SEMA6D Differentially Regulates Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion of Breast Cell Lines

Genomic analysis of an aggressive hepatic leiomyosarcoma case following treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma

A 70-year-old man undergoing treatment for immunoglobulin G4-related disease developed a liver mass on computed tomography during routine imaging examination. The tumor was located in the hepatic S1/4 region, was 38 mm in size, and showed arterial enhancement on dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography. We performed a liver biopsy and diagnosed moderately differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient underwent proton beam therapy. The tumor remained unchanged but enlarged after 4 years. The patient was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence and received hepatic arterial chemoembolization. However, 1 year later, the patient developed jaundice, and the liver tumor grew in size. Unfortunately, the patient passed away. Autopsy revealed that the tumor consisted of spindle-shaped cells exhibiting nuclear atypia and a fission pattern and tested positive for α-smooth muscle actin and vimentin. No hepatocellular carcinoma components were observed, and the patient was pathologically diagnosed with hepatic leiomyosarcoma. Next-generation sequencing revealed somatic mutations in CACNA2D4, CTNNB1, DOCK5, IPO8, MTMR1, PABPC5, SEMA6D, and ZFP36L1. Based on the genetic mutation, sarcomatoid hepatocarcinoma was the most likely pathogenesis in this case. This mutation is indicative of the transition from sarcomatoid hepatocarcinoma to hepatic leiomyosarcoma.

Semaphorins and Their Roles in Breast Cancer: Implications for Therapy Resistance

Breast cancer is the most common cancer worldwide and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. The clinical management of breast cancer is further complicated by the heterogeneous nature of the disease, which results in varying prognoses and treatment responses in patients. The semaphorins are a family of proteins with varied roles in development and homoeostasis. They are also expressed in a wide range of human cancers and are implicated as regulators of tumour growth, angiogenesis, metastasis and immune evasion. More recently, semaphorins have been implicated in drug resistance across a range of malignancies. In breast cancer, semaphorins are associated with resistance to endocrine therapy as well as breast cancer chemotherapeutic agents such as taxanes and anthracyclines. This review will focus on the semaphorins involved in breast cancer progression and their association with drug resistance.

Insight into the lncRNA-mRNA Co-Expression Profile and ceRNA Network in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Lung Injury

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in acute lung injury (ALI). However, their latent biological function and molecular mechanism have not been fully understood. In the present study, the global expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs between the control and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated groups of human normal lung epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) were determined using high-throughput sequencing. Overall, a total of 433 lncRNAs and 183 mRNAs were differentially expressed. A lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network was established, and then the top 10 lncRNAs were screened using topological methods. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis results showed that the key lncRNAs targeting mRNAs were mostly enriched in the inflammatory-related biological processes. Gene set variation analysis and Pearson's correlation coefficients confirmed the close correlation for the top 10 lncRNAs with inflammatory responses. A protein-protein interaction network analysis was conducted based on the key lncRNAs targeting mRNAs, where IL-1β, IL-6, and CXCL8 were regarded as the hub genes. A competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) modulatory network was created with five lncRNAs, thirteen microRNAs, and twelve mRNAs. Finally, real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was employed to verify the expression levels of several key lncRNAs in BEAS-2B cells and human serum samples.

In Silico Identification of Genes Associated with Breast Cancer Progression and Prognosis and Novel Therapeutic Targets

Molecular mechanisms underlying breast cancer (BC) progression are complex and remain unclear. In this study, we used bioinformatic tools to identify genes associated with tumor progression mechanisms and novel therapeutic targets in BC. We identified genes with stepwise upregulated expression overlapping between the T and N stages during BC progression using LinkedOmics. We compared the expression level of each gene in BC tissues with that in normal breast tissues and evaluated differences in expression in their intrinsic subtypes and their prognostic value using UALCAN and GEPIA2. We also investigated the dependency of BC cell lines on these genes and whether they are potential therapeutic targets using DepMap. SPDEF, TRIM3, ABCB9, HSPB1, RHBG, SPINT1, EPN3, LRFN2, and PRPH were found to be involved in BC progression. High expression of ABCB9 and SPINT1 was associated with a poor prognosis. SPDEF, TRIM3, ABCB9, RHBG, SPINT1, and PRPH were found to be essential for survival in some BC cell lines (gene effect score < −0.5). PRPH was newly discovered to be involved in the progression of BC and the growth and survival of BC cell lines. Hence, SPDEF, TRIM3, ABCB9, RHBG, SPINT1, and PRPH may serve as novel potential therapeutic targets in BC.