Overexpressed DAAM1 correlates with metastasis and predicts poor prognosis in breast cancer

Characterization of Expression and Function of the Formins FHOD1, INF2, and DAAM1 in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

PURPOSE

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted therapies, such as trastuzumab, benefit patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer; however, owing to traditional pathway activation or alternative signaling, resistance persists. Given the crucial role of the formin family in shaping the actin cytoskeleton during cancer progression, these proteins may function downstream of the HER2 signaling pathway. Our aim was to uncover the potential correlations between formins and HER2 expression using a combination of public databases, immunohistochemistry, and functional in vitro assays.

METHODS

Using online databases, we identified a negative prognostic correlation between specific formins mRNA expression in HER2-positive cancers. To validate these findings at the protein level, immunohistochemistry was performed on HER2 subtype breast cancer tumors to establish the links between staining patterns and clinical characteristics. We then knocked down individual or combined formins in MDA-MB-453 and SK-BR-3 cells and investigated their effects on wound healing, transwell migration, and proliferation. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (ERBB2)/HER2 small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown on the PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK1 pathways as well as on selected formins.

RESULTS

Our results revealed that correlations between INF2, FHOD1, and DAAM1 mRNA expression and ERBB2 in HER2-subtype breast cancer were associated with worse outcomes. Using immunohistochemistry, we found that high FHOD1 protein expression was linked to higher histological grades and was negatively correlated with estrogen and progesterone receptor positivity. Upon formins knockdown, we observed effects on wound healing and transwell migration, with a minimal impact on proliferation, which was evident through single and combined knockdowns in both cell lines. Notably, siRNA-mediated knockdown of HER2 affected FHOD1 and INF2 expression, along with the phosphorylated Akt/MAPK states.

CONCLUSION

Our study highlights the roles of FHOD1 and INF2 as downstream effectors of the HER2/Akt and HER2/MAPK pathways, suggesting that they are potential therapeutic targets in HER2-positive breast cancer.

GBP2 is a prognostic biomarker and associated with immunotherapeutic responses in gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

The interferon-induced protein known as guanylate-binding protein 2 (GBP2) has been linked to multiple different cancer types as an oncogenic gene. Although the role of GBP2 in cancer has been preliminarily explored, it is unclear how this protein interacts with tumor immunity in gastric cancer.

METHODS

The expression, prognostic value, immune-correlations of GBP2 in gastric cancer was explored in multiple public and in-house cohorts. In addition, the pan-cancer analysis was performed to investigate the immunological role of GBP2 based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset, and the predictive value of GBP2 for immunotherapy was also examined in multiple public cohorts.

RESULTS

GBP2 was highly expressed in tumor tissues and associated with poor prognosis in gastric cancer. In addition, GBP2 was associated with the immune-hot phenotype. To be more specific, GBP2 was positively related to immuno-modulators, tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs), immunotherapy biomarkers, and even well immunotherapeutic response. In addition to gastric cancer, GBP2 was expected to be an indicator of high immunogenicity in most cancer types. Importantly, GBP2 could predict the immunotherapeutic responses in at least four different cancer types, including melanoma, urothelial carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and breast cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

To sum up, GBP2 expression is a promising pan-cancer biomarker for estimating the immunological characteristics of tumors and may be utilized to detect immuno-hot tumors in gastric cancer.

Platelet-derived circRNAs signature in patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

BACKGROUND

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) early diagnosis is a clinical challenge that require a deep understanding of molecular and genetic features of this heterogeneous group of neoplasms. However, few biomarkers exist to aid diagnosis and to predict prognosis and treatment response. In the oncological field, tumor-educated platelets (TEPs) have been implicated as central players in the systemic and local responses to tumor growth, thereby altering tumor specific RNA profile. Although TEPs have been found to be enriched in RNAs, few studies have investigated the potential of a type of RNA, circular RNAs (circRNA), as platelet-derived biomarkers for cancer. In this proof-of-concept study, we aim to demonstrate whether the circRNAs signature of tumor educated platelets can be used as a liquid biopsy biomarker for the detection of gastroenteropancreatic (GEP)-NETs and the prediction of the early response to treatment.

METHODS

We performed a 24-months, prospective proof-of-concept study in men and women with histologically proven well-differentiated G1-G2 GEP-NET, aged 18-80 years, naïve to treatment. We performed a RNAseq analysis of circRNAs obtained from TEPs samples of 10 GEP-NETs patients at baseline and after 3 months from therapy (somatostatin analogs or surgery) and from 5 patients affected by non-malignant endocrinological diseases enrolled as a control group.

RESULTS

Statistical analysis based on p < 0.05 resulted in the identification of 252 circRNAs differentially expressed between GEP-NET and controls of which 109 were up-regulated and 143 were down-regulated in NET patients. Further analysis based on an FDR value ≤ 0.05 resulted in the selection of 5 circRNAs all highly significant downregulated. The same analysis on GEP-NETs at baseline and after therapy in 5 patients revealed an average of 4983 remarkably differentially expressed circRNAs between follow-up and baseline samples of which 2648 up-regulated and 2334 down-regulated, respectively. Applying p ≤ 0.05 and FDR ≤ 0.05 filters, only 3/5 comparisons gave statistically significant results.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings identified for the first time a circRNAs signature from TEPs as potential diagnostic and predictive biomarkers for GEP-NETs.

The novel role of etoposide in inhibiting the migration and proliferation of small cell lung cancer and breast cancer via targeting Daam1

OBJECTIVES

Daam1 (Dishevelled-associated activator of morphogenesis 1) is a Wnt/PCP signaling protein that engages in cytoskeleton reorganization and is abnormally activated in certain tumors. Daam1 is closely related to cancer metastasis, which is expected to become a target for cancer treatment. However, the natural small molecules targeting Daam1 have not been identified.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We screened several natural small molecules that may bind to Daam1 by Sybyl molecular simulation docking technique. As a first-line drug for the treatment of small cell lung cancer, etoposide was chosen for further investigation. Next, we used Micro Scale Thermophoresis (MST) to verify the interaction of etoposide and Daam1. Small cell lung cancer H446 cells and breast cancer MCF-7 cells were treated with etoposide and subjected to Western blotting to measure the Daam1 expression. The effect of etoposide on cell proliferation was determined by CCK-8 assay in vitro and by a tumor-bearing mouse model in vivo. Wound healing assay and Boyden chamber assay were used to evaluate the role of etoposide in the migration and invasion ability of tumor cells. The effect of etoposide on the microfilament assembly was visualized by immunofluorescence staining with phalloidine. Finally, the possible mechanism of down-regulation of Daam1 expression after etoposide-induced small cell lung cancer cells was detected by a half-life experiment and immunofluorescence staining with lysosomal marker LAMP1.

RESULTS

Sybyl molecular modeling docking technique was performed to screen a natural chemical library for molecules that bound to the FH2 domain of Daam1 and found etoposide was virtually interacted with Daam1. MST validated etoposide directly bound to the FH2 domain of Daam1. Etoposide significantly down-regulated the expression of Daam1 in small cell lung cancer H446 cells and breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Moreover, 270 μmol/L etoposide largely inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of H446 cells and MCF-7 cells. Immunofluorescence staining experiments revealed that etoposide induced the disassembly of microfilaments in H446 cells and MCF-7 cells, which were rescued by Daam1 overexpression. In nude mice transplanted with H446 cells, 5, 10, 20 mg/kg etoposide (drug/weight) injected via tail vein largely retarded the proliferation of subcutaneous tumors. Etoposide induced Daam1 to shorten its half-life and enter the lysosome degradation pathway, and eventually leading to the downregulation of Daam1 expression.

CONCLUSIONS

Etoposide is a novel natural small molecule targeting Daam1. Etoposide inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of small cell lung cancer cells and breast cancer cells, and also suppresses tumor proliferation of small cell lung cancer in vivo.

The prognostic value of DAAM2 in lower grade glioma, liver cancer, and breast cancer

PURPOSE

Dishevelled-associated activator of morphogenesis 2 (DAAM2) is a formin protein and has a potential role in the tumor metastasis. The prognostic value of DAAM2 in pan-cancer is investigated in this study.

METHODS

TCGA and GTEx database were downloaded to perform bioinformatics analysis and ROC curves. Then we explored protein-protein interaction and GO-KEGG enrichment to figure out the protein pathways associated with DAAM2 and studied DAAM2-related immune infiltration and methylation. Fifteen pairs of BRCA clinical samples were enrolled to determine the expression and distribution of DAAM2 in BRCA sections by immunohistochemistry. Finally, BRCA cells were transfected with siRNA targeting DAAM2 and subsequently subject to cell proliferation, migration, and invasion assays.

RESULTS

DAAM2 was closely related to the diagnosis and clinical characteristics of lower grade glioma (LGG), liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), and breast cancer (BRCA). Survival curve analysis demonstrated DAAM2 served as a potential prognostic indicator of LGG and LIHC (P = 0.0029 and P = 0.025, respectively). DAAM2 was mainly participated in signaling pathways mediating cytoskeleton regulation and tumor development. The correlation of DAAM2 with tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) and methylation levels was conducive to the prediction of novel biomarkers of pan-carcinoma. DAAM2 was highly expressed in BRCA tissues than that in paracancerous tissues. The proliferation, invasion, and migration of BRCA cells were inhibited by DAAM2 siRNA.

CONCLUSION

DAAM2 had a specific value in foretelling the prognosis of LGG, LIHC, and BRCA. High expression level of DAAM2 has longer survival rates in LGG and LIHC. The knockdown of DAAM2 retards the proliferation, invasion, and migration of BRCA cells. This study provides a novel sight of DAAM2 into the exploration of a potential biomarker in pan-cancer.

Construction of a novel prognostic signature based on the composition of tumor-infiltrating immune cells in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Emerging evidence has uncovered that tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) play significant roles in regulating the tumorigenesis and progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). However, the exact composition of TIICs and their prognostic values in ccRCC have not been well defined. A total of 534 ccRCC samples with survival information and TIIC data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset were included in our research. The ImmuCellAI tool was employed to estimate the abundance of 24 TIICs and further survival analysis explored the prognostic values of TIICs in ccRCC. In addition, the expression levels of immunosuppressive molecules (PDL1, PD1, LAG3, and CTLA4) in the high- and low-risk groups were explored. Various subtypes of TIICs had distinct infiltrating features and most TIICs exhibited dysregulated abundance between normal and tumor tissues. Moreover, specific kinds of TIICs had encouraging prognostic values in ccRCC. Further analysis constructed a 4-TIICs signature to evaluate the prognosis of ccRCC patients. Cox regression analyses confirmed the independent prognostic role of the signature in ccRCC. Moreover, immunosuppressive molecules, including PD1, LAG3, and CTLA4, were significantly upregulated in the high-risk group and predicted poor prognosis. However, PDL1 was not changed between high- and low-risk groups and could not predict poor prognosis. To sum up, our research explored the landscape of TIICs in ccRCC and established a novel 4-TIIC prognostic signature, which could effectively predict the prognosis for patients with ccRCC. Based on this signature, we also concluded that PDL1 may not predict prognosis in ccRCC.

NEUROD1 predicts better prognosis in pancreatic cancer revealed by a TILs-based prognostic signature

It has been well-defined that tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) play critical roles in pancreatic cancer (PaCa) progression. This research aimed to comprehensively explore the composition of TILs in PaCa and their potential clinical significance. A total of 178 samples from the TCGA and 63 samples from the GSE57495 dataset were enrolled in our study. ImmuCellAI was applied to calculate the infiltrating abundance of 24 immune cell types in PaCa and further survival analysis revealed the prognostic values of TILs in PaCa. Moreover, the Hallmark enticement analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between low- and high-risk groups was performed as well. Immunohistochemistry staining was used to evaluate NEUROD1 expression. As result, different kinds of TILs had distinct infiltrating features. In addition, Specific TILs subsets had notable prognostic values in PaCa. We further established a 6-TILs signature to assess the prognosis of PaCa patients. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses both suggested the significant prognostic value of the signature in PaCa. Based on the prognostic signature, we screened a great deal of potential prognostic biomarkers and successfully validated NEUROD1 as a novel prognostic biomarker in PaCa. Overall, the current study illuminated the immune cells infiltrating the landscape in PaCa and identified a TILs-dependent signature and NEUROD1 for prognostic prediction in PaCa patients.

Clinical significance and correlation of PD-L1, B7-H3, B7-H4, and TILs in pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

B7 molecules play significant roles in regulating tumor immunity, but their expression patterns and immuno-biological correlations in pancreatic cancer (PaCa) have not been fully discussed.

METHODS

RNA-sequencing data of B7 molecules of PaCa samples in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset was downloaded from the UCSC Xena to assess the expression, correlation, and mutation of the B7 family in PaCa. Next, two PaCa tissue microarrays (TMAs, Cat. HPanA150CS02 and HPanA120Su02) were obtained from Outdo BioTech (Shanghai, China). To detect the expression levels of PD-L1, B7-H3 and B7-H4, immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was performed on these TMAs.

RESULTS

Most B7 molecules, including B7-1, B7-2, PD-L1, B7-DC, B7-H2, and B7-H5 exhibited similar expression patterns, but B7-H3, B7-H4, B7-H6, and B7-H7 showed outlier expression patterns compared with other B7 molecules. Besides, B7 molecules were genetically stable and exhibited low alteration frequency. IHC staining indicated PD-L1, B7-H3, and B7-H4 were up-regulated in PaCa tissues and showed uncorrelated expression patterns. Furthermore, high expression of PD-L1 and B7-H3 indicated poor-differentiated grades in PaCa. PD-L1 was positively, but B7-H4 was negatively correlated with CD8+ TILs infiltration in PaCa. Moreover, combined PD-L1 and B7-H4 expression was a novel subtyping strategy in PaCa, namely patients with both high PD-L1 and B7-H4 expression exhibited decreased CD8+ TILs infiltration in tumor tissues.

CONCLUSION

Overall, we systemically analyzed the expression patterns of B7 molecules and proposed a novel subtyping strategy in PaCa. Patients with both high PD-L1 and B7-H4 expression exhibited the immuno-cold phenotype, which may be not suitable for immunotherapy.

Dishevelled-Associated Activator of Morphogenesis 2 (DAAM2) Predicts the Immuno-Hot Phenotype in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Background: DAAM2 participates in the oncogenesis and progression of human cancers. Although the role of DAAM2 in cancers has been preliminarily investigated, its correlations with antitumor immunity are unclear.

Methods: A pancancer analysis was conducted to explore the immunological role of DAAM2 based on RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Next, correlations between DAAM2 and immunological characteristics in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) were evaluated. In addition, the role of DAAM2 in predicting the clinical characteristics and the response to various therapies in PAAD were also assessed. In addition, the correlations between DAAM2 and the emerging immunobiomarker N6-methyladenosine (m6A) genes were also evaluated.

Results: Pancancer analysis revealed that DAAM2 exhibited positive correlations with a majority of immunomodulators, tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) and inhibitory immune checkpoints in several cancer types, including PAAD. In addition, DAAM2 was associated with an inflamed phenotype in the tumor microenvironment (TME). DAAM2 also predicted significantly higher responses to chemotherapy, anti-EGFR therapy and immunotherapy but lower responses to anti-ERBB2 and antiangiogenic therapy. In addition, DAAM2 was correlated with immune-related microbiota.

Conclusion: In PAAD, DAAM2 is associated with an immuno-hot phenotype and can help predict the outcome of various therapeutic options. Overall, DAAM2 is a promising indicator for assessing high immunogenicity in PAAD.

Formins in Human Disease

Almost 25 years have passed since a mutation of a formin gene, DIAPH1, was identified as being responsible for a human inherited disorder: a form of sensorineural hearing loss. Since then, our knowledge of the links between formins and disease has deepened considerably. Mutations of DIAPH1 and six other formin genes (DAAM2, DIAPH2, DIAPH3, FMN2, INF2 and FHOD3) have been identified as the genetic cause of a variety of inherited human disorders, including intellectual disability, renal disease, peripheral neuropathy, thrombocytopenia, primary ovarian insufficiency, hearing loss and cardiomyopathy. In addition, alterations in formin genes have been associated with a variety of pathological conditions, including developmental defects affecting the heart, nervous system and kidney, aging-related diseases, and cancer. This review summarizes the most recent discoveries about the involvement of formin alterations in monogenic disorders and other human pathological conditions, especially cancer, with which they have been associated. In vitro results and experiments in modified animal models are discussed. Finally, we outline the directions for future research in this field.

Daam1 Overexpression Promotes Gastric Cancer Progression and Regulates ERK and AKT Signaling Pathways

Objective

The dishevelled-associated activator of morphogenesis 1 (DAAM1) has been reported to be closely associated with human cancers. However, its involvement in human gastric cancer (GC) remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance and biological roles of Daam1 in human GC.

Methods

Daam1 protein expression was examined in 124 cases of gastric adenocarcinomas using immunohistochemistry. Daam1 plasmid and siRNA transfection were carried out in SGC7901 and AGS cell lines. CCK-8, colony formation, Annexin V/PI, JC-1 staining, and Western blotting were used to explore the biological functions and potential underlying mechanisms of Daam1 in GC cells.

Results

Our results showed that Daam1 was overexpressed in GC specimens. A high Daam1 level was associated with tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, T status, nodal metastasis, and poor patient survival. Analysis of the Oncomine dataset revealed upregulation of Daam1 mRNA in GC tissues. Western blot showed that Daam1 protein expression was higher in GC cell lines compared to the normal GES-1 cell line. CCK-8 and colony formation assays showed that ectopic Daam1 expression upregulated the cell growth rate and colony number in SGC-7901 cells, while Daam1 siRNA knockdown downregulated the growth rate and colony number in AGS cells. CCK-8 and Annexin V/PI apoptosis assays demonstrated that Daam1 overexpression decreased cisplatin sensitivity and downregulated cisplatin-induced apoptosis. JC1 staining showed that Daam1 overexpression upregulated, while Daam1 depletion downregulated mitochondrial membrane potential. Mechanistically, Daam1 overexpression downregulated p21 and upregulated p-ERK and p-AKT. The increased proliferation rate and decreased cisplatin sensitivity/apoptosis induced by ectopic Daam1 were reversed after treatment with AKT and ERK inhibitors.

Conclusion

Taken together, our results showed that Daam1 overexpression was associated with poor prognosis and promoted malignant activity via regulation of ERK and AKT pathways in GC cells, indicating Daam1 is a malignant biomarker and potential therapeutic target in GC.

YWHAZ interacts with DAAM1 to promote cell migration in breast cancer

Dishevelled-associated activator of morphogenesis 1 (DAAM1) is a critical driver in facilitating metastasis in breast cancer (BrCa). However, molecular mechanisms for the regulation of DAAM1 activation are only partially elucidated. In this research, the expression levels of YWHAZ and DAAM1 were examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining in BrCa tissues. The functional roles of tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein zeta (YWHAZ)–DAAM1 axis and their regulator microRNA-613 (miR-613) in BrCa cells and associated molecular mechanisms were demonstrated in vitro. As results, the expression levels of DAAM1 and YWHAZ were significantly upregulated in BrCa tissues compared with normal tissues and remarkably associated with poor prognosis. Besides, DAAM1 and YWHAZ were positively correlated with each other in BrCa tissues. YWHAZ interacted and colocalized with DAAM1 in BrCa cells, which was essential for DAAM1-mediated microfilament remodeling and RhoA activation. Moreover, miR-613 directly targeted both YWHAZ and DAAM1, contributing to inhibiting BrCa cells migration via blocking the complex of YWHAZ–DAAM1. To sum up, these data reveal that YWHAZ regulates DAAM1 activation, and the YWHAZ–DAAM1 complex is directly targeted by the shared post-transcriptional regulator miR-613.

Preliminary Investigation on the Involvement of Cytoskeleton-Related Proteins, DAAM1 and PREP, in Human Testicular Disorders

Herein, for the first time, the potential relationships between the cytoskeleton-associated proteins DAAM1 and PREP with different testicular disorders, such as classic seminoma (CS), Leydig cell tumor (LCT), and Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SOS), were evaluated. Six CS, two LCT, and two SOS tissue samples were obtained during inguinal exploration in patients with a suspect testis tumor based on clinical examination and ultrasonography. DAAM1 and PREP protein levels and immunofluorescent localization were analyzed. An increased DAAM1 protein level in CS and SOS as compared to non-pathological (NP) tissue was observed, while LCT showed no significant differences. Conversely, PREP protein level increased in LCT, while it decreased in CS and SOS compared to NP tissue. These results were strongly supported by the immunofluorescence staining, revealing an altered localization and signal intensity of DAAM1 and PREP in the analyzed samples, highlighting a perturbed cytoarchitecture. Interestingly, in LCT spermatogonia, a specific DAAM1 nuclear localization was found, probably due to an enhanced testosterone production, as confirmed by the increased protein levels of steroidogenic enzymes. Finally, although further studies are needed to verify the involvement of other formins and microtubule-associated proteins, this report raised the opportunity to indicate DAAM1 and PREP as new potential markers, supporting the cytoskeleton dynamics changes occurring during normal and/or pathological cell differentiation.

Network pharmacology-based analysis of the role of tacrolimus in liver transplantation

Background

Tacrolimus is a powerful immunosuppressant and has been widely used in organ transplantation. In order to further explore the role of tacrolimus in liver transplantation, we conducted network pharmacology analysis.

Methods

GSE100155 was obtained from the GEO database, and the DEGs of liver transplantation were analyzed. The 2D structure of tacrolimus was obtained from the National Library of Medicine, and the pharmacophore model of tacrolimus was predicted using the online tool pharmmapper. Then a network of tacrolimus and target genes was constructed through network pharmacology, and visualization and GO enrichment analysis was performed through Cytoscape. In addition, we also analyzed the correlation between key genes and immune infiltrating cells. The data of GSE84908 was used to verify the changes of key gene expression levels after tacrolimus treatment.

Results

The results of network pharmacological analysis showed that tacrolimus had 43 target genes, and the GO enrichment results showed many potential functions. Further analysis found that there were 5 key target genes in DEGs, and these 5 genes were significantly down-regulated in liver transplant patients. Another important finding was that 5 genes were significantly related to some immune infiltrating cells. The results of the GSE84908 data analysis showed that after tacrolimus treatment, the expression of DAAM1 was significantly increased (p = 0.015).

Conclusion

Tacrolimus may inhibit the human immune response by affecting the expression of DAAM1 in liver transplant patients.

Oncogenic UBE3C promotes breast cancer progression by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling

Background

Breast cancer (BrCa) is the most common female malignancy worldwide and has the highest morbidity among all cancers in females. Unfortunately, the mechanisms of BrCa growth and metastasis, which lead to a poor prognosis in BrCa patients, have not been well characterized.

Methods

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on a BrCa tissue microarray (TMA) containing 80 samples to evaluate ubiquitin protein ligase E3C (UBE3C) expression. In addition, a series of cellular experiments were conducted to reveal the role of UBE3C in BrCa.

Results

In this research, we identified UBE3C as an oncogenic factor in BrCa growth and metastasis for the first time. UBE3C expression was upregulated in BrCa tissues compared with adjacent breast tissues. BrCa patients with high nuclear UBE3C expression in tumors showed remarkably worse overall survival (OS) than those with low nuclear expression. Knockdown of UBE3C expression in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-453 BrCa cells inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, while overexpression of UBE3C in these cells exerted the opposite effects. Moreover, UBE3C promoted β-catenin nuclear accumulation, leading to the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in BrCa cells.

Conclusion

Collectively, these results imply that UBE3C plays crucial roles in BrCa development and progression and that UBE3C may be a novel target for the prevention and treatment of BrCa.

Characterization of the expression and prognostic value of 14-3-3 isoforms in breast cancer

The tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation proteins (14-3-3) participate in the tumorigenesis and progression of numerous malignances, but their precise prognostic values in breast cancer (BrCa) remain unknown. Here, we investigated the expression profiles and prognostic roles of 14-3-3 isoforms by employing multiple online databases. The transcriptional levels of most 14-3-3 isoforms in BrCa tissues were significantly higher than those in normal tissues. High mRNA expression of 14-3-3 beta/sigma/theta/zeta was significantly associated with poor overall survival (OS) in BrCa patients, while high mRNA expression of 14-3-3 epsilon was notably related to favorable OS. High mRNA expression of 14-3-3 beta/gamma/sigma/theta/zeta was significantly associated with poor relapse-free survival (RFS) in BrCa patients. A high mutation rate of 14-3-3 was determined to be associated with poor clinical outcomes. In addition, 14-3-3 expression was correlated with the infiltration of specific immune cells types. Analysis of the breast-specific protein-protein interaction (PPI) network suggested that 14-3-3 proteins were involved in several potential oncogenic mechanisms in BrCa. Finally, we performed experimentally validated their oncogenic roles in BrCa. Overall, our findings systematically elucidate the expression and distinct prognostic value of 14-3-3 isoforms in BrCa, which may provide potential therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers for BrCa.

Single-Sample Node Entropy for Molecular Transition in Pre-deterioration Stage of Cancer

A complex disease, especially cancer, always has pre-deterioration stage during its progression, which is difficult to identify but crucial to drug research and clinical intervention. However, using a few samples to find mechanisms that propel cancer crossing the pre-deterioration stage is still a complex problem. In this study, we successfully developed a novel single-sample model based on node entropy with a priori established protein interaction network. Using this model, critical stages were successfully detected in simulation data and four TCGA datasets, indicating its sensitivity and robustness. Besides, compared with the results of the differential analysis, our results showed that most of dynamic network biomarkers identified by node entropy, such as NKD2 or DAAM1, located in upstream in many important cancer-related signaling pathways regulated intergenic signaling within pathways. We also identified some novel prognostic biomarkers such as PER2, TNFSF4, MMP13 and ENO4 using node entropy rather than expression level. More importantly, we found the switch of non-specific pathways related to DNA damage repairing was the main driven force for cancer progression. In conclusion, we have successfully developed a dynamic node entropy model based on single case data to find out tipping point and possible mechanism for cancer progression. These findings may provide new target genes in therapeutic intervention tactics.

Systematic summarization of the expression profiles and prognostic roles of the dishevelled gene family in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Dishevelled (DVL) family members are crucial to Wnt‐induced signaling transduction, and their expression is highly correlated with the progression of multiple malignant cancers. However, the expression profiles and exact prognostic values of DVLs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not been explored until now.

Methods

The expression of DVL isoforms was assessed using the Oncomine, HCCDB and UALCAN databases. The prognostic roles of DVLs were further evaluated using the GEPIA database. The relationship between the expression of DVLs and immune infiltration of HCC was investigated using the Timer and ImmuCellAI tools. Furthermore, protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks were built and enrichment analyses were conducted.

Results

We found that the expression levels of DVL2 (OMIM accession number: 602151) and DVL3 (OMIM accession number: 601368) were upregulated in HCC tissues as revealed by the Oncomine and HCCDB databases. Additionally, the expression of DVLs tended to be associated with advanced clinical features in the UALCAN database. Prognostic analysis revealed that the expression levels of DVL1 (OMIM accession number: 601365) and DVL3 were remarkably associated with a poor prognosis in HCC patients. The results also revealed that the DVL expression level was correlated with the infiltration levels of multiple immune cells. By constructing the PPI network and enrichment analyses, the DVL1‐3 gene was identified to interact with 20 key genes and participate in several pathways.

Conclusion

In summary, DVL2 and DVL3 are highly expressed in HCC, and DVL1 and DVL3 are related to a poor prognosis, which might be used as candidate targets for targeted therapy and reliable prognostic biomarkers in HCC.