Systemic analysis of different colorectal cancer cell lines and TCGA datasets identified IGF-1R/EGFR-PPAR-CASPASE axis as important indicator for radiotherapy sensitivity

Obesity and endocrine-related cancer: The important role of IGF-1

Obesity is increasingly becoming a global epidemic of concern and is considered a risk factor for several endocrine-related cancers. Moreover, obesity is associated with cancer development and poor prognosis. As a metabolic abnormality, obesity leads to a series of changes in insulin, IGF-1, sex hormones, IGFBPs, and adipokines. Among these factors, IGF-1 plays an important role in obesity-related endocrine cancers. This review describes the role of obesity in endocrine-related cancers, such as prostate cancer, breast cancer and pancreatic cancer, focusing on the mechanism of IGF-1 and the crosstalk with estrogen and adipokines. In addition, this review briefly introduces the current status of IGF-1R inhibitors in clinical practice and shows the prospect of IGF-1R inhibitors in combination with other anticancer drugs.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors regulate the progression and treatment of gastrointestinal cancers

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are essential nuclear hormone receptors regulating metabolic processes, and they participate in the initiation and progression processes of tumors. Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer is a prevalent malignancy worldwide that originates from the tissues of the gastrointestinal tract and is characterized by severe symptoms and poor prognosis. Numerous published studies have investigated the critical role of PPARs in esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancers. Here, we summarize and review the current literature to understand the role of PPARs in the pathogenesis of GI cancers and to provide a systematic reference for the subsequent investigation and development of efficient therapies targeting PPARs and their pathways.

A nine-gene signature to improve prognosis prediction of colon carcinoma

This study aims to establish a gene model that can robustly and effectively predict the prognosis of colon carcinoma patients via bioinformatics. Data along with clinical information in GSE39582 Series Matrix were firstly downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Next, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained through "edgeR" analysis. Finally, a risk predication model was established through a series of regression analyses, and then prognostic performance of the model was comprehensively evaluated though Kaplan-Meier and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was further performed. Totally, 846 DEGs were obtained by analyzing the gene expression data in GSE39582 dataset. A 9-gene signature-based risk predication model was established via regression analyses, and the model-based risk score was formulated as: Riskscore = (-0.1214) * TNFRSF11A + (-0.2617) * TMEM97 + (-0.1041) * LGR5 + 0.0973 * KLK10 + 0.1655 * HOXB8 + 0.227 * FKBP10 + (-0.1312) * CXCL13 + (-0.1316) * CXCL10 + 0.2593 * CD36. Kaplan-Meier curve showed that colon carcinoma patients in the high-risk group had a lower survival rate. GSEA showed that high-risk group and low-risk group displayed significant difference in biological pathways including ECM RECEPTOR INTERACTION. Besides, correlation analysis between the riskscore of the model and clinical features of patients revealed that the model could effectively predict the prognosis of patients in different ages (age>65, age<65) and stages (tumor_stage I/II, tumor_stage III/IV, T3&T4, N0&N1, N2&N3, M0). This study provides a robust model for the prognosis prediction of colon carcinoma, and lays a basis for researching the molecular mechanism underlying the development of colon carcinoma.

Downregulation of miR-423-5p Contributes to the Radioresistance in Colorectal Cancer Cells

Resistance to radiotherapy is the main reason causing treatment failure in locally advanced rectal cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been well demonstrated to regulate cancer development and progression. However, how miRNAs regulate radiotherapy resistance in colorectal cancer remains unknown. Herein, we established two human colorectal cancer cell lines resistant to radiotherapy, named HCT116-R and RKO-R, using the strategy of fractionated irradiation. The radioresistant phenotypical changes of the two cell lines were validated by cell viability assay, colony formation assay and apoptosis assay. The miRNA expression profilings of HCT116-R and RKO-R were determined using RNA-seq analyses, and further confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. Multiple miRNAs, including miR-423-5p, miR-7-5p, miR-522-3p, miR-3184-3p, and miR-3529-3p, were identified with altered expression in both of the radiotherapy-resistant cells, compared to the parental cells. The downregulation of miR-423-5p was further validated in the rectal cancer tissues from radiotherapy-resistant patients. Silencing of miR-423-5p in parental HCT116 and RKO cells decreased the sensitivity to radiation treatment, and inhibited the radiation-induced apoptosis. In consistence, overexpression of miR-423-5p in HCT116-R and RKO-R cells partially rescued their sensitivity to radiotherapy, and promoted the radiation-induced apoptosis. Bcl-xL (Bcl-2-like protein 1) was predicted to be a potential target gene for miR-423-5p, and miR-423-5p/Bcl-xL axis could be a critical mediator of radiosensitivity in colorectal cancer cells. The current finding not only revealed a novel role of miR-423-5p in regulating the radiosensitivity in colorectal cancer, but also suggested miR-423-5p as a molecular candidate for combination therapy with radiation to treat colorectal cancer.

Mechanisms of tRNA-derived fragments and tRNA halves in cancer treatment resistance

The tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) and tRNA halves (tiRNAs) are newly discovered noncoding RNAs in recent years. They are derived from specific cleavage of mature and pre-tRNAs and expressed in various cancers. They enhance cell proliferation and metastasis or inhibit cancer progression. Many studies have investigated their roles in the diagnosis, progression, metastasis, and prognosis of various cancers, but the mechanisms through which they are involved in resistance to cancer treatment are unclear. This review outlines the classification of tRFs and tiRNAs and their mechanisms in cancer drug resistance, thus providing new ideas for cancer treatment.

CLPTM1L induces estrogen receptor β signaling-mediated radioresistance in non-small cell lung cancer cells

INTRODUCTION

Radioresistance is a major challenge in lung cancer radiotherapy, and new radiosensitizers are urgently needed. Estrogen receptor β (ERβ) is involved in the progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), however, the role of ERβ in the response to radiotherapy in lung cancer remains elusive. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism underlying ERβ-mediated transcriptional activation and radioresistance of NSCLC cells.

METHODS

Quantitative real-time PCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression of CLPTM1L, ERβ and other target genes. The mechanism of CLPTM1L in modulation of radiosensitivity was investigated by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, luciferase reporter gene assay, immunofluorescence staining, confocal microscopy, coimmunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assays. The functional role of CLPTM1L was detected by function assays in vitro and in vivo.

RESULTS

CLPTM1L expression was negatively correlated with the radiosensitivity of NSCLC cell lines, and irradiation upregulated CLPTM1L in radioresistant (A549) but not in radiosensitive (H460) NSCLC cells. Meanwhile, IR induced the translocation of CLPTM1L from the cytoplasm into the nucleus in NSCLC cells. Moreover, CLPTM1L induced radioresistance in NSCLC cells. iTRAQ-based analysis and cDNA microarray identified irradiation-related genes commonly targeted by CLPTM1L and ERβ, and CLPTM1L upregulated ERβ-induced genes CDC25A, c-Jun, and BCL2. Mechanistically, CLPTM1L coactivated ERβ by directly interacting with ERβ through the LXXLL NR (nuclear receptor)-binding motif. Functionally, ERβ silencing was sufficient to block CLPTM1L-enhanced radioresistance of NSCLC cells in vitro. CLPTM1L shRNA treatment in combination with irradiation significantly inhibited cancer cell growth in NSCLC xenograft tumors in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

The present results indicate that CLPTM1L acts as a critical coactivator of ERβ to promote the transcription of its target genes and induce radioresistance of NSCLC cells, suggesting a new target for radiosensitization in NSCLC therapy. Video Abstract.

IGF signalling in germ cells and testicular germ cell tumours: roles and therapeutic approaches

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis plays key roles in normal tissue growth and development as well as in the progression of several tumour types and their subsequent growth and progression to a metastatic phenotype. This review explores the role of IGF system in normal germ cell development and function in addition to examining the evidence for deregulation of IGF signalling in cancer, with particular relevance to evidence supporting a role in testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs). Despite the clear preclinical rationale for targeting the IGF axis in cancer, there has been a lack of progress in identifying which patients may benefit from such therapy. Future employment of agents targeting the IGF pathway is expected to concentrate on their use in combination with other treatments to prevent resistance and exploit their potential as chemo- and radiosensitizers.

Coexpression network analysis linked H2AFJ to chemoradiation resistance in colorectal cancer

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) resistance is a complex phenomenon and it remains a major problem for patients with a priori resistant tumor. Therefore, there is a strong need to investigate molecular biomarkers which may guide for treatment decision-making. In our study, weighted gene coexpression network analysis was applied to identify CRT-resistance hub modules in 12 colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines with different CRT sensitivities from GSE20298 data set. The green module and purple module had the highest correlations with CRT resistance. Gene ontology enrichment analysis indicated that the function of these two modules focused on interferon-mediated signaling pathway, immune response, chromatin modulation, Rho GTPases activities, and regulation of apoptotic process. Then, 15 hub genes in both the coexpression and protein-protein interaction networks were selected. Among these hub genes, higher H2A histone family member J (H2AFJ) expression was independently validated in patient cohorts from two testing data sets of GSE46862 and GSE68204 to be related to CRT resistance. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that H2AFJ could efficiently distinguish CRT-resistance cases from CRT-sensitive cases in another two testing data sets. Furthermore, meta-analysis of 12 Gene Expression Omnibus-sourced data sets showed that H2AFJ messenger RNA levels were significantly higher in CRC tissues than in normal colon tissues. High H2AFJ expression was correlated with a significant worse event- and relapse-free survival by analyzing the data from the R2: Genomics Analysis and Visualization Platform. Gene set enrichment analysis determined that the mechanism of H2AFJ-mediated CRT resistance might involve the ERK5 (MAPK7), human immunodeficiency virus Nef (HIV Nef), and inflammatory pathways. This study is the first, to the best of our knowledge, to implicate and verify H2AFJ as an effective new marker for CRT response prediction.

Traps and trumps from adjacent-to-tumor samples in gastric cancer research

The search for cancer biomarkers is frequently based on comparisons between tumors and adjacent-to-tumor samples. However, even after histological confirmation of been free of cancer cells, these adjacent-to-tumor samples might harbor molecular alterations which are not sufficient to cause them to look like cancer, but can differentiate these cells from normal cells. When comparing them, potential biomarkers are missed, and mainly the opportunity of finding initial aberrations presents in both tumors and adjacent samples, but not in true normal samples from non-cancer patients, resulting in misinterpretations about the carcinogenic process. Nevertheless, collecting adjacent-to-tumor samples brings trumps to be explored. The addition of samples from non-cancer patients opens an opportunity to increase the finds of the molecular cascade of events in the carcinogenic process. Differences between normal samples and adjacent samples might represent the first steps of the carcinogenic process. Adding samples of non-cancer patients to the analysis of molecular alterations relevant to the carcinogenic process opens a new window of opportunities to the discovery of cancer biomarkers and molecular targets.

Analysis of the Cancer Genome Atlas Data Reveals Novel Putative ncRNAs Targets in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the prevalent type of primary liver malignancy. Different noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) that negatively regulate gene expression, such as the microRNAs and the long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), have been associated with cell invasiveness and cell dissemination, tumor recurrence, and metastasis in HCC. To evaluate which regulatory ncRNAs might be good candidates to disrupt HCC proliferation pathways, we performed both unsupervised and supervised analyses of HCC expression data, comparing samples of solid tumor tissue (TP) and adjacent tissue (NT) of a set of patients, focusing on ncRNAs and searching for common mechanisms that may shed light in future therapeutic options. All analyses were performed using the R software. Differential expression (total RNA and miRNA) and enrichment analyses (Gene Ontology + Pathways) were performed using the package TCGABiolinks. As a result, we improved the set of lncRNAs that could be the target of future studies in HCC, highlighting the potential of FAM170B-AS1 and TTN-AS1.