IGFBP2: integrative hub of developmental and oncogenic signaling network

Exosomal IGFBP2 derived from highly metastatic promotes hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis by inducing epithelial mesenchymal transition

Liver cancer metastasis is the main cause of death in liver cancer patients. Exosomes, which are small vesicles released by cancer cells, play a crucial role in the metastasis of cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of exosomes derived from high metastatic potential liver cancer cells acting as cell to cell communication on liver cancer metastasis. Bioinformatics analysis was used to obtain the differential expression of exosomal mRNAs from the plasma of both liver cancer patients and healthy volunteers. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), and protein blot were employed to characterize the exosomes. The molecular mechanisms and were explored by conducting CCK8, Transwell, Tunel, RTqPCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence staining. We examined IGFBP2 special expression in the plasma exosomes of both liver cancer patients and healthy volunteers, and its presence was associated with a poor prognosis in liver cancer patients. Furthermore, we observed that exosomes from highly metastatic liver cancer cells (MHCC97H) contained high levels of IGFBP2 and could enhance the metastatic potential of less aggressive liver cancer cells (Hep3B). Additionally, we discovered that IGFBP2 in MHCC97H-derived exosomes activated ERK signaling pathway, which triggered epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in Hep3B cells. Our study underscores the significance of exosomal IGFBP2 from highly metastatic liver cancer cells as a driver of metastasis in less invasive liver cancer cells. This suggests that targeting IGFBP2 in exosomes could be a promising strategy for the treatment and prognosis of liver cancer patients.

Single-cell transcriptome analysis of cavernous tissues reveals the key roles of pericytes in diabetic erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction (ED) affects a significant proportion of men aged 40-70 and is caused by cavernous tissue dysfunction. Presently, the most common treatment for ED is phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors; however, this is less effective in patients with severe vascular disease such as diabetic ED. Therefore, there is a need for development of new treatment, which requires a better understanding of the cavernous microenvironment and cell-cell communications under diabetic condition. Pericytes are vital in penile erection; however, their dysfunction due to diabetes remains unclear. In this study, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing to understand the cellular landscape of cavernous tissues and cell type-specific transcriptional changes in diabetic ED. We found a decreased expression of genes associated with collagen or extracellular matrix organization and angiogenesis in diabetic fibroblasts, chondrocytes, myofibroblasts, valve-related lymphatic endothelial cells, and pericytes. Moreover, the newly identified pericyte-specific marker, Limb Bud-Heart (Lbh), in mouse and human cavernous tissues, clearly distinguishing pericytes from smooth muscle cells. Cell-cell interaction analysis revealed that pericytes are involved in angiogenesis, adhesion, and migration by communicating with other cell types in the corpus cavernosum; however, these interactions were highly reduced under diabetic conditions. Lbh expression is low in diabetic pericytes, and overexpression of LBH prevents erectile function by regulating neurovascular regeneration. Furthermore, the LBH-interacting proteins (Crystallin Alpha B and Vimentin) were identified in mouse cavernous pericytes through LC-MS/MS analysis, indicating that their interactions were critical for maintaining pericyte function. Thus, our study reveals novel targets and insights into the pathogenesis of ED in patients with diabetes.

An insulin-like signalling pathway model for Fasciola gigantica

BACKGROUND

The insulin/insulin-like signalling (IIS) pathway is common in mammals and invertebrates, and the IIS pathway is unknown in Fasciola gigantica. In the present study, the IIS pathway was reconstructed in F. gigantica. We defined the components involved in the IIS pathway and investigated the transcription profiles of these genes for all developmental stages of F. gigantica. In addition, the presence of these components in excretory and secretory products (ESPs) was predicted via signal peptide annotation.

RESULTS

The core components of the IIS pathway were detected in F. gigantica. Among these proteins, one ligand (FgILP) and one insulin-like molecule binding protein (FgIGFBP) were analysed. Interestingly, three receptors (FgIR-1/FgIR-2/FgIR-3) were detected, and a novel receptor, FgIR-3, was screened, suggesting novel functions. Fg14-3-3ζ, Fgirs, and Fgpp2a exhibited increased transcription in 42-day-old juveniles and 70-day-old juveniles, while Fgilp, Fgigfb, Fgsgk-1, Fgakt-1, Fgir-3, Fgpten, and Fgaap-1 exhibited increased transcription in metacercariae. FgILP, FgIGFBP, FgIR-2, FgIR-3, and two transcription factors (FgHSF-1 and FgSKN-1) were predicted to be present in FgESPs, indicating their exogenous roles.

CONCLUSIONS

This study helps to elucidate the signal transduction pathway of IIS in F. gigantica, which will aid in understanding the interaction between flukes and hosts, as well as in understanding fluke developmental regulation, and will also lay a foundation for further characterisation of the IIS pathways of trematodes.

Single-cell landscape reveals the epithelial cell-centric pro-inflammatory immune microenvironment in dry eye development

Dry eye disease (DED) is a prevalent chronic eye disease characterized by an aberrant inflammatory response in ocular surface mucosa. The immunological alterations underlying DED remain largely unknown. In this study, we employed single-cell transcriptome sequencing of conjunctival tissue from environment-induced DED mice to investigate multicellular ecosystem and functional changes at different DED stages. Our results revealed an epithelial subtype with fibroblastic characteristics and pro-inflammatory effects emerging in the acute phase of DED. We also found that T helper (Th)1, Th17, and regulatory T cells (Treg) were the dominant clusters of differentiation (CD)4+ T-cell types involved in regulating immune responses and identified three distinct macrophage subtypes, with the CD72+CD11c+ subtype enhancing chronic inflammation. Furthermore, bulk transcriptome analysis of video display terminal-induced DED consistently suggested the presence of the pro-inflammatory epithelial subtype in human conjunctiva. Our findings have uncovered a DED-associated pro-inflammatory microenvironment in the conjunctiva, centered around epithelial cells, involving interactions with macrophages and CD4+ T cells, which deepens our understanding of ocular surface mucosal immune responses during DED progression.

IGFBP2 induces podocyte apoptosis promoted by mitochondrial damage via integrin α5/FAK in diabetic kidney disease

Podocyte apoptosis or loss is the pivotal pathological characteristic of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 2 (IGFBP2) have a proinflammatory and proapoptotic effect on diseases. Previous studies have shown that serum IGFBP2 level significantly increased in DKD patients, but the precise mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we found that IGFBP2 levels obviously increased under a diabetic state and high glucose stimuli. Deficiency of IGFBP2 attenuated the urine protein, renal pathological injury and glomeruli hypertrophy of DKD mice induced by STZ, and knockdown or deletion of IGFBP2 alleviated podocytes apoptosis induced by high concentration of glucose or in DKD mouse. Furthermore, IGFBP2 facilitated apoptosis, which was characterized by increase in inflammation and oxidative stress, by binding with integrin α5 (ITGA5) of podocytes, and then activating the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK)-mediated mitochondrial injury, including membrane potential decreasing, ROS production increasing. Moreover, ITGA5 knockdown or FAK inhibition attenuated the podocyte apoptosis caused by high glucose or IGFBP2 overexpression. Taken together, these findings unveiled the insight mechanism that IGFBP2 increased podocyte apoptosis by mitochondrial injury via ITGA5/FAK phosphorylation pathway in DKD progression, and provided the potential therapeutic strategies for diabetic kidney disease.

Icaritin-curcumol activates CD8+ T cells through regulation of gut microbiota and the DNMT1/IGFBP2 axis to suppress the development of prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

Prostate cancer (PCa) incidence and mortality rates are rising. Our previous research has shown that the combination of icariin (ICA) and curcumol (CUR) induced autophagy and ferroptosis in PCa cells, and altered lipid metabolism. We aimed to further explore the effects of the combination of ICA and CUR on gut microbiota, metabolism, and immunity in PCa.

METHODS

A mouse subcutaneous RM-1 cell tumor model was established. 16 S rRNA sequencing was performed to detect changes in fecal gut microbiota. SCFAs in mouse feces, and the effect of ICA-CUR on T-cell immunity, IGFBP2, and DNMT1 were examined. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was conducted to explore the mechanism of ICA-CUR. Si-IGFBP2 and si/oe-DNMT1 were transfected into RM-1 and DU145 cells, and the cells were treated with ICA-CUR to investigate the mechanism of ICA-CUR on PCa development.

RESULTS

After treatment with ICA-CUR, there was a decrease in tumor volume and weight, accompanied by changes in gut microbiota. ICA-CUR affected SCFAs and DNMT1/IGFBP2/EGFR/STAT3/PD-L1 pathway. ICA-CUR increased the positive rates of CD3+CD8+IFN-γ, CD3+CD8+Ki67 cells, and the levels of IFN-γ and IFN-α in the serum. After FMT (with donors from the ICA-CUR group), tumor volume and weight were decreased. SCFAs promote tumor development and the expression of IGFBP2. In vitro, DNMT1/IGFBP2 promotes cell migration and proliferation. ICA-CUR inhibits the expression of DNMT1/IGFBP2.

CONCLUSIONS

ICA-CUR mediates the interaction between gut microbiota and the DNMT1/IGFBP2 axis to inhibit the progression of PCa by regulating immune response and metabolism, suggesting a potential therapeutic strategy for PCa.

Machine learning unveils immune-related signature in multicenter glioma studies

In glioma molecular subtyping, existing biomarkers are limited, prompting the development of new ones. We present a multicenter study-derived consensus immune-related and prognostic gene signature (CIPS) using an optimal risk score model and 101 algorithms. CIPS, an independent risk factor, showed stable and powerful predictive performance for overall and progression-free survival, surpassing traditional clinical variables. The risk score correlated significantly with the immune microenvironment, indicating potential sensitivity to immunotherapy. High-risk groups exhibited distinct chemotherapy drug sensitivity. Seven signature genes, including IGFBP2 and TNFRSF12A, were validated by qRT-PCR, with higher expression in tumors and prognostic relevance. TNFRSF12A, upregulated in GBM, demonstrated inhibitory effects on glioma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. CIPS emerges as a robust tool for enhancing individual glioma patient outcomes, while IGFBP2 and TNFRSF12A pose as promising tumor markers and therapeutic targets.

Role of increased IGFBP2 in trophoblast cell proliferation and recurrent spontaneous abortion development: A pilot study

Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is a serious condition that adversely affects women's health. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in plasma of patients experiencing RSA is helpful to find new therapeutic targets and identified with mass spectrometry. In 57 DEPs, 21 were upregulated and 36 were downregulated in RSA. Gene ontology analyses indicated that identified DEPs were associated with cell proliferation, including significantly downregulated insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP2). Immunohistochemical result using clinical decidual tissues also showed that IGFBP2 expression was significantly decreased in RSA trophoblasts. Cell proliferation assay indicated that IGFBP2 treatment increased the proliferation and mRNA expressions of PCNA and Ki67 in trophoblast cells. Transcriptome sequencing experiments and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses revealed that gene expression for components in PI3K-Akt pathway in trophoblasts was significantly upregulated following IGFBP2 treatment. To confirm bioinformatics findings, we did cell-based experiments and found that treatment of inhibitors for insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 receptor-PI3K-Akt pathway significantly reduced IGFBP2-induced trophoblast cell proliferation and mRNA expressions of PCNA and Ki67. Our findings suggest that IGFBP2 may increase trophoblast proliferation through the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway to affect pregnancy outcomes and that IGFBP2 may be a new target for future research and treatment of RSA.

Unlocking the Potential of Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: Cellular Responses and Secretome Profiles in Peptide Hydrogel 3D Culture

Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have shown great potential for human health, but their growth and properties have been significantly limited by the traditional monolayer (2D) cell culture method for more than 15 years. Three-dimensional (3D) culture technology has demonstrated tremendous advantages over 2D. In particular, the 3D PGmatrix hiPSC derived from a peptide hydrogel offers a breakthrough pathway for the maintenance and expansion of physiologically relevant hiPSC 3D colonies (spheroids). In this study, the impact of 3D culture conditions in PGmatrix hiPSC on cell performance, integrity, and secretome profiles was determined across two commonly used hiPSC cell lines derived from fibroblast cells (hiPSC-F) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hiPSC-P) in the two most popular hiPSC culture media (mTeSR1 and essential eight (E8)). The 3D culture conditions varied in hydrogel strength, 3D embedded matrix, and 3D suspension matrix. The results showed that hiPSCs cultured in 3D PGmatrix hiPSC demonstrated the ability to maintain a consistently high cell viability that was above 95% across all the 3D conditions with cell expansion rates of 10-20-fold, depending on the 3D conditions and cell lines. The RT-qPCR analysis suggested that pluripotent gene markers are stable and not significantly affected by the cell lines or 3D PGmatrix conditions tested in this study. Mass spectrometry-based analysis of secretome from hiPSCs cultured in 3D PGmatrix hiPSC revealed a significantly higher quantity of unique proteins, including extracellular vesicle (EV)-related proteins and growth factors, compared to those in the 2D culture. Moreover, this is the first evidence to identify that hiPSCs in a medium with a rich supplement (i.e., mTeSR1) released more growth-regulating factors, while in a medium with fewer supplements (i.e., E8) hiPSCs secreted more survival growth factors and extracellular proteins. These findings offer insights into how these differences may impact hiPSC behavior, and they deepen our understanding of how hiPSCs respond to 3D culture conditions, aiding the optimization of hiPSC properties in translational biomedical research toward clinical applications.

Multiple approaches revealed MGc80-3 as a somatic hybrid with HeLa cells rather than a gastric cancer cell line

The short-tandem-repeats (STR) profiles of MGc80-3 and HeLa partially overlap, raising suspicion of contamination in the MGc80-3 cell line. However, there has not been any relevant study demonstrating whether MGc80-3 was fully replaced by HeLa cells, just mixed with HeLa cells (co-existing), or was a somatic hybrid with HeLa cells. In addition to STR profiling, various approaches, including single nucleotide polymorphisms genotyping, polymerase chain reaction, screening for human papillomaviruses type 18 (HPV-18) fragment, chromosome karyotyping, pathological examination of xenografts, tissue-specific-90-gene expression signature and high-throughput RNA sequencing were used to determine the nature of MGc80-3. Our study found that the abnormal STR profile, partially overlapping with that of HeLa cells (64.62% to 71.64%), could not verify MGc80-3 as a HeLa cell line. However, the STR 13.3 repeat allele in the D13S317 locus that seemed to be unique to HeLa cells was detected in MGc80-3. Almost all the MGc80-3 cells exhibited HPV-18 fragments in the genome as well as certain HeLa marker chromosomes, such as M7 and M12. The molecular assay of the 90-gene expression signature still considered MGc80-3 as a stomach cancer using an algorithmic analysis. The expression pattern of multiple genes in MGc80-3 was quite different from that in HeLa cells, which showed that certain characteristics belonged to gastric cancer cell lines. High throughput RNA sequencing showed the distinct patterns of gene expression in MGc80-3. In conclusion, MGc80-3 cell line is a somatic hybrid with HeLa cells rather than a pure gastric cancer cell line.

Deciphering the Hypoxia-immune interface in esophageal squamous carcinoma: a prognostic network model

Introduction

The rapid progress and poor prognosis of the exercise of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCA) bring great challenges to the treatment. Hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment has become a key factor in the pathogenesis of tumors. However, due to the lack of clear therapeutic targets, hypoxia targeted therapy of ESCA is still in the exploratory stage.

Methods

To bridge this critical gap, we mined a large number of gene expression profiles and clinical data on ESCA from public databases. First, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and functional enrichment analysis were performed. We next delved into the relationship between hypoxia and apoptotic cell interactions. Meanwhile, using LASAS-Cox regression, we designed a robust prognostic risk score, which was subsequently validated in the GSE53625 cohort. In addition, we performed a comprehensive analysis of immune cell infiltration and tumor microenvironment using cutting-edge computational tools.

Results

Hypoxia-related genes were identified and classified by WGCNA. Functional enrichment analysis further elucidated the mechanism by which hypoxia affected the ESCA landscape. The results of the interaction analysis of hypoxia and apoptotic cells revealed their important roles in driving tumor progression. The validation results of the prognostic risk score model in the GSE53625 cohort obtained a good area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the risk score was independently verified as a significant predictor of ESCA outcome. The results of immune cell infiltration and tumor microenvironment analysis reveal the profound impact of immune cell dynamics on tumor evolution.

Conclusion

Overall, our study presents a pioneering hypoxiacentered gene signature for prognostication in ESCA, providing valuable prognostic insights that could potentially revolutionize patient stratification and therapeutic management in clinical practice.

Comparing treatment with daily and long-acting growth hormone formulations in adults with growth hormone deficiency: Challenging issues, benefits, and risks

Daily administration of growth hormone (GH) treatment has been in clinical use for treatment for GH deficiency (GHD) in adults for more than 30 years. Numerous studies have demonstrated evidence that GH treatment improves body composition, cardiovascular risk factors and quality of life with few side effects. Less frequent GH injections are hypothesized to improve adherence and several long-acting GH (LAGH) formulations have been developed and a few have been approved and marketed. Different pharmacological modifications have been applied and the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of LAGH are different to each other and to those of daily injections and require different dosing and monitoring specific for each LAGH. Studies have shown improved adherence with LAGH, and short-term efficacy and side effects are comparable between daily GH injections and LAGHs. Long-term treatment with daily GH injections is effective and safe, while long-term studies for LAGHs are awaited. In this review challenges, benefits, and risks of treatment with daily and long-acting GH preparations will be compared.

Association Study of IGF-1 rs35767 and rs6214 Gene Polymorphisms with Cancer Susceptibility and Circulating Levels of IGF-1, IGFBP-2, and IGFBP-3 in Colorectal Cancer Patients

Early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) increases the 5-year survival rate by 90%; therefore, non-invasive biomarkers such as measurable circulating proteins for early detection and prognosis are crucial. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is involved in the regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis. IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) bind and inhibit the activity of IGF-1. It was inconsistently reported that high IGF-1 and IGFBP-2 and low IGFBP-3 circulating levels are associated with high cancer risk, poor prognosis, and tumor metastasis in several cancers. A total of 175 patients with CRC and 429 controls were enrolled in this study. We genotyped for IGF-1 rs35767 and rs6214 gene polymorphisms and assessed their association with circulating levels of IGF-1 and/or the risk for CRC. We also determined plasma levels of IGF-1, IGFBP-2, and IGFBP-3. Neither rs35767 nor rs2614 were associated with cancer risk or IGF-1 levels in our study cohort. IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels were higher in controls than in patients, whereas IGFBP-2 was higher in patients than in controls. Only IGFBP-2 was associated with increased tumor grade but not stage. Therefore, IGF-1, IGFBP-2, and IGFBP-3 may be useful as early detection and prognostic biomarkers in CRC.

METTL3-mediated HOTAIRM1 promotes vasculogenic mimicry icontributionsn glioma via regulating IGFBP2 expression

BACKGROUND

HOTAIRM1 is revealed to facilitate the malignant progression of glioma. Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) is critically involved in glioma progression. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanism of HOTAIRM1 in regulating glioma VM formation remains elusive. Thus, we attempted to clarify the role and mechanism of HOTAIRM1 in VM formation in glioma.

METHODS

qRT-PCR and western blot assays were used to evaluate the gene and protein expression levels of HOTAIRM1 in glioma patient tissue samples and cell lines. The role of HOTAIRM1 in glioma cell progression and VM formation was explored using a series of function gain-and-loss experiments. RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA pull-down, and mechanism experiments were conducted to assess the interaction between HOTAIRM1/METTL3/IGFBP2 axis. Furthermore, rescue assays were conducted to explore the regulatory function of HOTAIRM1/METTL3/IGFBP2 in glioma cell cellular processes and VM formation.

RESULTS

We found that HOTAIRM1 presented up-regulation in glioma tissues and cells and overexpression of HOTAIRM1 facilitated glioma cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and VM formation. Furthermore, overexpression of HOTAIRM1 promoted glioma tumor growth and VM formation capacity in tumor xenograft mouse model. Moreover, HOTAIRM1 was demonstrated to interact with IGFBP2 and positively regulated IGFBP2 expression. IGFBP2 was found to promote glioma cell malignancy and VM formation. Mechanistically, METTL3 was highly expressed in glioma tissues and cells and was bound with HOTAIRM1 which stabilized HOTAIRM1 expression. Rescue assays demonstrated that METTL3 silencing counteracted the impact of HOTAIRM1 on glioma cell malignancy and VM formation capacity.

CONCLUSION

HOTAIRM1, post-transcriptionally stabilized by METTL3, promotes VM formation in glioma via up-regulating IGFBP2 expression, which provides a new direction for glioma therapy.

Intranasal administration of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cortical neural stem cell-secretome as a treatment option for Alzheimer's disease

BACKGROUND

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder in the elderly, resulting in gradual destruction of cognitive abilities. Research on the development of various AD treatments is underway; however, no definitive treatment has been developed yet. Herein, we present induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cortical neural stem cell secretome (CNSC-SE) as a new treatment candidate for AD and explore its efficacy.

METHODS

We first assessed the effects of CNSC-SE treatment on neural maturation and electromagnetic signal during cortical nerve cell differentiation. Then to confirm the efficacy in vivo, CNSC-SE was administered to the 5×FAD mouse model through the nasal cavity (5 μg/g, once a week, 4 weeks). The cell-mediated effects on nerve recovery, amyloid beta (Aβ) plaque aggregation, microglial and astrocyte detection in the brain, and neuroinflammatory responses were investigated. Metabolomics analysis of iPSC-derived CNSC-SE revealed that it contained components that could exert neuro-protective effects or amplify cognitive restorative effects.

RESULTS

Human iPSC-derived CNSC-SE increased neuronal proliferation and dendritic structure formation in vitro. Furthermore, CNSC-SE-treated iPSC-derived cortical neurons acquired electrical network activity and action potential bursts. The 5×FAD mice treated with CNSC-SE showed memory restoration and reduced Aβ plaque accumulation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that the iPSC-derived CNSC-SE may serve as a potential, non-invasive therapeutic option for AD in reducing amyloid infiltration and restoring memory.

Clonal and Scalable Endothelial Progenitor Cell Lines from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) can be used as a renewable source of endothelial cells for treating cardiovascular disease and other ischemic conditions. Here, we present the derivation and characterization of a panel of distinct clonal embryonic endothelial progenitor cells (eEPCs) lines that were differentiated from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The hESC line, ESI-017, was first partially differentiated to produce candidate cultures from which eEPCs were cloned. Endothelial cell identity was assessed by transcriptomic analysis, cell surface marker expression, immunocytochemical marker analysis, and functional analysis of cells and exosomes using vascular network forming assays. The transcriptome of the eEPC lines was compared to various adult endothelial lines as well as various non-endothelial cells including both adult and embryonic origins. This resulted in a variety of distinct cell lines with functional properties of endothelial cells and strong transcriptomic similarity to adult endothelial primary cell lines. The eEPC lines, however, were distinguished from adult endothelium by their novel pattern of embryonic gene expression. We demonstrated eEPC line scalability of up to 80 population doublings (pd) and stable long-term expansion of over 50 pd with stable angiogenic properties at late passage. Taken together, these data support the finding that hESC-derived clonal eEPC lines are a potential source of scalable therapeutic cells and cell products for treating cardiovascular disease. These eEPC lines offer a highly promising resource for the development of further preclinical studies aimed at therapeutic interventions.

High-fat diet promotes tumor growth in the patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) mouse model of ER positive endometrial cancer

Endometrial cancer, one of the common gynecological malignancies, is affected by several influencing factors. This study established a unique patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) nude mouse model for the study of influencing factors in ER positive endometrial cancer. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that a high-fat diet can affect the growth of ER positive endometrial cancer PDOX model tumors. The tumor tissues were expanded by subcutaneous transplantation in nude mice, and then the subcutaneous tumor tissues were orthotopically implanted into the nude mouse uterus to establish the PDOX model. After modeling, they were divided into high-fat diet group and normal diet group for 8 weeks of feeding, which showed that high-fat diet significantly promoted tumor growth (P < 0.001) and increased the protein expression level of ERα in tumor tissues. This study demonstrates that PDOX models of endometrial cancer can embody the role of dietary influences on tumor growth and that this model has the potential for preclinical studies of cancer promoting factors.

Single-Cell Characterization of Pulmonary Nodules Implicates Suppression of Immunosurveillance across Early Stages of Lung Adenocarcinoma

A greater understanding of molecular, cellular, and immunological changes during the early stages of lung adenocarcinoma development could improve diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in patients with pulmonary nodules at risk for lung cancer. To elucidate the immunopathogenesis of early lung tumorigenesis, we evaluated surgically resected pulmonary nodules representing the spectrum of early lung adenocarcinoma as well as associated normal lung tissues using single-cell RNA sequencing and validated the results by flow cytometry and multiplex immunofluorescence (MIF). Single-cell transcriptomics revealed a significant decrease in gene expression associated with cytolytic activities of tumor-infiltrating natural killer and natural killer T cells. This was accompanied by a reduction in effector T cells and an increase of CD4+ regulatory T cells (Treg) in subsolid nodules. An independent set of resected pulmonary nodules consisting of both adenocarcinomas and associated premalignant lesions corroborated the early increment of Tregs in premalignant lesions compared with the associated normal lung tissues by MIF. Gene expression analysis indicated that cancer-associated alveolar type 2 cells and fibroblasts may contribute to the deregulation of the extracellular matrix, potentially affecting immune infiltration in subsolid nodules through ligand-receptor interactions. These findings suggest that there is a suppression of immune surveillance across the spectrum of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma.

SIGNIFICANCE

Analysis of a spectrum of subsolid pulmonary nodules by single-cell RNA sequencing provides insights into the immune regulation and cell-cell interactions in the tumor microenvironment during early lung tumor development.

Knock-down of IGFBP2 ameliorates lung fibrosis and inflammation in rats with severe pneumonia through STAT3 pathway

OBJECTIVE

To observe the mechanism of IGFBP2 knock-down in improving lung fibrosis and inflammation through STAT3 pathway in rats with severe pneumonia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

First, SP rat model was established. Then rats were divided into the Control group, the SP group, the SP + Lv-vector shRNA group, the SP + Lv-IGFBP2 shRNA group, the SP + Lv-vector group, and the SP + Lv-IGFBP2 group. The mRNA and protein levels of IGFBP2, NOS, CD206 and Arg 1 were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot. IHC was used to check the positive expression of IGFBP2 and MCP1. A fully automated blood gas analyzer was used to detected PaCO2, CO2 content, PaO2 and SaO2. HE and Masson staining were performed to observe the lung tissue injury and collagen deposition of rats in each group. ELISA assays were used to calculate the levels of inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-4, and IL-10. Flow cytometry was conducted to acquire the ratio of M1-type AMs and M2-type AMs.

RESULTS

Compared with the Control group, IGFBP2, iNOS, CD206, and Arg1 mRNA and protein expression levels, IGFBP2 and MCP1 positive expressions, PaCO2, p-STAT3/STAT3, p-JAK2/JAK2, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α levels, the number of AMs and neutrophils, the proportion of M1 type AMs and the expressions of α-SMA, Collagen-I, Collagen III, and Fibronectin were significantly increased in SP rats (p < 0.05), while PaCO2, CO2, and SaO2, IL-4 and IL-10 levels, and the proportion of M2 type AMs decreased (p < 0.05). However, the knockdown of IGFBP2 reversed the above index trends.

CONCLUSION

Knock-down of IGFBP2 ameliorated lung injury in SP rats, inhibited inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis, and promoted M2-type transformation of AMs by activating the STAT3 pathway.

Circulating IGF-1 and IGFBP-2 may be biomarkers for risk stratification in patients with acute coronary syndrome: A prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The involvement of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 (IGFBP-2) following acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is rarely studied in clinical practice. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the relationship between IGF-1 and IGFBP-2 concentrations at admission and risk stratification based on the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk score in patients with ACS.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In all, 304 patients diagnosed with ACS were included in this study. Plasma IGF-1 and IGFBP-2 were measured using commercially available ELISA kits. The TIMI risk score was calculated and the study population was stratified into high (n = 65), medium (n = 138), and low (n = 101) risk groups. Levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-2 were analyzed for their predictive ability of risk stratification based on the TIMI risk scores. Correlation analysis showed that IGF-1 levels were negatively correlated with TIMI risk levels (r = -0.144, p = 0.012), while IGFBP-2 levels were significantly and positively correlated with TIMI risk levels (r = 0.309, p < 0.001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, IGF-1 (odds ratio [OR]: 0.995; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.990-1.000; p = 0.043) and IGFBP-2 (OR: 1.002; 95%CI: 1.001-1.003; p < 0.001) were independent predictors of high TIMI risk levels. In receiver operating characteristic curves, the area under the curve values for IGF-1 and IGFBP-2 in the prediction of high TIMI risk levels were 0.605 and 0.723, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

IGF-1 and IGFBP-2 levels are excellent biomarkers for risk stratification in patients with ACS, which provides further guidance for clinicians to identify patients at high risk and to lower their risk.

Single-cell sequencing reveals the landscape of the human brain metastatic microenvironment

Brain metastases is the most common intracranial tumor and account for approximately 20% of all systematic cancer cases. It is a leading cause of death in advanced-stage cancer, resulting in a five-year overall survival rate below 10%. Therefore, there is a critical need to identify effective biomarkers that can support frequent surveillance and promote efficient drug guidance in brain metastasis. Recently, the remarkable breakthroughs in single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology have advanced our insights into the tumor microenvironment (TME) at single-cell resolution, which offers the potential to unravel the metastasis-related cellular crosstalk and provides the potential for improving therapeutic effects mediated by multifaceted cellular interactions within TME. In this study, we have applied scRNA-seq and profiled 10,896 cells collected from five brain tumor tissue samples originating from breast and lung cancers. Our analysis reveals the presence of various intratumoral components, including tumor cells, fibroblasts, myeloid cells, stromal cells expressing neural stem cell markers, as well as minor populations of oligodendrocytes and T cells. Interestingly, distinct cellular compositions are observed across different samples, indicating the influence of diverse cellular interactions on the infiltration patterns within the TME. Importantly, we identify tumor-associated fibroblasts in both our in-house dataset and external scRNA-seq datasets. These fibroblasts exhibit high expression of type I collagen genes, dominate cell-cell interactions within the TME via the type I collagen signaling axis, and facilitate the remodeling of the TME to a collagen-I-rich extracellular matrix similar to the original TME at primary sites. Additionally, we observe M1 activation in native microglial cells and infiltrated macrophages, which may contribute to a proinflammatory TME and the upregulation of collagen type I expression in fibroblasts. Furthermore, tumor cell-specific receptors exhibit a significant association with patient survival in both brain metastasis and native glioblastoma cases. Taken together, our comprehensive analyses identify type I collagen-secreting tumor-associated fibroblasts as key mediators in metastatic brain tumors and uncover tumor receptors that are potentially associated with patient survival. These discoveries provide potential biomarkers for effective therapeutic targets and intervention strategies.

RNA binding proteins in senescence: A potential common linker for age-related diseases?

Aging represents the major risk factor for the onset and/or progression of various disorders including neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disorders, and bone-related defects. As the average age of the population is predicted to exponentially increase in the coming years, understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of aging-related diseases and the discovery of new therapeutic approaches remain pivotal. Well-reported hallmarks of aging are cellular senescence, genome instability, autophagy impairment, mitochondria dysfunction, dysbiosis, telomere attrition, metabolic dysregulation, epigenetic alterations, low-grade chronic inflammation, stem cell exhaustion, altered cell-to-cell communication and impaired proteostasis. With few exceptions, however, many of the molecular players implicated within these processes as well as their role in disease development remain largely unknown. RNA binding proteins (RBPs) are known to regulate gene expression by dictating at post-transcriptional level the fate of nascent transcripts. Their activity ranges from directing primary mRNA maturation and trafficking to modulation of transcript stability and/or translation. Accumulating evidence has shown that RBPs are emerging as key regulators of aging and aging-related diseases, with the potential to become new diagnostic and therapeutic tools to prevent or delay aging processes. In this review, we summarize the role of RBPs in promoting cellular senescence and we highlight their dysregulation in the pathogenesis and progression of the main aging-related diseases, with the aim of encouraging further investigations that will help to better disclose this novel and captivating molecular scenario.

Engineered high-strength biohydrogel as a multifunctional platform to deliver nucleic acid for ameliorating intervertebral disc degeneration

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a leading cause of low back pain. The strategy of using functional materials to deliver nucleic acids provides a powerful tool for ameliorating IVDD. However, the immunogenicity of nucleic acid vectors and the poor mechanical properties of functional materials greatly limit their effects. Herein, antagomir-204-3p (AM) shows low immunogenicity and effectively inhibits the apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells. Moreover, a high-strength biohydrogel based on zinc-oxidized sodium alginate-gelatin (ZOG) is designed as a multifunctional nucleic acid delivery platform. ZOG loaded with AM (ZOGA) exhibits great hygroscopicity, antibacterial activity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Moreover, ZOGA can be cross-linked with nucleus pulposus tissue to form a high-strength collagen network that improves the mechanical properties of the intervertebral disc (IVD). In addition, ZOGA provides an advantageous microenvironment for genetic expression in which AM can play an efficient role in maintaining the metabolic balance of the extracellular matrix. The results of the radiological and histological analyses demonstrate that ZOGA restores the height of the IVD, retains moisture in the IVD, and maintains the tissue structure. The ZOGA platform shows the sustained release of nucleic acids and has the potential for application to ameliorate IVDD, opening a path for future studies related to IVD.

Age-related increases in IGFBP2 increase melanoma cell invasion and lipid synthesis

Aged melanoma patients (>65 years old) have more aggressive disease relative to young patients (<55 years old) for reasons that are not completely understood. Analysis of the young and aged secretome from human dermal fibroblasts identified >5-fold levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP2) in the aged fibroblast secretome. IGFBP2 functionally triggers upregulation of the PI3K-dependent fatty acid biosynthesis program in melanoma cells through increases in FASN. Melanoma cells co-cultured with aged dermal fibroblasts have higher levels of lipids relative to young dermal fibroblasts, which can be lowered by silencing IGFBP2 expression in fibroblasts, prior to treating with conditioned media. Conversely, ectopically treating melanoma cells with recombinant IGFBP2 in the presence of conditioned media from young fibroblasts, promoted lipid synthesis and accumulation in the melanoma cells. Neutralizing IGFBP2 in vitro reduces migration and invasion in melanoma cells, and in vivo studies demonstrate that neutralizing IGFBP2 in syngeneic aged mice, ablates tumor growth as well as metastasis. Conversely, ectopic treatment of young mice with IGFBP2 in young mice increases tumor growth and metastasis. Our data reveal that aged dermal fibroblasts increase melanoma cell aggressiveness through increased secretion of IGFBP2, stressing the importance of considering age when designing studies and treatment.

Significance

The aged microenvironment drives metastasis in melanoma cells. This study reports that IGFBP2 secretion by aged fibroblasts induces FASN in melanoma cells and drives metastasis. Neutralizing IGFBP2 decreases melanoma tumor growth and metastasis.

Expression characteristics and their functional role of IGFBP gene family in pan-cancer

BACKGROUND

Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) are critical regulators of the biological activities of insulin-like growth factors. The IGFBP family plays diverse roles in different types of cancer, which we still lack comprehensive and pleiotropic understandings so far.

METHODS

Multi-source and multi-dimensional data, extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Oncomine, Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE), and the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) was used for bioinformatics analysis by R language. Immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR were performed to validate the results of the database analysis results. Bibliometrics and literature review were used for summarizing the research progress of IGFBPs in the field of tumor.

RESULTS

The members of IGFBP gene family are differentially expressed in various cancer types. IGFBPs expression can affect prognosis of different cancers. The expression of IGFBPs expression is associated with multiple signal transduction pathways. The expression of IGFBPs is significantly correlated with tumor mutational burden, microsatellite instability, tumor stemness and tumor immune microenvironment. The qRT-PCR experiments verified the lower expression of IGFBP2 and IGFBP6 in gastric cancer and the lower expression of IGFBP6 in colorectal cancer. Immunohistochemistry validated a marked downregulation of IGFBP2 protein in gastric cancer tissues. The keywords co-occurrence analysis of IGFBP related publications in cancer showed relative research have been more concentrating on the potential of IGFBPs as tumor diagnostic and prognostic markers and developing cancer therapies.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide frontier trend of IGFBPs related research and new clues for identifying novel therapeutic targets for various cancers.

IGFBP2 promotes proliferation and cell migration through STAT3 signaling in Sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common pediatric brain malignancy and is divided into four molecularly distinct subgroups: WNT, Sonic Hedgehog (SHHp53mut and SHHp53wt), Group 3, and Group 4. Previous reports suggest that SHH MB features a unique tumor microenvironment compared with other MB groups. To better understand how SHH MB tumor cells interact with and potentially modify their microenvironment, we performed cytokine array analysis of culture media from freshly isolated MB patient tumor cells, spontaneous SHH MB mouse tumor cells and mouse and human MB cell lines. We found that the SHH MB cells produced elevated levels of IGFBP2 compared to non-SHH MBs. We confirmed these results using ELISA, western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining. IGFBP2 is a pleiotropic member of the IGFBP super-family with secreted and intracellular functions that can modulate tumor cell proliferation, metastasis, and drug resistance, but has been understudied in medulloblastoma. We found that IGFBP2 is required for SHH MB cell proliferation, colony formation, and cell migration, through promoting STAT3 activation and upregulation of epithelial to mesenchymal transition markers; indeed, ectopic STAT3 expression fully compensated for IGFBP2 knockdown in wound healing assays. Taken together, our findings reveal novel roles for IGFBP2 in SHH medulloblastoma growth and metastasis, which is associated with very poor prognosis, and they indicate an IGFBP2-STAT3 axis that could represent a novel therapeutic target in medulloblastoma.

FGF1 ameliorates obesity-associated hepatic steatosis by reversing IGFBP2 hypermethylation

Obesity is a major contributing factor for metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 1 is the first paracrine FGF family member identified to exhibit promising metabolic regulatory properties capable of conferring glucose-lowering and insulin-sensitizing effect. This study explores the role and molecular underpinnings of FGF1 in obesity-associated hepatic steatosis. In a mouse high-fat diet (HFD)-induced MAFLD model, chronic treatment with recombinant FGF1(rFGF1) was found to effectively reduce the severity of insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and inflammation. FGF1 treatment decreased lipid accumulation in the mouse liver and palmitic acid-treated AML12 cells. These effects were associated with decreased mature form SREBF1 expression and its target genes FASN and SCD1. Interestingly, we uncovered that rFGF1 significantly induced IGFBP2 expression at both mRNA and protein levels in HFD-fed mouse livers and cultured hepatocytes treated with palmitic acid. Adeno-associated virus-mediated IGFBP2 suppression significantly diminished the therapeutic benefit of rFGF1 on MAFLD-associated phenotypes, indicating that IGFBP2 plays a crucial role in the FGF1-mediated reduction of hepatic steatosis. Further analysis revealed that rFGF1 treatment reduces the recruitment of DNA methyltransferase 3 alpha to the IGFBP2 genomic locus, leading to decreased IGFBP2 gene methylation and increased mRNA and protein expression. Collectively, our findings reveal FGF1 modulation of lipid metabolism via epigenetic regulation of IGFBP2 expression, and unravel the therapeutic potential of the FGF1-IGFBP2 axis in metabolic diseases associated with obesity.

Identification of Prognostic Aging-Related Genes Associated with Immune Cell Infiltration in Glioblastoma

Background. Aging is recognized as a main tumor risk factor, and thus aging has become a field of interest in the tumor research field. Glioblastoma multiforme represents the most typical primary malignant intracranial tumor, particularly in the elderly. However, the association between aging-related genes (AGs) and GBM prognosis remains unknown. As a result, the primary goal of this study was to determine the association among AGs and the prognosis of GBM. Methods. A total of 307 human AGs were downloaded from the HAGR database, while the expression profiles of GSE4290 and GSE4412 were obtained from the GEO database. Furthermore, data on GBM expression profiles were obtained from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) database. The DEAGs that were differentially expressed among the AG and GBM gene expression profiles derived from GSE4290 were then identified, followed by functional analysis of the DEAGs. The survival-related AGs were then screened using univariate Cox regression analysis , which was used to build and validate a prognostic risk model. Furthermore, the ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms were utilized to explore the association between the survival-related AGs and the tumor immune microenvironment. Results. In entire, 29 DEAGs were identified in the GSE4290. This was monitored by the construction of the prognosis risk model using four DEAGs from the CGGA training set, including C1QA, CDK1, EFEMP1, and IGFBP2. Next, the risk model was confirmed in the CGGA experiment set and the GSE 4412 dataset. Results showed that C1QA, CDK1, EFEMP1, and IGFBP2 levels were remarkably higher in the high-risk score groups, and they had a good association with immune and stromal scores. Conclusion. A robust prognostic risk model was constructed and validated using four AGs, including C1QA, CDK1, EFEMP1, and IGFBP2, which had a close relationship with the immune microenvironment of GBM. This study offers a new reference to further explore the pathogenesis of GBM and recognize new and more effective GBM treatments.

Viscoelastic hydrogels for interrogating pancreatic cancer-stromal cell interactions

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is known to direct cancer cell growth, migration, invasion into the matrix and distant tissues, and to confer drug resistance in cancer cells. While multiple aspects of TME have been studied using in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo tumor models and engineering tools, the influence of matrix viscoelasticity on pancreatic cancer cells and its associated TME remained largely unexplored. In this contribution, we synthesized a new biomimetic hydrogel with tunable matrix stiffness and stress-relaxation for evaluating the effect of matrix viscoelasticity on pancreatic cancer cell (PCC) behaviors in vitro. Using three simple monomers and Reverse-Addition Fragmentation Chain-Transfer (RAFT) polymerization, we synthesized a new class of phenylboronic acid containing polymers (e.g., poly (OEGA-s-HEAA-s-APBA) or PEHA). Norbornene group was conjugated to HEAA on PEHA via carbic anhydride, affording a new NB and BA dually modified polymer - PEH_NBA amenable for orthogonal thiol-norbornene photopolymerization and boronate ester diol complexation. The former provided tunable matrix elasticity, while the latter gave rise to matrix stress-relaxation (or viscoelasticity). The new PEH_NBA polymers were shown to be highly cytocompatible for in situ encapsulation of PCCs and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Furthermore, we demonstrated that hydrogels with high stress-relaxation promoted spreading of CAFs, which in turns promoted PCC proliferation and spreading in the viscoelastic matrix. Compared with elastic matrix, viscoelastic gels upregulated the secretion of soluble proteins known to promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This study demonstrated the crucial influence of matrix viscoelasticity on pancreatic cancer cell fate and provided an engineered viscoelastic matrix for future studies and applications related to TME.

MAPKAPK2-centric transcriptome profiling reveals its major role in governing molecular crosstalk of IGFBP2, MUC4, and PRKAR2B during HNSCC pathogenesis

Transcriptome analysis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has been pivotal to comprehending the convoluted biology of HNSCC tumors. MAPKAPK2 or MK2 is a critical modulator of the mRNA turnover of crucial genes involved in HNSCC progression. However, MK2-centric transcriptome profiles of tumors are not well known. This study delves into HNSCC progression with MK2 at the nexus to delineate the biological relevance and intricate crosstalk of MK2 in the tumor milieu. We performed next-generation sequencing-based transcriptome profiling of HNSCC cells and xenograft tumors to ascertain mRNA expression profiles in MK2-wild type and MK2-knockdown conditions. The findings were validated using gene expression assays, immunohistochemistry, and transcript turnover studies. Here, we identified a pool of crucial MK2-regulated candidate genes by annotation and differential gene expression analyses. Regulatory network and pathway enrichment revealed their significance and involvement in the HNSCC pathogenesis. Additionally, 3'-UTR-based filtering recognized important MK2-regulated downstream target genes and validated them by nCounter gene expression assays. Finally, immunohistochemistry and transcript stability studies revealed the putative role of MK2 in regulating the transcript turnover of IGFBP2, MUC4, and PRKAR2B in HNSCC. Conclusively, MK2-regulated candidate genes were identified in this study, and their plausible involvement in HNSCC pathogenesis was elucidated. These genes possess investigative values as targets for diagnosis and therapeutic interventions for HNSCC.

In Vitro and In Vivo Effects of IGF-1 Delivery Strategies on Tendon Healing: A Review

Tendon injuries suffer from a slow healing, often ending up in fibrovascular scar formation, leading to inferior mechanical properties and even re-rupture upon resumption of daily work or sports. Strategies including the application of growth factors have been under view for decades. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is one of the used growth factors and has been applied to tenocyte in vitro cultures as well as in animal preclinical models and to human patients due to its anabolic and matrix stimulating effects. In this narrative review, we cover the current literature on IGF-1, its mechanism of action, in vitro cell cultures (tenocytes and mesenchymal stem cells), as well as in vivo experiments. We conclude from this overview that IGF-1 is a potent stimulus for improving tendon healing due to its inherent support of cell proliferation, DNA and matrix synthesis, particularly collagen I, which is the main component of tendon tissue. Nevertheless, more in vivo studies have to be performed in order to pave the way for an IGF-1 application in orthopedic clinics.

NCBP2 and TFRC are novel prognostic biomarkers in oral squamous cell carcinoma

There are few prognostic biomarkers and targeted therapeutics currently in use for the clinical management of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and patient outcomes remain poor in this disease. A majority of mutations in OSCC are loss-of-function events in tumour suppressor genes that are refractory to conventional modes of targeting. Interestingly, the chromosomal segment 3q22-3q29 is amplified in many epithelial cancers, including OSCC. We hypothesized that some of the 468 genes located on 3q22-3q29 might be drivers of oral carcinogenesis and could be exploited as potential prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Our integrative analysis of copy number variation (CNV), gene expression and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), identified two candidate genes: NCBP2, TFRC, whose expression positively correlates with worse overall survival (OS) in HPV-negative OSCC patients. Expression of NCBP2 and TFRC is significantly higher in tumour cells compared to most normal human tissues. High NCBP2 and TFRC protein abundance is associated with worse overall, disease-specific survival, and progression-free interval in an in-house cohort of HPV-negative OSCC patients. Finally, due to a lack of evidence for the role of NCBP2 in carcinogenesis, we tested if modulating NCBP2 levels in human OSCC cell lines affected their carcinogenic behaviour. We found that NCBP2 depletion reduced OSCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Differential expression analysis revealed the upregulation of several tumour-promoting genes in patients with high NCBP2 expression. We thus propose both NCBP2 and TFRC as novel prognostic and potentially therapeutic biomarkers for HPV-negative OSCC.

Differential Expression of Serum Proteins in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Assessed Using Label-Free Proteomics and Bioinformatics Analyses

PURPOSE

As a common respiratory disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has a high morbidity and mortality. Current clinical therapies are not ideal and do not improve lung function or long-term life quality. It is very important to find new potential pathogenic mechanisms, biomarkers, and targets with therapeutic value in COPD.

METHODS

Serum samples collected from acute exacerbation and stable COPD and healthy participants were analyzed using label-free liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry to identify the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between two groups. Bioinformatics analyses were performed to determine the biological processes associated with those DEPs. Key proteins were validated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS

In total, 661 proteins were detected in serum from patients with COPD and healthy participants. Compared with healthy participants, patients with acute exacerbation of COPD had 45 DEPs, 13 were upregulated and 32 were downregulated; and patients with stable COPD had 79 DEPs, 18 were upregulated and 61 were downregulated. Gene Ontology functional annotation results indicated that the DEPs identified in patients with COPD were associated with the terms cellular anatomical entity, binding, and cellular process. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes functional annotation analysis and the Clusters of Orthologous Genes database analysis indicated that the functions of these DEPs were primarily in signal transduction mechanisms and amino acid transport and metabolism. The ELISA results for three key proteins of IGFBP2, LRG1 and TAGLN were consistent with the LC-MS/MS results and the area under the receiver operating characteristic of the combined index was 0.893 (95% CI: 0.813, 0.974).

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggested pathogenic mechanisms underlying COPD stages and indicated three key proteins that may warrant further study as potential biomarkers for early diagnosis or prognosis of COPD or as therapeutic targets.

IGF-dependent dynamic modulation of a protease cleavage site in the intrinsically disordered linker domain of human IGFBP2

Functional regulation via conformational dynamics is well known in structured proteins but less well characterized in intrinsically disordered proteins and their complexes. Using NMR spectroscopy, we have identified a dynamic regulatory mechanism in the human insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system involving the central, intrinsically disordered linker domain of human IGF-binding protein-2 (hIGFBP2). The bioavailability of IGFs is regulated by the proteolysis of IGF-binding proteins. In the case of hIGFBP2, the linker domain (L-hIGFBP2) retains its intrinsic disorder upon binding IGF-1, but its dynamics are significantly altered, both in the IGF binding region and distantly located protease cleavage sites. The increase in flexibility of the linker domain upon IGF-1 binding may explain the IGF-dependent modulation of proteolysis of IGFBP2 in this domain. As IGF homeostasis is important for cell growth and function, and its dysregulation is a key contributor to several cancers, our findings open up new avenues for the design of IGFBP analogs inhibiting IGF-dependent tumors.

IGFBP2 function as a novel biomarker for active lupus nephritis

Abstract

In search for new targets for the diagnosis and treatment of lupus nephritis (LN), we employed TMT-liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (TMT-LC–MS/MS) combined with RNA-seq and identified a panel of proteins that was dysregulated both at protein level and mRNA level in active LN patients compared with healthy controls. We chose to study the role of IGFBP2 since it is a relatively understudied protein in the context of LN. We further validated that IGFBP2 significantly increased and correlated with SLE activity index in active LN patients. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve suggested that plasma IGFBP2 had a high diagnostic efficiency for distinguishing between inactive and active LN patients (AUC = 0.992; 95% CI = 0.974–1.000; P < 0.001). We demonstrated neutralizing IGFBP2-downregulated CD4⁺ T cell activation, upregulated the ratio of Treg, downregulated AKT/mTOR/4E-BP1 pathway, and significantly improved nephritis in MRL/lpr mice. In all, our work demonstrated IGFBP2 as a biomarker specific for active LN and blocking IGFBP2 could be a new target for treating LN.

Key messages

Plasma IGFBP2 is a promising diagnostic marker for distinguishing stable LN from active LN, and it is also a predictor for the poor prognosis of LN.

Blockade of IGFBP2 can significantly improve the pathological damage of LN.

IGFBP2 may regulate activation of CD4⁺ T and Treg ratio.

Neutralizing IGFBP2 downregulates AKT/mTOR/4E-BP1 pathway.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00109-022-02241-z.

Does the RGD region of certain proteins affect metabolic activity?

A better understanding of the role of mineralized tissues and their associated factors in governing whole-body metabolism should be of value toward informing clinical strategies to treat mineralized tissue and metabolic disorders, such as diabetes and obesity. This perspective provides evidence suggesting a role for the arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) region, a sequence identified in several proteins secreted by bone cells, as well as other cells, in modulating systemic metabolic activity. We focus on (a) two of the SIBLING (small integrin-binding ligand, N-linked glycoprotein) family genes/proteins, bone sialoprotein (BSP) and osteopontin (OPN), (b) insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 &amp; 2 (IGFBP-1, IGFBP-2) and (c) developmental endothelial locus 1 (DEL1) and milk fat globule–EGF factor-8 (MFG-E8). In addition, for our readers to appreciate the mounting evidence that a multitude of bone secreted factors affect the activity of other tissues, we provide a brief overview of other proteins, to include fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), phosphatase orphan 1 (PHOSPHO1), osteocalcin (OCN/BGLAP), tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) and acidic serine aspartic-rich MEPE-associated motif (ASARM), along with known/suggested functions of these factors in influencing energy metabolism.

RHOA-regulated IGFBP2 promotes invasion and drives progression of BCR-ABL1 chronic myeloid leukemia

The Philadelphia 9;22 chromosome translocation has two common isoforms that are preferentially associated with distinct subtypes of leukemia. The p210 variant is the hallmark of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) whereas p190 is frequently associated with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The only sequence difference between the two isoforms is the guanidine exchange factor domain. This guanidine exchange factor is reported to activate RHO family GTPases in response to diverse extracellular stimuli. It is not clear whether and, if so, how RHOA contributes to progression of p210 CML. Here we show that knockout of RHOA in the K562 and KU812, p210-expressing cell lines leads to suppression of leukemogenesis in animal models in vivo. RNA-sequencing analysis of the mock control and null cells demonstrated a distinct change in the gene expression profile as a result of RHOA deletion, with significant downregulation of genes involved in cell activation and cell adhesion. Cellular analysis revealed that RHOA knockout leads to impaired cell adhesion and migration and, most importantly, the homing ability of leukemia cells to the bone marrow, which may be responsible for the attenuated leukemia progression. We also identified IGFBP2 as an important downstream target of RHOA. Further mechanistic investigation showed that RHOA activation leads to relocation of the serum response factor (SRF) into the nucleus, where it directly activates IGFBP2. Knockout of IGFBP2 in CML cells suppressed cell adhesion/invasion, as well as leukemogenesis in vivo. This elevated IGFBP2 expression was confirmed in primary CML samples. Thus, we demonstrate one mechanism whereby the RHOA-SRF-IGFBP2 signaling axis contributes to the development of leukemia in cells expressing the p210 BCR-ABL1 fusion kinase.

Different roles of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis in non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract:

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains one of the deadliest malignant diseases, with high incidence and mortality worldwide. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis, consisting of IGF-1, IGF-2, related receptors (IGF-1R, -2R), and high-affinity binding proteins (IGFBP 1–6), is associated with promoting fetal development, tissue growth, and metabolism. Emerging studies have also identified the role of the IGF axis in NSCLC, including cancer growth, invasion, and metastasis. Upregulation of IGE-1 and IGF-2, overexpression of IGF-1R, and dysregulation of downstream signaling molecules involved in the PI-3K/Akt and MAPK pathways jointly increase the risk of cancer growth and migration in NSCLC. At the genetic level, some noncoding RNAs could influence the proliferation and differentiation of tumor cells through the IGF signaling pathway. The resistance to some promising drugs might be partially attributed to the IGF axis. Therapeutic strategies targeting the IGF axis have been evaluated, and some have shown promising efficacy. In this review, we summarize the biological roles of the IGF axis in NSCLC, including the expression and prognostic significance of the related components, noncoding RNA regulation, involvement in drug resistance, and therapeutic application. This review offers comprehensive understanding of NSCLC and provides insightful ideas for future research.

Long Non-coding RNA and mRNA Co-expression Network Reveals Novel Players in Pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytoma

Histological interpretation of the rare pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) has been the holy grail for treatment options. However, no stand-alone clinical interventions have been developed owing to the lack of gene expression profiling data in PXA/APXA patients. We first time report the comprehensive analyses of the coding as well as long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) signatures of PXA/APXA patients. Several genes such as IGFBP2, NF1, FOS, ERBB2, and lncRNAs such as NEAT1, HOTAIRM1, and GAS5 known to play crucial roles in glioma patients were also deregulated in PXA patients suggesting the commonality in the molecular signatures. PPI network, co-expression, and lncRNA-mRNA interaction studies unraveled hub genes (such as ERBB2, FOS, RPA1) and networks that may play a critical role in PXA biology. The most enriched pathways based on gene profiles were related to TLR, chemokine, MAPK, Rb, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. The lncRNA targets were enriched in glucuronidation, adipogenesis, TGF-beta signaling, EGF/EGFR signaling, and cell cycle pathways. Interestingly, several mRNAs like PARVG, and ABI2 were found to be targeted by multiple lncRNAs suggesting a tight control of their levels. Some of the most prominent lncRNA-mRNA pairs were LOC728730: MRPL9, XLOC_l2_011987: ASIC2, lnc-C1QTNF5-1: RNF26. Notably, several lncRNAs such as lnc-CETP-1, lnc-XRCC3-1, lnc-RPL31-1, lnc-USP13-1, and MAPKAPK5-AS1, and genes such as RPA1, NTRK3, and CNRP1 showed strong correlation to the progression-free survival of PXA patients suggesting their potential as novel biomarkers. Overall, the findings of this study may facilitate the development of a new realm of RNA biology in PXA that may have clinical significance in the future.

The Spatial Landscape of Progression and Immunoediting in Primary Melanoma at Single-Cell Resolution

Cutaneous melanoma is a highly immunogenic malignancy that is surgically curable at early stages but life-threatening when metastatic. Here we integrate high-plex imaging, 3D high-resolution microscopy, and spatially resolved microregion transcriptomics to study immune evasion and immunoediting in primary melanoma. We find that recurrent cellular neighborhoods involving tumor, immune, and stromal cells change significantly along a progression axis involving precursor states, melanoma in situ, and invasive tumor. Hallmarks of immunosuppression are already detectable in precursor regions. When tumors become locally invasive, a consolidated and spatially restricted suppressive environment forms along the tumor-stromal boundary. This environment is established by cytokine gradients that promote expression of MHC-II and IDO1, and by PD1-PDL1-mediated cell contacts involving macrophages, dendritic cells, and T cells. A few millimeters away, cytotoxic T cells synapse with melanoma cells in fields of tumor regression. Thus, invasion and immunoediting can coexist within a few millimeters of each other in a single specimen.

SIGNIFICANCE

The reorganization of the tumor ecosystem in primary melanoma is an excellent setting in which to study immunoediting and immune evasion. Guided by classic histopathology, spatial profiling of proteins and mRNA reveals recurrent morphologic and molecular features of tumor evolution that involve localized paracrine cytokine signaling and direct cell-cell contact. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1397.

Impact of Gestational Age on Neuroprotective Function of Placenta-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells

INTRODUCTION

The Management of Myelomeningocele Study demonstrated that in utero repair of myelomeningocele improved motor outcomes compared with postnatal repair. However, even after in utero repair, many children were still unable to walk. We have previously demonstrated that augmentation of in utero repair with early-gestation placental mesenchymal stromal cells (PMSCs) improves motor outcomes in lambs compared with standard in utero repair. The neuroprotective potential of PMSCs of all gestational ages has not been evaluated previously.

METHODS

PMSCs were isolated from discarded first trimester (n = 3), second trimester (n = 3), and term (n = 3) placentas by explant culture. Cytokine array analysis was performed. Secretion of two neurotrophic factors, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and hepatocyte growth factor, was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. An in vitro neuroprotective assay demonstrated to be associated with in vivo function was performed.

RESULTS

All cell lines secreted immunomodulatory and neuroprotective cytokines and secreted the neurotrophic factors evaluated. Increased neuroprotective capabilities relative to no PMSCs were demonstrated in two of the three first trimester cell lines (5.61, 4.96-6.85, P < 0.0001 and 2.67, 1.67-4.12, P = 0.0046), two of the three second trimester cell lines (2.82, 2.45-3.43, P = 0.0004 and 3.25, 2.62-3.93, P < 0.0001), and two of the three term cell lines (2.72, 2.32-2.92, P = 0.0033 and 2.57, 1.41-4.42, P = 0.0055).

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated variation in neuroprotective function between cell lines and found that some cell lines from each trimester had neuroprotective properties. This potentially expands the donor pool of PMSCs for clinical use. Further in-depth studies are needed to understand potential subtle differences in cell function at different gestational ages.

PAI-1 is a vascular cell-specific HIF-2-dependent angiogenic factor that promotes retinal neovascularization in diabetic patients

For patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) who do not respond adequately to pan-retinal laser photocoagulation (PRP) or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapies, we hypothesized that vascular cells within neovascular tissue secrete autocrine/paracrine angiogenic factors that promote disease progression. To identify these factors, we performed multiplex ELISA angiogenesis arrays on aqueous fluid from PDR patients who responded inadequately to anti-VEGF therapy and/or PRP and identified plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). PAI-1 expression was increased in vitreous biopsies and neovascular tissue from PDR eyes, limited to retinal vascular cells, regulated by the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-2α, and necessary and sufficient to stimulate angiogenesis. Using a pharmacologic inhibitor of HIF-2α (PT-2385) or nanoparticle-mediated RNA interference targeting Pai1, we demonstrate that the HIF-2α/PAI-1 axis is necessary for the development of retinal neovascularization in mice. These results suggest that targeting HIF-2α/PAI-1 will be an effective adjunct therapy for the treatment of PDR patients.

Human Amnion Epithelial Cells: A Potential Cell Source for Pulp Regeneration?

The aim of this study was to analyze the suitability of pluripotent stem cells derived from the amnion (hAECs) as a potential cell source for revitalization in vitro. hAECs were isolated from human placentas, and dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) and dentin matrix proteins (eDMPs) were obtained from human teeth. Both hAECs and hDPSCs were cultured with 10% FBS, eDMPs and an osteogenic differentiation medium (StemPro). Viability was assessed by MTT and cell adherence to dentin was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, the expression of mineralization-, odontogenic differentiation- and epithelial–mesenchymal transition-associated genes was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR, and mineralization was evaluated through Alizarin Red staining. The viability of hAECs was significantly lower compared with hDPSCs in all groups and at all time points. Both hAECs and hDPSCs adhered to dentin and were homogeneously distributed. The regulation of odontoblast differentiation- and mineralization-associated genes showed the lack of transition of hAECs into an odontoblastic phenotype; however, genes associated with epithelial–mesenchymal transition were significantly upregulated in hAECs. hAECs showed small amounts of calcium deposition after osteogenic differentiation with StemPro. Pluripotent hAECs adhere on dentin and possess the capacity to mineralize. However, they presented an unfavorable proliferation behavior and failed to undergo odontoblastic transition.

Deficiency of N-glycanase 1 perturbs neurogenesis and cerebral development modeled by human organoids

Mutations in N-glycanase 1 (NGLY1), which deglycosylates misfolded glycoproteins for degradation, can cause NGLY1 deficiency in patients and their abnormal fetal development in multiple organs, including microcephaly and other neurological disorders. Using cerebral organoids (COs) developed from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), we investigate how NGLY1 dysfunction disturbs early brain development. While NGLY1 loss had limited impact on the undifferentiated cells, COs developed from NGLY1-deficient hESCs showed defective formation of SATB2-positive upper-layer neurons, and attenuation of STAT3 and HES1 signaling critical for sustaining radial glia. Bulk and single-cell transcriptomic analysis revealed premature neuronal differentiation accompanied by downregulation of secreted and transcription factors, including TTR, IGFBP2, and ID4 in NGLY1-deficient COs. NGLY1 malfunction also dysregulated ID4 and enhanced neuronal differentiation in CO transplants developed in vivo. NGLY1-deficient CO cells were more vulnerable to multiple stressors; treating the deficient cells with recombinant TTR reduced their susceptibility to stress from proteasome inactivation, likely through LRP2-mediated activation of MAPK signaling. Expressing NGLY1 led to IGFBP2 and ID4 upregulation in CO cells developed from NGLY1-deficiency patient’s hiPSCs. In addition, treatment with recombinant IGFBP2 enhanced ID4 expression, STAT3 signaling, and proliferation of NGLY1-deficient CO cells. Overall, our discoveries suggest that dysregulation of stress responses and neural precursor differentiation underlies the brain abnormalities observed in NGLY1-deficient individuals.

The miR151 and miR5100 Transfected Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Increase Myoblast Fusion in IGFBP2 Dependent Manner

Background

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) form a perivascular cell population in the bone marrow. These cells do not present naïve myogenic potential. However, their myogenic identity could be induced experimentally in vitro or in vivo. In vivo, after transplantation into injured muscle, BMSCs rarely fused with myofibers. However, BMSC participation in myofiber reconstruction increased if they were modified by NICD or PAX3 overexpression. Nevertheless, BMSCs paracrine function could play a positive role in skeletal muscle regeneration. Previously, we showed that SDF-1 treatment and coculture with myofibers increased BMSC ability to reconstruct myofibers. We also noticed that SDF-1 treatment changed selected miRNAs expression, including miR151 and miR5100.

Methods

Mouse BMSCs were transfected with miR151 and miR5100 mimics and their proliferation, myogenic differentiation, and fusion with myoblasts were analyzed.

Results

We showed that miR151 and miR5100 played an important role in the regulation of BMSC proliferation and migration. Moreover, the presence of miR151 and miR5100 transfected BMSCs in co-cultures with human myoblasts increased their fusion. This effect was achieved in an IGFBP2 dependent manner.

Conclusions

Mouse BMSCs did not present naïve myogenic potential but secreted proteins could impact myogenic cell differentiation. miR151 and miR5100 transfection changed BMSC migration and IGFBP2 and MMP12 expression in BMSCs. miR151 and miR5100 transfected BMSCs increased myoblast fusion in vitro.

Graphical abstract

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12015-022-10350-y.

Gene expression based profiling of pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma highlights two prognostic subgroups

BACKGROUND

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas (PXAs) are rare, accounting for less than 1% of astrocytomas, and commonly occur in young patients. The majority are WHO grade II. A fraction of tumors that present or recur with malignant change are classified as anaplastic (APXA, grade III). Limited data are available on their molecular characteristics.

METHODOLOGY

Genome-wide expression profiling of 14 PXA and 6 APXAs was performed by microarray. Among differentially expressed genes (DEGs), Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 14 (CDK14) and Mitochondrial Fission Process 1 (MTFP1) were validated by qRT PCR.

RESULT

Unsupervised hierarchical clustering revealed two distinct molecular clusters (Cluster 1: 10 PXA, 3 APXA and Cluster 2: 4 PXA, 3 APXA) with grade II and III tumors distributed in both highlighting molecular heterogeneity within the same grade. There was an insignificant difference in age, sex, immunohistochemical profile, frequency of BRAF mutation, or CDKN2A deletion among the two clusters. Significantly, worse progression-free survival was observed in cluster 2 (P=0.003). mRNA profiling-based prediction of recurrence was superior to and independent of histological grade, BRAF mutation, or CDKN2A deletion status. A total of 10 upregulated and 418 downregulated genes were identified between the PXA clusters. qRT-PCR validation of CDK14 (upregulated in cluster 2) and MTFP1 (upregulated in cluster 1) showed strong concordance with expression array data.

CONCLUSION

This is the first comprehensive study highlighting distinct molecular subgroups of PXA. The differentially expressed genes between two clusters may potentially be used for developing histology independent classification schemes, prognostication and may serve as prospective therapeutic targets for PXA patients.

Proteins in the pathway from high red blood cell width distribution to all-cause mortality

Background

The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the association between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and all-cause mortality are unknown. We conducted a data-driven discovery investigation to identify plasma proteins that mediate the association between RDW and time to death in community-dwelling adults.

Methods

At baseline, 962 adults (women, 54·4%; age range, 21–98 years) participated in the InCHIANTI, “Aging in the Chianti Area” study, and proteomics data were generated from their plasma specimens. Of these, 623 participants had proteomics data available at the 9-year follow-up. For each visit, a total of 1301 plasma proteins were measured using SOMAscan technology. Complete data on vital status were available up to the 15-year follow-up period. Protein-specific exponential distribution accelerated failure time, and linear regression analyses adjusted for possible covariates were used for mortality and mediation analyses, respectively (survival data analysis).

Findings

Baseline values of EGFR, GHR, NTRK3, SOD2, KLRF1, THBS2, TIMP1, IGFBP2, C9, APOB, and LRP1B mediated the association between baseline RDW and all-cause mortality. Changes in IGFBP2 and C7 over 9 years mediated the association between changes in RDW and 6-year all-cause mortality.

Interpretation

Cellular senescence may contribute to the association between RDW and mortality.

Funding

This study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) contract and was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NIA, NIH. The InCHIANTI study was supported as a ‘targeted project’ by the Italian Ministry of Health and in part by the U.S. NIA.

A Novel 16-Genes Signature Scoring System as Prognostic Model to Evaluate Survival Risk in Patients with Glioblastoma

Previous studies have found that gene expression levels are associated with prognosis and some genes can be used to predict the survival risk of glioblastoma (GBM) patients. However, most of them just built the survival-related gene signature, and personal survival risk can be evaluated only in group. This study aimed to find the prognostic survival related genes of GBM, and construct survival risk prediction model, which can be used to evaluate survival risk by individual. We collected gene expression data and clinical information from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. Cox regression analysis and LASSO-cox regression analysis were performed to get survival-related genes and establish the overall survival prediction model. The ROC curve and Kaplan Meier analysis were used to evaluate the prediction ability of the model in training set and two independent cohorts. We also analyzed the biological functions of survival-related genes by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. We identified 99 genes associated with overall survival and selected 16 genes (IGFBP2, GPRASP1, C1R, CHRM3, CLSTN2, NELL1, SEZ6L2, NMB, ICAM5, HPCAL4, SNAP91, PCSK1N, PGBD5, INA, UCHL1 and LHX6) to establish the survival risk prediction model. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicted that the risk score could predict overall survival independent of age and gender. ROC analyses showed that our model was more robust than four existing signatures. The sixteen genes can also be potential transcriptional biomarkers and the model can assist doctors on clinical decision-making and personalized treatment of GBM patients.