eEF2K as a novel metastatic and prognostic biomarker in gastric cancer patients

Design and Characterization of a Novel eEF2K Degrader with Potent Therapeutic Efficacy Against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Dysregulated eEF2K expression is implicated in the pathogenesis of many human cancers, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), making it a plausible therapeutic target. However, specific eEF2K inhibitors with potent anti-cancer activity have not been available so far. Targeted protein degradation has emerged as a new strategy for drug discovery. In this study, a novel small molecule chemical is designed and synthesized, named as compound C1, which shows potent activity in degrading eEF2K. C1 selectively binds to F8, L10, R144, C146, E229, and Y236 of the eEF2K protein and promotes its proteasomal degradation by increasing the interaction between eEF2K and the ubiquitin E3 ligase βTRCP in the form of molecular glue. C1 significantly inhibits the proliferation and metastasis of TNBC cells both in vitro and in vivo and in TNBC patient-derived organoids, and these antitumor effects are attributed to the degradation of eEF2K by C1. Additionally, combination treatment of C1 with paclitaxel, a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug, exhibits synergistic anti-tumor effects against TNBC. This study not only generates a powerful research tool to investigate the therapeutic potential of targeting eEF2K, but also provides a promising lead compound for developing novel drugs for the treatment of TNBC and other cancers.

Immunohistochemical staining of versican as a potential marker for predicting lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers and has a high mortality rate. Lymph node metastasis is a key determinant of prognosis, and an essential mechanism involved in metastasis is the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. In this study, we aimed to assess the diagnostic role of versican (VCAN), a molecule participating in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, on the detection of metastatic cancer. The expression of VCAN was evaluated using immunohistochemistry, and its biological activity was examined using gastric cancer cell lines. In patients with lymph node metastasis, VCAN expression was more prominent at primary tumor sites. In addition, VCAN was found to promote cell migration in vitro, thus potentially facilitating the distribution of metastases. Overall, increased expression of VCAN at the primary site may signify the development of metastases in lymph nodes because this protein is recognized as contributing to the migration of cancer cells into lymph nodes.

Prognostic significance of JAM 3 in gastric cancer: An observational study from TCGA and GEO

Junctional adhesion molecule 3 (JAM3) can be used as a prognostic marker in multiple cancer types. However, the potential prognostic role of JAM3 in gastric cancer (GC) remains unclear. The purpose of this research was to gauge JAM3 expression and methylation as potential biomarkers for GC patient survival. Through bioinformatics research, we analyzed JAM3 expression, methylation, prognosis, and immune cell infiltrations. JAM3 methylation acts as a negative regulator of JAM3, leading to reduced expression of JAM3 in GC tissues relative to normal tissues. Patients with GC who expressed little JAM3 have a better chance of living a long time free of the disease, according to the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Through univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis, inadequate JAM3 expression was labeled as an isolated indicator for overall survival (OS). The GSE84437 dataset was also used to confirm JAM3 prognostic role in GC, with consistent findings. A meta-analysis also found that low levels of JAM3 expression were significantly associated with longer OS. Finally, there was a strong correlation between JAM3 expression and a subset of immune cells. According to the TCGA database, low JAM3 expression could predict favorable OS and progression-free-survival (PFS) in GC patients (P < .05). The univariate and multivariate Cox regression demonstrated that low JAM3 expression was independent biomarker for OS (P < .05). Moreover, GSE84437 dataset was utilized to verify the prognostic role of JAM3 in GC, and the similar results were reached (P < .05). A meta-analysis revealed that low JAM3 expression was closely relevant to better OS. Finally, JAM3 expression exhibited a close correlation with some immune cells (P < .05). JAM3 might be a viable predictive biomarker and likely plays a crucial part in immune cell infiltration in individuals with GC.

Impact of silencing eEF2K expression on the malignant properties of chordoma

BACKGROUND

Eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase, eEF2K) is a calcium calmodulin dependent protein kinase that keeps the highest energy consuming cellular process of protein synthesis under check through negative regulation. eEF2K pauses global protein synthesis rates at the translational elongation step by phosphorylating its only kown substrate elongation factor 2 (eEF2), a unique translocase activity in ekaryotic cells enabling the polypeptide chain elongation. Therefore, eEF2K is thought to preserve cellular energy pools particularly upon acute development of cellular stress conditions such as nutrient deprivation, hypoxia, or infections. Recently, high expression of this enzyme has been associated with poor prognosis in an array of solid tumor types. Therefore, in a growing number of studies tremendous effort is being directed to the development of treatment methods aiming to suppress eEF2K as a novel therapeutic approach in the fight against cancer.

METHODS

In our study, we aimed to investigate the changes in the tumorigenicity of chordoma cells in presence of gene silencing for eEF2K. Taking a transient gene silencing approach using siRNA particles, eEF2K gene expression was suppressed in chordoma cells.

RESULTS

Silencing eEF2K expression was associated with a slight increase in cellular proliferation and a decrease in death rates. Furthermore, no alteration in the sensitivity of chordoma cells to chemotherapy was detected in response to the decrease in eEF2K expression which intriguingly promoted suppression of cell migratory and invasion related properties.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that the loss of eEF2K expression in chordoma cell lines results in the reduction of metastatic capacity.

A Novel Defined Pyroptosis-Related Gene Signature for Predicting the Prognosis of Endometrial Cancer

Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is the second major female genital malignancy. Genetic signatures may be an improved choice to predict the prognosis of EC patients. The relationship between pyroptosis and tumours has attracted much attention in recent years. Here, we constructed a new pyroptosis-related gene (PRG) signature for predicting the prognosis of EC. In this study, gene data and clinical information of EC patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Following the identification of PRGs correlated with EC prognosis, we further investigate the bioinformatics functions of these PRGs by univariate Cox regression analysis and Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. Then, we used the least absolute contraction and selection operator (LASSO) regression and multiple Cox regression analysis to construct a new PRG signature that contains seven PRGs (NFKB1, EEF2K, CTSV, MDM2, GZMB, PANX1, and PTEN) and performed the Kaplan-Meier (K-M) analysis, receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA) to evaluate the prognostic value of our novel PRG signature. Finally, we assessed the correlations between pyroptosis and immune cells/checkpoints through the CIBERSORT tool and single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA). The result suggested that our signature was powerful in predicting EC prognosis and may play a part in assessing response to immunotherapy in EC patients. In conclusion, our study established a novel PRG signature for EC, which can be used as an effective prognostic marker in clinical practice in the future.

Eukaryotic Extension Factor 2 Kinase may Affect the Occurrence and Development of Glioblastoma Through Immune Cell Infiltration

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most common malignancies among primary brain tumors in adults, featuring a poor prognosis and a high recurrence rate. Eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (eEF2K) is a calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase that is involved in promoting tumor cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and survival. However, its expression level in GBM, its prognostic impact and correlation with immune infiltration are not yet known. In this study, we used The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to explore the potential molecular mechanisms of eEF2K in GBM development and clinical prognosis in terms of gene expression, survival status, immune infiltration, and associated cellular pathways. We found that eEF2K expression levels were elevated in GBM, but eEF2K was not associated with the prognosis of GBM patients; eEF2K expression in GBM was associated with multiple immune cell infiltrations. These results show a statistical correlation between eEF2K expression and the development of GBM and immune cell infiltration, which helps us to understand the roles of eEF2K in GBM from different perspectives.

NORAD-sponged miR-378c alleviates malignant behaviors of stomach adenocarcinoma via targeting NRP1

Background

Stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) is the most common type of gastric cancer (GC), with a high recurrence rate and poor prognosis, but the potential indicators for STAD are insufficient.

Methods

Herein, we found that MicroRNA-378c (miR-378c) was lowly expressed in STAD, and the low expression of miR-378c was highly correlated with poor overall survival (OS), T stage, Reflux history, DSS events and PFI events of STAD patients.

Results

In addition, univariate analysis displayed that miR-378c was significantly associated with OS (Hazard ratio 0.735; 95% CI, 0.542–0.995; P = 0.046). Furthermore, it was validated that miR-378c inhibition accelerated STAD cell proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), while they were suppressed by miR-378c overexpression. Mechanistically, Neuropilin 1 (NRP1) was confirmed as the target of miR-378c, and Lnc-NORAD was identified as its sponger. More importantly, NORAD-mediated miR-378c inhibited malignant behaviors of STAD both in vitro and in vivo.

Conclusions

Collectively, these results suggest miR-378c as a promising indicator for the treatment of STAD.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-022-02474-5.

Pan-Cancer Analysis of the N6-Methyladenosine Eraser FTO as a Potential Prognostic and Immunological Biomarker

Background

Fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) is a critical N6-methyladenosine (m6A) demethylase that participates in tumorigenesis and is associated with the prognosis of patients in some cancers. However, the key roles of FTO in pan-cancer are still largely obscure.

Methods

FTO expression levels in pan-cancer were estimated via the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE), and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. Univariate survival analysis was used to estimate the effects of FTO on prognosis. In addition, we used the Tumor Immune Evaluation Resource (TIMER) to assess the immune cell infiltration of FTO gene across cancers. The association of FTO expression with immune checkpoint genes expression, DNA mismatch repair (MMR) gene mutation, DNA methyltransferases, microsatellite instability (MSI), and tumor mutational burden (TMB) was investigated using Spearman’s correlation analysis. Moreover, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was utilized to identify critical pathways in cancers. The STRING website was used to reveal the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network of FTO.

Results

FTO was aberrantly expressed across cancers and survival analysis demonstrated that its expression was associated with clinical prognosis of many cancer patients. Specifically, FTO expression was significantly associated with immune infiltrating cells in colon adenocarcinoma, kidney renal clear cell carcinoma, and liver hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition, FTO expression was significantly associated with immune checkpoint genes expression, MMR, DNA methyltransferases levels, TMB, and MSI in multiple cancers. Moreover, the GSEA unveiled that FTO was involved in the regulation of tumors and immune-related signaling pathways. In addition, several m6A related genes were implicated in the PPI network of FTO.

Conclusion

FTO was related to patients’ prognosis and tumor immune infiltrates in various cancers, and may serve as a novel and potential prognostic and immune biomarker in human pan-cancer.