JMJD3 expression is an independent prognosticator in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Targeting Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Combining Copper Ionophore Disulfiram and JMJD3/UTX Inhibitor GSK J4

The alcohol-averse drug disulfiram has been reported to have anti-tumor effects and is well suited for drug combinations. In order to identify potential drug combinations in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), we screened a bioactive compound library with the disulfiram copper chelation product CuET. The Jumonji domain-containing protein 3 (JMJD3) and the ubiquitously transcribed tetratricopeptide repeat protein X-linked (UTX) inhibitor GSK J4 were identified. To further understand the molecular mechanism underlying the efficient drug combination, we applied quantitative mass spectrometry to analyze the signaling pathway perturbation after drug treatment. The data revealed that the synergistic effect of GSK J4 and CuET was due to the interaction among JMJD3 and UTX, which may play important roles in maintaining endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis in tumor cells. Interestingly, our clinical data analysis showed that high expression of JMJD3 and UTX was associated with T stage and worse prognosis of ESCC patients, further supporting the importance of the above findings. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the combination of CuET and targeting JMJD3/UTX may be a safe, effective, and available treatment for ESCC.

FDG PET/CT and Endoscopic Ultrasound for Preoperative T-Staging of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

This study aimed to compare the diagnostic performances of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and FDG PET/CT in the preoperative T-staging of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and determine whether their innovative coordination achieves better prediction. In total, 100 patients diagnosed with ESCC, 57 without (CRT[-]sub) and 43 with (CRT[+]sub) neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, undergoing EUS and FDG PET/CT, followed by surgical resection of the tumor, were included in this analysis. EUS classified T-stages based on the depth of primary tumor invasion, and FDG PET/CT used thresholded maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax) classifications. By employing pathology results as the reference standard, we assessed the accuracy of EUS and FDG PET/CT, evaluated their concordance using the κ statistic, and conducted a comparative analysis between the two modalities through McNemar's chi-square test. FDG PET/CT had higher overall accuracy than EUS (for CRT[-]sub: 71.9%, κ = 0.56 vs. 56.1%, κ = 0.31, p = 0.06; for CRT[+]sub: 65.1%, κ = 0.50 vs. 18.6%, κ = 0.05, p < 0.01) in predicting pT- and ypT-stage. Our proposed method of incorporating both FDG PET/CT and EUS information could achieve higher accuracies in differentiating between early and locally advanced disease in the CRT[-]sub group (82.5%) and determining residual viable tumor in the CRT[+]sub group (83.7%) than FDG PET/CT or EUS alone. FDG PET/CT had a better diagnostic ability than EUS to predict the (y)pT-stage of ESCC. Our complementary method, which combines the advantages of both imaging modalities, can deliver higher accuracy for clinical applications of ESCC.

Emerging roles of JMJD3 in cancer

Histone lysine methylation plays a key role in gene activation and repression. The trimethylation of histone H3 on lysine-27 (H3K27me3) is a critical epigenetic event that is controlled by Jumonji domain-containing protein-3 (JMJD3). JMJD3 is a histone demethylase that specifically removes methyl groups. Previous studies have suggested that JMJD3 has a dual role in cancer cells. JMJD3 stimulates the expression of proliferative-related genes and increases tumor cell growth, propagation, and migration in various cancers, including neural, prostate, ovary, skin, esophagus, leukemia, hepatic, head and neck, renal, lymphoma, and lung. In contrast, JMJD3 can suppress the propagation of tumor cells, and enhance their apoptosis in colorectal, breast, and pancreatic cancers. In this review, we summarized the recent advances of JMJD3 function in cancer cells.

The Emerging Significance of Histone Lysine Demethylases as Prognostic Markers and Therapeutic Targets in Head and Neck Cancers

Epigenetic aberrations, associated with altered DNA methylation profiles and global changes in the level of histone modifications, are commonly detected in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). Recently, histone lysine demethylases have been implicated in the pathogenesis of HNSCC and emerged as potential molecular targets. Histone lysine demethylases (KDMs) catalyze the removal of methyl groups from lysine residues in histones. By affecting the methylation of H3K4, H3K9, H3K27, or H3K36, these enzymes take part in transcriptional regulation, which may result in changes in the level of expression of tumor suppressor genes and protooncogenes. KDMs are involved in many biological processes, including cell cycle control, senescence, DNA damage response, and heterochromatin formation. They are also important regulators of pluripotency. The overexpression of most KDMs has been observed in HNSCC, and their inhibition affects cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell motility, invasiveness, and stemness. Of all KDMs, KDM1, KDM4, KDM5, and KDM6 proteins are currently regarded as the most promising prognostic and therapeutic targets in head and neck cancers. The aim of this review is to present up-to-date knowledge on the significance of histone lysine demethylases in head and neck carcinogenesis and to discuss the possibility of using them as prognostic markers and pharmacological targets in patients’ treatment.

Prognostic Significance of JMJD3 Expression in Pleural Mesotheliomas

Pleural mesothelioma is a disease associated with asbestos exposure and patients often have poor prognosis. Biomarkers that can stratify tumours more efficiently are much sought after to enable more personalized treatment options and predict prognosis. Jumonji domain-containing protein D3 (JMJD3) has variable expression in a range of tumours. However, there has been much discordance in the immunohistochemical labelling of JMJD3 between cancers at different sites and ambiguity exists regarding its functional significance. Recent evidence suggests that although nuclear expression of JMJD3 has a demethylase role in most cancers, there are also demethylase-independent actions of JMJD3 that need to be explored including its cytoplasmic expression. We analysed JMJD3 labelling in 99 pleural mesothelioma tissues and correlated nuclear and cytoplasmic expression with survival outcomes. We found that low nuclear and high cytoplasmic expression were associated with poor survival outcomes in our cohort (p = 0.014 and p = 0.041, respectively). Additionally, we found that low nuclear expression of JMJD3 was frequent in the sarcomatoid subtype (p < 0.001). Finally, we showed that cytoplasmic labelling is an independent prognostic marker of poor survival. Our cohort only contained a small number of tumours with high cytoplasmic expression of JMJD3, and a larger cohort study may provide clearer stratification.

Identification of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte subpopulations correlated with patient prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Objective

To identify biomarkers related to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) prognosis by analyzing genetic variations and the infiltration levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in patients.

Methods

The clinical features of 61 patients with ESCC were collected. DNA panel sequencing was performed to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Transcriptome sequencing was performed to identify gene expression profiles, and subsequent enrichment analysis of DEGs was conducted using Metascape.

Results

We identified 488 DEGs between patients with ESCC with distinct prognoses that were mainly enriched in the human immune response, fibrinogen complex, and protein activation cascade pathways. Among patients with ESCC treated with postoperative chemotherapy, those with a high infiltration level of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) had longer overall survival (OS), and OS was positively correlated with the infiltration level of T helper type 2 (Th2) cells among patients treated without chemotherapy after surgery. Additionally, in the case of MDSCs >0.7059 or Th2 cells <0.6290, patients receiving postoperative chemotherapy had a longer OS than those treated without chemotherapy following surgery.

Conclusion

The level of MDSCs or Th2 cells can be used as a biomarker for assessing the prognosis of patients with ESCC treated with or without postoperative chemotherapy, respectively.

The Impact of Radiotherapy Dose in Patients with Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Receiving Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy

Objective: For patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, preoperative chemoradiotherapy followed by planned esophagectomy is used as a curative treatment modality. However, the impact of radiotherapy dose remains undefined. Method: A total of 141 patients with stage III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC; as defined by the 7th American Joint Committee on Cancer), receiving preoperative chemoradiotherapy followed by esophagectomy between 2000 and 2015 at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan, were retrospectively reviewed. The radiotherapy dose of preoperative chemoradiotherapy (36 Gy before 2009 and 50–50.4 Gy after 2009) and other clinicopathological parameters were collected and correlated with the response to chemoradiotherapy and treatment outcome. Result: Of these 141 patients, the radiotherapy dose was 36 Gy in 59 (42%) patients and 50 Gy in 82 (58%) patients. A complete pathological response was noted in 12 (20%) of 59 patients receiving 36 Gy radiotherapy, and 37 (45%) of 82 patients receiving 50 Gy radiotherapy (p = 0.002). The three-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates were 31% and 25% in patients receiving 36 Gy radiotherapy, and 54% and 46% in patients receiving 50–50.4 Gy radiotherapy, respectively (p = 0.023 for overall survival; p = 0.047 for disease-free survival). Multivariate analysis showed that a higher radiotherapy dose was associated with increased pathological complete response (p = 0.003, hazard ratio: 3.215), better overall survival (p = 0.024, hazard ratio: 1.585), and superior disease-free survival (p = 0.049, hazard ratio: 1.493). However, higher radiotherapy doses revealed more surgical complications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (p = 0.048) and anastomosis leaks (p = 0.004). Conclusion: For patients with locally advanced ESCC, preoperative chemoradiotherapy with higher radiotherapy doses led to increased pathologic complete response rates and improved survival.

KDM6B (JMJD3) and its dual role in cancer

Epigenetic modifications play a fundamental role in the regulation of gene expression and cell fate. During the development of cancer, epigenetic modifications appear that favor cell proliferation and migration, but at the same time prevent differentiation and apoptosis, among other processes. KDM6B is a histone demethylase that specifically removes methyl groups from H3K27me3, thus allowing re-expression of its target genes. It is currently known that KDM6B can act as both a tumor suppressor and an oncogene depending on the cellular context. Therefore, in this work we summarize the current knowledge of the role that KDM6B plays in different oncological contexts, and we try to orient it towards its clinical application.

Upregulation of deubiquitinase USP7 by transcription factor FOXO6 promotes EC progression via targeting the JMJD3/CLU axis

Esophageal carcinoma (EC) is recognized as one of the most frequently occurring malignancies worldwide, and its high morbidity rate motivates efforts to identify potential therapeutic targets. Notably, forkhead box (FOX) family genes are highlighted as possible biomarkers for diagnostics, prognostics, and therapeutics of various malignancies, including EC. Our present study was performed to investigate the underlying mechanism of FOXO6 on the development of EC. We observed a significant upregulation of FOXO6 in EC tissues, contributing to the migration and proliferation in EC cells through gain- and loss-of-function assays. FOXO6 directly interacted with the ubiquitin-specific processing protease 7 (USP7) gene promoter and enhanced its transcriptional activity, which resulted in suppressed cancer cell apoptosis as revealed by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-qPCR. USP7 enhanced the ubiquitination of Jumonji domain-containing protein D3 (JMJD3), elevated JMJD3-promoted growth of EC cells, and transcriptionally activated clusterin (CLU) expression at the promoter region via histone H3 lysine 27 tri-methyl (H3K27me3) demethylation, according to immunoprecipitation and ubiquitination assays. Finally, we verified that FOXO6 mediated effects on the USP7/JMJD3/CLU axis to exert an oncogenic role in vivo, which was blocked by USP7 and JMJD3 inhibitor. Our findings demonstrate an important role of the FOXO6/USP7/JMJD3/CLU pathway in EC progression and thus provide attractive potential therapeutic targets for EC patients.

JMJD3 in the regulation of human diseases

In recent years, many studies have shown that histone methylation plays an important role in maintaining the active and silent state of gene expression in human diseases. The Jumonji domain-containing protein D3 (JMJD3), specifically demethylate di- and trimethyl-lysine 27 on histone H3 (H3K27me2/3), has been widely studied in immune diseases, infectious diseases, cancer, developmental diseases, and aging related diseases. We will focus on the recent advances of JMJD3 function in human diseases, and looks ahead to the future of JMJD3 gene research in this review.

Long noncoding RNA ARHGAP27P1 inhibits gastric cancer cell proliferation and cell cycle progression through epigenetically regulating p15 and p16

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as important regulators in the development and progression of gastric cancer (GC). ARHGAP27P1 is a pseudogene-derived lncRNA, and it has been found to be associated with GC in our preliminary study, but this association has not been studied further. Herein, we confirmed that ARHGAP27P1 was significantly downregulated in GC tissues, plasma and cells. Low expression of ARHGAP27P1 was closely associated with advanced TNM stage, increased invasion depth and lymphatic metastasis. Low ARHGAP27P1 expression also predicted a poor prognosis in GC patients. Functionally, overexpression of ARHGAP27P1 inhibited proliferation, invasion, and migration in GC cells, while silencing of ARHGAP27P1 showed the opposite effects. Mechanistic investigations showed that ARHGAP27P1 had a key role in G0/G1 arrest. We further demonstrated that ARHGAP27P1 was associated with Jumonji-domain containing 3 (JMJD3) and that this association was required for the demethylation of H3K27me3, thereby epigenetically activating expression of p15, p16 and p57. Moreover, knockdown of JMJD3, p15, or p16 consistently reversed the inhibitory effects of ARHGAP27P1 in cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. Taken together, these results suggest that lncRNA ARHGAP27P1, as a novel cell cycle regulator, may serve as a potential target for GC prevention and treatment in human GC.

The role and prospect of JMJD3 in stem cells and cancer

Currently, stem cells are reported to be involved in tumor formation, drug resistance and recurrence. Inhibiting the proliferation of tumor cells, promoting their senescence and apoptosis has been the most important anti-tumor therapy. Epigenetics is involved in the regulation of gene expression and is closely related to cancer and stem cells. It mainly includes DNA methylation, histone modification, and chromatin remodeling. Histone methylation and demethylation play an important role in histone modification. Histone 3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) induces transcriptional inhibition and plays an important role in gene expression. Jumonji domain-containing protein-3 (JMJD3), one of the demethyases of histone H3K27me3, has been reported to be associated with the prognosis of many cancers and stem cells differentiation. Inhibition of JMJD3 can reduce proliferation and promote apoptosis in tumor cells, as well as suppress differentiation in stem cells. GSK-J4 is an inhibitor of demethylase JMJD3 and UTX, which has been shown to possess anti-cancer and inhibition of embryonic stem cells differentiation effects. In this review, we examine how JMJD3 regulates cellular fates of stem cells and cancer cells and references were identified through searches of PubMed, Medline, Web of Science.