 (PAI-2) did not significantly correlate with poor OS [HR-PAI-2=1.58 (0.64-3.90); P=0.32]. Notably, however, a significant association was observed between increased expression levels of uPA receptor (uPAR) and poor OS for NSCLC [HR-uPAR=1.50 (1.04-2.15); P=0.03]. Therefore, the expression of uPAR in the uPA system of patients with NSCLC could be used as a novel clinical biomarker to evaluate the prognosis of NSCLC. The utilization of this biomarker may provide a platform for the further development of targeted drugs for the treatment of NSCLC.

The expression of vasohibin-1 and its prognostic significance in bladder cancer

Angiogenesis is important in the development of solid tumors. Vasohibin-1 (VASH-1) is an endothelium-derived protein that acts as an inhibitor of angiogenesis in many different types of cancer. However, the expression of VASH-1 and its clinical value in bladder cancer remain unknown. The current study analyzed the expression of VASH-1, as well as the expression of the angiogenesis-related factors vascular endothelial growth factor-A, hypoxia inducible factor-1α and cluster of differentiation 34 in bladder cancer tissues from 50 patients using immunohistochemistry. The associations between the expression of these factors and the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients were assessed. The current study demonstrated that VASH-1 is primarily expressed in the cytoplasm of bladder cancer cells and in a fraction of vascular endothelial cells. Furthermore, the expression of VASH-1 was positively associated with the tumor stage (P<0.01), pathological grade (P<0.01) and distant metastasis (P<0.05) but not with patient age or sex (P>0.05). Spearman rank correlation tests indicated that levels of those four factors were positively correlated with each other. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that high expression of these four factors was significantly associated with lower 5-year overall survival and progression-free survival rates. Collectively, the results of the current study suggest that VASH-1 is clinically significant in bladder cancer and its high expression may predict the progression and prognosis of patients with bladder cancer. The present study also implies that VASH-1 may be a novel target for vascular targeting therapy.

Clinical implications of vasohibin-1 in esophageal carcinoma cells: Inhibition of cell growth and migration

As one of the first-established negative feedback regulators of angiogenesis, mesenchymal vasohibin-1 (VASH1) serves important roles in the progression and prognosis of various types of tumor. However, the clinical implications of VASH1 in esophageal carcinoma (EC) cells have not been reported and the direct effects of VASH1 on EC cells remain unknown. In the present study, the expression of VASH1 in EC cells was observed using immunohistochemistry and western blotting; a χ2 test was used to analyze the correlation of VASH1 with clinical parameters, and it was observed that VASH1 was negatively-correlated with tumor size (r=‑0.399; P<0.01) and invasion depth (r=‑0.318; P<0.01). Survival analysis demonstrated that VASH1 was positively‑correlated with increased overall survival (P=0.039) and disease free survival (P=0.012). The direct effects of VASH1 on EC cells were analyzed by altering VASH1 expression, and it was observed that downregulation of VASH1 increased proliferation, clone formation and the migratory ability of EC9706 cells, whereas upregulation of VASH1 inhibited proliferation, clone formation and the migratory ability of EC1 cells. The results of the present study demonstrated that VASH1 in EC cells was negatively‑correlated with progression and poor prognosis of patients with EC. VASH1 was able to directly inhibit the growth and migration of EC cells.

[Molecular biological predictors for kidney cancer]

The paper considers the data available in the modern literature on studies of potential molecular predictors for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Investigations of cell death markers, namely; Bcl-2 as an inhibitor of apoptosis, are of interest. Its high expression correlates with a more favorable prognosis. Inactivation of Berclin 1 that is an authophagy indicator in intact tissues gives rise to t high risk for tumorigenesis. At the same time, high Beclin 1 expression in the tissue of the tumor itself results in the lower efficiency of performed chemotherapy. Excess annexin A2 in the tumor promotes the growth and invasion of cancer cells. Patients with tumor over-expression of SAM68 protein involved in cell proliferation have a lower overall survival rate. The lifespan of patients without distinct metastases survive significantly longer in the overexpression of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM). High PD-L1 protein expression on the cell membrane is considered to be a potential marker of effective immunotherapy for RCC.

Novel Link between Inhibition of Angiogenesis and Tolerance to Vascular Stress

The functional integrity of the vascular endothelium is an essential component required for the maintenance of vascular health, thus counteracting the onset of vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and vascular complications of diabetes. In light of this important role, the vascular endothelium is expected to have a self-defense system. One candidate factor of such a system is vasohibin-1 (VASH1), a protein that is preferentially expressed in vascular endothelial cells (ECs). The unique features of VASH1 are its anti-angiogenic activity and ability to promote the stress tolerance and survival of ECs. This review summarizes current knowledge regarding VASH1 in terms of its roles in maintaining vascular integrity and protecting the vasculature against various forms of stress.