Is CD147 a New Biomarker Reflecting Histological Malignancy of Gliomas?

Combination Therapy With CD147-Targeted Nanoparticles Carrying Phenformin Decreases Lung Cancer Growth

Lung cancer is one of the most fatal cancers worldwide. Resistance to conventional therapies remains a hindrance to patient treatment. Therefore, the development of more effective anti-cancer therapeutic strategies is imperative. Solid tumors exhibit a hyperglycolytic phenotype, leading to enhanced lactate production; and, consequently, its extrusion to the tumor microenvironment. Previous data reveals that inhibition of CD147, the chaperone of lactate transporters (MCTs), decreases lactate export in lung cancer cells and sensitizes them to phenformin, leading to a drastic decrease in cell growth. In this study, the development of anti-CD147 targeted liposomes (LUVs) carrying phenformin is envisioned, and their efficacy is evaluated to eliminate lung cancer cells. Herein, the therapeutic effect of free phenformin and anti-CD147 antibody, as well as the efficacy of anti-CD147 LUVs carrying phenformin on A549, H292, and PC-9 cell growth, metabolism, and invasion, are evaluated. Data reveals that phenformin decreases 2D and 3D-cancer cell growth and that the anti-CD147 antibody reduces cell invasion. Importantly, anti-CD147 LUVs carrying phenformin are internalized by cancer cells and impaired lung cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Overall, these results provide evidence for the effectiveness of anti-CD147 LUVs carrying phenformin in compromising lung cancer cell aggressiveness.

Elevated CD147 expression is associated with shorter overall survival in non-small cell lung cancer

A number of studies have reported on the prognostic role of CD147 expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, the results remain controversial. This study aims to investigate the impact of CD147 on the prognosis of NSCLC by means of a meta-analysis. A literature search was performed for relevant studies published before October 29, 2016. The hazard ratios (HRs), odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated as effective measures. Sensitivity analysis and publication bias examination were also conducted. Ten eligible studies with a total of 1605 patients were included in this meta-analysis. CD147 overexpression was correlated with poor overall survival (OS) (HR=1.59, 95% CI=1.32-1.91, p<0.001). Elevated CD147 expression was associated with the presence of lymph node metastasis (OR=2.31, 95% CI=1.74-3.07, p<0.001) and advanced TNM stage (OR=3.03, 95% CI=1.24-7.39, p=0.015). However, no significant association between CD147 and sex, age, differentiation, or histology was found. No evidence of significant publication bias was identified. This meta-analysis revealed that overexpression of CD147 was associated with shorter OS, the presence of lymph node metastasis and advanced TNM stage in NSCLC. Therefore, CD147 could serve as a potential prognostic marker for NSCLC.

Basigin expression as a prognostic indicator in stage I pulmonary adenocarcinoma

We established the KU-Lu-8 monoclonal antibody (MoAb) using a lung cancer cell line as an antigen and a random immunization method. The KU-Lu-8 MoAb recognizes basigin (BSG), which is a transmembrane-type glycoprotein that is strongly expressed on the cell membranes of lung cancer cells. This study aimed to clarify the relationships between BSG expression and clinicopathological parameters and determine the prognostic significance of BSG expression in pulmonary adenocarcinoma (AC) patients. To evaluate the significance of BSG expression in lung cancer, we immunohistochemically analyzed 113 surgically resected pulmonary adenocarcinomas, and the associations between BSG expression and various clinicopathological parameters were evaluated. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the effects of BSG expression on survival. Clinicopathologically, BSG expression was significantly associated with tumor differentiation, vascular invasion, lymphatic invasion, and a poor prognosis. In particular, BSG expression was significantly correlated with poorer survival in patients with stage I AC. The high BSG expression group (compared with the low BSG expression group) exhibited adjusted hazard ratios for mortality of 4.694. BSG expression is indicative of a poor prognosis in AC patients, particularly in those with stage I disease.

Human Cytomegalovirus Encoded miR-US25-1-5p Attenuates CD147/EMMPRIN-Mediated Early Antiviral Response

Cellular receptor-mediated signaling pathways play critical roles during the initial immune response to Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. However, the involvement of type-I transmembrane glycoprotein CD147/EMMPRIN (extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer) in the antiviral response to HCMV infection is still unknown. Here, we demonstrated the specific knockdown of CD147 significantly decreased HCMV-induced activation of NF-κB and Interferon-beta (IFN-β), which contribute to the cellular antiviral responses. Next, we confirmed that HCMV-encoded miR-US25-1-5p could target the 3′ UTR (Untranslated Region) of CD147 mRNA, and thus facilitate HCMV lytic propagation at a low multiplicity of infection (MOI). The expression and secretion of Cyclophilin A (sCyPA), as a ligand for CD147 and a proinflammatory cytokine, were up-regulated in response to HCMV stimuli. Finally, we confirmed that CD147 mediated HCMV-triggered antiviral signaling via the sCyPA-CD147-ERK (extracellular regulated protein kinases)/NF-κB axis signaling pathway. These findings reveal an important HCMV mechanism for evading antiviral innate immunity through its encoded microRNA by targeting transmembrane glycoprotein CD147, and a potential cause of HCMV inflammatory disorders due to the secretion of proinflammatory cytokine CyPA.

CD147 and glioma: a meta-analysis

Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors. This meta-analysis aimed to systematically evaluate the relationship between CD147 expression in tissues and the clinicopathological features of patients with glioma. We searched PubMed (1966-2016), EMBASE (1980-2016), Cochrane Library (1996-2016), Web of Science (1945-2016), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (1982-2016), and Wan Fang databases (1988-2016). Quality assessment of the literature was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, with Revman 5.3 and Stata 14.0 for analysis. In total, 1806 glioma patients from 19 studies were included, and patients with CD147 overexpression had poorer overall survival [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.211, P < 0.0001], a higher risk of recurrence (HR = 2.20, P = 0.0025), and a lower 5-year survival rate [odds ratio (OR) 0.12; 95% CI 0.08-0.19; P < 0.00001]. We observed significant differences in CD147 expression when comparing glioma tissues versus non-cancerous brain tissues (OR 20.42; 95% CI 13.94-29.91; P < 0.00001), tumor grades III-IV versus grades I-II (OR 5.88, 95% CI 4.15-8.34; P < 0.00001), and large versus small tumors (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.04-2.40; P = 0.03). We also observed a significant correlation with matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2 (OR 39.11, 95% CI 11.47-133.34; P < 0.00001) and MMP9 (OR 13.35, 95% CI 4.67-38.18; P < 0.00001). CD147 expression did not differ based on patient's age (young vs. old, P = 0.89) or gender (female vs. male, P = 0.57). CD147 expression may be a potential prognostic biomarker for poorer overall and relapse-free survival, and may affect the 5-year survival rate in glioma patients. CD147 expression is also closely correlated with poor clinical characteristics in glioma patients.