Overexpression of annexin 1 in the development and differentiation of urothelial carcinoma

Annexin A1 promotes the progression of bladder cancer via regulating EGFR signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Bladder cancer (BLCA) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. One of the main reasons for the unsatisfactory management of BLCA is the complex molecular biological mechanism. Annexin A1 (ANXA1), a Ca²⁺-regulated phospholipid-binding protein, has been demonstrated to be implicated in the progression and prognosis of many cancers. However, the expression pattern, biological function and mechanism of ANXA1 in BLCA remain unclear.

METHODS

The clinical relevance of ANXA1 in BLCA was investigated by bioinformatics analysis based on TCGA and GEO datasets. Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis was performed to detect the expression of ANXA1 in BLCA tissues, and the relationships between ANXA1 and clinical parameters were analyzed. In vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to study the biological functions of ANXA1 in BLCA. Finally, the potential mechanism of ANXA1 in BLCA was explored by bioinformatics analysis and verified by in vitro and in vivo experiments.

RESULTS

Bioinformatics and IHC analyses indicated that a high expression level of ANXA1 was strongly associated with the progression and poor prognosis of patients with BLCA. Functional studies demonstrated that ANXA1 silencing inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of BLCA cells in vitro, and suppressed the growth of xenografted bladder tumors in vivo. Mechanistically, loss of ANXA1 decreased the expression and phosphorylation level of EGFR and the activation of downstream signaling pathways. In addition, knockdown of ANXA1 accelerated ubiquitination and degradation of P-EGFR to downregulate the activation of EGFR signaling.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that ANXA1 is a reliable clinical predictor for the prognosis of BLCA and promotes proliferation and migration by activating EGFR signaling in BLCA. Therefore, ANXA1 may be a promising biomarker for the prognosis of patients with BLCA, thus shedding light on precise and personalized therapy for BLCA in the future.

Annexin A8 regulated by lncRNA-TUG1/miR-140-3p axis promotes bladder cancer progression and metastasis

Bladder cancer is the ninth most diagnosed cancer in the world. This study aims to investigate the role and mechanisms of the taurine-upregulated gene 1 (TUG1)/miR-140-3p/annexin A8 (ANXA8) axis in bladder cancer. Western blotting and qRT-PCR determined the expression levels of ANXA8, miR-140-3p, TUG1, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), luciferase assay, and RNA pull-down assay validated the association among ANXA8, miR-140-3p, and TUG1. The biological functions were determined by colony formation, Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)/propidium (PI) staining, and transwell assays. Xenograft tumorigenesis detected tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Pathological analysis was examined by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses. ANXA8 was elevated in bladder tumors and cells. Knockdown of ANXA8 suppressed cell growth, migration, invasion, and EMT in UMUC-3 and T24 cells. ANXA8 was determined as a miR-140-3p target gene. Overexpression of miR-140-3p suppressed cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT via targeting ANXA8. TUG1 promoted ANXA8 expression via sponging miR-140-3p. Silencing of miR-140-3p or ANXA8 overexpression abrogated the tumor-suppressive effects of TUG1 silencing on bladder cancer cell growth and metastasis. The TUG1/miR-140-3p/ANXA8 axis was also implicated in tumor growth and lung metastasis in vivo. TUG1 promotes bladder cancer progression and metastasis through activating ANXA8 by sponging miR-140-3p, which sheds light on the mechanisms of bladder cancer pathogenesis.

Comparative expression analysis of phospholipid binding protein annexina1 in nephrogenesis and kidney cancer

Background The expression in the glomerular mesangial cells, papillary, and collecting duct cells demonstrated annexin A1 (AnxA1)'s role in specific renal functions. With varying concentrations of calcium (Ca2+), it is considered to regulate cellular processes such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, and clearance of apoptotic cells by forming ceramides, a key lipid mediator of apoptosis. It also participates in tumorigenesis based on its location. On account of these features, we investigated the expression of this apoptosis-associated protein in fetal kidneys at different gestational periods, mature kidneys and in kidney cancer tissues in order to localize and possibly characterize its role during nephrogenesis and renal tumors. Methods AnxA1 expression was evaluated by an immunohistochemistry technique in "paraffin-embedded" renal tissue sections from autopsied fetuses at different gestational ages, in mature kidneys and renal cancer tissues. Results The current study data demonstrated that AnxA1 is expressed in the mesangial cells and podocytes of maturing glomeruli in the developing renal cortex of fetal kidneys at 14 to 19 weeks of gestation. The expression in the mesangial cells declined in later weeks of gestation and persisted into adulthood. AnxA1 expression increased with the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) and also in other cancer types indicating a potential role of the protein in tumorigenesis. Conclusions We presume that AnxA1 in the podocytes and mesangial cells play important roles in various signaling pathways in the functioning of the glomerulus. These results and concepts provide a framework to further dissect its biological properties and thereby develop diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic strategies targeting the molecule in various renal pathologies.

Machine Learning Identifies Stemness Features Associated with Oncogenic Dedifferentiation

Cancer progression involves the gradual loss of a differentiated phenotype and acquisition of progenitor and stem-cell-like features. Here, we provide novel stemness indices for assessing the degree of oncogenic dedifferentiation. We used an innovative one-class logistic regression (OCLR) machine-learning algorithm to extract transcriptomic and epigenetic feature sets derived from non-transformed pluripotent stem cells and their differentiated progeny. Using OCLR, we were able to identify previously undiscovered biological mechanisms associated with the dedifferentiated oncogenic state. Analyses of the tumor microenvironment revealed unanticipated correlation of cancer stemness with immune checkpoint expression and infiltrating immune cells. We found that the dedifferentiated oncogenic phenotype was generally most prominent in metastatic tumors. Application of our stemness indices to single-cell data revealed patterns of intra-tumor molecular heterogeneity. Finally, the indices allowed for the identification of novel targets and possible targeted therapies aimed at tumor differentiation.

Deregulation of annexin-A1 and galectin-1 expression in precancerous gastric lesions: intestinal metaplasia and gastric ulcer

OBJECTIVE

Annexin-A1 (ANXA1/AnxA1) and galectin-1 (LGALS1/Gal-1) are mediators that play an important role in the inflammatory response and are also associated with carcinogenesis. We investigated mRNA and protein expression in precancerous gastric lesions that participate in the progression cascade to gastric cancer, such as intestinal metaplasia (IM) and gastric ulcer (GU).

METHODS

Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and immunohistochemical techniques were used to analyze the relative quantification levels (RQ) of ANXA1 and LGALS1 mRNA and protein expression, respectively.

RESULTS

Increased relative expression levels of ANXA1 were found in 100% of cases, both in IM (mean RQ = 6.22 ± 0.06) and in GU (mean RQ = 6.69 ± 0.10). However, the LGALS1 presented basal expression in both groups (IM: mean RQ = 0.35 ± 0.07; GU: mean RQ = 0.69 ± 0.09). Immunohistochemistry revealed significant positive staining for both the AnxA1 and Gal-1 proteins in the epithelial nucleus and cytoplasm as well as in the stroma of the IM and GU groups (P < 0.05) but absence or low immunorectivity in normal mucosa.

CONCLUSION

Our results bring an important contribution by evidencing that both the AnxA1 and Gal-1 anti-inflammatory proteins are deregulated in precancerous gastric lesions, suggesting their involvement in the early stages of gastric carcinogenesis, possibly due to an inflammatory process in the gastric mucosa.

Expression of annexin-A1 and galectin-1 anti-inflammatory proteins and mRNA in chronic gastritis and gastric cancer

Objective. The anti-inflammatory proteins annexin-A1 and galectin-1 have been associated with tumor progression. This scenario prompted us to investigate the relationship between the gene and protein expression of annexin-A1 (ANXA1/AnxA1) and galectin-1 (LGALS1/Gal-1) in an inflammatory gastric lesion as chronic gastritis (CG) and gastric adenocarcinoma (GA) and its association with H. pylori infection. Methods. We analyzed 40 samples of CG, 20 of GA, and 10 of normal mucosa (C) by the quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) technique and the immunohistochemistry assay. Results. High ANXA1 mRNA expression levels were observed in 90% (36/40) of CG cases (mean relative quantification RQ = 4.26  ±  2.03) and in 80% (16/20) of GA cases (mean RQ = 4.38  ±  4.77). However, LGALS1 mRNA levels were high (mean RQ = 2.44  ±  3.26) in 60% (12/20) of the GA cases, while low expression was found in CG (mean RQ = 0.43 ± 3.13; P < 0.01). Normal mucosa showed modest immunoreactivity in stroma but not in epithelium, while stroma and epithelium displayed an intense immunostaining in CG and GA for both proteins. Conclusion. These results have provided evidence that galectin-1 and mainly annexin-A1 are overexpressed in both gastritis and gastric cancer, suggesting a strong association of these proteins with chronic gastric inflammation and carcinogenesis.