Reactivation of BMP signaling by suboptimal concentrations of MEK inhibitor and FK506 reduces organ-specific breast cancer metastasis

A Novel Method for the Early Detection of Single Circulating, Metastatic and Self-Seeding Cancer Cells in Orthotopic Breast Cancer Mouse Models

BACKGROUND

Metastasis is the main cause of cancer-related deaths, but efficient targeted therapies against metastasis are still missing. Major gaps exist in our understanding of the metastatic cascade, as existing methods cannot combine sensitivity, robustness, and practicality to dissect cancer progression. Addressing this issue requires improved strategies to distinguish early metastatic colonization from metastatic outgrowth.

METHODS

Luciferase-labelled MDA-MB-231, MCF7, and 4T1 breast cancer cells were spiked into samples from tumour-naïve mice to establish the limit of detection for disseminated tumour cells. Luciferase-labelled breast cancer cells (±unlabelled cancer-associated fibroblasts; CAFs) were orthotopically implanted in immunocompromised mice. An ex vivo luciferase assay was used to quantify tumour cell dissemination.

RESULTS

In vitro luciferase assay confirmed a linear and positive correlation between cancer cell numbers and the bioluminescence detected at single cell level in blood, brain, lung, liver, and mammary fat pad samples. Remarkably, single luciferase-labelled cancer cells were detectable in all of these sites, as the bioluminescence quantified in the analysed samples was substantially higher than background levels. Ex vivo, circulating tumour cells, metastasis, and tumour self-seeding were detected in all samples from animals implanted with highly metastatic luciferase-labelled MDA-MB-231 cells. In turn, detection of poorly metastatic luciferase-labelled MCF7 cells was scarce but significantly enhanced upon co-implantation with CAFs as early as 20 days after the experiment was initiated.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate the feasibility of using an ultrasensitive luciferase-based method to dissect the mechanisms of early metastatic colonization to improving the development of antimetastatic therapies.

Loss of tumor-derived SMAD4 enhances primary tumor growth but not metastasis following BMP4 signalling

BACKGROUND

Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) is a potent inhibitor of breast cancer metastasis. However, a tumor-promoting effect of BMP4 is reported in other tumor types, especially when SMAD4 is inactive.

METHODS

To assess the requirement for SMAD4 in BMP4-mediated suppression of metastasis, we knocked down SMAD4 in two different breast tumors and enforced SMAD4 expression in a third line with endogenous SMAD4 deletion. In addition, we assessed the requirement for SMAD4 in tumor cell-specific BMP signalling by expression of a constitutively active BMP receptor. Delineation of genes regulated by BMP4 in the presence or absence of SMAD4 was assessed by RNA sequencing and a BMP4-induced gene, MYO1F was assessed for its role in metastasis. Genes regulated by BMP4 and/or SMAD4 were assessed in a publicly available database of gene expression profiles of breast cancer patients.

RESULTS

In the absence of SMAD4, BMP4 promotes primary tumor growth that is accompanied by increased expression of genes associated with DNA replication, cell cycle, and MYC signalling pathways. Despite increased primary tumor growth, BMP4 suppresses metastasis in the absence of tumor cell expression of SMAD4. Consistent with the anti-metastatic activity of BMP4, enforced signalling through the constitutively active receptor in SMAD4 positive tumors that lacked BMP4 expression still suppressed metastasis, but in the absence of SMAD4, the suppression of metastasis was largely prevented. Thus BMP4 is required for suppression of metastasis regardless of tumor SMAD4 status. The BMP4 upregulated gene, MYO1F, was shown to be a potent suppressor of breast cancer metastasis. Gene signature upregulated by BMP4 in the absence of SMAD4 was associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients, whereas gene signature upregulated by BMP4 in the presence of SMAD4 was associated with improved prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

BMP4 expression is required for suppression of metastasis regardless of the SMAD4 status of the tumor cells. Since BMP4 is a secreted protein, we conclude that it can act both in an autocrine manner in SMAD4-expressing tumor cells and in a paracrine manner on stromal cells to suppress metastasis. Deletion of SMAD4 from tumor cells does not prevent BMP4 from suppressing metastasis via a paracrine mechanism.

"Triple-Punch" Strategy Exosome-Mimetic Nanovesicles for Triple Negative Breast Cancer Therapy

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most malignant breast cancer, with high rates of relapse and metastasis. Because of the nonspecific targeting of chemotherapy and insurmountable aggressiveness, TNBC therapy lacks an effective strategy. Exosomes have been reported as an efficient drug delivery system (DDS). CD82 is a tumor metastasis inhibitory molecule that is enriched in exosomes. Aptamer AS1411 specifically targets TNBC cells due to its high expression of nucleolin. We generated a "triple-punch" cell membrane-derived exosome-mimetic nanovesicle system that integrated with CD82 overexpression, AS1411 conjugation, and doxorubicin (DOX) delivery. CD82 enrichment effectively inhibits the migration of TNBC cells. AS1411 conjugation specifically targets TNBC cells. DOX loading effectively inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of TNBC cells. Our results demonstrate a system of exosome-mimetic nanovesicles with "triple-punch" that may facilitate TNBC therapeutics.

Signaling pathways underlying TGF-β mediated suppression of IL-12A gene expression in monocytes

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is a pleiotropic cytokine essential for multiple biological processes, including the regulation of inflammatory and immune responses. One of the important functions of TGF-β is the suppression of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-12 (IL-12), which is crucial for mounting an anti-tumorigenic response. Although the regulation of the IL-12p40 subunit (encoded by the IL-12B gene) of IL-12 has been extensively investigated, the knowledge of IL-12p35 (encoded by IL-12A gene) subunit regulation is relatively limited. This study investigates the molecular regulation of IL-12A by TGF-β-activated signaling pathways in THP-1 monocytes. Our study identifies a complex regulation of IL-12A gene expression by TGF-β, which involves multiple cellular signaling pathways, such as Smad2/3, NF-κB, p38 and JNK1/2. Pharmacological inhibition of NF-κB signaling decreased IL-12A expression, while blocking the Smad2/3 signaling pathway by overexpression of Smad7 and inhibiting JNK1/2 signaling with a pharmacological inhibitor, SP600125, increased its expression. The elucidated signaling pathways that regulate IL-12A gene expression potentially provide new therapeutic targets to increase IL-12 levels in the tumor microenvironment.

Simultaneously targeting extracellular vesicle trafficking and TGF-β receptor kinase activity blocks signaling hyperactivation and metastasis

Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling drives metastasis and is strongly enhanced during cancer progression. Yet, the use of on-target TGF-β signaling inhibitors in the treatment of cancer patients remains unsuccessful, highlighting a gap in the understanding of TGF-β biology that limits the establishment of efficient anti-metastatic therapies. Here, we show that TGF-β signaling hyperactivation in breast cancer cells is required for metastasis and relies on increased small extracellular vesicle (sEV) secretion. Demonstrating sEV's unique role, TGF-β signaling levels induced by sEVs exceed the activity of matching concentrations of soluble ligand TGF-β. Further, genetic disruption of sEV secretion in highly-metastatic breast cancer cells impairs cancer cell aggressiveness by reducing TGF-β signaling to nearly-normal levels. Otherwise, TGF-β signaling activity in non-invasive breast cancer cells is inherently low, but can be amplified by sEVs, enabling invasion and metastasis of poorly-metastatic breast cancer cells. Underscoring the translational potential of inhibiting sEV trafficking in advanced breast cancers, treatment with dimethyl amiloride (DMA) decreases sEV secretion, TGF-β signaling activity, and breast cancer progression in vivo. Targeting both the sEV trafficking and TGF-β signaling by combining DMA and SB431542 at suboptimal doses potentiated this effect, normalizing the TGF-β signaling in primary tumors to potently reduce circulating tumor cells, metastasis, and tumor self-seeding. Collectively, this study establishes sEVs as critical elements in TGF-β biology, demonstrating the feasibility of inhibiting sEV trafficking as a new therapeutic approach to impair metastasis by normalizing TGF-β signaling levels in breast cancer cells.

BMP signaling in cancer stemness and differentiation

The BMP (Bone morphogenetic protein) signaling pathway plays a central role in metazoan biology, intricately shaping embryonic development, maintaining tissue homeostasis, and influencing disease progression. In the context of cancer, BMP signaling exhibits context-dependent dynamics, spanning from tumor suppression to promotion. Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a modest subset of neoplastic cells with stem-like attributes, exert substantial influence by steering tumor growth, orchestrating therapy resistance, and contributing to relapse. A comprehensive grasp of the intricate interplay between CSCs and their microenvironment is pivotal for effective therapeutic strategies. Among the web of signaling pathways orchestrating cellular dynamics within CSCs, BMP signaling emerges as a vital conductor, overseeing CSC self-renewal, differentiation dynamics, and the intricate symphony within the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, BMP signaling's influence in cancer extends beyond CSCs, intricately regulating cellular migration, invasion, and metastasis. This multifaceted role underscores the imperative of comprehending BMP signaling's contributions to cancer, serving as the foundation for crafting precise therapies to navigate multifaceted challenges posed not only by CSCs but also by various dimensions of cancer progression. This article succinctly encapsulates the diverse roles of the BMP signaling pathway across different cancers, spanning glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), colorectal cancer, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), lung cancer, prostate cancer, and osteosarcoma. It underscores the necessity of unraveling underlying mechanisms and molecular interactions. By delving into the intricate tapestry of BMP signaling's engagement in cancers, researchers pave the way for meticulously tailored therapies, adroitly leveraging its dualistic aspects-whether as a suppressor or promoter-to effectively counter the relentless march of tumor progression.

Small-Molecule Probes as Pharmacological Tools for the Bone Morphogenetic Protein Signaling Pathway

The bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway is highly conserved and plays central roles in health and disease. The quality and quantity of its signaling outputs are regulated at multiple levels, offering pharmacological options for targeted modulation. Both target-centric and phenotypic drug discovery (PDD) approaches were applied to identify small-molecule BMP inhibitors and stimulators. In this Review, we accumulated and systematically classified the different reported chemotypes based on their targets as well as modes-of-action, and herein we illustrate the discovery history of selected candidates. A comprehensive summary of available biochemical, cellular, and in vivo activities is provided for the most relevant BMP modulators, along with recommendations on their preferred use as chemical probes to study BMP-related (patho)physiological processes. There are a number of high-quality probes used as BMP inhibitors that potently and selectively interrogate the kinase activities of distinct type I (16 chemotypes available) and type II receptors (3 chemotypes available). In contrast, only a few high-quality BMP stimulator modalities have been introduced to the field due to a lack of profound target knowledge. FK506-derived macrolides such as calcineurin-sparing FKBP12 inhibitors currently represent the best-characterized chemical tools for direct activation of BMP-SMAD signaling at the receptor level. However, several PDD campaigns succeeded in expanding the druggable space of BMP stimulators. Albeit the majority of them do not entirely fulfill the strict chemical probe criteria, many chemotypes exhibit unique and unrecognized mechanisms as pathway potentiators or synergizers, serving as valuable pharmacological tools for BMP perturbation.

Cancer metastasis: Molecular mechanisms and clinical perspectives

Metastatic progression combined with non-responsiveness towards systemic therapy often shapes the course of disease for cancer patients and commonly determines its lethal outcome. The complex molecular events that promote metastasis are a combination of both, the acquired pro-metastatic properties of cancer cells and a metastasis-permissive or -supportive tumor micro-environment (TME). Yet, dissemination is a challenging process for cancer cells that requires a series of events to enable cancer cell survival and growth. Metastatic cancer cells have to initially detach themselves from primary tumors, overcome the challenges of their intravasal journey and colonize distant sites that are suited for their metastases. The implicated obstacles including anoikis and immune surveillance, can be overcome by intricate intra- and extracellular signaling pathways, which we will summarize and discuss in this review. Further, emerging modulators of metastasis, like the immune-microenvironment, microbiome, sublethal cell death engagement, or the nervous system will be integrated into the existing working model of metastasis.

Activin and BMP Signalling in Human Testicular Cancer Cell Lines, and a Role for the Nucleocytoplasmic Transport Protein Importin-5 in their Crosstalk

Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs) are the most common malignancy in young men. Originating from foetal testicular germ cells that fail to differentiate correctly, TGCTs appear after puberty as germ cell neoplasia in situ cells that transform through unknown mechanisms into distinct seminoma and non-seminoma tumour types. A balance between activin and BMP signalling may influence TGCT emergence and progression, and we investigated this using human cell line models of seminoma (TCam-2) and non-seminoma (NT2/D1). Activin A- and BMP4-regulated transcripts measured at 6 h post-treatment by RNA-sequencing revealed fewer altered transcripts in TCam-2 cells but a greater responsiveness to activin A, while BMP4 altered more transcripts in NT2/D1 cells. Activin significantly elevated transcripts linked to pluripotency, cancer, TGF-β, Notch, p53, and Hippo signalling in both lines, whereas BMP4 altered TGF-β, pluripotency, Hippo and Wnt signalling components. Dose-dependent antagonism of BMP4 signalling by activin A in TCam-2 cells demonstrated signalling crosstalk between these two TGF-β superfamily arms. Levels of the nuclear transport protein, IPO5, implicated in BMP4 and WNT signalling, are highly regulated in the foetal mouse germline. IPO5 knockdown in TCam-2 cells using siRNA blunted BMP4-induced transcript changes, indicating that IPO5 levels could determine TGF-β signalling pathway outcomes in TGCTs.

Development of a TGF-β signaling-related genes signature to predict clinical prognosis and immunotherapy responses in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Background

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling is strongly related to the development and progression of tumor. We aimed to construct a prognostic gene signature based on TGF-β signaling-related genes for predicting clinical prognosis and immunotherapy responses of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

Methods

The gene expression profiles and corresponding clinical information of ccRCC were collected from the TCGA and the ArrayExpress (E-MTAB-1980) databases. LASSO, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to construct a prognostic signature in the TCGA cohort. The E-MTAB-1980 cohort were used for validation. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) were conducted to assess effectiveness and reliability of the signature. The differences in gene enrichments, immune cell infiltration, and expression of immune checkpoints in ccRCC patients showing different risks were investigated.

Results

We constructed a seven gene (PML, CDKN2B, COL1A2, CHRDL1, HPGD, CGN and TGFBR3) signature, which divided the ccRCC patients into high risk group and low risk group. The K-M analysis indicated that patients in the high risk group had a significantly shorter overall survival (OS) time than that in the low risk group in the TCGA (p < 0.001) and E-MTAB-1980 (p = 0.012). The AUC of the signature reached 0.77 at 1 year, 0.7 at 3 years, and 0.71 at 5 years in the TCGA, respectively, and reached 0.69 at 1 year, 0.72 at 3 years, and 0.75 at 5 years in the E-MTAB-1980, respectively. Further analyses confirmed the risk score as an independent prognostic factor for ccRCC (p < 0.001). The results of ssGSEA that immune cell infiltration degree and the scores of immune-related functions were significantly increased in the high risk group. The CIBERSORT analysis indicated that the abundance of immune cell were significantly different between two risk groups. Furthermore, The risk score was positively related to the expression of PD-1, CTLA4 and LAG3.These results indicated that patients in the high risk group benefit more from immunotherapy.

Conclusion

We constructed a novel TGF-β signaling-related genes signature that could serve as an promising independent factor for predicting clinical prognosis and immunotherapy responses in ccRCC patients.

Role of Ultrasound Imaging in the Prediction of TRIM67 in Brain Metastases From Breast Cancer

Objectives

Ultrasound (US) imaging is a relatively novel strategy to monitor the activity of the blood–brain barrier, which can facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of neurovascular-related metastatic tumors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of applying a combination of US imaging outcomes and the associated genes. This was performed to construct line drawings to facilitate the prediction of brain metastases arising from breast cancer.

Methods

The RNA transcript data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was obtained for breast cancer, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with tumor and brain tumor metastases were identified. Subsequently, key genes associated with survival prognosis were subsequently identified from the DEGs.

Results

Tripartite motif-containing protein 67 (TRIM67) was identified and the differential; in addition, the survival analyses of the TCGA database revealed that it was associated with brain tumor metastases and overall survival prognosis. Applying independent clinical cohort data, US-related features (microcalcification and lymph node metastasis) were associated with breast cancer tumor metastasis. Furthermore, ultrasonographic findings of microcalcifications showed correlations with TRIM67 expression. The study results revealed that six variables [stage, TRIM67, tumor size, regional lymph node staging (N), age, and HER2 status] were suitable predictors of tumor metastasis by applying support vector machine–recursive feature elimination. Among these, US-predicted tumor size correlated with tumor size classification, whereas US-predicted lymph node metastasis correlated with tumor N classification. The TRIM67 upregulation was accompanied by upregulation of the integrated breast cancer pathway; however, it leads to the downregulation of the miRNA targets in ECM and membrane receptors and the miRNAs involved in DNA damage response pathways.

Conclusions

The TRIM67 is a risk factor associated with brain metastases from breast cancer and it is considered a prognostic survival factor. The nomogram constructed from six variables—stage, TRIM67, tumor size, N, age, HER2 status—is an appropriate predictor to estimate the occurrence of breast cancer metastasis.

OVOL1 inhibits breast cancer cell invasion by enhancing the degradation of TGF-β type I receptor

Ovo-like transcriptional repressor 1 (OVOL1) is a key mediator of epithelial lineage determination and mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET). The cytokines transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) control the epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) of cancer cells, but whether this occurs through interplay with OVOL1 is not known. Here, we show that OVOL1 is inversely correlated with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signature, and is an indicator of a favorable prognosis for breast cancer patients. OVOL1 suppresses EMT, migration, extravasation, and early metastatic events of breast cancer cells. Importantly, BMP strongly promotes the expression of OVOL1, which enhances BMP signaling in turn. This positive feedback loop is established through the inhibition of TGF-β receptor signaling by OVOL1. Mechanistically, OVOL1 interacts with and prevents the ubiquitination and degradation of SMAD family member 7 (SMAD7), which is a negative regulator of TGF-β type I receptor stability. Moreover, a small-molecule compound 6-formylindolo(3,2-b)carbazole (FICZ) was identified to activate OVOL1 expression and thereby antagonizing (at least in part) TGF-β-mediated EMT and migration in breast cancer cells. Our results uncover a novel mechanism by which OVOL1 attenuates TGF-β/SMAD signaling and maintains the epithelial identity of breast cancer cells.

GARS is implicated in poor survival and immune infiltration of hepatocellular carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant cancer with poor survival rates. Glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GARS) is a tRNA-charging enzyme that can serve as a biomarker for multiple tumors. Nevertheless, the role of GARS in HCC remains unclear.

METHODS

The expression, clinical significance, prognostic value, genetic alterations, immune infiltration and histone modification of GARS in HCC were assessed using multiple databases. The role of GARS in HCC cells was also verified by CCK-8, cell cycle analysis and apoptosis assays in vitro and by a xenograft model in vivo.

RESULTS

GARS levels were upregulated in HCC tissues and cells. GARS was confirmed to be a prognostic factor in HCC patients and was significantly correlated with immune infiltration. Enhanced GARS expression in HCC was induced by histone modification of the GARS promotor. Functional network analysis showed that GARS and its coexpressed genes regulate the cell cycle, lysosome and spliceosome. Furthermore, we found that GARS depletion inhibited HCC cell proliferation and cell cycle progression and promoted apoptosis in vitro. GARS overexpression promoted growth, reduced xenograft apoptosis and enhanced CD206+ tumor-associated macrophage infiltration in vivo.

CONCLUSION

Our study indicates that GARS is a promising prognostic and therapeutic marker in HCC and might provide new directions and strategies for HCC treatment.

Angiogenic and molecular diversity determine hepatic melanoma metastasis and response to anti-angiogenic treatment

BACKGROUND

Cutaneous melanoma exhibits heterogeneous metastatic patterns and prognosis. In this regard, liver metastasis, which is detected in ~ 10-20% of stage 4 patients, came to the fore of melanoma research, as it recently evolved as decisive indicator of treatment resistance to immune checkpoint inhibition.

METHODS

Hepatic metastases were induced by intrasplenic injection of five different murine melanoma cell lines. The efficiencies of hepatic colonization, morphologic patterns, gene expression profiles and degree of vascularization were analyzed and Sorafenib was applied as anti-angiogenic treatment.

RESULTS

WT31 melanoma showed the highest efficiency of hepatic colonization, while intermediate efficiencies were observed for B16F10 and RET, and low efficiencies for D4M and HCmel12. RNAseq-based gene expression profiles of high and intermediate metastatic melanomas in comparison to low metastatic melanomas indicated that this efficiency predominantly associates with gene clusters involved in cell migration and angiogenesis. Indeed, heterogeneous vascularization patterns were found in the five models. Although the degree of vascularization of WT31 and B16F10 metastases differed, both showed a strong response to Sorafenib with a successful abrogation of the vascularization.

CONCLUSION

Our data indicate that molecular heterogeneity of melanomas can be associated with phenotypic and prognostic features of hepatic metastasis paving the way for organ-specific anti-angiogenic therapeutic approaches.

Establishment of Embryonic Zebrafish Xenograft Assays to Investigate TGF-β Family Signaling in Human Breast Cancer Progression

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family members have pivotal functions in controlling breast cancer progression, acting not only on cancer cells but also on other cells within the tumor microenvironment. Here we describe embryonic zebrafish xenograft assays to investigate how TGF-β family signaling controls breast cancer cell intravasation, extravasation and regulates tumor angiogenesis. Fluorescently mCherry-labeled breast cancer cells are injected in the perivitelline space or Duct of Cuvier of Tg (fli:EGFP) transgenic Casper zebrafish embryos, in which the zebrafish express enhanced green fluorescent protein in the entire vasculature. The dynamic responses of migratory and invasive human cancer cells, and the induction of new blood vessel formation by the cancer cells in zebrafish host, are visualized using a fluorescent microscope. These assays provide efficient, reliable, low-cost models to investigate the effect of (epi)genetic modulators and pharmacological compounds that perturb the activity of TGF-β family signaling components on breast cancer cell metastasis and angiogenesis.

Fast Quantitation of TGF-β Signaling Using Adenoviral Reporter

The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is a multifunctional cytokine critical for embryogenesis and tissue homeostasis. Alterations in TGF-β signaling pathway are observed in several types of malignant tumors and often related with cancer progression and metastasis. TGF-β signaling is transduced across the plasma membrane after ligand-receptor binding and consequent phosphorylation of the intracellular effectors SMAD2/3 by TGF-β receptors. Phosphorylated SMAD2/3 accumulates in the nucleus after complex formation with SMAD4 to act as transcription factors and regulate the expression of genes critically associated with cell proliferation and differentiation. Traditional methodologies used to assess TGF-β signaling pathway lack accuracy and/or show poor scalability, limiting in vitro experiments and almost excluding their use in vivo. Here, we describe a fast method to quantitate TGF-β signaling pathway activity in vitro and in vivo by using adenoviral reporters. Its implementation in vitro allows quantitating cell response to TGF-β at concentrations as low as pictograms/mL. Additionally, the use of an in vivo imaging system (IVIS) enables quantitating and monitoring TGF-β signaling pathway activity over time during cancer progression, eliminating the requirement of animal euthanasia at multiple time points for this purpose. Importantly, this protocol has been consistently used in different models and effectively led to the visualization and measurement of TGF-β activity levels. Improving the sensitivity, specificity, and scalability of methods focused on characterizing this and other molecular pathways will result in a better understanding of their biology in physiological and pathological processes.

High-throughput and multi-phases identification of autoantibodies in diagnosing early-stage breast cancer and subtypes

Autoantibodies (AAbs) targeted tumor‐associated antigens (TAAs) have the potential for early detection of breast cancer. Here, 574 early‐stage breast cancer (ES‐BC) patients containing 4 subtypes (Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2+, TN), 126 benign breast disease (BBD) patients, and 199 normal healthy controls (NHC) were separated into three‐phases to discover, verify, and validate AAbs. In discovery phase using high‐throughput protein microarray, 37 AAbs with sensitivity of 31.25%‐86.25% and specificity over 73% in ES‐BC, and 40 AAbs with different positive rates between subtypes were identified as candidates. In verification phase, 18 AAbs were significantly increased compared with the Control (BBD and NHC) in focused array. Ten out of 18 AAbs exhibited a significant difference between subtypes (P < .05). In ELISA validation phase, 5 novel AAbs (anti‐KJ901215, ‐FAM49B, ‐HYI, ‐GARS, ‐CRLF3) exhibited significantly higher levels in ES‐BC compared with BBD/NHC (P < .05). The sensitivities of individual AAb and a 5‐AAbs panel were 20.41%‐28.57% and 38.78%, whereas the specificities were over 90% and 85.94%. Simultaneously, 4 AAbs except anti‐GARS differed significantly between TN and non‐TN subtype (P < .05). We constructed 3 random forest classifier models based on AAbs to discriminant ES‐BC from Control or BBD, and to discern TN subtype, which yielded an area under the curve of 0.870, 0.860, and 0.875, respectively. Biological interaction analysis revealed 4 TAAs, except for KJ901215, that were associated with well known proteins of BC. This study discovered and stepwise validated 5 novel AAbs with the potential to diagnose ES‐BC and discern TN subtype, indicating easy‐to‐detect and minimally invasive diagnostic value of serum AAbs ahead of biopsy for future application.

Low expression of CHRDL1 and SPARCL1 predicts poor prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma based on comprehensive analysis and immunohistochemical validation

Purpose

Exploring the molecular mechanisms of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is beneficial for developing new therapeutic strategies and predicting prognosis. This study was performed to select core genes related to LUAD and to analyze their prognostic value.

Methods

Microarray datasets from the GEO (GSE75037) and TCGA-LUAD datasets were analyzed to identify differentially coexpressed genes in LUAD using weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) and differential gene expression analysis. Functional enrichment analysis was conducted, and a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was established. Subsequently, hub genes were identified using the CytoHubba plug-in. Overall survival (OS) analyses of hub genes were performed. The Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) and the Human Protein Atlas (THPA) databases were used to validate our findings. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) of survival-related hub genes were conducted. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was carried out to validate our findings.

Results

We identified 486 differentially coexpressed genes. Functional enrichment analysis suggested these genes were primarily enriched in the regulation of epithelial cell proliferation, collagen-containing extracellular matrix, transforming growth factor beta binding, and signaling pathways regulating the pluripotency of stem cells. Ten hub genes were detected using the maximal clique centrality (MCC) algorithm, and four genes were closely associated with OS. The CPTAC and THPA databases revealed that CHRDL1 and SPARCL1 were downregulated at the mRNA and protein expression levels in LUAD, whereas SPP1 was upregulated. GSEA demonstrated that DNA-dependent DNA replication and catalytic activity acting on RNA were correlated with CHRDL1 and SPARCL1 expression, respectively. The IHC results suggested that CHRDL1 and SPARCL1 were significantly downregulated in LUAD.

Conclusions

Our study revealed that survival-related hub genes closely correlated with the initiation and progression of LUAD. Furthermore, CHRDL1 and SPARCL1 are potential therapeutic and prognostic indicators of LUAD.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-01933-9.

Breast cancer liver metastasis: current and future treatment approaches

Nearly all fatalities arising from breast tumors are attributable to distant metastases. Breast cancer liver metastasis (BCLM) is associated with poor prognoses, with the median survival time being 2 to 3 years. Tumor intrinsic subtype directs preferential metastasis to specific organs, with HER2-enriched tumors demonstrating the highest rates of metastasis to the liver, though all subtypes can grow in the liver. There is no singular established standard-of-care for BCLM; therapeutic selection is driven by histologic and molecular hallmarks of the primary tumor or biopsied metastasis samples. Given the poor prognosis of patients with hepatic spread, pre-clinical studies are necessary to identify and evaluate promising new treatment strategies. It is critical that these laboratory studies accurately recapitulate the BCLM disease process, standard progression, and histological attributes. In this review, we summarize the histologic and molecular characteristics of BCLM, evaluate the efficacy of existing surgical and medical treatment strategies, and discuss future approaches to preclinical study of BCLM.