Overexpression of Jumonji AT-rich interactive domain 1B and PHD finger protein 2 is involved in the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Lysine demethylase 5B (KDM5B): A key regulator of cancer drug resistance

Chemoresistance, a roadblock in the chemotherapy process, has been impeding its effective treatment. KDM5B, a member of the histone demethylase family, has been crucial in the emergence and growth of malignancies. More significantly, KDM5B has recently been linked closely to cancer's resistance to chemotherapy. In this review, we explain the biological properties of KDM5B, its function in the emergence and evolution of cancer treatment resistance, and our hopes for future drug resistance-busting combinations involving KDM5B and related targets or medications.

Discovery of a novel 1H-pyrazole- [3,4-b] pyridine-based lysine demethylase 5B inhibitor with potential anti-prostate cancer activity that perturbs the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT pathway

Lysine demethylase 5B (KDM5B) is a member of the Jumonji AT-rich interactive domain 1 family. Its main function is to demethylate di/trimethyl histone H3 lysine 4 and it plays a crucial role in the occurrence and development of cancer. In this study, we performed structure-based optimization of KDM5B inhibitors based on our previous work and the most active compound we synthesized was 11ad. Molecular modeling studies and thermal shift assays revealed that 11ad specifically targets KDM5B at the molecular and cellular levels. Crucially, 11ad demonstrated good pharmacokinetic properties and anti-prostate cancer activity in a xenograft model. Furthermore, unexpectedly, the specificity of 11ad for prostate cancer was found to be related to its inhibition of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT pathway. This is the first report of a KDM5B inhibitor affecting this pathway. Taken together, our findings indicate that 11ad is a novel KDM5B inhibitor that may serve as a lead compound for the development of treatments for prostate cancer.

KDM7 Demethylases: Regulation, Function and Therapeutic Targeting

It was more than a decade ago that PHF8, KDM7A/JHDM1D and PHF2 were first proposed to be a histone demethylase family and were named as KDM7 (lysine demethylase) family. Since then, knowledge of their demethylation activities, roles as co-regulators of transcription and roles in development and diseases such as cancer has been steadily growing. The demethylation activities of PHF8 and KDM7A toward various methylated histones including H3K9me2/1, H3K27me2 and H4K20me1 have been identified and proven in various cell types. In contrast, PHF2, due to a mutation of a key residue in an iron-binding domain, demethylates H3K9me2 upon PKA-mediated phosphorylation. Interestingly, it was reported that PHF2 possesses an unusual H4K20me3 demethylation activity, which was not observed for PHF8 and KDM7A. PHF8 has been most extensively studied with respect to its roles in development and oncogenesis, revealing that it contributes to regulation of the cell cycle, cell viability and cell migration. Moreover, accumulating lines of evidence demonstrated that the KDM7 family members are subjected to post-transcriptional and post-translational regulations, leading to a higher horizon for evaluating their actual protein expression and functions in development and cancer. This chapter provides a general view of the current understanding of the regulation and functions of the KDM7 family and discusses their potential as therapeutic targets in cancer as well as perspectives for further studies.

Diverse Functions of KDM5 in Cancer: Transcriptional Repressor or Activator?

Epigenetic modifications are crucial for chromatin remodeling and transcriptional regulation. Post-translational modifications of histones are epigenetic processes that are fine-tuned by writer and eraser enzymes, and the disorganization of these enzymes alters the cellular state, resulting in human diseases. The KDM5 family is an enzymatic family that removes di- and tri-methyl groups (me2 and me3) from lysine 4 of histone H3 (H3K4), and its dysregulation has been implicated in cancer. Although H3K4me3 is an active chromatin marker, KDM5 proteins serve as not only transcriptional repressors but also transcriptional activators in a demethylase-dependent or -independent manner in different contexts. Notably, KDM5 proteins regulate the H3K4 methylation cycle required for active transcription. Here, we review the recent findings regarding the mechanisms of transcriptional regulation mediated by KDM5 in various contexts, with a focus on cancer, and further shed light on the potential of targeting KDM5 for cancer therapy.

HIF-1α-mediated augmentation of miRNA-18b-5p facilitates proliferation and metastasis in osteosarcoma through attenuation PHF2

Extensive evidence has explored the involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) in osteosarcoma (OS). Limitedly, the concrete function of microRNA-18b-5p (miR-18b-5p) in OS remains unexplored and largely elusive. Here, we validated that miR-18b-5p significantly elevated in OS via analyzing the data from GEO database. The results showed that miR-18b-5p was overexpressed in human OS tissues and cell lines. The clinical evidence suggested that high level of miR-18b-5p was negatively correlated with the poor prognosis of OS. Meanwhile, miR-18b-5p upregulation facilitated the proliferation and metastasis of OS cells in vitro and in vivo. The mechanism exploration demonstrated that miR-18b-5p acted as a potential inhibitor of PHF2, a tumor suppressor gene, at post-transcriptional level. Moreover, hypoxia induced gene expression of miR-18b-5p was clarified to be transcriptionally mediated by HIF-1α. The clinicopathological analysis in samples of OS patients further supported that miR-18b-5p had a positive correlation with HIF-1α expression, and negative correlation with PHF2. Collectively, the present study uncovered a new molecular mechanism of OS tumorigenesis and development and miR-18b-5p might be a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for OS treatment.

PHF2 regulates homology-directed DNA repair by controlling the resection of DNA double strand breaks

Post-translational histone modifications and chromatin remodelling play a critical role controlling the integrity of the genome. Here, we identify histone lysine demethylase PHF2 as a novel regulator of the DNA damage response by regulating DNA damage-induced focus formation of 53BP1 and BRCA1, critical factors in the pathway choice for DNA double strand break repair. PHF2 knockdown leads to impaired BRCA1 focus formation and delays the resolution of 53BP1 foci. Moreover, irradiation-induced RPA phosphorylation and focus formation, as well as localization of CtIP, required for DNA end resection, to sites of DNA lesions are affected by depletion of PHF2. These results are indicative of a defective resection of double strand breaks and thereby an impaired homologous recombination upon PHF2 depletion. In accordance with these data, Rad51 focus formation and homology-directed double strand break repair is inhibited in cells depleted for PHF2. Importantly, we demonstrate that PHF2 knockdown decreases CtIP and BRCA1 protein and mRNA levels, an effect that is dependent on the demethylase activity of PHF2. Furthermore, PHF2-depleted cells display genome instability and are mildly sensitive to the inhibition of PARP. Together these results demonstrate that PHF2 promotes DNA repair by homologous recombination by controlling CtIP-dependent resection of double strand breaks.

Targeting histone demethylase KDM5B for cancer treatment

KDM5B (Lysine-Specific Demethylase 5B) erases the methyl group from H3K4me2/3, which performs wide regulatory effects on chromatin structure, and represses the transcriptional function of genes. KDM5B functions as an oncogene and associates with human cancers closely. Targeting KDM5B has been a promising direction for curing cancer since the emergence of potent KDM5B inhibitor CPI-455. In this area, most reported KDM5B inhibitors are Fe (Ⅱ) chelators, which also compete with the cofactor 2-OG in the active pockets. Besides, Some KDM5B inhibitors have been identified through high throughput screening or biochemical screening. In this reviewing article, we summarized the pioneering progress in KDM5B to provide a comprehensive realization, including crystal structure, transcriptional regulation function, cancer-related functions, development of inhibitors, and SAR studies. We hope to provide a comprehensive overview of KDM5B and the development of KDM5B inhibitors.

Epigenetic Alterations in Oesophageal Cancer: Expression and Role of the Involved Enzymes

Oesophageal cancer is a life-threatening disease, accounting for high mortality rates. The poor prognosis of this malignancy is mostly due to late diagnosis and lack of effective therapies for advanced disease. Epigenetic alterations may constitute novel and attractive therapeutic targets, owing to their ubiquity in cancer and their reversible nature. Herein, we offer an overview of the most important studies which compared differences in expression of enzymes that mediate epigenetic alterations between oesophageal cancer and normal mucosa, as well as in vitro data addressing the role of these genes/proteins in oesophageal cancer. Furthermore, The Cancer Genome Atlas database was interrogated for the correlation between expression of these epigenetic markers and standard clinicopathological features. We concluded that most epigenetic players studied thus far are overexpressed in tumours compared to normal tissue. Furthermore, functional assays suggest an oncogenic role for most of those enzymes, supporting their potential as therapeutic targets in oesophageal cancer.

MiR-137 inhibits cell proliferation in acute lymphoblastic leukemia by targeting JARID1B

AIM

This study aimed to investigate the possible functions of interaction between JARID1B and miR-137 in ALL.

METHODS

The levels of H3K4me3 and H3K4me2 and the expression of JARID1B and miR-137 were analyzed in six ALL cell lines and 30 ALL patients. The effects of miR-137 and JARID1B on cell proliferation and apoptosis were investigated by silencing or promoting the respective genes. The interaction between miR-137 and JARID1B was confirmed by double-luciferase report assay.

RESULTS

The histone H3K4 expressions and miR-137 expression were lower in 30 ALL patients and in six ALL cell lines, while the expression of JARID1B was elevated. A negative correlation was observed between JARID1B and miR-137. Over-expression of miR-137 led to decreasing cell proliferation and increasing apoptosis in MOLT-4 and BALL-1 cells. MiR-137 inhibitor up-regulated JARID1B in these two cell lines, while promoted proliferation in BALL-1 cells only. Dual-luciferase report assay suggested that JARID1B was a direct target of miR-137 in ALL cell lines.

CONCLUSIONS

The expression of miR-137 was declined in ALL, and JARID1B was directly repressed by miR-137. Aberrant JARID1B expression could result in abnormal histone methylation, which might be one cause of ALL.

MiR-221 Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Migration via Targeting PHF2

MicroRNAs (MiRNAs), which regulate the gene expression leading to translational inhibition or mRNA degradation, are involved in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. Previous studies have demonstrated that miR-221 was one of the most consistent overexpressed miRNAs in several types of cancer. However, the role of miR-221 in human liver cancer progression is not yet fully elucidated. Levels of miR-221 and plant homeodomain finger 2 (PHF2) expressions in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and cell lines were detected using western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Cell migration was studied using the transwell assays. A dual-luciferase reporter system was used to validate the target gene of miR-221. The results indicated that miR-221 promoted HCC cell migration. By performing subsequent systematic bioinformatic analyses, we found PHF2 was the target gene of miR-221 and the direct binding relationship was further validated by dual-luciferase reporter assay. In addition, lower expression of PHF2 promoted HCC cell migration and linked to worse overall survival in HCC patients. Finally, the negative correlation between miR-221 and PHF2 expression levels in HCC specimens was further confirmed. Taken together, our findings implied that miR-221 could be a potential candidate for the therapeutics of HCC metastasis.

SNHG1 promotes malignant biological behaviors of glioma cells via microRNA-154-5p/miR-376b-3p- FOXP2- KDM5B participating positive feedback loop

Background

Long non-coding RNAs has been reported in tumorigenesis and play important roles in regulating malignant behavior of cancers, including glioma.

Methods

According to the TCGA database, we identified SNHG1, miRNA-154-5p and miR-376b-3p whose expression were significantly changed in the glioma samples. Furthermore, we investigated SNHG1, miRNA-154-5p and miR-376b-3p expression in clinical samples and glioma cell lines using qRT-PCR analysis and the correlation between them using RNA immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferase reporter. The underlying mechanisms of SNHG1 in glioma were also investigated using immunohistochemistry staining, Western blotting, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and RNA pulldown. Cell Counting Kit-8, transwell assays, and flow cytometry were used to investigate malignant biological behaviors.

Results

We have elucidated the potential molecular mechanism of long non-coding RNA SNHG1 regulating the malignant behavior of glioma cells by binding to microRNA-154-5p or miR-376b-3p. Moreover, our deep-going results showed that FOXP2 existed as a direct downstream target of both microRNA-154-5p and miR-376b-3p; FOXP2 increased promoter activities and enhanced the expression of the oncogenic gene KDM5B; and KDM5B also acts as a RNA-binding protein to maintain the stability of SNHG1.

Conclusion

Collectively, this study demonstrates that the SNHG1- microRNA-154-5p/miR-376b-3p- FOXP2- KDM5B feedback loop plays a pivotal role in regulating the malignant behavior of glioma cells.

Graphical abstract

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13046-019-1063-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Histone demethylase lysine demethylase 5B in development and cancer

Histone methylation is one of the most important chromatin posttranslational modifications. It has a range of influences on nuclear functions including epigenetic inheritance, transcriptional regulation and the maintenance of genome integrity. Changes in histone methylation status take part in various physiological and pathological processes. KDM5B (lysine demethylase 5B, also called JARID1B or PLU-1) encodes the histone H3 lysine4 (H3K4) demethylase and exhibits a strong transcriptional repression activity. KDM5B plays a role in cell differentiation, stem cell self-renewal and other developmental progresses. Recent studies showed that KDM5B expression was increased in breast, bladder, lung, prostate and many other tumors and promotes tumor initiation, invasion and metastasis. Given its association with tumor progression and prognosis of cancer patients, KDM5B was proposed to be a novel target for the prevention and treatment of human cancers. In this review, we will summarize recent advances in our understanding of the regulation and function of KDM5B in development and cancer.

The prognostic significance of nuclear expression of PHF2 and C/EBPα in clear cell renal cell carcinoma with consideration of adipogenic metabolic evolution

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common subtype of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and it has an unfavourable prognosis compared to other RCCs. Plant homeodomain finger 2 (PHF2) and CCATT/enhancer binding protein α (C/EBPα) play a role in the epigenetic regulation of adipogenesis, and their tumour suppressive functions have been elucidated. This study aimed to assess the nuclear expression of PHF2 and C/EBPα in ccRCC and to evaluate their role in pathogenesis and prognosis. The nuclear expression of PHF2 and C/EBPα was evaluated in 344 cases of ccRCC by immunohistochemistry, and adipogenesis was assessed based on cytoplasmic features. Low expression was significantly associated with a larger tumour size, higher WHO/ISUP grade, high pT, pM, and advanced pTNM stage. Additionally, the expression level was correlated with the cytoplasmic features of ccRCC. The low expression group had significantly shorter cancer-specific and progression-free survival times. Furthermore, multivariate analysis showed that the combination of PHF2 and C/EBPα expression as an independent prognostic factor for cancer-specific and progression-free survival. In conclusion, our results suggest that nuclear expression of PHF2 and C/EBPα may serve as a prognostic marker and that the oncogenic metabolic shift has progressed in ccRCC patients.

Targeting JARID1B's demethylase activity blocks a subset of its functions in oral cancer

Upregulation of the H3K4me3 demethylase JARID1B is linked to acquisition of aggressive, stem cell-like features by many cancer types. However, the utility of emerging JARID1 family inhibitors remains uncertain, in part because JARID1B’s functions in normal development and malignancy are diverse and highly context-specific. In this study, responses of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) to catalytic inhibition of JARID1B were assessed using CPI-455, the first tool compound with true JARID1 family selectivity. CPI-455 attenuated clonal sphere and tumor formation by stem-like cells that highly express JARID1B while also depleting the CD44-positive and Aldefluor-high fractions conventionally used to designate OSCC stem cells. Silencing JARID1B abrogated CPI-455’s effects on sphere formation, supporting that the drug acted through this isoform. To further delineate CPI-455’s capacity to block JARID1B’s functions, its biologic effects were compared against those indicated by pathway analysis of the transcriptional profile produced by JARID1B knockdown. Downregulation of multiple gene sets related to stem cell function was consistent with the drug’s observed actions. However, strong E-Cadherin upregulation seen upon silencing JARID1B surprisingly could not be reproduced using CPI-455. Expressing a demethylase-inactive mutant of JARID1B demonstrated suppression of this transcript to be demethylase-independent, and the capacity of mutant JARID1B but not CPI-455 to modulate invasion provided a functional correlate of this finding. These results show that JARID1B catalytic inhibition effectively targets some stem cell-like features of malignancy but also reveal demethylase-independent actions refractory to inhibition. Future application of JARID1 inhibitors in combinatorial use for cancer therapy may be guided by these findings.

Implication of PHF2 Expression in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Background

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) is presumed to be associated with adipogenic differentiation. Histone modification is known to be important for adipogenesis, and the function of histone demethylase plant homeodomain finger 2 (PHF2) has been noted. In addition, PHF2 may act as a tumor suppressor via epigenetic regulation of p53 and is reported to be reduced in colon cancer and stomach cancer tissues. In this study, we examined PHF2 expression in CCRCC specimens by immunohistochemistry.

Methods

We studied 254 CCRCCs and 56 non-neoplastic renal tissues from patients who underwent radical or partial nephrectomy between 2000 and 2003 at the Seoul National University Hospital. Tissue microarray blocks were prepared, and immunohistochemical staining for PHF2 was performed.

Results

Among 254 CCRCC cases, 150 cases (59.1%) showed high expression and 104 cases (40.1%) showed low expression. High expression of PHF2 was significantly correlated with a low Fuhrman nuclear grade (p < .001), smaller tumor size (p < .001), low overall stage (p = .003), longer cancer-specific survival (p = .002), and progression-free survival (p < .001) of the patients. However, it was not an independent prognostic factor in multivariate analysis adjusted for Fuhrman nuclear grade and overall stage.

Conclusions

Our study showed that low expression of PHF2 is associated with aggressiveness and poor prognosis of CCRCC.

Original Research: miR-194 inhibits proliferation and invasion and promotes apoptosis by targeting KDM5B in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells

Increasing evidence suggests that miR-194 is down-regulated in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tumor tissue. However, the role and underlying mechanism of miR-194 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma have not been well defined. We used DIANA, TargetScan and miRanda to perform target prediction analysis and found KDM5B is a potential target of miR-194. Based on these findings, we speculated that miR-194 might play a role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma development and progression by regulation the expression of KDM5B. We detected the expression of miR-194 and KDM5B by quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot assays, respectively, and found down-regulation of miR-194 and up-regulation of KDM5B existed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. By detecting proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of TE6 and TE14 cells transfected with miR-194 mimics or mimic control, miR-194 was found to inhibit proliferation and invasion and promote apoptosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells. miR-194 was further verified to regulate proliferation, apoptosis and invasion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells by directly targeting KDM5B. Furthermore, animal studies were performed and showed that overexpression of miR-194 inhibited the growth of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tumors in vivo. These results confirmed our speculation that miR-194 targets KDM5B to inhibit esophageal squamous cell carcinoma development and progression. These findings offer new clues for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma development and progression and novel potential therapeutic targets for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Jumonji histone demethylases as emerging therapeutic targets

The methylation status of lysine residues in histones determines the transcription of surrounding genes by modulating the chromatin architecture. Jumonji domain-containing histone-lysine demethylases (Jmj-KDMs) remove the methyl moiety from lysine residues in histones by utilizing Fe(2+) and α-ketoglutarate. Since genetic alterations in Jmj-KDMs occur in various human cancers, the roles of Jmj-KDMs in cancer development and progression have been investigated, but still controversial. The KDM7 subfamily, which belongs to the Jmj-KDM family, is an emerging class of transcriptional coactivators because its members erase the repressive marks H3K9me2/1, H3K27me2/1, and H4K20 me1. Recently, KDM7C (alternatively named PHF2) was discovered as a new KDM7 member and identified to play a tumor-suppressive role through the reinforcement of p53-driven growth arrest and apoptosis. In this article, we generally reviewed the roles of Jmj-KDMs in human cancers and more discussed the molecular functions and the clinical significances of KDM7C.

A three-protein signature and clinical outcome in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Current staging is inadequate to precisely predict clinical outcome of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and determine treatment choices, which vary from operation alone to intensive multimodal regimens. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prognostic values of an immunohistochemistry-based three-protein signature model in patients with ESCC. We determined the protein expression of Annexin II, cofilin 1, ezrin, fascin, kindlin-2, moesin, MTSS1, myosin-9, profilin-1, Rac1, radixin, ROCK2, talin, tensin and villin 1 in a test cohort including 110 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded esophageal curative resection specimens by tissue microarrays (TMAs). A three-protein signature elicited from the protein cluster, Annexin II, kindlin-2, and myosin-9, was validated by TMAs on an independent cohort of 147 specimens. The expression of three-protein signature was highly predictive of ESCC overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in both generation and validation datasets. Regression analysis shows that this three-protein signature is an independent predictor for OS and DFS. Furthermore, the predictive ability of these 3 biomarkers in combination is more robust than that of each individual biomarker. This study demonstrates a clinically applicable prognostic model that accurately predicts ESCC patient survival and/or tumor recurrence, and thus could serve as a complement to current risk stratification approaches.

The histone demethylase PHF2 promotes fat cell differentiation as an epigenetic activator of both C/EBPα and C/EBPδ

Histone modifications on major transcription factor target genes are one of the major regulatory mechanisms controlling adipogenesis. Plant homeodomain finger 2 (PHF2) is a Jumonji domain-containing protein and is known to demethylate the histone H3K9, a repressive gene marker. To better understand the function of PHF2 in adipocyte differentiation, we constructed stable PHF2 knock-down cells by using the mouse pre-adipocyte cell line 3T3-L1. When induced with adipogenic media, PHF2 knock-down cells showed reduced lipid accumulation compared to control cells. Differential expression using a cDNA microarray revealed significant reduction of metabolic pathway genes in the PHF2 knock-down cell line after differentiation. The reduced expression of major transcription factors and adipokines was confirmed with reverse transcription- quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. We further performed co-immunoprecipitation analysis of PHF2 with four major adipogenic transcription factors, and we found that CCATT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP)α and C/EBPδ physically interact with PHF2. In addition, PHF2 binding to target gene promoters was confirmed with a chromatin immunoprecipitation experiment. Finally, histone H3K9 methylation markers on the PHF2-binding sequences were increased in PHF2 knock-down cells after differentiation. Together, these results demonstrate that PHF2 histone demethylase controls adipogenic gene expression during differentiation.

A molecular prognostic model predicts esophageal squamous cell carcinoma prognosis

BACKGROUND

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has the highest mortality rates in China. The 5-year survival rate of ESCC remains dismal despite improvements in treatments such as surgical resection and adjuvant chemoradiation, and current clinical staging approaches are limited in their ability to effectively stratify patients for treatment options. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to develop an immunohistochemistry-based prognostic model to improve clinical risk assessment for patients with ESCC.

METHODS

We developed a molecular prognostic model based on the combined expression of axis of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), phosphorylated Specificity protein 1 (p-Sp1), and Fascin proteins. The presence of this prognostic model and associated clinical outcomes were analyzed for 130 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded esophageal curative resection specimens (generation dataset) and validated using an independent cohort of 185 specimens (validation dataset).

RESULTS

The expression of these three genes at the protein level was used to build a molecular prognostic model that was highly predictive of ESCC survival in both generation and validation datasets (P = 0.001). Regression analysis showed that this molecular prognostic model was strongly and independently predictive of overall survival (hazard ratio = 2.358 [95% CI, 1.391-3.996], P = 0.001 in generation dataset; hazard ratio = 1.990 [95% CI, 1.256-3.154], P = 0.003 in validation dataset). Furthermore, the predictive ability of these 3 biomarkers in combination was more robust than that of each individual biomarker.

CONCLUSIONS

This technically simple immunohistochemistry-based molecular model accurately predicts ESCC patient survival and thus could serve as a complement to current clinical risk stratification approaches.

Recent advances in the ARID family: focusing on roles in human cancer

The human AT-rich interaction domain (ARID) family contains seven subfamilies and 15 members characterized by having an ARID. Members of the ARID family have the ability to regulate transcription and are involved in cell differentiation and proliferation. Accumulating evidence suggests that ARID family members are involved in cancer-related signaling pathways, highly mutated or differentially expressed in tumor tissues, and act as predictive factors for cancer prognosis or therapeutic outcome. Here we review the molecular biology and clinical studies concerned with the role played by the ARID family in cancer. This may contribute to our understanding of the initiation and progression of cancer from a novel point of view, as well as providing potential targets for cancer therapy.

A four actin-binding protein signature model for poor prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The actin cytoskeleton is a dynamic structure with actin-binding proteins (ABPs) playing an essential role in the regulation of migration, differentiation and signal transduction in all eukaryotic cells. We examined the relationship between altered expression of four ABPs and clinical parameters in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). To this end, we analyzed 152 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded esophageal curative resection specimens by immunohistochemistry for tensin, profilin-1, villin-1 and talin. A molecular predictor model, based on the combined expression of the four proteins, was developed to correlate the expression pattern of the four ABPs with clinical factors and prognosis of ESCC. According to the results, weak significance was found for tensin in lymph node metastasis (P=0.033), and profilin-1 in pTNM stage (P=0.031). However, our four-protein model showed strong correlation with the 5-year overall survival rate (P=0.002). Similarly, Kendall's tau-b test also showed the relationship between the collective expression pattern of the four ABPs with lymph node metastasis (P=0.005) and pTNM stage (P=0.001). Our results demonstrate that the collective protein expression pattern of four actin-binding proteins could be a biomarker to estimate the prognosis of ESCC patients.