Upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA level is significantly related to progression and prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinomas

Identification of four snoRNAs (SNORD16, SNORA73B, SCARNA4, and SNORD49B) as novel non-invasive biomarkers for diagnosis of breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Emerging data point to the critical role of snoRNA in the emergence of different types of cancer, but scarcely in breast cancer (BC). This study aimed to clarify the differential expressions and potential diagnostic value of SNORD16, SNORA73B, SCARNA4, and SNORD49B in BC.

METHODS

We screened differential snoRNAs in BC tissues and adjacent tissues through SNORic datasets, and then we further verified them in the plasma of BC patients and healthy volunteers by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).

RESULTS

These four snoRNAs: SNORD16, SNORA73B, SCARNA4, and SNORD49B were considerably more abundant in cancerous tissues than in neighboring tissues in the TCGA database. Their plasma levels were also higher in BC and early-stage BC patients when compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, the ROC curve demonstrated that BC (AUC = 0.7521) and early-stage BC (AUC = 0.7305) might be successfully distinguished from healthy people by SNORD16, SNORA73B, SCARNA4, and SNORD49B.

CONCLUSION

Plasma snoRNAs: SNORD16, SNORA73B, SCARNA4, and SNORD49B were upregulated in BC and early-stage BC and can be used as potential diagnostic markers for BC and early-stage BC.

A three-snoRNA signature: SNORD15A, SNORD35B and SNORD60 as novel biomarker for renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Accumulating evidence has confirmed the role of snoRNAs in a variety of cancer, but rare in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This study aims to clarify the role of snoRNAs in RCC tumorigenesis and their potential as novel tumor biomarkers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The snoRNA expression matrix was obtained from the public TCGA and SNORic databases. SNORD15A, SNORD35B and SNORD60 were selected and validated by qPCR, then analyzed combined with related clinical factors using T-test and ROC curve.

RESULTS

All three snoRNAs: SNORD15A, SNORD35B and SNORD60 were significantly upregulated in cancer tissues compared to adjacent tissues from TCGA or FFPE detection. These three snoRNAs were also increased in urinary sediment (US) of RCC as well as the early-stage RCC patients compared with the healthy controls. In addition, RNase stability experiments confirmed their stable existence in US. Meanwhile, the ROC curve shows that SNORD15A, SNORD35B and SNORD60 could effectively distinguish RCC (AUC = 0.7421) and early-stage RCC (AUC = 0.7465) from healthy individuals.

CONCLUSION

SNORD15A, SNORD35B and SNORD60 were upregulated in tissues and US of RCC, serving as novel potential biomarkers for RCC diagnosis.

Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Therapeutic Role for Angiogenesis Markers in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Narrative Review

Despite refinements to diagnostic and therapeutic approaches over the last two decades, the outcome of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has not shown substantial improvements, especially regarding those with advanced-stage disease. Angiogenesis is believed to be a turning point in the development of solid tumors, being a premise for mass growth and potential distant dissemination. Cancer-induced angiogenesis is a result of increased expression of angiogenic factors, decreased expression of anti-angiogenic factors, or a combination of both. The assessment of angiogenesis has also emerged as a potentially useful biological prognostic and predictive factor in HNSCC. The aim of this review is to assess the level of current knowledge on the neo-angiogenesis markers involved in the biology, behavior, and prognosis of HNSCC. A search (between 1 January 2012 and 10 October 2022) was run in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science electronic databases. After full-text screening and application of inclusion/exclusion criteria, 84 articles are included. The current knowledge and debate on angiogenesis in HNSCC presented in the eligible articles are stratified as follows: (i) diagnostic markers; (ii) prognostic markers; (iii) predictive markers; and (iv) markers with a potential therapeutic role. Angiogenesis is a biological and pathological indicator of malignancies progression and has negative implications in prognosis of some solid tumors; several signals capable of tripping the "angiogenic switch" have also been identified in HNSCC. Although several studies suggested that antiangiogenic agents might be a valuable adjunct to conventional chemo-radiation of HNSCC, their long-term therapeutic value remains uncertain. Further investigations are required on combinations of antiangiogenic agents with conventional chemotherapeutic ones, immunotherapeutic and molecularly targeted agents in HNSCC. Additional data are necessary to pinpoint which patients could benefit most from these treatments.

Tumor-educated platelet SNORA58, SNORA68 and SNORD93 as novel diagnostic biomarkers for esophageal cancer

Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether tumor-educated platelet (TEP) snoRNAs could be used as a diagnostic biomarker for esophageal cancer (ESCA). Methods: Platelet precipitates were obtained from platelet-rich plasma by low-speed centrifugation, and total RNA was extracted from platelets using Trizol™ reagent. RT-qPCR was used to detect snoRNA expression, and the receiver operating characteristic was used to assess its diagnostic potential. Results: SNORA58, SNORA68 and SNORD93 were significantly upregulated in TEPs from ESCA patients and early-stage patients compared with healthy controls. Importantly, the three snoRNAs were capable of serving as circulating biomarkers of diagnostics and early diagnosis of ESCA, possessing areas under the curve of 0.846 and 0.857, respectively. Conclusion: TEP SNORA58, SNORA68 and SNORD93 could potentially serve as noninvasive biomarkers for diagnosis and early diagnosis of ESCA.

Characterization of the Expression of Angiogenic Factors in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Domestic Cats

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is a common malignant skin cancer with a significant impact on health, and it is important to determine the degree of reliance of CSCC on angiogenesis for growth and metastasis. Major regulators of angiogenesis are the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family and their associated receptors. Alternative pre-mRNA splicing produces multiple isoforms of VEGF-A and PLGF with distinct biological properties. Several studies highlight the function of VEGF-A in CSCC, but there are no studies of the different isoforms of VEGF-A and PLGF for this neoplasm. We characterized the expression of three isoforms of VEGF-A, two isoforms of PLGF, and their receptors in cat CSCC biopsies compared to normal haired skin (NHS). Although our results revealed no significant changes in transcript levels of panVEGF-A or their isoforms, the mRNA levels of PLGF I and the receptors Flt-1 and KDR were downregulated in CSCC compared to NHS. Differences were observed in ligand:receptor mRNA expression ratio, with the expression of VEGF-A relative to its receptor KDR higher in CSCC, which is consistent with our hypothesis and prior human SCC studies. Immunolocalization in tissue showed increased expression of all measured factors and receptors in tumor cells compared to NHS and surrounding vasculature. We conclude that the factors measured may play a pivotal role in CSCC growth, although further studies are needed to clarify the role of angiogenic factors in feline CSCC.

A Three lncRNA Set: AC009975.1, POTEH-AS1 and AL390243.1 as Nodal Efficacy Biomarker of Neoadjuvant Therapy for HER-2 Positive Breast Cancer

Purpose

The study aimed to explore whether the expression of lncRNAs in primary tumors could predict nodal efficacy after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) for HER2+ breast cancer.

Methods

Total RNA was extracted from HER2+ breast cancer tissues before NAT (n=103) and from 48 pairs of cancers and para-cancers tissues that did not receive NAT. Different lncRNAs were selected by microarray, validated by qPCR, and analyzed to illuminate their potential as nodal efficacy biomarkers after NAT.

Results

Our results demonstrated that three lncRNA sets, lncRNA-AL390243.1, POTEH-AS1, and lncRNA-AC009975.1, were up-regulated in non-apCR tissues. The AUC value was 0.789 (95%CI: 0.703-0.876). The multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the expression of lncRNA-AL390243.1 (OR 5.143; 95% CI: 1.570-16.847), tumor type (OR 0.144; 95% CI: 0.024-0.855), and nodal stage (OR 0.507; 95% CI: 0.289-0.888) as independent predictors for apCR after NAT in HER2+ patients (all p<0.05). Then the three predictors were used to create a predictive nomogram. The AUC value was 0.859 (95%CI: 0.790-0.929). The calibration curve showed a satisfactory fit between predictive and actual observation based on internal validation with a bootstrap resampling frequency of 1000. Patients with higher expression of lncRNA-AL390243.1 had worse survival. LncRNA-AL390243.1 was up-regulated more in the nodal positive subgroup than in the nodal negative subgroup (p=0.0271).

Conclusion

The lncRNA-AL390243.1, POTEH-AS1, and lncRNA-AC009975.1 were upregulated in non-apCR breast cancer tissues. These three lncRNAs might have the potential to be used as predictive biomarkers of nodal efficacy of HER2+ breast cancer. Further studies are required to illuminate the underlying molecular mechanisms further.

tRNA-derived fragments: tRF-Gly-CCC-046, tRF-Tyr-GTA-010 and tRF-Pro-TGG-001 as novel diagnostic biomarkers for breast cancer

BACKGROUND

tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) have been found to play a regulatory role in the occurrence and development of many tumors. The aim of this study was to identify the expression of tRFs in breast cancer and their ability to serve as diagnostic markers for breast cancer.

METHODS

Total RNA was extracted from breast cancer and paracancerous tissues (n = 83), as well as from the sera of breast cancer patients (n = 214) and healthy donors (n = 113) using trizol reagents. Expression of tRFs was then detected by q-PCR, and analyzed using t-test and ROC to illuminate their potential as biomarkers for breast cancer.

RESULTS

Our results demonstrated that tRFs: tRF-Gly-CCC-046, tRF-Tyr-GTA-010 and tRF-Pro-TGG-001 were downregulated in both tissues and sera from breast cancer patients as well as early-stage patients compared with those in the healthy donors. More importantly, the three tRFs were capable of serving as circulating biomarkers of diagnostics and early diagnosis of breast cancer, possessing areas under the curve (AUC) of 0.7871 and 0.7987, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

tRFs: tRF-Gly-CCC-046, tRF-Tyr-GTA-010 and tRF-Pro-TGG-001 are downregulated in breast cancer and early breast cancer and act as new potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and early diagnosis of breast cancer.

TEP linc-GTF2H2-1, RP3-466P17.2, and lnc-ST8SIA4-12 as novel biomarkers for lung cancer diagnosis and progression prediction

PURPOSE

Platelets contain a rich repertoire of RNA species, such as mRNAs and long non-coding RNAs. During the development of tumors, platelets are "educated" by cancer cells, altering their transcriptome and molecular content, thereby, tumor educated platelet (TEP) lncRNA profile has the potential to diagnose lung cancer. The current study was aimed to examine whether TEPs might be a potential biomarker for lung cancer.

METHODS

Platelet precipitation was obtained by low-speed centrifugation. TEP linc-GTF2H2-1, RP3-466P17.2, and lnc-ST8SIA4-12 were selected by lncRNA microarray and validated by qPCR in a large cohort of lung cancer patients and healthy donors. Besides, we analyzed the association of their expression levels with clinicopathological features.

RESULTS

TEP linc-GTF2H2-1 and RP3-466P17.2 were significantly downregulated, while lnc-ST8SIA4-12 was significantly upregulated in patients with lung cancer or with early-stage lung cancer as compared to healthy donors, possessing AUCs of 0.781, 0.788, 0.725 for lung cancer and 0.704, 0.771, 0.768 for early-stage lung cancer, respectively. Notably, their combination demonstrated the markedly elevated AUCs of 0.921 for lung cancer and 0.895 for early-stage lung cancer. Besides, the combination of TEP linc-GTF2H2-1 was capable to facilitate diagnostic efficiencies of CEA, Cyfra21-1, or NSE to distinguish advanced-stage lung cancer patients from early ones, with an AUC of 0.899 based on the integration of these four factors.

CONCLUSION

Our data suggested that lncRNAs sequestered in TEPs enabled blood-based lung cancer diagnosis and progression prediction.

Tumor-educated platelet SNORD55 as a potential biomarker for the early diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer

Background

Despite the emerging insights into many snoRNAs (small nucleolar RNAs) which are detectable in body fluids and serve as noninvasive biomarkers, few studies have previously discussed the role of snoRNAs in tumor‐educated platelets (TEPs). Herein, we systematically estimated dysregulation of snoRNAs in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and clarified the biomarker potential of SNORD55 in platelets.

Methods

We compared expression of snoRNAs between NSCLC and normal tissues using SNORic datasets. Platelets were isolated from plasma using low‐speed centrifugation and subjected to quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for SNORD55 detection.

Results

SNORD55 was significantly decreased in TEPs from NSCLC patients especially in early‐stage patients compared with healthy controls. Importantly, we validated that TEP SNORD55 was capable of acting as a promising biomarker for NSCLC. It exerted diagnostic performance for NSCLC diagnosis, possessing an AUC of 0.803, as well as for early NSCLC diagnosis, possessing an AUC of 0.784. Moreover, the combination of TEP SNORD55 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) improved the diagnostic efficiency of cancer progression. In addition, TEP SNORD55 also potentially acts as a noninvasive early biomarker for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) with favorable diagnostic efficiencies.

Conclusions

In summary, TEP SNORD55 could potentially serve as a noninvasive biomarker for NSCLC diagnosis and early diagnosis.

Key points

SNORD55 was significantly decreased in TEPs from NSCLC patients compared to healthy controls and acted as a novel biomarker for early NSCLC.

SNORD63 and SNORD96A as the non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Background

Increasing evidence has demonstrated that snoRNAs play crucial roles in tumorigenesis of various cancer types. However, researches on snoRNAs in ccRCC were very little. This study mainly aimed to validate the differential expression and the potential diagnostic value of SNORD63 and SNORD96A in ccRCC.

Methods

SnoRNAs expression was downloaded from the SNORic and TCGA database including 516 patients with ccRCC and 71 control cases. SNORD63 and SNORD96A expression were further detected in 54 tumor and adjacent FFPE ccRCC tissues, 55 plasma and 75 urinary sediment of ccRCC patients. Then, differential expression and diagnostic value of SNORD63 and SNORD96A were further calculated.

Results

SNORD63 and SNORD96A expression were significantly increased in ccRCC tissues compared with normal tissues from the TCGA database (both, P < 0.0001). In addition, we found that SNORD63 and SNORD96A localized in plasma and US stably after treating with RNase A. Meanwhile, SNORD63 and SNORD96A in FFPE and US were elevated in ccRCC patients (all, P < 0.0001). However, plasma SNORD63 expression had no significance while SNORD96A significantly increased in plasma of ccRCC patients. Notably, the AUC of SNORD63 in US was 0.7055, by comparison the AUC of plasma SNORD63 was only 0.5161. However, the AUC of plasma SNORD96A was up to 0.8909, by comparison the AUC of SNORD96A in US was 0.6788. Interestingly, the AUC of plasma SNORD96A in early stage ccRCC was highly up to 0.9359.

Conclusions

Our findings revealed that SNORD63 in US and SNORD96A in plasma could act as the promising non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for ccRCC patients.

Tumor educated platelets, a promising source for early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma: Liquid biopsy an alternative approach to tissue biopsy

PURPOSE

Liver cancer is considered to be the sixth deadliest cancer worldwide. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is known to be the most prevalent type of liver cancer. The number of deaths due to HCC reported per year is on a constant rise especially in lesser developed countries. There are several contributing factors to this rise in number. Among other contributing factors is the late diagnosis of HCC. Patients are usually diagnosed when the disease reaches its advance stage. The present study was conducted with total 30 samples. It was designed for investigating the potential of TGF-β, NF-κβ, VEGF, AKT and PI3K as RNA based biomarkers in tumor educated platelets for early detection of HCC.

RESULTS

The results obtained from the transcriptional analysis revealed a significant high expression of TGF-β, NF-κβ, VEGF by 2.48, 2.35 and 2.78 folds respectively in comparison to the control. On the other hand, a decrease in expression by 0.6 and 0.65 folds was observed in AKT and PI3K respectively in comparison to controls. Although all selected RNA biomarkers showed promising potential to detect HCC however, AKT and PI3K were better able to detect early stage HCC.

CONCLUSIONS

The results obtained clearly indicate the increased expression of TGF-β, NF-κβ, VEGF in HCC patients. All these biomarkers are previously known for cancer initiation, progression and metastasis. The significant decrease in expression of AKT and PI3K in HCC patients needs further investigation. All the selected RNA biomarkers can be used for detection of HCC as they were able to distinguish HCC patients from controls successfully with AKT and PI3K showing better potential to detect early stage HCC. However, translational analysis for all these RNA biomarkers should be performed to gain further evidence for the ability of these biomarkers to be used for early HCC detection.

LncRNA NEAT1 mediates progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma via VEGF-A and Notch signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

lncRNAs and VEGF have been shown to have close connections with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We explored the interaction between lncRNA NEAT1 and VEGF-A in OSCC.

METHODS

RT-qPCR was implemented to measure levels of lncRNA NEAT1 and VEGF-A in OSCC cell lines and normal cell lines. Cell functions then were checked after regulating the expressions of lncRNA NEAT1 and VEGF-A separately. Cell viabilities were examined with CCK-8 and apoptosis rate was checked with flow cytometry. Meanwhile, EMT-related genes E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin, and Snail and Notch signaling genes Notch1, Notch2, and Jagged were evaluated by RT-qPCR. IMR-1 was applied for impeding Notch signaling pathway. Later, cell viabilities, apoptosis, and EMT were assessed.

RESULTS

Expressions of lncRNA NEAT1 and VEGF-A were both increased significantly in OSCC cell lines especially in TSCC1 cell line. Suppression of lncNRA NEAT1 was associated with lower cell viabilities and EMT and higher apoptosis rate in the TSCC1 cell line. Meanwhile, knockdown of VEGF-A significantly repressed cell viabilities and EMT in the TSCC1 cell line. Magnifying functions of inhibited lncRNA NEAT1 Notch signaling pathway was obviously activated with overexpressions of lncRNA NEAT1 and VEGF-A. Adding IMR-1 significantly downregulated cell viabilities and EMT and sharply increased apoptosis in the context of lncRNA NEAT1 and VEGF-A overexpression.

CONCLUSION

LncRNA NEAT1 may upregulate proliferation and EMT and repress apoptosis through activating VEGF-A and Notch signaling pathway in vitro, suggesting an underlying regulatory factor in OSCC. Nevertheless, further research is necessary to gain a greater understanding of lncRNA NEAT1 and connections with VEGF-A in vivo and in clinical study.

Small Nuclear RNAs (U1, U2, U5) in Tumor-Educated Platelets Are Downregulated and Act as Promising Biomarkers in Lung Cancer

Background

Small nuclear RNA (snRNA) levels are extremely variable across a wide range of biological conditions. SnRNAs could potentially regulate alternative splicing to drive genetic, dysplastic and neoplastic disease, which might be the main reason for mRNA profile alteration in tumor educated platelets (TEPs).

Methods

Platelets were isolated from the plasma of lung cancer patients and healthy donors by low-speed centrifugation and subjected to RNA isolation. SnRNA U1, U2, U5 levels were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Exosomes were isolated by ultracentrifugation and identified by qNano.

Results

TEP U1, U2, U5 levels were significantly decreased in patients with lung cancer as well as with early stage patients, their downregulation was correlated with lung cancer progression, possessing favorable diagnostic efficiency. More importantly, TEP U1, U2 and U5 levels were closely correlated between paired exosomes and TEP from treated patients but not from untreated ones, and U1, U5 but not U2 in platelets were elevated by apo-exosomes.

Conclusion

Tumor educated platelet small nuclear RNAs are downregulated and act as promising biomarkers in lung cancer.

A three-platelet mRNA set: MAX, MTURN and HLA-B as biomarker for lung cancer

BACKGROUND

During the development of tumors, tumors "educate" platelets causing changes in their mRNAs expression profiles and phenotypes, thereby, tumor-educated platelet (TEP) mRNA profile has the potential to diagnose lung cancer. The current study aimed to examine whether TEPs might be a potential biomarker for lung cancer diagnostics.

METHODS

Platelet precipitation was obtained by low-speed centrifugation and subjected to Trizol for total RNA extraction. Platelet MAX, MTURN, and HLA-B mRNA were selected by microarray, validated by qPCR, and analyzed combined with related clinical factors.

RESULTS

Our results showed that a three-platelet mRNA set: MAX, MTURN, and HLA-B was significantly up-regulated in lung cancer patients as well as in early-stage lung cancer patients compared with those from healthy donors, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.734, 0.787, respectively, among which platelet MTURN mRNA processed a dramatically high diagnostic efficiency in female patients with lung cancer, its AUC for female was 0.825. More importantly, the three-platelet mRNA set: MAX, MTURN, and HLA-B was associated with chemotherapeutic effect, low mRNA expression of this three-platelet set was correlated with "favorable" first chemotherapy response.

CONCLUSIONS

A three-platelet mRNA set: MAX, MTURN and HLA-B enables blood-based lung cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy response prediction.

The expression and clinical significance of PDCD4 and Her-2 in human gastric cancer

To investigate the correlation and clinical significance between programmed cell death factor 4 (PDCD4) and epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2) expressions and clinicopathological parameters in patients with gastric cancer, a total of 65 cases of gastric cancer and the corresponding normal mucosa with PDCD4 and Her-2 protein expressions were detected by SP immunohistochemical staining, and 50 cases of gastric cancer and the corresponding normal mucosa with PDCD4 and Her-2 protein expression quantities were detected by Western blot, in order to analyze the relationship between the positive expressions of PDCD4 and Her-2 protein and the clinicopathological features of patients with gastric cancer. The results showed that the positive rate of PDCD4 protein expression in gastric cancer tissues was 7.7%, which was significantly lower than that in the corresponding normal tissues, that is, 77.5% ( P < 0.05); the positive rate of Her-2 expression was 41.5%, which was significantly higher than that of the corresponding normal tissues, which is 2.5% ( P < 0.05). The Western blot test showed that the expression of PDCD4 protein in gastric cancer was 0.3105 ± 0.0073, which was significantly lower than that in the corresponding normal tissues, that is, 0.9428 ± 0.0127 ( P < 0.05); the expression level of Her-2 protein in gastric cancer tissues was 0.9428 ± 0.0127, which was significantly higher than that of the corresponding normal mucosa, which is 0.2054 ± 0.0264 ( P < 0.05). The positive expressions of PDCD4 (5/65) and Her-2 (27/65) were significantly correlated with the differentiation degrees and TNM stages of gastric cancer ( P < 0.05). However, no significant correlation can be observed from Table 2 ( P > 0.05), regarding sex, age, tumor size, and lymph node metastasis. Our research claimed that PDCD4 and Her-2 may play an important role in the invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer, which has a negative correlation with biological behaviors of gastric cancer. The low expression of PDCD4 and the high expression of Her-2 in gastric cancer may promote the occurrence and progression of cancer. The PDCD4 and Her-2 test can be used as an index to evaluate the malignant biological behaviors of gastric cancer and prognosis, and provide a theoretical basis for targeted therapy.